Classics of Science Fiction

Add to my lists | Print this list

The Classics of Science Fiction

by James Wallace Harris

What are the classic books of science fiction? Who decides which book is a classic? Do the critics and scholars know best or in the end, are the readers the real judges? What qualities define a classic book?

I got the idea to look up a number of "recommended" or "best of" lists to see what other people had to say, and then compile a database that would represent a consensus of opinion. Using the lists I "assembled" the Classics of Science Fiction list by selecting books that were on a minimum number of refering lists.

(For full essay see http://classics.jameswallaceharris.com)

Pages: 1 3 4

  1. 1.
    The Demolished Man
    by Alfred Bester
  2. 2.
    More Than Human
    by Theodore Sturgeon
  3. 3.
    Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition (Dune Chronicles, Book 1)
    by Frank Herbert
  4. 4.
    The Foundation Trilogy
    by Isaac Asimov
  5. 5.
    A Canticle for Liebowitz
    by Walter M. Miller Jr.
  6. 6.
    Stand on Zanzibar
    by John Brunner
  7. 7.
    The Left Hand Of Darkness
    by Ursula L. Le Guin
  8. 8.
    The Time Machine (Signet Classics)
    by H.G. Wells
  9. 9.
    The War of the Worlds
    by H.G. Wells
  10. 10.
    Childhood's End (Del Rey Impact)
    by Arthur C. Clarke
  11. 11.
    The Martian Chronicles
    by Ray Bradbury
  12. 12.
    The Space Merchants
    by Frederik Pohl
  13. 13.
    The Stars My Destination
    by Alfred Bester
  14. 14.
    Ringworld
    by Larry Niven
  15. 15.
    The Dispossessed
    by Ursula K. Le Guin
  16. 16.
    Nineteen Eighty-Four
    by George Orwell
  17. 17.
    City
    by Clifford D. Simak
  18. 18.
    Mission of Gravity
    by Hal Clement
  19. 19.
    The Man in the High Castle
    by Philip K. Dick
  20. 20.
    Brave New World
    by Aldous Huxley
  21. 21.
    The City & the Stars
    by Arthur C. Clarke
  22. 22.
    Stranger in a Strange Land
    by Robert A. Heinlein
  23. 23.
    To Your Scattered Bodies Go (Riverworld Saga, Book 1)
    by Philip Jose Farmer
  24. 24.
    Rendezvous With Rama
    by Arthur C Clarke
  25. 25.
    The Forever War
    by Joe Haldeman
  26. 26.
    Gateway (Heechee Saga)
    by Frederik Pohl
  27. 27.
    Last and First Men
    by Olaf Stapledon
  28. 28.
    The World of Null-A
    by A. E. van Vogt
  29. 29.
    Fahrenheit 451
    by Ray Bradbury
  30. 30.
    A Case of Conscience
    by James Blish
  31. 31.
    Hothouse
    by Brian W. Aldiss
  32. 32.
    The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
    by Robert A. Heinlein
  33. 33.
    Flowers for Algernon
    by Daniel Keyes
  34. 34.
    Dying Inside (Sf Masterworks)
    by Robert Silverberg
  35. 35.
    Star Maker (SF Masterworks) (Sf Masterworks 21)
    by Olaf Stapledon
  36. 36.
    Slan: A Novel
    by A. E. Van Vogt
  37. 37.
    The Humanoids
    by Jack Williamson
  38. 38.
    A Clockwork Orange
    by Anthony Burgess
  39. 39.
    Way Station
    by Clifford D. Simak
  40. 40.
    Camp Concentration: A Novel
    by Thomas M. Disch
  41. 41.
    Timescape
    by Gregory Benford
  42. 42.
    Frankenstein (Enriched Classics)
    by Mary Shelley
  43. 43.
    Earth Abides
    by George R. Stewart
  44. 44.
    Lord of Light
    by Roger Zelazny
  45. 45.
    Sword and Citadel (The Book of the New Sun, Vol. 2)
    by Gene Wolfe
  46. 46.
    A Princess of Mars (Penguin Classics)
    by Edgar Rice Burroughs
  47. 47.
    We
    by Yevgeny Zamiatin
  48. 48.
    Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
    by Philip K. Dick
  49. 49.
    Solaris
    by Stanislaw Lem
  50. 50.
    Downbelow Station
    by C. J. Cherryh

Pages: 1 3 4

This is a community list. You can contribute, edit, or help maintain it by adding it to your lists.
Created by CitizenKing on Mar 07, 2008.
 

Comments

CitizenKing

Complete — 4 years ago

The list is finished as of the website on this date. There is one more in this list than the original because The Chrsalids and Re-Birth occupied one spot (a combined edition) on the website.

I must say that some of the anthologies seem unecessary, but overall I like the list for ideas about classics to search out. I am impressed by how many are in print.

Mar 14, 08:05PM | 0 comments | Reply to this

CitizenKing

Introduction — 4 years ago

There is a website (referenced above)which compiles an objective list of the classics of science fiction. The order is by rank. As this list is a representation of that list, it is considered a definitive list and should be editted only to reflect that online list, not your opinions of what it should be.

If you do edit, please leave a comment describing your contribution. Thank you.

Mar 07, 10:54AM | 0 comments | Reply to this



or
Login with Facebook