Since sci-fi and fantasy is my bread-and-butter, I feel the need to analyze the recently published NPR sci-fi/fantasy novel list as voted by people who like NPR. I have alot of friends who listen to NPR, and I've always felt that it should be something I enjoy, but for some reason I haven't bothered to look up which station it plays on where I live. It's probably because I'm spending my time reading fantasy novels and/or watching my TV shows, which are all about some aspect of science fiction or vampires. I have pretty much watched every show dedicated to vampires in the past few years, with a few exceptions. Not necessarily something to brag about, or even feel proud of. If I choose to beleive the results from a single scientific study recently published, than I am shedding years from my life span with every hour of vampire-tv I watch.
But on to the list!
1. Lord of the Rings, Tolkien: This was no surprise considering it pretty much spawned the whole genre. Three series started me on my whole love of this genre, and LOTR was one of them. The others were Harry Potter and The Ruins of Ambrai by Melanie Rawn (which is sadly unfinished).
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide, Adams: I love this book series so I'm fine with it being number 2.
3. Ender's Game, Card: I read this as a pre-teen and loved it. When I revisited it as an adult I wasn't as excited by it. But I understand why it's so popular and it certainly deserves to be in the top 10.
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert: Hell yes!!!! I love Dune.
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin. He is someone I read and am angry that I could never write as well as he does. I also find him very inspirational for my own writing. He doesn't hold back in making his descriptions as gritty and realistic as possible. He has been accused of being exploitative of violence and rape, but I disagree. The world of this series isn't pretty or designed to make you want to live there, but it is fascinating.
6. 1984, by George Orwell. Yes, I suppose it's a classic. But there are about 200 books in this genre that I have liked more than this one.
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. I would argue Martian Chronicles is better.
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov. I haven't read it. I did read The Gods Themselves, because it won a Nebula, and I thought it had an interesting perspective but the writing was pretty boring.
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. This is a book I feel I should like more than I do.
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. I'm a huge fan of this book, but I'm not as into his other novels. And I don't think he's above Dan Simmons, Neal Stephenson, or Robin Hobb.
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman. I like the movie better.
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan. Yeah, I get it, I guess. This is one of the first "serial" fantasy novels in the recent decades. But the books are damned slow....and the gender politics in them are so boring. All the main female characters are bitchy shrews and the male characters are hopelessly confused and inept around the women. And chaste. I like the magic and world of these books (granted, I've only read the first 3), but so much else about this series puts me off: too many characters that I don't care about (which can happen in George R. R. Martin's books but they're so engaging that I don't mind as much); glacially-moving story, and no pay-off in the sex/romance department.
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell: I haven't read it.
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson: Haven't read.
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore: I'm sorry but this doesn't deserve 15th in this list. Maybe in a list of greatest graphic novels. The story is good, and I think he is a really talented writer, but there is no way he should be above writers like Neal Stephenson and Robin Hobb. WTF.
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov: Haven't read but he is already in the top 10 for his other books; this is overkill.
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein. Haven't read.
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss. I like this author and this is a good fantasy novel, but I am pissed that he is above Robin Hobb and Jacqueline Carey. Ugh!
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut: I don't consider this sci-fi but I love Vonnegut so he gets a pass.
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. I read this in school. The end.
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick. Should read.
22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood. Should read.
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King. Go Roland! Ultimate bad-ass.
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke. Haven't read.
25. The Stand, by Stephen King. My favorite post-apocalyptic novel. Just skip most of the part where they're in Boulder and you'll be fine.
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson. Not my fave, but awesome.
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury. This should replace 451 and that should be removed from the top 10.
28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut. I suppose this is sci-fi. Whatever.
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman. Haven't read.
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess. Fine.
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein: I love the movie but I hear the book is much different, and not as silly or satirical. Heinlein was apparently glorifying the military-industrial complex and not making fun of it. It looks like an interesting read.
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams. I have this book but haven't read it.
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey. Cool.
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein. Never read.
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller. Never heard of it.
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells. He should be higher but ok.
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne. Haven't read.
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys. This is sci-fi? I guess-
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells. Eh.
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny. Haven't read.
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings. Since I am already reading Martin and some other reallllly long books, I am really hesitant to start another author who writes several books in a series of over 1000 pages.
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley. This should be higher. This book is better than any Gaiman book I have read. Give me a break.
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson. I didn't like Mistborn. He's very popular. Whatevs.
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven. Haven't read.
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin. Haven't read.
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I get LOTR but this? Come on.
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White. I'm glad that Mists of Avalon was ranked higher than this. hehehehe.
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman. Seriously? I can find about 50 authors with books more deserving than this one.
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke. Haven't read.
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan. Haven't read.
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons. I love Dan Simmons. It's bs that he isn't ranked higher than Gaiman or Patrick Rothfuss..or f'in Sanderson.
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman. The movie is better than the book. Why is there so much fucking Gaiman? I like him, but COME ON people. I can think of SEVERAL books more deserving, than this. This book isn't really a novel, it's so short it should be considered a novella. And it's not that well-written.
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson. Yay!!!!!
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks. Haven't read.
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle. I love the movie. Does that count?
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman. Haven't read.
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett. Pratchett should be higher than his fellow Englishman Gaiman.
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson. I'm a little baffled that Rothfuss and Sanderson are above Stephen Donaldson. He was on of the first fantasy authors to introduce the concept of the deeply flawed, reluctant hero.
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold. She is awesome!
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett. They should just have the whole Discworld series as one entry to make room for additional worthy authors/books.
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle. Haven't read.
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind. I haven't read this but have heard from sources I trust that this series is a bunch of crap. It's obviously a projection of the author's adolescent fantasy of being a Christ-like savior of the world with the other characters (especially the woman) having no value whatsoever. Lame.
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Depressing.
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke. This book should be much much higher. This book should be in the Top 20. Sigh.
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson. Haven't read.
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist. I've heard this a good series.
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks. Lame. If you want to read a re-telling of LOTR then go for it.
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard. Haven't read.
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb. Really NPR fans. Really? You think she isn't as good as Sanderson or Patrick Rothfuss or fucking Terry Goodkind. Take the sticks out of your ass NPR voters!!!! Robin Hobb is one of the best modern fantasy writers..wayyyy better than alot of the writers above her who think they're cleverly subverting fantasy tropes in their writing but really aren't. She actually DOES IT. Her books are like NOTHING you will read in other fantasy novels. Nothing. If you don't believe me than pick this series up and I will happy to argue with you ove rpersonal opinoin and preferences :)
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger. Boo! This book got alot of acclaim when it was published and so I read it. It's shouldn't be on this list.
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson. Ugh. So unfair.
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne. Haven't read.
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore. Haven't read.
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi: Haven't read.
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson. Stephenson rocks!
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke. I haven't read any Clarke but does he merit all these books on this list?
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey. FU NPR voters. This series is better than Rothfuss, Jordan, and Sanderson! It's got hot lesbian action and S&M! All you male sci-fi and fantasy nerds should be reading this book. Right now.
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin. Haven't read.
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury. NO. Just because he's a legend of the genre doesn't mean a silly little book like this deserves to be in the top 100.
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire. It's good.
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson. again, so long.
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde. Okay.
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks. Haven't read.
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart. Haven't read.
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson. I love Stephenson, but not sure he needs so many of his novels on this list.
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher. I haven't read. His Harry Dresden series is fun.
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe. I'm not a fan of his. I tried to read The Wizard Knight series because it won some awards but it wasn't my thing. I think he's a good writer though.
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn. Haven't read although I've heard good things about this author.
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan. I love this series but it's really more historical fiction with a little time travel thrown in.
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock. Haven't read.
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury. Just because he's Ray, doesn't mean every 10 entries or so have to be him.
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley. Haven't read.
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge. Haven't read.
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov. boo.
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson. Haven't read.
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle. Haven't read.
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis. She has won the most Hugo and Nebula awards of ANY sci-fi or fantasy author and only one of her books appears at 97? Once again, FU NPR Voters!!!!!
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville. Heard good things.
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony. Haven't read. The covers of these books scare me. And that's saying alot because I read many many fantasy books with crazy covers.
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis. I haven't even heard of these. I'm assuming, because they left out Narnia, because technically it is young adult,they threw in this? Lame.
I don't really have a problem with the top 10. This list is heavily male authors, which is fine, a lot of the classics of the genre are written by men, I get that. And sci-fi is fairly male-dominated, although Lois McMaster Bujold and CJ Cherryh (who isn't on here) are both women and have some great sci-fi books. I think if this list was split between fantasy and sci-fi it would leave room for some people that got shut out. I think many of the modern female fantasy authors got the shaft, particularly Hobb. Her recent series aren't fantastic (but still very good), but the Farseer series is amazing. Way better than Sanderson or Robert Jordan even. Dan Simmons has also written some amazing books which got the shaft here. I'm not too sure why Gaiman was on here so much, I like him, don't get me wrong, but Stardust isn't that well-written of a novel. I've always felt that Gaiman had wonderful ideas and characters but was also lacking in the execution of his books. I'm all for the Stephenson love but Crypto should have been the only book on here. I think alot of votes probably were due to the author's name rather than the merit of the actual work, which is why there is so much Gaiman, Bradbury and Asimov.I believe they deserve to be on a list like this but not with so much frequency.
I know Sanderson has a huge fan base and maybe I should try another one of his series, but I still don't think he is deserving of being over Robin Hobb or Jacqueline Carey. And even though I thought Rothfuss was too high, I don't have hate for him and his blog is awesome. I do enjoy his books as well. I have to wonder if George R. R. Martin would be on a list like this in 10 years if he doesn't finish the Song of Ice and Fire series. He's already turned lots of fans against him. A lot of people hate Feast for Crows, which surprises me, I think it's pretty good. I haven't yet read Dance with Dragons. I include Melanie Rawn on the list of authors I thought got the shaft even though I'm pissed she won't finish the Ruins of Ambrai series. Complete BS! And now apparently she just sold a whole new series to TOR that sounds dumb. I think if I was a fantasy editor, I wouldn't buy the first book in a fantasy series unless the author had an outline of the entire series worked up. These unfinished series really annoy me.
I'm not as knowledgable about sci-fi, but here are some fantasy authors who deserve consideration and who (in my opinion) are far better than Brandon Sanderson or Terry Goodkind or that other Terry (not Pratchett, he's awesome, the other, other one):
Kate Elliot
Octavia Butler
Charles DeLint
Tad Williams
David Farland
L.E. Modesitt
Scott Lynch
Dave Duncan
Melanie Rawn
Julliet Marillier
Mercedes Lackey
Of course, all of this is a matter of subjective opinion.
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