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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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1
1984 (Orwell)
1984 (Orwell)
2
2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke)
2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke)
3
Alas Babylon (Frank)
Alas Babylon (Frank)
4
Ancillary Justice (Ann Leckie)
Ancillary Justice (Ann Leckie)
5
Ancillary Mercy (Ann Leckie)
Ancillary Mercy (Ann Leckie)
6
Ancillary Sword (Ann Leckie)
Ancillary Sword (Ann Leckie)
7
And Chaos Died (Joanna Russ)
And Chaos Died (Joanna Russ)
8
Annihilation (Jeff Vandermeer)
Annihilation (Jeff Vandermeer)
9
Babel-17 (Samuel R.Delany)
Babel-17 (Samuel R.Delany)
10
Behold the Man (Michael Moorcock)
Behold the Man (Michael Moorcock)
11
Beyond Apollo (Barry N. Malzberg)
Beyond Apollo (Barry N. Malzberg)
12
Blackout/All Clear (Connie Willis)
Blackout/All Clear (Connie Willis)
13
Blood Music (Greg Bear)
Blood Music (Greg Bear)
14
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
15
Bug Jack Barron (Spinrad)
Bug Jack Barron (Spinrad)
16
The Burning World (J.G.Ballard)
The Burning World (J.G.Ballard)
17
Calculating God (Robert J. Sawyer)
Calculating God (Robert J. Sawyer)
18
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller)
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller)
19
A Case of Conscience (James Blish)
A Case of Conscience (James Blish)
20
Cat's Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut)
Cat's Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut)
21
Childhood's End (Arthur C. Clarke)
Childhood's End (Arthur C. Clarke)
22
The City and the City
The City and the City
23
The City We Became (N K Jemisin)
The City We Became (N K Jemisin)
24
The Demolished Man (Alfred Bester)
The Demolished Man (Alfred Bester)
25
A Desolation Called Peace (Arkady Martine)
A Desolation Called Peace (Arkady Martine)
26
The Dispossessed (Ursula K. Le Guin)
The Dispossessed (Ursula K. Le Guin)
27
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick)
28
Doomsday Book (Connie Willis)
Doomsday Book (Connie Willis)
29
Downbelow Station
Downbelow Station
30
Dune (Frank Herbert)
Dune (Frank Herbert)
31
Dying Inside (Robert Silverberg)
Dying Inside (Robert Silverberg)
32
The Einstein Intersection (Samuel R. Delany)
The Einstein Intersection (Samuel R. Delany)
33
Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
34
Erewhon (Samuel Butler)
Erewhon (Samuel Butler)
35
The Essential Ellison: A 35-Year Retrospective (Harlan Ellison)
The Essential Ellison: A 35-Year Retrospective (Harlan Ellison)
36
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
37
The Female Man (Joanna Russ)
The Female Man (Joanna Russ)
38
The First Men in the Moon
The First Men in the Moon
39
Flatland (Edwin A. Abbott)
Flatland (Edwin A. Abbott)
40
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (Philip K. Dick)
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (Philip K. Dick)
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