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John King says:
Having just reread a lot of sci fi from my teenage years can I add: The Day of the Triffids – John Wyndham The Death of Grass – John Christopher The Furies – Keith Roberts The Island of Dr Moreau – H G Wells (still gives me sleepless nights!)
I first read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams in 1984 and have read the entire series so many times that I lost track. No other series entertained me as much as that one.
I would recommend Ender’s game by Scott Orson Card or Voyagers by Ben Bova. I’ve reread both several times. Ben Bova recently passed after a fantastic career
The Robot Novels by Isaac Asimov What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson I Am Legend by Richard Matheson Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson Dark Matter by Blake Crouch Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury A Gift Upon the Shore by M.K. Wren The Wayward Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch
One of my favourite authors, Carl Sagan [Cosmos, Part 11: The Persistence of Memory (1980)]” )wrote:
“What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.”
I’m surprised not to see two of my choices. Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. Terry Goodkind’s Wizard’s First Rule and the 2nd following, Stone of Tears. Goodkind fell off the rails in later stories with his rape fantasies, but it happens to the best including Jordan, who while not into horrific details, maintained a far better flow with his stories.
I’m embarrassed to admit I forgot major favorites I’ve read enough to re-post once more. The Magic of Recluce and it’s follow-up saga is Fantasy more than Sci-Fi but has a blending of the two, so reading the list shows more than the one Genre. And of course, In Fury Born by David Weber. He missed out on a great character for follow-up I would enjoy seeing.
By the wording of the question, the answer requires a statistical analysis of actual titles read around the world, in their entirety, not a simple listing or vote on individual, personal choices. Although these selections may be helpful in determining book popularity, they will not help determine an actual winner unless everyone in the world votes and does so totally accurately, and not based upon personal preferences or misconceptions, or cloudy memory.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle was the first scifi book I ever read and has been a favorite to reread over the last 4 decades! Next favorite would be the Pern series by Anne McCaffrey!
Anything by Le Guin. Anything by McCaffrey (not just Pern butCrystal Singer trilogy, Ship who Sang, Tower and Hive series, Nimisha’s Ship). Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon Nor Crystal Tears and For Love of Mother-Not – really all the Pip and Flinx from Alan Dean Foster.
I love the books about Miles Vorkosigan and the Penric books by Lois McMaster Bujold, and the Legend of Beka Cooper and her other books set in Tortall by Tamora Pierce. I also try to reread Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant at least once a year.
Any Robert A. Heinlein, Harry Harrison, Frederik Pohl. Kurt Vonnegut, or L. Sprague de Camp, and and I will be lost to the outside world I read over over and enjoy as much as I did the first time.
You have Nathan Lowell’s Solar Clipper stories listed twice with two slightly different names. “Trader’s Tales” & “Golden Age” are roughly the same books. Trader’s Tales is a major subset of Golden Age.
Looked through the list and voted. Was surprised that 1984 wasn’t on it, so added it. Also surprised Atlas Shrugged also wasn’t on the list. Those two novels I know tend to get reread over and over. Other nominees surprised me; they may be personal favorites but don’t seem to be something reread other than by an particular individual even though they are good novels (Mote in God’s Eye for example).
Reread DUNE this winter and was surprised at how well it stood the test of time. The wealth of ideas here is enough to contemplate with several readings. Others worthy of rereading imho. Known Space series by David Niven Most any Heinlein (except the sequels to Stranger) Childe Cycle (Dorsai) by Gordon R. Dickson Cities in Flight series by James Blish Anything by Philip Jose Farmer (Riverworld) Most anything by Fritz Leiber (although he wrote some very enjoyable fantasy (Fafhrd and Grey Mouser)
Time To Decide: What is the Most Re-Read Sci-Fi Book of All Time?
Having just reread a lot of sci fi from my teenage years can I add:
The Day of the Triffids – John Wyndham
The Death of Grass – John Christopher
The Furies – Keith Roberts
The Island of Dr Moreau – H G Wells (still gives me sleepless nights!)
I love John Wyndham’s novels, and am always surprised that so many people haven’t read them.
Foundation series occurs twice in this list, maybe add those votes together?
I first read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams in 1984 and have read the entire series so many times that I lost track. No other series entertained me as much as that one.
Totally Agree!!
I would recommend Ender’s game by Scott Orson Card or Voyagers by Ben Bova. I’ve reread both several times. Ben Bova recently passed after a fantastic career
Would like to add a couple of other titles:
The Robot Novels by Isaac Asimov
What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
A Gift Upon the Shore by M.K. Wren
The Wayward Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch
One of my favourite authors, Carl Sagan [Cosmos, Part 11: The Persistence of Memory (1980)]” )wrote:
“What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.”
We are blessed by magic!
I’m surprised not to see two of my choices.
Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series.
Terry Goodkind’s Wizard’s First Rule and the 2nd following, Stone of Tears.
Goodkind fell off the rails in later stories with his rape fantasies, but it happens to the best including Jordan, who while not into horrific details, maintained a far better flow with his stories.
I don’t tend to re-read books; why do that when there are so many new ones to read?
I’m embarrassed to admit I forgot major favorites I’ve read enough to re-post once more.
The Magic of Recluce and it’s follow-up saga is Fantasy more than Sci-Fi but has a blending of the two, so reading the list shows more than the one Genre.
And of course, In Fury Born by David Weber.
He missed out on a great character for follow-up I would enjoy seeing.
Ringworld, Larry Niven,and the Gateway series, Frederik Pohl.
By the wording of the question, the answer requires a statistical analysis of actual titles read around the world, in their entirety, not a simple listing or vote on individual, personal choices. Although these selections may be helpful in determining book popularity, they will not help determine an actual winner unless everyone in the world votes and does so totally accurately, and not based upon personal preferences or misconceptions, or cloudy memory.
Is your name Sheldon Cooper?
Good luck with that. Have you heard of statistic?
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle was the first scifi book I ever read and has been a favorite to reread over the last 4 decades! Next favorite would be the Pern series by Anne McCaffrey!
I selected to add Pern to the list. I actually met and talked to Todd McCaffrey. I also loved the Ship Who Sang series she did.
Anything by Le Guin.
Anything by McCaffrey (not just Pern butCrystal Singer trilogy, Ship who Sang, Tower and Hive series, Nimisha’s Ship).
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
Nor Crystal Tears and For Love of Mother-Not – really all the Pip and Flinx from Alan Dean Foster.
The Dune saga, by Frank Herbert
Ringworld books by Larry Niven
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
Any Heinlein book. I have reread Starship Trooper and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress so many times the books are falling apart.
Dune by Frank Herbert, Old Mans War series by John Scalzi and The Expanse series by James S A Corey. Sci-Fi doesn’t get any better… does it?
Dune, absolutely!
Tried to add Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon. Not sure whether it went through!
It went through. 8z)
I am not sure why you want more comment. I have given you my email address, if you want more thoughts, ask.
Lord of the Rings (and others) are on twice and no 1984? I tried to add it, but it won’t let me.
Additional entries
1. Stardancer series by the Robinsons
2. Snow Crash Stephenson
3. Diamond Age Stephenson
I love the books about Miles Vorkosigan and the Penric books by Lois McMaster Bujold, and the
Legend of Beka Cooper and her other books set in Tortall by Tamora Pierce. I also try to reread Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant at least once a year.
Any Robert A. Heinlein, Harry Harrison, Frederik Pohl. Kurt Vonnegut, or L. Sprague de Camp, and and I will be lost to the outside world I read over over and enjoy as much as I did the first time.
I looked over the list and concluded that people think that watching the movie more than once counts as a book being reread.
Has no one noticed several of the books are double entries? Please re-edit for correct totals
You have Nathan Lowell’s Solar Clipper stories listed twice with two slightly different names. “Trader’s Tales” & “Golden Age” are roughly the same books. Trader’s Tales is a major subset of Golden Age.
Looked through the list and voted. Was surprised that 1984 wasn’t on it, so added it. Also surprised Atlas Shrugged also wasn’t on the list. Those two novels I know tend to get reread over and over. Other nominees surprised me; they may be personal favorites but don’t seem to be something reread other than by an particular individual even though they are good novels (Mote in God’s Eye for example).
Reread DUNE this winter and was surprised at how well it stood the test of time. The wealth of ideas here is enough to contemplate with several readings.
Others worthy of rereading imho.
Known Space series by David Niven
Most any Heinlein (except the sequels to Stranger)
Childe Cycle (Dorsai) by Gordon R. Dickson
Cities in Flight series by James Blish
Anything by Philip Jose Farmer (Riverworld)
Most anything by Fritz Leiber (although he wrote some very enjoyable fantasy (Fafhrd and Grey Mouser)