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Science Fiction and Fantasy Books
Science fiction
Milestone Science Fiction Books
These classics are truly timeless and will never go out of style.
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Heinlein basically defined the military sci-fi genre with this novel about future warfare against giant insect-like aliens. |
Frank Herbert covers all the themes of religion, politics, war and love in the struggle for power on the sand planet of Arrakis (Dune). |
George Orwell depicts a gray, totalitarian world dominated by Big Brother and its vast network of agents that monitor your every move. |
Written by behaviorist B.F. Skinner in the 1940s, Walden Two is a novel about the account of six people who go to visit a modern-day utopia. |
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Andrew "Ender" Wiggin thinks he is playing computer simulated war games, when he is actually engaged in something far more real. Ender is the most talented result of Earth's desperate quest to create the military genius that his planet needs in its all-out war with an alien enemy. |
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Arthur Dent is plucked from his planet by his friend, Ford Prefect, just seconds before it is demolished to make way for an alien, hyper-space bypass. The two must make their way through the galaxy to find a new home. |
The future of the galaxy looks bleak and violent. To preserve knowledge and save mankind, both scientists and scholars--the best minds in the Empire--travel to a bleak planet at the edge of the Galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for a future generations. |
The epitome of Martian invasion stories: H.G. Wells depicts the world under siege by all-powerful, super-destructive, amoral aliens. |
Modern Sci-Fi Hits
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The main character is forced into a "glasshouse" experiment. Participants must recreate the twentieth century in an isolated space habitat. They'll be arbitrarily assigned genders, and have to engage in certain kinds of conformist behaviors. |
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom This story takes place in a future version of Disney World, which, by this time has become a pinnacle of 20th century achievement. The main character finds out that he was murdered for his post at The Haunted Mansion, and is now a clone of himself. His mission is revenge. |
A group of Scottish organized criminals jump through a wormhole with their "search engine," a giant machine used for finding and pillaging cool treasure. |
Classic Fantasy Books
Although there is a great deal of overlap between fantasy and science fiction, fantasy books usually have magic or supernatural beings as a part of the direct plot. The genre is dominated by medievalist themes such as swords, dungeons, dragons, magic, and castles.
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J.R.R. Tolkien defines the medievalist genre with this tale of good vs. evil. A lone hobbit must embark on a quest to destroy The Ring. He and his companions must ward off the forces of evil to save Middle Earth. |
The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy discover the secret country of Narnia hidden in an old wardrobe. Soon they meet Aslan, the Great Lion, and begin their epic journey. |
The last living member of the Shannara bloodline finds himself hunted by an evil wizard, and is forced to take up the fabled Sword of Shannara to defend both himself and the kingdom. |
This book series is a manifestation of the Dungeons & Dragons |
Modern Fantasy Hits
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Bella Swan befriends a "vegetarian" vampire and the two eventually fall in love. The Twilight series includes all the complications of young love, vampirism, and temptation. |
Christopher Paolini began writing Eragon at the age of 15. The story is about a boy that age who finds a blue stone that hatches into a dragon. After his uncle is murdered by an evil king, the two set out for revenge. |
Harry Potter is summoned to an esteemed school for magic and must fight the evil wizard that killed his parents. |
Related Guides
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