What are the Essential SF Books of the Last 20 Years? - Which have you read?

Not much better from me...

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear
Excession by Iain M. Banks
Feersum Endjinn by Iain M. Banks
Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

And, oddly, most of those I didn't think were that great. The Mars trilogy was OK, Darwin's Radio was appalling, and Feersum Endkinn and Excession, while good, weren't my favourite Banks books. I really enjoyed both "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" and "American Gods" though.

1. Air by Geoff Ryman
2. Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds
3. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
4. Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear
5. End of the World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
6. Excession by Iain M. Banks
7. Feersum Endjinn by Iain M. Banks
8. Felaheen: The Third Arabesk by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
9. Hyperion by Dan Simmons
10. Ilium by Dan Simmons
11. Pyramids by Terry Pratchett
12. The Baroque Cycle: The Confusion; The System of the World by Neal Stephenson
13. The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
14. The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
15. The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons

There are some authors with big presences on that list that I don't rate at all, and of Geoff Rymans books I'd put 253 above Air. I'd also say that some books should be on there

1. Vurt - Geoff Noon
2. Jennifer Government - Max Barry
3. Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan
4. Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson (how the fuck is this not on the list? It's eligible, published in 1994)
5. Accelerado - Charles Stross (notable lack of this guys work, and its all genius)
6. Halting State - Charles Stross
7. Perdido Street Station - China Mieville (technically fantasy, but then again so is Terry Pratchett)

The entire list is a bit ropey all told. Some of Dan Simmons stuff is OK, but somehow all his booksare up there. This reads like a community vote, where certain authors had a large percentage of their fans involved.

//added. Actually, just looked at the list on the site. Its a list of suggestions the blog author has put up, sorted by book title. I suspect hes just gone along his rather short book shelf

5. Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle
16. Excession by Iain M. Banks
18. Feersum Endjinn by Iain M. Banks
24. Hyperion by Dan Simmons
33. Pyramids by Terry Pratchett
46. The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

This list is definately a bit suspect I'd expect a greater diversity of authors. Also from the ones I've read I wouldn't necessarily have picked these books.

Ash was good but with a ropey 4th book, also as it's about a medieval mercenary captain with a bit of a supernatural element it don't see it really qualifies. (the supernatural went off the scale in book 4 and ruined it)
Similarly Pratchett and Rowling hardly qualify as SF either.

I'm suprised PF Hamilton is missing from here too.

I've just run out of books again, what of these books/authors would people actually recommend?

Fish

Recommendations are;

• Alastair Reynolds
  1. Revelation Space
  2. Chasm City
  3. Redemtion Ark
  4. a fair few standalones
• Neal Stephenson
  1. Snow Crash
  2. Cryptonomicon

are good reads. Also just noticed Neal Asher is missing, and his book Prador Moon is very good (it's the prequel to The Skinner and Voyage of the Sable Keech).

Thanks for the recommendations, I've bought one each from the above authors to see what they're like.

While I was out I found that WH Smiths are doing 20% off all books and stationary for a couple of weeks.