Interesting list of the "Fifty Most Significant SF&F Books

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

No "Martian Chronicles"... no "2001: A Space Odyssey"... no "I, Robot"... some list.

I agree with your objections regarding the Martian Chronicles and I, Robot, but I don't think 2001 is more significant for the movie that accompanied it than as a book in its own right.

That being said, I would like to add to the list...
Mote in God's Eye
Downbelow Station
The Uplift War,
Startide Rising
Tau Zero
most of the Honor Harrington Series (Love them or hate them, they certainly are a force in SF).
Blood Music
...

--
Bill

[Penforhire]

I imagine most of us ould agree finding Harry Potter on that list is tragic. Sure, it was a huge commercial success but how was it otherwise significant?

I'd personally replace Dhalgren with Nova but I would accept arguments against that much more readily than not dropping Harry Potter.

[GlennD]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

I imagine most of us ould agree finding Harry Potter on that list is tragic. Sure, it was a huge commercial success but how was it otherwise significant?

I would argue that Harry Potter is a major future influence - it got more kids into reading in the late 90's/2000s than anything else I can think of. The kids reading it are going on to read other stuff they never would have without getting hooked by Harry. Those readers are tomorrow's writers.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by GlennD

I would argue that Harry Potter is a major future influence - it got more kids into reading in the late 90's/2000s than anything else I can think of. The kids reading it are going on to read other stuff they never would have without getting hooked by Harry. Those readers are tomorrow's writers.

Indeed.. Harry Potter got a lot of kids reading. Whether it was a significant Science Fiction/Fantasy book in the top 50 for the period in question is *highly* debatable.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by GlennD

I would argue that Harry Potter is a major future influence - it got more kids into reading in the late 90's/2000s than anything else I can think of. The kids reading it are going on to read other stuff they never would have without getting hooked by Harry. Those readers are tomorrow's writers.

Exactly!

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

I imagine most of us ould agree finding Harry Potter on that list is tragic. Sure, it was a huge commercial success but how was it otherwise significant?

I'd personally replace Dhalgren with Nova but I would accept arguments against that much more readily than not dropping Harry Potter.

Nova was the first scifi book that I read. I was about 10 or 12 yrs old. It started a lifelong love affair with scifi. I found and re-read it last year, and it is still cutting edge hard scifi.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Nova was the first scifi book that I read. I was about 10 or 12 yrs old. It started a lifelong love affair with scifi. I found and re-read it last year, and it is still cutting edge hard scifi.

OMG Samuel R. Delany is so good. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_R._Delany

I actually think Dahlgren may be my favorite above Foundation Trilogy....
The two are so different though I'll just call it a tie.

[BenG]

Originally Posted by kennyc

OMG Samuel R. Delany is so good. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_R._Delany

I actually think Dahlgren may be my favorite above Foundation Trilogy....
The two are so different though I'll just call it a tie.

I would love to have Dahlgren as an ebook, though I doubt it would be possible except as a PDF file.

[kennyc]

That's all I've ever been able to find -- and only the darknet at that...

[BenG]

I never realized that the authors of Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years were Samuel Delany's aunts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Having_Our_Say

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by BenG

I would love to have Dahlgren as an ebook, though I doubt it would be possible except as a PDF file.

I've been looking also. Finally gave up and purchased a pbook copy this past week. Added to my paper TBR pile..

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

I've been looking also. Finally gave up and purchased a pbook copy this past week. Added to my paper TBR pile..

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by BenG

I never realized that the authors of Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years were Samuel Delany's aunts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Having_Our_Say

Where did you find the connection?

Very interesting.

(isn't the internet amazing!!)

[BenG]

Originally Posted by kennyc

That's all I've ever been able to find -- and only the darknet at that...

The last time I looked the darknet version was a doc file with the side column text at the bottom of each page, which was confusing (not that the original was crystal clear).

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by BenG

The last time I looked the darknet version was a doc file with the side column text at the bottom of each page, which was confusing (not that the original was crystal clear).

Yep.

.