Ainulindale
New Member
I have spent some parts o the last 2 days making my 101 favorite fantasy/sci-fi reads list. If any are interested, or want to share, here' mine. I'd love some feedback.
fantasybookspot.com
fantasybookspot.com
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Been working on this for a couple of days
- Thread starter Ainulindale
- Start date
Sell Sword
New Member
Golly Gee Whilakers, Ainulindale!
Next time you make a list you should put, ya' know, a little more detail into it
Next time you make a list you should put, ya' know, a little more detail into it
direstraits
Well-Known Member
Bravo, and well done! Brilliant list. You may have finally convinced me to get Peake. 
I want to ask though, there are a couple of books in the list where you said wouldn't make it to the list if you were compiling 'the best'. What's your difference between your favourite and your best?
ds
I want to ask though, there are a couple of books in the list where you said wouldn't make it to the list if you were compiling 'the best'. What's your difference between your favourite and your best?
ds
Ainulindale
New Member
I want to note these are just my opinions, and be mindful of that before anyone takes offense:
Good question, and one that I am afraid changes in context depending what I am speak of but I will try to illustrate.
By viewing other's opinion's online of what is best, often admittedly (absolutely arrogant I know) I think some are ridiculuous, and this not usually the measure of the worth of another's opinion but how much they have read in a particular genre.
An example, I love Starwars for instance, the mythos behind is it one of my favorite storie, however under no circumstances IMHO could I ever put it in a "BEST" list.
JRR Tolkien is one of my favorite writers, in fact I probably know more Tolkien mythos than I do any other series, however is he a better writter than even recent writers like China Mieville, or Jeff VanderMeer? Or even veteran writers like Michael Moorcock or , M. John Harrison, or Gene Wolfe? I don't think so. Even in regards to his contemporaries, Peake's prose make's Tolkien's look sophmoric.
It's a way of avoiding the ridiculousness of occasions when I see polls on various forums thats subject is best author or series of all time, and invariably you see names like Goodkind, Jordan, Eddings, Brooks, Gemmell, etc on the list, and my apologies to all those writers, whom I have read extensively and at times enjoyed but they don't even approach the level a Mieville, Moorcock, or even others of the same epic fantasy like Martin or Bakker. IMHO it's the classic difference of popularity/marketing and what's actually quality witten fantasy.
For example Susanna Clarke released her first full length effot last year, the ridiculuously great Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which IMHO contain more brilliance, and quality than the entire body of work by authors like Jordan, Brooks, Eddings, and Goodkind.
I'm not saying those works aren't entertaining (I still follow all of them except Eddings still), or even saying they are not good, or undeserving of there myriad of fans, I'm just saying from a total objectively point of view, there inclusion in any discussion of BEST authors in the genre is at least to me laughable.
Another good example one can use is Dan Brown, in particualr his Da Vinci Code, whcih is tremendously popular and you see some discussion online about him being among the best current fiction writers, which is somewhat disturbing. All of Brown's works are formulaic, basically following the same, screen-play like structure, he seems uncapable of, or wanting to provide one complex sentence in any of his works, and the majority of his religous references (that get people excited, everyone loves conspiracies) are taken from a popular novel of some 20 years ago Holy Blood, Holy Grail, and he incomparable Umberto Ecco's Focaults Pendulum. I have always considered The Da Vinci code to be a an entertaining, quick read, one which I mildy enjoyed, one among many other trashy thrillers. With the hype I heard before reading it, I actually assumed I may have read a quality novel. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it, and other works by Brown, however it really is Umberto Ecco for the masses.
I am mindful of "everyone has an opinion", however some opinions are more questionable than others. I can understand someone like Terry Brooks being someone's favorite fantasy author (admittedly it's a stretch, but I can understand it), however the notion of him being the best IMHO is a statement only bearable and understandable from the unread in fantasy.
Good question, and one that I am afraid changes in context depending what I am speak of but I will try to illustrate.
By viewing other's opinion's online of what is best, often admittedly (absolutely arrogant I know) I think some are ridiculuous, and this not usually the measure of the worth of another's opinion but how much they have read in a particular genre.
An example, I love Starwars for instance, the mythos behind is it one of my favorite storie, however under no circumstances IMHO could I ever put it in a "BEST" list.
JRR Tolkien is one of my favorite writers, in fact I probably know more Tolkien mythos than I do any other series, however is he a better writter than even recent writers like China Mieville, or Jeff VanderMeer? Or even veteran writers like Michael Moorcock or , M. John Harrison, or Gene Wolfe? I don't think so. Even in regards to his contemporaries, Peake's prose make's Tolkien's look sophmoric.
It's a way of avoiding the ridiculousness of occasions when I see polls on various forums thats subject is best author or series of all time, and invariably you see names like Goodkind, Jordan, Eddings, Brooks, Gemmell, etc on the list, and my apologies to all those writers, whom I have read extensively and at times enjoyed but they don't even approach the level a Mieville, Moorcock, or even others of the same epic fantasy like Martin or Bakker. IMHO it's the classic difference of popularity/marketing and what's actually quality witten fantasy.
For example Susanna Clarke released her first full length effot last year, the ridiculuously great Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which IMHO contain more brilliance, and quality than the entire body of work by authors like Jordan, Brooks, Eddings, and Goodkind.
I'm not saying those works aren't entertaining (I still follow all of them except Eddings still), or even saying they are not good, or undeserving of there myriad of fans, I'm just saying from a total objectively point of view, there inclusion in any discussion of BEST authors in the genre is at least to me laughable.
Another good example one can use is Dan Brown, in particualr his Da Vinci Code, whcih is tremendously popular and you see some discussion online about him being among the best current fiction writers, which is somewhat disturbing. All of Brown's works are formulaic, basically following the same, screen-play like structure, he seems uncapable of, or wanting to provide one complex sentence in any of his works, and the majority of his religous references (that get people excited, everyone loves conspiracies) are taken from a popular novel of some 20 years ago Holy Blood, Holy Grail, and he incomparable Umberto Ecco's Focaults Pendulum. I have always considered The Da Vinci code to be a an entertaining, quick read, one which I mildy enjoyed, one among many other trashy thrillers. With the hype I heard before reading it, I actually assumed I may have read a quality novel. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it, and other works by Brown, however it really is Umberto Ecco for the masses.
I am mindful of "everyone has an opinion", however some opinions are more questionable than others. I can understand someone like Terry Brooks being someone's favorite fantasy author (admittedly it's a stretch, but I can understand it), however the notion of him being the best IMHO is a statement only bearable and understandable from the unread in fantasy.
Ainulindale
New Member
Thanks all
marxlaws
New Member
you wrote-"Regardless of the long wait, I want to Martin for giving more ....
' typo you are insane. or you own the rights to those books. nice job, do you have list for other things like my fav movies or my fav pens, my fav people, jk how did you find all the little book pictures?
' typo
you are insane. or you own the rights to those books. nice job, do you have list for other things like my fav movies or my fav pens, my fav people, jk how did you find all the little book pictures?