We're obliged to all those readers who took the time to throw over their nominations for the best sci-fi film never made, and we're delighted to report that we've whittled the contenders down to a final 50.

We simply waded through all your emails and comments and picked those titles which had received the most support. On Thursday, you'll get the chance to vote for the definitive pick in our online poll, but in the meantime we'd like to salute the numerous other works which received multiple votes, but didn't make the cut.

There's some good stuff here in the reject pile, so we'll leave it to you lot to ponder just which 50 sci-fi classics will vie for pole position later this week ...

Ace Trucking Co – John Wagner and Alan Grant

– John Wagner and Alan Grant Against a Dark Background – Iain M Banks

– Iain M Banks Agent To The Stars – John Scalzi

– John Scalzi The Amtrak Wars – Patrick Tilley

– Patrick Tilley Anvil of Stars – Greg Bear

– Greg Bear The Ballad of Halo Jones – Alan Moore

– Alan Moore The Black Cloud – Sir Fred Hoyle

– Sir Fred Hoyle The Caves of Steel – Isaac Asimov

– Isaac Asimov The Chanur Saga – CJ Cherryh

– CJ Cherryh Chasm City – Alastair Reynolds

– Alastair Reynolds The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen R Donaldson

– Stephen R Donaldson The Chrysalids – John Wyndham

– John Wyndham Citizen of the Galaxy – Robert A Heinlein

– Robert A Heinlein Creatures of Light and Darkness – Roger Zelazny

– Roger Zelazny Daemon – Daniel Suarez

– Daniel Suarez The Dark Wheel – Robert Holdstock

– Robert Holdstock Desolation Road – Ian McDonald

– Ian McDonald The Difference Engine – William Gibson and Bruce Sterling

– William Gibson and Bruce Sterling The Dispossessed – Ursula K Le Guin

– Ursula K Le Guin The Dosadi Experiment – Frank Herbert

– Frank Herbert Earth – David Brin

– David Brin The Expendables – Edmund Cooper

– Edmund Cooper A Fall Of Moondust – Arthur C Clarke

– Arthur C Clarke Feersum Endjinn – Iain M Banks

– Iain M Banks The Fountains of Paradise – Arthur C Clarke

– Arthur C Clarke Glory Road – Robert A Heinlein

– Robert A Heinlein Hammer's Slammers – David Drake

– David Drake Have Spacesuit – Will travel – Robert A Heinlein

– Robert A Heinlein Hinterlands – William Gibson

– William Gibson Icerigger – Alan Dean Foster

– Alan Dean Foster Inferno – Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

– Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle The Integral Trees – Larry Niven

– Larry Niven The Invincible – Stanislaw Lem

– Stanislaw Lem Kiln People – David Brin

– David Brin The Kraken Wakes – John Wyndham

– John Wyndham The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula K Le Guin

– Ursula K Le Guin Liege Killer – Christopher Heinz

– Christopher Heinz Macroscope – Piers Anthony

– Piers Anthony Mars – Ben Bova

– Ben Bova The Mars Trilogy – Kim Stanley Robinson

– Kim Stanley Robinson Mindstar Rising – Peter F Hamilton

– Peter F Hamilton Mockingbird – Walter Tevis

– Walter Tevis Moving Mars – Greg Bear

– Greg Bear Mutineers' Moon – David Weber

– David Weber Nimbus – Alexander Jablokov

– Alexander Jablokov The Number of the Beast – Robert A Heinlein

– Robert A Heinlein Orbitsville – Bob Shaw

– Bob Shaw Only Forward – Michael Marshall Smith

– Michael Marshall Smith Otherland – Tad Williams

– Tad Williams Out of the Silent Planet – CS Lewis

– CS Lewis Pandora's Star – Peter F Hamilton

– Peter F Hamilton Planet of Adventure – Jack Vance

– Jack Vance Pushing Ice – Alastair Reynolds

– Alastair Reynolds Revelation Space Saga – Alastair Reynolds

– Alastair Reynolds Rocheworld – Robert L Forward

– Robert L Forward Rogue Trooper – Gerry Finley-Day

– Gerry Finley-Day The Saga of the Well World – Jack L Chalker

– Jack L Chalker Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future – Mike Resnick

– Mike Resnick The Sirens of Titan – Kurt Vonnegut, Jr

– Kurt Vonnegut, Jr The Skinner – Neal Asher

– Neal Asher Spinneret – Timothy Zahn

– Timothy Zahn Startide Rising – David Brin

– David Brin The Survivors – Tom Godwin

– Tom Godwin Tales of Pirx the Pilot – Stanislaw Lem

– Stanislaw Lem Time Enough for Love – Robert A Heinlein

– Robert A Heinlein Timescape – Gregory Benford

– Gregory Benford Transition – Iain M Banks

– Iain M Banks A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah! – Harry Harrison

– Harry Harrison Ubik – Philip K Dick

– Philip K Dick The Uplift War – David Brin

– David Brin The Void Trilogy – Peter F Hamilton

– Peter F Hamilton The Voyage of the Space Beagle – AE van Vogt

– AE van Vogt Vurt – Jeff Noon

– Jeff Noon Who Goes There? – Bob Shaw

– Bob Shaw The Wreck of The River of Stars – Michael Flynn

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