Hey speculative fiction fans! here’s a fun game for the afternoon:
Make believe you own a bookstore (or hey, maybe you already do, or you once did). If money and space weren’t constraints, what scifi/fantasy/speculative fiction titles would you make sure you had on hand at all times?
The beautiful ABC (American Book Center) in The Netherlands
I just read the title of this post again, and all I can think of is that song from Fiddler on the Roof. who needs to be rich, when you can be surrounded by books!
Tolkien, Rowling and Martin would need to be front and centre, I reckon. After finishing Cherie Priest’s superb Boneshaker I’d have to keep stocked in that too. People need a bit of steampunk in their lives
Jamie
I’ve really got to read me some Cherie Priest one of these days. . .
Martin for sure, and his older stuff too! and classic Asimov and Heinlein, and Banks and Pratchett, and China Mieville and Cat Valente and Gene Wolfe, man I could stock my dream bookstore all day!!
I’d keep most of Philip K Dick’s work on the shelves, and also the Forever war [although not the sequels] and Starship Troopers. I would then force everyone to buy these each time they came in.
Starship Troopers for sure! and I do need to attempt more PKD.
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Here goes: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fritz Leiber (especially the Fafhrd & Mouser books), Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Poul Anderson, All of the NESFA volumes, Hal Clement, David Eddings, the Swords books by Fred Saberhagen, and his Berserker books too. Phillip K. Dick, Ben Bova, Larry Niven, Greg Bear, Anne McCaffrey, James Blish, Roger Zelanzy, Christopher Anvil, Fredric Brown, Robert E. Howard. There are lots of newer authors too, but that’s who I’d get on the shelves first.
Mid list! Def the midlist. The midlist always gets shanked. How many times have I gone I to a B&N, found Book 3 of Awesometude-That-I’ve-never-heard-of-before and then find that they don’t carry book 1? Boo!
I can never find Julie Czerneda, Juliet E. McKenna, or C.S. Friedman