An Interactive Guide to NPR's List of Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

Do you like Cyberpunk?


I love that Billy Idol album.	I get enough "cyber punks" on Facebook.	Can I get the geek without the bleak?

Are you going to be upset when you don't find Harry Potter?


Give me more precocious lads at schools of magic, please!	I know where to find Harry Potter if I need him.

Gritty Noir, Neo-Victorian or Samurai?

Ready to blast into space?


The stars are my destination. (Can't believe they left that one off.)	I like to keep my feet on the ground	I'm not sure. Can I stay in this Solar System?

Are you new to the fantasy genre?


I am as yet unfamiliar with your tropes. Do your worst.	I'm what you call "experienced".	Does The Wizard of Oz count?

Are you a war buff?


I watch the Military Channel exclusively	But I'm interested in first contact	What I'm really after is exploring the galaxy

Don't you mean underground?


Give me some subterranean action!	I said "on", smart guy.

Sure! Near or far?


How about Mars?

Like the Arthurian legend?


I own The Sword and the Stone on DVD and VHS

Who shall we fight?

What kind of Aliens would you like?

A galaxy far, far away?


Preferably long ago as well.	I see what you did there.

Wet or dry?

Politics, Religion or Philosophy?


			These things aren't polite to talk about in company. Don't you guys write about time travel or something?

Ah, Mars...what would you like to see from the Red Planet?

Which character do you like best?

Looking for modern-day settings?


I'm a city-person.	Let's find another world. This one's depressing	I'm partial to small towns.

Are you having a laugh?


Comedy is in my blood.	I don't have a sense of humor that I'm aware of.	I don't mind a few laughs between explosions.

What's your interest?

Pick your poison!

Sure do. Modern or classic time travel?


		All right, all right...I'm a bit out of my comfort zone. Got a nice mystery or thriller?

God or people under the streets?

Are you a fan of westerns?


I'm prone to don chaps and walk the streets at high noon.	Too dusty. And I'm not much of a card player.

Kind of professorial, aren't we?


I'm a scholarly adventurer.	I just like my action intense.

Sure do. Mystery or thriller?

Are animals more your thing?


I donate to the WWF. Not the wrestling one.	I have allergies.

What are you studying?

Do you have time for a series?

What's your ideal pet?

How about some alternate history?


I'm a revisionist myself. Well, I was...	I never paid any attention is history class.

Short stories it is then! Robots of Martians?

Romance or warring magicians?

Ready to dive into a series?


The other two options ended in the same strange choice.	Let's keep this casual.	How about an episodic series?

Does the series have to be finished?


	I like to be held in suspense. Preferably for years at a time.

With pirates or without?


	No pirates here. No siree, Neil. No pirates at all.

What's your pleasure?

Do the words "Sword & Sorcery" have a positive connotation for you?


Wizards and barbarians? What's not to like?

Take the high road or the low road?

Do you like role-playing games?

Looking for an old-fashioned trilogy?


Three is my lucky number.	"In for a penny, in for a pound" I always say.	How about a trilogy of trilogies?

Wizards or Barbarians?

What shall we read about?

So, five or six books are enough for you?


That should keep me busy.	I shall require at least 10.

Do you enjoy stories about orphaned farm boys?

Too bad! There's no other choice.

Do you enjoy quests to prevent great evil from conquering the world?


Good vs. Evil on an epic scale, please.	I need a little more complexity.

Modern or classic?

Who will save us?

Choose wisely, this is the end

Sure, you can have it all! Do you want to go into the future or into the past?

Pro-mo superheroes or tortured specter?

Not to much to choose from. Are you looking for vampires?


	More like zombies.

We won't tell. Do you prefer drama?


I love me a good tear-jerker.	I just watched The Notebook last night.

Are you a math geek?

Do you like monsters?

Zombie war, or one man against a horde?


On second thought, why not go with a classic?	With a little help from my friends...	I'm going it alone.

Romance or overcoming the odds?


	I always root for the underdog.

Postmodern mind-bender?


If one examines neo-cultural narrative, one is faced with a choice: either accept the subtextual paradigm of expression or conclude that narrative must come from communication. This is the dialectic paradigm of content holds...

What sounds more interesting: A dying sun or an impaling demon?


A dying sun sounds poetic.	Bring on the Shrike!

Do you like a little time travel with your love story?

Too bad! There's no other choice.

Want some time travel too?

Are you interested in Dystopian fiction?


I'm a sucker for worst-case scenarios.	The world is bleak enough already.

Classic or contemporary?

Totalitarian or world gone mad?

What type of dictator?

Do manufactured humans interest you?

Which question most frightens you?


		I was thinking more post-apocalyptic.

Like the world on fire?


Some men just want to see the world burn.	...but a worldwide pandemic would be cool.

Do you have at least some familiarity with fantasy?


I know what elves are.	I'm wet behind the pointy ears.



Can I have both?	I only read books with pictures.	What about Horror?	I'd rather not be seen in that area of the bookstore.