David Christenson's Top Ten Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels

Since others are characterizing this as a "favorites" list I am relieved that I don't have to pretend that I've read the Rings trilogy (I tried, didn't get into it), or that I liked Dune better than I did.

1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
   If not the first science fiction novel, certainly the first important one. One of a handful of novels from its time that are still read for pleasure, it has its antiquated quirks but also some genuine thrills.

2. Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.
   I learned to read early and this set is one of my earliest reading memories. I learned much later that it was an important break from the stodgy children's literature of its time. And it seems in retrospect that Alice was an unusually tough, opinionated, resourceful character - sort of a young Victorian Lt. Ripley.

3. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. I pick this Wells novel partly because someone else already picked The Time Machine, and partly because this novel seems like a better yarn, and less driven by politics. How many novels have inspired great adaptations for both film and radio?

4. The Outsider and Others by H.P. Lovecraft. Any Lovecraft collection might do (I think the short novel At the Mountains of Madness is his best sustained effort), but this book was the first to be published by Arkham House. HPL is a huge influence and still a good weird read.

5. The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov.
   Asimov was my favorite writer in my pre-teen years, and this was his masterpiece. A landmark of far-future speculation. I haven't read the belated sequels.

6. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester.
   One of the best novels of the golden age of the '50s, and one of my favorites, possibly because of the Dumas-derived rags-to-riches heroic aspect. Bester's a good wordsmith, too, though a bit dated in spots.

7. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol. 1 & 2.
   Possibly the best books to read if you want a historical overview of short-form SF, particularly from the "Golden Age." As a youth I read Vol. 1 - oh, about half a dozen times.

8. Dangerous Visions (1967) and Again, Dangerous Visions (1972), ed. by Harlan Ellison.
   Hard to believe now, but many of these stories were really "dangerous" in their time. These books taught me (and a lot of other readers) that SF could address mature themes in a mature way. They also created the "original anthology" SF publishing category, championed SF as literature, and helped pave the way for most of the "serious" writers we admire today.

9. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
   As much as any writer, Vonnegut brought SF concepts into the cultural mainstream without watering down his ideas, and enriched SF instead of merely exploiting it (see Crichton). Douglas Adams, Red Dwarf and the like owe a lot to Vonnegut. This was his best novel, I think, though The Sirens of Titan or Cat's Cradle might be a better place to start.

10. The Stand by Stephen King.
    My favorite King novel, a sustained nightmare that moves from apocalyptic SF to dark fantasy, employing King's talents for rich setting and quick characterization. King single-handedly brought horror out of a publishing ghetto and onto the best-seller lists, at least for a while.