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I have a collection of over 500 hard back science fiction and fantasy books, as well as numerous other books; history, mythology, and role-playing. Most of the Sci-Fi were originally my grandfathers. I am inputing them all here as I read them stating in 1999. There are many books in the collection I have read before 1999 and a lot of books here that I read that I don't own. The rating system only goes back to 2004.
Oh and there are plenty of mistakes in here, spelling, categories and such.
| Statistics on the books I've read since 1999 | | Categorys | | Alternate Fantasy | 56 | | Alternate History | 71 | | Alternate History: Civil War | 2 | | Alternate History: Steampunk | 7 | | Alternate History: WWII | 12 | | Astronomy | 2 | | Beekeeping | 19 | | Computer | 1 | | Fantasy | 143 | | Fantasy: Contemporary | 72 | | Fantasy: Lost World | 2 | | Fantasy: Lovecraftian | 11 | | Fantasy: Post-Apocalyptic | 19 | | Fiction | 6 | | Fiction: Military | 3 | | Gardening | 0 | | History | 107 | | Humor | 2 | | Linguistics | 1 | | Mythology | 32 | | Non-Fiction | 1 | | Political | 4 | | Pulp Adventure | 10 | | Roleplaying | 3 | | Sci-fi | 378 | | Sci-Fi: Cyberpunk | 0 | | Sci-Fi: Dystopian | 3 | | Sci-Fi: Military | 73 | | Sci-Fi: Post-Apocalyptic | 17 | | Sci-Fi: Space Opera | 46 | | Sci-Fi: Time Travel | 9 | | Science | 14 | |
| | Covers | | hardback | 657 | | oversized hardback | 1 | | paperback | 278 | | softcover | 193 | |
| | Collections | | Borrowed | 98 | | Granddads | 170 | | Moms | 4 | | Shawns | 858 | |
| | Anthologys | | Anthology | 72 | | Not an Anthology | 1021 | | Multi-Author Anthology | 37 | |
| | Books per year | 2023: 7
2022: 48
2021: 47
2020: 58
2019: 58
2018: 33
2017: 36
2016: 56
2015: 41
2014: 47
2013: 28
2012: 50
2011: 54
2010: 65
2009: 62
2008: 57
2007: 50
2006: 43
2005: 35
2004: 54
2003: 92
2002: 53
2001: 41
2000: 64
1999: 40
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| | Total books read: (includes rereads) 1261 | Total unique books: 1130 |
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The rating system I'm using is:
- I'll be getting rid of this one
- Really bad
- Bad
- Average
- A good book
- I'll probably read it again
- I recommend reading this
- Read it twice in the first sitting
Categories
I am using 3 main categories, Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Alternate History. The great decider in whether a book is Sci-Fi or Fantasy is the use of the supernatural. That makes it Fantasy. So The Dragon Riders of Pern series is Sci-Fi there are not gods, magic, or supernatural, its all science based. Star Wars on the other hand (at least before Lucus retconned it with midicholians) is Fantasy because the Force is supernatural. Alternate History falls in a separate category. These are books purposefully set in the past where history changes and goes down an alternate timeline. The change can be due to science or the supernatural.
- Alternate History: A story that takes place in the past in our world which was the same until a certain point. This Point of Departure is the instance where the timeline between our world and the one in the story diverge. The PoD can be caused but time travel or supernatural means but the cause is not generally relevant to the story.
- Alternate History: Steampunk: The Point of Departure causes the world to develop super science in the Victorian Age. Usually developing steam powered devices and computing machines early. The story is generally set in the Victorian Age or immediately after.
- Alternate History: WWII: An Alternative WWII takes place. Hitler dies, Hitler lives, America never enters the war etc.
- Alternate History: Civil War An Alternative American Civil War takes place
- Alternate Fantasy: A story set on a parallel world in a semi-historical time where the supernatural exists. This differs from an Alternate History in that the world was always different from ours but developed along similar lines.
- Sci-Fi
- Sci-Fi: Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic: The world ends, or nearly does drastically changing things.
- Sci-Fi: Cyberpunk: near future, dystopian, ai and prostecics are common
- Sci-Fi: Time Travel: Time Travel can cause an Alternate History or enter a Parallel World but the focus of a Sci-Fi Time Travel story is going back and forth in time not the world created.
- Sci-Fi: Space Opera: A story that occurs in space with the focus on action rather than science tend have larger than life heroes.
- Sci-Fi: Military: Involves future weapons and warfare with the focus being on the super technology. Often crosses over with Space Opera but the characters tend to be more normal and the emphasis is on warfare and weapons rather than action.
- Fantasy: Requires the existence of the supernatural. Stories that seem Sci-Fi can be Fantasy because a large portion of the story is explained as supernatural (ie the Force in Star Wars before Lucus retconned it).
- Fantasy: Contemporary: A story set in the modern world but where the supernatural exists. This is the same as a Alternate Fantasy, but is not a historical story.
- Fantasy: Post-Apocalyptic: The Apocalypse caused magic to reenter the world, so its in the future but the supernatrual exisits also making it more Fantasy than Sci-Fi.
- Lovecraftian Fiction: Involves Chthulu, the Great Old ones, and people fighting unspeakable evil which is trying to enter and take over the world. The original genre was Horror but more contemporary literature tends to be campy.
- Pulp Adventure: Typically 1920s and 1930s the heroes don't have supernatural powers but are the top end of what humanity has to offer. Typically Tarzan and Doc Savage.
| A Wizard of Earthsea | | | [11-Mar-2023]
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin.
Fantasy: 183 pages.
Volume 1 in the series Earthsea.
Lost the original paperbacks. lost the hardback to replace them. People dont return books. Cover is gone and first pages ripped off. A young wizard summons the dead and it follows him for much of his early career as he becomes a real wizard, tames a dragon and eventually deals with the spirit. Rating: 7 (out of 8) |
| Tales from the Thousand and One Arabian Knights | | [03-Mar-2023]
by N. J. Dawood
Mythology: 407 pages
Sinbad is not a good sailor he is a Jonah. Every ship he sails on sinks, he get stranded or otherwise never finishes the voyage. Do not travel with Sinbad. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
| The 1987 Annual Worlds Best SF | | | [15-Feb-2023]
The 1987 Annual Worlds Best SF by Donald A. Wollheim ed..
Sci-fi: 271 pages.
Volume 1987 in the series Annual Worlds Best SF.
A bad Zelazny story. Stories from Tanith Lee, Silverburg, none memorable. Rating: 4 (out of 8) |
| Small Gods | | | [12-Feb-2023]
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett.
Fantasy: 344 pages.
Volume 0 in the series Discworld.
This is just good. The great god Om manifests as a turtle with one true believer and an entire religion of no longer believe and struggles to reassert his worship. Dont forget about Ptang Ptang. Rating: 7 (out of 8) |
| Wierd World War IV | | [14-Jan-2023]
by Sean Patrick Hazlett
Fantasy: Post-Apocalyptic: 478 pages
Not as good as Weird World War III. The war after the apocalypse isnt as interesting as the apocalypse. Rating: 4 (out of 8) |
| Wakers | | [05-Jan-2023]
by Orson Scott Card
Sci-fi: 390 pages
Interesting. A clone wakes up in an abandoned facility and discovers he can slide between alternate realities to get better outcomes for himself. Then find the girl who can see those worlds before he slides. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
| Conan Blood of the Serpent | | [01-Jan-2023]
by S. M. Stirling
Fantasy: Lovecraftian: 427 pages
Stirling took a Howard partial short story and added a few hundred pages to the beginning to describe how Conan and Valeria met. Flows together well. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Spells, Sal, & Steel | | [17-Dec-2022]
by Larry N. Martin
Fantasy: Contemporary: 344 pages
A modern monster hunter in rural PA. Interesting stories about local cryptids. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
| Backyard Starship | | [10-Dec-2022]
by J. N. Chaney
Sci-fi: 587 pages
Guy inherits his grandfathers farm, and the sentient AI bird and spaceship in the barn as well as the job as a galactic cop. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Dead Mans Hand | | [06-Dec-2022]
by James J. Butcher
Fantasy: Contemporary: 373 pages
Though this was a Jim Butcher book, its not its by his son. Follows a pretty loser mage and a cop trying to clear one and clear the others partner. Rating: 4 (out of 8) |
| Marque of Caine | | | [29-Nov-2022]
Marque of Caine by Charles E. Gannon.
Sci-fi: 677 pages.
Volume 5 in the series Tales of the Terran Republic.
Better than the last volume but thats not saying much. Humanity is going to eliminate the greys once they can. Caine wanders though space being a lab rat. Rating: 4 (out of 8) |
| Salvage Rat | | [08-Nov-2022]
by Larry N. Martin
Sci-fi: 279 pages
Salvager picks up an archeologist being shot at by corporate goons and ends up part of a resistance movement. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
| Weird World War III Haunted Cold War Visions | | [01-Nov-2022]
by Sean Patrick Hazlett
Alternate History: 416 pages
This was good. Lots of short stories in the vein of Weird Tales but focusing on the Cold War, usually with the KGB and CIA doing something supernatural. Drake, Resnick, Hoyt, and other. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Caine Mutiny | | | [15-Oct-2022]
Caine Mutiny by Charles E. Gannon.
Sci-fi: 1056 pages.
Volume 4 in the series Tales of the Terran Republic.
This series is start to fall apart. This book would have bee n 100% better without about 500 pages of pointless minute by minute combat. Caine discovers some kidnapped soldiers and has to go rescue them. Rating: 3 (out of 8) |
| World Breakers Super-Tanks to the Stars | | [14-Oct-2022]
by Tony Daniel
Sci-fi: 335 pages
Better than the companion Star Destroyers this was short stories about super tanks, with a broad definition of super tanks including monster trucks. Several very good stories. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Star Destroyers Big ships blowing things up | | [01-Oct-2022]
by Tony Daniel
Sci-fi: 328 pages
There were some good stories at the beginning involving AI becoming a problem. Stories declined after that but werent bad. Rating: 4 (out of 8) |
| Hitler Triumphant | | [25-Sep-2022]
by Peter Tsouras ed.
Alternate History: WWII: 288 pages
Had to buy another copy because the last one wasnt returned. Scenarios of WWII where the axis do better written by real history professors with citations (real and fictional) and a short portion describing the differences from reality. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
| Beowulfs Children | | | [09-Sep-2022]
Beowulfs Children by Larry Niven.
Sci-fi: 382 pages.
Volume 2 in the series Heorot Series.
This would have been 100% better without the constant who is sleeping with who or thinking about it. Grendals are shown to be more than jut monsters other threats are found. A grendal is tamed, off stage and totally pointlessly. Rating: 4 (out of 8) |
| The Legacy of the Heorot | | | [29-Aug-2022]
The Legacy of the Heorot by Larry Niven.
Alternate Fantasy: 346 pages.
Volume 1 in the series Heorot Series.
Read this again since I found out I have the second one and since I read the third last week. People go to another planet
and discover a monster. Then kill it which causes its offspring in the thousands to develop and overwhelm the colony. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
| We Shall Rise | | | [25-Aug-2022]
We Shall Rise by John Ringo.
Sci-Fi: Post-Apocalyptic: 292 pages.
Volume 9 in the series Black Tide Rising.
Much better than the banker crap. Lots of stories about civilization coming back. Cleaning the last of the zombies and the bad people. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
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