Taking up the Speculative Reading Challenge 2011

One of my (many) New Year's resolutions is to read those classic Science Fiction and Fantasy novels I have bought but never actually got round to reading. Amanda at Floor to Ceiling Books is hosting the Speculative Reading Challenge for 2011 and so I have decided I will join in this time.

My aim is to read and review at least two books per month (one female and one male author) here on this site and the provisional list is as follows:

• The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin
• Replay by Ken Grimwood
• Daggerspell by Katherine Kerr
• Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay
• Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite
• Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
• Transformation by Carol Berg
• A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
• Bold as Love by Gwyneth Jones
• Life During Wartime by Lucius Shepard
• Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle
• The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
• The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Keeping it Real by Justina Robson
• The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
• Deerskin by Robin McKinley
• Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delaney
• Sacrifice by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams
• Snake Agent by Liz Williams
• The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint
• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
• Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart

An ambitious list perhaps, but as I already own all of these books, this is a good opportunity to read them and to find out what makes them firm favourites with many of my fellow bloggers and reviewers. 

Gollancz SF and F Masterworks series - lists

@yetistomper is planning to review the entire Gollancz SF and F Masterworks series - 123 books in total - on his blog Stomping on Yeti in collaboration with other reviewers. An ambitious project, but possibly a very worthwhile one as each book is a classic in it's own right. Several years ago I decided to start collecting both series... I didn't get very far, but I did create a full list of each series. I am posting these here as a reference for myself, but if others find it useful, well, that's good, isn't it?!

Titles marked in bold I either own or have read (or both!)

GOLLANCZ SCIENCE FICTION MASTERWORKS SERIES

1. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
2. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
3. Cities in Flight by James Blish
4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
5. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
6. Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany
7. Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny
8. The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe
9. Gateway by Frederik Pohl
10. The Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith
11. Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon
12. Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
13. Martian Time-Slip by Philip K. Dick
14. The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
15. Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner
16. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
17. The Drowned World by J. G. Ballard
18. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
19. Emphyrio by Jack Vance
20. A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
21. Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon
22. Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock
23. The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg
24. The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
25. Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes
26. Ubik by Philip K. Dick
27. Timescape by Gregory Benford
28. More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon
29. Man Plus by Frederik Pohl
30. A Case of Conscience by James Blish
31. The Centauri Device by M. JohnHarrison
32. Dr. Bloodmoney by Philip K. Dick
33. Non-Stop by Brian Aldiss
34. The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
35. Pavane by Keith Roberts
36. Now Wait for Last Year by Philip K. Dick
37. Nova by Samuel R. Delany
38. The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells
39. The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke 
40. Blood Music by Greg Bear
41. Jem by Frederik Pohl
42. Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore
43. VALIS by Philip K. Dick
44. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
45. The Complete Roderick by John Sladek
46. Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick
47. The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
48. Grass by Sheri S. Tepper
49. A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Eon by Greg Bear
51. The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson
52. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick
53. The Dancers at the End of Time by Michael Moorcock
54. The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth
55. Time Out of Joint by Philip K. Dick
56. Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg
57. The Simulacra by Philip K.Dick
58. The Penultimate Truth by by Philip K. Dick
59. Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg
60. Ringworld by Larry Niven
61. The Child Garden by Geoff Ryman
62. Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement
63. A Maze of Death by Philip K. Dick
64. Tau Zero by Poul Anderson
65. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C.Clarke
66. Life During Wartime by Lucius Shepard
67. Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm
68. Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
69. Dark Benediction by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
70. Mockingbird by Walter Tevis
71. Dune by Frank Herbert
72. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
73. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick

GOLLANCZ FANTASY MASTERWORKS SERIES

1. The Conan Chronicles: Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle by Robert E. Howard
2. The Book of the New Sun. Volume 1 by Gene Wolfe
3. Little, Big by John Crowley
4. King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany
5. Tales of the Dying Earth by Jack Vance
6. Time and the Gods by Lord Dunsany
7. The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson
8. Elric by Michael Moorcock
9. The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
10. Replay by Ken Grimwood
11. The Book of the New Sun. Volume 2 by Gene Wolfe
12. Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden by Jack Vance
13. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
14. Lyonesse: The Green Pearl and Madouc by Jack Vance
15. Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin
16. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
17. The First Book of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber
18. The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll
19. The Worm Ouroboros by Eric Rücker Eddison
20. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
21. Darker Than You Think by Jack Williamson
22. The Compleat Enchanter by L. Sprague de Camp
23. Hour Of The Dragon by Robert E. Howard
24. Voice of Our Shadow by Jonathan Carroll
25. The Emperor of Dreams by Clark Ashton Smith
26. The Riddle-Master's Game by Patricia A. McKillip
27. A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay
28. The Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick
29. Corum: The Prince in the Scarlet Robe by Michael Moorcock
30. The History of the Runestaff by Michael Moorcock
31. The House on the Border Land and Other Stories by William Hope Hodgson
32. Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson
33. Viriconium by M. John Harrison
34. Lud-In-The-Mist by Hope Mirrlees
35. Beauty by Sheri S. Tepper
36. Time and Again by Jack Finney
37. Mistress of Mistresses by Eric Rücker
38. Gloriana by Michael Moorcock
39. The Well of the Unicorn by Fletcher Pratt
40. Swords Against Death by Fritz Leiber
41. Peace by Gene Wolfe
42. The Dragon Waiting : A Masque of History by John M. Ford
43. Black Gods and Scarlet Dreams by Catherine Lucille Moore
44. The Drawing of the Dark by Tim Powers
45. The Mabinogion by Evangeline Walton
46. Grendel by John Champlin Gardner Jr.
47. Was by Geoff Ryman
48. Song of Kali by Dan Simmons
49. Sea Kings of Mars and Otherwordly Stories by Leigh Brackett
50. The Mark Of The Beast And Other Fantastical Tales by Rudyard Kipling

Both series first appeared in 1999/2000 and seem pretty dated now. Personally I think there should be no more than one book per author in each list, but, as it is a published series of books, it may be that gollancz did not have the rights to publish other authors I think should be included e.g. Asimov.

So what do you think? Which books would you include on a 'best of' science fiction or fantasy? Add your choices using the comments.