# 50 Essential Science Fiction Novels for a Public Library **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193 "2014-04-28T15:42:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/161 "2014-05-12T14:58:50Z")
> [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > I agree a Banks book needs to be on this list. Consider Phlebas is my favorite, but probably not the one that needs to be there. I think \*\*Use of Weapons \*\* is the right one, it covers the whole Culture pretty well and is early enough in his writings of the Culture that not having read Consider Phlebas and Player of Games would not be a big deal. The later ones, whilst not in a series as such , would be better if you had read the earlier ones. Use of Weapons is stand alone. Player of games is somewhat limited in the scope of places and events. > > I prefer Consider Phlebas, but probably more because I found it refreshing and different , but he is still trying to work out the culture universe and the writing/pacing is not the tightest. > [@Green\_Bean](#): > > [Consider Phlebas is in the second group](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17339931&postcount=84). Then I’d vote for _Use of Weapons_, which is by far my favorite Banks work and requires no reference to the other Culture books to make sense (as **Precambrianmollusc** notes.) The \*only \*reason I picked _Consider Phlebas_ is because of its place as the first Culture novel, not having seen your note before. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/162 "2014-05-12T16:56:51Z")
I also chose Consider Phlebas becasue it’s book 1. There are a lot of good reasons why something other than Consider Phlebas should be subbed in, but the fact that it’s book 1 carries the day. I’m using book 1 as the “series representative” for almost all series under the keep-it-simple-stupid principle. I’ve made semi-exceptions in a couple of cases, but when I start thinking too much about how to handle series, especially longer ones, I get too distracted from the main part of the project. Maybe the right answer will reveal itself as I go along. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/163 "2014-05-12T17:08:20Z")
Fair enough. I didn’t realize this was an “official” list with guidelines and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/164 "2014-05-12T17:36:05Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > I also chose Consider Phlebas becasue it’s book 1. There are a lot of good reasons why something other than Consider Phlebas should be subbed in, but the fact that it’s book 1 carries the day. I’m using book 1 as the “series representative” for almost all series under the keep-it-simple-stupid principle. I’ve made semi-exceptions in a couple of cases, but when I start thinking too much about how to handle series, especially longer ones, I get too distracted from the main part of the project. Maybe the right answer will reveal itself as I go along. Well it may be the first Culture book, but the Culture books are NOT a series. There are few if any repeating characters. The story lines are not linked. Each book is a standalone. And “Consider Phlebas” is also written with a central character who is NOT a member of the Culture but an enemy agent working against it. So you get a very distorted view of the Culture. It’s also very episodic, compared to subsequent novels. So, another vote against Consider Phlebas as the starter. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/165 "2014-05-12T18:01:16Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Fair enough. I didn’t realize this was an “official” list with guidelines and stuff. Well, I’ve discussed the parameters that I’m using for the lists many times throughout the thread. I can’t expect you all to keep track of all the particulars, but I’m not entirely sure how you missed the fact that there ARE parameters. 😛 In other news, I ran across this excellent page on Wikipedia called the [Timeline of Science Fiction](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_science_fiction) that I wanted to share. It contains extensive information on pre-20th century work, which is virtually missing from many other sources. The info on pre-WWII work is much more complete than most as well. The list also contains references to various concurrent historical events which puts the developments into a nice context. If you all know of any sites with interesting/relevant info, I’d love to know about them. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/166 "2014-05-12T18:02:14Z")
That’s a good point. I can’t think of a single character who appears in more than one Culture novel except in passing references (like the Interesting Times Gang and Grey Area.) ETA: That was directed to **Evil Captor**. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/167 "2014-05-12T18:08:29Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That’s a good point. I can’t think of a single character who appears in more than one Culture novel except in passing references (like the Interesting Times Gang and Grey Area.) > > ETA: That was directed to **Evil Captor**. There’s one character that does, But you learn about his second appearance as a shocking reveal. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/168 "2014-05-12T18:09:49Z")
Okay, okay! I’ll consider Not-Phlebas, all right? Consider Phlebas is an awful title, anyway. WTF is a phlebas? It sounds an unpleasant anatomical structure located in the upper digestive tract, like a uvula or epiglottis or something. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/169 "2014-05-12T18:19:04Z")
It’s from T.S. Eliot’s _The Waste Land_. Phlebas is the subject of a (brief) cautionary tale in the poem about mortality. > [@](#): > > Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead, > Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep seas swell > And the profit and loss > > A current under sea > Picked his bones in whispers. As he rose and fell > He passed the stages of his age and youth > Entering the whirlpool. > > Gentile or Jew > O you who turn the wheel and look to windward, > Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you. The last three lines are quoted at the end of the book, and _Look to Windward_ of course also takes its title from them (and is also partly about the Idiran War.) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/170 "2014-05-12T19:07:05Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > There’s one character that does, But you learn about his second appearance as a shocking reveal. Who? ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/171 "2014-05-12T20:01:11Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Who? PM sent. It’s a giant A-Ha! moment in the book, which is why I didn’t mention the identity, even under a spoiler tag. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/172 "2014-05-22T20:49:16Z")
UPDATES! Here is Group 1 again, spoiler-boxed for space reasons: Adams, Douglas - The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Asimov, Isaac - Foundation Asimov, Isaac - I, Robot Asimov, Isaac - The Caves of Steel Atwood, Margaret - The Handmaid’s Tale Bacigalupi, Paolo - The Windup Girl Bester, Alfred - The Stars My Destination Bradbury, Ray - Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury, Ray - The Martian Chronicles Brin, David - Startide Rising Brooks, Max - World War Z Burgess, Anthony - A Clockwork Orange Card, Orson Scott - Ender’s Game Chabon, Michael - The Yiddish Policemen’s Union Clarke, Arthur C. - 2001: A Space Odyssey Clarke, Arthur C. - Childhood’s End Clarke, Arthur C. - Rendezvous with Rama Dick, Philip K. - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Dick, Philip K. - The Man in the High Castle Frank, Pat - Alas, Babylon Gibson, William - Neuromancer Haldeman, Joe - The Forever War Heinlein, Robert A. - Starship Troopers Heinlein, Robert A. - Stranger In A Strange Land Heinlein, Robert A. - The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Heinlein, Robert A. - The Past Through Tomorrow Herbert, Frank - Dune Huxley, Aldous - Brave New World Le Guin, Ursula K. - The Dispossessed Le Guin, Ursula K. - The Left Hand of Darkness McCarthy, Cormack - The Road Miller Jr., Walter M. - A Canticle For Leibowitz Niven, Larry - Ringworld Niven & Pournelle - Lucifer’s Hammer Niven & Pournelle - The Mote In God’s Eye Orwell, George - Nineteen Eighty-Four Pohl, Frederik - Gateway Russell, Mary Doria - The Sparrow Scalzi, John - Old Man’s War Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft - Frankenstein Simak, Clifford - Way Station Simmons, Dan - Hyperion Stephenson, Neal - Snow Crash Verne, Jules - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Vinge, Vernor - A Fire Upon the Deep Vonnegut, Kurt - Slaughterhouse-Five Wells, H. G. - The War Of The Worlds Wells, H.G. - The Time Machine Willis, Connie - Doomsday Book Wilson, Robert Charles - Spin I wasn’t happy with group 2 in its previous 50-book incarnation, nor was I happy with the way the rest of the categories were shaping up, so I reconceptualized as follows: - Group 1. (50 books) Must-Haves, First Priority. Should be on the shelf right this minute! - Group 2. (100 books) Must-Haves. To acquire as soon as feasible. - Group 3. (200 books) Toward a Comprehensive Collection. To acquire. This seems to be working much better. I have a preliminary Group 2, which is in the spoiler box below, and I’m populating Group 3. Prelim Group 2 Abbott, Edwin A. - Flatland Aldiss, Brian - Helliconia Spring [Helliconia Trilogy S1] Aldiss, Brian - Non-Stop (aka Starship) Anderson, Poul - Tau Zero Asimov, Isaac - Pebble in the Sky Asimov, Isaac - The End of Eternity Asimov, Isaac - The Gods Themselves Ballard, J.G. - The Drowned World Banks, Iain M. - Consider Phlebas [Culture Series S1] Bear, Greg - Darwin’s Radio Bear, Greg - The Forge of God Bellamy, Edward - Looking Backward, 2000-1887 Benford, Gregory - In the Ocean of Night Benford, Gregory - Timescape Bester, Alfred - The Demolished Man Blish, James - Cities in Flight Borroughs, Edgar Rice - John Carter of Mars Bradbury, Ray - The Illustrated Man Brunner, John - Stand on Zanzibar Bujold, Lois McMaster - Shards of Honor [Vorkosigan Saga S1] Butler, Octavia - Kindred Butler, Octavia - Lilith’s Brood (aka Xenogenesis) [Omnibus of Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago] Capek, Karel - R.U.R. Card, Orson Scott - Speaker for the Dead Cherryh, C.J. - Cyteen Cherryh, C.J. - Downbelow Station Christopher, John - The Death of Grass (aka No Blade of Grass) Clarke, Arthur C. - The City and the Stars Clarke, Arthur C. - The Fountains of Paradise Clement, Hal - Mission of Gravity Cline, Ernest - Ready Player One Crichton, Michael - The Andromeda Strain Delany, Samuel R. - Babel-17 Delany, Samuel R. - Dhalgren Dick, Philip K. - Ubik Disch, Thomas - Camp Concentration Ellison, Harlan - The Essential Ellison [Collection] Farmer, Philip Jose - To Your Scattered Bodies Go Finney, Jack - Time and Again Gibson, William and Sterling, Bruce - The Difference Engine Gilman, Charlotte Perkins - Herland Haldeman, Joe - Forever Peace Hamilton, Peter F. - The Reality Dysfunction Harrison, Harry - The Stainless Steel Rat [Series S1] Harrison, M. John - The Centauri Device Heinlein, Robert A. - Expanded Universe Ishiguro, Kazuo - Never Let Me Go James, P.D. - Children of Men Keyes, Daniel - Flowers For Algernon King, Stephen - The Stand Kunstler, James Howard - World Made By Hand Laumer, Keith - The Great Time Machine Hoax Lem, Stanislaw - Solaris Lem, Stanislaw - The Cyberiad Matheson, Richard - I Am Legend McIntyre, Vonda N. - Dreamsnake Mieville, China - Embassytown Moore, Alan and Gibbons, Dave - Watchmen More, Thomas - Utopia Morgan, Richard - Altered Carbon Norton, Andre - Star Man’s Son (aka Daybreak: 2250 AD) Pangborn, Edgar - Davy Pohl, Frederik and Kornbluth, C.M. - The Space Merchants Priest, Christopher - Inverted World Pynchon, Thomas - Gravity’s Rainbow Rand, Ayn - Atlas Shrugged Reynolds, Alastair - Revelation Space [Revelation Space S1] Robinson, Kim Stanley - Red Mars [Mars Trilogy S1] Russ, Joanna - The Female Man Sagan, Carl - Contact Shute, Nevil - On the Beach Silverberg, Robert - Dying Inside Silverberg, Robert - Hawksbill Station Simak, Clifford - City Smith, E.E. - Triplanetary [Lensman Series S1] Stapledon, Olaf - Odd John Stephenson, Neal - Anathem Stephenson, Neal - The Diamond Age Sterling, Bruce - Islands in the Net Stewart, George R. - Earth Abides Stross, Charles - Accelerando Strugatsky, Arkady and Boris - Roadside Picnic / Tale of the Troika Sturgeon, Theodore - More Than Human Tepper, Sheri S. - The Gate to Women’s Country Van Vogt, A.E. - Slan Van Vogt, A.E. - The Voyage of the Space Beagle Vance, Jack - The Dying Earth Varley, John - Steel Beach Varley, John - Titan Vinge, Vernor - Rainbow’s End Vonnegut, Kurt - Cat’s Cradle Watts, Peter - Blindsight Weber, David - On Basilisk Station [Honor Harrington S1] Whitehead, Colson - Zone One Wilhelm, Kate - Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang Wyndham, John - The Day Of The Triffids Wyndham, John - The Midwich Cuckoos Zamyatin, Yevgeny - We Zelazny, Roger - Lord of Light Zelazny, Roger - This Immortal (aka Call me Conrad) And I started with a stab at a YA top 10. Which is currently a top 9. Christopher, John - The White Mountains (Tripods Trilogy) Collins, Suzanne - The Hunger Games Doctorow, Cory - Little Brother DuBois, William Pene - The Twenty-One Balloons DuPrau, Jeanne - The City of Ember Heinlein, Robert A. - Space Cadet L’Engle, Madeline - A Wrinkle In Time Lowry, Lois - The Giver Piper, H.Beam - Little Fuzzy Eagerly awaiting feedback! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/173 "2014-05-22T21:04:23Z")
Your first list is as good as any I’ve ever seen, and though I might quibble over a couple of choices, I won’t. Your second list … well, I would take half of them, throw them into the first list, and call all 100 highest priority. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/174 "2014-05-23T20:03:02Z")
My nominations for your YA collection: Sylvia Engdahl’s _Enchantress From the Stars_. It seems to be almost forgotten today, but a lot of people of my generation remember it fondly. A whole lot of Andre Norton. _Star Rangers, Star Guard, Judgement on Janus, Catseye, Night of Masks_. A whole lot of Heinlein’s juveniles: _The Rolling Stones, Space Cadet, Starman Jones, The Star Beast._ Gordon Dickson’s _Secret Under the Sea_ (contained in an omnibus titled _Secrets of the Deep_). Is Eleanor Cameron’s _The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet_ considered “YA” or “children’s”? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193/175 "2014-05-24T09:29:47Z")
I’m liking that Cherryh’s there, I must say. For YA stuff - have you read Mieville’s _Railsea_? And Pratchett/Baxter’s _Long Earth_? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-essential-science-fiction-novels-for-a-public-library/687193.md?page=8)