Science Fiction or Fantasy?

I was wondering what I was going to read this summer when a student added NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books to a class discussion board.

Not to be outdone, SF Signal turned NPR's list of Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books into a flowchart.

But SF Signal didn't stop there. They turned the flowchart into an interactive list. To begin, you must first decide whether you want to read science fiction or fantasy. After clicking science fiction, you are asked about cyberpunk (Gritty noir, Neo-Victorian, or Samurai). If Neuromancer's not your thing, or you've already read it (which I suspect), then you can blast into space.

At the "start" screen, you are also asked if you like neither and instead "only read books with pictures." Hmmmm, do I detect hoity-toity comic phobia? If you choose to read "picture books", then you get to choose between Heroes (Watchmen) and or "Master of Dreams" (Neil Gaiman's Sandman series). I recommend both.

If you'd prefer to start with Fantasy, then the interactive flow chart asks, "If you are going to be upset when you don't find Harry Potter?" But if you're relieved to find out that fantasy includes something other than Harry Potter, then you're headed for Arthurian legends, westerns, or any number of magical kingdoms.

If you want to click through the hallowed halls of science fiction and fantasy, then start here.

Too busy to click through all those choices? Maybe you should run off the entire flowchart in all its 3800 X 2300 pixel glory.

I wish I had a really big piece of paper handy!

Comments

  1. Nikila WalkerMarch 5, 2012 at 5:18 PM

    My older Sister and I have this diacussion regulary about what books sound interesting from multiple book lists. I personally dont know why I torture myself doing this. I have a whole collection of books I have yet to read. However,it is fun to look through the list. I love Stephen King novels the mosy. I watched the swedish version of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and now I am interested in the books in the triology. My collection of books that I havent read yet is large enough that I just realized today I already own one book in the triology. Maybe this summer I'll get through that collection I have.

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  2. Lindsey HalfenSeptember 30, 2019 at 4:17 PM

    I think this is such a great tool for lovers of science fiction and fantasy books like myself! I tend to go to bookstores just to peruse the various young adult and adult fantasy shelves, so having this interactive list to help me narrow down my choices is such a great idea. It can also widen my horizons when it comes to the genre, since I've read little to no true adult high fantasy books in my time and would like to get into them. After taking the test, I ended up getting "The Once and Future King" by T.H. White.

    -Lindsey Halfen

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