For the comment on not liking FTL, I got over that by jumping into the dark energy field, with an exit point prepared. The dark energy rejects the spaceship, pushing it out at the new point, and it is there, almost instantaneously.
Gordon Johnson (Landership series)

This is a fantastic list. Nice to see it. Where does LitRPG fit though?

I just love to get lost in a universe that has 'The Ship who Sang'

Other sub-genres (some have been mentioned already): Vampires. Witches. Urban fantasy. Magic cops. Magic school.

Am I the only person who wants to read about a future where artificial intelligence is a helpful thing and human beings don't spend all their time in endless battles with aliens?

Super proud of El-Mohtar and Ridgway both on the time travel list--loved both those books!

C. J. wrote: "Whoops my mistake I see that it says "Sci Fi and fantasy." I get it now, lol!"
"modern" Sci-fi&fantasy has to be pretty much all in one category, because there are too many "crossover" subcategories, or works that really defy definition as one or the other. You'll be reading along in a novel about spaceships, alien planets, faster than light travel (some consider that fantasy, right there) and along comes a werewolf with a magic wand...

Haha, so while I have read more than one in every sub genre, apparently my top ones are black to the future and robots! Now, I attribute the black to the future in that the sub genre is too small so that I can have covered so many of the good books (and more), it who new I was all about the robots 🤷‍♀️
The sub genre I feel is missing is the biological... pandemics, diseases, or alien organisms that set up changes.
And where the heck did feminist futures go?
Maybe it’s the slant of more recent books for a lot of them. Only a couple older and classic authors are mentioned in a category.

Really, any Heinlein here?

Got to say, if you like your Sci-Fi challenging, you won't go far wrong with
The Visor

... But of course I would say that! ;)

Misha wrote: "Haha, so while I have read more than one in every sub genre, apparently my top ones are black to the future and robots! Now, I attribute the black to the future in that the sub genre is too small s..."
Previous lists on those categories.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

You MUST include in your "That's So Epic" section the Otherland series by Tad Williams. It is an EPIC tale of parallel uni-/cyberverses, with threads in the near future as well as the past, across both fictional and historical landscapes, traveling in both RL (real-life) and VR (virtual reality), through "jacks" that range from headsets to physical jacks grafted onto the user's body.

The books are MASSIVE; the paperbacks are almost as thick as they are wide (tongue-in-cheek, of course they are not quite that thick, but you get the picture), but they are real page-turners. The reader (well, I anyway) didn't ever feel lost or bogged down in details (as with the delightful but oh-so-lengthy descriptions of feasts and clothing in the GoT books), or techno-hip jargon, as in William Gibson's Sprawl books (which I also loved).

I am certain that anyone picking up the first volume (City of Golden Shadow) will be glad they did.

Subgenres
Comedy (Adams, Prachett)
Urban Fantasy (Gaiman)
Alt History (Turtledove)
Anti-hero (Thomas Covenent)
Steampunk
Sword & Sorcery (Gray mouser, Conan)
Anthropomorphic (Watership Down)
and on and on...

Jasper Fforde and his wacko crazy novels are some of my favorites.

Robots subgenre with no mention of Isaac Asimov?!? Horrifying, truly. He invented the subgenre. It's a freaking slap in the face to an SF Master.

Catalina wrote: "Grimdark fantasy, anyone?"

Glokta enters the chat

I wish The New Weird genre was included. I loved the Southern Reach Trilogy and want to read something similar. Still a great list.

Robin Hobb's "Realm of the Elderlings' series should be under the "epics". George RR Martin said her books are "diamonds in a sea of zircons" and I'm glad I read his recommendation. Her 16 book series is truly excellent and so memorable.

Craig Alanson is a great scifi writer. His AI named Skippy is the most hilarious, crazy, insane robot ever written in a book! The Expeditionary Force series is a must read!

I highly recommend the Storm of Ages series by Ellie M. Jalbert. there are three books in the series with a fourth to be published later this year. I am excited to see where she takes it next. Keeps you on your toes.

I just read Tom Sweterlitch's The Gone World, and if you love time travel novels, buckle up. Absolutely one of the most creative, creative and original stories I've ever read. Highly recommended!

Kruemi wrote: "I miss the series of the Chronicles of St Mary's by Jodi Taylor here."

I read the first book of that; it was NOT what I was expecting. As for missing space operas:

LEGEND OF THE GALACTIC HEROES, anyone? It's also got the pseudo-European state(s) thing going for it, and the 5th highest-ranking anime of all time/IS the top OVA of all time according to myanimelist.net.

Ilona Andrews is by far my favourite Urban Fantasy writer. The Kate Daniels 10 book series is a must, brilliantly written. Start with Magic Bites. In fact she has never written a bad one, they are all great.

The Dark Tower by Stephen King. All 7 books (plus extras) contain elements of all the subsets listed except maybe space. Def my favorite!!

All Cops Are Bastards wrote: "David wrote: "Robots subgenre with no mention of Isaac Asimov?!? Horrifying, truly. He invented the subgenre. It's a freaking slap in the face to an SF Master."

Well everyone already knows who he ..."

The sexual predator thing is new to me.

MORE PLEASE!!

Catalina wrote: "Grimdark fantasy, anyone?" YES!

- So, you've got secret powers
-Whoops, I fell in love with an immortal/supernatural
-Squad goals, Band of misfits save the day
-Leave it to the ladies, strong female protagonist
-Gothic fantasy

Oh this list was fun! Thank you for making it! I would love to see some more lists like this for every genre! :)

re: urban fantasy: Don't forget the most wonderful War for the Oaks, by Emma Bull (1987), and early entry in the genre, about rock and roll and the faerie conflict between good and evil set in Minneapolis.

re: portals: two involving the forest: Ursula LeGuin's The Beginning Place (1980), in which two young people independently find their way into the alternate idyllic but imperiled land of Tembreabrezi.

and Mythago Wood, by Robert Holdstock (1984). Our hero, recently returned from service in WWII, goes in search of his brother who has gone exploring in the enigmatic Ryhope Wood, an ancient woodland that has been undisturbed since the last ice age, much bigger on the inside than on the outside, that grows larger, older and more unbearable as one approaches the heart of the wood.

Joy Chant's Red Moon and Black Mountain had three children going through a portal to another world. The oldest boy got separated from his siblings and for some reason, though they all landed on the same world, he aged faster than his siblings.

C. John wrote: "Joy Chant's Red Moon and Black Mountain had three children going through a portal to another world. The oldest boy got separated from his siblings and for some reason, though they all landed on the..."

I loved that one.

Great list + the trope characteristics are really helpful and fun!

Through the wardrobe aka parallel worlds should include the Ben Aaronovitch 'Rivers of London' series!
Also the Charlie Fletcher's 'Stoneheart Trilogy'

Dianne wrote: "Where is Asimov? Can't talk robots without the guy who came up with the three laws"

Dianne wrote: "Where is Asimov? Can't talk robots without the guy who came up with the three laws"

So true. Many of these comments are people mentioning favorites that aren't on the list, which is always the case when it comes to this kind of list. However, when it comes to robot stories and Isaac Asimov, you hit the nail 100% on the head. The three laws of robotics, anyone? There is no doubt that "I, Robot" should have been one of the books on the list.

no Mecha.... you don't get a cookie :(

Alvis wrote: "Dianne wrote: "Where is Asimov? Can't talk robots without the guy who came up with the three laws"

Dianne wrote: "Where is Asimov? Can't talk robots without the guy who came up with the three laws..."

The problem is that using the criteria stated the list is, more or less, objective. All books on the list are there because the numbers say they should be. However once a book is placed on the list because said author, book or series should be there in someone's opinion the list is now subjective rather than objective.

What I'm really looking for is some good urban fantasy that ISN'T Twilight. A Song Below Water, anyone? More like that, please!

Karen wrote: "No steampunk? :("

I haven't read a lot of steampunk but one I enjoyed is The Lotus War series by Jay Kristoff.

You want alien organisms? The Apocalypse Troll, by David Weber. There is a bit of emergency time travel as well. Alien microbes used as biowarfare created a subgroup of humans who often dedicated themselves to fighting a genocidal war - the aliens are rabidly xenophobic. One survivor of the defense of past Earth helps their fight while hiding her nature from as many people as possible (kept need-to-know only). It's never dull nor slow. I found the ending a bit bittersweet.

I'm surprised there is no Spider Robinson or David Weber. Weber not just for the Honorverse novels as a classic example of space opera, but he also has the War God's Own fantasy series. Normally I'm not into fantasy, but any hero who ignores and argues with a god who wants to make him His champion gives me the giggles. The arguing continues even after he becomes a Champion of Tomanak.

If you want space opera similar to Weber, the Longknife series by Mike Shepherd works.

Spider has written urban SF, comedic SF, you name it. He even finished a Heinlein novel that had languished for decades (Variable Star). He has sequels planned.

Shouldn't Eddings be around here somewhere? What about the Hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy?

Julie wrote: "Am I the only person who wants to read about a future where artificial intelligence is a helpful thing and human beings don't spend all their time in endless battles with aliens?"

Heinlein is a classic for what you ask. One of Spider Robinson's Callahan's novels has Solace, the AI at Mary's Place. It even lists AIs that answer your question.

I love this list! The short descriptions of the lists were so funny 😂😂

Missing from So, You Live in Space:

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson! Such a wonderful book - print or audio.

What about books for people who Don't Like Science Fiction/Fantasy? Obviously The Handmaid's Tale, maybe The Turn of the Screw and, if you really want to go into the past, The Tempest.

In a week that is meant to celebrate Sci-Fi and Fantasy that is sort of a silly sounding list. After all these books are meant to attract people who enjoy those genres so they would have no interest in such a list. By the way The Handmaids Tale is on the SF list.

Catalina wrote: "Grimdark fantasy, anyone?"

Does Stephen King's Dark Tower series count as grimdark? It should, right?

Wish there were some "easy" way to separate SciFi and "Fantasy" genres. Some "libraries" make the effort, others do not. I very much dislike "pure" fantasy - whatever that is -- and others, I am sure dislike the same in SF. Others are OK with them all jumbled together. While the separate genres sometimes meet in the middle by virtue of concepts, more often than not they are at opposite poles and combining them into one genre just does not do justice to either. wishful thinking??