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[gdt]

I'm curious... Any reason why no Dune? If you like the genres enough to have the rest of the books on the top 10 that seems to be a very odd omission.

Just never got around to it. I'll get it sooner or later.

 

[JDAWGZZZ]

Speaker for the Dead is JUST as good as Ender's Game but it's NOTHING like it. Doesn't get it's due.

 

[TacticalFox88]

LOTR? Really? Meh.

 

[BorkBork]

No Wizard of Earthsea?

Left Hand and Dispossessed are on there (I would actually reverse the two in ranking though), but yeah it's a bit of a shame. The Farthest Shore (Earthsea 3) is pretty much my favorite novel of all time.

 

[Admiral Bone to Pick]

Exactly where it should be.

I'm not arguing the series' quality, just that if this is a popularity contest (which it obviously is given the off placements), Harry Potter should've cracked the Top 100.

 

[rainking187]

I took it as they meant Enders Games as a series

If they do it needs to be way lower on the list. The vast majority of the series is utter shit.

 

[The Technomancer]

I'm not arguing the series' quality, just that if this is a popularity contest (which it obviously is given the off placements), Harry Potter should've cracked the Top 100.

Agreed. Let us remember that the Sword of fucking Truth made this list. If its sheer popularity then Harry Potter should have been like....number two.

If they do it needs to be way lower on the list. The vast majority of the series is utter shit.

To be fair, most of the series' on there have that problem. Dune, Wheel of Time, Foundation, I would even argue the last book of Hitchikers....actually any series that goes beyond three books seems like it turns to shit.

 

[Ninja Beagle]

Eh, I dunno. I'm two books into ASOIF and its great so far, but Martin has some serious pacing issues. I still rank Card in his heyday as one of the best sci-fi authors the century has seen.

Well, I mean Martin has alot more to cover than just some pre-pubescent kids bouncing around in an anti gravity chamber.

 

[Freshmaker]

I've never understood logic of combining the sci fi and fantasy genres.

Sci fi is a subgenre of fantasy.

 

[i_am_ben]

is this feast for crows?

god reading it now so fucking boring

Nope I was referring to a dance with dragons so brace yourself for an even more disappointing and boring sequel riddled with structural issues.

 

[The Technomancer]

Well, I mean Martin has alot more to cover than just some pre-pubescent kids bouncing around in an anti gravity chamber.

If that's all you get out of Ender's Game or Speaker for the Dead then you're missing the point of both books.
There are authors like Martin who can create fantastic characters as well, but I've still yet to find another sci-fi or fantasy author who captures personal relationships and communities like Card. And to be fair, that's not really the focus of something like ASoIaF.

 

[iamblades]

I wonder why US/UK dominate these genres so much. There is a lot of good fiction in other languages but not much in the way of sci-fi.

There is some decent Russian/Ukrainian sci fi, and pretty much every language has it's own type of 'fantasy', it's just not the traditional western fantasy setting that is based on anglo-french and norse mythologies.

Sci fi requires a certain cultural/society wide interest in space travel and advanced technology that isn't all that important to many nations who have historically been more concerned with things lower on the hierarchy of needs.

 

[JordanLMiller]

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien

All is right in the world.

 

[Alpha-Bromega]

I'm also really surprised not to see Speaker for the Dead on here. A much better book then Ender's Game, IMO. EG would have made my top twenty or so, Speaker the top five.

Speaker is FAR better than Game, but I guess Ender's Game is just more accessible, easier read and more 'action packed'

Ender's Game is top 25, but Speaker for the Dead is top 10 material

and Once and Future King way down low? that's top 10 material, easily.

 

[Gramercy.1]

hmmmm, ASOT was recommended to me by a coworker, so I bought the first three books to read after ASOIAF. It seems now that that might have been a mistake from some of the post ine here. I was surprised to see that I've read about a fifth of these books/series.

 

[JDAWGZZZ]

They took Harry Potter off for being a "kids" book. Otherwise, I bet it would have given LOTR a run for number 1.

 

[gravitybear]

I've never understood logic of combining the sci fi and fantasy genres.

bam

spaceships & lasers & relativity & inertial compensators

=

magic / elves / medieval armor / bows & swords???


I like both genres, but still

 

[X26]

18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss

ahahahahahahahahahahaha

edit:gah nevermind, see it's a poll makes sense now. Rothfuss planted positive reviews on amazon so I guess it makes sense he would be sad enough to ballot stuff a random poll

 

[AgentChris]

I gotta read Isaac Asimov's work. Too bad Roland Emmerich is making the movie of The Foundation.

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

Where the fuck is the Hobbit.

They haven't done the children's list yet.

Spoiler

Troll face

All is right in the world.

Consequently, was also voted the No. 1 most helpful remedy for Insomnia.

Farseer needs to be higher. I was going to vote but couldn't be bothered.

 

[ZephyrFate]

Nope I was referring to a dance with dragons so brace yourself for an even more disappointing and boring sequel riddled with structural issues.

This is a minority opinion, for what it's worth.

 

[Alpha-Bromega]

bam

spaceships & lasers & relativity & inertial compensators

=

magic / elves / medieval armor / bows & swords???


I like both genres, but still

BAM

both deal with settings that are not quite real, yet are not myth.

 

[Tyree]

87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe

Fucking criminal!

 

[Admiral Bone to Pick]

They took Harry Potter off for being a "kids" book. Otherwise, I bet it would have given LOTR a run for number 1.

I re-read the article and now it's clear. Then again, if Ender's Game isn't a "young adult" novel, I don't know what is.

List rankings are serious business.

 

[Pau]

No Wizard of Earthsea?

Came to post this. Ursula K. LeGuin's fantasy books are some of the few fantasy novels that actually feel like old folktales or legends that have survived through the ages. Definitely my favorite fantasy series, along with Discworld.

Glad to see The Last Unicorn. Absolutely beautiful book that most people will look over thinking it's simply a children's novel.

 

[brianjones]

This is a minority opinion, for what it's worth.

the amazon reviews seem to drop off after storm of swords too

 

[The Technomancer]

Came to post this. Ursula K. LeGuin's fantasy books are some of the few fantasy novels that actually feel like old folktales or legends that have survived through the ages. Definitely my favorite fantasy series, along with Discworld.

Absolutely agreed, even if I didn't mention it earlier. That "legendary" aspect about them is something that I don't really think I've seen anyone else capture very well.

 

[Chris R]

I'm also really surprised not to see Speaker for the Dead on here. A much better book then Ender's Game, IMO. EG would have made my top twenty or so, Speaker the top five.

That is the thing that I find strange about the list. It lists plenty 'series' but for some reason it only lists Ender's Game? The 'Ender' saga should be on the list, but probably not as high as it is.

 

[ZephyrFate]

the amazon reviews seem to drop off after storm of swords too

Amazon.com is hardly a bastion of noteworthy opinions. The critics absolutely love them.

 

[Gigglepoo]

Some books strike me as really out of place. Orwell shouldn't be included at all. Neither should Watchmen, Time Travelers Wife, or Wicked.

 

[ZephyrFate]

Some books strike me as really out of place. Orwell shouldn't be included at all. Neither should Watchmen, Time Travelers Wife, or Wicked.

Why not Watchmen? It's a fascinating work of sci-fi/fantasy.

 

[Dresden]

Neither should Watchmen, Time Travelers Wife, or Wicked.

You have a very narrow definition of fantasy & SF, then.

 

[zero_suit]

Some books strike me as really out of place. Orwell shouldn't be included at all. Neither should Watchmen, Time Travelers Wife, or Wicked.

Watchmen is excellent.

 

[Home]

I cannot believe that there aren't atleast 100 books/series better than the Sword of Truth series. I say this as someone who read every damn book too.

I guess it's just a fan poll, but still.

 

[Yobalt]

Some books strike me as really out of place. Orwell shouldn't be included at all. Neither should Watchmen, Time Travelers Wife, or Wicked.

How is 1984 not fantasy?

 

[brianjones]

Amazon.com is hardly a bastion of noteworthy opinions. The critics absolutely love them.

fair enough.. just saying the last 2 books dont seem quite as beloved as the first 3

im cool with the idea of there being something special to FFC and DWD that the average joe doesn't get but so far it's been a struggle for me.

 

[ZephyrFate]

fair enough.. just saying the last 2 books dont seem quite as beloved as the first 3

This is true. But I will always have trouble seeing why. C'est la vie.

 

[Mindlog]

Not a bad list. Plenty of safe picks.

my but...

74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi

I am going to have to re-read this book. I don't understand why it's so popular. It's a neat poorly executed concept. The writing is on par with video game adaptations.

 

[Cyrillus]

Foundation Trilogy should be higher, but that's a minor point to argue. Pretty solid top 10, all bets are off after that. Also weird that the John Carter of Mars books aren't on there. While I don't really like the books that much, from what I understand they're pretty highly-acclaimed.

 

[Dead Man]

I've never understood logic of combining the sci fi and fantasy genres.

They often deal with similar themes, and books often cross genres to some degree. Also, they are the 'Otherworlds' type of fiction, where all the other fiction is set in the current or historical world.

 

[X26]

sad omissions: Takeshi Kovacs trilogy, Gentleman Bastards series

certainly a lot better than a lot of what's on that list

 

[Dan]

Disappointed but not surprised that The Acts Of Caine Series by Matthew Woodring Stover didn't make it.

Revelation Space didn't even make it? That's some bullshit.

At least The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson got on there even if it's way too low.

 

[Ramen]

I'll never understand the LOTRs love.

 

[Dead Man]

The total lack of Julian May makes me a bit sad. Not in the top 50 for sure, but better than the Wheel of Time series. Good to see Stephenson get in there, and Dan Simmons, and the Mars Trilogy by KSR.

 

[ZephyrFate]

The total lack of Julian May makes me a bit sad. Not in the top 50 for sure, but better than the Wheel of Time series. Good to see Stephenson get in there, and Dan Simmons, and the Mars Trilogy by KSR.

The Hyperion Cantos deserves to be in the top 10.

 

[Sirpopopop]

Wait...how the hell is Kingkiller at #18? Its not even finished yet! And the books are nowhere near the caliber of the best of the titles on the list.

Also IMO Perdido shouldn't be on there. And from what I've heard, Sword of Truth shouldn't be either.

Bullshit.

It should be much higher, if anything.

MUCH HIGHER.

New Crobuzon is one of the best cities developed in the fantasy genre.

OH my god this. Who the hell thought Orson Scott Card could write something even half as compelling as ASOS/AFFC/ADWD? And I LIKE the Ender's Game series.

I agree with this quote as well.

 

[iammeiam]

It's interesting to see that Pratchett got to be on the list twice, instead of all lumped under Discworld, while the wildly uneven Xanth series shares a slot. And then only Dragonflight of the original Pern trilogy gets called out...

It's not a bad list (glad to know the rest of the planet loves Small Gods as much as I do), but I wish they were more consistent about ranking series together or separately.

 

[Tapiozona]

Lord of the Rings is too high. It's obviously riding the movie success. Great books sure, but best all time? Not even remotely close. The story is rather blah if you really think about it. ASOIAF is far far better plot/character development and actually has real plot twists.

I'd move Hyperion up much higher as well. First book was a masterpeice and the second was fantastic in its own right. (I'd say 3rd and 4th too but I'd loose a lot of credibility by doing so).

 

[Pau]

Absolutely agreed, even if I didn't mention it earlier. That "legendary" aspect about them is something that I don't really think I've seen anyone else capture very well.

LeGuin is definitely a master of her craft, which makes it a bit sad that her fantasy contributions aren't included on the list. It's definitely not the same, but the closet anyone has ever come, for me at least, has been Diana Wynne Jones in her Dalemark Quartet, especiallyThe Spellcoats. I think she's the only author who has made "realistic" fictional legends in the sense that there are contradictory sources/stories, multiple names for the same god depending on region, etc. All that weird stuff you find in real mythology.

Diana should dominate the Young Adult list when they make it, but considering how hard it is to find her stuff in a bookstore nowadays I'm afraid not enough people would have read her novels. I still can't believe she won't be writing anymore.

 

[ZephyrFate]

Lord of the Rings is too high. It's obviously riding the movie success. Great books sure, but best all time? Not even remotely close. The story is rather blah if you really think about it. ASOIAF is far far better plot/character development and actually has real plot twists.

I'd move Hyperion up much higher as well. First book was a masterpeice and the second was fantastic in its own right. (I'd say 3rd and 4th too but I'd loose a lot of credibility by doing so).

Nah you wouldn't. Go for it. Endymion and The Rise of Endymion are incredible books.