NPR Science Fiction list (or, nerd up!)

[Dinner]

A better nerd question is who would win in a fight of Elminster vs Mordenkainen vs Raistlin?

[Uncle Sparky]

Better nerd question is who would win in a battle between TOS Kirk & Spock and 'reboot' Kirk & Spock.

[Tuberski]

Borders' booksellers ran rings around BN's both for sales and knowledge/love of books. However the inventory management was so terrible we never had the books in stock to sell

If you want a "better" list, how about http://www.listchallenges.com/hugo-a...s-1946-2012-in ? 51/64 here, not great and missing some important ones, but at least one of those 13 is the Harry Potter novel

5

ACK!

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

I'd argue against those George Orwell novels being counted as SF or Fantasy.

[snoopy369]

I suppose you're free to argue whatever you want, but 1984 is almost the definition of science fiction.

[Donegeal]

21 on Snoopy's list.

[snoopy369]

The thrawn trilogy is, surprisingly, legitimately good fiction in its own right, independent of star wars. But it's the only star wars book that isn't crap.

By the way, it bothers me that the reading rainbow video says "retro junk" on it. I'm 20. Things that happened when I was in grade school are not retro.

That's not really fair, there are lots of 'quick fun reads' in Star Wars (plus a lot of junk, but it's pulp fiction, what do you expect?). The point of those sorts of books is very different from the point of "high" SF - it's to have fun and be entertained for a few hours.

Also, Reading Rainbow is definitely retro. Retro-good of course, but still. Was it still showing new episodes when you were in grade school? I thought its primary run was while I was in grade school (so a good 10-15 years before yours). That's why it's retro (because it's something the current 'middle aged adults' remember from childhood).

[Dr Strangelove]

They're confusing fantasy with science fiction. Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Wheel of Time, etc, etc are not science fiction. I got 51, but most of the ones I hadn't read were nothing but dragon-fodder.

[Ben Kenobi]

47 for me. Plenty of recentism there... I have zero interest in reading 'Game of Thrones'. Annoyed to see it at 5.

Stoked to see Canticle for Leibowitz!

Obvious books that didn't make it:

Heinlein - To Sail Beyond the Sunset.
Heinlein - Glory Road
Ben Bova - Mars
Wyndham - Day of the Triffids
Heinlein - Podkayne of Mars
Asimov - Nemesis
On the beach - Nevil Schute.

I'd take out the Simarillion and the LOTR, Conan, all the fantasy. Fantastic books, just not science fiction.

[Ben Kenobi]

Also, no "On the Beach"?

[The Mad Monk]

Better nerd question is who would win in a battle between TOS Kirk & Spock and 'reboot' Kirk & Spock.

TOS, no question. New Spock is far too emo to win against TOS Spock.

[Ben Kenobi]

TOS, no question. New Spock is far too emo to win against TOS Spock.

Reboot Kirk would be too busy fetching the nail polish from his manpurse.

[Ben Kenobi]

Other list is 11. Haven't read the earlier heinlein or the asimov Hugo winners.

[snoopy369]

They're confusing fantasy with science fiction. Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Wheel of Time, etc, etc are not science fiction. I got 51, but most of the ones I hadn't read were nothing but dragon-fodder.

It is the F&SF list, not just the SF list. I just abbreviated.

[Dr Strangelove]

Fantasy nerdism and science fiction nerdism are not the same. Science Fiction nerdism belongs to science feeks, while fantasy nerdism engulfs liberal arts types and schizophrenics.