Rank |
Rating |
Title |
Year |
Author(s) |
1 |
9.79 |
1959 |
Daniel Keyes |
|
2 |
9.67 |
1962 |
Richard Matheson |
|
3 |
9.67 |
1953 |
Jerome Bixby |
|
4 |
9.67 |
1997 |
Greg Egan |
|
5 |
9.5 |
1977 |
James Tiptree, Jr. |
|
6 |
9.5 |
1950 |
Eric Frank Russell |
|
7 |
9.38 |
1973 |
James Tiptree, Jr. |
|
8 |
9.33 |
1843 |
Edgar Allan Poe |
|
9 |
9.33 |
1966 |
Michael Moorcock |
|
10 |
9.3 |
1936 |
H. P. Lovecraft |
|
11 |
9.18 |
1977 |
Harlan Ellison |
|
12 |
9.17 |
1998 |
Ted Chiang |
|
13 |
9.14 |
1963 |
Roger Zelazny |
|
14 |
9.14 |
1956 |
Isaac Asimov |
|
15 |
9.14 |
1950 |
Cordwainer Smith |
|
16 |
9.14 |
1966 |
Bob Shaw |
|
17 |
9.12 |
1950 |
C. M. Kornbluth |
|
18 |
9.11 |
1954 |
Alfred Bester |
|
19 |
9.08 |
1943 |
Lewis Padgett |
|
20 |
9.08 |
1928 |
H. P. Lovecraft |
|
21 |
9.06 |
1941 |
Isaac Asimov |
|
22 |
9.00 |
1842 |
Edgar Allan Poe |
|
23 |
9.00 |
1843 |
Edgar Allan Poe |
|
24 |
9.00 |
1846 |
Edgar Allan Poe |
|
25 |
9.00 |
1909 |
E. M. Forster |
|
26 |
9.00 |
1979 |
Barry B. Longyear |
|
27 |
9.00 |
1949 |
Ray Bradbury |
|
28 |
8.93 |
1973 |
Ursula K. Le Guin |
|
29 |
8.91 |
1952 |
Ray Bradbury |
|
30 |
8.9 |
1972 |
Ursula K. Le Guin |
|
31 |
8.88 |
1979 |
George R. R. Martin |
|
32 |
8.88 |
1953 |
Philip K. Dick |
|
33 |
8.86 |
1951 |
C. M. Kornbluth |
|
34 |
8.86 |
1951 |
Anthony Boucher |
|
35 |
8.83 |
1981 |
William Gibson |
|
36 |
8.83 |
1972 |
James Tiptree, Jr. |
|
37 |
8.83 |
1944 |
Fredric Brown |
|
38 |
8.83 |
1984 |
Kim Stanley Robinson |
|
39 |
8.82 |
1950 |
Ray Bradbury |
|
40 |
8.75 |
1902 |
W. W. Jacobs |
|
41 |
8.75 |
1929 |
H. P. Lovecraft |
|
42 |
8.71 |
1941 |
Robert A. Heinlein |
|
43 |
8.71 |
1941 |
Robert A. Heinlein |
|
44 |
8.71 |
1953 |
Arthur C. Clarke |
|
45 |
8.71 |
1890 |
Ambrose Bierce |
|
46 |
8.7 |
1990 |
Ted Chiang |
|
47 |
8.7 |
1968 |
Robert Silverberg |
|
48 |
8.7 |
A Boy and His Dog |
1969 |
Harlan Ellison |
49 |
8.67 |
Desertion |
1944 |
Clifford D. Simak |
50 |
8.67 |
Impostor |
1953 |
Philip K. Dick |
51 |
8.67 |
Nightwings |
1968 |
Robert Silverberg |
52 |
8.67 |
Sailing to Byzantium |
1985 |
Robert Silverberg |
53 |
8.62 |
Foundation |
1942 |
Isaac Asimov |
54 |
8.62 |
Hell Is the Absence of God |
2001 |
Ted Chiang |
55 |
8.62 |
We Can Remember It for You Wholesale |
1966 |
Philip K. Dick |
56 |
8.6 |
When It Changed |
1972 |
Joanna Russ |
57 |
8.57 |
The Persistence of Vision |
1978 |
John Varley |
58 |
8.55 |
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream |
1967 |
Harlan Ellison |
59 |
8.5 |
Fire Watch |
1982 |
Connie Willis |
60 |
8.5 |
Houston, Houston, Do You Read? |
1976 |
James Tiptree, Jr. |
61 |
8.5 |
The Colour Out of Space |
1927 |
H. P. Lovecraft |
62 |
8.5 |
A Martian Odyssey |
1934 |
Stanley G. Weinbaum |
63 |
8.5 |
Seventy-Two Letters |
2000 |
Ted Chiang |
64 |
8.47 |
The Cold Equations |
1954 |
Tom Godwin |
65 |
8.46 |
"All You Zombies ..." |
1959 |
Robert A. Heinlein |
66 |
8.44 |
Allamagoosa |
1955 |
Eric Frank Russell |
67 |
8.43 |
Blood Music |
1983 |
Greg Bear |
68 |
8.43 |
The Ugly Chickens |
1980 |
Howard Waldrop |
69 |
8.43 |
Beyond Lies the Wub |
1952 |
Philip K. Dick |
70 |
8.43 |
To Serve Man |
1950 |
Damon Knight |
71 |
8.33 |
Understand |
1991 |
Ted Chiang |
72 |
8.33 |
The Pusher |
1981 |
John Varley |
73 |
8.33 |
The Star |
1955 |
Arthur C. Clarke |
74 |
8.31 |
Ender's Game |
1977 |
Orson Scott Card |
75 |
8.29 |
Speech Sounds |
1983 |
Octavia E. Butler |
76 |
8.29 |
The Crystal Egg |
1897 |
H. G. Wells |
77 |
8.25 |
Microcosmic God |
1941 |
Theodore Sturgeon |
78 |
8.25 |
There Will Come Soft Rains |
1950 |
Ray Bradbury |
79 |
8.22 |
Coraline |
2002 |
Neil Gaiman |
80 |
8.17 |
The State of the Art |
1989 |
Iain M. Banks |
81 |
8.17 |
That Only a Mother |
1948 |
Judith Merril |
82 |
8.14 |
That Hell-Bound Train |
1958 |
Robert Bloch |
83 |
8.14 |
Neutron Star |
1966 |
Larry Niven |
84 |
8.14 |
The Way of Cross and Dragon |
1979 |
George R. R. Martin |
85 |
8.14 |
The Bicentennial Man |
1976 |
Isaac Asimov |
86 |
8.00 |
The Big Front Yard |
1958 |
Clifford D. Simak |
87 |
8.00 |
Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death |
1973 |
James Tiptree, Jr. |
88 |
8.00 |
A Song for Lya |
1974 |
George R. R. Martin |
89 |
8.00 |
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath |
1943 |
H. P. Lovecraft |
90 |
8.00 |
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar |
1845 |
Edgar Allan Poe |
91 |
8.00 |
First Contact |
1945 |
Murray Leinster |
92 |
7.94 |
"Repent, Harlequin!" Said
the Ticktockman |
1965 |
Harlan Ellison |
93 |
7.91 |
The Sentinel |
1951 |
Arthur C. Clarke |
94 |
7.89 |
Nine Lives |
1969 |
Ursula K. Le Guin |
95 |
7.89 |
The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of
His Mouth |
1965 |
Roger Zelazny |
96 |
7.88 |
The Fall of the House of Usher |
1839 |
Edgar Allan Poe |
97 |
7.86 |
A Meeting with Medusa |
1971 |
Arthur C. Clarke |
98 |
7.86 |
The Monkey Treatment |
1983 |
George R. R. Martin |
99 |
7.86 |
The Day Before the Revolution |
1974 |
Ursula K. Le Guin |
100 |
7.85 |
Press Enter ▮? |
1984 |
John Varley |
101 |
7.83 |
Rescue Party |
1946 |
Arthur C. Clarke |
102 |
7.83 |
Earthmen Bearing Gifts |
1960 |
Fredric Brown |
103 |
7.83 |
Air Raid |
1977 |
John Varley |
104 |
7.8 |
Nightflyers |
1980 |
George R. R. Martin |
105 |
7.75 |
The Rats in the Walls |
1924 |
H. P. Lovecraft |
106 |
7.67 |
Liar! |
1941 |
Isaac Asimov |
107 |
7.67 |
The Green Hills of Earth |
1947 |
Robert A. Heinlein |
108 |
7.58 |
Born of Man and Woman |
1950 |
Richard Matheson |
109 |
7.57 |
Super-Toys Last All Summer Long |
1969 |
Brian W. Aldiss |
110 |
7.57 |
Shambleau |
1933 |
C. L. Moore |
111 |
7.56 |
Bloodchild |
1984 |
Octavia E. Butler |
112 |
7.56 |
The Fog Horn |
1951 |
Ray Bradbury |
113 |
7.56 |
The New Accelerator |
1901 |
H. G. Wells |
114 |
7.56 |
Third from the Sun |
1950 |
Richard Matheson |
115 |
7.5 |
Bears Discover Fire |
1990 |
Terry Bisson |
116 |
7.5 |
Requiem |
1940 |
Robert A. Heinlein |
117 |
7.5 |
Grotto of the Dancing Deer |
1980 |
Clifford D. Simak |
118 |
7.5 |
Call Him Lord |
1966 |
Gordon R. Dickson |
119 |
7.44 |
The Deathbird |
1973 |
Harlan Ellison |
120 |
7.43 |
Dagon |
1919 |
H. P. Lovecraft |
121 |
7.42 |
The Roads Must Roll |
1940 |
Robert A. Heinlein |
122 |
7.4 |
Gonna Roll the Bones |
1967 |
Fritz Leiber |
123 |
7.38 |
The Star |
1897 |
H. G. Wells |
124 |
7.33 |
Out of All Them Bright Stars |
1985 |
Nancy Kress |
125 |
7.33 |
Vaster Than Empires and More Slow |
1971 |
Ursula K. Le Guin |
126 |
7.33 |
Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand |
1973 |
Vonda N. McIntyre |
127 |
7.29 |
Or All the Seas with Oysters |
1958 |
Avram Davidson |
128 |
7.29 |
26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss |
2008 |
Kij Johnson |
129 |
7.25 |
Helen O'Loy |
1938 |
Lester del Rey |
130 |
7.25 |
Life-Line |
1939 |
Robert A. Heinlein |
131 |
7.17 |
The Whimper of Whipped Dogs |
1973 |
Harlan Ellison |
132 |
7.17 |
Roog |
1953 |
Philip K. Dick |
133 |
7.17 |
Division by Zero |
1991 |
Ted Chiang |
134 |
7.17 |
A Subway Named Mobius |
1950 |
A. J. Deutsch |
135 |
7.14 |
The Father-Thing |
1954 |
Philip K. Dick |
136 |
7.14 |
Reason |
1941 |
Isaac Asimov |
137 |
7.12 |
The Weapon Shop |
1942 |
A. E. van Vogt |
138 |
7.12 |
Runaround |
1942 |
Isaac Asimov |
139 |
7.00 |
Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes |
1967 |
Harlan Ellison |
140 |
7.00 |
Grandpa |
1955 |
James H. Schmitz |
141 |
7.00 |
Coming Attraction |
1950 |
Fritz Leiber |
142 |
7.00 |
The Monsters |
1953 |
Robert Sheckley |
143 |
7.00 |
Meathouse Man |
1976 |
George R. R. Martin |
144 |
7.00 |
He Who Shapes |
1965 |
Roger Zelazny |
145 |
6.89 |
Aye, and Gomorrah ... |
1967 |
Samuel R. Delany |
146 |
6.86 |
Dinner in Audoghast |
1985 |
Bruce Sterling |
147 |
6.83 |
Slow Sculpture |
1970 |
Theodore Sturgeon |
148 |
6.83 |
Strange Playfellow |
1940 |
Isaac Asimov |
149 |
6.57 |
Good News from the Vatican |
1971 |
Robert Silverberg |
150 |
6.55 |
Time Considered as a Helix of
Semi-Precious Stones |
1968 |
Samuel R. Delany |
151 |
6.33 |
Fermi and Frost |
1985 |
Frederik Pohl |
152 |
6.33 |
The Man Who Could Work Miracles |
1898 |
H. G. Wells |
153 |
6.17 |
The Hole Man |
1974 |
Larry Niven |
154 |
6.17 |
Blowups Happen |
1940 |
Robert A. Heinlein |
155 |
5.5 |
Adrift Just Off the Islets of
Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W |
1974 |
Harlan Ellison |
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Project: ISFdb Top Short Fiction
The ISFdb Top Short Fiction list.
The ISFdb Top Novels list.
ISFdb article on Wikipedia.
The Internet Speculative Fiction database is an excellent resource. Along with concise bibliographical information on speculative fiction and non-fiction, it allows users to rate nearly everything, from novels and stories, to essays and book covers. These ratings, or "votes" as they are sometimes referred to on the site, translate into two "Top" speculative lists: Top Novels and Top Short Fiction, based on user ratings.
Unfortunately, despite the seemingly numerous editors and registered users (Wikipedia indicates over 67,400 people visited the site monthly, back in 2013), not many actually rate the works they read. Therefore, these "Top" lists include primarily the more popular of speculative novels and stories. As of this date (1 November 2022), the Top Short Fiction list includes only 155 individual works, and considering the vast number of works in the database, this is a smidgen of what is available. In addition, of the 155 stories, only a mere 69 authors are represented. There are eight authors with more than five stories on the list: Isaac Asimov (8), Robert A. Heinlein (8), Harlan Ellison (8), H. P. Lovecraft (7), Edgar Allan Poe (6), Philip K. Dick (6), Ted Chiang (6), and George R. R. Martin (6), and four others with five (Ursula K. Le Guin, Ray Bradbury, James Tiptree, Jr., and Arthur C. Clarke). Robert Silverberg comes in close with four.
In brief, this potentially excellent reference resource is underutilized. In order to make of it a better tool, I encourage people to create an account and rate the works they read, as I do.
To date I have read 60 of the 155 short fiction works included on the list (as far as I can remember those I have read). This is not because I am oh so well-read, but simply because, as mentioned above, the stories that have so far made it onto the list are among the most popular, or most read. (You will note that stories adapted into popular feature films, for instance, tend to make the list.) Perusing the list a week or so ago, I decided to hunt each story down, regardless of where they rank on the list, and read every one of them. And when the idea festered and bloomed, it became a serious challenge, leading to a project: I will write an article for each of the stories included in the list, and post it on this site. (Let's see how far I actually get--even one story a week will take me nearly three years.)
So, based on today's version of the list, which I have captured and pasted a copy below, I will read read/re-read and review each of these titles. Some articles will be brief, since the more popular stories have been reviewed to death, while others may be more elaborate. I will stick, for the time being, to the 155. If you heed my request and rate the stories you read and have read, that list will likely expand. (Note that to be eligible to make it onto either of the Top lists, stories need a minimum of six ratings/votes; I've noticed that many stories are nearly there with four or five.) The lists are updated every Sunday, and I will be checking in to see if they expand. (The Top Novels list currently includes 391 entries).
1 November 2022
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11 comments:
I'm never one for the Vox Pop approach to fiction...I didn't see any actively bad stories on the list you captured, but they aren't the best fantastica stories I've read, either. "The Black Cat" is at best borderline fantastica, for example, and not my choice for best Poe story...but it could be fun, and you'll probably pick up on some trends beyond the obvious!
Well, "The Monkey Treatment" is pretty crass, and "The Deathbird" is certainly better Ellison than "Jeffty" and...
I've read all the Poe on the list, & "The Black Cat," though a great story, is certainly not his best. The top three stories I genuinely like very much.
I'm mixed about both Ellison & Heinlein, but they are popular hence so many of their stories appear. Unfortunate, since better short story writers aren't represented at all, & this perpetuates the cycle of more people choosing Ellison & Heinlein over better writers, because their work is continually being, by default, popularized through lists like this. Their work becomes canonized while better work is becomes less available & more obscure. (Ellison's story which appears at the bottom, I have not read. Yet. Heinlein's which appears next to the bottom I have read, and it is not a very good one.)
I agree with Todd. This is a flawed list, but reading all the stories on it would be fun.
Agreed George. The worst thing about the list is that its generated by a very few votes/people.
Not surprised to see some good stories ('Blood Music'), and some mediocre stories ('The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth'), and some truly over-rated and awful stories ('Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones') on the list. And quite a few with which I am not familiar. Good luck with the project, there may be some wading through some dross to find the jewels, but they say no endeavor is without its reward.
I used to edit for isfdb and rated the stories too but lost interest. Now I use it mostly to look up stuff. The site is more focused on the bibliography so I don't know why they bother running the list. It is interesting to see but I agree it's not a good tool. Next time I'm browsing I'll rate some stuff I read recently. I hope you continue I'd like to read the reviews.
Thanks Tarbandu. At least those rated above 7.5 should be semi-descent. I read "Helix" some time ago & did not like it; it's one of the lowest rated stories here so I guess it's general consensus, despite receiving both a Hugo & a Nebula. I don't think I've read Zelazny's "Doors/Lamps" which is ranked below the half-way mark. I have not read "Blood Music" & this one's rated at the higher end.
Thanks Anonymous for the support! I'll see how far I get with this. I've just finished a draft of the Matheson and will publish the first article, on Keyes, tonight or tomorrow morning.
The PorPor guy's comment seems to have disappeared.
So it has, oddly. I liked his comment. This is what he had written:
tarbandu commented on "Project: ISFdb Top Short Fiction"
Nov 3, 2022
Not surprised to see some good stories ('Blood Music'), and some mediocre stories ('The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth'), and some truly over-rated and awful stories ('Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones') on the list. And quite a few with which I am not familiar. Good luck with the project, there may be some wading through some dross to find the jewels, but they say no endeavor is without its reward.
Mystery solved. Just came across Tarbandu's comment among my spam (amid so many casino links). Odd that it was placed there, by Blogger, so late after the comment was posted. Usually those filters act more quickly.
I'm just glad I can restore the comment.
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