THE BORE
General => The Superdeep Borehole => Topic started by: Howard Alan Treesong on August 20, 2007, 05:51:13 PM
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http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/topscifi/lists_books_rank1.html
How many have you read??
I've read:
47 of the top 50 :punch
70 of the top 100 :S
However, of the 30 I haven't read, 6 of those are shitty Heinlein and 2 are shitty Niven...so I'm counting that as a wash.
Was happy to see some Banks there, though they should be much higher. Like, ideally Use of Weapons at #1.
I was reminded of how awesome Simak's City was. THE DOGS SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH :bow :bow
Since it's novels, not short stories, some genre contributors like Ellison are woefully underrepresented.
Sad to see fanboy favorite shit like Ender's Game, Niven and Heinlein shitting up the list. I'd like to see a list that's "Top 50 SF books that are actually good, and maybe even written after 1980." Does that list even exist?
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Oh, also, Lord of Light at 30?! What the fuck.
Amongst more recent books I've read, I'd put The Chronoliths and Light in any top 100 list.
I'd also rank Pattern Recognition fairly highly, though Gibson is only barely sci-fi, at this point. I mean, Pattern Recognition is GAF solves ilovebees as a worldwide thriller.
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How was this assembled? Who the fuck thinks Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is the best PKD book?
Wait, Ender's Game is #2? List is a joke, confirmed.
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R-tards. Note Ender's Game at #2.
Seriously, it's a collective wisdom of the Internet type thing. Fanboys will be fanboys. And fanboys like Electric Sheep cause of BRADE RUNNER. Which is neither here nor there.
That's why I'm using the list to FOSTER DISCUSSION and also hopefully find better lists.
Actually, I found a first edition Japanese translation of The Forever War while I was in Japan, and in the back was a list of the 50 "Sci-Fi classics" that had been translated into Japanese by this publisher circa mid-70s. It's a really interesting look in what was considered state-of-the-art at a then semi-fledgling genre. No Ender's Game, for starters!
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39 of the top 50
68 of the top 100
I blame too much gaming.
Niven and Heinlein are definitely too represented on the list.
Omitting Alas, Babylon in the top 100 is sorta a huge slight to us apocalypse fans. Also, it would have been nice to see something from Stephen Baxter, but I do admit that it would have to be pretty low on the list.
I feel that Pohl deserves more than just a nod for Gateway if possible, but maybe that's just the inner fan talking.
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Yeah, the TV show Jericho is just Alas, Babylon fanfic. I think they even have an episode where they go to the salt mines. ::)
What Baxter would you recommend? I am not familiar. Also, what Pohl do you like? I've read and enjoyed a lot by him, but I reread Gateway recently and it did seem far and away above his other work (or most others' work, for that matter).
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What Baxter would you recommend?
I'm partial to recommending Vacuum Diagrams, of all things. Baxter is only so-so at characterization, so that collection of linked short stories really IMO plays to his strengths. It's also an easy read.
Also, what Pohl do you like? I've read and enjoyed a lot by him, but I reread Gateway recently and it did seem far and away above his other work (or most others' work, for that matter).
Either Man Plus or Jem (I read them both way back when so, caveat emptor!) were decent reads. One or the other deserves at least second page (101-200) treatment.
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Farenheit 451 :bow
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i liked lord of light. :'(
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I see The Man in the High Castle is the number 2 Dick. That should probably be his first represented book on the list. It's an undeniable classic that most Dick fans can find common ground on.
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Prole: the "what the fuck" was Lord of Light is a top 10 book for sure.
Man Plus is really good, though the "gotcha!" ending was kind of goofy. The core themes were really excellent, however. They were going to make it into a big-budget movie a few years back but all the shitty Mars movies about that time killed it.
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wow, i've actually read a LOT of those; at least, most of the earlier ones.
also, the uplift war sucked. fuck david brin.
greg bear's eon :bow :bow :bow
also, and i know this is nerd heresy, but i don't really like hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy now that i'm out of college. :punch
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i am glad you respect zelazny, patel, and i forgive you your previous slights against AMERICA'S BEST MAINSTREAM FILM DIRECTOR, CHRISTOPHER NOLAN.
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I've only read 10 of those.
I'm SOOOOO glad that Ubik and Snow Crash are on there though. Best books I've ever read.
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lastly, i hate it when these stupid lists confuse "best" and "most influential". heinlein's influential, yeah, but his books are shallow, patriarchal crap. remember when your lesbian lit prof used to inanely rail on dickens for being too white and male? she probably meant heinlein, because there are no novels that are more overtly white and male than heinlein's, right down to the smug, sneering dialogue.
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OMG WHAT THE FUCK IS CRICHTON DOING ON THERE, AND ABOVE BURGESS NO LESS
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Halo made #13? Cool.
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Crichton is icky
His creativity is okay but his engrish is teh terrible.
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There's more than one Herbert book, the dude did not just write Dune only.
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Dune was his best, though, although as a CS geek I totally HEART Destination: Void.
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Why don't you guys discuss #1? Was it deserved?
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*shrug* it's a very safe #1. Me? It's not my #1, for sure, but it's hard to point to another sci-fi novel that fires on all the individual cylinders that drive the appeal of the genre. It's my wife's favorite novel of all time, for the record.
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There top 100 sci-fi movies is also rather wtf:
http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/topscifi/lists_film.html
Men and Black and Stargate in the top 50?
The star wars prequels in the top 25?
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There top 100 sci-fi movies is also rather wtf:
http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/topscifi/lists_film.html
Men and Black and Stargate in the top 50?
The star wars prequels in the top 25?
You see this? Huh?! N-Y-P-D! Means I will knock your punkass DOWN!
It just be raining black people in New York.
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You know what sucked more than The Uplift War? Startide Rising. Jesus.
I think the worst SF book I've ever read was The Integral Trees by Larry Niven.
Speaking of, has anyone ever done some textual analysis of "golden age" SF authors and the number of pages they devoted to creepy sex scenes as they get older? My vote is for y = x^2.
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There top 100 sci-fi movies is also rather wtf:
http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/topscifi/lists_film.html
Men and Black and Stargate in the top 50?
The star wars prequels in the top 25?
They really stretched the sci-fi genre definition toward the end there. And wtf Matrix > Planet of the Apes?
terrible list is terrible
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4 and 1/2 :-[