Debating the top science fiction books of the past year and decade

The first week of the year hasn't ended yet so it's still safe to post some links to those year-end lists that people like to write in advance so they can go on vacation at the end of the year. This time the links are about the best books.

Barnes & Noble offers up some suggestions as to what were the best books of 2009. I can't comment on any of them because I have read not a single book on the list, so I am obviously out of touch or too broke to buy hardcover editions of new book releases. Amazon has a similar list which has a bit of overlap, but also offers some other titles to consider, but it also lists fantasy books and not just SF.

What about the best science fiction books of the past decade? Here is one person's list, but I've bot to question the choices. World War Z, in my mind , was mediocre and Vernor Vinge's Rainbow's End was not his best work. I liked this list better. It included Neil Gaiman's American Gods, a book that is one my favourites, although I guess you'd have to classify it as a fantasy novel and not a science fiction book.

Maybe it's better to just forget about the best books of the year or decade and look for the best books and not worry about what year they were published. For example, here's a list that presents the best time travel books of all time, although I'd put Connie Willis' Doomsday Book on my version of that list.

What are your favourite books of the last year or decade that you think should be on a top 10 list?