NPR are currently running a poll to determine the top 100 science fiction and fantasy books. Last month they took nominations, and an expert panel assembled a ‘short’ list of contenders:
Scrolling through the list of great science fiction and fantasy reads below will feel like a journey back in time for some of us, a voyage of discovery for others. But novice or veteran, everyone loves a contest. So, let the voting begin!
Here’s how: Everyone gets 10 votes. Select your top 10 favorite titles, and then scroll down to the bottom of the poll and click “Submit.” Feel free to lobby for your favorites in the comments. We’ll be back in about 10 days with the results.
It’s a great list, though I’m sure there’ll be plenty of debate about some of the inclusions and exclusions. I have to say also that I’m not sure that it should have been one list for science fiction and fantasy – while the genres sometimes approach each other, they also differ enormously at the other ends of the spectrum.
For what it’s worth, here’s the ten I picked (in alphabetical order). Fairly mainstream I have to say…perhaps I need to start digging in to some more obscure titles in future.
- American Gods
- The Day of the Triffids
- The Dune Chronicles
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
- The Illuminatus! Trilogy
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
- Neuromancer
- The Road
- Solaris
- Watchmen
The final results will be announced on August 11. So, what’s your top 10? And: what books *aren’t* on the list that should have been there?
