BOOKS I’VE NEVER READ (ONLINE POLL EDITION)

ITEM: Locus Online has released its poll of the 50 best science-fiction and 50 best fantasy novels of the 20^th Century, as well as the Top 15 such novels of the 21^st Century so far.

As you know, I’m a sucker for book lists, if only because they make fun memes. That said, the Locus list should be read with the caveat that it’s an online poll, and the votes were all write-ins. So this list should be taken with a few grains of salt.

And I do have a few grains of my own:

1. There is no Norman Spinrad on it. I know Spinrad’s an acquired taste, but personally I don’t see how you could have a Best SF list this long without at least one of his books.

2. re: Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? – I’m a big fan of PKD, but honestly I suspect this particular book makes lists like this mostly because of the film version, which is markedly different from the book. It’s a good book, to be sure, but PKD has written far better books than this. Okay, two of them also made the list. Still.

3. I was not aware that Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude was a fantasy book.

4. I noticed that China Mieville’s The City & the City is listed in both SF and Fantasy for 21^st Century books. I haven't read it, so maybe it’s a hybrid of both. Even so, surely there should be a rule against that.

Anyway, here’s my own stats:

20^th Century:

I have read 25 of the Top 50 SF novels. Of the ones I have read, 14 are in the Top 20.

I have read 19 of top 50 fantasy novels – which is surprising to me as I don’t read much fantasy. Then again, some of them aren’t your typical “fantasy” genre novel (with swords and dragons and wizards and hobbitses and whatnot).

21^st Century:

I have read 7 of top 15 SF novels.

And I have read 6 of top 15 fantasy novels.

The full list follows, with the usual meme rules:

Bold – read it

Italics – I want to read it or it’s already in my to-read pile

Italics/strikethrough – tried to read it but gave up

( How many have YOU read, kids? )

Off to the bookstore,

This is dF

THIS PRETTY MUCH SUMS UP THE BEST BITS OF MY CHILDHOOD

[Via LP Cover Lover]



[Via Space Ghost Zombie]



[Also via Space Ghost Zombie]

The rest of it more or less sucked.

In my room,

This is dF