NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels

We recently mentioned that NPR was running an online vote to select their readers’ top 100 science fiction and fantasy novels. Well, 60,000+ votes later, the final list has now been determined: 1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien 2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams 3. Ender’s Game, […]

We recently mentioned that NPR was running an online vote to select their readers' top 100 science fiction and fantasy novels. Well, 60,000+ votes later, the final list has now been determined:

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
25. The Stand, by Stephen King
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan

  1. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
  2. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
  3. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
  4. World War Z, by Max Brooks
  5. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
  6. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
  7. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
  8. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
  9. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
  10. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
  11. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
  12. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
  13. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
  14. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
  15. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
  16. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
  17. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
  18. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
  19. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
  20. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
  21. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
  22. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
  23. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
  24. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
  25. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
  26. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
  27. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
  28. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
  29. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
  30. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
  31. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
  32. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
  33. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
  34. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
  35. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
  36. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
  37. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
  38. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
  39. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
  40. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
  41. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
  42. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
  43. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
  44. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
  45. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
  46. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
  47. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
  48. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
  49. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
  50. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

For the full story, check out the results over at NPR. In addition to the basic list, they have also published a fantastic extended version of the list which includes descriptions and sample chapters of the books. As well, they have made available the full list of 237 finalists, if you've already worked your way through the top 100. (Ha!)

And as mentioned before, this list is a terrific reference for GeekDads, GeekMoms or Geeklings looking for summer reading suggestions...