501 must-read sci-fi, fantasy and fiction books

[Unnursvana]

I saw this book on my tiny little library in my school and I thought it wold be great idea for this guild... but they don't really have to be 501 ... it can goes as long as we want... if this will be a popular thread...

anyway here is my books

1.Harry Potter
2. Twilight
3. His dark materials
4. Narnia

fill it folks ^^ if you want to  

[godhi]

If I were to list the most important and influential science fiction and fantasy books I have read, it would be a very long list. Here are some books that I believe everyone should read:

1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell: If you haven't read these books, read them now. They are two of the most important books you will ever read, especially if you notice current trends in national politics.
Big Brother is watching you!

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: If you love literature, read this book. His short story collections, especially The October Country, S is for Space, Dandelion Wine, and The Golden Apples of the Sun are considered some of the best science fiction and fantasy ever written.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein: Classic science fiction by a master of the genre. The latter novel was considered one of the most controversial books of its time.

Neuromancer by William Gibson: The novel that started the cyberpunk revolution in science fiction. Gibson doesn't just write science fiction; he writes some of the best fiction in the genre in terms of prose, character, and exposition. His short story collection, Burning Chrome is also worth reading.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: Considered by many to be the grandfather of epic fantasy, Tolkien didn't just write one of the best fantasy trilogies of the 20th century--he crafted an entire fantasy world in such detail that it changed the lives of an entire generation of readers.

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart: Considered to be one of the best fantasy novels in the past twenty-five years, the author describes the novel as "a story of an ancient China that never was, but should have been." Definitely worth reading.

The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett: These two novels are the first volume in the Discworld series, and set the stage for the comedy and mayhem which follows. A clever satire of the sword-and-sorcery genre, Pratchett skewers everyone from Fritz Leiber to Robert E. Howard and Anne McCaffrey. If you love good fantasy, they are well worth reading; if you are a fan of classic fantasy and mythology, you will laugh at the outrageous puns, in-jokes, and clever references to them scattered through the series. Highly recommended.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson: A clever satire of the cyberpunk genre combining virtual reality, corporate culture, and social commentary in a near-future society where the United States is owned by international corporations. But what can you expect from a science fiction novel where a half-Japanese samurai and computer hacker named Hiro Protagonist is working for the Mafia delivering pizza?

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman: What happens when mankind is involved in an interstellar war with an alien species--and the spacecraft are limited by the speed of light? Haldeman explores the concept of war in a future where the laws of relativity cause problems for soldiers who have spent only weeks or months in combat--only to return to Earth and find that decades or even centuries have passed. Definitely one of the classic novels of science fiction.
 

[Jay Robyn]

1. The Bartimaeus Trilogy
2. Twilight
3. Here there be Dragons

Can't think of anymore, but there are others. I'll post them as I remember them.  

[magic mystery and mayhem]

1. eragon
2. Hp
3. twilight
4. dark magichen
5. old kindom
6. children of the red king
7. spectimus heap
8. conpanyens qurtet
9. straveganza
10. swan kindom
mite add more  

[Fairy Alchemist 96]

1.Artemis Fowl.
A must read.Really,it is AMAZING!Based around an Irish child prodigy (Artemis Fowl) and his fairy friends/enemies (including stubborn Holly Short, technical genius Foaly,and kleptomaniac Mulch Diggums).my favourite books of all time.The newest in the series,Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox, came out in July/August.

2.The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.
Another must read.Based around the alchemist Nicholas Flamel (who was a real live alchemist in the 15th century.Check him up on wikipedia if you think I'm lying),Perenelle Flamel (his wife),Josh and Sophie Newman,and Dr.John Dee(also a real life person.He was a spy for queen Elizabeth I).The newest of the series (The Magician came out early 2008.  

[Suzuka-dono]

1. The Keys to the Kingdom (garth nix)
2. the Trixter Duet (by tamora pierce)
3. Watership Down (does this book count?)
4. Artemis Fowl
5. The Stravaganza series (think that's what it's called)
6. The Maximum Ride series
7. The Guardians of Time (history?! I don't remember the title at all! D: But it was such a great series!!!)
8. The Abhorsen trilogy
9. Rauld Daul stuff (lol)
10. Life as We Knew It

erm, that's all I could come up with for now. I tried to not include what other people already said, like Harry Potter and Bartimeaus.  

[Foxglow]

I personally love dystopian fiction.

1984 and Animal Farm (the latter based on real events, I know) are both superb and have already been mentioned.

Brave New World is also fantastic and anything by H. G. Wells is worth a read.

I would also put forward the 9 books by Robin Hobb beginning with the Assassin Trilogy. These are some of my favourite ever books.

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is brilliant - some of the inspiration for 1984 can definitely be seen in this book.

The Dune books are great, although I do love the prequels (written by Frank Herbert's son) somewhat more than the sequels! That might just be my preference for prequels in general though!

Everything by Terry Pratchett is hilarious and I can read him over and over smile Ditto Hitchhiker's Guide.

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. d**k is a good book (Philip K. d**k is an amazing author anyway.) It's based on the 'What if...' scenario of the Nazis winning WW2.  

[Lynnden_472]

the shadow of the wind  

[purplepenguin99]

HP
Eragon
His Dark Materials
Any of Tamora Pierce's books
Narnia
Chris D'Lacey's dragon books
Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy "trilogy"
Twilight

there's more, but I can't think of them right now.  

[Just Tsuki]

the books/stories/authors/series that you must read in no particular order are:
- the discworld series by terry pratchett
- the old kingdom series and across the wall (especially endings) by garth nix
- skuldugery pleasant 1,2 and soon 3 by derek landy
- watership down by richard adams
- the hobbit by tolkin ( mostly because every body reads the lord of the rings series and never really think about their prequel)
- Green Rider and First Rider's Call and i think there is a third one by kristen britain
EDIT
- Drangonfly by Julia Golding
- Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
- The Hungry Catapillar (yep, i know that this is a kiddies book but it is the most amazing book ever. especially when you flap the wings at the end 4laugh heart )
erm........
thats all i can think of at the moment, so cya dudes!!  

[Siolphlanda]

Nobody's talking about Enders Game? For shame, people, for shame*! One of the most amazingly introspective books ever written, all wrapped in a yummy sci-fi coating.

Catch 22 is another good one. Completely insane, total wack-job of a book, but excellent nonetheless.

Princess Bride! Such a fun, sweet book. Go read it now (after Ender's Game). It'll cheer you up.

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal-Snogging. That book is hilarious with a capital H. So, it's Hilarious. Logic!

Seabiscuit. I know, you saw the movie. Read the book. I totally had a lonely-middle-schooler crush on Red. He was unthreatingly sized, kind to animals, and probably dead! Perfect!

*The rhyming was unintentional, please ignore it.

ps. twilight sucks BUUUUUURN  

[bunnyrulerofthemoon]

Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. I enjoy reading both of them and seeing how the story compares from two different points of view.

Anything by Tamora Pierce, although The Will of the Empress and Trickster's Choice/Trickster's Queen are maybe the best.

His Dark Materials Trillogy. I don't think the movies will ever be as good as the books.

The Lord of the Rings trillogy and The Hobbit. The language might be odd, since it's so old, but it's still really good.

Anything by Terry Pratchett. So funny.

The Abhorsen books by Garth Nix.

Watership Down.

The Water trillogy. Forget who the author is, but the story is about Atlantis, Merlin/Aurthurian ledgend and stuff. They are kids books, so they are short, but I still love them.

These mostly seem to be repeats of previous posts, which just proves how good these books are!  

[theorie de chaos]

First off, there is Twilight on peoples lists? I kind of die a little, seeing that.

But anyways, as of right now, I just have
Watership Down and
1984

I'll add some later.  

[frohesmaedchen]

Hmm I would have to say:
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I'm a little sad to see it hasn't been mentioned yet but the people who have read them are a little inactive I think.. Brilliant, fantastic books that are definitely a must-read for any fantasy fan! The setting, plot and characters are so rich and believable, they make the books so hard to put down. (The first book is called The Eye of the World)

Earth's Children series by Jean M. Auel. A historical fiction series based around 20 000 years ago.. Brilliant writing and research here. The first novel here is called The Clan of The Cave Bear.

I'm also a fan of the like of Philippa Gregory and her period novels. She's written many more than just The Other Boleyn Girl (though that is good as well) I would recommend The Constant Princess as well.

I suddenly remembered another book I read a few months back: Magician by Raymond E. Feist. This is another brilliant book of fantasy

I hope to read 1984 soon, as on top of it being suggested here I have heard many good things about it. 3nodding

I'll hopefully remember more later. And I must try find some of the books suggested here... ^.^  

[XxMetal_UniversexX]

1. Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks
2. Ender Series
3. Drizzt Series