Falconer Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 The Book of Lost Tales, Tolkien The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien The Worm Ouroboros, Eddison Vision of the Future, Zahn Arthurian Romances, Chrétien Le Morte Darthur, Malory A Storm of Swords, Martin The Last Battle, Lewis A Princess of Mars, Burroughs The Dying Earth, Vance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Crows Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 On 7/25/2019 at 8:29 AM, wolverine said: Shogun, James Clavell Oh nice one. I read that probably 15 years ago and absolutely loved it. Made me want to learn Japanese. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yet another Arya ! Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 1 - Dangerous Liaisons (Choderlos de Laclos) 2 - Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) 3 - The Silmarillon (Tolkien) 4 - Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes) 5 - The Giver (Lois Lowry) 6 - The Power and the Glory (Graham Greene) 7 - Memoirs of Hadrien (Marguerite Yourcenar) 8 - Do androïds dream of electronic sheeps? (Philip K Dick) 9 - Charmed Life (Diana Wynne Jones) 10 - The Scar (Bruce Lowery) And so many more: HP, LOTR, Hyperion, all Flaubert and Maupassant novels and short stories, all XIXth century Russian novelists... No need to divide the ranking between fantasy, science-fiction and "classic": the single criteria is the writting. If you are engulfed in the story by each word, each sentence, each paragraph, each chapter, all perfectly built and matching like Russian dolls, with vivid and poetic and efficient descriptions and dialogues, you're reading a good book! No matter if it's the story of an elf conquering the galaxy because of some prophecy or the story of the daily life of a shy handmaiden in a Scottish manor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinze Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 LOTR. Tolkien Hyperion. Simmons A Confederacy of Dunces. Toole The Library at Mount Char. Hawkins The Demolished Man. Bester The Stars My Destination. Bester How The Light Gets In. Penny A Storm of Swords. Martin Lions of Al-Rassan. Kay Lord of the Silver Bow. Gemmell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sologdin Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 this is a nearly impossible ask best therefore to canalize the consequent decalogues into respectable subgenres, for instance, the top ten erotic literature shall be the priapeia, the kama sutra, aretino's ragionamenti, rochester's sodom, cleland's memoirs of a woman of pleasure, de sade's 120 days of sodom, sacher-masoch's venus in furs, krafft-ebing's psychopathia sexualis, genet's lady of the flowers, ballard's crash, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yet another Arya ! Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 @Quinze I forgot A Confederacy of Dunces, the kind of novel even our distant descendants will find sharp and accurate... @sologdin I like the term of "respectable subgenres" :-D And I'd like that book reviewers bear in mind that there is no non-respectable subgenres... I read all Sade's books (unwillingly!) and excepted Philosophy in the Boudoir that was vaguely funny, I found the other rather boring, especially 120 Days of Sodom (unfinished story with gruesome descriptions, at least Juliette/Justine were well writted and genuinely erotic). I acknowledge I missed the point of the ramping revolt against everything, (including eroticism itself? At least what eroticism was supposed to be in late XVIII century?) that runs throughout this book, but I would not call it an erotic novel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vaughn Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 10 hours ago, sologdin said: this is a nearly impossible ask best therefore to canalize the consequent decalogues into respectable subgenres, for instance, the top ten erotic literature shall be the priapeia, the kama sutra, aretino's ragionamenti, rochester's sodom, cleland's memoirs of a woman of pleasure, de sade's 120 days of sodom, sacher-masoch's venus in furs, krafft-ebing's psychopathia sexualis, genet's lady of the flowers, ballard's crash, Where's 'The Wise Man's Fear' on this list of top ten erotic novels? I call BS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sologdin Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 the appropriate sublist would be 'top ten erotic epic fantasy serial novels,': dunno if rothfuss for sex ninjas & virgin training via faerie can be on there, or the fat pink masts and myrish swamps in martin. maybe lillith's brood for the radical alterity of the sex acts (which are reminiscent of the aliens in the gods themselves). RSB on the ground floor, of course, as an update of the chaste tolkien setting by merging it with de sade. malory states that we're in the 'lusty month of may,' but doesn't deliver anything remotely pornographic. i wish milton could be on this sublist; he has great descriptions of angels and demons and adam & eve, pre- and post-lapsarian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Crows Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 Just remembered Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. Add it to my list! I was gonna take something off my previous 10, but then I thought, "Fuck it. This is the internet. There, are, no, rules." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dornish prince Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 i know that we've done this a million times...i've participated. regardless, i'm on the verge of amending the list, so i've decided to revisit. i'm not ready to assign an order BUT, i will say that lamb: the gospel according to biff, christ's childhood pal is a clear #1 for me. it's regional, contemplative and, above all, the epitome of poignant; i can't move it from #1. if you haven't read this book and are even remotely acquainted with the christ 'myth', then what are you waiting for? so, then... 1. lamb 2. use of weapons 3. the lies of locke lamorra 4. a storm of swords 5. altered carbon after this though? the water is very muddy. these continue to hold up...so i can't just arbitrarily replace them. I refuse to summon poster with the night circus , rajaniemi's the quantum thief wants to be a part of the group. i've recently read the way of kings, and i wonder if sanderson doesn't own rigny's soul...additionally, the hod king is the apex predator of recent books read. this was FUCKING difficult because i didn't include abercrombie or the lions of al-rassan (the greatest historical novel ever) what has moved the order for you people recently? why do we do this to one another? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Yeah....you know Lions of Al-Rassan isn't historical right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 On 7/1/2019 at 4:21 PM, HelenaExMachina said: I would have to cheat and include Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings as one single entry to make my list at all interesting (otherwise it would be Hobb Hobb and Hobb). Note these aren't necessarily based on some kind of objective criteria but my personal favourites or books which for one reason or another hold a special place for me. Not in order but a tough top 10: The Lord of the Rings JRR Tolkien. My entry into the fantasy genre from which I have never looked back. Realm of the Elderlings Robin Hobb. Utterly captivating with such beautiful characters and plot Howards End E.M. Forster Bleak House Charles Dickens The Silmarillion JRR Tolkien/Christopher Tolkien The Fifth Season N.K. Jemisin Cloud Atlas David Mitchell Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen Harry Potter series J.K Rowling Lord of the Flies William Golding Not much to change. Not sure why i missed it at the time but i would add The Dagger and the Coin series by Daniel Abraham. I would swap out Bleak House for this. And having reread now as an adult, I would add His Dark Materials plus the book of dust. I would swap Harry Potter for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Cartman Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 Despite OP saying regardless of genre, I find it more useful to ignore that. * Has only completed series that I've read. Best Epic Fantasy: 1) Malazan, 2) Lord of the Rings 3) Wheel of Time Best YA Fantasy: 1) Harry Potter, 2) Bartimaeus Quadrology 3) Eragorn Best Steampunk: 1) Ketty Jay 2) Best Superhero Fantasy: 1) Chronicles of the Fid 2) Vicious 3) Soon I'll be Invincible Best Urban Fantasy: 1) Divine Cities 2) Iron Druid 3) Nightside Best Grimdark Fantasy: 1) First Law 2) Broken Empire 3) Will complete it later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 You had me til Eragon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 I too was lost at Eragon, then jumped ship at the word grimdark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlyaP Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 I went so far as to make this nice and tidy in a table. I REGRET NOTHING. 1 S. Morgenstern, abridged by William Goldman The Princess Bride, The ‘Good Parts’ Version 2 Jim Dodge Not Fade Away 3 William Gibson Distrust that Particular Flavour 4 Neal Stephenson Cryptonomicon 5 Virgil The Aeneid 6 A.S. Byatt Possession 7 Glenda Guest Siddon Rock 8 Matthew Stover Heroes Die 9 Bill Flanagan U2 at the End of the World 10 Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 What sort of monster puts author first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlyaP Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 29 minutes ago, BigFatCoward said: What sort of monster puts author first? This kind of monster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 On 2/19/2020 at 5:22 PM, HelenaExMachina said: Not much to change. Not sure why i missed it at the time but i would add The Dagger and the Coin series by Daniel Abraham. I would swap out Bleak House for this. And having reread now as an adult, I would add His Dark Materials plus the book of dust. I would swap Harry Potter for this. We must Kung fu fight! I strongly dislike HDM. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 3 hours ago, Darth Richard II said: We must Kung fu fight! I strongly dislike HDM. :p It holds up better on a re-read, although Lyra still seems to become regrettably more passive with the introduction of Will. Also, swapped my ranking to place Amber Souglass above Subtle Knife - though Northern Lights is easily still first, the book is lovely. However, the addition of La Belle Sauvage and The Secret Commonwealth have improved my opinion of the series quite a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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