Previously i posted a spreadsheet of some sci-fi writing. Gradually i’ve expanded that list, until it’s included all the Hugo, Locus, Nebula, Campbell and Sturgeon winners and most of the runner-ups. Then i threw in some other works from early sci-fi and to complete some series. All told, it now contains about 700 novels, and with shorter works 2153 items.
In order to keep all this straight, i’ve calculated the “Combo Rank” of all the works. This spreadsheet takes into account how well a work did in all 5 of the awards, and using a convoluted formula produces a single number roughly between 0 and 10. Thus a book that got second place in 3 awards would rank higher than one that got first in one award but did not place in any other award.I have no delusions that this method is the perfectly corresponds to a work’s greatness. Frederik Pohl’s Gateway and A. C. Clarke’s Rendevous with Rama are at the top of the list, being the only two novels to take first place in four of the awards i use. Though they are not unknown novels, i don’t expect to find them at the top of many “All Time Sci-fi Greats” lists. But in as much as winning a Nebula or a Hugo award indicates a work’s quality, this rank can be a useful tool to discover books of quality.
That is the purpose of the spreadsheet. It’s a tool to help me, (and hopefully other people) to find some of the better sci-fi to read. To that end i’ve also included brief summaries and links (when i could find the info). But of course the info is sometimes incomplete, or maybe even wrong. And inclusion on this list in no way implies a recommendation or endorsement by me. I’ve personally only read 13% of the list. But i’ve found using the list is much more rewarding than browsing through a library or bookstore looking at covers or blurbs.
Enjoy.
Well, John, I used to think I was a Sci-fi fan ’til I saw this list and realized I haven’t read much at all! Some of the stories on here that I have read, though, I wouldn’t put them in the Sci-fi category. I was surprised to find them on the list.