Science Fiction - The 100 Best Novels: 1949-1985 (Pringle, 1985)

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Fantasy has long been "in competition" with science fiction, and it could be argued that one has been received far more respectability than the other. Thus, this is the list that led to all the others. I thought that it would be beneficial to recognize the history and intersection of speculative fiction in the broad run, so here is David Pringle's list of some of the most influential science fiction titles in the postwar era. Note that, like the other lists, this is arranged by publication date and only reflects the views of the editor, though it's my hope that any curious readers would be pushed to check out some of them.


1.   Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) by George Orwell
2.   Earth Abides (1949) by George R. Stewart
3.   The Martian Chronicles (1950) by Ray Bradbury
4.   The Puppet Masters (1951) by Robert A. Heinlein
5.   The Day of the Triffids (1951) by John Wyndham
6.   Limbo (1952) by Bernard Wolfe
7.   The Demolished Man (1953) by Alfred Bester
8.   Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury
9.   Childhood's End (1953) by Arthur C. Clarke
10.   The Paradox Men (1953) by Charles L. Harness
11.   Bring the Jubilee (1953) by Ward Moore
12.   The Space Merchants (1953) by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth
13.   Ring Around the Sun (1953) by Clifford D. Simak
14.   More Than Human (1953) by Theodore Sturgeon
15.   Mission of Gravity (1954) by Hal Clement
16.   A Mirror for Observers (1954) by Edgar Pangborn
17.   The End of Eternity (1955) by Isaac Asimov
18.   The Long Tomorrow (1955) by Leigh Brackett
19.   The Inheritors (1955) by William Golding
20.   The Stars My Destination (1956) by Alfred Bester
21.   The Death of Grass (1956) by John Christopher
22.   The City and the Stars (1956) by Arthur C. Clarke
23.   The Door into Summer (1957) by Robert A. Heinlein
24.   The Midwich Cuckoos (1957) by John Wyndham
25.   Non-Stop (1958) by Brian Aldiss
26.   A Case of Conscience (1958) by James Blish
27.   Have Space Suit – Will Travel (1958) by Robert A. Heinlein
28.   Time Out of Joint (1959) by Philip K. Dick
29.   Alas, Babylon (1959) by Pat Frank
30.   A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959) by Walter M. Miller Jr.
31.   The Sirens of Titan (1959) by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
32.   Rogue Moon (1960) by Algis Budrys
33.   Venus Plus X (1960) by Theodore Sturgeon
34.   Hothouse (1962) by Brian Aldiss
35.   The Drowned World (1962) by J. G. Ballard
36.   A Clockwork Orange (1962) by Anthony Burgess
37.   The Man in the High Castle (1962) by Philip K. Dick
38.   Journey Beyond Tomorrow (1962) by Robert Sheckley
39.   Way Station (1963) by Clifford D. Simak
40.   Cat's Cradle (1963) by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
41.   Greybeard (1964) by Brian Aldiss
42.   Nova Express (1964) by William S. Burroughs
43.   Martian Time-Slip (1964) by Philip K. Dick
44.   The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965) by Philip K. Dick
45.   The Wanderer (1965) by Fritz Leiber
46.   Norstrilia (1965) by Cordwainer Smith
47.   Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We All Got Along After the Bomb (1965) by Philip K. Dick
48.   Dune (1965) by Frank Herbert
49.   The Crystal World (1966) by J. G. Ballard
50.   Make Room! Make Room! (1966) by Harry Harrison
51.   Flowers for Algernon (1966) by Daniel Keyes
52.   The Dream Master (1966) by Roger Zelazny
53.   Stand on Zanzibar (1968) by John Brunner
54.   Nova (1968) by Samuel R. Delany
55.   Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) by Philip K. Dick
56.   Camp Concentration (1968) by Thomas M. Disch
57.   The Final Programme (1968) by Michael Moorcock
58.   Pavane (1968) by Keith Roberts
59.   Heroes and Villains (1969) by Angela Carter
60.   The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) by Ursula K. Le Guin
61.   The Palace of Eternity (1969) by Bob Shaw
62.   Bug Jack Barron (1969) by Norman Spinrad
63.   Tau Zero (1970) by Poul Anderson
64.   Downward to the Earth (1970) by Robert Silverberg
65.   The Year of the Quiet Sun (1970) by Wilson Tucker
66.   334 (1972) by Thomas M. Disch
67.   The Fifth Head of Cerberus (1972) by Gene Wolfe
68.   The Dancers at the End of Time (1972) by Michael Moorcock
69.   Crash (1973) by J. G. Ballard
70.   Looking Backward from the Year 2000 (1973) by Mack Reynolds
71.   The Embedding (1973) by Ian Watson
72.   Walk to the End of the World (1974) by Suzy McKee Charnas
73.   The Centauri Device (1974) by M. John Harrison
74.   The Dispossessed (1974) by Ursula K. Le Guin
75.   The Inverted World (1974) by Christopher Priest
76.   High Rise (1975) by J. G. Ballard
77.   Galaxies (1975) by Barry N. Malzberg
78.   The Female Man (1975) by Joanna Russ
79.   Orbitsville (1975) by Bob Shaw
80.   The Alteration (1976) by Kingsley Amis
81.   Woman on the Edge of Time (1976) by Marge Piercy
82.   Man Plus (1976) by Frederik Pohl
83.   Michaelmas (1977) by Algis Budrys
84.   The Ophiuchi Hotline (1977) by John Varley
85.   Miracle Visitors (1978) by Ian Watson
86.   Engine Summer (1979) by John Crowley
87.   On Wings of Song (1979) by Thomas M. Disch
88.   The Walking Shadow (1979) by Brian Stableford
89.   Juniper Time (1979) by Kate Wilhelm
90.   Timescape (1980) by Gregory Benford
91.   The Dreaming Dragons (1980) by Damien Broderick
92.   Wild Seed (1980) by Octavia E. Butler
93.   Riddley Walker (1980) by Russell Hoban
94.   The Complete Roderick (1980) by John Sladek
95.   The Shadow of the Torturer (1980) by Gene Wolfe
96.   The Unreasoning Mask (1981) by Philip José Farmer
97.   Oath of Fealty (1981) by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
98.   No Enemy but Time (1982) by Michael Bishop
99.   The Birth of the People's Republic of Antarctica (1983) by John Calvin Batchelor
100.   Neuromancer (1984) by William Gibson


So are there any fantasy readers who would be moved to "defect" for a time and try out some sci-fi? For those who already have, what are some notable science fiction stories that you've read? Do you like sci-fi? What's the appeal of one over the other (sci-fi vs. fantasy)? Are there any particular kinds of sci-fi that leave an impact on you?

Also, I have a couple other lists (horror and ANOTHER 100 sci-fi books plus 1), but as I've already posted three lists just today, I don't want to overwhelm you all, and I know that some of the subject matter doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone. Please let me know if you would want to see the other lists - I'm eager to know if it's worth it.