I’ve been reading science fiction for sixty-three years, and it’s getting difficult to find anything that feels new and different. However, my problem is more than just being old and jaded. I’ve discovered that I missed or ignored many kinds of science fiction books that didn’t appeal to me for one reason or another. Late in life, I’ve discovered that I need to read science fiction outside my comfort zone.

I recently took another look at David Pringle’s Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels. Pringle, a Scottish critic and editor, selected one hundred science fiction novels published from 1949 until 1984 to recommend. I knew his list was a good one because I had already read over sixty of the books on it. I figured the ones I haven’t read should be equally good. I’ve read and reviewed two so far: The Inheritors by William Golding and The Inverted World by Christopher Priest.

Both of those novels were outstanding, but more importantly, they were different, with stories and writing techniques lying outside my usual tastes. I’ve now started No Enemy but Time by Michael Bishop. It’s proving to be equally good and different.

I’m buddy reading these books with my old friend Mike. Having someone to discuss books with is important. So is reading slowly and taking notes. I’ve decided to read or reread all the books on Pringle’s list.

This project is also a way to reevaluate a lifetime of science fiction reading. I plan to review each title when I finish that book.

The list below of Pringle’s recommended SF novels was copied from Wikipedia. However, Pringle’s book is $1.99 on Amazon (Kindle edition), and the essays recommending each novel are well worth reading.

Most of these books are still in print, but not always. Some are in very cheap eBook editions. I wish all were available as audiobooks, but they are not. I consider that a kind of criticism. Any true classic should be in print as a hardback, paperback, eBook, and audiobook.

The title and author link take you back to Wikipedia for those entries. If I give a date, it’s the last date I read the book. If I put a number in parentheses, it’s the number of times I remember reading the book. If I don’t provide a date but include a number, it’s because I read it before 1983, when I started keeping my reading log. The Buy link will direct you to the least expensive edition on Amazon. It will also allow you to view the availability of different editions. Bolded titles are unread titles I hope to read before I start rereading the others.

By reading Pringle’s essay, the Wikipedia entry, and the content and comments on the Amazon page, it’s possible to judge how these books are remembered since Pringle created his list in 1985, and to decide if they are worth buying and reading. Many of these books are still discussed by book reviewers on YouTube. But many others are forgotten.

1. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949) – 12/31/13 (2) – Buy
2. Earth Abides by George R. Stewart (1949) – 4/12/10 (3) – Buy
3. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (1950) – 1/9/15 (3) – Buy
4. The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein (1951) – 9/2/93) (3) – Buy
5. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham (1951) – 6/3/12 – Buy
6. Limbo by Bernard Wolfe (1952) – Buy
7. The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester (1953) – 2/8/18 (2) – Buy
8. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953) – 10/30/05 (2) – Buy
9. Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke (1953) – 12/23/08 (3) – Buy
10. The Paradox Men by Charles L. Harness (1953) – Buy
11. Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore (1953) – (1) – Buy
12. The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth (1953) – 11/26/08 (2) – Buy
13. Ring Around the Sun by Clifford D. Simak (1953) – Buy
14. More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon (1953) – 3/13/09 (2) – Buy
15. Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement (1954) – 12/24/15 (1) – Buy
16. A Mirror for Observers by Edgar Pangborn (1954) – 11/24/24 (2) – Buy
17. The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov (1955) – Buy
18. The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett (1955) – 10/7/13 (1) – Buy
19. The Inheritors by William Golding (1955) – 7/7/25 (1) – Buy
20. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (1956) – (1) – Buy
21. The Death of Grass by John Christopher (1956) – 3/10/20 (1) – Buy
22. The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke (1956) – (1) – Buy
23. The Door into Summer by Robert A. Heinlein (1957) – 8/1/06 (5) – Buy
24. The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham (1957) – (1) – Buy
25. Non-Stop by Brian Aldiss (1958) – 2/21/15 (1) – Buy
26. A Case of Conscience by James Blish (1958) – 12/15/08 (2) – Buy
27. Have Space Suit—Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein (1958) – 4/30/17 (7) – Buy
28. Time Out of Joint by Philip K. Dick (1959) – 2/2/24 (2) – Buy
29. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank (1959) – 8/21/11 (1) – Buy
30. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (1959) – 9/8/11 (1) – Buy
31. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1959) – 5/7/9 (1) – Buy
32. Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys (1960) – (2) – Buy
33. Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon (1960) – Buy
34. Hothouse by Brian Aldiss (1962) – 11/9/24 (2) – Buy
35. The Drowned World by J. G. Ballard (1962) – 12/4/16 (1) – Buy
36. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962) – (1) – Buy
37. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (1962) – 12/27/15 (3) – Buy
38. Journey Beyond Tomorrow by Robert Sheckley (1962) – Buy
39. Way Station by Clifford D. Simak (1963) – 10/7/08 (2) – Buy
40. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1963) – Buy
41. Greybeard by Brian Aldiss (1964) – 10/25/24 (1) – Buy
42. Nova Express by William S. Burroughs (1964) – Buy
43. Martian Time-Slip by Philip K. Dick (1964) – 2/11/10 (3) – Buy
44. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick (1965) – 10/24/08 (2) – Buy
45. The Wanderer by Fritz Leiber (1965) – Buy
46. Norstrilia by Cordwainer Smith (1965) – Buy
47. Dr. Bloodmoney by Philip K. Dick (1965) – 2/14/22 (2) – Buy
48. Dune by Frank Herbert (1965) – 4/11/09 (2) – Buy
49. The Crystal World by J. G. Ballard (1966) – 12/22/24 (1) – Buy
50. Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison (1966) (1) – Buy
51. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (1966) – (1) – Buy
52. The Dream Master by Roger Zelazny (1966) – (1) – Buy
53. Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner (1968) – 1/29/16 (3) – Buy
54. Nova by Samuel R. Delany (1968) – 11/14/14 (2) – Buy
55. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (1968) – 4/15/08 (4) – Buy
56. Camp Concentration by Thomas M. Disch (1968) – 3/10/25 (2) – Buy
57. The Final Programme by Michael Moorcock (1968) – Buy
58. Pavane by Keith Roberts (1968) – 4/3/16 (1) – Buy
59. Heroes and Villains by Angela Carter (1969) – Buy
60. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (1969) – (1) – Buy
61. The Palace of Eternity by Bob Shaw (1969) – Buy
62. Bug Jack Barron by Norman Spinrad (1969) – (1) – Buy
63. Tau Zero by Poul Anderson (1970) – (1) – Buy
64. Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg (1970) – 8/26/17 (3) – Buy
65. The Year of the Quiet Sun by Wilson Tucker (1970) – 5/13/12 (1) – OOP
66. 334 by Thomas M. Disch (1972) – Buy
67. The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe (1972) – 6/25/18 (1) – Buy
68. The Dancers at the End of Time by Michael Moorcock (1972) – Buy
69. Crash by J. G. Ballard (1973) – Buy
70. Looking Backward, from the Year 2000 by Mack Reynolds (1973) – OOP
71. The Embedding by Ian Watson (1973) – Buy
72. Walk to the End of the World by Suzy McKee Charnas (1974) – Buy
73. The Centauri Device by M. John Harrison (1974) – Buy
74. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (1974) – (1) – Buy
75. Inverted World by Christopher Priest (1974) – 7/21/25 (1) – Buy
76. High Rise by J.G. Ballard (1975) – Buy
77. Galaxies by Barry N. Malzberg (1975) – 7/22/22 (1) – Buy
78. The Female Man by Joanna Russ (1975) – Buy
79. Orbitsville by Bob Shaw (1975) – Buy
80. The Alteration by Kingsley Amis (1976) – Buy
81. Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy (1976) – (1) – Buy
82. Man Plus by Frederik Pohl (1976) – 8/30/96 (1) – Buy
83. Michaelmas by Algis Budrys (1977) – Buy
84. The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley (1977) – 5/18/85 (1) – Buy
85. Miracle Visitors by Ian Watson (1978) – Buy
86. Engine Summer by John Crowley (1979) – Buy
87. On Wings of Song by Thomas M. Disch (1979) – Buy
88. The Walking Shadow by Brian Stableford (1979) – Buy
89. Juniper Time by Kate Wilhelm (1979) – OOP
90. Timescape by Gregory Benford (1980) – 12/22/14 (3) – Buy
91. The Dreaming Dragons by Damien Broderick (1980) – OOP
92. Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler (1980) – Buy
93. Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban (1980) – Buy
94. The Complete Roderick by John Sladek (1980) – Buy
95. The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe (1980) – Buy
96. The Unreasoning Mask by Philip José Farmer (1981) – Buy
97. Oath of Fealty by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (1981) – Buy
98. No Enemy But Time by Michael Bishop (1982) – Buy
99. The Birth of the People’s Republic of Antarctica by John Calvin Batchelor (1983) – Buy
100. Neuromancer by William Gibson (1984) – 5/8/85 (1) – Buy

JWH