Science Fiction and Fantasy Books to Read
Here are all the finalists in the NPR Science Fiction and Fantasy Vote for 2011. As I finish them I’ll put a ✔ next to them along with the date I finished. If I write a review, I’ll link to it. If you’re curious which ones I’ll be reading for a second (or more) time, I’ll indicate that with a ☞.
1632, by Eric Flint✔ (August 15, 2011)
☞1984, by George Orwell
☞2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
The Acts Of Caine Series, by Matthew Woodring Stover
The Algebraist, by Iain M. Banks
☞Altered Carbon, by Richard K. Morgan
☞American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
☞Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman
Anathem, by Neal Stephenson✔ (September 9, 2011)
☞Animal Farm, by George Orwell
The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers
Armor, by John Steakley
☞The Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson
Battlefield Earth, by L. Ron Hubbard
☞Beggars In Spain, by Nancy Kress
☞The Belgariad, by David Eddings
The Black Company Series, by Glen Cook
The Black Jewels Series, by Anne Bishop
☞The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
☞Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Bridge Of Birds, by Barry Hughart
☞The Callahan’s Series, by Spider Robinson
☞A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
☞The Cat Who Walked Through Walls, by Robert Heinlein
☞Cat’s Cradle , by Kurt Vonnegut
☞The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
The Change Series, by S.M. Stirling
☞Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke
Children Of God, by Mary Doria Russell
☞The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
☞The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
The City And The City, by China Mieville
City And The Stars, by Arthur C. Clarke
☞A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
The Coldfire Trilogy, by C.S. Friedman
The Commonwealth Saga, by Peter F. Hamilton
☞The Company Wars, by C.J. Cherryh
The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
Contact, by Carl Sagan
☞Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
☞The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
☞The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks✔ So far, read: Matter (July 15, 2011) and Surface Detail (September 14, 2011)
The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
The Day of Triffids, by John Wyndham
Deathbird Stories, by Harlan Ellison
☞The Deed of Paksennarion Trilogy, by Elizabeth Moon
The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester
☞The Deverry Cycle, by Katharine Kerr
☞Dhalgren, by Samuel R. Delany
☞The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
☞The Difference Engine, by William Gibson & Bruce Sterling
☞The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
☞Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
Don’t Bite The Sun, by Tanith Lee
☞Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
☞Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
☞Dreamsnake, by Vonda McIntyre✔ (August 4, 2011)
☞The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
☞Earth, by David Brin
Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart
The Eisenhorn Omnibus, by Dan Abnett
The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
☞Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
☞Eon, by Greg Bear
The Eyes Of The Dragon, by Stephen King
The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
☞The Faded Sun Trilogy, by C.J. Cherryh
☞Fafhrd & The Gray Mouser Series, by Fritz Leiber
☞Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
☞The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
The Female Man, by Joanna Russ
The Fionavar Tapestry Trilogy, by Guy Gavriel Kay
☞A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
The First Law Trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie
☞Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
☞The Foreigner Series, by C.J. Cherryh
☞The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
☞The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
☞The Gaea Trilogy, by John Varley
The Gap Series, by Stephen R. Donaldson
☞The Gate To Women’s Country, by Sheri S. Tepper
Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway
The Gormenghast Triology, by Mervyn Peake
☞Grass, by Sheri S. Tepper
Gravity’s Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon
☞The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End of The World, by Haruki Murakami
The Heechee Saga, by Frederik Pohl
☞The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
The Hollows Series, by Kim Harrison
House Of Leaves, by Mark Danielewski
☞The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
☞I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
☞The Illuminatus! Trilogy, by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
☞The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
☞The Incarnations Of Immortality Series, by Piers Anthony
The Inheritance Trilogy, by N.K. Jemisin
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
☞Kindred, by Octavia Butler
The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
Kraken, by China Mieville
☞The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
Last Call, by Tim Powers
The Last Coin, by James P. Blaylock
☞The Last Herald Mage Trilogy, by Mercedes Lackey
☞The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle✔ (August 6, 2011)
☞The Lathe Of Heaven, by Ursula K. LeGuin
☞The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
☞The Lensman Series, by E.E. Smith
The Liaden Universe Series, by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
The Lies Of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch
☞Lilith’s Brood, by Octavia Butler
☞Little, Big, by John Crowley
☞The Liveship Traders Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
☞Lord Of Light, by Roger Zelazny
☞The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
☞Lord Valentine’s Castle, by Robert Silverberg
☞Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Lud-in-the-Mist, by Hope Mirrlees
The Magicians, by Lev Grossman
The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
☞The Man In The High Castle, by Philip K. Dick
The Manifold Trilogy, by Stephen Baxter
☞The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
☞The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
☞Memory And Dream, by Charles de Lint
Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn Trilogy, by Tad Williams
☞Mindkiller, by Spider Robinson
The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
☞The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
☞The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
☞Mordant’s Need, by Stephen Donaldson
☞More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon
☞The Mote In God’s Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
The Naked Sun, by Isaac Asimov
The Neanderthal Parallax Trilogy, by Robert J. Sawyer
☞Neuromancer, by William Gibson
☞Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
The Newsflesh Triology, by Mira Grant
The Night’s Dawn Trilogy, by Peter F. Hamilton
Norstrilia, by Cordwainer Smith
☞Novels Of The Company, by Kage Baker
☞The Number Of The Beast, by Robert Heinlein
☞Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi
On Basilisk Station, by David Weber
☞The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
Oryx And Crake, by Margaret Atwood
The Otherland Tetralogy, by Tad Williams
The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
☞Parable Of The Sower, by Octavia Butler
The Passage, by Justin Cronin
☞Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson
Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
The Prestige, by Christopher Priest
☞The Pride Of Chanur, by C.J. Cherryh
The Prince Of Nothing Trilogy, by R. Scott Bakker
☞The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
Rainbows End, by Vernor Vinge
☞Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
Replay, by Ken Grimwood
Revelation Space, by Alistair Reynolds
Riddley Walker, by Russell Hoban
The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
☞Ringworld, by Larry Niven
☞The Riverworld Series, by Philip Jose Farmer
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
The Saga Of Pliocene Exile, by Julian May
The Saga Of Recluce, by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
The Sarantine Mosaic Series, by Guy Gavriel Kay
☞A Scanner Darkly, by Philip K. Dick
The Scar, by China Mieville
☞The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
The Shattered Chain Trilogy, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
☞The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Sirens Of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut
☞Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
☞Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
☞The Snow Queen, by Joan D. Vinge
Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem
☞Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
☞Song for the Basilisk, by Patricia McKillip
A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell
☞The Stainless Steel Rat Books, by Harry Harrison
Stand On Zanzibar, by John Brunner
The Stand, by Stephen King
Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester
☞Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
Stations Of The Tide, by Michael Swanwick
☞Steel Beach, by John Varley
☞Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
☞Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
The Swordspoint Trilogy, by Ellen Kushner
☞The Tales of Alvin Maker, by Orson Scott Card
The Temeraire Series, by Naomi Novik
The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
☞Tigana , by Guy Gavriel Kay
☞Time Enough For Love, by Robert Heinlein
The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
☞The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
☞To Say Nothing Of The Dog, by Connie Willis
The Troy Trilogy, by David Gemmell
Ubik, by Philip K. Dick
☞The Uplift Saga, by David Brin
☞The Valdemar Series, by Mercedes Lackey
VALIS, by Philip K. Dick
Venus On The Half-Shell, by Kilgore Trout/Philip Jose Farmer
☞The Vlad Taltos Series, by Steven Brust
☞The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Vurt Trilogy, by Jeff Noon
The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
The Watchmen, by Alan Moore
☞Watership Down, by Richard Adams
The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
Way Station, by Clifford D. Simak
☞We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin
The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan
When Gravity Fails, by George Alec Effinger
☞Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
☞Wild Seed, by Octavia Butler
The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi
World War Z, by Max Brooks
☞The Worm Ouroboros, by E.R. Edison
☞The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, by Michael Chabon