Monday, October 03, 2011

NPR's top 100 Sci-Fi books

NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction Books. 

Going through the list I have read: 1, 2, 4, 8, 11, 12, 13, 16,17, 20, 23, 24, 25, 31, 34, 46, 48, 58, 76, 94.  Most of which I read by the time I finished college with the exception of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (which is still on-going).

2 comments:

Douglas said...

Like I care what a bunch of liberal tax-eaters think. What books have you loved that were not on their list?

Chris Meirose said...

I thought it was a pretty good list - though likely because it was reflective of what I read in my childhood. The vast majority of the books listed (in my list) I completed by the 11th grade, with just a couple that carried over into college. I read King's "The Stand" in 8th grade for example. I read all of the Asimov books on the list by 9th grade, and a second time before graduating high school.

Of this type of book (Sci-Fi) Asimov is my favorite. I even like the books that were written after his death adding on to the Foundation story. Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land" still hold place as my favorite stand alone book. I really like almost everything Heinlein wrote. Frank Herbert of Dune fame didn't hit me as well as it did many others. I always struggled to get into his plot line.

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time is the most recent series among those I've read. I read all of them during my first 18 months of Seminary in my free time. I needed the break from reading weighty theological texts, and Jordan fit that perfectly. WOT was the second Fantasy genre that I really like with Donaldson's Thomas Covenant Chronicles being the first. Donaldson's series is really just a rip off of the master - Tolkein - but I really liked it nonetheless.

Beyond that, some great books I've read more recently would all fall into theological texts and I have a nice list on our church's web site at FCC Resource Page.

Among my "must reads" from that list would include:
1) Peace Maker - Ken Sande
2) Too Busy Not To Pray - Bill Hybels
3) Systematic Theology - Wayne Grudem
4) The Reason for God - Tim Keller
5) The Treasure Principle - Randy Alcorn
6) Simple Church - Thom Rainer

But if it is on that larger list, I give it my thumbs up. I have a library of a couple thousand books, plus a couple thousand more electronic books (mostly theological books electronically via Logos Software).

I'd actually like to start getting rid of some of my books fairly soon, I have too many and they need a better home.

And regarding NPR - yes they use our tax money, but I have gotten my money's worth over the years from listening to them. Obviously I don't always agree with them, but much of what they put out I appreciate, and I really like the late night BBC stuff because it keeps me better informed about what is going on elsewhere in the world without a US media slant. That's not to say that portion is fully objective, but it is a different perspective.