Let's argue about books!

[featherynscale]

A Meme:
"This is a list of the 50 most significant science fiction/fantasy novels, 1953-2002, according to the Science Fiction Book Club. Bold the ones you've read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put an asterisk beside the ones you loved."


The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien* (I re-read this about once a year or so. I'm told it's dreck. So far, I haven't noticed.)
The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov (I actually only read these recently, and at triadruid's insistence.)
Dune, Frank Herbert* (OMG favorite for life.)
Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein (This book is not responsible for my degenerate polyamorous lifestyle. That honor goes to "The Quiet Pools" by Michael P. Kube-McDowell, which is a terrible book on the whole. And yet, it sold me on the concept of multi-partner marriages. The things going down in "Stranger in a Strange Land" seemed like a good idea when I was 18, but more like too much trouble to bother now.)
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin (I just read this a few weeks ago. It's cute.)
Neuromancer, William Gibson (I haven't read this one, but I hate William Gibson as a general rule.)
Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick (Would you believe I've never seen the movie?)
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley (This is one of the ten worst books I have ever read. It was so painful that I could only manage to get about a third of the way through before I gave up in despair. There. I said it. I'm a bad pagan.)
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.*
The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov (I might have read this one, but I can't remember. I'm thinking that if it didn't make enough of an impression that I can remember the title, it probably doesn't count.)
Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
Cities in Flight, James Blish
The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett*
Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison (I've read most of the stories that are in this one and the one above it, I think, but not collected in these particular editions)
The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card* (I read this when I was about 8, and in a school for the very gifted. Ender was my invisible friend for a while.)
The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
Gateway, Frederik Pohl
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams*
I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice* (I really liked this when I was about 10. The shine may have worn off of it by now.)
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
Little, Big, John Crowley
Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
On the Beach, Nevil Shute
Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
Ringworld, Larry Niven
Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien (I had to try reading this about six times before I actually made it all the way through, perhaps last year. I couldn't follow the mythos at all, until I picked up enough Santeria to be able to map the Silmarillion mythos onto that. I mean, it's not a 1-to-1, and it's only good through the first bit, but it was still a vast help.)
Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut (I think I've read every other Vonnegut book...)
Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson (I think I've read every other Stephenson book... I'm sensing a theme.)
Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein (Come on you apes, do you want to live forever? I was so sad that the film of this name had nothing to do with the book of this name.)
Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock (Can't get into these At All. At the time I thought it was because they were too much like my writing style. Since then, I've tried to adapt my style a bit.)
The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks (And then, they paid him to write more of these! The druid's name was Al-Anon, for the gods' sakes! Didn't that clue anybody in?)
Timescape, Gregory Benford
To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

Comments

[celticwhistlin.livejournal.com]

The druid's name was Al-Anon, for the gods' sakes! Didn't that clue anybody in?

What am I missing?

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

This (http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/).

[celticwhistlin.livejournal.com]

I thought that is what you were refering to but wasn't 100%.

I loved all of them. I can't stand his Magical Kingdom for Sale: Sold series no matter how much I wanted too...

[malvito.livejournal.com]

Took me two tries to get through Mists of Avalon. In part because, as a book, it is a great doorstop, like several Stephen King books I can think of. In the end, I did appreciate it greatly, and felt somewhat sad as I ended the book; I felt like I was going to miss the characters. Though it will probably be quite a while before I jump into reading it again.

Am stuck near the beginning of The Two Towers; I don't dislike the writing style or make a big whoopie about differences between the books and movies. It's just a difficult read. I will, eventually, get through it, and then try again to see if it goes down easier the second time. I used to feel that this discounted my geek credentials, but I read Frankenstein, Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on a yearly basis, and therefore do not feel the need to live up to any particular standard of geekity. Life is too short.

[celticwhistlin.livejournal.com]

The Two Towers is tough but it is a quicker read once you get to the Return of the King.

[malvito.livejournal.com]

I have been told this. Haven't quite given up on it; it's just gotten postponed.

[celticwhistlin.livejournal.com]

I am a fast reader. All three LotRs books took me 8 months to read. It's tough...

[malvito.livejournal.com]

I have The Annotated Hobbit, and must admit that the annotations made it that much more interesting. I keep hoping that someday some Tolkien expert will do an annotated LoTR.