SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I have challenged myself to read a few titles that seem vital to any good science fiction library. They include:
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
The Left Hand of Darknessby Ursula K. Le Guin
The Master and Margarita A Graphic Novelby Mikhail Bulgakov
I am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Matheson
From Hell by Alan Moore
and I plan on finishing the The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

Yes, I love to do the same thing, but I haven't thought through my picks much yet, except that I know I'll read at least a book or two from Roger Zelazny's Amber.

For sci-fi, I'm leaning towards something from Ray Bradbury or Philip K. Dick, but I haven't decided what yet.

I may try to sit down with Dance of Dragons. Does that count as a classic yet? Probably not.

In truth, I'm not very good at planning what I'm going to read. I tend to pick up whatever moves me in the moment. I would like to read something by Marion Zimmer Bradley; she's an author I really haven't had a chance to look at yet. I also would like to read LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness, mentioned by Chris.

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see if anyone else suggests a novel that piques my interest...

I keep meaning to re-read Michael Moorcock's Elric series (since I believe they are being re-pubbed??)

@Karin - do read MZB's stuff! - especially the Darkover series. Although the first ones were classed as 'amateurish', she developed her stride and got better and better (even going so far as to re-write a couple of the early ones!)

Heinlein's early works are good; as are Philip K Dick's (but take Dick's works with a dose of reality - he wrote some weirdly out-of-this-world stuff that peeps thought he was a little deranged - but I think most of that was because he was strangely enlightened, or whatever!)
Best known one is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? which became the film "Blade Runner" (quite a good adaptation IMO)

@Mike - try some of Asimov's earlier stuff. His "Space Ranger" series (originally pubbed in the late 50's, but re-pubbed by NAL in the early 70's) is good. As is Piers Antony's "Bio of a Space Tyrant" series - very good in high-tech stuff :)

ETA: of course, anything by Roger Zelany is excellent!

Oh, and if anyone gets desperate and can't find these books in the secondhand shops, please DM me - I may have them in my shop! :)

I would like to read something by Marion Zimmer Bradley

I'm a huge Marion Zimmer Bradley fan. I'd recommend starting with The Mists of Avalon, if you're at all into fantasy. I also loved The Firebrand- basically the Trojan war, from the a female point of view.

I'm also a fan of the Darkover series (which is a mix of sf/fantasy), but it is very much written from the standpoint of a 60s/70s feminist, neo-pagan, 'free love' activist, so it doesn't appeal to everyone. I still enjoy the books, but I'm glad that my Renunciate days are over :-)

I'm not sure whether they're considered 'classics' yet, but I've had so many people recommend Iain Banks' Culture series that it's first on my list after I finally finish catching up/finishing Wheel of Time.

But what I'm looking forward to most is
The Last Dark, and I can't wait to read that. I understand why a lot of people hate the Thomas Covenant books, but they're far and away my favorite fantasy series.

I don't usually plan my reading, but this year I do have a list of 100+ books that I really want to get around to. The SFF classics on the list (for a certain value of the word "classic") include:

The Epic of Gilgamesh
Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner
The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh
Nova by Samuel R. Delany
Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand by Samuel R. Delany
Native Tongue by Suzette Haden Elgin
The Lions of al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees
Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The Female Man by Joanna Russ
Grass by Sheri S. Tepper
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm
Bellwether by Connie Willis
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

I'm planning to reread Dune, Redwall, and The Trouble With Lichen, which were all instrumental in getting me hooked on the genre.

Also intending to read The Blade Itself and Rivers of London - which may be too recent to be considered classics, yet, but everyone else seems to have read them!

Some more Lord Dunsany probably, other stuff that's free or nearly free in Kindle...

Belgariad maybe

Lions of Al-Rassen

Lud in the Mist

If I read anything else considered a classic, it probably won't be due to some long term planning.

Jain, you must read The Warrior's Apprentice. I absolutly fell in love with Miles Vorkosigan. I've gobbled up the whole series, now.

I read heavily on the Sci Fi side in 2012. I think I will concentrate on Fantasy this year. I don't know if their considered "classics" but I have two series by Kate Elliot that I want to get into. Spirit Gate
King's Dragon

and David Eddings The Elder Gods

And I've had The Shelters of Stone on my shelf for a few years.

I'm partway through Midst Toil and Tribulation, not enjoying it as much as other David Weber books but its still pretty good. I'm hoping to get my hands on A Memory of Light from a friend soon.

I'm not sure what other non-urban fantasy I'll be reading this year.

@Tayla36 is right about the Miles Vorksigan books. They are fantastic.

Rachel wrote: "I'm planning to reread Dune, Redwall, and The Trouble With Lichen, which were all instrumental in getting me hooked on the genre.

Also intending to read The Blade Itself and Rivers of London - whi..."

Ah...Redwall.
Planned to read some redwall books in my collection since several years ago, never get around to realization. maybe it's time...:)

i plan on reading many... currently reading A Scanner Darkly with a view to read many others including:

Flowers for Algernon, Last and First Men, The Dying Earth, Clans of the Alphane Moon, The City and the Stars etc

I only discovered how much I love sci fi several years ago, so I've been 'catching up on the classics' for a few years and have been trying to at minimum, get through all of the Hugo and Nebula winning novels as a goal.

The really unbelievable one that's still sitting on my TBR bookshelf that I just HAVE TO get to this year, and even typing this I can hear your collective groans at my admission to not having read it yet and therefore being a total impostor (haha)...

Dune

Jain, i love your list. i have been meaning to read Delany ... and i am reading Marge Piercy's HE, SHE AND IT next. i already have it from the library. i've not read her before but am keen to try her.

i loved GRASS ... i.m.o. it is Tepper's best. it is crazy good. also read and enjoyed WHERE LATE THE SWEET BIRD SANG, CHINA MOUNTAIN ZHANG and BELLWHEATHER. i read TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG, but honestly the best thing for me about that one was the title. i think i tried another by Willis ... something about the after life ... but nothing compares to BELLWEATHER.

i don't exactly have a set goal, but i have been recognizing a need/desire to revisit classics i read many many years ago. classics like BRAVE NEW WORLD and FOUNDATION.

Not exactly classics but someone mentioned Tiptree winner "Redwood and Wildfire" on a Goodreads thread last year and it re-kindled my interest in the award so I've decided to try and read as many of the winners, short-list, and long-list entries as possible. I'd already read over 70% of the winners and around 30% of the short- and long-list plus I've excused myself writers I don't particularly like, so that leaves around 200 novels and short stories.

I'm plan on reading these Sci-fi and fantasy classics



https://www.worldswithoutend.com/list...

https://www.worldswithoutend.com/list...

That science fiction list seems useful, but there's something (lots) wrong with that fantasy list. Tolkien isn't on it, nor Lewis, nor Lewis Carroll. I suspect the list is based more on what they are allowed to print then the top 50 fantasy novels.

Mekki wrote: "I'm plan on reading these Sci-fi and fantasy classics



https://www.worldswithoutend.com/list...

https://www.worldswithoutend.com/list..."

there are tons id love to read from there.. thanks for sharing the links

DavidO wrote: "That science fiction list seems useful, but there's something (lots) wrong with that fantasy list. Tolkien isn't on it, nor Lewis, nor Lewis Carroll. I suspect the list is based more on what they are allowed to print then the top 50 fantasy novels. "

The blurb on the SF Masterworks page notes that "Malcolm Edwards, managing director with Orion, created the list with the goal of bringing important books back into print." The Fantasy list seems to have stayed much truer to that goal than the SF one, which may explain why it is less expansive.

Sooz wrote: i think i tried another by Willis ... something about the after life ... but nothing compares to BELLWEATHER.

I think you're talking about Passage.

I like Jain's list a lot. A few I've read and don't feel the need to reread, but more I've been meaning to read, and a few I would love to reread.

I read Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon and some of the sequels & prequels. I've read The Firebrand and others, but somehow I've never gotten around to the Darkover series. I going to try to do that this year...

If you're going to sample Darkover, I personally would recommend the duology The Spell Sword and The Forbidden Tower-- partly because they're personal favorites, but also because I think they're near the "heart" of Darkover. They're not as clunky as some of the really early books in the series, and not as strident as some of the later ones. And Damon Ridenow is a real sweetheart...

I really loved her Theandra House series (set in Darkover), especially the first one. I thought it has a great sensitivity in exploring male-female relationships, and what it means to be a woman, depending on one's culture. Very thought-provoking.

I recently downloaded some classics from the 40's and 50's and I don't know what's more jarring: the primitive technology that they think is futuristic (see The Cosmic Computer or the social attitudes with the blatant racism and sexism. All male, all white spaceship crews? Please.

Honestly, it can be good fun to go back and look at some of the SF from that era.

My wishlist to read (I wrote this a couple of months ago). I didn't read any of these when I was younger, so this is my "mid-life crisis" list


Charlie and the Chocolate Factory series
Alice in Wonderland (and the sequel)
C.S Lewis's "Wardrobe" series
I, robot 1984 & Brave New World (read the latter in college)

Time Machine, Dr Moreau, War of the Worlds

Jules Verne & Herman Melville's classics as well as Frank Baum. And that's not all of it, but that's enough. I probably won't get to most of these. A lot of it's probably "kid stuff" by this group's standards, but I didn't read many of them when I was a kid.

Is Neuromancer old enough to qualify ? Reading it now

I want to finish The Book of Lost Tales and History of Middle Earth (the later books) by JRR Tolkien.

And of course to continue the Discworld series. Been reading the Night Watch's arc.

Did you know University of Michigan does free on line courses? Often one on Sci Fi/Fantasy. Hold on I'll grab the link: Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World -
https://www.coursera.org/course/fanta...

I tried an earlier course, fascinating but I ran out of time!

Uh, great post! Yes, I have had quite a few sci-fy classics on my to-read shelf for a while and this year will be a year to remember (for SFF shelf history, anyway)!
The list of classics includes:

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Crash by J.G. Ballard
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
Stranger in a Strange Land,
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Etc.

:D

Akinoiro/Lamora wrote: "Uh, great post! Yes, I have had quite a few sci-fy classics on my to-read shelf for a while and this year will be a year to remember (for SFF shelf history, anyway)!
The list of classics includes:
..."

I've been doing a lot of classic sci-fi catch-up the last few years and have read most of those recently. If you get through even half of those this year you're going to be thrilled and have read some EXCELLENT books! I Am Legend and Hyperion are two of my probably top 10 all-time favorites!

Zac wrote: "Akinoiro/Lamora wrote: "Uh, great post! Yes, I have had quite a few sci-fy classics on my to-read shelf for a while and this year will be a year to remember (for SFF shelf history, anyway)!
The lis..."

I'm very optimistic about reading ALL of those this year. I just finished reading Snow Crash - since I was half way through it already I didn't add it to this list. An amazing read, and I'm hoping to read a lot more Neal Stephenson in the future.
I REALLY like your idea of getting through all of the Hugo and Nebula winning novels! I've also been catching up on sci-fi too for the last two or three years and it seems like a pretty fun way to get ideas - not that there's a lack of book suggestions, but instead there's too many to pick from!
(Only read Dune last year myself. I quoted and alluded to it for WEEKS. Fantastic way to annoy friends, and also a very good read. :P )

Uh huh, definitely! In fact, I plan to fill this year majorly with fantasy titles and explore the genre till the last possible extent (or till I get bored, but fat chance of that happening.)

Will start with Brandon Sanderson's famous titles (my harbinger of fantasy love):
- Complete the Mistborn trilogy
- The Way of Kings
- Wheel of Time series (Not sure if I'll swear an oath for all 14 books, but I'll be reading the first and if it successfully captures my interest - all the better).

Other titles I've got my eyes on:
- The Black Prism
- The Name of the Wind

And the famed LOTR series. And throw in Martin's Game of Thrones series if I'm unable to maintain my exctitement and wait for the BBC serial.

Frank wrote: "I recently downloaded some classics from the 40's and 50's and I don't know what's more jarring: the primitive technology that they think is futuristic (see The Cosmic Computer or the social attitu..."

agreed. i love the sci fi and the post apocalyptic novels and movies from the 50's and 60's. things like the cold war and the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagaski had tremendous influence on the sci fi at the time and -from that perspective- i find it fascinating.

I'm getting started on "The Well At The World's End" by Morris.

I'm currently reading The Mote in God's Eye and listening to Stranger in a Strange Land--both of which I would consider classics. I also read The War of the Worlds earlier this month.

I'd really like to read some Asimov this year. Unbelievably I have only read nonfiction by him. I own many of the Foundation books and a compilation of the Robot books--just need to get reading them!

Barb wrote: "I'm currently reading The Mote in God's Eye and listening to Stranger in a Strange Land--both of which I would consider classics. I also read The War of the Worlds earlier this month.

I'd really ..."

oooh ... The Mote In God's Eye. that was a great entertaining read. Niven and Pournelle were a great team. very entertaining. Lucifer's Hammer was another of theirs that i enjoyed a lot.

also really enjoyed the Foundation / Robot series of books. i want to re-read the whole series as it has been sooooo long since i read them, but i have a hard time commiting to re-reads when there are sooo many new stories i know nothing about. they are just tooo inticing!

Does The Eye of the World count? I am attempting to re-read the series. I made it through, maybe the first 10?, before I just gave up. Now, in order to read Sanderson's, I need to remember what happened. Of course, it just occurred to me that I could just start with 10 and go on. I'd given up because I felt like the first half of each new novel was a wrap-up of the previous ones.

I'm also making my way through the Doctor Who Target novelizations. In between, I'll pick up other books. Currently, that is The Black Prism. I'm really enjoying it.

Considering Wheel of Time influences on fantasy genre, I would say The Eye of the World counts. I also stopped reading the series after Jordan's death and plan to reread first 11 books before proceeding to Sanderson's finale.

Sooz wrote: "Lucifer's Hammer was another of theirs that i enjoyed a lot...."

I think I have a copy of Lucifer's Hammer--though I may be confusing it with The Hammer Of God

I am really enjoying Mote! I didn't read much sci fi last year so I'm trying to remedy that!

I've just re-read Catseye by Andre Norton. Thinking back, I'd say that this was the book that got me into reading Sci-fi when I was a kid, back in the seventies. She was a true pioneer of Science Fiction.

I'd also like to try and revisit E.E. Smith's Lensman series. I read them a long time ago, but they really are true classics.

Evgeny wrote: "Considering Wheel of Time influences on fantasy genre, I would say The Eye of the World counts. I also stopped reading the series after Jordan's death and plan to reread first 11 books before proce..."

That's a lot of reading!

Some people reread the series several times, I am just in the middle of the second :)

Heck, yeah. This is the year I start my Dune re-read then move on to the later books I never got to. Also: Lin Carter's Jandar Of Callisto series, and other stuff on my to read list: The Man in the High Castle, The Watch Below, Galaxies Like Grains of Sand, and loads of ACE Doubles!

Liz, what are 'Doctor Who Target novelizations?' Thanks.

I've made a point to try reading a lot of the earlier Hugo and Nebula award winners. Right now I am reading When Worlds Collide and After Worlds Collide.

Currently re-reading Deathworld series by Harry Harrison. A Goodread!! Today's selections can leave one wanting.

Working on the Dune series right now. Im on Children of Dune and not sure if I will keep going or move on. I still need to read LOTR.

I'm making my first attempt on the Wheel of Time series this summer. It'll be the third summer in a row that I've tackled an epic fantasy series.

a few that i plan to read are:

, , , ,

Wow there are some fantastic books on this thread! To answer the original question - yes I do. It's not always easy to define the term classic but I usually take it to mean books that most people have either read or know the main themes or plot points of. Thus "classics" can be referenced in other art or conversation with the assumption that people know what is meant. Not to derail the thread, but what does everyone else think?

Next on my list of classics to read is this month's science fiction book The Day of the Triffids. My Dad told me they read it at school when he was a kid which I found surprising since it's supposed to be quite dark. I'm really looking forward to diving in when I finish my current read.

Other classic scifi and fantasy I plan to read this year (all from the group bookshelf as part of my challenge to have read 50 club books by the end of the year) include:
A Wizard of Earthsea
Hyperion
Fahrenheit 451
The Gunslinger
Stranger in a Strange Land
The Martian Chronicles
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Childhood's End
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

There are huge gaps in my read bookshelf and I think this list will help with that.