SF Novels That Were Worth Reading When I Read Them (L - Z)
Or, How I Mis-spent My Youth
Titles I especially recommend are preceded by three asterisks: ***
Lanier, Sterling
HIERO'S JOURNEY [1973]
Laumer, Keith
A PLAGUE OF DEMONS [1965]
[Aliens foment human wars to farm brains for cyborg fighting-machines.
One such brain rebels and turns on the aliens.]
DINOSAUR BEACH [1971]
[Adventures of a 'Project Timesweep' operative.]
Le Guin, Ursula K.
***THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS [1969]
[Human ambassador to planet on which humanoids can be either male or female,
at mating time joins forces with humanoid to bring planet into galactic
community. Too late, human realises love for humanoid. Compare P.J.Farmer's story "The Lovers".]
THE LATHE OF HEAVEN [1971]
[Psychiatrist discovers patient can change world with dreams, uses patient to
realise own (disastrous) vision of utopia. Compare Peter Van Greenaway's THE MEDUSA TOUCH.]
THE DISPOSSESSED: AN AMBIGUOUS UTOPIA [1974]
[Anarchists form a colony on a planet neighbouring an authoritarian world.]
Leiber, Fritz
GATHER DARKNESS [1950]
[Repressive state religion based on technological tricks is opposed by secret
society of true scientists.]
***THE BIG TIME [1961]
[Another novel in which opposing sides try to use time-travel to change history in their favour. But a good one.]
THE SILVER EGGHEADS [1962]
[Satire on publishing industry. Machines write books in future.]
THE WANDERER [1964]
[Huge alien spaceship uses Luna for fuel, causing tidal disaster on Earth.
Notably rare as a disaster novel with tongue firmly in cheek.]
A SPECTRE IS HAUNTING TEXAS [1969]
[Visitor from human colony on moon, has various satirical adventures in a U.S.
dominated by Texas.]
Lem, Stanislaw
THE FUTUROLOGICAL CONGRESS, FROM THE MEMOIRS OF IJON TICHY [1974]
[A funny satire on futurology and several sf cliches.]
***SOLARIS [1970]
[Sentient ocean with psychic powers troubles human investigators.]
Levin, Ira
THIS PERFECT DAY [1970]
[Rebel in computer (programmer) controlled world finds he is anticipated and
is invited to join elite. He despairs but accidentally crashes the system and
achieves more freedom than he originally wanted.]
THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL [1976]
[Nazi doctor clones Hitler but also places resulting children in appropriate
domestic circumstances. Then, at the appropriate age, he has to kill all
their fathers. The deaths attract attention which eventually reaches him.]
Lewis, C.S.
OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET [1938]
[Scientifically chuckle-headed, but theologically interesting trip to Mars.]
***VOYAGE TO VENUS [1943] [a.k.a PERELANDRA]
[Scientifically chuckle-headed, but theologically interesting trip to Venus.]
Llewellyn, Alan
THE STRANGE INVADERS [1934]
[They are giant lizards. Anti-fascist allegory.]
Lupoff, Richard A.
INTO THE AETHER [1974]
[Comic pseudo-19th century sf novel.]
Maine, Charles Eric
THE MIND OF MR SOAMES [1961]
THE DARKEST OF NIGHTS [1962]
[Global disaster: no electricity.]
THIRST! [1977 rev. from 1958]
[Global disaster: no water.]
Malzberg, Barry N.
BEYOND APOLLO [1972]
[Satirical attack on NASA's space program.]
Manning, Laurence
THE MAN WHO AWOKE [1933]
Martin, George R.R.
DYING OF THE LIGHT [1977]
Matheson, Richard
***I AM LEGEND [1954]
[Clever idea: takes vampire legend to its logical conclusion. Plague turns
almost all humans into nocturnal crazies. Last of 'normal' humans struggles
to survive. Twice filmed. Second: 'The Omega Man' is one of my favourite sf
movies.]
THE SHRINKING MAN [1956]
[After exposure to mysterious fog, a man finds he is shrinking. After various
sorts of adventures he shrinks away to nothing. Filmed, with unusual fidelity, as The Incredible Shrinking Man.]
McIntosh, J.T.
ONE IN THREE HUNDRED [1954]
[Sol hiccups, and only one in three hundred can escape to colonies on Mars.]
THE FITTEST [1955]
[Scientist finds way to increase animal intelligence. It gets out of hand, and
animals set about exterminating humanity.]
McIntyre, Vonda N.
DREAMSNAKE [1978]
Mead, Shepherd
THE BIG BALL OF WAX [1954]
[Satire of big business and advertising.]
Miller, Walter M.
***A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ [1960]
[Order of Catholic monks sees history repeat itself as post WW3 era culminates
in WW4. After J.Blish's A CASE OF CONSCIENCE, the best religious sf novel.]
Mitchison, Naomi
MEMOIRS OF A SPACEWOMAN [1962]
Moffitt, Donald
THE JUPITER THEFT [1979]
[Aliens steal Jupiter. Compare F.Lieber's THE WANDERER.]
Moorcock, Michael
[Although they are not sf, you should read Moorcock's 'Jerry Cornelius' series of novels.]
BEHOLD THE MAN [1969]
[Time traveller goes back to find the real Jesus Christ.
THE WARLORD OF THE AIR [1971]
THE LAND LEVIATHAN [1974]
THE STEEL TSAR [1981]
Moore, Ward
BRING THE JUBILEE [1953]
[Alternate history: An America in which the Confederacy won the Civil War.]
Morrow, James
THE CONTINENT OF LIES [1984]
Mullally, Frederick
HITLER HAS WON [1975]
Niven, Larry
RINGWORLD [1970]
[Exploration of a huge artifical world in the form of a ring around a star.]
***THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE [1974] (with J.Pournelle)
[Humans tangle with quick-breeding, quick-on-the-uptake aliens.]
LUCIFER'S HAMMER [1977] (with J.Pournelle)
[Comet collides with Earth. The tough get going.]
RINGWORLD ENGINEERS [1980]
FOOTFALL [1985] (with J.Pournelle)
[Pachydermoid aliens invade Earth.]
***THE LEGACY OF HEOROT [1987] (with J.Pournelle & S.Barnes)
[It may not be the very best of the man versus alien sub-genre, but it has an
indefinable something that really appeals to me, even though it is poliically
dubious.]
Nolan, William F.
LOGAN'S RUN [1967]
[The novel on which the movie was based.]
Norton, Andre
DAYBREAK - 2250 A.D. [1952] [a.k.a. STAR MAN'S SON]
[Adventures of a knowledge-seeking youth circa 200 years after catastrophic
nuclear war.]
Nowlan, P.F.
ARMAGEDDON 2419 A.D. [1928]
[The original Buck Rogers novel, and surprisingly good.]
O'Brien, Robert
Z FOR ZACHARIAH [1975]
O'Donnell, K.M.
UNIVERSE DAY [1969]
[Satirical of humanity's efforts to enter outer-space.]
O'Neill, Joseph
LAND UNDER ENGLAND [1935]
[Anti-fascist allegory.]
Orwell, George
***1984 [1949]
[The most famous dystopia of all. Technology may have passed it by, but the philosophical basics are still relevant.]
Owen, Dean
END OF THE WORLD [1962]
Pangborn, Edgar
A MIRROR FOR OBSERVERS [1954]
DAVY [1964]
Panshin, Alexei
***RITE OF PASSAGE [1968]
[The best attempt to out-Heinlein Heinlein. Compare Heinlein's TUNNEL IN THE SKY.]
STAR WELL [1968]
Pedler, Kit
MUTANT 59, THE PLASTIC EATER [1971] (with G.Davis)
[Global disaster: bacteria eat everything made of plastic.]
Pincher, Chapman
NOT WITH A BANG [1965]
[What would happen to the world if technology allowed humans greatly extended lifespan?]
Pohl, Frederick
***THE SPACE MERCHANTS [1953] (with C.M.Kornbluth)
[Perhaps the most prescient and trenchant satire in American sf.]
SEARCH THE SKY [1954] (with C.Kornbluth)
[Satire on U.F.O.s]
GLADIATOR AT LAW [1955] (with C.Kornbluth)
[Adversarial legal system taken to its logical extreme.]
MAN PLUS [1976]
[Genetic engineering allows human colonization of Mars.]
***GATEWAY [1977]
[The best of the 'alien artifact' sub-genre.]
JEM: THE MAKING OF A UTOPIA [1979]
BEYOND THE BLUE EVENT HORIZON [1980]
HEECHEE RENDEZVOUS [1984]
Priest, Christopher
FUGUE FOR A DARKENING ISLAND [1972] [U.S. title: DARKENING ISLAND
[British society collapses due to massive influx of 'coloured' immigrants.]
INVERTED WORLD [1974]
A DREAM OF WESSEX [1977]
Rand, Ayn
ANTHEM [1946]
Raphael, Rick
CODE THREE [1966]
[Life on the superhighways of the future.]
Reamy, Tom
***BLIND VOICES [1978]
Reynolds, Mack
THE TOWERS OF UTOPIA [1975]
Roberts, Colin
NUCLEAR SUBTRACTION [195?]
Roberts, Keith
THE FURIES [1966]
[Nuclear testing results in emergence of giant killer-wasps, which proceed to
attack humanity.]
***PAVANE [1968]
[Alternate history: Elizabeth I was assassinated; the Spanish Amada was successful; Catholic Church dominant.]
Robinson, Kim Stanley
***RED MARS [1992]
***GREEN MARS [1993]
***BLUE MARS [1996]
[This trilogy about the terraformation and colonization of Mars is one of the great 'hard' sf works of the 90s.]
Russ, Joanna
PICNIC ON PARADISE [1968]
WE WHO ARE ABOUT TO... [1977]
Sagan, Carl
CONTACT [1985]
[The novel on which the movie was based.]
Sapir, Richard B.
THE FAR ARENA [1978]
[A Roman gladiator, preserved in ice, is revived in the modern world.]
'Sarban'
THE SOUND OF HIS HORN [1952]
[Alternate history: the Third Reich triumphant.]
Shaw, Bob
NIGHT WALK [1967]
THE TWO-TIMERS [1968]
GROUND ZERO MAN [1971]
***OTHER DAYS, OTHER EYES [1972]
ORBITSVILLE
WHO GOES HERE? [1977]
SHIP OF STRANGERS [1978]
THE RAGGED ASTRONAUTS [1986]
Shaw, George Bernard
BACK TO METHUSELAH: A METABIOLOGICAL PENTATEUCH [1921]
[A play, not a novel.]
Sheckley, Robert
[Sheckley was one of the greatest and most prolific writers of satirical sf.]
IMMORTALITY INC. [1959]
THE TENTH VICTIM [1965]
***MINDSWAP [1966]
DIMENSION OF MIRACLES [1968]
Sheffield, Charles
SIGHT OF PROTEUS [1979]
BETWEEN THE STROKES OF NIGHT [1985]
Shelley, Mary
FRANKENSTEIN [1818]
[Man makes monster; monster miffed; monster mauls man.]
Shiel, M.P.
THE PURPLE CLOUD [1901]
[It envelops Earth, kills all but one man and one woman. Tour through a
dead world.]
Shute, Nevil
IN THE WET [1953]
ON THE BEACH [1957]
[Nuclear war in northern hemisphere. Australia waits for death by radioactive
atmosphere. Submarine goes to U.S. to investigate possible sign of life.]
Silverberg, Robert
HAWKSBILL STATION [1968]
THE MASKS OF TIME [1968]
***NIGHTWINGS [1969]
UP THE LINE [1969]
[Adventures of a time-tours guide in Istanbul of various eras.]
***DOWNWARD TO THE EARTH [1969]
THE WORLD INSIDE [1971]
A TIME OF CHANGES
THE BOOK OF SKULLS [1972]
***DYING INSIDE [1972]
SHADRACH IN THE FURNACE [1976]
Simak, Clifford D.
***CITY [1952]
THE TROUBLE WITH TYCHO [1961]
***WAY STATION [1963]
Simmons, Dan
***HYPERION [1989]
[Wonderful and deeply unsettling vision of a galactic civilisation.]
***THE FALL OF HYPERION [1990]
Sladek, John T.
THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM [1968]
THE MULLER-FOKKER EFFECT [1970]
***RODERICK [1980]
***RODERICK AT RANDOM [1983]
TIK-TOK [1983]
Smith, Cordwainer
NORSTRILIA [1975]
Smith, E.E.'Doc'
SPACEHOUNDS OF I.P.C. [1947/31 ]
TRIPLANETARY [1950/34]
FIRST LENSMAN [1950]
GALACTIC PATROL [1950/37]
GREY LENSMAN [1951/40]
SECOND STAGE LENSMAN [1953/42]
CHILDREN OF THE LENS [1954/48]
THE SKYLARK OF SPACE [1958/28]
SKYLARK THREE [1948/30]
SKYLARK OF VALERON [1949/38]
SKYLARK DUQUESNE [1966]
Smith, George H.
THE COMING OF THE RATS [1961]
[Man and mate battle the coming of the rats in wake of WW3. Rather salacious
in parts.]
Spinrad, Norman
SONGS FROM THE STARS [1980]
THE MEN IN THE JUNGLE [1967]
THE IRON DREAM [1972]
[Hitler fails at Weimar politics, emigrates to U.S., becomes sf writer.]
***BUG JACK BARRON [1969]
***THE VOID CAPTAIN'S TALE [1983]
Stableford, Brian
CRADLE OF THE SUN [1969]
HALCYON DRIFT [1972]
Stapledon, W. Olaf
***LAST AND FIRST MEN: A STORY OF THE NEAR AND FAR FUTURE [1930]
[An awesomely daring attempt to write the future history of the human
species.]
LAST MEN IN LONDON [1932]
***ODD JOHN: A STORY BETWEEN JEST AND ERNEST [1935]
***STAR MAKER [1937]
[A history of life, the universe, and everything.]
***SIRIUS: A FANTASY OF LOVE AND DISCORD [1944]
Stasheff, Chris
THE WARLOCK IN SPITE OF HIMSELF [1969]
Sterling, Bruce
INVOLUTION OCEAN [1977]
Stewart, George R.
***EARTH ABIDES [1949]
[Plague wipes out almost all humans. One man's story of survival and realisation that large-scale civilisation is undesirable. The best of the American examples of the global disaster sub-genre.]
Sturgeon, Theodore
***MORE THAN HUMAN [1953]
VENUS PLUS X [1960]
[Sleeper awakes to find himself in world of hermaphrodites.]
Temple, William F.
SHOOT AT THE MOON [1966]
Tenn, William
OF MEN AND MONSTERS [1968]
Tevis, Walter
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH [1963]
***MOCKINGBIRD [1980]
Theroux, Paul
O-ZONE [1986]
Thomas, T.L.
THE CLONE [1965] (with K.Wilhelm)
Tiptree, James Jr.
***UP THE WALLS OF THE WORLD [1978]
***BRIGHTNESS FALLS FROM THE AIR [1985]
THE STARRY RIFT [1986]
Toynbee, Polly
LEFTOVERS [1966]
'Trout, Kilgore' [pseudonym of P.J.Farmer]
VENUS ON THE HALF-SHELL [1975]
[Burlesque of space-opera. Uses Kurt Vonnegut's character, 'Kilgore Trout', who was inspired by Theodore Sturgeon.]
Tubb, E.C.
THE WINDS OF GATH [1967]
Tucker, Wilson
THE LONG, LOUD SILENCE [1952]
***THE YEAR OF THE QUIET SUN [1970]
Turner, George
BELOVED SON [1978]
***THE SEA AND SUMMER [1987]
Vance, Jack
***THE DYING EARTH [1950]
TO LIVE FOREVER [1956]
***THE DRAGON MASTERS [1963]
STAR KING [1964]
THE KILLING MACHINE [1964]
THE PALACE OF LOVE [1967]
THE FACE [1979]
THE BOOK OF DREAMS [1981]
Van Greenaway, Peter
THE CRUCIFIED CITY [1962]
THE MEDUSA TOUCH [1973]
Van Scyoc, Sydney
ASSIGNMENT NOR'DYREN [1973]
Van Vogt, A.E.
***SLAN [1946]
[Homo Superior struggles to smooth transition to their dominance.]
THE WEAPON MAKERS [1946]
[Freak immortal shepherds humanity.]
THE BOOK OF PTATH [1947]
THE WORLD OF NULL-A [1970/48]
THE VOYAGE OF THE SPACE BEAGLE [1950]
[Part of this novel inspired the 'Alien' series of movies.]
THE WEAPON SHOPS OF ISHER [1951]
Varley, John
THE OPHIUCHI HOTLINE [1977]
***TITAN [1979]
***MILLENNIUM [1983]
[Expansion of the famous short story "Air Raid".]
***STEEL BEACH [1991]
'Vercors'
BORDERLINE [1952] [a.k.a. (a) YOU SHALL KNOW THEM, (b) THE MURDER OF
THE MISSING LINK]
Verne, Jules
***JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH [1864]
***FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON [1865]
***TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA [1869]
Vinge, Vernor
***A FIRE UPON THE DEEP [1991]
Von Harbou, Thea
METROPOLIS [1926]
[Possibly the first novelization of a movie.]
Vonnegut, Kurt Jr
***THE SIRENS OF TITAN [1959]
***CAT'S CRADLE [1963]
***SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE [1969]
Watson, Ian
***THE EMBEDDING [1973]
THE JONAH KIT [1975]
THE MARTIAN INCA [1977]
***ALIEN EMBASSY [1977]
***MIRACLE VISITORS [1978]
GOD'S WORLD [1979]
CHEKHOV'S JOURNEY [1983]
Weinbaum, Stanley G.
THE NEW ADAM [1939]
Wells, H.G.
***THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU [1896]
[Dr M. has surgical technique to raise animals to human-like status. See also
Aldiss: Moreau's Other Island.]
***THE INVISIBLE MAN [1897]
***THE WAR OF THE WORLDS [1897]
[Martian cyborgs invade Earth, but are eventually defeated by...]
***THE SLEEPER AWAKES [1899]
[Wells's vision of London circa 2100 A.D.]
***THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON [1901]
***THE FOOD OF THE GODS [1904]
[Often goes unrecognised as a fascinating allegory of the power of science.]
IN THE DAYS OF THE COMET [1906]
THE WAR IN THE AIR [1908]
***THE WORLD SET FREE [1914]
[The first printed occurrence, anywhere, of the term 'atomic bomb' is in this novel.]
MEN LIKE GODS [1923]
***THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME [1933]
Wheatley, Dennis
SIXTY DAYS TO LIVE [1939]
White, James
THE WATCH BELOW [1966]
THE DREAM MILLENNIUM [1974]
Wilhelm, Kate
THE KILLING THING [1967]
[Not a great sf novel, but an excellent and underrated man-versus-machine
story.]
WHERE LATE THE SWEET BIRDS SANG [1974]
Williams, R.
AFTERMATH [1982]
Williamson, Jack
THE LEGION OF SPACE [1947/35]
THE LEGION OF TIME [1952/38]
THE HUMANOIDS [1949]
[Various psychic mutants combine forces to defeat over-protective robots.]
Wolfe, Gene
***THE SHADOW OF THE TORTURER [1980]
***THE CLAW OF THE CONCILIATOR [1981]
***THE SWORD OF THE LICTOR [1982]
***THE CITADEL OF THE AUTARCH [1983]
Womack, Jack
***AMBIENT [1988]
Wylie, Philip
GLADIATOR [1930]
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE [1933] (with E.Balmer)
***THE DISAPPEARANCE [1951]
***THE END OF THE DREAM [1972]
Wyndham, John
STOWAWAY TO MARS [1936]
***THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS [1951]
[The archetypal cosy catastrophe. Forget the American movie, but the Brits made a tv mini-series of it that wasn't too bad.]
THE KRAKEN WAKES [1953] [U.S. title: OUT OF THE DEEPS]
[Aliens take up residence in Earth's oceans, melt ice-caps, and generally make
nuisances of themselves.]
***THE CHRYSALIDS [1955] [U.S. title: RE-BIRTH]
[Wyndham not only wrote the archetypal cosy catastrophe ('Triffids'), but he
also wrote one of the best post-disaster novels. This is it. In a society in
which mutants are ruthlessly weeded out, a young psychic mutant struggles to
survive.]
***THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS [1957]
[Filmed under this title and more recently as 'Village of the Damned'.]
TROUBLE WITH LICHEN [1960]
CHOCKY [1968]
***WEB [1979]
[Do not read this novel if you are anachrophobic.]
Zamyatin, Yevgeny
***WE [1924]
[A great but little-known dystopia - on a par with BRAVE NEW WORLD and 1984.]
Zebrowski, George
MACROLIFE [1979]
Zelazny, Roger
THIS IMMORTAL [1966]
LORD OF LIGHT [1967]
[I have included this because it is an award winner and was apparently widely liked, but I failed at two attempts to read it.]
ISLE OF THE DEAD [1969]
TODAY WE CHOOSE FACES [1973]
