Science fiction and fantasy titles don’t often win literary awards, but many of the best-selling and most influential books of all time fall within this broad category: Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Dune, Twilight, Game of Thrones, 1984, etc. (Though they’re different on a technical level, the two genres are often bunched together in bookstores and bookish publications.)
I seem to have a love/hate relationship with SFF books. I either love ‘em or can’t finish ‘em, but I’m always on the hunt for more and am eager to find my next 5-star read in the genre.
A few of my own SFF favorites include:
The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Dune by Frank Herbert
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Anything by Stephen King
Anything by Michael Crichton
Your turn: Tell me your favorite science fiction and fantasy books!
I could give a long list but I’m just going with one, because it’s The One for me. If a book can change a person’s life, this was mine.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin.
My favorite sci-fi/fantasy book is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I have read this book multiple times and taught it at the high school level as well. It has all the things I love- 80s references, quirky characters, an underdog turned hero and a strong female character all set against the backdrop of virtual reality.