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Top 12 all-time SFF books
How one limits favorite anythings to a short list is a mystery to me, I’ll be leaving out so many amazing books and feel guilty about it 😅
Mod
1. The Once and Future King
2. The Dispossessed
3. Tehanu
4. The Way of Kings
5.The Fifth Season
I think these books are both perfect in form and in personal value.
After this, the books that have burrowed into me are:
6. Too Like the Lightning (and SS)
7. Ninefox Gambit (and series)
8. Among Others
9. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
10. A Wizard of Earthsea
11. His Dark Materials
12. Reserved for the book that will next change my life
For Anthony not so interesting to see, since I also nick my list from the other thread ;DYet since the thread in the other group was for SF explicitly I have to put in one Fantasy series here and therefore throw out the old number 12 (which was the Rosewater trilogy)
The order is no indication of 'better than'. I couldn't decide how to rank the first 5.
- Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky (and the sequel)
- The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (for the Stormlight Archive)
- The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (for the Broken Earth Trilogy - as Anthony said, it is shelved as Fantasy, but for me it crossed the line into SF)
- Hyperion by Dan Simmons (for the Cantos)
- Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson (for the Mars trilogy)
- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (and the sequel)
- Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
- The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (for the Remberance of Earth trilogy)
- The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe (for the Books of the New Sun)
- Perdido Street Station
- Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta
ETA: how could I forget him? (I blame the fact that I copied the list from an SF only thread)
- Small Gods by Terry Pratchett for all the terrific and wonderful books of The Discworld
I love this thread, thank you, Anthony ⸜( ˙˘˙)⸝ I love to see everyone's list too. Ahhh, it's so hard to pick. I'll have four first.* The Caves of Steel and the Robot Series.
* All Systems Red all the Murderbot Diaries.
* The Cloud Roads and Raksura Series.
* Dawn I haven't read the rest Xenogenesis Series yet.
@Allison ahhhh how could I have neglected to include His Dark Materials??? But then what would I remove for it? AHHHHHHHH!!!I also thought about including Deathly Hallows, but that would feel like a bit of a cheat, since it requires all of the other HP books, and they’re not all in and of themselves as excellent...
I guess they belong on an expanded list?
There are two on your list I have yet to read: Ninefox and Among Others. And one I would *never* put anywhere near my list. But I think you know which one that is. 😜😜😜 Otherwise, tons of crossover, which is unsurprising. Same with you, Gabi. I have yet to read Hyperion, The Three-Body Problem, or Memory of Water. I have great admiration for The Book of the New Sun, and I loved Parable. It, too, would be on an expanded list. Children of Time was very enjoyable, but didn’t quite fully coalesce for me in the end. And then there’s that one book...oooooof... 😁😁😁
Anthony wrote: "And then there’s that one book...oooooof... 😁😁😁 "
You mean the one Fantasy book against which all other Fantasy books just fall down and pale in comparison? YES! There it is! Dear to my heart forever and aye!
On the other hand, you have TLTL - the only book I ever DNF'd - so that makes up for it ;).
We are even! Although I *did* finish all 1000-plus pages of that one book! And I didn’t hate it. I just...sighed a lot while reading it.
Anthony wrote: "We are even! Although I *did* finish all 1000-plus pages of that one book! And I didn’t hate it. I just...sighed a lot while reading it."Okay, you win! I tried to finish TLTL, and I think I would have if it wasn't so late in the year and reads just kept piling up that I dearly needed the time for.
Mod
Anthony, I'm gonna go on a limb and say I don't think you'll enjoy Ninefox as much as I did--it is one that draws on personal connections more than writing or emotive qualities.
But I DO think you might really like Jo Walton. I haven't read more by her, but she's good friends with Ada Palmer. Among Others references a LOT of SFF and has some similar sense of Fitz, but feistier and Welsh lol.
Among Others is on my list, and I look forward to it. I’ve enjoyed reading some of Walton’s columns on SFF literature on Tor.com, and while don’t always agree with her, when I do, I *really* do.
Here's mine.1) The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.
2) The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
3) Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
4) A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
5) Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
6) Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
7) Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
8) All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
9) A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
10) The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
11) His Dark Materials: The Complete Trilogy by Philip Pullman
12) Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis
Lovely list, Sarah. Both A Closed and Common Orbit and All the Birds are verrrrrry close to my top 12 as well. I also very much enjoyed both Calculating Stars and Rosewater, but they didn’t *quite* reach the heights of the others, for me.
Sarah, with one exception I read all the books on your list, hooray!ETA: after your exchange it is two books ;)
@Anthony Aww, the Farseer Trilogy, I want to add it too but it's also so heart breaking... And cannot wait for Too Like the Lightning, so eager to know what's baroque prose. I love baroque music cuz I guess it's easy to listen for everyone even a three years old likes it, I think :)@Gabi I only read half of your list and I enjoyed the time that we read Hyperion together^^ And somehow I don't like the Remberance of Earth trilogy at all -_-
@Allison Yes, Murderbot is the best(rolling rolling). Compare to the robot series, I think Daneel is more like a big brother. It would be fun if they met each other. :)
@Sarah I love A Closed and Common Orbit too~
Anthony wrote: "Lovely list, Sarah. Both A Closed and Common Orbit and All the Birds are verrrrrry close to my top 12 as well. I also very much enjoyed both Calculating Stars and Rosewater, but they didn’t *quite*..."I forgot to put His Dark Materials on here so I'm taking Rosewater off.
Mod
Allison wrote: "Must make time for Connie Willis, apparently."Allison, I get stuck -_- and I am waiting for a lovely time to finish Doomsday Book~
I... need to read more, LOL.All I can really come up with is a top 6, basically all the 5-stars I have currently:
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Mod
Amanda, that's a dang good start :)
Wen wrote: "... And somehow I don't like the Remberance of Earth trilogy at all -_-..."It is very 'hard' SF, so I can see that it is not to everybody's taste.
Great thread! Gotta make an attempt too, though it follows much of the established path with others :D And I'm also quite wary of defining favorites too precisely (or limiting them to 12), since there's really no comparing them to each other... so, I guess "some greats" (in not discernible order after the top few):(Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by Evelyn Waugh - Not SFF, but holds high esteem, and remains on the top after decades.)
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin - definite number one from Le Guin and immediate all time favorite of all I've ever read (on par that one there on top, perhaps, if they could be compared).
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Incal by Mœbius and Alejandro Jodorowsky - a feat of visual grandeur, with surrealistic narration and an avalanche of concepts.
Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson - since Red gets so many mentions already, and I think I might've liked this second one a tad better.
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky - though I do think Cage of Souls needs a mention too.
The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren - I honestly can't remember a lot of it, but I do remember it moved a lot in childhood. I need to reread this at some point.
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb - or the whole of the trilogy.
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers - ah, why not. Though unsure if I should list To Be Taught, If Fortunate over it.
Gabi wrote: "Wen wrote: "... And somehow I don't like the Remberance of Earth trilogy at all -_-..."It is very 'hard' SF, so I can see that it is not to everybody's taste."
I love hard SF but the whole thing is very stupid, ahhhh, sorry.
@Allison I know you had some issues with Red Mars’ depiction of Maya and other political aspects, and had questions about KSR’s leanings because of those concerns. I wonder whether you would still feel that way about KSR if you were to read Green Mars, because it definitely shows many more sides to everything. Would you agree, Gabi and Jemppu?
Anthony wrote: "@Allison I know you had some issues with Red Mars’ depiction of Maya and other political aspects, and had questions about KSR’s leanings because of those concerns. I wonder whether you would still ..."I'm not sure what exactly Allison's issues were, but I liked Maya's depiction in Green Mars. She reminded me a lot of myself - some more years and I end up just a bitch like her. But then … I had no real issues with Red Mars - so I'm probably not the right one to say.
Soooooo right off the bat I have to categorize the subject matter and provide caveats. Top 12 is subjective so I'm going to say Top 12ish SFF that I have enjoyed since joining Goodreads, because, as a few of my rereads can attest, my memory is not to be trusted at least as far a quality is concerned... ;-) So my 12ish (subject to change any few books from now) is as follows (no particular order):Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh
Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Martian by Andy Weir
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Monica wrote: "because, as a few of my rereads can attest, my memory is not to be trusted at least as far a quality is concerned... ;-)"That's a feeling I know all too well. :D
I love your list, Monica. "Wool Omnibus" was a big surprise for me how good it was. All the books from your list I haven't read yet, are on my TBR. I'm looking forward to them.
Mod
Jemina, I have to add Jodorowsky to my list! What should I start with?
Anthony, I'll keep it in mind but I need a lot more time for my hackles to go down. My objectivity as a reader is almost non-existent so I need time to get callouses (lol that's for you Jemina) before I try him again. If you all say Green Mars is more inclusive and pulls less from stereotypes than Red Mars did, perhaps I'll reconsider!
ETA I can't type today. Everyone pretend my typos are from something understandable like autocorrect or English as a second language and not just that I'm being sloppy.
Anthony wrote: "@Allison I know you had some issues with Red Mars’ depiction of Maya and other political aspects, and had questions about KSR’s leanings because of those concerns. I wonder whether you would still ..."I would definitely agree. I was thinking exactly that whilst reading: that those, who didn't care for Maya or some of the issues in the first book, could definitely find some redeeming aspects to them in Green Mars.
Gabi wrote: "Monica wrote: "because, as a few of my rereads can attest, my memory is not to be trusted at least as far a quality is concerned... ;-)"That's a feeling I know all too well. :D
I love your list,..."
Yes, Wool Omnibus was also surprised me.
Allison wrote: "...so I need time to get callouses..."Ha! XD *tips hat*
As for Jodorowsky, I don't feel well versed enough to know for sure what's the best to start with - not having read them beyond some of their graphic novel collaborations (CWs for lots of rather 'perverse' stuff) -, but Incal is definitely a recommendable one and a 'safe' entry from them (employing lot of concepts left over from their original Dune film project apparently).
...And Moebius a SciFi legend all should experience in one form or other (and most likely have too, them being so influential behind the scenes of lot of SciFi productions of the last decades)
@MonicaThrilled to see the Wool Omnibus there as well - have yet to read it, but this is definitely encouraging!
Yes to The Martian!
@Monica China Mountain Zhang is one of those works that only gains in my admiration the more I read other novels and the more I think fondly about its depths and grace. I haven’t yet read Oryx and Crake but it’s on my list, and I adored The Handmaid’s Tale (another that almost made my list) so I have high hopes for it.
@Allison I understand and appreciate your need for calluses!
@Anthony I think you would like Oryx and Crake. I gave the series 3-2-4, surprisedly found something I like at the end (3rd book).
Is "for now" good enough? Because I need to leave myself open to new entries. ;)SF
Ancillary Justice
The Dispossessed
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Fantasy
Daggerspell
The Isle of Glass
(I really ought to finish these series! The first books made such a great impression I got scared the rest couldn't possibly live up to them.)
Illusion
City of Bones
(That's me in the corner, livin' in the '80s and '90s)
The Fifth Season
(boring choice, but it truly is a culmination of her writing thus far and hits like a truck.)
Only eight, huh? And a couple of these probably wouldn't be on a list like this in a couple of years. Always a work in progress.
Oryx an Crake is definitely divisive. Folks either love it or hate it. For me it was just brilliant and I admit, it took me a few weeks away from the book to recognize that. But I found it to be one of those books that creeps into the psyche. I see shades of it everywhere...
Allison wrote: "Ahhh so many that are definitely up there for me, too, Monica! And a few I can't wait to read, maybe find my twelfth!Jemina, I have to add Jodorowsky to my list! What should I start with?
Anthon..."
I'll jump in as someone who didn't love Red Mars but is finding a lot more to like in Green Mars. I feel like the characters are portrayed with a lot more depth and the approach to the political and sociological aspects is much more detailed and fleshed out.
I mean, definitely take your time, but wanted to mention that I did notice an evolution there.
This is soooo hard!I'll need to list them alphabetically, too, or I'll never get done.
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood - this is a bit of a borderline case, I think, but it does have scifi elements and I love it.
The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers - again, this was a tough call, because I also love The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear. The inventiveness of Walter Moers - and his illustrations - are magnificent.
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
The Fifth Season (and the rest of the Broken Earth trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin
Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb - this will have to stand in for the entirety of the Rainwilds Chronicles. Out of all the books in that series, this one, I think, is my favorite.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Nation by Terry Pratchett - this was my first Pratchett and I will adore it forever.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The Power by Naomi Alderman
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo
There's a long, long list of runner-ups (including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the book teenage me probably re-read the most) and Too Like the Lightning, but I want to finish the latter before I make a final decision.
Edit: Also, seeing it mentioned by several people here reaffirms me in my decision to try His Dark Materials again - 11/12 was just too young for those books, maybe.
So much cool new (for me) stuff on everyone's lists, I've added a lot of it to my TBR!- My own personal favorite SFF series of all time is the Vorkosigan Saga, which I started with Young Miles (but you can also start with Cordelia's Honor if you'd prefer getting his badass mother's perspective first).
It has a disabled, very hyper protagonist who's looking for a meaningful purpose and love in a quirky universe, full of intelligence, action and heart - just love everything about it.
- The Mercedes Thompson series starting with Moon Called.
Ignore the stupid cover and enjoy a gritty urban fantasy story about a female car mechanic who can turn into a (regular) coyote and talk to ghosts - not exactly fancy powers in this (modern) world of mysterious fae lords, werewolves, and genuinely creepy vampires. She never becomes more powerful throughout the series, looks normal, stays a regular car mechanic the whole time, and her opponents are super scary. The world-building and characterization are top-notch and I really love this whole series.
- Words of Radiance - no need to explain this one
- House of Suns - I love this book so much, it just has everything: a fantastically vast, imaginative world, great characters, several intriguing puzzles and mysteries, space battles, cool AI, contemplations about identity and memory, some surprisingly beautiful prose - just awesome all around. And it's a standalone, no need to read a long series.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Knights of Dark Renown Read Gemmell when you feel you need an infusion of strength and courage to do the right thing.
- On Basilisk Station This is just great space opera about a female space ship commander who needs to improvise a lot and come up with crazy tactics in order to defend a system against an overwhelming force. She's a genius at tactics but she sucks at diplomacy and social interactions (and knows it). In addition, her new crew hates her guts. If you like David vs. Goliath stories and clever space battles that remind you of Hornblower or Master and Commander, then this is for you.
- His Dark Materials
- All Systems Red
- everything by Terry Pratchett
- More hopefully to come soon
This is hard and they're not in order of preference:1. Dune by Frank Herbert
2. A Song of Ice and Fire, 5-Book Boxed Set: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin aka Game of Thrones
3. Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre, the book is good, but the short story seems complete in and of itself and I love thee short story: Of Mist, And Grass, And Sand
4. Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
5. The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
6. The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon a three books in one volume compilation
7. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
8. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
9. The Dragonbone Chair and the rest of the series by Tad Williams
Now to fill out the last 3
10 . Young Rissa by F.M. Busby
11. Nemesis, the first book in Louise Cooper's Indigo series which is unfortunately not out in a Kindle version
12. The Morgaine Saga by C.J. Cherryh
Mostly Fantasy and a mix of male/femaleauthors
Oh, you guys! I go away for a few hours and there are 30 new posts and now I have to distill 30+ years of reading into 12 favorites?!? I’m going to take Anthony’s prompt that these books be ones that have changed me, so a lot of them are going to be books read at an impressionable age or period in my life:
- The Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher. Middle Grade. I credit this series with lighting up my imagination and making me turn my back on most mundane fiction.
- The Left Hand of Darkness, UKL
- Dawn/Lilith’s Brood, Octavia Butler
- The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
- Winter Queen/Summer Queen, Joan Vinge
- Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
- Beloved, Toni Morrison (not SFF, but with magical realistic elements, which make it negligible)
- Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin
- Hyperion Cantos, Dan Simmons
- Earthsea series. More to love with each installment
- LiveShip Traders Trilogy, Robin Hobb. I read these first and was simply blown away.
- Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
- Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes
Oops. That’s 13.
I am so with you on House of Suns Eva! Loved that book.Mine in no particular order
Hyperion
Perdido Street Station
Red Sister
Midnight Riot
Startide Rising
Ancillary Justice
Ready Player One
The Martian
Pandora's Star
Sea of Rust
All Systems Red
I have to say that I’m intrigued by the number of people including His Dark Materials. I remember loving the first book when I read it as a kid, feeling kind of meh about the sequels as a teen, and now that I’m an adult I’m terrified to touch them because I don’t know that they’ll live up to the nostalgia..
I actually have an All-Time Favorites list: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...My SFFs:
The White Dragon
Protector
Wild Seed
Midnight at the Well of Souls
The Enormous Egg
Across Realtime
The Apocalypse Door
The Forever War
With Friends Like These...
Damnation Alley
Sten
Jade City
@CBRetriever: Dhalgren! Surprisingly exciting to see that there. I'm still so divided by it; fascinated and dubious. But certain of the uniqueness of the experience.
@Trike you have many titles in your list that are new to me. Thanks for expanding my horizons!
Jemppu wrote: "@CBRetriever: Dhalgren! Surprisingly exciting to see that there. I'm still so divided by it; fascinated and dubious. But certain of the uniqueness of the experience."It's the uniqueness, the uncertainty tha what is happening is real, plus oddly enough the bisexuality of the main character which was fairly uncommon in books when the book first was published. It still holds up today and doesn't seem dated. The only thing I didn't like about the Kindle version was that the side by side storylines (two columns on a page) wasn't in this version.
I first read it as part of the hippie generation and then re-read it in my 60s. My husband, who reads very little fiction (poetry and chess books mostly) even read it and ranks it up there in his favorite books too. The only other crossover books are the Game of Thrones books and LotR
CBRetriever wrote: "...The only thing I didn't like about the Kindle version was that the side by side storylines (two columns on a page) wasn't in this version...."!!! I had no idea of this sort of thing! Sounds a crucial point the original work to have had, and would no doubt add so much to the experience. I listened the audiobook, and obviously any this sort of layout device was lost in it.
@Trike: so fascinated by your list, and need to see it for potential TBR fodder. The Forever War I feel I can agree is fantastic (having read the graphic novel adaptation)
CBRetriever wrote: "The only thing I didn't like about the Kindle version was that the side by side storylines (two columns on a page) wasn't in this version."It is sad how unique typography and page layouts can get homogenized by digitization.
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1. Assassin's Apprentice and the rest of The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
2. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
3. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
4. Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
5. The Fifth Season and the rest of The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
6. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
7. Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
8. Red Mars and Green Mars (I have yet to read Blue Mars) by Kim Stanley Robinson
9. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
10. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
11. Too Like the Lightning (I have yet to read the other Terra Ignota books) by Ada Palmer
12. A Wizard of Earthsea and its first few sequels (I’ve read up through Tehanu) by Ursula K. Le Guin