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Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Book Lists

Locus Best SF Novels of All-Time

Locus Best SF Novels of All-Time

Locus Magazine's annual poll periodically includes 'all-time best' categories for novel or author. The Best SF Novel of All-Time poll was last held in 1998 and was restricted to books published before 1990.

 1. (1965)
Dune

DUNE

Frank Herbert
 2. (1966)
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS

Robert A. Heinlein
 3. (1969)
The Left Hand of Darkness

THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS

Ursula K. Le Guin
 4. (1974)
The Foundation Trilogy

THE FOUNDATION TRILOGY

Isaac Asimov
 5. (1961)
Stranger in a Strange Land

STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND

Robert A. Heinlein
 6. (1956)
The Stars My Destination

THE STARS MY DESTINATION

Alfred Bester
 7. (1959)
A Canticle for Leibowitz

A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ

Walter M. Miller, Jr.
 8. (1953)
Childhood's End

CHILDHOOD'S END

Arthur C. Clarke
 9. (1985)
Ender's Game

ENDER'S GAME

Orson Scott Card
 10. (1989)
Hyperion

HYPERION

Dan Simmons
 11. (1977)
Gateway

GATEWAY

Frederik Pohl
 12. (1974)
The Forever War

THE FOREVER WAR

Joe Haldeman
 13. (1953)
More Than Human

MORE THAN HUMAN

Theodore Sturgeon
 14. (1967)
Lord of Light

LORD OF LIGHT

Roger Zelazny
 15. (1984)
Neuromancer

NEUROMANCER

William Gibson
 16. (1983)
Startide Rising

STARTIDE RISING

David Brin
 17. (1895)
The Time Machine

THE TIME MACHINE

H. G. Wells
 18. (1962)
The Man in the High Castle

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE

Philip K. Dick
 19. (1975)
The Dispossessed

THE DISPOSSESSED

Ursula K. Le Guin
 20. (1968)
Stand on Zanzibar

STAND ON ZANZIBAR

John Brunner
 21. (1949)
Nineteen Eighty-Four

NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR

George Orwell
 22. (1953)
The Demolished Man

THE DEMOLISHED MAN

Alfred Bester
 23. (1950)
The Martian Chronicles

THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES

Ray Bradbury
 24. (1959)
Starship Troopers

STARSHIP TROOPERS

Robert A. Heinlein
 25. (1981)
Downbelow Station

DOWNBELOW STATION

C. J. Cherryh
 26. (1970)
Ringworld

RINGWORLD

Larry Niven
 27. (1968)
2001

2001

Arthur C. Clarke
 28. (1898)
The War of the Worlds

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS

H. G. Wells
 29. (1953)
Fahrenheit 451

FAHRENHEIT 451

Ray Bradbury
 30. (1974)
The Mote in God's Eye

THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE

Larry Niven
Jerry Pournelle
 31. (1963)
Way Station

WAY STATION

Clifford D. Simak
 32. (1937)
Star Maker

STAR MAKER

Olaf Stapledon
 33. (1972)
Dying Inside

DYING INSIDE

Robert Silverberg
 34. (1956)
The City and the Stars

THE CITY AND THE STARS

Arthur C. Clarke
 35. (1974)
Dhalgren

DHALGREN

Samuel R. Delany
 36. (1973)
Rendezvous with Rama

RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA

Arthur C. Clarke
 37. (1954)
Mission of Gravity

MISSION OF GRAVITY

Hal Clement
 38. (1952)
City

CITY

Clifford D. Simak
 39. (1988)
Cyteen

CYTEEN

C. J. Cherryh
 40. (1966)
Flowers for Algernon

FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON

Daniel Keyes
 41. (1956)
Double Star

DOUBLE STAR

Robert A. Heinlein
 42. (1949)
Earth Abides

EARTH ABIDES

George R. Stewart
 43. (1957)
The Door Into Summer

THE DOOR INTO SUMMER

Robert A. Heinlein
 44. (1930)
Last and First Men

LAST AND FIRST MEN

Olaf Stapledon
 45. (1969)
Ubik

UBIK

Philip K. Dick
 46. (1975)
Norstrilia

NORSTRILIA

Cordwainer Smith
 47. (1966)
The Witches of Karres

THE WITCHES OF KARRES

James H. Schmitz
 48. (1818)
Frankenstein

FRANKENSTEIN

Mary Shelley
 49. (1958)
Have Space Suit - Will Travel

HAVE SPACE SUIT - WILL TRAVEL

Robert A. Heinlein
 50. (1973)
Time Enough for Love

TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE

Robert A. Heinlein
 51. (1975)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?

Philip K. Dick
 52. (1972)
The Gods Themselves

THE GODS THEMSELVES

Isaac Asimov
 53. (1971)
To Your Scattered Bodies Go

TO YOUR SCATTERED BODIES GO

Philip José Farmer