Comments on Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books - page 5

Kurt Vonnegut to me is the best in this genre. I remember reading his books and feeling that I had met a genius. Most people are familiar with Slaughterhouse Five. One of his best, but there are so many other outstanding books by Vonnegut. Rat-a-Tat-Tat, Rat-a-Tat-Tat, Rat-a-Tat-Tat. And so it goes on and on into even modern times where they send the young and reckless into the world to bring death and destruction upon the weak and defenseless. And so it goes.

Renee wrote: "A great Scifi list. I just found it & remembered some books I had forgotten & some I want to read. Thanks!

yeah this is a great list there are lots of books on here I want to read. : )

Kristine wrote: "Technically, this list should be titled "Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books" because of the number of fantasy titles on the list."

Done! We started a new "Best Science Fiction" list in which a definition of science fiction is at the top. It will be periodically maintained to only include science fiction.

Please contribute! It's here:
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/19...

Michael wrote: "Kristine wrote: "Technically, this list should be titled "Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books" because of the number of fantasy titles on the list."

Done! We started a new "Best Science Fiction" ..."


????

Wouldn't it have been easier better just deleting the fantasy books?

I've been voting here because it was exclusively for Sci-fi. Also, the biggest one I think.

After gathering so many voters here why change the rules now?

I'm sorry but I don't feel like voting all over again in the new list just because you changed the name of this one.

Sérgio wrote: "Wouldn't it have been easier better just deleting the fantasy books?"

It was too big of a mess to clean up. Besides, changing the name is more accurate than cleaning it up would be anyway.

Sérgio wrote: "After gathering so many voters here why change the rules now?
"

We didn't change the rules. The "rules" (of language) were being disregarded, so the description of this list was changed to fit what this list actually is. Doing so will likely be more accurate without the large number of voters from this list because so many of them don't know what science fiction is anyway. A smaller, more manageable, more accurate group is a better way to start over. Of course, everyone is encouraged to vote!

Not sure how old the posts complaining about there being fantasy books on this list are, but when I scroll to the top of my screen it says "Best Science Fiction AND Fantasy Books".

Aaron wrote: "Not sure how old the posts complaining about there being fantasy books on this list are, but when I scroll to the top of my screen it says "Best Science Fiction AND Fantasy Books"."

Yes, that's new. The comments are old.

I think you should have left the description as "Best Science Fiction" and let voters decide for themselves what is science fiction.

Xenophon wrote: "I think you should have left the description as "Best Science Fiction" and let voters decide for themselves what is science fiction."

Anyone on Goodreads is allowed to decide for themselves that the Prime Minister of England is Mr. T. That's entirely an individual's choice. However, Mr. T is not the Prime Minister of Her Majesty's government. Similarly, The Chronicles of Narnia is not Science Fiction, so there's no need to publish a list saying it is.

Michael wrote: "Xenophon wrote: "I think you should have left the description as "Best Science Fiction" and let voters decide for themselves what is science fiction."

Anyone on Goodreads is allowed to decide for ..."

I'm sorry but this argument doesn't even make sense. You do realize that you can erase the books that don't conform to the list description, no?

Sérgio,

Yes, but that's not worth doing at this point. The list is much too full of other material.

Patrick wrote: "I must be the only person on Earth who can't stand Ender's Game.

Of course, I find Card personally obnoxious and to me his personality oozes through all his books."

Orson Scott Card has always struck me as the kind of novelist I'd only want to read if I was already suicidal and just wanted to feel worse.

There is huge room for disagreement between what is science fiction and what is fantasy. Pretending there isn't is absurd.

Sorry I didn't read all of the comments but overall decent list of books but not all SciFi per se. Kurt V is a great writer but I thought he was more Satire/Paradox/Irony rather SciFi? I'm upset that Jack L Chalker isn't on here. The Well World series really opened my eyes to good Scifi. And also Poul Anderson! But a good list over all.

Xenophon wrote: "There is huge room for disagreement between what is science fiction and what is fantasy. Pretending there isn't is absurd."

True, but it's also absurd to pretend that sci-fi has no definition at all.

Ok I'm hoping that someone can help be... read a book years ago and can't remember the name of it and it is driving me CRAZY. Let me know if you know the name of the book....

I know
Written 1989 or before...
Had a race of aliens that could see an 8th color...
Less then 300 pages might have been less then 200...

Think
Protagonist is sneaking around a spaceport because they are hiding from the aliens that run it. His (or her) father is dead... died finding out a secret...
All spaceports on earth are run by aliens...
humans are second class citizens...
Ends up sneaking a board an alien ship and poses as a space officer...
His job is navigation/ looking a star charts...
Lands on a world with life that are crystals...
Spaceship is powered by these crystals...

%-/

In a list devoted to the "best" of any genre, it would be strange if it didn't include quite a few older, classic works, that have stood the test of time and continue to deliver quality reading experiences for new generations.

Hi Werner, Thanks for your reply so that I can clarify. The meaning behind my remark was to bring attention to the Sci-fi genre and how it is dying. It's incredibly saddening.

Do you know what I mean? Look at the top votes for "best of..." lists. Harry Potter? The Hunger Games?
Ouch.

Werner wrote: "In a list devoted to the "best" of any genre, it would be strange if it didn't include quite a few older, classic works, that have stood the test of time and continue to deliver quality reading exp..."

Thanks for the clarification, Leah!

The Hunger Games over classics such as The Martian Chronicles, Do Androids Dream..., I, Robot, etc... You got to be kidding me!

Holly wrote: "I really must protest the George R. R. Martin being on this list. It is not science fiction, it is fantasy.

Also I'm borderline on the American Gods, but I really feel it is more urban fantasy tha..."

And Lord of the Rings isn't science fiction at all. Apparently many people cannot distinguish one genre from the other, judging from this list.

Why is the complete boxed set of Anne of Green Gables on this list???

Well, Tom, the amended list title specifically allows for fantasy to be included. However, the Anne of Green Gables series is neither SF nor fantasy. Leslie, do you recall what number that boxed set was on the list? Knowing that will make it a lot easier to go in and delete it; otherwise, it takes quite a while to hunt up one entry on a list this size!

Deleted the Anne of Green Gables boxed set from the list.

Werner, thanks for explaining that the list now includes fantasy.

Tom, the reason it includes fantasy now is because books like these were on the list when it was a purely science fiction list. There's a new, more careful science fiction list now. It's here: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/19...)

Ender's Game in front of Dune should be criminal.

Goodreads All Sorts: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/9...

Hi everyone,

I have created a new group called Goodreads All Sorts and I'd love for people to join it or just even just give it a look. It's a group that discusses anything and everything. There will be monthly group reads, movies, and music. There is a folder for everything you could think of. I'd really like if people could spread the word because I'd love for the group to be a success. Here is the link to the group:

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/9...

Thanks very much,
Jack :-)

A fair list, but a bit too much fantasy. I really like the list they have at www.sf-books.com

I'm a little confused by a lot of the titles on this list, Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison? Any bookstore I've gone into has them classified under Horror or Paranormal Romance, I have never seen them classified under SciFi/Fantasy. James Patterson's Maximum Ride series always Young Adult, same with Lauren Kate's books. And yet authors like Carol Berg, Anne Bishop, Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan series fantasy authors have little or no representation on this list and I'm sure there are some SciFi authors who should be here and aren't. I admittedly am more of a Fantasy fan than SciFi so I'm not as familiar with that genre, my apologies. Isn't there a list somewhere for Paranormal and/or Paranormal Romance and maybe Young Adult that some of these books should be more appropriately located on? I'm really not looking to step on toes or offend anyone, it just seems that this list has gotten watered down with a lot of non-scifi/fantansy titles. I think I even saw Dan Brown's books on here.

Karen, I view paranormal romance, or young adult sf/fantasy, as belonging under the larger umbrella of sf/f, so I don't think we need to take them off. Witches and werewolves sound like fantasy to me!
If you want Berg, Bishop, Brooks, Jordan, etc. on the list, just vote for them and they'll be there! The reason well known fantasy authors like those might not be on the list yet is because this particular list started as sf-only, before expanding to "Anything in the science fiction or fantasy genres, especially if there's any crossover."

Most horror fiction is fantasy (some is sci-fi and some is physically more realistic, like a slasher book can be) but all paranormal books are fantasy.

Please remove CULLO from this list. It isn't science fiction and was added by accident.

Thank you

Murielle Cyr (author)

As said, dozens of times before me, this is mixing scifi and fantasy (a mix I do not mind for the sake of convenience in bookstores but the purist in me has a fit) and secondly, it seems to be filled too much with the..."pop/pulp sci fi" (i truly cant think of any real term for it so ill go with that), much of it is the 'teen fiction' that becomes a movie and suddenly is the centre of the universe. I pick up these "new and cool" books every so often (only from the library to save the money that might be wasted) and every time I cannot see the appeal, at most i can understand that it targets a specific demographic (i guess 11-17 is usually it) but besides being slightly entertaining or adventure stories they truly don't hold up to the classics. I highly disliked ender's game, but at the same time I highly disliked Card so perhaps others find it more palatable due to less vehemence, but I must, must, MUST let it be known how ridiculous it is that trash like the host made it onto the first page when frankenstein was relegated to spot 103. It's rather telling, as to the quality of a boo, when those who review it as above a three have the majority of entries as pictures or seem to be unable to find out how to not capitalize every damned letter (hint kids: its just to the left of the A key, under tab and above shift). It simply irks me that many good sci fi novels (which I can see languishing in the back pages) are forgotten by a demographic or two simply because they were written before they were born, simply because sometimes it would turn up on an english class' book list. It's shameful really...if atas shrugged was #1 i would have different objections, seeing as it is a legitimately well done piece of literature (even if i loathe it and completely disagree with the message). I guess it is just another case of a person who likes the philosophical, political, psychological sci fi trying to fight off the populist teen fiction. I guess my tastes are just old fashioned...at least I'll have plenty of time to moan about the corruption of the genre in the next sixty years...

Please remove TURTLE WISH from this list. It was added by mistake.

Thank you

Murielle Cyr (author)

While I have read quite a few of these, there's a number of them I've been meaning to get around to. So I guess I know what to do next. Thanks guys!

Please remove my book TURTLE WISH from this list. It was added by accident.

Thank you

Murielle Cyr (author)

@Murielle: Done. :)

Thank you, Sergio. I'm wondering if my other other request to also delete my children's book, CULLOO, was seen to. How long does it usually take to process a request?

Thank you for your diligence.

It's just a matter of a librarian seeing your request. I guess this would be faster by posting your request in the librarian group:

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

I've deleted Cullo from the list as well

Thanks again, Sérgio. All the best for the Christmas Holidays.

No problem. All the best for you too. :)

Murielle (another Goodreads librarian weighing in here!), on a list this long, it also helps if you post the ranking number of the book you want deleted. That helps us find it faster, without having to scroll blindly though four or five hundred books spread over several different frames. Just a helpful tip!

Thank you for the tip, Werner. While I have your attention, I discovered another short story of mine: #2427 TAKING SIDES which has been added by mistake. Would you be so kind as to remove it from this list since it has no connection to scifi at all.

Thank you for your diligence.

Murielle Cyr (author)

You're welcome, Murielle! I'm about to log offline for awhile, but I'll delete it this evening (unless someone beats me to it!).

Adam wrote: "It simply irks me that many good sci fi novels (which I can see languishing in the back pages) are forgotten by a demographic or two simply because they were written before they were born, simply because sometimes it would turn up on an english class' book list. It's shameful really"

This list is not a list of the best science fiction novels of all time. Nor does it pretend to be. The makers of the list are a cross section of all demographics with all levels of expertise on the subject. Many contributors to the list lack sufficient knowledge to even accurately state what is science fiction and what is not. Others don't care because they do not take this list at all seriously. That is why books have to keep being taken off the list.

What this list represents is what is currently uppermost in the mind of people (including ten-year-olds) with a bare modicum of interest (at minimum) in the field of science fiction. The list has nothing to do with quality, and not much to do with popularity. Seven of the top twenty novels on the list don't even rate a Goodreads rating of four, for example, but are lower. This means that even though the work is well known, people who read the novel generally aren't all that happy for the experience. This is useful information. To be more specific, what this list can tell you is that even though Fahrenheit 451, for example, may be famous, it has problems. In other words, it probably sucks. So spend your time elsewhere if you're looking for a good read.

If you want to read the best science fiction in terms of quality, and are looking for a list of recommendations, then a good place to start may be to read what people who are experts in the field (most of whom are science fiction writers themselves) consider to be the best science fiction. This is voted for annually (since 1965) and awarded the Nebula. Here's a link of the Nebula Award winners since 2000: http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/ and in the novel category since 1965: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebula_A...

Some say the Nebula awards are selected on criteria that is too elitist. The Hugo award, which allows fan input, is the answer to this criticism. Hugos for the best novel have been awarded since 1953 and can be seen here, though you have to do a lot of link clicking: http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-his...

Perhaps the most useful list for those just starting out who want to read the best of the field is the list of novels that won the Hugo and the Nebula, found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...
That list of 22 novels really is a stellar list of the best of the best in my opinion.

It sounds that like me you really value vintage, classic science fiction. If so, I have a recommendation. The best anthology of science fiction I have ever seen for pre-1965 science fiction, and there is not even a second place anthology available that is worth discussing, is The Science Fiction Hall of Fame series that came out in the early 1970s to cover science fiction works (besides the novel) published from 1929-1964. Here is a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scie...
Copies are available on Amazon.com and used print copies are even cheaper at bookfinder.com. Don't ignore the second volumes (the novellas) of The Science Fiction Hall of Fame either. Because I so love early science fiction, this anthology series has been my favorite science fiction book ever since I received the set as a Christmas gift in the 1970s, and remains so. I've never heard anyone say a bad word about this anthology except to complain if their pet favorite didn't make the cut.

Murielle, when I went to that part of the list just now to delete "Taking Sides," I discovered that someone else already has.

That's good news. Thank you for letting me know.

:-)

Dan and Adam:

Dan is right. In fact, this list exists largely to try to funnel out the people who don't know the difference between sci-fi and fantasy.

For a much more accurate (but still quite imperfect) Goodreads/Listopia sci-fi list, have a look at the best science fiction list:
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/19...)

I've read Ender's Game quite a while ago. I cannot possibly understand, how it ended up on the first place of this list. There are so many better books on this list...