SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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SFF Week on Goodreads
I've read 7 so far (although for 2 - Martian Chronicles and 2001 - it's been so long that I can't remember a thing), 1 I'm currently reading and 9 are on my TBR shelf. I guess I would have to give the classics a try again. In my youth I never managed to get into the likes of Heinlein, Asimov or PK Dick.
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Edit: just seen that there is a Fantasy list as well. There I've read 9 books and 2 are on my TBR shelf..
I’ve read: 8 on the Sci-Fi list and 11 on the Fantasy list.I don’t necessarily disagree with any of them- I do find it funny that Ancillary Sword made the list but not Ancillary Justice.
On the Fantasy list: I’m surprised at the number of paranormal romances that made the list.
I’ve read 31 of the Science Fiction novels and 22 of the Fantasy, so just about half of the combined 100. The lists include many classics, but a few selections surprised me, I wonder how they generated these lists? My guess is it’s largely data driven and not something curated by an editor (hence the surprises)?
I've read 17 books on the list of the top 50 sci-fi novels, and 11 were already on my want-to-read list. From that list I added two novels that I want to read. The expert liste were a let down. Nothing stood out or was just mass-market lit (Star Wars).
I've read 22 of the Fantasy, with 2 additional marked as To Read.Only 8 of the sci-fi, with 2 marked To Read. This doesn't surprise me, as I don't read much sci-fi.
I've only read 1 of the "best of 2018", with 1 marked as To Read.
Can't say the lists surprise me in any way. I mean, it's pretty much the usual standards, with a few random outliers. *shrug*
My main interest is Military SF, so I haven't read many of the SF list.Dune (obviously)
Foundation (all of the series)
Old Man's War
Starship Troopers
The Mote in God's Eye
No interest in the others.
As for fantasy, I'm more of a Sword and Sorcery fan. Also I don't agree that Dragonflight falls under Fantasy.
Furies of Calderon (and the rest of the series)
Pawn of Prophesey (and the rest of the Belgariad)
Storm Front (and the rest)
LOTR
Hobbit
Watership Down
Again, no interest in the rest.
I read 16 books on the SF list. Red Rising was a very boring book, and should be on the list of the worst books. Dune, Hyperion, and The Three-Body Problem are the best.I read 3 books on the F list. I read The Hobbit in the 80s so I don't remember the details very well. I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the 60s or early 70s, so remember it even less well. The Name of the Wind was an ok book.
I have read 35 from the sci-fi list. I do question some of the books' merit, but they had to work with some kind of system, and it was very rating dependent. All-in-all not a bad list
I just checked fantasy, and I have read 33 and have 4 on my tbr. There are some really BAD books on that list! I dont know about including the paranormal romance books, either.
VW, I know you said you’ve no interest beyond the works you’ve already read, but I could recommend a few more in each category that are similar to the ones you’ve listed:In SF, if you enjoy military SF you’d probably enjoy Ender’s Game
In Fantasy, if you enjoy swords & sorcery, then the Feist novels and the Jordan Wheel of Time series both fit that as well.
from the top 50 Sci-Fi list: 26 read. 1 TBR. I seem to have a lot of the mid-range to modern stuff, and have missed some classics that should really be on my list. There are definitey inclusions of more "pop" scifi books and things that have seemed to me (I could be wrong) to be more internet fad-type titles (Wool, Red Rising), but I haven't read them so I really can't say.
From the top 50 Fantasy list: 24 read, 3 TBR, 1 in progress.
A lot on this list are books I consider "classics for teenagers" (pawn of prophesy, wizard's first rule, etc..) but there are some solid pics.
Overall these lists seem to be more about the popularity of a work than the quality, to me. But, I'm feeling particularly curmudgeonly this morning, so take that with a big grain of salt.
Marc-André wrote: "The expert liste were a let down. Nothing stood out or was just mass-market lit (Star Wars). ."Oh good. I am glad that others feel that way - I found those "expert" lists to be really shabby too.
At least 17 from the SF list. Some that I won't count as I need to reread (eg 1984). I'm glad to see (for example) Saga, Vol. 1 there; too intense for me but really impressive. Too many there that ppl remember loving... if they read them fresh now I'm sure they would not be so pleased.
None are currently on my to-read list but a couple might be someday (1984, LeGuin).
So, the analysis is just a 4+ star community rating?
Read 18 on the SF list. But a SW book in the top 50 best SF? And two graphic novels? I've got nothing per se against SW or graphic novels, but I don't think they stand up to the same standard of, say, some of Alastair Reynolds's, Iain M. Banks's, Peter F. Hamilton's, China Miéville's, Greg Bear's or Ken MacLeod's better works (none of whom were represented on the list). There are other inclusions I'd argue over the quality but which certainly have the longstanding fame to warrant being there (given that my tastes are not usually in agreement with the bulk of the public's).I've only read 3 on the Fantasy list because I generally avoid it. Not my style.
Kind of surprising, but I've read 8 and a half of the Sci Fi, and 8 and a half of the Fantasy. It's kind of skewed though, because a lot of the fantasy books are the first in a series.There are tons on both lists that I want to read, even if I've been too lazy to actually put them on my TBR list.
Looks like I've read 31 of the SF and 17 of the Fantasy. It also looks like there's nothing below three stars for on the SF list, but three Fantasy books that I gave two stars. Clearly my fantasy tastes and this list are not entirely compatible. They're definitely interesting lists. Some books that are classics or that I think have staying power, and quite a few that feel like fad books that will fade over time.
I've added * to my personal favorites. Some of these were read (or DNFed) before I was on GoodReads, so I don't have them marked as read.sf list
read: 19
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Dune
Ender's Game
1984
Cat's Cradle
Childhood's End
Kindred
Slaughterhouse-Five
The Forever War
The Handmaid's Tale
The Dispossessed
Doomsday Book
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*
The Left Hand of Darkness*
Parable of the Sower
The Martian Chronicles*
The Sparrow
To Say Nothing of the Dog
V for Vendetta
DNF: 3
Snow Crash
Foundation
I never got to Ancillary Sword. I suspect Sword was better liked by the people who read it, so it was rated highly enough to make the top 50.
on TBR: 4
2001: A Space Odyssey
Cloud Atlas
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Shards of Honor
fantasy list:
read: 10
A Wrinkle in Time (I think this is sf though)
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch*
Mort*
The Sandman, Vol. 01: Preludes & Nocturnes* (at least, it's the start of one of my favorite series, even if the actual first volume isn't my favorite)
The Fellowship of the Ring*
The Hobbit
The Fifth Season
The Last Unicorn
The Mists of Avalon
Watership Down
DNF: 3
A Game of Thrones
Neverwhere
American Gods
TBR: 4
Tigana
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening
The Song of Achilles
The Golem and the Jinni
42 Sci-fi, 38 Fantasy. I have a couple of two star ratings on both lists so clearly I don't completely agree but if I am allowed to agree with both Micah and Colleen, first I agree that maybe Star Wars and graphic novels should not make the cut and second *shrug* No list will be perfect according to any of us and these two weren't terrible.
40 on SF.21 on Fantasy.
What do I win, Johnny?
Micah wrote: "Read 18 on the SF list. But a SW book in the top 50 best SF? And two graphic novels? I've got nothing per se against SW or graphic novels, but I don't think they stand up to the same standard of, s..."To be fair, Heir to the Empire is widely considered to be *the* Star Wars novel. I have not read it nor do I have any interest in it, but I’m aware of it and the fact that Zahn created arguably the most popular non-Lucas character in General Thrawn.
I know who he is just through osmosis, which is pretty impressive for a media tie-in novel. I can’t think offhand of any other spin-off character in SFF who has that big a presence, to the point where they were incorporated into official canon and outsiders know their name.
I basically never read tie-in novels despite being a fan of several properties for which there exist a multitude. That said, I did read the Zahn trilogy and enjoyed it quite a bit. When it was announced that Star Wars episodes 7-9 were being made I would have been fine if they were just adaptations of these books. That said, I read these long enough ago (think I read as they came out so around 25 years) that my current opinion might be different were I to reread although that’s true for many of the older books listed here, hard to compare my teenaged taste to that of middle age.
Trike wrote: "To be fair, Heir to the Empire is widely considered to be *the* Star Wars novel..."In that case it should be in the Fantasy top 50, right? Aren't you the one who always points out it's not SF? **smirk-n-a-wink**
39 Fantasy and 39 Scifi. Weird that it came out a tie.
Micah wrote: "Trike wrote: "To be fair, Heir to the Empire is widely considered to be *the* Star Wars novel..."In that case it should be in the Fantasy top 50, right? Aren't you the one who always points out i..."
Don’t get me started.
So what do you ppl have against graphic novels?
I have read 20 of the science fiction picks and want to read 11 more. On fantasy side I have read 12 books and want to read a further 7 books. Not a fan of dark fantasy so may bypass quite a few of those on the list. And there is another big section with paranormal fantasy, not my cup of tea.
In a few years I suspect the contemporary fantasy picks will change. It will be good to see more of the self-published works which have gotten great reviews on this list.
Bearing in mind I only started reading again last October....Sci-fi
Read 6 and have another 22 on my shelves or iPad.
Fantasy
Read 6 and have at least 19 on my shelves or iPad.
Truth be told I’ve probably got them all nearly on my computer.
For sci/fi, I've read 10 and have 19 on my tbr.For fantasy, I've read 14 and have 9 on my tbr.
Amanda wrote: "Except Stephen King. I've never read anything by him, but I'm sort of terrified of doing so. I don't know why. I don't have a good reason other than that I have a vague idea that he writes spooky things. "
I keep away from Stephen King also. A family member gave me Misery as a present when I was in junior high. The book freaked me out. Since then, I refuse to read any of his books.
Mod
June, I suspect you're right, that even next year's list will be different.
Jacqueline, I always picture you with a wagon of books, like Matilda from the movie (and I guess the book, as well!) and it makes me chuckle :)
Amanda with the right-side panda, I've completely steered away from his horror, too! I read Gunslinger, but all of his settings are in towns I've been in, and that's just too much. No thank you.
If you want to try Stephen King, but want to avoid anything too scary, you might try The Eyes of the Dragon an epic fantasy novel that he penned for his children. I read it when I was 12 or so and enjoyed it a lot, not sure how it reads today.
I don't read a lot of King's horror. The stuff I have read I've been a bit underwhelmed by, tbh.I really liked the Dark Tower, though, and I've been enjoying his mystery books - the Bill Hodges books, starting with Mr. Mercedes. Haven't read The Outsider yet, but it's on my list.
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Cheryl wrote: "So what do you ppl have against graphic novels?"
I don't, personally. Some of the handful of books I've read from the list have actually been GNs, including Watchmen. (Though I enjoyed Watchmen much better on the second go-round when I skipped the interstitial stuff and just read the story straight through.)
I’ve read 23 of the Top SciFi and 4 on my tbr list. Top Fantasy, I’ve read 15 with 4 on my tbr. Read 4 on the Most Anticipated list and 1 on the Best of 2018 with 1 on my tbr. On Hidden Gems, read 2 with 4 on tbr. Just to note, I adore Stephen King and have read everything he has written. But I understand why others might not feel the same way. I remember starting Misery one night before bed. Ended up staying up all night reading and called in sick the next day at work so that I could finish the book!
But I am so glad that my grandson got me into reading Fantasy and SciFi again by lending me his copy of The Name of the Wind by Rothfuss a couple of years ago.
And I love the book group.
Mod
<3
I didn't look at the SF list. I've read 8 of the fantasies.This looks much more like a metrics-driven "most popular" list than a "best of" list. Nothing wrong with that, but it all but guarantees that we'll see only the same small handful of pre-2000 titles. It's nice that women are more than 1/3 of the entries, although the large amount of UF/PNR representing fantasy by women is a little discouraging.
I've read 21 of the top sci-fi and have 3 on my TBR (although I can see 4 or 5 others I intend to read but just haven't gotten onto my GR shelves yet). Personally, I'm really glad to see Saga listed - it's an incredible series and it's cool to see a variety of sub-genres represented. Saga is the book I recommend to SFF readers who are new to graphic novels and want to know where to start, partly because I think it relates well to the larger SFF canon. I've read 18 of the fantasy (had to add a couple that I read as a kid but had never made it onto GR), and have 4 on my TBR. I HATE Wheel of Time, but I'm mostly peeved about all the PNR that made it onto the list - rating in the romance genre skews quite a bit higher than in SFF, so it doesn't feel like a fair comparison.
A lot of the books I've read from both lists are things I read pre-GR and therefore haven't rated, but I would agree with those who have said this is more of a "most popular" than truly "best of".
@Beth: I didn't see your comment before I posted mine, but I am in complete agreement. I was also frustrated by all of the UF/PNR on the list, especially because there is so much (to my mind) better fantasy written by women that's been left out.
Cheryl wrote: "So what do you ppl have against graphic novels?"Nothing. They're just not novels.
Equating them to books like Dune or Hyperion would be like equating Bob Dylan lyrics with literature.
**ducks and scurries out of the room**
Yeahhhh I think I do have Matilda on my iPad which is always with me somewhere lol
From the top 50 Scifi I've read 24 but am going to be reading one of the others for a British books reading group in about a month.From the top 50 Fantasy I've read 7 but discarded an 8th.
I've read one from the 2018 list, but have Calculating Stars here for a group read--is this our group read? No need to answer as I'll check once I'm done with this post.
0 from the Hidden Gems list
1 from the recommended by "experts list"
That said, on some of these lists I've read other books by the same authors--I've read at least 3 Discworld books, for example.
Micah, semantics, not content.If our language had evolved a commonly used word that included all forms, Saga, Vol. 1 and I, Robot (which is actually a collection of short stories, in case you didn't remember) and Hyperion, I'm sure GR would have used it.
Btw, I can't believe that I'm the one defending graphic novels. I mean, they prolly make up about .5% of all the books that I read... mainly because I generally find them more challenging to fully appreciate than much narrative fiction.Also, too bad there aren't any poetry collections, novels in verse, memoirs, or plays on the list for us to
@Cheryl for the record, I love graphic novels and believe they should be held up and celebrated alongside other great works of art.
Micah wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "So what do you ppl have against graphic novels?"Equating them to books like Dune or Hyperion would be like equating Bob Dylan lyrics with literature. ."
"Bob Dylan will be accepting his Nobel Prize in literature this weekend, according to the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy."
some people seems to think his lyrics are literature
Amanda wrote: "Except Stephen King. I've never read anything by him, but I'm sort of terrified of doing so. I don't know why. I don't have a good reason other than that I have a vague idea that he writes spooky things."30 years ago, I read Pet Sematary and it scared me so much I never read anything else by him. I've seen many of the movies though. For me, a movie is slightly less scary than the book.
I've read 9 on the SF list, with many on my TBR. I've read 5 on the fantasy list.
I have read 42 of the Science fiction with 3 on my TBR shelf and 36 Fantasy with 4 TBR. The fantasy that I had read ranged all the way from 1 star to 5.
Well there certainly are a lot of song lyrics that are better literature than a lot of novels.But literary value isn't the metric of the list, remember?
It's just reader ratings. Rather meaningless.
Well, listen, I don't want to have the last word. But I don't want to discuss it further anyway, because we're not going to change each other's minds. I just wanted to see if anyone had any new points to bring to the argument.
I’ve read 33 of the 50 science fiction books.
I’ve read 17 of the SF books, including some of my all-time favorites — Doomsday Book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Slaughterhouse-Five, The Dispossessed, and The Left Hand of Darkness. I have 17 others on my TBR list. In Fantasy, I’ve read 13 on the list, including four that I read so long ago — The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Fellowship of the Ring, Watership Down, and A Wrinkle in Time — that pretty much all I can remember about them is that I adored them at the time. Two others — The Fifth Season and Assassin's Apprentice — I read in the last couple of months, and they have already cemented themselves high up among my all-time favorites. I have 19 others on my TBR list.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia (other topics)Assassin's Apprentice (other topics)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (other topics)
Doomsday Book (other topics)
The Left Hand of Darkness (other topics)
More...
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1...
How many books have you read? Do you agree with the experts on best books and books to keep on your radar?
What are you planning on reading soon?
What do you disagree with?