830. That Hideous Strength (C. S. Lewis)

Synopsis from Amazon:
The final book in C.S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which includes Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, That Hideous Strength concludes the adventures of the matchless Dr. Ransom. Finding himself in a world of superior alien beings and scientific experiments run amok, Dr. Ransom struggles with questions of ethics and morality, applying age-old wisdom to a brave new universe dominated by science. His quest for truth is a journey filled with intrigue and suspense.

My rating: 3 stars

758. Out of the Silent Planet (C. S. Lewis)

Synopsis from Amazon:
It is an account of the voyage of Ransom, a linguist, to the planet Malacandra (Mars), where he learns that Thulcandra (Earth) is called the silent planet because there has been no communication from it in years. The spiritual being in charge of the latter, having been corrupted, has essentially cut Thulcandra off from the other planets. Ransom is ultimately sent back to Thulcandra with the two earthlings who had kidnapped him and brought him to Malacandra.

My rating: 4 stars

732. Perelandra (C. S. Lewis)

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
In the second novel in C.S. Lewis' classic science fiction trilogy, Dr Ransom is called to the paradise planet of Perelandra, or Venus, which turns out to be a beautiful Eden-like world. He is horrified to find that his old enemy, Dr Weston, has also arrived and is putting him in grave peril once more. As the mad Weston's body is taken over by the forces of evil, Ransom engages in a desperate struggle to save the innocence of Perelandra ....

My rating: 3 stars

686. The Lost World (Arthur Conan Doyle)

Cover of first edition

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
Headed by the larger than life figure of Professor Challenger, a scientific expedition sets out to explore a plateau in South America that remains frozen in time from the days when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Seemingly impossible to penetrate, this lost word holds great danger for the four men, whether from fiendish ape-men or terrifying prehistoric creatures.

My rating: 5 stars

Publication information:

• 1912
• London
• Hodder & Stoughton
  

632. Sphere (Michael Crichton)

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
This suspense thriller opens as a 300 year old spaceship is discovered on the South Pacific Ocean floor.

My rating: 3 stars

570. The Invisible Man (H. G. Wells)

Cover of first edition

Synopsis from Amazon Canada:
It began with a quiet country inn -- and a mysterious stranger, his features masked by gloves, dark glasses, and bandages that completely covered his head. Then came weird noises, the disembodied ravings, the phantom robberies, the haunted furniture .... The violence .... The rampages .... The killing. An obscure scientist named Griffin had found a way to turn skin, flesh, blood and bones invisible -- and tried the formula on himself. He could go anywhere; spy; steal; menace anyone. The Invisible Man had only two problems. He couldn't turn visible again. And he had gone quite murderously insane.

My rating: 4 stars

226. Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton)

The velociraptor -- one vicious mofo

Synopsis from Amazon:
Bioengineers clone 15 species of dinosaurs and establish an island preserve where tourists can view the large reptiles; chaos ensues when a rival genetics firm attempts to steal frozen dinosaur embryos, and it's up to two kids, a safari guide and a paleontologist to set things right.

My rating: 4 stars

214. Congo (Michael Crichton)

Congo River rainforest

Synopsis from Amazon:
A research team deep in the jungle disappears after a mysterious and grisly gorilla attack. A subsequent team, including a sign-language-speaking simian named Amy, follows the original team's tracks only to be subjected to more mysterious and grisly gorilla attacks.

My rating: 3 stars

213. The Andromeda Strain (Michael Crichton)

Synopsis from Amazon:
A Nobel-Prize-winning bacteriologist, Jeremy Stone, urges the president to approve an extraterrestrial decontamination facility to sterilize returning astronauts, satellites, and spacecraft that might carry an "unknown biologic agent." The government agrees, almost too quickly, to build the top-secret Wildfire Lab in the desert of Nevada. Shortly thereafter, unbeknownst to Stone, the U.S. Army initiates the "Scoop" satellite program, an attempt to actively collect space pathogens for use in biological warfare. When Scoop VII crashes a couple years later in the isolated Arizona town of Piedmont, the Army ends up getting more than it asked for. The Andromeda Strain follows Stone and rest of the scientific team mobilized to react to the Scoop crash as they scramble to understand and contain a strange and deadly outbreak.

My rating: 3 stars