[anomander stark]

I, like many others, started reading fantasy books with harry potter and lotr. For three years i just kept re-reading and thought there could be no other book as pleasing as these two series(how wrong i was).

One day i finally got bored and searched the net for other possible books.
I came across a site with list of 25 fantasy books which were claimed to be the best fantasy genre has to offer. I started following the site and soon realised that the list was indeed worth remembering while buying a fantasy book.
I just want to know how you all take to this list. here you go - http://www.bestfanta...ntasy-books.php.

This post has been edited by anomander stark: 11 November 2011 - 07:17 PM

[Orlion]

Wish it was in plain list form, but it seems to be a decent list. It has what I consider to be the best fantasy books ever (so I can't complain) and includes more accessible works (A Song of Ice and Fire) with more... dense tomes (Gormenghast is sooo good, but is by no means your standard escapist fare).

[Bonecaster]

Hood's balls. Had a reply mostly typed out. Then my computer froze. Not in the mood to do it again at the moment. Maybe later.

And who let Orlion in here?!? Shut the door behind you, folks!

[Orlion]

Bonecaster, on 13 November 2011 - 02:52 AM, said:

Hood's balls. Had a reply mostly typed out. Then my computer froze. Not in the mood to do it again at the moment. Maybe later.

And who let Orlion in here?!? Shut the door behind you, folks!

It's too late, Bonecaster (if that is your real name ), even you can not banish me back from whence I came!

[Tattersail_]

The only problem I have with that article is

Quote

If you like Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire saga

Even if you don't like that series you could and most probably would like the rest. I have read all of them bar maybe one and I thoroughly enjoyed them all. I'd also put some other books in there, namely Mistborn trilogy and the Wheel of Time. Some people may not be a lover of the Wheel of time but I love it. My favourite all time books/series are MBotF and WoT, followed by ASoIaF and Mistborn Trilogy. I haven't read the Way of Kings yet so I cannot comment.

Its a good list though and i'd recommend them too.

[Tattersail_]

AAAH I just saw the actually list



http://www.bestfanta...ic-fantasy.html



Ignore some of what I said ^.



edit. Maybe all of what I said.

This post has been edited by Tattersail: 14 November 2011 - 10:39 AM

[JLV]

I'm not going to disagree/agree with rankings. Just if it belongs on the top 25 list

1. GRRM - Belongs
2. SE - Belongs
3. Rothfuss - Haven't it, but I've gotten so many recommendations, it probably belongs.
4. LotR - Belongs
5. Glen Cook (Black Company) - Belongs
6. Mervyne Peake (Gormenghast) - Can't even say, never heard of or read.
7. Joe Abercrombie - Definitely belongs.
8. Brandon Sanderson - Haven't read, but from what he's done with WoT, I'd say belongs.
9. Robin Hobb (The Farseer) Haven't read, but I've gotten many recommendations, probably belongs.
10. Scott Lynche (The Lies of Locke Lamora) belongs
11. Robert Jordan (WoT) - Belongs, entertaining but not well written/edited at times.
12. C.S. Friedman (Cold Fire Trilogy) Never read, but the name annoys me.
13. (Daniel Abraham) The Long Price Quartet - Never heard of
14. KJ Bishop (The Etched City) - Never heard of
15. JV Jones (A sword of shadows) Never heard of
16. David Anthony Durham (Acacia) Never heard of
17. Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melinbone) Never heard of
18. R. Scott Bakker (The Darkness that Comes Before) I would argue that this deserves a higher spot, but I said I wouldn't talk about rankings, so belongs
19. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke) - Never read
20. Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (Stephen R. Donaldson) - Belongs, I think. Mostly because I don't know half the books above it. I've only read the first book.
21. American Gods (Neil Gaiman) - Heard of it, but never read.
22. Abhorsen Trilogy (Garth Nix) - Never heard of it.
23. Memory, Sorrow, Thorn (Tad Williams) - Heard of the author, never read it.
24. Magician: Apprentice and Magician (Raymond E. Feist) - Read these, thought they were okay. Not sure they belong, but then again I don't know half the stuff on this list.
25. Dresden Files (Jim Butcher) - Yes. Just yes.

Mainly, I see missing:

Paul Kearney (Monarchies of God)
Stephen King (The Dark Tower)
I know there's another one, but my mind is failing me.. not home to look at my bookshelf.
I did love Butcher's fantasy series.. Alleria or something? But I suppose he got the nod with Dresden Files.

Can anyone tell me if 6, 12, 13, 14 ,15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, and 23 belong on the list?

Are they worth a read? Always looking for new books.

[Use Of Weapons]

JLV, on 14 November 2011 - 03:00 PM, said:

I'm not going to disagree/agree with rankings. Just if it belongs on the top 25 list

6. Mervyne Peake (Gormenghast) - Can't even say, never heard of or read.
12. C.S. Friedman (Cold Fire Trilogy) Never read, but the name annoys me.
13. (Daniel Abraham) The Long Price Quartet - Never heard of
14. KJ Bishop (The Etched City) - Never heard of
15. JV Jones (A sword of shadows) Never heard of
16. David Anthony Durham (Acacia) Never heard of
17. Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melinbone) Never heard of
19. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke) - Never read
21. American Gods (Neil Gaiman) - Heard of it, but never read.
22. Abhorsen Trilogy (Garth Nix) - Never heard of it.
23. Memory, Sorrow, Thorn (Tad Williams) - Heard of the author, never read it.


Can anyone tell me if 6, 12, 13, 14 ,15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, and 23 belong on the list?

6. Absolutely belongs. Go out and read them now. He actually does them pretty good justice in his description. There is no one like Peake, and IMO for China Miéville to be compared to him is the highest of praise.
12. Definitely belongs. Get over the name and read the books, they are utterly rewarding and fascinating.
13. A modern classic. In a list which, to me at least, seemed overly impressed by modern works at the expense of some better, older work, this is one that thoroughly deserves to be on anyone's top list.
14. No opinion
15. Dull, dull, dull. Jones is a masterful writer, but even she can't make hours of trekking through snow engaging.
16. Heard good things, but not read
17. Cautious approval for its inclusion, despite the inherent emo-ness of Elric and the legacy of emo fantasy the work inspired. Still readable despite its pulpish origins.
19. Fantastic work, a real standalone in terms of style, pacing and lack of what you might call cliché elements, but utterly engrossing if you let yourself get drawn into the world.
21. No opinion, though Gaiman is always worth a read.
22. Not read. Suffers from being viewed as YA, potentially. I'd replace it with Harry Potter.
23. Definitely worth a place, despite some members of this forum knocking it and its elvish rap battle. Hugely atmospheric.

[JLV]

And my to-buy list grows larger.

[Bonecaster]

I love me some Earthsea.

[Macros]

Acacia was pertty torrid imo, don't think it should be on there
Robin Hobb shouldn't be on any such list
The rest I either approve of or havent read.
No Gemmell? really?

[Abyss]

UseOfWeapons, on 14 November 2011 - 03:57 PM, said:

JLV, on 14 November 2011 - 03:00 PM, said:

...15. JV Jones (A sword of shadows) Never heard of
...23. Memory, Sorrow, Thorn (Tad Williams) - Heard of the author, never read it.
...

...15. Dull, dull, dull. Jones is a masterful writer, but even she can't make hours of trekking through snow engaging.
...23. Definitely worth a place, despite some members of this forum knocking it and its elvish rap battle. Hugely atmospheric.

Utterly agreed on Jones. Icingly boring.

For Williams' MST... i suppose it belongs on the list for what it is... a massive sweeping fantasy epic with most of the classic trappings (upwardly mobile farm boy, evil king, fleeing princess, magic elves, magic swords, bold resistance movement....) and a huge cast. Where it fails, Elf-rap-throwdown notwithstanding, is where a lot of Williams' work fails (see also: OTHERLAND) - it's about a doorstopper book-and-a-half longer than it should have been.

[Imperial Historian]

Pretty good list on the whole covering a wide range of the fantasy genre. Of those that I have read the only two who I'd definitely quibble with on inclusion are Jones and Durhams books, which were both merely average. I'd put in the empire series by Fiest and Wurts over Magician by feist as well. A bit over-represented by 'new' authors such as Lynch but then I've struggled to think of definitively better examples.

Surprised to see no Potter, or anything by Gemmell on such a list, as they both are pretty much masters of the specific sub genres (YA and heroic fantasy respectively). But considering everyone nearly always finds fault with top 25 lists, surprisingly good.

[Otataral Toblakai]

Here's my take:

0. Malan Book of the Fallen et. al - You bet it belongs.
1. GRRM - Belongs
2. SE - How can it NOT Belong. In fact, it should be at 0.
3. Rothfuss - Belongs but wouldn't rank it so high
4. LotR - Belongs but I find it boring, tough on the mind and too difficult. I had to grudgingly plod through it though their were some good parts. Plus, it is more at home with a list of History books than here!
5. Glen Cook (Black Company) - Haven't read but planning to
6. Mervyne Peake (Gormenghast) - Haven't read but so far, it's small setting isnt appealing
7. Joe Abercrombie - Belongs and eally good stuff
8. Brandon Sanderson - Haven't read, but from what he's done with WoT, I'd say belongs. (same)
9. Robin Hobb (The Farseer) - Definitely belongs. All of the three that i've read (surprisingly, didn't know about Rain Wilds until several days ago!)
10. Scott Lynche (The Lies of Locke Lamora) - Belongs
11. Robert Jordan (WoT) - Definitely Belongs and would rank it 2.
12. C.S. Friedman (Cold Fire Trilogy) - Haven't read but planning to
13. (Daniel Abraham) The Long Price Quartet - Haven't read
14. KJ Bishop (The Etched City) - Haven't read
15. JV Jones (A sword of shadows) - Haven't read
16. David Anthony Durham (Acacia) - I think I have though I can't recollect
17. Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melinbone) Haven't read
18. R. Scott Bakker (The Darkness that Comes Before) Belongs
19. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke) - Haven't read
20. Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (Stephen R. Donaldson) - Not belong though that may be because I read the first two pages and dropped. I hate modern settings!
21. American Gods (Neil Gaiman) - Not belong. I have never really understood the hype sorrounding it. I wouldn't even call it fantasy - the fantasy parts are really few and squashed. When I read it, I was like waaa..slam. I expected something bigger, greater.
22. Abhorsen Trilogy (Garth Nix) - Haven't read
23. Memory, Sorrow, Thorn (Tad Williams) - Not belong. Though if you like Lord of the Rings clones and a boring pace with a fairytailish outlook, it's your cup of tea. I don't even know why I read all three.
24. Magician: Apprentice and Magician (Raymond E. Feist) - Planning to.
25. Dresden Files (Jim Butcher) - Though not exactly fantasy, these belong more than American Gods and are good. But what does belong is Buthcher's Codex Alera; a nice and amazing Harry Potter like series.

Others that should belong.

Harry Potter - It is well written, very interesting and an easy read. It is purely magical. And I am not saying that because it was my first fantasy series (my first book was the third ASoIaF book - A Storm of Swords!)
The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski
The Sin War Trilogy - Richard A Knaak
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Star Wars (anyone?)

[Abyss]

JLV, on 14 November 2011 - 03:00 PM, said:

...I did love Butcher's fantasy series.. Alleria or something? But I suppose he got the nod with Dresden Files....

CODEX ALERA... which is arguably better than some of the stuff that made it, tho DRESDEN is better overall.



I notice this is a list of series, not individual books. STRANGE & NORRELL is actually the one and only standalone book on the list. AMERICAN GODS, arguably but ANANSI BOYS means not.

I've always thought it would be more interesting to to do a list of individual books, but the re-occuring problem is that in a series, one's enjoyment of any given book is often fueled by having read the previous books, and many, most even, wouldn't stand on their own.

Gemmel's a notable exception as most of his are standalones even within the same setting. And of course, he didn't make this list.

[worry]

OT, you're absolutely right about His Dark Materials. It's A-caliber stuff, and I'd gladly swap it in for some of the series on the list (particularly the stuff I haven't read, of course). I'd include both the Harry Potter series and the Prydain chronicles as well. And it kind of baffles me how Narnia gets left off the list, but I suppose all of these get hit with the YA tag as well.

For my money, Robin Hobb should be in the top three alongside GRRM and SE.

I think the Strange/Norrell book has a same-world short stories collection out there, though I haven't read it, and it probably isn't considered a proper sequel (though maybe it is, as much as Anansi Boys is).

This post has been edited by worrywort: 14 November 2011 - 11:15 PM

[kalam_]

Imperial Historian, on 14 November 2011 - 06:43 PM, said:

Pretty good list on the whole covering a wide range of the fantasy genre. Of those that I have read the only two who I'd definitely quibble with on inclusion are Jones and Durhams books, which were both merely average. I'd put in the empire series by Fiest and Wurts over Magician by feist as well. A bit over-represented by 'new' authors such as Lynch but then I've struggled to think of definitively better examples.

Surprised to see no Potter, or anything by Gemmell on such a list, as they both are pretty much masters of the specific sub genres (YA and heroic fantasy respectively). But considering everyone nearly always finds fault with top 25 lists, surprisingly good.

If you visit that site again u will find that HP and other books, such as earthsea, mistborn, warded man,etc. have been given ranks from 25-70.

[BlackMoranthofDoom]

I've only read a few series but i agree that MBOTF, ASOIAF, LOTR belong there. Harry Potter is also really good imo. I'd add the Silmarillion as well if it does not fall under LOTR.

Has anyone read Wars of Light and Shadow? How is it?

[Use Of Weapons]

BlackMoranthofDoom, on 15 November 2011 - 02:33 PM, said:

Has anyone read Wars of Light and Shadow? How is it?

See this thread: http://forum.malazan...showtopic=21322

[lord of tragedy]

hobb and donaldson deserve to be much higher. martin's first three books were good the rest are shite. joe abercrombie's prominence is bizzare, compared to bakker. i read a celia friedman book once and that's ten minutes of my life i can never have back.