Wait till you listen to Nimoy’s The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins. Peak nerd art in the best possible way.

All three English games in knockout stages ended in heartbreak. I’m prepared for another one. Have enough Bulmers to drown my disappointment.

You are indeed well-read, and I’m finding it difficult to give you an entire list, based on your tastes (which are remarkably close to mine). The two authors that come to mind, whom I haven’t seen on your list are

• Greg Bear. Anything from him, but I particularly like the The Forge of God and Anvil of Stars duology. You complained about sad books, and these may be depressing, but it’s some of the best writing that’s still missing from your list.
• China Mielville. Wonderfully weird and inventive books, in particular The City & The City and Perdido Street Station.

And since you mentioned Timothy Zahn, in comparison with Card, I take it you already read his The Icarus Hunt? If not, it’s also highly recommended for its unabashed fun and good plot.

KCCI has reported that 35-year-old Michael Cassidy of Lauderdale, Mississippi, was charged with Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree. He has since been released.

What a special snowflake, that one. Bless his heart.

I read it a while ago (still had David Wong listed as the author), and really enjoyed it. Fun read with some good ideas. However, about halfway in I started getting exhausted. The author just throws so much at you, both in content (ideas) and form (language), and the pacing is always hectic, and I just found it too tiring. I have yet to pick up the second book in the series.

I’ve read most of them, and I must say that I’m impressed by the list. A good half of the works are ones that I didn’t care about or outright didn’t like, but this is not a “best” list. As far as “essential” goes, they ought to be included.

If I may, I would only do a few changes.

To remove:

• The Empress of Salt and Fortune - This is a historical fiction with a tiny little magic gimmick thrown in, which largely serves only to gloss over the worst logical inconsistencies. That should disqualify it from the list, but if that’s not enough, I found it so bland and derivative that I fail to see how this book ever becomes influential.
• A Master of Djinn - Clark is amazing at worldbuilding, but one of his novellas should be nominated instead. I’d go for Ring Shout. A Master of Djinn entered the sub-genre of “public domain literary characters in alternate history” a little too late to influence it in a meaningful way, and made the main protagonist extremely unlikable.

To add:

• Too Like the Lighting by Ada Palmer - The entire series is amazing, and I’m shocked that it’s not being recommended more often. This book and its sequels may herald the return of more literary speculative fiction.
• Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds - Just like Palmer channels Zelazny and revives literary SF, Reynolds channels Cordwainer Smith and introduces gothic horror in space to a new generation of readers. This book spawned an entire series, and I wouldn’t be surprised if other authors started mimicking his style.
• Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey - If Relevation Space does not qualify (it was released in 2000, so technically in the last century), Leviathan Wakes and the series it spawned should take its place. The series is not high literature, but good, very accessible fun, which introduced loads of new reader to science fiction.