# The Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 Years **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 5, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-significant-sf-fantasy-books-of-the-last-50-years/159233 "2003-03-05T13:55:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Clark\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@Clark\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clark_K)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-significant-sf-fantasy-books-of-the-last-50-years/159233/121 "2003-03-08T16:35:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dooku \* > \*\*Rendezvous with Rama should be ranked higher, IMO. > > \*\* Why do you think so? Rendezvous is an entertaining read, but I would never have thought of it as particularly “significant.” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-significant-sf-fantasy-books-of-the-last-50-years/159233/122 "2003-03-08T19:39:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by buckyogi \* > \*\*Wait, _Snow Crash_ is probably later than 1984. So the best they could come up with since _Neuromancer_ was _Potter_ and _Crash_?. \ What about all those wonderful “Star Trek” novels? \*\* I assume that’s a 😃 I believe they didn’t add too many recent novels because it takes time to see if something is going to be an influence. Some of the New Wave SF novels of the 60s were thought to be major works at the time, but I doubt anyone is still impressed by something like **Bug Jack Barron** any more. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-significant-sf-fantasy-books-of-the-last-50-years/159233/123 "2003-03-08T20:32:02Z")
You’re wrong, RealityChuck. I like Bug Jack Barron. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-significant-sf-fantasy-books-of-the-last-50-years/159233/124 "2003-03-08T21:38:28Z")
The Brits really invented the New Wave, but there never was any big iconic novel associated with the movement. It was almost entirely a short story genre. I doubt if Aldiss’ _Barefoot in the Head_ ever made a splash on the SFBC. Probably _A Clockwork Orange_ didn’t either, even if you can somehow put Burgess into the New Wave. John Brunner’s _Stand on Zanzibar_ is as close as the list gets. But that was 1968 and the world had changed a lot by then. Both Zelazny’s _Lord of Light_ and the first _Dangerous Visions_ anthology preceded it by a year. I tried rereading _Bug Jack Barron_ not that many years ago and I couldn’t get through it. But I bet I’d have trouble with _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_ too. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-significant-sf-fantasy-books-of-the-last-50-years/159233/125 "2003-03-08T21:48:10Z")
I’m not sure why Dhalgren is on there. I read it, and it seemed to be nothing more than a somewhat atmospheric and surreal collection of generally repulsive sex scenes (some of which might be considered child pornography). The only thing that stuck with me was the character who said he would only give oral sex to men who had recently fucked a black woman with the clap, because he was some kind of dick conoisseur. What the hell??? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-significant-sf-fantasy-books-of-the-last-50-years/159233.md?page=6)