500 Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Books You Should Read Before You Die - Members' Version

[Extollager]

By the way -- just a general comment, & just my opinion, but I hope folks will restrict themselves to nominating works they feel really are of special worth, not just "I kinda liked it, sure, why not," etc. We're talking about works that the nominator thinks are ones others owe it to themselves to try. I can think of novels that I like plenty, but that I would hesitate to say you-all owe it to yourselves to try. For example, James White's All Judgment Fled is one I've read two or three times and like quite a bit. But do I want to say that Svalbard and Nixie and Baylor and Teresa and everyone else owe it to themselves to read it? Well, maybe I don't. So a good rule of thumb for us all might be: if you hesitate to nominate it, then there might be a good reason not to do so.

 

[Extollager]

Yes. For example, I've listed Gormenghast and The Once and Future King. Not only have both of those been published as a single volume, but that's how I've read them.

I do think that's fair: if the items have been published as a book, then, sure, a book's a book -- it counts as one. My 2c.

 

[Elckerlyc]

The problem with treating trilogies as one is that you risk discussions with every entered trilogy whether it is one continuing storiy or not. Treat as one or not.
Keep it simple, stick to single novels only.
However, we're talking recommendations here. Just mentioning Book 1 of a trilogy ought to be enough; if it is indeed one continuing tale the hooked reader will go looking for the Book 2 and 3 all by himself without needing extra recommendations. Also, recommending Book 2 as a starting point doesn't make much sense to me.
But, like @Extollager, just my 2c.

 

[BAYLOR]

By the way -- just a general comment, & just my opinion, but I hope folks will restrict themselves to nominating works they feel really are of special worth, not just "I kinda liked it, sure, why not," etc. We're talking about works that the nominator thinks are ones others owe it to themselves to try. I can think of novels that I like plenty, but that I would hesitate to say you-all owe it to yourselves to try. For example, James White's All Judgment Fled is one I've read two or three times and like quite a bit. But do I want to say that Svalbard and Nixie and Baylor and Teresa and everyone else owe it to themselves to read it? Well, maybe I don't. So a good rule of thumb for us all might be: if you hesitate to nominate it, then there might be a good reason not to do so.

Ive never that James White novel in print nd never heard of it until mentioned it. I read story premise , Is actually sounds quite good.

 

[Ogma]

I didn't see the following on the list yet?

Stapledon's Starmaker and Last and First Men
Slaughter-House V
The Left Hand of Darkness
Canticle of Liebowitz
Chronicles of Amber
Day of the Trifids
Dhalgren
American Gods
Perdido Street Station
Hyperion
A Deepness In The Sky/ A fire Upon The Deep
The Worm Ouroboros
Time & The Gods
We
Helliconia
Inverted World
Greener Than You Think

 

[Extollager]

Ive never that James White novel in print nd never heard of it until mentioned it. I read story premise , Is actually sounds quite good.

All Judgment Fled is good, Baylor. I just wouldn’t say you owe it to yourself to read it.

 

[Ogma]

Forgot I am Legend and The Shrinking Man

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

I didn't see the following on the list yet?

Stapledon's Starmaker and Last and First Men
Slaughter-House V
The Left Hand of Darkness
Canticle of Liebowitz
Chronicles of Amber
Day of the Trifids
Dhalgren
American Gods
Perdido Street Station
Hyperion
A Deepness In The Sky/ A fire Upon The Deep
The Worm Ouroboros
Time & The Gods
We
Helliconia
Inverted World
Greener Than You Think

If you think they should be on the list, then assign them numbers, add the authors, and list them.

 

[dask]

57. Demon Princes by Jack Vance (Five books, some of Vance‘s best storytelling.)

Of the five, the first, The Star King, is my favorite and the one I officially recommend.

 

[Trollheart]

Again I'll ask for guidance as to where/how to maintain the masterlist, since my Google Docs file is causing so much trouble. Unless you all want me to pay your air fare to Ireland and you can come round to my house and look at it on my computer. Just don't sit on Eddie's pillow - he's a possessive cat (and very big).

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

Just don't sit on Eddie's pillow - he's a possessive cat (and very big).

I bet not as big as my twenty-pounder!

 

[Bick]

So far, it looks to me like an eclectic mixture of classics and oddball personal favourites - not sure this list will be better than any others! I'll not name them so as not to offend posters, but some suggestions I would say are undeserving. Who will decide what stays and goes when the list goes beyond 500, or does it just stop the moment someone names a Gor book as number 500 because they like it?

 

[BAYLOR]

So far, it looks to me like an eclectic mixture of classics and oddball personal favourites - not sure this list will be better than any others! I'll not name them so as not to offend posters, but some suggestions I would say are undeserving. Who will decide what stays and goes when the list goes beyond 500, or does it just stop the moment someone names a Gor book as number 500 because they like it?

I nominate In Caverns Below by Stanton Coblentz

 

[dask]

192? The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology edited by John W. Campbell. A truly great book, worthy of inclusion if Trollheart gives the okay. I remember enjoying every story. Not a bummer in the bunch.

 

[hitmouse]

193 The Dark Forest Trilogy. Cixin Liu. Polarises opinions, but for me the most imaginative and bonkers hard sf of the last decade.

194 To Say Nothing of the Dog. Connie Willis. Hilarious Comedy of Manners time travel caper. DomesdayBook, which could be included here, is just as good, but quite harrowing.

195. The 13 and a half Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers. Picaresque adventures of the eponymous hero from the tume he is found abandoned as a baby floating in a walnut half-shell in the ocean.

196. Rumo by Walter Moers. Grippingand alternative romantic adventure.

197. Lyonesse Jack Vance. His fantasy magnum opus.

198. Dying Earth Jack Vance. Brilliant and very funny stories. Hugely influential, for RPGs amongst other things.

199. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carrol

209. The Magic Pudding. Norman Lindsay. Classic juvenile Australian whimsey.

210. An Older Kind of Magic Patricia Wrightson. YA Urban Fantasy in 1960s Australia.

211. The Diary of a Space Traveller and Other Stories. Satyajit Ray. The Unlikely adventures of Professor Shonku. Sparkling, humane stories from the great filmmaker and sf enthusiast.

 

[Ogma]

If you think they should be on the list, then assign them numbers, add the authors, and list them.

173. Starmaker by Olaf Stapledon
174. Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon
175. Slaughterhouse V by Kurt Vonnegut
176. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
177. Canticle of Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr
178. Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
179. Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
180. Dhalgren by Smauel Delany
181. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
182. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
183. A Deepness In The Sky/ A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge
184. The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison
185. Time & The Gods by Lord Dunsany
186. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
187. Helliconia Trilogy by Brian W. Aldiss
188. Inverted World by Christopher Priest
189. Greener Than You Think by Ward Moore
190. I am Legend by Richard Matheson
191. The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson

That would make Dask's suggestion

192. The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology edited by John W. Campbell

 

[dask]

Whoops! Thank you. Math was never my strong point.

 

[Ogma]

My fault. If I had numbered them in the first place.

Edited to merge the Vinge Books together as they're effectively a duology.

Now all should be right with the numbers

 

[hitmouse]

212 Atomised by Michel Houellebecq. Controversial French novel about 2 brothers struggling to come to terms with modern life, and the end of humanity.

213 Babel 17 by Samuel Delany. Forget Dhalgren. This is his best book.

214 The Lensman Trilogy. E.E. Smith. i.e the first 3 books in the series. Seminal space opera.

 

[hitmouse]

215. The Wind in the Willows. Kenneth Graham.

216. Winnie the Pooh. AA Milne. Young boy transported to a magic wood where toys come to life.