Ten Favorite SF BooksIt's a tie between Speaker for the Dead and Dune, each of which appeared on 15 ballots. Ringworld was a fairly distant third, with 10. Eon, Startide Rising, and Stranger In a Strange Land, tied for tenth, so there are 12 titles on the list. In all, 45 people participated, naming 277 titles by 153 authors. Thirteen Heinlein books are listed, the highest for anyone. Arthur Clarke has 11. Larry Niven has 8; Asimov, Baxter, Card, and Herbert all have 6. Arthur Clarke has the most total votes, 28. Scott Card and Larry Niven each have 26. Heinlein and Herbert have 20 each. Asimov has 15, and Brin, 13. Card is the only writer to put more than one title on the final list.
The Top Twelve
Rodrigo Herrera listed seven of the final twelve, the highest score, and thereby collects a copy of Omega, when it becomes available in November. Thanks to all who participated. Many commented that the exercise was more difficult than they'd expected. I'm not surprised. For those of us who've spent a substantial number of years riding the Centauri Express, or considering what immortality would really do to us, it's hard to pick just ten. There are always more. I've written elsewhere about people who never read SF, who make a point of telling us they don't. They aren't sure who Bradbury is (although they've heard the name); they think that starships are things that show up on TV to shoot at other starships. They've never read Heinlein's "Green Hills of Earth." Or Fahrenheit 451. Or watched Benford spin out a baby universe. They've never really traveled to Athens to try to rescue Socrates. And they never wonder whether we're alone. Golf, tennis, and bridge are fun. But they aren't nearly enough. — Jack McDevitt Home |