SF Masterworks. Gollancz/Orion/Millennium.

UK publisher Gollancz started their 'SF Masterworks' series, under the Orion/Millennium imprint, in January 1999. Having a numbered sequence, and a standard presentation, makes them damnably collectible! The initial fast flowing bimonthly publication programme resolved to a prostatic occasional dribble by 2004. However, re-enervated, the series returned to life... for a LocusMag snippet of an interview with Malcolm Edwards, who commissioned the series

1-9, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69

1. Joe Haldeman. The Forever War. 1975. Originally written as a series of short stories, Haldeman's 'The Forever War' follows William Mandella's spaceborne military career. As it has always been, combat is a rare occurrence which shatters otherwise lengthy periods of boredom. Due to relativistic effects, Mandella's military action and career spans many decades, and he is able to see attitudes to the war changing during this period. His hopes of a lengthy retirement living off his accumulated pay, and living that retirement with his true love seemed doomed, but his future is finally secured (albeit not the future he would have chosen). This novel was followed up by 'Forever Peace', and then 'Forever Free', although I understand that the latter is the true sequel to 'The Forever War. Also worthy of note is the novella 'A Separate War', which appeared in the anthology Far Horizons, which dealt with Mandella's lover, Marygay, during a gap in the storyline in 'Forever War'. amazon

2. Richard Matheson. I am Legend. 1954. I vividly recall watching the film 'The Omega Man' with my mother at the cinema in about 1972 when I would have been 12. I was absolutely scared witless! And as for the walk home from the cinema afterwards in the deserted, dark streets .... hoo boy! Matheson was involved in writing the screenplay for the movie from 'I am Legend', and so probably kept the story as close to the novel as is ever possible with Hollywood. I read the novel/lla (it is a slim novel) about ten years ago, and was impressed. amazon

3. James Blish. Cities in Flight. 1970. I haven't read this yet. An epic space opera originally published in four volumes, and brought together in 1970 - better seen as an anthology, rather than a fix-up (ie a novel created out of previously published short stories). The cities in flight in question are enabled by 'spindizzies', antigravity devices which allow cities to be lifted in space, under the domes of which the inhabitants are able to live for thousands of years due to longevity drugs. I am a bit remiss in having not read anything by fellow-Brit Blish, if one excludes the Star Trek books he wrote in the late 60s/early 70s! The quote on the back of the book by Terry Pratchett is perceptive : "Exciting, intelligent galaxy-spanning stuff that these days would require six brick-thick volumes'. amazon

4. Philip K. Dick. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968 Another novel, like Matheson's above, made into a big Hollywood movie that was relatively faithful to the original source. One of Dick's more accessible novels, what sticks in my memory from reading it many years ago are the couch potatos enthralled by Mercer's rolling a large stone up a neverending hill, to atone for their sins. As you will see from the full list of these SF Masterworks volumes, P K Dick is an obvious favourite of the person(s) choosing the titles for the series! amazon

5. Alfred Bester. The Stars My Destination. 1956. How does an author follow-up winning the first ever Hugo with a first novel ('The Demolished Man'). Well, with a novel like 'The Stars My Destination' (published in the UK as Tiger! Tiger!) it would appear! I really am going to have to read this one, one day. amazon

6. Samuel R. Delany. Babel-17. 1967. The reviews on Amazon paint a picture of a novel from the 1960s which sounds like it is going to stand the test of time, for example - Most important, though, is the complex, polymorphous sexiness of the whole thing--its sense of surgical chimerahood, life after death, and clone assassins as just unbearably hot and really really cool.. amazon

7. Roger Zelazny. Lord of Light. David Langford's review on Amazon.co.uk : ... his finest book: a science fantasy in which the intricate, colourful mechanisms of Hindu religion, of capricious gods and repeated reincarnations, are wittily underpinned by technology .... It's a huge, lumbering, magical story, told largely in flashback, full of wonderfully ornate language (and one unforgivable pun) that builds up the luminous myth of trickster Sam, Lord of Light. Essential SF reading, despite this edition's tiresome typographic errors. amazon

8. Gene Wolfe. The Fifth Head of Cerebrus. The amazon.co.uk review by Roz Kaveney "It is easy to be impressed by the intellectual games of Wolfe's stunning book, and forget that he is, and always has been, the most intensely moral of SF writers." amazon

9. Frederik Pohl. Gateway. 1977. David Langford's review on amazon.co.uk : Gateway is witty and humane, full of clever insights, ingenious asides and claustrophobic drama. Its sequels are less impressive amazon

1-9, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69