# Amazon list of 100 Sci Fi and Fantasy books to read in a lifetime **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [October 3, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133 "2020-10-03T18:38:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/61 "2020-10-05T19:50:18Z")
As I said earlier, the list seems to be changing from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/62 "2020-10-05T22:27:30Z")
I am glad to see 2001 on there but I think a better book could have replaced Childhood’s End. Another of his books or one by another author could easily replace it. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/63 "2020-10-06T00:10:56Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Also, fuck Donaldson and fuck Thomas Covenant. Alas, yes… (I met Donaldson, and he was absolutely one of the nicest guys ever. But, oy vey, his protagonist is a pure-s shit, and I tossed his book aside after 100 pages when it was obvious that it stank.) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/64 "2020-10-06T02:22:54Z")
I found the Amazon site to be very reader-surly. I would welcome a plain text list. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/65 "2020-10-06T03:08:32Z")
Actually Amazon seemed to have created this list several years ago–and perhaps have modified since. Here is the list of 100 best books from Goodreads. > **[100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime: Readers' Picks...](https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/92524.100_Science_Fiction_Fantasy_Books_to_Read_in_a_Lifetime_Readers_Picks)** > > 2,662 books based on 2291 votes: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, Dune by Frank Herbert, T... ---
**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:** [October 6, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/66 "2020-10-06T13:30:24Z")
A whole lot of Harry Potter on that list, PastTense, which is a shame. I liked the series—especially before Rowling got editor-proof—but including three or four books, excludes a lot of objectively better books and authors. We all bitch that _The Colour of Magic_ is a bad Discworld book. I like it, but I’m an easy grader, and even I admit it’s one of the worst in the series. In your opinion everyone, which early Discworld book should have been included instead, as its representative for a list like this? I’d vote _Night Watch_ as the best of the series, though _Small Gods_ is a great contender too. _Night Watch_ is a bit late in the chronology, and _Small Gods_ doesn’t really tie into the other books. _Mort_? _Equal Rites_? _Guards, Guards!_? Everyone mentions _Ringworld_, but no one ever includes _The Mote In God’s Eye._ ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/67 "2020-10-06T13:35:24Z")
In the end, these “lists” are just the opinion of one person or, at most, a small group. I’d bet dollars to donuts that, if you gave the assignment to produce a given list to several different entities, all the lists would have significant differences. In that light, they really don’t mean a whole lot. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/68 "2020-10-06T13:47:19Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > A whole lot of Harry Potter on that list, PastTense, which is a shame. If I understand correctly how the Goodreads list that PastTense linked to was determined (i.e. it’s based on how many people voted for a particular book), books that a lot of people have read have a huge advantage. Under the circumstances, lots of Harry Potter is totally to be expected. You get a very different list when you ask a small group of widely-read aficionados to decide what’s best than when you get a huge number of people to name the half-dozen books they’ve actually heard of. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2020, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/69 "2020-10-06T14:01:16Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > You get a very different list when you ask a small group of widely-read aficionados to decide what’s best than when you get a huge number of people to name the half-dozen books they’ve actually heard of. Oh, I get that—see, _The Hunger Games_ floating near the top of the list. It’s just mildly annoying. Ten years ago, it’d have been _Twilight_. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/70 "2020-10-06T14:07:41Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > In your opinion everyone, which early Discworld book should have been included instead, as its representative for a list like this? Best intro book? Pick 'em: _Guards! Guards!, Mort, Wyrd Systers_. Best overall: _Nightwatch_, wherein Pterry commits Literature. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/71 "2020-10-06T14:22:57Z")
I agree, perfect. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2020, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/72 "2020-10-06T16:13:58Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > No Vox Day on the list either. Yes, I agree, the list isn’t _all_ bad… ---
**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:** [October 6, 2020, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/73 "2020-10-06T16:16:55Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > In your opinion everyone, which early Discworld book should have been included instead, as its representative for a list like this? _Equal Rites_, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/74 "2020-10-06T16:18:41Z")
My issue with this is that they are combining sci-fi and fantasy as if they are the same genre. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/75 "2020-10-06T16:24:36Z")
That’s been that way my entire life. Use to be the bookstores (except for the giant stores in NYC & Chicago) would have one shelf or rack for Sci Fi & Fantasy. usually mixed together. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/76 "2020-10-06T16:41:45Z")
It’s a pet peeve of mine. Stop sullying the sci-fi section with fantasy! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/77 "2020-10-06T18:54:44Z")
I do think we’ve reached the point where both are popular enough to separate but you also have the problem of books like Glory Road or the Pern Series that could fit either genre. I too would prefer a top 100 Fantasy Book list and a top 100 Sci-Fi list. But of course we know that isn’t reality yet. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/78 "2020-10-06T19:17:10Z")
They all describe magic, of one form or another. Cue the [Clarke quote](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke%27s_three_laws)… If they’re good examples of the genre, they explore what it means, and what it could mean, to be human in a world with such magic. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/79 "2020-10-06T19:42:42Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > If they’re good examples of the genre, they explore what it means, and what it could mean, to be human in a world with such magic. One is a natural magic given without explanation, the other is not magic because the mechanism is revealed. I’m sure people will argue with that but that’s the difference to me. But at it’s heart sci-fi explores the human condition because of a difference in the context of the human experience within the universe being described. I’m not sure if fantasy typically does that but I may be being unfair. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133/80 "2020-10-07T05:43:18Z")
It’s easy to find lists with just fantasy and just science fiction, like [The 25 Best Fantasy Books & Novels of All Time: Our Top Picks](https://prowritingaid.com/art/741/the-best-fantasy-novels-of-all-time.aspx) and [Best Sci Fi Books of All Time: Top 50 of 2022 and All Time](https://prowritingaid.com/art/565/The-Best-Sci-Fi-Books-of-All-Time.aspx). Please note that this doesn’t mean that I agree with those particular lists. My point is that my doing a search on “list of best fantasy novels” and “list of best science fiction novels” (and various variants of those phrases) you can easily find many lists that contain just one or the other. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-list-of-100-sci-fi-and-fantasy-books-to-read-in-a-lifetime/922133.md?page=5)