Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award Winning Books-Any "Must-Reads"?

[jkingler]

http://www.kermanenterprises.com/hugo.html

http://www.sfwa.org/awards/archive/pastwin.htm

http://www.galaxybooks.com.au/sitepages/page67.asp

There are tons of great books that I can vouch for on these lists, but there are many more that I've only heard of and several that I can't even say that about.

Which books from these lists would you vouch for and why? Are there any you downright disliked?

Share. Discuss.

[Nakor]

Only ones i can vouch for are the Song of Ice and Fire books. they certainly deserved awards. more awards than they got.

alot of the books on those lists i have been wanting to read. but i already have a bunch lined up before i can start any of those.

[jkingler]

From the Hugo Award winners, here is what I know for sure:

The Gods Themselves (dissappointing, but good)
Ender's Game (loved it, definitely a must-read)
Speaker for the Dead (very good, recommended for readers of Ender's Game)

From the Nebula Awards:
The Gods Themselves (see above)
Ender's Game (see above)
Speaker for the Dead (see above)

From the Locus Awards:

Fantasy:

Silmarillion (strongly recommended for high attention-span, curious readers of LotR and The Hobbit)
Game of Thrones (strongly recommended for all fantasy readers--my favorite fantasy series ever)
Clash of Kings (ditto)
Storm of Swords (ditto)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (definitely a great book--the best Harry Potter has to offer aside from Goblet of Fire)

Sci-Fi
Gods Themselves (see above)
Speaker for the Dead (see above)

All in all, I've not read as many of these books as I'd like. I am curious about a lot of them. :S

[Moritsune]

well, the Harry Potter book is pretty damned awesome IMO, though all of them are.....

[Nakor]

i didn't see the harry potter book on there. i read that and it was a good one.

[martryn]

I've read Starship Troopers, Dune, the Harry Potter books, and the Silmarillion. I don't know if I can recommend Starship Troopers, as I don't know exactly how I feel about it. The others are all pretty good.

I don't put much weight on these awards and stuff. I never much cared for this sort of stuff. My favorite fantasy books never make the list. Donaldson? I don't see him on there. Jordan? Goodkind? Cunningham? Greenwood? Nope. Nope. Nope. and Nope.

[Nakor]

i started to read the silmarillion but all the long names killed me. i got bored reading all of them and it made me lose interest in the story

[martryn]

The Silmarillion definately is a must read for any fan of Tolkien. Long names aside, its a good mythology book. I read it much like Edith Hamilton's Mythology.

[Nakor]

i enjoyed the mythology part of it. the names just killed me though. do i really have to remember them as i read it? like are most of the names mentioned later in the book. i think i read like between 50-100 pages of it.

[martryn]

Do what I do and buy a Tolkien companion/encyclopedia and just reference that. Make sure it includes the Silmarillion.

[Nakor]

i actually might. one day. once more money and time comes my way.

[martryn]

Yeah, I lucked out. My father owns all the Tolkien books and just about everything related to the man, including a Tolkien Companion, from his teenager days.

[Nakor]

yea you did luck out big time. the only books my father owns are mystery books and i am not very fond of mystery books(he has tons of them). i gotta by all mine :(

[Alia_Atreides]

Never forget Frank Herbert's "Dune", which won the Hugo and the Nebula, in the 70's, I guess. Greatest Sci-fi of all times. Really, Dune is a Bible for me, specially concerning human behavior and politics...

[martryn]

Dune is a great book. Some of the sequels suck ass, but all and all a great series. The prequels written by the son (Brian? or something...) are also really good.

[Alia_Atreides]

Dune is a great book. Some of the sequels suck ass, but all and all a great series. The prequels written by the son (Brian? or something...) are also really good.

Right. About the sequels, I only like the second and third books (and the third is only nice). I'm not a fan of the prequels (House Atreides, House Harkonnen, House Corinno), but the Jihad trilogy is good.
However, the first book is just wonderful, and no life is complete if you havent read Dune... :laugh

[cathydecker]

Ok, so I haven't read them all, but of the one's I've read ...

Hugo Award--these are all top of the top, best of the best
2002, American Gods, Neil Gaiman
2001, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
1999, To Say Nothing of the Dog, Connie Willis (read Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat first however!)
1996, The Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson (but not even his best imo)
1989, Cyteen, C. J. Cherryh (but not her best imo)
1985, Neuromancer, William Gibson
1982, Downbelow Station, C. J. Cherryh (still not her best imo)
1981, The Snow Queen, Joan D. Vinge

Very Good, but not awesome
1988, The Uplift War, David Brin
1984, Startide Rising, David Brin
1981, Lost Dorasi, Gordon R. Dickson (novella)
1979, Dreamsnake, Vonda McIntyre
1972, To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Farmer
1971, Ringworld, Niven
1970, The Left Hand of Darkness, Le Guin
1965, Soldier Ask Not, Gordon R. Dickson

Ok for the Nebula--the best only

2002, American Gods, Neil Gaiman
1992, Doomsday Book, Connie Willis
1987, The Falling Woman, Pat Murphy
1984, Neuromancer, William Gibson
1965, Dune, Frank Herbert

[HOOfan_1]

Starship Troopers was OK...it certainly isn't the high writing style of Tolkien or Herbert..but it is a decent book...short and with very little point or plot, but it is good...very different than the movie. Stranger in a Strange Land I believe was considered to be Heinlein's opus though

Ender's Game is just great...Speaker for the Dead is good too...but I like Xenocide and Children of the Mind better.

Left Hand of Darkness is pretty weird...I recommend The Dispossesed by Leguin instead.

I haven't read that list but I am sure this book is a winner of a Hugo or Nebula and I thought it was great...The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle it has a seuqel which I have yet to read called The Gripping Hand

I haven't read but intend to read Hyperion by Dan Simmons and Ringworld Larry Niven as they are purported to be Sci-fi classics.