Best SF&F Author Thread

[Ran]

Hobb's characters and the emotional depth which she gives them struck me as rather a lot deeper than in Williams's [i]Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn[/i], and I suspect that this is what drives much of her fan support.

[kcf]

hmm...I didn't vote since I usually ahve a tough time ranking - so I really can't comment too much on the results. As for the top 10 - I'd say it's pretty clear that a lot of the voters have differing opinions from many of the more vocal posters around here. Donaldson is the only one in the top 10 I haven't read, though I really need to read more Wolfe. I find Bakker shockingly high for a 'new guy', though I'm happy he's in the top 10.

[Arthmail]

I think Morgan didn't find his way higher is because he is a little bit of a one trick pony. Don't get me wrong, i like his novels, and i will readily admit that i have only read 3 of them. (The first two Kovacks and Black Man). But he is pretty formulaic. Two sex scenes minimum, a boatload of death, some swearing, people constantly getting mad at each other for little reason. Usually an extended scene were the main character goes on a murderous spree of massive proportions - though Black Man had no real stand out scenes in that vein.

As for Abercrombie, to politely disagree with HK, i think he has staying power.

[Larry.]

To reiterate what I hinted at earlier, Triskele, you're just a pop band follower ;)

[Lord of Oop North]

[quote]Plus I also took into account the fact that if we'd concluded that Hobb is better than or tied with Wolfe, then some boardmembers would have had coronaries on the spot. I didn't want the poll to kill anyone.[/quote]

Basically, yes.

My next of kin would have to begin massive legal action :)

[Rimmer]

[quote name='Shryke' post='1351453' date='May 11 2008, 21.20']I'm reading it right now. It's entertaining enough, but nothing mind-blowing.[/quote]
As Crannogman said, the two Cugel books are the great ones from the Dying Earth saga, nothing else quite like them really. I wasn't blown away by the other two either.

I personally like his Demon Prince series the most, as well as the Lyonesse and Alastor books.

[Shryke]

I'm halfway through the second Cugel book now. The characters different then usually, and it's entertaining, but it's not "Top 10 Author" material.

Bakker or GRRM or even Erikson were way more mindblowing.

[williamjm]

[quote name='Werthead' post='1351568' date='May 12 2008, 04.38']One thing I have learned from this exercise is that stickying the thread may not have been a good idea. OTOH it took hours to count just 85 votes.[/quote]

It does seem that stickying is a bit counter-productive, it is in theory meant to draw people's attentions to the posts, but in reality a lot of us just seem to automatically ignore them (it took me weeks to notice the original thread) - presumably because we're not used to new threads appearing there.

[Shryke]

Yeah, I didn't vote at all because I NEVER look at the Stickies.

[RedEyedGhost]

[quote name='Fenryng' post='1351171' date='May 11 2008, 11.14']Huh. Have not read six out of the ten. Not like I don't have enough to read now as it is.[/quote]

Wohoo! I've read all ten authors. (Not that I liked all ten)

I've been hanging around on this board way too long apparently... :leaving:

[quote name='Werthead' post='1351794' date='May 12 2008, 05.58']Editor's perogative ;) Plus I also took into account the fact that if we'd concluded that Hobb is better than or tied with Wolfe, then some boardmembers would have had coronaries on the spot. I didn't want the poll to kill anyone.[/quote]

:stunned:

Good thing I changed my 5 spot from Hobb to Abercrombie after finishing LAoK! :thumbsup:

[quote name='williamjm' post='1352517' date='May 12 2008, 15.57']It does seem that stickying is a bit counter-productive, it is in theory meant to draw people's attentions to the posts, but in reality a lot of us just seem to automatically ignore them (it took me weeks to notice the original thread) - presumably because we're not used to new threads appearing there.[/quote]

Stickies are weird. I usually skip them, but on this board I think they're pretty noticeable because of the new post bold color scheme, but obviously not noticeable enough based on the responses in this thread (and that this one is nearly half the length of the original in just four days versus nearly two months).

It would be interesting to see the results if GRRM had not been eligible, but obviously Tolkien would have then run away with it. I wonder what the gap between him and 2nd place would have looked like.

[Lyanna Stark]

Well, tastes certainly change. :)

Well done to Bakker, Mieville and Abercrombie for wrestling your way into the top ten. I vaguely remember another vote years and years ago, where Gay Gavriel Kay, Robert Jordan and Zelazny did far better. But that was before the Age of Bakker, Mieville and Abercrombie. :P

I am a bit surprised Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman didn't do better.

A bit surprised as well that Robin Hobb made it to the top ten, I haven't even been able to read through the first of her Farseer series. It bored me to tears and left no trace what so ever.

To me, Donaldson will always be an important influence, since I read his Thomas Covenant books and the Mirror of he Dreams series while quite young. I still remember how the death of the noble giant made me cry. :)

Plus of course, the titles of the Thomas Covenant books are beautiful.

"Daughter of Regals" is also a very nice little short story.

[Starkess]

I've only read four these (Donaldson, Herbert, Tolkien, and GRRM), but that doesn't really surprise me. I long ago came to the conclusion that I have very different tastes from the majority of the board. Also I don't have access to a public library really at the moment, so I can only read stuff I buy, and I tend to be conservative in my book-buying. I usually buy books that I've already read and know I like.

[Lupigis]

[quote name='Lyanna Stark' post='1355009' date='May 14 2008, 18.21']"Daughter of Regals" is also a very nice little short story.[/quote]

I always loved that one too!

[alguien]

[quote name='Lyanna Stark' post='1355009' date='May 14 2008, 12.21']"Daughter of Regals" is also a very nice little short story.[/quote]

Enjoyed "Daughter of Regals,", but my favorite Donaldson short is "Reave the Just".

I don't know why, but it just blew me away.

[Cuchulain]

I'm disappointed but not really surprised to see that Paul Kearney hasn't even made the list of authors after the first ten. He is so underread and underrated.

[VarysTheSpider]

I'd have weighted it by a "bog standard" index until I got a list I liked. Overall, pretty good list, despite Bakker's presence.

[Gigei]

[quote name='Crannogman' post='1351728' date='May 12 2008, 05.11']You should note that the "Dying Earth" saga really consists of three very distinct parts.

The first, the actual "tales of the dying earth", is a series of in my opinion very good short stories, but I wouldn't go so far to say they blew me away.

However, the two novels about Cugel the Clever (all four parts are collected together in most Dying Earth books for sale nowadays) are some of the best and most humourous fantasy I've ever written, with a marvellous rascall-main-character. (who isn't nearly as clever as he thinks he is.)

And the final part, Rialto the Marvellous... well, that never succeeded in grabbing my interest, feeling rather stale.[/quote]

Oh? Perhaps something other than Dying Earth then...

I am unfortunately not surprised that Zelazny is not higher. His books have lately been very hard to find. Amber is always in print but his other books, especially his short story collections are pretty much out of print. *sigh* This is a pity since I think his short fiction is his best and there are some gems among his non-Amber books.

[Jaerv]

[quote name='Werthead' post='1351568' date='May 12 2008, 05.38']The rest of the list, after the Top 10:

Scott Lynch, Roger Zelazny, Ursula K. LeGuin, Philip K. Dick, Jack Vance, Guy Gavriel Kay, Terry Pratchett, Dan Simmons, Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams, Jorge Luis Borges, Robert Jordan, Isaac Asimov, Italo Calvino, Arthur C. Clarke, Mervyn Peak, Steve Brust, Orson Scott Card, Peter F. Hamilton, Richard Morgan, Umberto Eco, CS Lewis, Raymond E. Feist, Jim Butcher, Thomas Pynchon, Neal Stephenson, Graham Joyce, Lois McMaster Bujol, Jonathan Carrol, Michael Chabon, Harlan Ellison, Alastair Reynolds, Robert Heinlein, Matthew Stover, Haruki Murakami, HP Lovecraft, Connie Willis, Greg Egan, David Gemmell, Patrick Suskind, Bram Stoker, George Orwell, Alan Moore, Tim Powers, Arkady & Boris Strugatsky, Catheryn Valente, Margaret Attwood, Bulgakov, Walter M. Miller, Anne McCaffrey, Stephen King, Charlie Huston, Tad Williams, CS Friedman, Christopher Priest, Andrzej Sapkowski, Theodore Sturgeon, HG Wells, Michelle West, Richard Adams, Amanda Ashley, Franz Kafka, Milan Kundera, Greg Bear, Edward Whittemore, Octavia Butler, Ben Bova, David B. Coe, William Gibson, Julian May, Ian McDonald, Ian McLeod, Michael Moorcock, Garth Nix, Philip Pullman, Jeff VanderMeer, Iain M. Banks, Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury, Joy Dara, David Eddings, Glen Cook, Jonathan Lethem, George MacDonald, Robin McKinley, Patricia McKillip, Edgar Allen Poe, Frederick Pohl, Kurt Vonnegut and Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman.[/quote]

er, Werthead? Could you possibly include Homer, too? He was nominated by Bellis who changed her opinion, throwing Pynchon out and taking Homer in (see post 25, original thread). I think she had a rather good idea there. To a certain extent, the [i]Ilias[/i] is purest fantasy and includes some of the best battle scenes I've ever read. Furthermore, his name would of course adorn our little list... ;)






and no, I don't think I'm anal-retentive.

[Werthead]

Oh FFS :P The rule - which I totally forgot to reiterate this time around - is that if you change your mind you go back and re-edit your original post before the count date. If you just stick a post saying you've changed your mind in later on, I tend not to count it (as I don't keep track of who has voted for what, only the total number of votes). Sorry, I should have put that at the front of the thread.

After the Christopher Priest balls-up and requests from other forums to join in, I'm seriously considering re-running this. Not for a few months though ;)

[Lord of Oop North]

[quote name='Werthead' post='1358733' date='May 16 2008, 21.14']After the Christopher Priest balls-up and requests from other forums to join in, I'm seriously considering re-running this. Not for a few months though ;)[/quote]

It'll be interesting to see how adding different web communities affects the votes.