Iain M Bank's top ten SF novels - how many have YOU read?

[Tabitha]

According to http://members.tripod.com/a.b.i-b/html/faq_text.htm

Here is Banks' Top Ten SF books that he specified in an interview in Arena magazine.

1. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert Heinlen
2. Tiger! Tiger! - Alfred Bester
3. Hyperion - Dan Simmons
4. Fire Upon The Deep - Vernor Vinge
5. Neuromancer - William Gibson
6. The Dispossessed - Ursula K Le Guin
7. The Muller-Fokker Efect - John Sladek
8. The Pastel City - M John Harrison
9. Stand on Zanzibar - John Brummer
10. Babel-17 - Samuel R Delany

I haven't read ANY of these. In fact several of them I have never even heard of! I think I will probably read the Heinlein one in the near future, but as for the others I don't know.

I sort of expected Larry Niven's Ringworld to show up, though...

 

[Dave]

I've only read 'Neuromancer' of those. 'Feersum Endjinn' is definately influenced by 'Neuromancer', but then who hasn't been?

I expect that he must have read 'Ringworld' but doesn't rate it that much. Bank's characters are not drawn very emotionally, the way that Niven's characters are: They have emotinal histories, but they act just like you or I would. Whereas, I would expect someone like Sharrow in 'Against a Dark Background' to be a complete emotional wreck after what has happened to her in her life.

 

[Dave]

5 years on, and I still haven't read any more of that list. Is it a good list? What am I missing?

 

[carrie221]

I haven't even heard of most of the books and I admit I have not read any of them.

 

[mightymem]

I have only read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlen, which was enjoyable even though I had trouble understanding parts of the book.

 

[BradtheImpaler]

Cool...I have "Hyperion" and "Fire Upon the Deep" on order.

 

[Prefx]

I've read Neuromancer and Hyperion. Both great books; Hyperion remains my favorite book since I originally read it in (2002?). Nueromancer introduced me to cyber-punk literature, which I had only exerperienced in anime. I thank Gibson for that.

 

[Jack]

The Pastel City - M John Harrison - Would not call it a SF book more a mix between the two e.g. SF/Fantasy, and it's easier to include the whole story, which would be Viriconium.

The Dispossessed - Ursula K Le Guin - read it, did not like it. Which is strange as I usually like Le Guin, too much Utopian ideals within it, and utopia is so boring to read about.

Fire Upon The Deep - Vernor Vinge - Truly loved this book, a classic in the making and if you love good SF, try it. Its very fate and mythical but within the SF essence we all love, a bit like Baxter.

Neuromancer - William Gibson - Very Cyberpunk, with great language use and prose, a good read

I sort of expected Larry Niven's Ringworld to show up, though

Strange it's not there indeed

 

[Taltos]

I've read 6 out of 10, from this list, and amost of them I liked.

 

[iansales]

The only one on the list I haven't read is Stand on Zanzibar, although I do have the book (the SF Masterworks edition) on my bookshelves.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

HEILEN,BESTER,GIBSON,LeGIUN,HARRISON,can't quite remember if I did read BRUNNER or not.

 

[jackokent]

Have read the Heinlen one, own Dispossessed but haven't got round to reading it yet. Never heard of the others.

 

[GOLLUM]

I've read definitely 4, maybe 5 in that list but I'm not much of an SF fan vs. Fantasy.

 

[j d worthington]

1. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert Heinlen
2. Tiger! Tiger! - Alfred Bester
3. Hyperion - Dan Simmons
4. Fire Upon The Deep - Vernor Vinge
5. Neuromancer - William Gibson
6. The Dispossessed - Ursula K Le Guin
7. The Muller-Fokker Efect - John Sladek
8. The Pastel City - M John Harrison
9. Stand on Zanzibar - John Brummer
10. Babel-17 - Samuel R Delany

Have read: 1-3, 5-10. Tiger! Tiger! is also known as The Stars My Destination; The Muller-Fokker Effect is one of the more sterling books to come out of the New Wave movement; and Stand on Zanzibar is a brilliant, if difficult book (in some ways) -- it is also a part of an "ecological dystopia" series, followed by The Jagged Orbit and The Sheep Look Up. The only one I've read out of these that I feel was a bit too much was LeGuin's The Dispossessed ... while I still very much like it, I think there were times it got a tad too didactic. But overall a very good list indeed.

 

[Cricket - Best Sport]

I have read four of them. Loved Hyperion, liked Moon... and couldn't finish either Neuromancer or The Stars My Destination.

Bank's own work is superior to any of them. (though Hyperion is better than any single novel Bank's has written)

The only author I haven't read there is John Saldek.

 

[chrispenycate]

All but 8. The Pastel City - M John Harrison. All (for me) good reads, though occasionally I'd prefer different books from the same author.
I'd hate to try and reduce my selection to ten books, but a list of fifty might be a little difficult to read through.

 

[Carolyn Hill]

I've read eight of them (as follows):

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert Heinlen
Tiger! Tiger! (The Stars My Destination) - Alfred Bester
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Fire Upon The Deep - Vernor Vinge
Neuromancer - William Gibson
The Dispossessed - Ursula K Le Guin
Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner (not "Brummer")
Babel-17 - Samuel R Delany

I haven't read anything by M. John Harrison. And I've read John Sladek, but not the book on the list.

 

[K. Riehl]

I've read them all, liked them all, collected 7 out of 10 in first edition.

Still looking for 1st editions of Tiger! Tiger!, Hyperion, Neuromancer

It's a nice broad contrast in writing styles.

 

[Razorback]

I have read all but 2: The Muller-Folker Effect and The Pastel City. I liked the other 8 pretty well, so I will put these on my hunting list.

I like space operas a lot, but I have not read anything by Banks yet. I am working on collecting his Culture series though. I expect to start reading them sometime this year.

 

[Ice fyre]

Hi There

Have read Neuromacer and Fire Upon the Deep.

Neuromancer was good, I read it quite recently it is a very strange book in the respect that it forcasted some things quite well and other's not quite so well.

Space exploration hasnt taken off like it was supposed to but the web has become while not quite as intrusive as pictured in the book, not far off it,also its getting more acurate by the year. More and more 24 hour news channels more and more channels full stop. A good book though.

A fire upon the deep was quite an interesting read too, caught it by chance in my local Library. Quite a heavy book but can see who influenced him!