A recent post at Weirdwriter alerted us to the existence of a survey by Guardian Unlimited’s Technology blog, naming the top 20 “geek novels” since 1923 (the same year cutoff as Time’s recent best novel list).
If the news that Douglas Adams’ THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY – the basis for this summer’s utterly lame movie – tops the list shocks anyone, it should only because THE LORD OF THE RINGS isn’t there instead. In fact, it’s nowhere to be found! To be honest, I’m surprised at the strong showing of 1984; I wouldn’t expect something that’s assigned to many a high school class to be considered geeky. Interesting how you could pretty much substitute “sci-fi and fantasy” for “geek” in the list’s title, isn’t it?
Of these 20 geek novels, I’ve “only” read four: 1984, WATCHMEN, AMERICAN GODS and I, ROBOT. Does that make me just one-fifth geek? I’d like to think so.
The list is as follows:
1. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams
2. 1984 by George Orwell
3. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley
4. DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? by Philip K. Dick
5. NEUROMANCER by William Gibson
6. DUNE by Frank Herbert
7. I, ROBOT by Isaac Asimov
8. FOUNDATION by Isaac Asimov
9. THE COLOUR OF MAGIC by Terry Pratchett
10. MICROSERFS by Douglas Coupland
11. SNOW CRASH by Neal Stephenson
12. WATCHMEN by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
13. CRYPTONOMICON by Neal Stephenson
14. CONSIDER PHLEBAS by Iain M. Banks
15. STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND by Robert Heinlein
16. THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE by Philip K. Dick
17. AMERICAN GODS by Neil Gaiman
18. THE DIAMOND AGE by Neal Stephenson
19. THE ILLUMINATUS! TRILOGY by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
20. TROUBLE WITH LICHEN by John Wyndham
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve read all but five of them. Microserfs,Consider Phelbas, American Gods, The Diamond Age, and Trouble with Lichen. It’s a pretty good list and I agree with your “geek = Sci Fi” assesment.
I’ve read 18 of the 20, all but Consider Phelbas and Trouble With Lichen, and I have to say I enjoyed them all.
There’s not a book on there that is only good because it is science fiction/fantasy. They’re all well-written works. I think it would be hard to get any other demographic to give a top 20 list that contained as many top-shelf works of fiction.
Soccer moms? Please.
Dentists? Snooze.
Tupperware Ladies? Burp.