Why the Lists

It seems everywhere I look everyone wants to be David Letterman with his top ten or VH1 with a top hundred. I was looking on Fark, my usual source of "news", and found a link to a list of top 100 Science fiction Books. I was of course unable to pass up looking at the list. I can't say that I agree the ordering of the list. Neuromancer came in at 33. That just aint right. Neuromancer is perhaps one of the most influential SF books of the last couple / three decades and it is only 33. Bah. Frederik Pohl pulled both slots 8 and 9. Great author. Definitely near the top of my list. There are, however, a lot of good books on the list. I saw a number I've never heard of that I might have to purchase the next time I'm shopping. (Notably book number 1. I never read that particular Arthur C. Clarke). Too much Heinlein (notice I don't link that). I was a fan of Heinlein when I was a kid but as I grew I just couldn't see his ideas as being realistic to human nature. Dude wanted us nekkid all the time. Well not really bought he had a theory that when we get over our sexual hangups there would peace and understanding. Yeah that is going to happen. Anyways, women are fairly well represented on the list but I think that Connie Willis should have been a lot higher on the list. After a little browsing on their site I found a second SF list. This one also has some pretty good material on it. Ex cept that nasty Bored with the Rings. Anyway read some of this stuff I know I will. (One of this days I may break down and put up an Amazon wishlist. Then I could beg for that Arthur C. Clarke book. heh).

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