# Fantasy Fans - Time to get Honest



## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

The same site Basilius linked in for the top 100 SF books also has a top 100 Fantasy book list: http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/fantasy100/lists_books.html.

Now this list has more to geek out over in that there are entire series listed as well as things of questionable fantasy-status like _A Clockwork Orange_ and _Johnathan Livingston Seagull_. But, its a starting point.

What haven't you read off this list?
what doesn't belong?
and, what would you put as your top 20?

*EDIT:* Thanks Charles, I forgot which site I was on ....


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2010)

That was awesome, if only for the degree of variety in the list. I sure wasn't expecting to see A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Cat and the Hat, and Lord of the Flies all together. I could quibble about this or that...Eragon being too high or Watchmen being too low. It basically had everything I was looking for though.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Here's a clickable link, pending Geoffrey editing his original post: http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/fantasy100/lists_books.html.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Just skimming through that list (which has too much from other genres, IMHO), I'd guesstimate I've read roughly 50% of them. My first strike is #2, as I've never had any interest in the Harry Potter series (not saying it's bad, it just never piqued my interest to even try it).


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

OK, here's a stab at a top 20 list. The first three were pretty easy, then selecting and ordering quickly got much more difficult.

_(EDIT: I decided to replace _The Song of Roland_ with _The Odyssey_, as I guess "Roland" is more in the realm of historical fiction, yet I did want to acknowledge something I liked from well before modern times.)_


_Nine Princes in Amber*_Roger Zelazny_The Lord of the Rings_J.R.R.Tolkien_Guards! Guards!**_Terry Pratchett_Elric of Melniboné*_Michael Moorcock_The Colour of Magic*_Terry Pratchett_Good Omens_Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman_A Wizard of Earthsea*_Ursula K. LeGuin_Jhereg*_Steven Brust_Inferno_Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle_Lord Foul's Bane*_Stephen R. Donaldson_A Spell for Chameleon*_Piers Anthony_The Name of the Wind_Patrik Rothfuss_Dragonflight_Anne McCaffrey_The Knight of Swords*_Michael Moorcock_Something Wicked this Way Comes_Ray Bradbury_A Night in the Lonesome October_Roger Zelazny_The First Book of Swords*_Fred Saberhagen_The Swords of Lankhmar_Fritz Leiber_The Sword of Shannara_Terry Brooks_The Odyssey_Homer
_____________
* First in a series, some or all of which I'd include here
** First in my favorite story arc of the larger series


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Nice list! I agree with the others, that are some questionable ones on there, but it also included all my favorite fantasies, so I'm happy.  Now I also have some other titles to try out from that list...


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Here's my list .... at least my for now list ....


*Author**Title*J R R TolkienThe Lord of the RingsAnne RiceInterview with the VampireOrson Scott CardSeventh SonSusan CooperThe Dark Is RisingPaula VolskyIllusionClive BarkerWeaveworldDavid EddingsPawn of ProphesyC S LewisThe Lion, the Witch & the WardrobeLewis CarrollAlice In WonderlandLloyd AlexanderThe Black CauldronRaymond E Feist & Janny Wurtz Daughter of the EmpireStephen DonaldsonLord Foul's BaneKatherine KurtzCamber of CuldiTerry GoodkindWizard's First RuleTerry PratchettWyrd SistersNeil Gaiman & Terry PratchettGood OmensUrsula K Le GuinA Wizard of EarthseaMarion Zimmer BradleyThe Mists Of AvalonMichael MoorcockElric of MelibonéJudith TarrRite of Conquest


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Well, I've read only 36 or so of those on the list. Fantasy runs a distant third to my two favorite genres (SF and Mystery), so I'm not surprised. I may post a list later, but I may have a hard time coming up with 20, heh.


Mike


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## Shandril19 (Aug 18, 2009)

I've read a little over half of what's there (although I may not have finished every book in the series I've read).  And thought the list was pretty good/inclusive.  

Pleased to see Tamora Pierce and Jacqueline Carey on the list.  Two of my personal favorites.


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## PixieEnchanted (Sep 9, 2010)

Great list, thanks for sharing.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

I have read 35 (although a lot of the ones I read were full series).  I guess I have some reading to do.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

15	R A Salvatore	Dark Elf Trilogy


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

I've read 44 of the books on the list. Several are on my TBR list and there are some that I might add. #4 is the first one that I haven't read.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Chad Winters (#102) said:


> 15	R A Salvatore	Dark Elf Trilogy


While I read some fantasy after reading Lord of the Rings, it was actually Salvatore and his Dark Elf Trilogy that really got me reading the genre after I stumbled upon it in High School. To me, it's kind of like a really good action movie (say, Terminator 2). You wouldn't want to compare it to Citizen Kane, but at the same time, it was just so much fun and such a wonderful gateway book into the thicker, meatier tomes.

David Dalglish


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Many of these aren't fantasy books.  "Life of Pi" is definitely not fantasy.  And... "The Cat in the Hat"?  Really?

As for R A Salvatore -- yeah, they're fun D&D books.  Sort of good books for a long flight, but not profound literature.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

DArenson said:


> yeah, they're fun D&D books.


You got a problem with D&D? Don't make me get out my 20-sided dice ....


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Geoffrey said:


> You got a problem with D&D? Don't make me get out my 20-sided dice ....


D&D is basically how I spent my life between the ages of 10 to 15, so... no.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

<========  Recovering dungeon master & part-time chaotic good cleric.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

<========  inventor of the Buddy Bag™ *

____________
* A backpack with pre-cut holes at the bottom of each side, with laced on covers, ideal for sticking the legs of an expired (not-too-large) party member through so that s/he can more easily be carried back to a powerful enough cleric for resurrection.


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

I'll post my stats while the D&D crowd does...whatever they do. 

I've read 31 of the first 50 and 18 of the second 50 for a total of 49.  My first miss was #9: Magician.  I have to say though, there were a bunch that really don't belong on that list.

I'm exhausted from coming up with my top 20 SciFi books but I'll try to post a list tomorrow.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

I crashed and burned on No. 1. Yes, I've never finished _Lord of the Rings_. I read the first two books on a winter break in High School way way back when and never read the rest. I never saw the movies either.

As for my top fantasy, I'm going to make a very limited selection.

1. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson (Books 1 to 3) 
2. The Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock (Books 1 to 6)

I'm tempted to added novels like _Midnight's Children_ by Salmon Rushdie, but I don't thinks it's not really right calling it fantasy in the same vein as allowing Vonnegut onto the SF list.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Here's my listtoday:


*Title*
Nine Princes in Amber
Child of a Rainless Year 
Storm Front
Jhereg
Swords of Lankmar
The Dunwich Horror and other stories 
Colour of Magic
Alice in Wonderland
Too Many Magicians
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Something Wicked This Way Comes
The Last Unicorn
I Am Legend
Sweet Silver Blues
Sea Kings of Mars
Darker Than You Think
Lyrec
Land of Unreason
The Amber Spyglass
Conan*Author*
Roger Zelazny
Jane Lindskold
Jim Butcher
Steven Brust
Fritz Leiber
H. P. Lovecraft
Terry Pratchett
Lewis Carroll
Randall Garrett
L. Frank Baum
Ray Bradbury
Peter S. Beagle
Richard Matheson
Glen Cook
Leigh Brackett
Jack Williamson
Gregory Frost
L. Sprague de Camp
Philip Pullman
Robert E. Howard


Again, the position of any given title on the list is wibbly-wobbly.

Mike


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

My favorite item was a lucky goblin finger. Why was it lucky?

We had cast a sleep spell on it. There were four of us that eventually attacked it. It took three rounds to kill the sleeping goblin. Why? 1 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 3 - 2 - 20. We nearly lost a different party member during that fight. If he'd died, we were just going to grab the goblin and have him taken over by the PC.


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## jbh13md (Aug 1, 2010)

I've read 67 on the list. Not bad, eh? Some of these selections are a bit suspect, but I think it's cool they utilized a broader definition of fantasy. I would have liked to have seen something by Fritz Leiber on there. And Poul Anderson. And Fred Saberhagen. And Robert E. Howard! Also, if Beowulf is fantasy, isn't Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner fantasy? I've never heard anyone say so but... It's a pretty mystical (if not magical) story...

OK. Here's my (very much abridged and not in a well thought out order) list:
1. The Book of The New Sun by Gene Wolfe (this is powerful stuff... challenging, but powerful)
2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
3. The Hand of Oberon by Roger Zelazny (my favorite Amber book for the twist ending)
4. The Elric Books by Michael Moorcock
5. The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
6. Split Infinity by Piers Anthony 
7. A Witch Shall Be Born by Robert E. Howard
8. The Complete Book of Swords by Fred Saberhagen
9. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
10. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
11. The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman
12. Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
13. Mattimeo by Brian Jacques

I'm sure there are so many others, but these are mostly on the bookshelves by my bed. I know I'm forgetting something great, but oh well.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I have considered myself a regular fantasy reader, but I may have to rethink that label....I've only read six of the first twenty in their entirety (there were two series mentioned in the first twenty that I sampled with one book (Harry Potter) or a bit more (Dragonlance) and felt no desire to continue--So I haven't really read those series.

Of those six, I only considered three of 'em memorable (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and Amber series in that order).

After the first twenty, I fall down even further.  I didn't do a full count, but I doubt I've read twenty of the remaining eighty books!  And hardly any of those did I consider memorable.  Animal Farm, A Christmas Carol, and The Screwtape Letters were good 'uns in the remainder, but I don't really consider any of those to be fantasy.  I'd call them a political satire and two brilliant morality plays.

I doubt I can come up with twenty of those books that I even consider above average, so I will skip the list of twenty this time.  I'm just gonna go sulk while I read some of my L. Sprague deCamp and Glenn Cook books!


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

This is our list as it stands friday morning. As an interesting aside (OK, and incredibly geeky one) on this list only the first 12 books appear on more than one person's list - with 5 lists. On the SF thread, with 7 lists, there are 25 books on multiple people's lists ....


*Place**Book**Author**Place**Book**Author**1* 
*[td]Elric of Melnibon�é[/td][td]Michael Moorcock[/td][td][/td][td]32[/td][td]The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe [/td][td]C S Lewis[/td]*
*
[tr][td]2[/td][td]Lord Foul's Bane[/td][td]Stephen R. Donaldson [/td][td][/td][td]33[/td][td]Too Many Magicians[/td][td]Randall Garrett[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]3[/td][td]Nine Princes in Amber [/td][td]Roger Zelazny[/td][td][/td][td]34[/td][td]Inferno[/td][td]Larry Niven and Jerry 
Pournelle[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]4[/td][td]The Lord of the Rings[/td][td]J.R.R.Tolkien[/td][td][/td][td]35[/td][td]Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell[/td][td]Susanna Clarke[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]5[/td][td]The Colour of Magic[/td][td]Terry Pratchett[/td][td][/td][td]36[/td][td]The Wonderful Wizard of Oz[/td][td]L. Frank Baum[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]6[/td][td]Jhereg[/td][td]Steven Brust[/td][td][/td][td]37[/td][td]The Hobbit[/td][td]J.R.R.Tolkien[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]7[/td][td]The Black Cauldron[/td][td]Lloyd Alexander[/td][td][/td][td]38[/td][td]Daughter of the Empire[/td][td]Raymond E Feist & Janny 
Wurtz[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]8[/td][td]Alice In Wonderland[/td][td]Lewis Carroll[/td][td][/td][td]39[/td][td]A Spell for Chameleon[/td][td]Piers Anthony[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]9[/td][td]Good Omens[/td][td]Terry Pratchett & Neil 
Gaiman[/td][td][/td][td]40[/td][td]Harry Potter and The Half Blood 
Prince[/td][td]J.K. Rowling[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]10[/td][td]A Wizard of Earthsea[/td][td]Ursula K. LeGuin[/td][td][/td][td]41[/td][td]The Last Unicorn[/td][td]Peter S. Beagle[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]11[/td][td]Something Wicked this Way Comes [/td][td]Ray Bradbury[/td][td][/td][td]42[/td][td]The Name of the Wind[/td][td]Patrik Rothfuss[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]12[/td][td]The Amber Spyglass[/td][td]Philip Pullman[/td][td][/td][td]43[/td][td]Camber of Culdi[/td][td]Katherine Kurtz[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]13[/td][td]The Book of The New Sun[/td][td]Gene Wolfe[/td][td][/td][td]44[/td][td]Dragonflight[/td][td]Anne McCaffrey[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]14[/td][td]American Gods[/td][td]Neil Gaiman[/td][td][/td][td]45[/td][td]I Am Legend[/td][td]Richard Matheson[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]15[/td][td]Child of a Rainless Year[/td][td]Jane Lindskold[/td][td][/td][td]46[/td][td]Mattimeo[/td][td]Brian Jacques[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]16[/td][td]The Illearth War[/td][td]Stephen R. Donaldson[/td][td][/td][td]47[/td][td]The Knight of Swords[/td][td]Michael Moorcock[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]17[/td][td]Interview with the Vampire[/td][td]Anne Rice[/td][td][/td][td]48[/td][td]Sweet Silver Blues[/td][td]Glen Cook[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]18[/td][td]Guards! Guards![/td][td]Terry Pratchett[/td][td][/td][td]49[/td][td]Wizard's First Rule[/td][td]Terry Goodkind[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]19[/td][td]The Hand of Oberon[/td][td]Roger Zelazny[/td][td][/td][td]50[/td][td]Sea Kings of Mars[/td][td]Leigh Brackett[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]20[/td][td]The Power that Preserves[/td][td]Stephen R. Donaldson[/td][td][/td][td]51[/td][td]Wyrd Sisters[/td][td]Terry Pratchett[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]21[/td][td]Seventh Son[/td][td]Orson Scott Card[/td][td][/td][td]52[/td][td]Darker Than You Think[/td][td]Jack Williamson[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]22[/td][td]Storm Front[/td][td]Jim Butcher[/td][td][/td][td]53[/td][td]A Night in the Lonesome October[/td][td]Roger Zelazny[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]23[/td][td]The Dark Is Rising[/td][td]Susan Cooper[/td][td][/td][td]54[/td][td]The First Book of Swords[/td][td]Fred Saberhagen[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]24[/td][td]Illusion[/td][td]Paula Volsky[/td][td][/td][td]55[/td][td]Lyrec[/td][td]Gregory Frost[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]25[/td][td]Swords of Lankmar[/td][td]Fritz Leiber[/td][td][/td][td]56[/td][td]Land of Unreason[/td][td]L. Sprague de Camp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]26[/td][td]The Dunwich Horror and other 
stories �[/td][td]H. P. Lovecraft[/td][td][/td][td]57[/td][td]The Mists Of Avalon[/td][td]Marion Zimmer Bradley[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]27[/td][td]Split Infinity[/td][td]Piers Anthony[/td][td][/td][td]58[/td][td]The Song of Roland[/td][td]Anonymous[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]28[/td][td]Weaveworld[/td][td]Clive Barker[/td][td][/td][td]59[/td][td]The Swords of Lankhmar[/td][td]Fritz Leiber[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]29[/td][td]A Witch Shall Be Born[/td][td]Robert E. Howard[/td][td][/td][td]60[/td][td]Conan[/td][td]Robert E. Howard[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]30[/td][td]Pawn of Prophesy[/td][td]David Eddings[/td][td][/td][td]61[/td][td]Rite of Conquest[/td][td]Judith Tarr[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]31[/td][td]The Complete Book of Swords[/td][td]Fred Saberhagen[/td][td][/td][td]62[/td][td]The Sword of Shannara[/td][td]Terry Brooks[/td][/tr]
*


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Some of these books are just strange to think of as 'Fantasy'. I mean, Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of the most beautifully written books I've read...but Fantasy? I'd label it horror, or perhaps Paranormal given the way genres are currently being labeled...


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## Shandril19 (Aug 18, 2009)

OKay - my rough attempt at a personal top 20, although for some of these the "fantasy" genre isn't where I first put the book.

1) Song of the Lioness Quartet - Tamora Pierce
2) Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis
3) Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind
4) Wizard of Oz - L Frank Baum
5) The Fionavar Tapestry Series - Guy Gavriel Kay
6) Kushiel's Legacy Series -Jacqueline Carey
7) The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
 Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
9) A Song of Ice and Fire Series (so far) - George RR Martin
10) His Dark Materials Trilogy - Philip Pullman
11) Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
12) Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley
13) The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
14) The Black Cauldron - Lloyd Alexander
15) Incarnations of Immortality Series - Piers Anthony
16) Beauty - Robin McKinley
17) Myth Adventure Series - Robert Asprin

And then I kind of run out - things that could easily make the list and move up if I reread them (which I'm now tempted to do) :
Amber Chronicles - Roger Zelazny
Xanth Series - Piers Anthony
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Series - Tad Williams


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Half-Orc said:


> Some of these books are just strange to think of as 'Fantasy'. I mean, Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of the most beautifully written books I've read...but Fantasy?


People have been arguing about how to define SF, Fantasy and Horror for as long as I've been reading the stuff (55+ years).

No agreement yet.  

Mike


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## Groggy1 (Jun 21, 2010)

jmiked said:



> People have been arguing about how to define SF, Fantasy and Horror for as long as I've been reading the stuff (55+ years).
> 
> No agreement yet.
> 
> Mike


yeppers if nothing else we agree that no agreement can be reached...


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Groggy1 said:


> yeppers if nothing else we agree that no agreement can be reached...


It is a great argument to have though. Like where does horror stop being part of Fantasy or if something is set in the future, can it be a fantasy as well? I could geek out on those topics for a long time ...


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

As I see it, there are broad genre distinctions: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror.  Each can be broken out into smaller sub genres according to taste.  Some blur the edges, some are clearly one or the other.  

Then to kick a dead horse again, I favor splitting Science Fiction into two broad genres the way SF and Fantasy are separated.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

A. Bertram Chandler is one of my favorite science fiction writers. He was cursed with a very popular character and fans who complained if he write about anything else. He wanted to write in different genres, so resolved his problem by writing about the popular character but forcing the story into different genres. So he write a historical novel if early Australia, a swords and sorcery novel, and a horror novel  of werewolves on a spaceship as "science fiction."


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

I only did slightly worse on the fantasy list than the science fiction one. I think I'd only read 24 of the SF books, and just 18 here. Of course, many of those 18 are series. I have no desire to start the long treks through the Jordan or Goodkind series, however.

I do find it interesting that _A Wrinkle in Time_ is on both lists. Talk about blurring the lines.

And, while you guys have covered the typical three genres that sometimes get confused (fantasy, SF, horror), mythology and some literary fiction certainly blurs those lines as well. _Midnight's Children_ is certainly more of a fantasy than _The City & The City_, yet the latter won the BSFA, Locus Fantasy, Hugo, and Clarke awards and the former won the Booker.

My internal categorization goes something like this:

If the odd things that are happening are explainable within the book-world's science, it's SF. If not, or if the book is set in the equivalent of a "pre-renaissance" earth, it's fantasy. If the book's intent is to scare, it's horror. And, of course those lines get blurred as well.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Basilius said:


> If the odd things that are happening are explainable within the book-world's science, it's SF. If not, or if the book is set in the equivalent of a "pre-renaissance" earth, it's fantasy. If the book's intent is to scare, it's horror. And, of course those lines get blurred as well.


I'd have to say that sums up my own internal categorization as well. I dumb it down even worse, though.

Science/Future = SF
Magic/Swords = Fantasy
Modern/Monsters = Horror

Now I just need to find a book set in the future where a group of survivors uses both magic and swords to defeat some creepy monster....my head will like, completely explode.

David Dalglish


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> I'd have to say that sums up my own internal categorization as well. I dumb it down even worse, though.
> 
> Science/Future = SF
> Magic/Swords = Fantasy
> ...


Haven't read them so I don't know if a creepy monster is involved, but wouldn't Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series fit the bill?


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## jbh13md (Aug 1, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> I'd have to say that sums up my own internal categorization as well. I dumb it down even worse, though.
> 
> Science/Future = SF
> Magic/Swords = Fantasy
> ...


If you find that book let me know. I want to read it too.


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

I've read 39 on the list, with 7 more currently in my TBR pile. There were about a dozen or so I don't think of as fantasy, but these lists are always subjective, so it didn't really bother me.

Of the 39 I have read, I'd say all of them are classics or at least worthy of their mark upon literature.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> ...
> Now I just need to find a book set in the future where a group of survivors uses both magic and swords to defeat some creepy monster....my head will like, completely explode.
> 
> David Dalglish


Well, in a way, Steven Brust's Dragaera books almost fulfill that. It has magic, though there are hints that there could be some sort of scientific/technological basis to it. There are also hints that it could be somewhere in the future, and that the entire world is the result of a breeding experiment by some race more advanced/powerful than humans. But, if I had to classify it as anything, I would classify it as fantasy (with some reservation).


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## jbh13md (Aug 1, 2010)

NogDog said:


> Well, in a way, Steven Brust's Dragaera books almost fulfill that. It has magic, though there are hints that there could be some sort of scientific/technological basis to it. There are also hints that it could be somewhere in the future, and that the entire world is the result of a breeding experiment by some race more advanced/powerful than humans. But, if I had to classify it as anything, I would classify it as fantasy (with some reservation).


Is it good? Seems like something I might enjoy.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

jbh13md said:


> Is it good?


Oh, yeah. By all means give them a try. The first one is titled _Jhereg_. I've read them all, although I'm getting hazy on the details, which means it's time to go through them again.

Mike


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

jbh13md said:


> Is it good? Seems like something I might enjoy.


I like them a lot. I put _Jhereg_ (the first in the "Vlad Taltos" series) on my top-20 list. In the same world, but dealing with events before the Taltos series, are the books starting with _The Phoenix Guards_, which is in a different style -- a sort of homage to Alexandre Dumas. While Taltos is a human, many of the characters are human-like Dragaerans (who call themselves "humans" and refer to humans as "Easterners") who can live well over 1000 years, so there are characters in [/i]The Phoenix Guards[/i] who appear in the Taltos novels, even though that book takes place over half a millennium before Vlad is born (and the sequel to _The Phoenix Guards_ is appropriately titled _Five Hundred Years Later_). Very well written, and while I somewhat prefer the Taltos novels, I recommend them all. Unfortunately, most of the books _still_ are not available for Kindle.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

jmiked said:


> People have been arguing about how to define SF, Fantasy and Horror for as long as I've been reading the stuff (55+ years).
> 
> No agreement yet.
> 
> Mike


Couldn't have said it better. Publishers love to fit stories in a genre box to market them, and I think it sometimes leads to books being strangely categorized and not marketed properly.


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## jbh13md (Aug 1, 2010)

NogDog said:


> I like them a lot. I put _Jhereg_ (the first in the "Vlad Taltos" series) on my top-20 list. In the same world, but dealing with events before the Taltos series, are the books starting with _The Phoenix Guards_, which is in a different style -- a sort of homage to Alexandre Dumas. While Taltos is a human, many of the characters are human-like Dragaerans (who call themselves "humans" and refer to humans as "Easterners") who can live well over 1000 years, so there are characters in [/i]The Phoenix Guards[/i] who appear in the Taltos novels, even though that book takes place over half a millennium before Vlad is born (and the sequel to _The Phoenix Guards_ is appropriately titled _Five Hundred Years Later_). Very well written, and while I somewhat prefer the Taltos novels, I recommend them all. Unfortunately, most of the books _still_ are not available for Kindle.


I will definitely have to check this out when it fits the budget or if I can find it second hand. Is Jhereg the best place to start?


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

jbh13md said:


> I will definitely have to check this out when it fits the budget or if I can find it second hand. Is Jhereg the best place to start?


Yeah, it's the first of the series with Vlad Taltos.

Mike


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

So difficult.  I know LoTR is my #1 favorite, but after that, ranking gets difficult.  Also, almost all are series, so I just went with the first book.

1. Lord of the Rings-JRR Tokien
2. Dragonflight-Anne McCaffrey
3. Nine Princes in Amber-Roger Zelazny
4. The Mists of Avalon-Marion Zimmer Bradley
5. Dragonsong-Anne McCaffrey
6. Daggerspell-Katharine Kerr
7. The Phantom Tollbooth-Norton Juster
8. A Game of Thrones-George RR Martin
9. Camber of Culdi-Piers Anthony
10. Pawn of Prophecy-David Eddings
11. Green Rider-Kristen Britain
12. A Spell for Chameleon-Piers Anthony
13. The Deed of Paksenarrion-Elizabeth Moon
14. The Sword of Shannara-Terry Brooks
15. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone-JK Rowling
16. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe-CS Lewis
17. Storm Front-Jim Butcher
18. Lord Foul's Bane-Stephen Donaldson
19. The Hobbit-JRR Tolkien
20. Interview With the Vampire-Anne Rice

I have to mention Watership Down because it is one of my top 10 (maybe 5) all time favorite books.  It was on the fantasy list but I would never place it on my fantasy shelf so I didn't list it here.

This has been fun looking back through all these titles.  It makes me want to re-read some of these series.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

jmiked said:


> Yeah, it's the first of the series with Vlad Taltos.
> 
> Mike


For my tastes, I'd agree, but I could see some people preferring _The Phoenix Guards_, especially if they're a big fan of _The Three Musketeers_.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

NogDog said:


> Unfortunately, most of the books _still_ are not available for Kindle.


Lame


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

A good number of those feel strongly not fantasy to me. Books that I've read and enjoyed, but that I could never think of as fantasy.

Have read about half of the books listed.

A noticeable number of books are the ones which are most memorable from my childhood making it harder to come up with a top 20 list, but after pulling out some that I just have problems thinking of as fantasy (even if there is no better genre) then the top 20 are approximately as follows:

1. Lord of the Rings 
2. The Hobbit
3. The Phantom Tollbooth
4. Good Omens
5. Watership Down
6. Discworld
7. A Wrinkle in Time
8. The Princess Bride
9. Narnia
10. Tamora Pierce's books
11. The Once and Future King
12. The Neverending Story
13. The Mists of Avalon
14. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
15. Howl's Moving Castle
16. Harry Potter
17. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
18. The Silmarillion
19. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
20. The Dark is Rising

The Alchemist would definitely beat some of those books, but doesn't read like fantasy. The same is true of Screwtape Letters (despite that one not really having a better genre to fit into).
Ordering was incredibly hard - there were a bunch that were definitely at the top, and that were lower down, but individual ordering was very hard. Lord of the Rings  just had to win despite having been reading more Discworld lately. Some of the books had to show up on the top list despite not looking at them for years just because of how big of a part of my childhood they were. Similarly some moved up higher in the list for the same reason. 

Watership Down is questionable as to whether to include, but I'd call it fantasy, just it wouldn't come to mind if I was being asked about fantasy. 

First one on the list I've not read is The Wheel of Time, just never actually was interested in starting it.

(And I feel strange carrying dice around with me, yet never having read anything of R.A. Salvatore, even if it is for entirely unrelated reasons, and even if lately I've been carrying d10s rather than d20 sets)


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

Read:
# - Rank - Author - Title - Comments
1 - 1 - JRR Tolkien - LOTR
2 - 2 - JK Rowling - Harry Potter Series
3 - 3 - JRR Tolkien - The Hobbit
4 - 4 - Robert Jordan - The Wheel of Time Series - (Currently an incomplete series - personally I think the quality is higher than Harry Potter).
5 - 6 - CS Lewis - The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
6 - 7 - David Eddings - The Belgariad
7 - 8 - Terry Goodkind - Wizard's First Rule - I read through these about 10 years ago to the last book available. I don't think I'd go back to reread.
8 - 10 - Philip Pullman - His Dark Materials Trilogy - Absolutely excellent!
9 - 11 - Terry Brooks - The Sword of Shannara - I didn't really like this book and didn't continue the series. They're too formulaic. 
10 - 12 - Christopher Paolini - Eragon - A good read, but nothing so spectacular as 12th-best-ever.
11 - 14 - Ursula K Le Guin - A Wizard of Earthsea
12 - 18 - Weis & Hickman - Dragonlance - I've read a very few of these. Weis & Hickman's Death Gate cycle was much better than any I've read.
13 - 19 - Roger Zelazny - Chronicles of Amber - Deserves to be higher on the list
14 - 20 - Lewis Carroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - I've read his complete works.
15 - 21 - Richard Adams - Watership Down - (See Left). My #1 
16 - 22 - Terry Pratchett - The Colour of Magic
(Twilight? Seriously...)
17 - 24 - Stephen Donaldson - Thomas Covanent - Read the 1st book, couldn't continue (many years ago)
18 - 26 - William Goldman - The Princess Bride
19 - 27 - Eoin Colfer - Artemis Fowl
20 - 28 - Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
21 - 30 - Roald Dahl - Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
22 - 32 - Marion Zimmer Bradley - The Mists of Avalon
23 - 33 - David Eddings - The Mallorean
24 - 35 - Anne McCaffrey - Dragonflight
25 - 40 - William Golding - The Lord of the Flies - (not fantasy!!!!)
26 - 42 - Brian Jacques - Redwall
27 - 44 - Piers Anthony - On a Pale Horse
28 - 45 - Michael Ende - The Neverending Story
29 - 46 - TH White - The Once & Future King
30 - 49 - Cornelia Funke - Inkheart - (Should DEFINITELY be higher!)
31 - 50 - Lloyd Alexander - The Chronicles of Prydain - (Read so long ago I can barely remember any of it)
32 - 55 - David Eddings - The Elenium - (Surprised it even makes the list -- his "The Losers" is a better book)
33 - 56 - Weis & Hickman - Death Gate Cycle
(......A whole bunch of books I've never even heard of......)
34 - 70 - Jonathan Stroud - The Amulet of Samarkand - (Underrated)
35 - 72 - Susan Cooper - The Dark is Rising (also far underrated)
36 - 74 - Peter S Beagle - The Last Unicorn
37 - 79 - Antoine de Saint-Exupery - Le Petit Prince
(If "The Lovely Bones" made it, where is "Beloved"?)
38 - 85 - Dr Seuss - The Cat in the Hat
39 - 91 - Patricia C Wrede - Dealing With Dragons
40 - 99 - Richard Bach - Johnathan Livingston Seagull - (Fantasy? It personifies more than anthropomorphizes the seagull).
41 - 100 - L Frank Baum - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The list seemed ok until somewhere around the midpoint... then it just went crazy.


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## jbh13md (Aug 1, 2010)

The above post brings up a good point. Lord of the Flies is definitely not fantasy. I didn't really think about it when I first read the list, but that's absolutely true. There's nothing vaguely fantastical about it. Must be a fluke.


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## Groggy1 (Jun 21, 2010)

As a side note, these threads make me thirsty for good books!  I know have a TBR list that spans a couple of years!!!


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