Classic Book Stats

In several previous posts I've mentioned some of the 'classic' SF books that I've read over the past few years. I decided to quantify how many of the 'best' or 'classic' books I've read, with the aid of Goodreads. This is what I came up with:

List	Number	Read	%
Best	100	55	55%
Hugo	71	30	42%
Locus	47	18	38%
Nebula	54	20	37%
SF Masterworks	170	53	31%
BSFA	48	12	25%
Campbell	45	8	18%
Clarke	29	3	10%

The 'Best' list at the top is the Best Science Fiction top 100 on Goodreads, which is probably as valid as any other 'Best of' list. The others obviously refer to the major Science Fiction awards, and I've also included the SF Masterworks imprint.


These various lists give me some idea of books to add to my to-read list and I've decided to start with some that appear on more than one list.

Further Classics

Following on from my previous posts on the subject, I've continued to look out for 'classic' SF books that have won awards, appeared on 'Best of' lists etc.


These are the ones I've read over the past year or so:


Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre - Enjoyably lyrical.


Hothouse by Brian W. Aldiss - Very good, though slightly old-fashioned now.


Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boule - OK, not actually hailed as a classic, and actually rather antiquated even for its time.


The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. LeGuin - Very good, but not really sure what the fuss is about.


I Am Legend by Richard Matheson - Rather dated.


Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick - I don't know why everyone says this is so good.






According to the GoodReads 'Best Science Fiction' list I've read 52 of the top 100 science fiction novels of all time, which isn't bad. There are, of course, lots of other 'Best of' lists.

Classic Progress

Last year in this post I commented on some of the so-called classic SF books I've managed to read over the past couple of years. I've got through several more in the past few months:




Helliconia Spring - Brin Aldiss - Excellent, but not quite as ground-breaking as perhaps it was at the time


A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge - Brilliant. It was like reading 2 fantastic novels simultaneously.


Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut -  Original and quirky, but I was left underwhelmed


The Windup Girl - Paulo Bacigalupi - Brilliant.

Catching Up With the Classics

There are lots of novels hailed as classics of the genre – those that won the Hugo and/or Nebula awards, those that were reprinted a lot, or that have been included in the SF Masterworks series, or that are often included in various ‘best of’ lists. In recent years I’ve made an effort to get hold of as many of these ‘classics’ as possible to fill in the gaps in my literary heritage. They haven't always lived up to their reputation. Here’s a brief review of what I’ve read recently:

Childhood’s End – Arther C Clarke – it was OK but rather dated now.

Desolation Road – Ian McDonald – wonderfully lyrical

The Dispossessed – Ursula K. LeGuin – Pretty good, but a little dated.

Non-Stop – Brian Aldiss – Brilliant.

The City and the Stars – Arthur C Clarke – Good but slow.

The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula K. LeGuin - Brilliantly evocative.

Stranger in a Strange Land – Robert Heinlein – Don’t know what the fuss was about.

Ringworld – Larry Niven – Didn’t enjoy at all.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress – Robert Heinlein – Enjoyable, but not great.

Gateway – Frederick Pohl – Genius.

The Songs of Distant Earth – Isaac Asimov – It was OK.

Hyperion – Dan Simmons – Brilliant.

Lined up on my shelf I have Helliconia Spring