In celebration of Bookshop’s 50th Anniversary, and to complement the 50 Notable Works of Fiction list that we created earlier this year, we, the lovers of the fantastical and the futuristic, made our own list of 50 Notable Works of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Hubristically we imagined our task much easier, given that we were only looking at one genre of fiction, and limited as we were only to titles that had been published since Bookshop first opened its doors in 1966. But as anyone who has read any SFF knows, it is a rich and complex canon, stuffed full of excellent authors, subgenres, and more great books than could fit on any list. Much humbled, we present this list as a starting point, in hopes that it will thrill fans to see some of their favorites on it, and give readers new titles to add to their own lists. We hope you will also check out the other “50 Notable” displays featured throughout the year, including the 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction list and the 50 Notable Cookbooks and Food Writing that will be featured in our winter newsletter. Enjoy!
Also of SF/F interest: Our staff loved the 50 Years of Bookwyrms finalist in the 2016 Design a Tote contest so much that we had to produce a limited print run of these bags. They are perfect for carrying these notable books around.
50 Notable Works of Science Fiction and Fantasy (In chronological order) |
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The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein, 1966 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, 1968 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, 1968 Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey, 1968 Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice, 1968 The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, 1968 The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, 1969 Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny, 1970 Ringworld by Larry Niven, 1970 The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, 1974 Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany, 1975 The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, 1979 Shadow & Claw by Gene Wolfe, 1980 The Gunslinger by Stephen King, 1982 The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett, 1983 Neuromancer by William Gibson, 1984 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, 1985 Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, 1986 Hyperion by Dan Simmons, 1989 The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, 1990 Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, 1990 He, She and It by Marge Piercy, 1991 Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn, 1991 Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, 1992 Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, 1993 Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, 1993 Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind, 1994 |
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay, 1995 A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, 1996 Otherland: City of Golden Shadow by Tad Williams, 1996 The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, 1996 To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, 1997 The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, 1997 Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko, 1998 Perdido Street Station by China Mieville, 2000 Storm Front by Jim Butcher, 2000 American Gods by Neil Gaiman, 2001 Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey, 2001 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, 2004 Old Man's War by John Scalzi, 2005 Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, 2006 World War Z by Max Brooks, 2006 The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, 2007 Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, 2009 The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, 2009 Who Fears Death? by Nnedi Okorafor, 2010 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, 2011 The Martian by Andy Weir, 2011 Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, 2013 The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, 2015 |