The Best Year in Science Fiction – Books

I see over at io9 there is a poll for the the best year in science fiction, with several candidate years listed with their qualifications… the qualifications being, in almost all cases, movies.

Suppose we decided based on books? Say…

1950
Ray Bradbury, THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES
Isaac Asimov, I, ROBOT
A.E. van Vogt, THE VOYAGE OF THE SPACE BEAGLE
Jack Vance, THE DYING EARTH
Hal Clement, NEEDLE

1953
Arthur C. Clarke, CHILDHOOD’S END
Theodore Sturgeon, MORE THAN HUMAN
Alfred Bester, THE DEMOLISHED MAN
Ray Bradbury, FAHRENHEIT 451
Isaac Asimov, THE FOUNDATION TRILOGY
Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth, THE SPACE MERCHANTS

1968
John Brunner, STAND ON ZANZIBAR
Philip K. Dick, DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?
Thomas M. Disch, CAMP CONCENTRATION
Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
Anne McCaffrey, DRAGONFLIGHT
Keith Roberts, PAVANE
Alexei Panshin, RITE OF PASSAGE
Samuel R. Delany, NOVA
Ursula K. Le Guin, A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA

1972
Robert Silverberg, DYING INSIDE
Robert Silverberg, THE BOOK OF SKULLS
Isaac Asimov, THE GODS THEMSELVES
Thomas M. Disch, 334
John Brunner, THE SHEEP LOOK UP
Gene Wolfe, THE FIFTH HEAD OF CERBERUS
Barry N. Malzberg, BEYOND APOLLO
Norman Spinrad, THE IRON DREAM
Harlan Ellison, AGAIN, DANGEROUS VISIONS

1985
Orson Scott Card, ENDER’S GAME
Margaret Atwood, THE HANDMAID’S TALE
Greg Bear, BLOOD MUSIC
Bruce Sterling, SCHISMATRIX
David Brin, THE POSTMAN
Michael Bishop, ANCIENT OF DAYS

1992
Kim Stanley Robinson, RED MARS
Neal Stephenson, SNOW CRASH
Connie Willis, DOOMSDAY BOOK
Vernor Vinge, A FIRE UPON THE DEEP
John Varley, STEEL BEACH
Maureen F. McHugh, CHINA MOUNTAIN ZHANG
Greg Egan, QUARANTINE

2004
Ian McDonald, RIVER OF GODS
David Mitchell, CLOUD ATLAS
Philip Roth, THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA
Geoff Ryman, AIR

(The dates are for first book publications — in some cases material, e.g in THE FOUNDATION TRILOGY, was published earlier.)

This isn’t a poll, just a thought. Feel free to comment.

9 thoughts on “The Best Year in Science Fiction – Books

  • June 3, 2010 at 4:10 pm
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    I think 2005 would be a better choice than 2004.
    Robert Charles Wilson, Spin
    Charles Stross, Accerlerando
    Ken Macleod, Learning the World

    1966 is also a great choice
    Samuel Delany, Babel-17
    J. G. Ballard, The Chrystal World
    Roger Zelazny, The Dream Master, This Immortal
    Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon
    Harry Harrison, Make Room! Make Room!
    Robert Heinlein, Moon is a Harsh Mistress
    James Schmitz, The Witches of Karres
    John Scalzi, Old Man’s War
    Ken Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go

    Reply
  • June 3, 2010 at 4:11 pm
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    Oops! put Old Man’s War and Never Let Me Go under 2005

    Reply
  • June 3, 2010 at 6:21 pm
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    And 1956 wasn’t so shabby, either:

    Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination
    Robert A. Heinlein, Double Star & Time for the Stars
    Jack Vance, To Live Forever
    Isaac Asimov, The Naked Sun & The City and the Stars
    John Christopher, The Death of Grass / No Blade of Grass
    Frank Herbert, The Dragon in the Sea / Under Pressure
    Philip K. Dick, The Man Who Japed
    Jorge Luis Borges, Ficciones
    Frank M. Robinson, The Power
    Richard Matheson, The Shrinking Man
    A. E. van Vogt, The Players of Null-A

    Reply
  • June 3, 2010 at 8:55 pm
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    Asimov’s Caves of Steel was forgotten for 1954 in Marks post.

    Also, Davey, The City and the Stars is by Clarke, not Asimov

    Reply
  • June 4, 2010 at 10:08 am
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    add Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore and Paradox Men by Charles Harness to 1953

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  • June 4, 2010 at 6:34 pm
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    Michael H.: I quite agree!

    Reply
  • June 5, 2010 at 1:51 pm
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    Another from 1953 – Simak’s Ring Around the Sun.

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  • June 5, 2010 at 3:19 pm
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    add The Underpeople by Cordwainer Smith in 1968.

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  • June 20, 2010 at 4:36 am
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    You’re scratching the surface of 1968 there: add The Last Unicorn, Past Master, Picnic on Paradise, The Final Programme, Report on Probability A, Synthajoy (D.G. Compton), The Last Starship From Earth (John Boyd), Black Easter, The Masks of Time, City of Illusions, and The Goblin Reservation. We’ve had a panel called “The Golden Age of SF was 1968” at more than one Readercon.

    Reply

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