The Top 100 Must-read Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of All Time Poll.

I also overlooked Mervyn Peake. I'd also like to add votes for his Titus Groan and Gormenghast, as well as Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five.

Here's an updated list of what's been nominated so far. I know this isn't my thread, but thanks, everyone, for taking the time.

Anyone is welcome to vote for must-read sf and fantasy, and nominate anything they think deserving.

Douglas Adams, The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams, The Hitch-Hiker's Guide (series)
Isaac Asimov, Foundation
Isaac Asimov, Foundation (series)
Isaac Asimov, I, Robot
Isaac Asimov, Robot (series)
Robert Asprin, Thieves' World
Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake
Margaret Atwood, The Year of the Flood
L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury, The Golden Apples of the Sun
Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles
Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes
Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Land That Time Forgot
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Martian (series)
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Pellucidar
Jim Butcher, Dresden Files (series)
Octavia E. Butler, Dawn
Octavia E. Butler, Wild Seed
Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game
Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
C.J. Cherryh, The Chronicles of Morgaine
C.J. Cherryh, Downbelow Station
Arthur C. Clarke, Childhood's End
Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey
Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park
John Crowley, Aegypt (series)
John Crowley, Little, Big
L. Sprague de Camp, The Goblin Tower
Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
Philip K. Dick, Radio Free Albemuth
Philip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly
Philip K. Dick, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Philip K. Dick, The Transmigration of Timothy Archer
Philip K. Dick, VALIS
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Stephen R. Donaldson, Lord Foul's Bane
Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World
David Drake, Lord of the Isles (series)
Harlan Ellison, Dangerous Visions
Harlan Ellison, Deathbird Stories
Carol Emshwiller, The Mount
Philip José Farmer, To Your Scattered Bodies Go
Raymond Feist, Faerie Tale
Alan Dean Foster, Icerigger
Neil Gaiman, American Gods
Neil Gaiman, Sandman
William Gibson, Neuromancer
Tom Godwin, The Survivors
William Goldman, The Princess Bride
Phyllid Gotlieb, Sunburst
Joe Haldeman, The Forever War
Peter F. Hamilton, The Night's Dawn Trilogy
Robert Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers
Robert Heinlein, Stranger In a Strange Land
Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
Zenna Henderson, Ingathering: The Complete People Stories of Zenna Henderson
Frank Herbert, Dune
Frank Herbert, Dune (series)
Homer, The Odyssey
Nalo Hopkinson, Midnight Robber
Robert E. Howard, the Conan (series)
L. Ron Hubbard, Battlefield Earth
Barry Hughart, The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox
Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
Diana Wynne Jones, The Merlin Conspiracy
Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time (series)
Guy Gavriel Kay, Lions of Al-Rassan
Guy Gavriel Kay, Tigana
Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon
Stephen King, The Dark Tower (series)
Stephen King, The Eyes of the Dragon
Stephen King, The Stand
Katherine Kurtz, Deryni Chronicles
Tanith Lee, The Silver Metal Lover
Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed
Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness
Ursula K. Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea
Fritz Leiber, the Fafhrd & Gray Mouser (series)
Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time
C. S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Stanislaw Lem, Solaris
Sergei Lukyanenko, Nochnoi Dozor (The Night Watch)
George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire (series)
Richard Matheson, I Am Legend
Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Dennis McKiernon, the Mithgar (series)
China Miéville, Bas-Lag series
China Miéville, Perdido Street Station
Walter M. Miller, A Canticle For Leibowitz
David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas
L.E. Modesitt, Jr., the Saga of Recluce (series)
Elizabeth Moon, The Deed of Paksenarrion
Michael Moorcock, the Elric series
Michael Moorcock, The Eternal Champion (series)
Alan Moore, Watchmen
C. L. Moore, Shambleau and Others
Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle, Lucifer's Hammer
Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle, The Mote in God's Eye
Ben Okri, The Famished Road
George Orwell, 1984
Mervyn Peake, Gormenghast
Mervyn Peake, Titus Groan
Tim Powers, The Anubis Gates
Terry Pratchett, The Colour of Magic
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather
Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man
Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials
Patrick Rothfuss, The Kingkiller Chronicle
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter (series)
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Joanna Russ, The Female Man
Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn: The Final Empire
Robert J. Sawyer, Calculating God
John Scalzi, Old Man's War
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus
Mary Shelley, The Last Man
Dan Simmons, Hyperion
William Sleator, House of Stairs
E. E. "Doc" Smith, the Lensman (series)
Neal Stephenson, Anathem
Neal Stephenson, The Baroque Cycle
Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash
Bruce Sterling and William Gibson, The Difference Engine
Mary Stewart, The Crystal Cave
Bram Stoker, Dracula
Theodore Sturgeon, E Pluribus Unicorn
Theodore Sturgeon, Some of Your Blood
Theodore Sturgeon, Venus Plus X
Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels
James Tiptree, Jr., Her Smoke Rose Up Forever
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion
Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Joan D. Vinge, The Snow Queen
Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five
David Weber, Honor Harrington (series)
Manly Wade Wellman, Who Fears the Devil
H.G. Wells, The Time Machine
H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds
T.H. White, The Once and Future King
Connie Willis, All Clear
Connie Willis, Blackout
Connie Willis, Doomsday Book
Scott Westerfeld, The Succession
Gene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun
Virginia Woolf, Orlando
Roger Zelazny, The Chronicles of Amber (series)

Pthom said:

Yeah, what we're after here, is the number of nominations for any one title. (We're competing with the somewhat flawed--according to many AW members--NPR poll.) Alessandra's list contains 154 titles, but which has most votes?

Click to expand...

Lord of the Rings. It's either 12 or 13 votes total. I actually hand-tallied all the votes when I compiled the list above, but I worried numbers would be distracting. Kinda dumb, now I think of it. I can pull out my notes and post them tomorrow if you like, but right now I've stayed up longer than I ought to have and am drooping off to bed.

Good morning, and here's the number of votes so far (assuming I've counted right; people are welcome to double-check), in order of magnitude, including Johnny Von Rotten's last vote. At the moment I'm counting individual books as separate from their series, but Pthom may wish to combine votes:

13 votes:
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

8 votes each:
Douglas Adams, The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Frank Herbert, Dune

6 votes each:
Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
George R. R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire (series)
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
H.G. Wells, The Time Machine

5 votes each:
Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Robert Heinlein, Stranger In a Strange Land
Ursula K. Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus

4 votes each:
Isaac Asimov, Foundation
L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
C. S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
George Orwell, 1984

3 votes each:
Isaac Asimov, I, Robot
Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes
Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game
Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park
William Gibson, Neuromancer
Robert Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Homer, The Odyssey
Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
Stephen King, The Dark Tower (series)
Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion
Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
T.H. White, The Once and Future King

2 votes each:
Douglas Adams, The Hitch-Hiker's Guide (series)
Isaac Asimov, Foundation (series)
Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake
Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey
Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World
William Goldman, The Princess Bride
Joe Haldeman, The Forever War
Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers
Diana Wynne Jones, The Merlin Conspiracy
Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed
Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time
Walter M. Miller, A Canticle For Leibowitz
Mervyn Peake, Gormenghast
Mervyn Peake, Titus Groan
Terry Pratchett, The Colour of Magic
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather
Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man
Patrick Rothfuss, The Kingkiller Chronicle
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
John Scalzi, Old Man's War
Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash
Bram Stoker, Dracula
Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five
Gene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun

One vote each:
Isaac Asimov, Robot (series)
Robert Asprin, Thieves' World
Margaret Atwood, The Year of the Flood
Ray Bradbury, The Golden Apples of the Sun
Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles
Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Land That Time Forgot
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Martian series
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Pellucidar
Jim Butcher, Dresden Files (series)
Octavia E. Butler, Dawn
Octavia E. Butler, Wild Seed
C.J. Cherryh, The Chronicles of Morgaine
C.J. Cherryh, Downbelow Station
Arthur C. Clarke, Childhood's End
John Crowley, Aegypt (series)
John Crowley, Little, Big
L. Sprague de Camp, The Goblin Tower
Philip K. Dick, Radio Free Albemuth
Philip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly
Philip K. Dick, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Philip K. Dick, The Transmigration of Timothy Archer
Philip K. Dick, VALIS
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Stephen R. Donaldson, Lord Foul's Bane
David Drake, Lord of the Isles (series)
Harlan Ellison, Dangerous Visions
Harlan Ellison, Deathbird Stories
Carol Emshwiller, The Mount
Philip José Farmer, To Your Scattered Bodies Go
Raymond Feist, Faerie Tale
Alan Dean Foster, Icerigger
Neil Gaiman, American Gods
Neil Gaiman, Sandman
Tom Godwin, The Survivors
Phyllis Gotlieb, Sunburst
Peter F. Hamilton, The Night's Dawn Trilogy
Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
Zenna Henderson, Ingathering: The Complete People Stories of Zenna Henderson
Frank Herbert, Dune (series)
Nalo Hopkinson, Midnight Robber
Robert E. Howard, the Conan (series)
L. Ron Hubbard, Battlefield Earth
Barry Hughart, The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox
Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time (series)
Guy Gavriel Kay, Lions of Al-Rassan
Guy Gavriel Kay, Tigana
Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon
Stephen King, The Eyes of the Dragon
Stephen King, The Stand
Katherine Kurtz, Deryni Chronicles
Tanith Lee, The Silver Metal Lover
Fritz Leiber, the Fafhrd & Gray Mouser (series)
Stanislaw Lem, Solaris
Sergei Lukyanenko, Nochnoi Dozor (The Night Watch)
George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
Richard Matheson, I Am Legend
Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Dennis McKiernon, the Mithgar (series)
China Miéville, Bas-Lag series
China Miéville, Perdido Street Station
David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas
L.E. Modesitt, Jr., the Saga of Recluce (series)
Elizabeth Moon, The Deed of Paksenarrion
Michael Moorcock, the Elric series
Michael Moorcock, The Eternal Champion (series)
Alan Moore, Watchmen
C. L. Moore, Shambleau and Others
Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle, Lucifer's Hammer
Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle, The Mote in God's Eye
Ben Okri, The Famished Road
Tim Powers, The Anubis Gates
Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter (series)
Joanna Russ, The Female Man
Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn: The Final Empire
Robert J. Sawyer, Calculating God
Mary Shelley, The Last Man
Dan Simmons, Hyperion
William Sleator, House of Stairs
E. E. "Doc" Smith, the Lensman (series)
Neal Stephenson, Anathem
Neal Stephenson, The Baroque Cycle
Bruce Sterling and William Gibson, The Difference Engine
Mary Stewart, The Crystal Cave
Theodore Sturgeon, E Pluribus Unicorn
Theodore Sturgeon, Some of Your Blood
Theodore Sturgeon, Venus Plus X
Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels
James Tiptree, Jr., Her Smoke Rose Up Forever
Joan D. Vinge, The Snow Queen
David Weber, Honor Harrington (series)
Manly Wade Wellman, Who Fears the Devil
H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds
Connie Willis, All Clear
Connie Willis, Blackout
Connie Willis, Doomsday Book
Scott Westerfeld, The Succession
Virginia Woolf, Orlando
Roger Zelazny, The Chronicles of Amber (series)





(I'm not sure we're doing a whole lot better than the notorious NPR survey here vis-à-vis women and PoC.)

triceretops said:

Happily surprised to see Foster's Icerigger on there. But saddened that none of Poul Anderson's books made the cut.

tri

Click to expand...

This isn't the cut yet, this is just a summing-up of where we are so far, so people don't have to scroll back through the entire thread. There are months to go yet in allowing nominations.

So ... nominate away! There's still time.

And ... was that a vote for Icerigger?

I've been going back and forth on this, because it's a comic, but I just re-read it and it's every bit as deep and astonishing as I remember, so...

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki, 1983.
An incredible, vivid, moving, melancholy epic of a world ruined by human folly and ecological damage, with the hope of redemption and some powerful Buddhist allegories, peopled by unforgettable characters and some of the richest fantasy storytelling of the twentieth century.