I should have known better. No sooner had I sent an email asking everyone at 快猫短视频 to vote for their best and worst sci-fi films and books than my inbox was deluged with responses. This is how they voted in the book category.
Favourite sci-fi book:
Douglas Adams鈥� . 鈥�Hitchhiker鈥檚 Guide is the out-and-out best sci-fi book by several dead whales and one bowl of petunias. Anyone who disagrees with me is clearly a crass Golgafrinchan who should be forced to listen to Vogon poetry for as long as it takes,鈥� wrote one of our editors.
Runners-up:
Frank Herbert鈥檚 and Iain M Banks鈥� were both popular. Banks would have won outright had his vote not been split over several books, including , and .
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Worst sci-fi books:
There was no clear winner, but the nominees for this uncoveted position included L Ron Hubbard鈥檚 and Arthur C Clarke鈥檚 3001 鈥� the latter 鈥渇or comprehensively bollocksing up one of the classics of the genre. It had none of the meaning and richness of the earlier books and none of the scope,鈥� wrote one editor.
Most recommendable to your mother:
by Audrey Niffenegger. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 quite 鈥榝eel鈥� like science fiction 鈥� it鈥檚 more of a love story,鈥� wrote one journalist. Another commented: 鈥淚 bought it for my Mum, who would never normally read sci-fi, and she liked it, too.鈥�
Most difficult to understand:
Stanislaw Lem鈥檚 鈥� a book consisting of introductions to books which don鈥檛 (yet) exist. 鈥淚鈥檝e just been banging my head against his 鈥榠ntroduction to a review of the history of the study of literature generated by artificial intelligences鈥�,鈥� writes one of our journalists. 鈥淒eeep.鈥�
Best short story:
by Fredric Brown. 鈥淥nly a page long but sends chills down your spine when you get to the last line. I first read it when I was about 15 and have never forgotten it,鈥� commented one editor.
Shortest short story:
by Fredric Brown, summed up by its final two sentences: 鈥淭he last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door鈥︹��
Now it鈥檚 over to you
What鈥檚 your all-time favourite sci-fi film and book? Vote now 鈥� and the first three voters鈥� names to be drawn out of a (virtual) hat will win the top three films and books.
Vote for your favourite science fiction film
Vote for your favourite science fiction book
You can find out what the winning titles are in the 15 November issue of 快猫短视频.