Comments on Locus All-Centuries Poll: Shorts
The results of the Locus Online All-Centuries Poll are now out. I told you what my votes were a while ago. Here are the results of the poll, and following are my comments on the short fiction component.
In terms of short fiction, there’s a lot I haven’t read — there’s also some I read a long time ago and forgot. When I’m looking for some short fiction to read, I’ll come back to this list.
20th Century Novella:
Their ranking | Author : Title (Year) | My comments |
1 | Chiang, Ted : Story of Your Life (1998) | Brilliant, deserves its spot. |
2 | Le Guin, Ursula K. : The Word for World Is Forest (1972) | I’ve read a lot of Le Guin but not this one yet. |
3 | Tiptree, James, Jr. : Houston, Houston, Do You Read? (1976) | A good story — I wouldn’t put it quite this close to the top. |
4 | Campbell, John W. : Who Goes There? (1938) | |
5 | Varley, John : The Persistence of Vision (1978) | |
6 | Wolfe, Gene : The Fifth Head of Cerberus (1972) | I read it a long time ago and probably didn’t understand it. |
7 | Leiber, Fritz : Ill Met in Lankhmar (1970) | A great story. |
8 | Heinlein, Robert A. : The Man Who Sold the Moon (1950) | I’ve read a few of his novels but haven’t yet delved into his short fiction. |
9 | Kress, Nancy : Beggars in Spain (1991) | |
10 | Moore, C. L. (& Henry Kuttner) : Vintage Season (1946) | |
11 | Bujold, Lois McMaster : The Mountains of Mourning (1989) | |
12 | Martin, George R. R. : A Song for Lya (1974) | I loved A Game of Thrones but haven’t read any of his short fiction yet. |
13 | Lovecraft, H. P. : The Shadow Over Innsmouth (1942) | |
14 | Heinlein, Robert A. : By His Bootstraps | |
15 | Simak, Clifford D. : The Big Front Yard (1958) | A great story. |
16 | Sturgeon, Theodore : Baby Is Three (1952) | |
17* | Moorcock, Michael : Behold the Man (1966) | |
17* | Varley, John : PRESS ENTER[] (1984) | |
19 | Willis, Connie : The Last of the Winnebagos (1988) | A great story. |
20 | Vinge, Vernor : True Names (1981) | I loved Vinge’s novels that I’ve read but I haven’t gotten to his short stories yet. |
21 | Vance, Jack : The Last Castle (1966) | |
22* | Crowley, John : Great Work of Time (1989) | |
22* | Zelazny, Roger : 24 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai (1985) | |
24* | Vance, Jack : The Dragon Masters (1962) | |
24* | Vance, Jack : The Moon Moth (1961) | A great story. |
26 | Heinlein, Robert A. : The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag (1942) | |
27 | Longyear, Barry B. : Enemy Mine (1979) | |
28 | Asimov, Isaac : The Martian Way (1952) | |
29 | Farmer, Philip Jose : Riders of the Purple Wage (1967) | The only story I didn’t finish reading in Dangerous Visions. |
30 | Zelazny, Roger : He Who Shapes (1965) | |
31 | Chiang, Ted : Seventy-two Letters (2000) | A great story. |
32 | Shepard, Lucius : R&R (1986) | |
33 | Wolfe, Gene : The Death of Doctor Island (1973) | |
34 | Delany, Samuel R. : The Star Pit (1967) | |
35 | McCaffrey, Anne : Dragonrider (1967) | Part of the first Pern novel, it’s a good story. |
36 | Resnick, Mike : Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge (1994) | |
37 | Heinlein, Robert A. : Universe (1941) | |
38 | McCaffrey, Anne : Weyr Search (1967) | Part of the first Pern novel, it’s a good story. |
39 | Silverberg, Robert : Nightwings (1968) | |
40 | Anderson, Poul : The Queen of Air and Darkness (1971) | |
41 | Lovecraft, H. P. : The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward | |
42* | Howard, Robert E. : Red Nails (1936) | |
42* | Silverberg, Robert : Sailing to Byzantium (1985) | |
44 | Brin, David : The Postman (1982) | |
45 | Bear, Greg : Hardfought (1983) | |
46 | Russell, Eric Frank : …And Then There Were None | One of my favourites. |
47 | Zelazny, Roger : Home Is the Hangman (1975) | |
48* | Haldeman, Joe : The Hemingway Hoax (1990) | |
48* | Wolfe, Gene : Seven American Nights (1978) | |
50 | Lovecraft, H. P. : The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath (1943) |
20th Century Novelette:
Their ranking | Author : Title (Year) | My comments |
1 | Keyes, Daniel : Flowers for Algernon (1959) | An amazing story everyone should read. |
2 | Asimov, Isaac : Nightfall (1941) | A brilliant story, one of my favourites. |
3 | Zelazny, Roger : A Rose for Ecclesiastes (1963) | |
4 | Asimov, Isaac : The Bicentennial Man (1976) | A brilliant story, one of my favourites. |
5 | Martin, George R. R. : Sandkings (1979) | A great story, also made into an episode of The Outer Limits. |
6 | Bester, Alfred : Fondly Fahrenheit (1954) | A great story. |
7 | Ellison, Harlan : A Boy and His Dog (1969) | A fabulous story, also made into a movie that’s worth watching. |
8 | Bear, Greg : Blood Music (1983) | I read and enjoyed the novel version. |
9 | Butler, Octavia E. : Bloodchild (1984) | |
10 | Godwin, Tom : The Cold Equations (1954) | |
11 | Tiptree, James, Jr. : The Women Men Don’t See (1973) | |
12 | Tiptree, James, Jr. : The Girl Who Was Plugged In | |
13 | Card, Orson Scott : Ender’s Game (1977) | I don’t remember the story version separate from the novel — the novel is one of my favourites. |
14 | Chiang, Ted : Tower of Babylon (1990) | A great story, one of my favourites. |
15 | Weinbaum, Stanley G. : A Martian Odyssey (1934) | |
16 | Delany, Samuel R. : Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones (1968) | |
17 | Dick, Philip K. : We Can Remember It for You Wholesale (1966) | |
18 | Gibson, William : Burning Chrome (1982) | A great story, which I just read a couple of weeks ago. |
19 | Lovecraft, H. P. : The Call of Cthulhu (1928) | |
20 | Brown, Fredric : Arena (1944) | |
21 | Blish, James : Surface Tension (1952) | |
22 | Willis, Connie : Fire Watch (1982) | |
23 | Ellison, Harlan : The Deathbird | |
24 | Miller, Walter M., Jr. : A Canticle for Leibowitz (1955) | Part of the novel of the same name — brilliant. |
25 | Zelazny, Roger : The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth (1965) | |
26* | Smith, Cordwainer : The Ballad of Lost C’Mell (1962) | |
26* | Niven, Larry : Inconstant Moon (1971) | |
28 | Kuttner, Henry [Lewis Padgett] : Mimsy Were the Borogoves (1943) | |
29 | Niven, Larry : Neutron Star (1966) | |
30 | Kelly, James Patrick : Think Like a Dinosaur (1995) | |
31 | Zelazny, Roger : For a Breath I Tarry (1966) | |
32 | Sturgeon, Theodore : Microcosmic God | |
33 | McCaffrey, Anne : The Ship Who Sang (1961) | |
34 | Asimov, Isaac : Foundation (1942) | Part of the novel of the same name — one of my favourites. |
35* | Dick, Philip K. : Second Variety (1953) | |
35* | Smith, Cordwainer : Scanners Live in Vain (1950) | |
37 | Shepard, Lucius : The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule (1984) | |
38 | Heinlein, Robert A. : –And He Built a Crooked House (1941) | |
39 | Leinster, Murray : First Contact (1945) | |
40 | Kornbluth, C. M. : The Little Black Bag | |
41* | Aldiss, Brian W. : Hothouse (1961) | |
41* | Heinlein, Robert A. : The Roads Must Roll (1940) | |
43 | Kornbluth, C. M. : The Marching Morons | |
44 | Sterling, Bruce : Swarm (1982) | |
45 | Lovecraft, H. P. : The Dunwich Horror (1929) | |
46 | Asimov, Isaac : The Ugly Little Boy (1958) | |
47 | Zelazny, Roger : The Keys to December (1966) | |
48 | Leiber, Fritz : Gonna Roll the Bones (1967) | A good story. |
49 | Chiang, Ted : Understand (1991) | |
50* | Waldrop, Howard : The Ugly Chickens | |
50* | Le Guin, Ursula K. : Buffalo Gals, Won’t You Come out Tonight |
20th Century Short Story:
Their ranking | Author : Title (Year) | My comments |
1 | Clarke, Arthur C. : The Nine Billion Names of God (1953) | Brilliant and highly memorable. |
2 | Le Guin, Ursula K. : The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (1973) | An amazing story. |
3 | Ellison, Harlan : ‘Repent, Harlequin!’ said the Ticktockman (1965) | Great, one of my favourites. |
4 | Ellison, Harlan : I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967) | A great but brutal story. |
5 | Clarke, Arthur C. : The Star (1955) | Another great story. |
6 | Bradbury, Ray : A Sound of Thunder (1952) | A great story. |
7 | Heinlein, Robert A. : All You Zombies– (1959) | |
8 | Gibson, William : Johnny Mnemonic (1981) | A good story. |
9 | Tiptree, James, Jr. : The Screwfly Solution (1977) | |
10 | Jackson, Shirley : The Lottery (1948) | |
11 | Bradbury, Ray : There Will Come Soft Rains (1950) | Part of The Martian Chronicles, a great story. |
12 | Asimov, Isaac : The Last Question (1956) | A great story. |
13 | Shaw, Bob : Light of Other Days (1966) | |
14 | Vonnegut, Kurt : Harrison Bergeron (1961) | |
15 | Heinlein, Robert A. : The Green Hills of Earth (1947) | |
16 | Smith, Cordwainer : The Game of Rat and Dragon (1955) | |
17 | Pohl, Frederik : Day Million (1966) | |
18 | Ellison, Harlan : Jeffty Is Five (1977) | |
19 | Clarke, Arthur C. : The Sentinel (1951) | The inspiration for 2001: A Space Odyssey. |
20 | Russ, Joanna : When It Changed | |
21 | Tiptree, James, Jr. : Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death (1973) | |
22 | Delany, Samuel R. : Aye, and Gomorrah | |
23 | Bixby, Jerome : It’s a Good Life (1953) | |
24 | Bradbury, Ray : The Veldt (1950) | |
25 | Varley, John : Air Raid (1977) | |
26 | Le Guin, Ursula K. : The Day Before the Revolution (1974) | |
27 | Bisson, Terry : Bears Discover Fire (1990) | I didn’t understand why people thought it was so great. |
28 | Butler, Octavia E. : Speech Sounds | |
29 | Asimov, Isaac : Robbie (1940) | |
30* | Bradbury, Ray : The Million Year Picnic (1946) | Another great piece of The Martian Chronicles. |
30* | Willis, Connie : Even the Queen (1992) | A great story. |
30* | Sturgeon, Theodore : The Man Who Lost the Sea (1959) | |
33 | Leiber, Fritz : A Pail of Air (1951) | |
34 | Sturgeon, Theodore : Saucer of Loneliness (1953) | |
35* | Davidson, Avram : Or All the Seas with Oysters (1958) | |
35* | Russell, Eric Frank : Allamagoosa (1955) | |
37 | Card, Orson Scott : Unaccompanied Sonata (1979) | An amazing story, one of my favourites. |
38 | Martin, George R. R. : With Morning Comes Mistfall (1973) | |
39 | Gaiman, Neil : A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1990) | |
40 | Bester, Alfred : The Men Who Murdered Mohammed (1958) | |
41 | Asimov, Isaac : Liar! (1941) | |
42 | Egan, Greg : Learning to Be Me (1990) | |
43 | Gaiman, Neil : Troll Bridge (1993) | |
44 | Wolfe, Gene : The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories | |
45* | Leiber, Fritz : Coming Attraction | |
45* | Silverberg, Robert : Passengers | |
47 | Ballard, J. G. : The Terminal Beach | |
48 | Bradbury, Ray : All Summer in a Day (1954) | |
49 | Knight, Damon : The Country of the Kind (1956) | |
50 | Sturgeon, Theodore : Thunder and Roses (1947) |
As for the 21st century novellas, novelettes, and short stories I don’t have much to say — except that it’s tough to keep up with everything.