thegooddoctor
2/24/2021
Very highly recommended! How should you go about fiinding out what you "should" read. Why - let David Pringle tell you, of course!
I must admit that I am a great fan of books "about" science fiction. I have read so many of the general ones that it does become quite predictable, what will they say as they wander through the history of the genre.
Pringle avoids all of this predictable stuff. He jumps straight to the actual "best" books themselves, and dispenses with all of that historical analysis. He does limit himself to the years 1949 to 1984, which does make the whole approach somewhat more manageable. If you like an author, or have heard of a particular book you want to check out, this is the book for you.
If you enjoy this approach, and you like fantasy, you will want to check out his Fantasy: The best 100 novels.
And if you really really like David Pringle's analysis - look for The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction. Unfortunatley, that book has not yet made the cut to be listed on this website. The Guide lists 3,000 books of SF, including both novels and collections, with a rating from zero stars to 4 stars. Hmm - zero stars - what a great idea for warning poor unsuspecting readers from unreadable schlock! I'm afraid I got a bit obsessed with the Guide, etc. and bought a lot of SF & F that I will probably never find time to read.
My rating system: I begin with one star being equivalent to a rating of "C -". Progressing upwards, I add ½ star for each step, up to the maximum 5 stars, which is equivalent to a rating of "A"+. I reserve ½ star for BOMBS, there being no option of zero or negative stars.