The 40 Greatest Science Fiction Books | My Reaction

I go through the top 40 sci-fi books as listed by The Planets and give my reactions to each book and let you know whether I think you should read them and how highly I would rank them.

The List:

Channels Mentioned:
@TreeBeardBookReviews
@thisalliereads2413

Use code JONATHANFANS for 15% off book orders from the Tertulia online bookstore:

00:00 - Intro
00:39 - 40-36
04:09 - 35-31
07:12 - 30-26
11:02 - 25-21
13:56 - 20-16
18:07 - 15-11
21:33 - 10-6
23:54 - 5-1

[WordsinTime]

(UPDATE) I have since read:
- Frankenstein and it became an all-time favourite
- Solaris and it became an all-time favourite
- Hitchhiker's Guide and very much enjoyed it
- The Children of Men and found it incredibly impactful
- Contact and really enjoyed the ideas
- I, Robot and enjoyed the ideas
- The Martian Chronicles and liked many of the stories

[Yesica]

Dune - I tried reading this years ago and failed so hard. I couldn't follow what was happening and gave up not too far in. Quinn from the channel Quinn's Ideas finally pushed me to try again. He's such a fan and I'm such a fan of his channel. It was killing me that he had so much Dune related content that I couldn't watch! So I finally dove in a few weeks/months ago. It was still slow going. But I pushed through and the more I read, the more I understood. I got to the end and realized, ah, now I see more clearly what was happening at the beginning. So a few days after finishing, I decided to read the first few pages, now with the full knowledge of what was going on. I couldn't stop. I ended up reading through the entire book a second time. That has never happened to me before! I re-read all the time, but never right after finishing a book the first time.

I'm with you, in that I was fascinated by the worldbuilding, while the characters were somewhat secondary. (Not nearly as much as I feel with Arthur C. Clarke. They did interest me and I wish we'd learned more about some of them.) But, yeah, you really do feel like you are experiencing that planet and learning about cultures so different than our own.

[pcast]

I just finished the Hyperion Cantos and I loved every one of them! I also think the other books are even better than the original. My favorite is probably the Fall of Hyperion. I can attest that the Watchers is a great read! I read that book years ago and still remember how good it was. That being said I have been watching a lot of your videos and am liking all your content. Thanks for creating some good content!

[BooksWithBenghisKahn]

Loved this video! I tend to enjoy any dissection of a top list, and I enjoyed yours even when you hadn't read the book in question

[JamesI]

Frankenstein is one of my favorite books. War of the Worlds is enjoyable if you can remind yourself of just how old it is.

[xbubblehead]

I didn't read Frankenstein until I was 70 years old, and I think it is unfortunate that the story is known mostly only through the films. The book is a lot different, and well worth reading, and I think it does warrant a high spot on the list.

[mckenziekate]

Great video! I loved seeing all the classics in the top haha

[k-ondoomer]

Flowers for algernon is soo good, the writing style shifts with his level of intelligence, the commentary on scientific bodies, ethics of experiment subject's, acedmics, Freudian psychology / repression, so much more!

The way just about everyone treats him on both extremes of the intelligence spectrum

"Intelligence and education that hasn't been tempered by human affection isn't worth a damn"

As i read more literature it becomes more and more layered with subtext, yet its acessible by most readers. I love that book

[LivingDeadEnby]

You should definitely read I am Legend. It's an intense read with a really good ending.
I need to read Hyperion soon!

[strangementalitypaperYT]

The Children of Men is a masterpiece of cinema. Alfonso Curon really came into his own. I think it's awesome that you can see his talent building in HP3, too. They're both brilliant.

[iosefiniosefin]

You must read the Heechee Saga of Frederick Pohl. The first book is, ,Gateway''. This is a very good book!😄

[caitcoy]

The book version of World War Z actually doesn't have much in common with the film. I very much prefer the book version, which is like a faux documentary of how various societies around the world would handle a zombie outbreak and I loved getting to see the different responses. Not necessarily the best sci-fi ever but easily my favorite take on zombies and humanity. Also definitely recommend trying I Am Legend, it does some interesting theme related things beyond just being post-apocalyptic (though the main character isn't necessarily super likeable). This is another one where the film isn't all that close to the book and I wish it had been a closer adaptation.

[jjcrazi]

War of the Worlds is good! It’s one of the few books I’ve read more than once. Makes me think of the music that spooked me as a kid (loved being spooked). Frankenstein is another book I’ve read more than once, so interesting how it’s so different from the popular imagination of the story. It’s got depth to it.

[dawilee]

I've read foundation trilogy, end of eternity, the gods themselves and I robot, but absolutely favorite Asimov's work is caves of steel for me, followed by other novels in the series, naked sun and others

[jasonmoore]

Flowers for Algernon was so good. I read it once 25 years ago and still remember it.

[callmeal]

Another enjoyable video. I would definitely read Redshirts. It's a quick read, and although the premise is Star Trek - esque it boldly goes where no Captains Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway etc. have gone before. It's a bit more than a parody and although it's not earth-shattering (or should that be earth-Shatnering?) it does explore some intriguing concepts.

[robertschobesberger]

my top ten:
1. Philip K. Dick - Ubik
2. John Wyndham - The Day Of The Triffids
3. Walter M. Miller - Canticle for Leibobwitz
4. Brian W. Aldiss - Hothouse
5. Kate Wilhelm - Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang
6. Harry Harrison - Make Room ! Make Room !
7. Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451
8. Joe Haldeman - Forever War
9. Frederik Pohl /Cyril M. Kornbluth: The Space Merchants
10. Karel Capek - War with the Newts

[DJYoue]

I'm quite surprised by the books on this list which you haven't read! But good recommendations for the ones you have read.

[TreeBeardBookReviews]

See Dragonflight is Sci-Fi! Made it almost to the top 25! Great video Jonathan, also looking forward to JP next month

[MoeShinola]

The B&W version of I Am Legend, The Last Man On Earth, should be available to watch for free since it was never really copyrighted. Stars Vincent Price!