The List
Behold my list of the top 100 science fiction stories since Frankenstein, which I was able to put together with the help of many internet searches, the Hugo Awards, and my own knowledge.
My goal with the list is to better understand the genre I hope to join as a sci-fi author, and also simply to learn and explore. I love following the line of ideas throughout history, which can teach us a lot.
I say “stories” because I’ve included short stories and a play on the list as well. And it’s not exactly 100 stories either; I’ve listed several series and trilogies as well. When I get to those I will see how I feel about reading just the first novel or tackling the entire beast.
One last note: the list is in chronological order. Perhaps once I’ve read enough, I can start putting together a best/worst list, or fav/not fav list, or something like that.
Enjoy!
1. Frankenstein – Mary Shelley — 1818
2. Journey to the Center of the Earth – Jules Verne – 1864
3. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Jonathan Swift and Robert Louis Stevensen – 1886
4. The Time Machine – H. G. Wells – 1895
5. The War of the Worlds – H. G. Wells – 1897
6. R.U.R. (play) – Karel Capek – 1921
7. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley – 1932
8. Lost Horizon – James Hilton – 1933
9. At the Mountains of Madness – H. P. Lovecraft – 1936
10. Out of the Silent Planet (Space Trilogy) – C. S. Lewis – 1938
11. Reason (short story) – Isaac Asimov – 1941
12. Foundation (Foundation Trilogy) – Isaac Asimov – 1942
13. 1984 – George Orwell – 1949
14. Red Planet – Robert A. Heinlein – 1949
15. Space Cadet – Robert A. Heinlein – 1949
16. I, Robot – Isaac Asimov – 1950
17. The Martian Chronicles – Ray Bradbury – 1950
18. Farmer in the Sky – Robert A. Heinlein – 1950
19. The Demolished Man – Alfred Bester – 1952
20. Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury – 1953
21. They’d Rather Be Right – Frank Riley and Mark Clifton – 1954
22. I Am Legend – Richard Matheson – 1954
23. Double Star – Robert A. Heinlein – 1956 *Couldn’t find this one.*
24. Minority Report (short story) – Philip K. Dick – 1956
25. Methuselah’s Children – Robert A. Heinlein – 1958
26. The Big Time – Fritz Leiber – 1958
27. A Case of Conscience – James Blish – 1958
28. Starship Troopers – Robert A. Heinlein – 1959
29. A Canticle for Leibowitz – Walter M. Miller, Jr. – 1959
30. Flowers for Algernon – Daniel Keyes – 1959
31. Stranger in a Strange Land – Robert A. Heinlein – 1961 *Skipped – see this post for why.*
32. The Man in the High Castle – Philip K. Dick – 1962
33. Here Gather the Stars/Way Station – Clifford D. Simak – 1963
34. Planet of the Apes – Pierre Boulle – 1963
35. The Wanderer – Fritz Leiber – 1964
36. Dune – Frank Herbert – 1965
37. And Call Me Conrad/This Immortal – Roger Zelazny – 1965
38. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress – Robert A. Heinlein – 1966 *Skipped – see this post for why.*
39. Lord of Light – Roger Zelazny – 1967
40. Stand on Zanzibar – John Brunner – 1968
41. 2001: A Space Odyssey – Arthur C. Clarke – 1968
42. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Philip K. Dick – 1968
43. The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula K. Le Guin – 1969
44. Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut – 1969
45. Ringworld – Larry Niven – 1970
46. To Your Scattered Bodies Go – Philip José Farmer – 1971
47. The Gods Themselves – Isaac Asimov – 1972
48. Rendezvous with Rama – Arthur C. Clarke – 1973
49. The Dispossessed – Ursula K Le Guin – 1974
50. The Forever War – Joe Haldeman – 1974
51. Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang – Kate Wilhelm – 1976
52. Gateway – Frederik Pohl – 1977
53. Dreamsnake – Vonda N. McIntyre – 1978
54. The Stand – Stephen King – 1978
55. Kindred – Butler – Octavia E. Butler – 1979
56. The Foundations of Paradise – Arthur C. Clarke – 1979
57. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams – 1979
58. Wizard – John Varley – 1980
59. The Snow Queen – Joan D. Vinge – 1980
60. Downbelow Station – C. J. Cherryh – 1981
61. Startide Rising (series) – David Brin – 1983
62. Neuromancer – William Gibson – 1984
63. Ender’s Game (series) – Orson Scott Card – 1985
64. Contact – Carl Saga – 1985
65. Speaker for the Dead – Orson Scott Card – 1986
66. The Vorkosigan Saga (series) – Lois McMaster Bujold – 1986
67. Consider Phlebas – Iain M. Banks – 1987
68. Cyteen – C. J. Cherryh – 1988
69. Hyperion (series) – Dan Simmons – 1989
70. The Difference Engine – Bruce Sterling and William Gibson – 1990
71. Jurassic Park – Michael Crichton – 1990
72. He, She, It – Marge Piercy – 1991
73. A Fire Upon the Deep – Vernor Vinge – 1992
74. Red Mars (trilogy) – Kim Stanley Robinson – 1993
75. The Giver – Lois Lowry – 1993
76. The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer – Neal Stephenson – 1995
77. Forever Peace – Joe Haldeman – 1997
78. To Say Nothing of the Dogs – Connie Willis – 1997
79. Cryptonomicon – Neal Stephenson – 1999
80. A Deepness in the Sky – Vernor Vinge – 1999
81. The Neanderthal Parallax (trilogy) – Robert J. Sawyer – 2002
82. Altered Carbon – Richard K. Morgan – 2002
83. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom – Cory Doctorow – 2003
84. Pattern Recognition – William Gibson – 2003
85. Spin – Robert Charles Wilson – 2005
86. Old Man’s War – John Scalzi – 2005
87. Rainbows End – Vernor Vinge – 2006
88. The Yiddish Policeman’s Union – Michael Chabon – 2007
89. The Hunger Games (trilogy) – Suzanne Collins – 2008
90. The Windup Girl – Paolo Bacigalupi – 2009
91. The City & the city – China Miéville – 2009
92. Blackout/All Clear – Connie Willis – 2010
93. The Martian – Andy Weir – 2011
94. Ready Player One – Ernest Cline – 2011
95. Silo (series) – Hugh Howey – 2011
96. Robopocalypse – Daniel H. Wilson – 2011
97. Redshirts – John Scalzi – 2011
98. 2312 – Kim Stanley Robinson – 2012
99. Ancillary Justice – Ann Leckie – 2013
100. The Fifth Season – N. K. Jemisin – 2015
