The essential scifi & fantasy books since 1960 - A collaborative list

So you know how it is: you want to do The Ultimate Reading List, the one packed with all the essentials that people Need To Read (note the caps to emphasize intent). And then you delete the draft over and over again because you can't do it, there's always something more that you need to add or that you forget, and in the end it's some kind of Moby Dick: huge, bloated, unkillable and always tantalising you.
But what if you asked people to give you a hand rather than going all Achab?
So, inspired by Hammard's list on Twitter, I set out to ask my Twitter followers help in drawing up The Ultimate Reading List, the one with the essential scifi and fantasy books since the 1960s, with ten books per decade.
And voilà!
The process, including all the nominations, the numbers, etc., is detailed at the end of the post.
The books are ordered within each decade by the number of votes they received.

1960s

Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon.

Quite simply one of the most beautiful books I have read. Alternately joyful and melancholic, we follow Charlie on his journey of "improvement." The first person voice sweeps us along with him. I will never tire of this story.
Leigh.

Ursula Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness

The first sentence is: "The King was pregnant". Welcome to The Left Hand of Darkness universe, a book that still is incredibly modern in its approach to gender issues.
C.

Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey

From the stone that killed the beast to the AI that tried desperately to preserve the mission objectives, 2001 weaves a tale of humans and their tools and how they may help us, or not, to progress beyond what we are.
C.

Philip K. Dick, Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep?

A novel like no other that explores what it is to be human and the boundaries of empathy. It inspired Blade Runner but it would be a pity to miss PKD's inimitable style just because you think you know the story.
C.

Anne McCaffrey, Dragonflight

One of the most well known and beloved science fiction and fantasy books about dragons, Dragonflight follows the story of Lessa, the sole survivor of a ruling family, who will become a dragon rider. Political shenanigans, gripping adventure and unforgettable characters.
C.

Walter Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz

In a post-apocalyptic future, knowledge and science are hated and feared, and illiteracy embraced by proud "Simpletons." Preservation of knowledge becomes the new, secret religion. Will the world ever regain what was lost?
Leigh.

Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked this way comes

A dark tale in small town America. A creepy carnival and the freakish incidents surrounding it lead two young boys to grow up quickly. The lessons? Be careful what you wish for, and remember the importance of happiness in overcoming evil.
Leigh.

Peter Beagle, The Last Unicorn

Beagle's elegant prose weaves a moving, magical, and delightfully comic tale of longing and aspiration. One of the foundations of modern fantasy, it's still fresh and unique, and Schmendrick the Magician, Molly Grue, and the unicorn are characters you'll never forget.
Linda.

Samuel Delany, Babel-17

An intricate novel, mainly centred about the power of language, it's also a great tale of adventure, comradeship and space.
It's one of the most well-known of Delany's novels and for good reasons.
C.

Anne McCaffrey, The Ship who sang

An exceptionnally gripping and moving story about physical disability. Some people have criticised precisely the treatment of disabled children in this story but I think that's what made the point of the story entirely as it is morally incredibly ambiguous.
C.

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1970s

Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

This book is seen as the best example of science fiction comedy for a reason. It is funny, thought provoking, big in scope & has a unique prose: "The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't."
Ian.

Octavia Butler, Kindred

If Kindred ends up on almost every single "Best of scifi" list it's for a good reason: it's one of the best books you will ever read about relationships, gender and race issues. It's not an easy read, but it's an amazing one.
C.

Ursula Le Guin, The Dispossessed

Anarchists on the moon, capitalists below. A fascinating examination of politics and people, not to mention Physics.
Hedwig.

Philip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly

My favourite PKD, a psychedelic tale of an undercover narcotics agent, struggling to reconcile the two parts of his life and to keep a grip on what is real.
Leigh.

William Goldman, The Princess Bride

The most charming and delightful book, eminently quotable. Humour, pirates, romance, rats, swashbuckling and a determined seeker of revenge. Should you read this? As you wish.
Leigh.

Joe Halderman, The Forever War

A damning indictment of the futility of war and the cost on those sent to fight. Returning soldiers face a futureshock in a world that has changed without them. Are they fighting for a humanity which has changed beyond their recognition?
Leigh.

Arthur C. Clarke, RendezVous with Rama

A mysterious ship passes through our space, and only one team of explorers is close enough to intercept. What they find is beyond expectation and left me desperate for more.
Leigh.

Stephen King, The Stand

King's epic apocalyptic scifi ; a plague sweeps across America. The handful of survivors face the dreams, dreams of an elderly mother and dreams of the dark man. the apostate of death. it's time to take sides and pilgrimage ; who will you follow?
Bethan.

Frederik Pohl, Gateway

In a time when desperate people take on dangerous tasks in order to survive, how far will each individual go, and will they risk others in their pursuit?
Leigh.

Mary Stewart, The Crystal Cave

Set in 5th C Britain follows the story of Merlin, bastard son of a princess, doesnt know his true father. It is mostly about his childhood before the birth of Arthur and the building of his reputation. It balances history and myth well and presents a different perspective on Arthurian legend.
Bethan.

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1980s

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

A chilling dystopia that could so easily become true. In Gilead, women are commodities and are enslaved to men. Offred, a woman in the caste kept for reproductive purposes, will slowly reveal her life and her hopes.
C.

Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle

Sophie has fallen under a curse that transforms her into an old woman. In order to break the spell she must seek out Wizard Howl in his moving castle. But she's not the only one that needs rescuing Jones writing is timeless enchanting & ticks every box.
Bethan.

Terry Pratchett, The Colour of Magic

So The Colour of Magic isn't the best Discworld but it's more that first album where although you can see all the band's influences. There is something incredibly original and as the books develop you can see Pratchett's ideas - Death, Ankh-Morpork, Wizardry are all coming alive
Matt.

Sheri Tepper, Grass

Arriving on the planet Grass, Marjorie has a mission, a husband, religious convictions and children. But the planet and everything she'll find out there will throw all into turmoil. A remarkable novel, amazingly written, with an extraordinary main character.
C.

William Gibson, Neuromancer

This is the novel that kick started the cyberpunk genre. Case is a suicidal hacker who is recruited by Molly and the mysterious Armitage to do the ultimate hack that will bring him into conflict with a massive corporation and the Turing Police.
Fred.

Octavia Butler, Xenogenesis, also known as Lilith's Brood

I read it years ago and my mind is still boggling over the moral and ethical issues put forward by this book. As humanity is dying, an alien race may save some of our genetical aspects through abduction, rape induced by drugs and persuasion.
C.

C.J. Cherryh, Downbelow Station

Set in the final days of an interstellar war, Downbelow Station offers a wide range of characters and themes, from abuse to violence. It is a gripping tale full of sudden reversals of situations and traitorous characters.
C.

Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game

Ender Wiggin may be merely the youngest of his siblings to enter the military academy but he may also be humanity's best hope in the war against the buggers. But as he progresses through his training he loses his grip on what is real.
Hammard.

Octavia Butler, Wild Seed

The first book by internal chronology order of The Patternist series, Wild Seed tells the story of two African immortals and of their fight as one tries to breed the perfect descendant. As usual with Butler, expect moral complexity. I for one spent the book shouting "Won't you kill him already?"
C.

Lois McMaster Bujold, Falling Free

What if an entire race of genetically engineered humans, created for asteroid mining, was made redundant because of technological progress? A touching and gripping story about class issues, slavery, and a love story to boot.
C.

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1990s

Terry Pratchett, Small Gods

Arguably one of the best Pratchett, it's a standalone in the Discworld series. The Great God Om is back among his believers! Unfortunately, he could only incarnate as a one eyed turtle and of his many followers, only Brutha, a simple novice, seems able to hear him. A fantastic book for atheists, believers and agnostics alike.
C.

Robin Hobb, The Farseer Trilogy

The illegitimate son of royalty becomes an assassin. A beautifully realised world with wonderful depth and characters who jump off of the page and right into your heart. One that stays with you.
Hedwig.

Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Good Omens

Early work from two amazing authors. The end of the world. Demons. Angels. Witchfinders. Queen cassette tapes. The ineffable sense that there's A Plan (somewhere). Inexplicable rains of fish. A careless maternity hospital. I'm not doing it justice: read it!
Hedwig.

Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere

The London you think you know is only a fraction of the whole. Another world lies below our notice, filled with captivating characters and a twist on our reality. I get lost there every time.
Leigh.

Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower

Considered by many as Butler's masterpiece, Parable of the Sower is a dystopia from which rises a dark but also incredibly beautiful image of humanity.
C.

Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials

A wonderful story of multiverses, empowerment, knowledge, life and death. His Dark Materials is a masterpiece and even if the first volume might not be the cup of tea of readers who aren't into YA, the following volumes give any other adult book a run for its money when it comes to style, complexity and themes.
C.

Connie Willis, To Say nothing of the dog

This humorous tale centres on the hapless Ned Henry who's sent careering through Time in search of an elusive piece of church furniture, & that is essential to his employer's ancestor's marriage actually taking place. Would read again.
Michele.

C's review here.

Garth Nix, Sabriel

First in the Old Kingdom series. It's beautiful worldbuilding; many types of magic exist in a kingdom which borders one similar to ours. The main character is a teenage necromancer. Death, adult responsibilities, elemental magic, and peril abound. And there's a cat!
Hedwig.

Iain M. Banks, Excession

Sadly, this is the only Banks that made it to the list, despite him being quite justly regarded as one of the best scifi writers of the 90s and noughties. Excession may not be the easiest point of entry to his work, but what a novel! AIs, space ships and mysterious flying entities, and in the middle of that, the love story of two humans.
C.

Grant Naylor, Better Than Life

A novelisation of the Red Dwarf episode of the same name. Except for the bits that are different. Also a sequel to Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, although if you've ever seen Red Dwarf you'll be fine.
Hedwig.

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2000s

Malorie Blackman, Noughts and Crosses

A YA novel, Noughts and Crosses achieved a remarkably high number of votes in the polls, which just shows how highly regarded this dystopia dealing with race issues is. Even if YA isn't your cup of tea, try it!
C.

Susannah Clarke, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

Most people believe magic is dead until along comes Mr Norrell and his power catapults him to stardom. But a younger, more daring magician follows in his wake and he has a very different way of doing things, drawn to wilder magic he risks everything.
Bethan.

Practical magic returns in the 19th Century in the form of our title character. Alternate history and fantasy, written in the style of the period, will they end as friends or rivals?
Leigh.

Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

The finest of many fine books by Sir Terry (speak his name) follows my favourite, Vimes, and the tale of his dual involvement in the Glorious Revolution. All the little angels rise up! I wear lilac and eat hard-boiled eggs, and I remember them.
Leigh.

All Vimes wants is to stop Carcer's murders. Instead he finds himself catapulted back in Time & forced to become his younger self's mentor before he can go home again. It's not easy being a copper in Ankh-Morpork but someone's got to do it.
Michele.

C.'s review here.

Neil Gaiman, American Gods

A serious treatise on the development of modern America.
Joe.

Lois McMaster Bujold, Paladin of Souls

I love McMaster Bujold and Paladin of Souls may well be my favourite. A story about grief, depression and the empowerment of middle aged women, set in a highly creative fantasy world, it will be gripping to read and you will love the main characters.
C.

Nalo Hopkinson, Midnight Robber

This novella is set on another planet, colonised by Caribbeans. One woman is hiding and, as Carnival approaches, she disguises herself as The King Robber. A beautiful coming of age story, it tells so much more than Tan-Tan's story and deals with abuse, belonging and colonisation.
C.

China Miéville, The City & The City

Arguably, this is Miéville's finest so far. A winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, it is a murder mystery set in a city which occupies the same space as another city in another dimension. As Inspector Borlu must solve the case, he has to cross from one to the other. Beautifully written, with an excellent concept and a great story, it's a must read.
C.

Charlie Stross, The Laundry

Imagine if magic & eldritch horrors from beyond were real. Imagine if mathematics could control them. Ok so far? Now imagine that there was a branch of the British government in charge of all this. Bureaucracy meets Lovecraft. Funny and scary.
Hedwig.

C.'s review here.

Joe Abercrombie, The Blade itself

First book of The First Law series. A grim and dark fantasy where your usual genre tropes are turned on their head. A questionable (at best) wizard leads a merry band on a quest for revenge. Best character development you'll find in any fantasy. One of my favourites.
Bethan.

Scott Lynch, The Lies of Locke Lamora

First book of The Gentlemen Bastards series. Evocative world building, clever plots and complicated characters. It's a story about winning and losing, blood ties and loyalty and vengeance. And ultimately, simply, what's right and wrong.
Bethan.

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2010-2017

Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the end of the lane

The story really captures brilliantly that feeling of what it was once like to be a child with unlimited magical or even scary imagination. A time when the line between imagination and reality is thin. But it mixes it well with the grim realities of being an adult. And just like our memories of our childhood ... it ends in a bittersweet way.
Azzie.

A magic realism masterpiece from spell weaver Gaiman. A middle aged man, returning to the home of his childhood, explores his memories of a special girl he once knew, who promised to protect him. Delicate magical yet dark and stirring.
Bethan.

Ann Leckie, Ancillary Justice

A Clarke Award winner, Ancillary Justice is a classic tale of revenge, set in a scifi setting with AI and space ships, entirely renewed by the incredible style that will challenge your conceptions about gender.
C.

Emily St John Mandell, Station Eleven

And another Clarke Award winner! This post-apocalyptic, non linear novel is a unique and incredibly moving tale, wonderfully written that makes it a must read of these past ten years.
C.

C.'s review here.

Adrian Tchaikovsky, Children of Time

Spiders! Spiders in space! Great big horrible hairy spiders! In space! Seriously: the last humans leave a dying earth for a fabled world they believe their ancestors prepared for them But another species, entirely inhuman, has already claimed their intended home. Their worst fears are waiting for them.
Blurb by Adrian Tchaikovsky himself.

Naomi Alderman, The Power

One day, teenage girls across the globe develop the ability to deliver electric shocks. This is an amazing look at power (in all its forms), gender, abuse, faith, society, and how it shifts as a result of this one change. It gave me a lot to think about.
Hedwig.

C.'s review.

N. K. Jemisin, The Broken Earth

Twice a Hugo winner (so far), once for the first volume, twice for the second volume. It shouldn't come as a suprise as The Broken Earth is one of the best scifi/fantasy series to have been published lately. A story of empowerment, vengeance, with race issues and survival themes, it's a gripping tale that will take you by your guts.
C.

Victor LaValle, The Ballad of Black Tom

The Ballad of Black Tom both challenges and builds on problematic source material - HP Lovecraft. Lavalle delivers all you expect - cultists, the awful reality behind the appearance of the world, pulpy goings on in the backstreets (rather than the backwoods) but grafts on a haunting portrayal of racial oppression that heightens the sense of evil.
David.

Aliya Whiteley, The Arrival of Missives

1920. A precocious farmer's daughter discovers a secret, hidden by her teacher, about the future of mankind. Will she become complicit in a plan that is woven through time and space for a better world? What would a better world look like?
Blurb by Aliya Whiteley herself.

Alexis Wright, The Swan Book

It may not be the easiest read and it won't be everyone cup of tea, but The Swan Book is unique in its writing and tells the story of a dying Earth and of humans who remain every bit as petty and power hungry and sometimes so compassionate also as they've always been.
C.

C.'s review here.

G. Willow Wilson, Alif the Unseen

A delightful adventure in a Middle East country that will confront ancient powers and a young hacker, Alif. The novel is a great take on arabo-muslim folklore with epic fights.
C.

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How we established this list

First round: the nominations.
Any of the Twitter followers of The Middle Shelf account could send up to five books for each decade, with no obligation to reach five and no obligation to participate for each decade. Seven persons sent in nominations and at the end of it, this was the complete list for each decade. The colors show to which other book they were confronted to in the polls round.

Second round: the polls.
During 24 hours, anyone could vote for the stories. Most polls opposed two books, some opposed three. But in the end, it was the number of votes received that decided which books made it to the list. For instance, if two books by the same writer in the same decade were nominated, I confronted them in the polls, in the hope we would have a wider range of writers in the end. Obviously, it didn't work so well with McCaffrey or Butler, which just goes to prove their enduring appeal and how beloved these books are. Three books benefitted from a free pass: Adams' Hitch Hiker's Guide ; Butler's Kindred ; Le Guin's The Dispossessed. Each was very popular in the nomination round and there were only 17 nominations for that decade, which would have made the polls awkward. So I didn't try too hard to find a solution - as I love all three - and gave them a free pass.
Here are the results with the numbers of votes for each book, with the very kind help of Hammard.

Last round: the blurbs.
Some books I knew and loved and had even reviewed. Some... Well, let's say that I do vaguely remember watching an animation film called The Last Unicorn at some point of my childhood, but I had no idea it was a novel! So I asked everyone to join in to write the blurbs you read above, also because I considered it'd be more interesting to have other points of view than just my own, particularly for books I have already reviewed. I even cheekily sollicited Adrian Tchaikovsky and Aliya Whiteley who were kind enough to join in and blurb their own books.

Thoughts about this list.
This list is very very close to the list I would have made myself. Obviously, there are some differences. But in the end, I'm very happy to present it on my blog because it represents the kind of scifi and fantasy I love and believe in. Of course, it is to be expected that people following me will have tastes close to mine... !
The word "Essentials" was also chosen on purpose. It is ambiguous: a book can be "essential" because we think it has made a tremendous impact on the genre ; but a book can also be "essential" because it has had a tremendous impact on us, at some point of our lives. So these books have been chosen not only with our heads, but also with our hearts.
Diversity wise, books written by female writers represent almost half of the list (26 out of 60) but books by writers of colour represent only a sixth of the list (10 out of 60). Some female writers are represented more than once, but it's the case also for male writers. As we voted for particular stories rather than writers, it makes sense to me. Butler is represented four times, a feat only Pratchett achieved too. As there was no quota or guideline regarding diversity, I think it is a fair testimonial to how beloved her work is rather than "We need to put in a writer of colour, what about Butler again?"
Like any of these lists, it is very subjective. But at least it's not too personal, nor too impersonal. We've probably not achieved The Ultimate List but I think that it's a pretty good list, that compromised when it had to and that gives a pretty good snapshot of what has been traditionnally published and that will probably stay in the scifi and fantasy annals.

Hey! Where's Dune?
I know! Big shocker: Dune didn't make it past the polls round. I think most of us scifi readers have affection for Dune as it's often one of the first scifi books we ever read. But on one hand, do you need us to tell you to read Dune? Everyone out there will tell you that. On the other hand, maybe, maybe, at this point in the lives of all who took part, other books seemed more essential, books like Flowers for Algernon maybe...

This list and this blog post was written thanks to Leigh, Hammard, Bethan, Fred, Joe, Azzie, Hedwig, Ian, Matt, Michele, Linda, David, to say nothing of Aliya Whiteley and Adrian Tchaikovsky. Some of them really saved me, especially by blurbing books I haven't read or don't like!
And thanks to everyone who took part in the polls!
C.