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How to Be Well-Read in a Science Fictional Universe

Our retired lit teacher and genre enthusiast comes up with 144 books that make a highly subjective, personal, and idiosyncratic core reading list in SF. He has excluded Fantasy because he believes that it should be considered a separate literary genre and therefore should have its own list. Feel free to disagree with some or all of the books listed here; the idea was to create a starting point for debate and discussion.
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made by James Loranger
avg. score: 19 of 144 (13%)
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1984 (Orwell)
1984
1
Orwell
2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke)
2001: A Space Odyssey
2
Arthur C. Clarke
Alas Babylon (Frank)
Alas Babylon
3
Frank
Ancillary Justice (Ann Leckie)
Ancillary Justice
4
Ann Leckie
Ancillary Mercy (Ann Leckie)
Ancillary Mercy
5
Ann Leckie
Ancillary Sword (Ann Leckie)
Ancillary Sword
6
Ann Leckie
And Chaos Died (Joanna Russ)
And Chaos Died
7
Joanna Russ
Annihilation (Jeff Vandermeer)
Annihilation
8
Jeff Vandermeer
Babel-17 (Samuel R.Delany)
Babel-17
9
Samuel R.Delany
Behold the Man (Michael Moorcock)
Behold the Man
10
Michael Moorcock
Beyond Apollo (Barry N. Malzberg)
Beyond Apollo
11
Barry N. Malzberg
Blackout/All Clear (Connie Willis)
Blackout/All Clear
12
Connie Willis
Blood Music (Greg Bear)
Blood Music
13
Greg Bear
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
14
Aldous Huxley
Bug Jack Barron (Spinrad)
Bug Jack Barron
15
Spinrad
The Burning World (J.G.Ballard)
The Burning World
16
J.G.Ballard
Calculating God (Robert J. Sawyer)
Calculating God
17
Robert J. Sawyer
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller)
A Canticle for Leibowitz
18
Miller
A Case of Conscience (James Blish)
A Case of Conscience
19
James Blish
Cat's Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut)
Cat's Cradle
20
Kurt Vonnegut
Childhood's End (Arthur C. Clarke)
Childhood's End
21
Arthur C. Clarke
The City and the City (China Mieville)
The City and the City
22
China Mieville
The City We Became (N K Jemisin)
The City We Became
23
N K Jemisin
The Demolished Man (Alfred Bester)
The Demolished Man
24
Alfred Bester
A Desolation Called Peace (Arkady Martine)
A Desolation Called Peace
25
Arkady Martine
The Dispossessed (Ursula K. Le Guin)
The Dispossessed
26
Ursula K. Le Guin
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
27
Philip K. Dick
Doomsday Book (Connie Willis)
Doomsday Book
28
Connie Willis
Downbelow Station
Downbelow Station
29
Dune (Frank Herbert)
Dune
30
Frank Herbert
Dying Inside (Robert Silverberg)
Dying Inside
31
Robert Silverberg
The Einstein Intersection (Samuel R. Delany)
The Einstein Intersection
32
Samuel R. Delany
Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
Ender's Game
33
Orson Scott Card
Erewhon (Samuel Butler)
Erewhon
34
Samuel Butler
The Essential Ellison: A 35-Year Retrospective (Harlan Ellison)
The Essential Ellison: A 35-Year Retrospective
35
Harlan Ellison
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
Fahrenheit 451
36
Ray Bradbury
The Female Man (Joanna Russ)
The Female Man
37
Joanna Russ
The First Men in the Moon (H.G. Wells)
The First Men in the Moon
38
H.G. Wells
Flatland (Edwin A. Abbott)
Flatland
39
Edwin A. Abbott
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (Philip K. Dick)
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
40
Philip K. Dick
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