Post your opinion and explain why! If I missed anything make sure to tell me and I'll edit the pole (moderator options heeheehee). LET'S DEBATE!!

I said the 2001 series by Arthur C. Clarke because these books have real groundings in science, they do not involve pure action and war, and are very enjoyable. I believe that 3001 is quite possibly the best science fiction book I have ever read.

Hitchhiker Trilogy is the funniest book series ever. (Except possibly the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett)

Wh at about anything that comes out of the Sprawl?( SPrawl Series)

Okay, Cyberpunk genre writers like William Gibson and Bruce Sterling to name but two of the many people that have helped capture the imagination of all technocrats across the globe.

BTW for you uk based people, Ch5 is running Johnny Mneumonic this Sunday. Okay it's only a re-vamp of the short story from "Burning Chrome" written by W. Gibson, some people didn't like it, while others say that the re-vamp has parts in that do make it almost a different story altogether.

I feel that the 2001 series of novels is the best written because the technology in them is so close to reality now and Arthur C. Clarke is one hell of a good writer

You missed the best books of all time

the belgariad by DAVID EDDINGS

I really don't think there are enough choices here I think there should also be Discworld by Terry pratchet, Foundation, by Asimov, The Eternal Champion series by Moorcock, and The Oracle Trilogy by Mike Resnick.

Plus others that I can't think of at the moment.

Hi all!

I chose the Lord of the Ring series as the best choice. However my favorite fantasy series hands down is the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. I love that series so much, I named my son after the king of Amber, Random.
My favorite sci-fi series is the Sten novels by Alan Cole and Chris Bunch.
Honorable mention goes to the diaries of Conrad Stargaard by Leo Frankowski.

Hard choice. I love them all. :)

The Chronicals of Thomas Covenant

You're gonna make me choose!?

Skeeve65-
is that from the Myth Series? I must say, if I'm gonna choose, either that or Anne McCaffrey's Pern books.

I think there are too many scifi and Fantasy books to do a poll on them, especially if you're doing both. Besides which I don't think you can really say if a book is "good" or "the best", it dpeends ont he reader, and the kind of style/book they prefer.

Check the sticky for my list.

I've never finished any of these! I've read 2001 and 2010, but not 3001; and I've never read past HHGTTG book 1 (though I've read both Dirk Gently books; I love DA). I would like to add the Hyperion books, and the *ware series by Rudy Rucker to the poll. Typically I don't get into series; I like Philip K. Dick and books that don't milk themselves into series. I would categorically request a separation of church and state between fantasy and sf for a more interesting poll. While sf may allow some supernatural occurrences, by definition it should have a naturalistic bent.

John Le Coq

Perhaps more choices....I went with the Ender Series (no one else voted for it, me the first *shocked and discouraged*) only because there was no Foundation by Asimov, or Discworld by Pratchett, or That Series *points at a random book* by Ben Bova! :D But I overreact. Good choices, if somehow limited. :)

I'm sorry for the limited choices, this was just based on my own experience. From this point on you guys can suggest the series or books and their authors, and I'll add them to the list. If you want I can also shift your vote from where you placed it now to where you want it to be. Let the suggestions flow!

The best scifi TV series is Lexx.

Nah, Star Trek for me! (The ones with Picard and Deep Space Nine)
Or, in cartoons: X-Men Evolution! (Just 'cause it's Saturday morning, you know? :D )

Ok, there is just so many of them I have to agree that a poll for the best Sci-fi/fantasy book is a bit off, But I would have to go for the Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey.

I would have to also add the coldfire series, Chronicles of the blacksword, Dragonlance, Redwall by Brian Jacques (and yes I know it was written for little kids but it was an awesome series), and one of my favorite Sci-fi books The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Originally posted by Skeeve65
my favorite fantasy series hands down is the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. Hey, I was checking out this thread to see if anybody thought of Amber, and there you were. Wasn't it great? (the series, I mean.) Except I didn't like the way Corwin just walked off 'into the sunset' and the next book started with his son. Forgive me everybody, I have to ask this even though I know it's not related to the thread - what do you think of the way they could manifest things into their reality just by thinking about them? Don't you think that we do that also, to a certain degree, but a lot slower?

The best? That’s really hard to define, there are so many different categories and different liking. I would have like “other” or “impossible to say” on that post.

LotR all the way!! though many of the book series are awesome. These are the book series I do really love to read:

5) Star Trek Novels
4) The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
3) Darkover series by Marion Zimmer Bradley
2) Pern series by Anne McCaffrey
1) The Lord of the Ring Trilogy by Tolkien

Mission Earth by L.Ron Hubbard
Foundation by Asimov
Does it need to be a series?I'd say Heinlein would have to be one of my favourite writers, you grok:)

I would have to say the "Future History" series by Robert HeinLein should be added to the list. It's a loose series starting with a collection of shorts gathered together in "The Past Through Tomorrow" and carrying on with "I Will Fear No Evil", "The Number of the Beast" and "The Cat Who Walks Through Walls". Many of the books seem unconnected but he ties them all together in his last book, "To Sail Beyond the Sunset".
Although many of the books are merely good, the series contains three of the best SF books ever written, "A Stranger In A Strange Land", The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" and "Time Enough For Love".

I'll vote for Adams, but I also submit The Khaavren Romances (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0812506898/qid=1055793009/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-2263466-2124116?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) by Steven Brust (sample pages available @ Amazon), as well as Brust's Taltos Cycle (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0812589165/qid=1055793125/sr=1-12/ref=sr_1_12/102-2263466-2124116?v=glance&s=books) (sample pages available @ Amazon)

(Fan page (http://www.math.ttu.edu/~kesinger/brust/), fan page (http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~phoenix/brust/), interview (http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue224/interview.html).)

Also of note, L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time trilogy.

:m:,
Tiassa :cool:

Originally posted by tiassa
Also of note, L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time trilogy. I remember reading the first book in that trilogy a long time ago. I found the idea of a TESSARACT intriguing. (Am I remembering the word correctly?) Were the other books good, too?

You have the word exactly. The second book, A Wind in the Door is amazing, and where Wrinkle seems to have political overtones (IT was an anticommunist metaphor, despite modern complainers who see it as pro-communist), Wind has a heavily spiritual overtone. The third book, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, is downright lofty. For plot, it exploits what were contemporary ideas concerning Europeans in America and drips with honey-thick fantastical romance.

It is said that the latter two books were written in response to public enthusiasm, that Wrinkle was originally a stand-alone story.

There is a fourth book, An Acceptable Time, which involves Meg Murray's daughter, and is set somewhat after the incidents of the trilogy.

Note: Apparently, Mirimax is producing A Wrinkle in Time as a TV miniseries for ABC.


:m:,
Tiassa :cool:

Hi Tiassa, I went to www.imdb.com and they have some interesting info there. (imdb stands for international movie database). I think I'll get the books at the library and read them again. Thanks for the feedback :)

Hi! Has anybody ever read 'To Ride Pegasus' by Anne McCaffrey? It's about people with ESP abilities. I read it back in the mid-70s. I remember enjoying it very much. Isn't she the same one that did those dragon books? :) (I bet you would really like this book, KS!)

Hi! Has anybody ever read 'To Ride Pegasus' by Anne McCaffrey? It's about people with ESP abilities. I read it back in the mid-70s. I remember enjoying it very much. Isn't she the same one that did those dragon books? (I bet you would really like this book, KS!) She wrote several in the Pegasus series, dealing with ESP, haven't read any of them, the Pern books(the dragons, read, enjoyed), the ship books are good too. The deal in them is that they take people that would require intensive care to survive, but are neurally in good shape, and put them in "Shells." They are then plugged into city networks, space ships and stations. Very good.

The Forgotten Realms books including the Dark Elf Drizzt Do'urden are the best fantasay books i've ever read. It includes some of the most amazing action sequences coupled with some of the most engaging plots ever. The dark elf trilogy, the icewind dale triology and the Demon Wars saga (published by Del Rey) is a seven book story that could easily compete with the best of fantasy novels.....much much much much better than "The Lord of the Ring series" ;)

I said foundation

But the ringworld series is good as well

and enders game

Originally posted by Gifted
they take people that would require intensive care to survive, but are neurally in good shape, and put them in "Shells." They are then plugged into city networks, space ships and stations. Very good. Sounds kind of like 'The Matrix.' I'll have to check it out. Thanks for feedback on Pegasus and Pern books :)

The Gentle Giants trilogy by James P. Hogan.

The Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster.

The new Founding of the Commonwealth series by Alan Dean Foster, but I'll settle for the Flinx and Pip series which is much longer and set in the same milieu. (Yes, I do love Foster and he writes so many books per year it's wonderful.)

The Ringworld books by Larry Niven, OK. But I preferred the loosely connected series of novels he wrote before that about how we got here, like "Protector." (Earth was originally seeded with spores to be fodder for somebody's livestock, and then they killed themselves off and the spores evolved into an entire ecosystem.)

The Ocean series by Joan Slonczewski.

The Fuzzy series by H. Beam Piper.

I'd have to say Discworld by Pratchett.

I love the Ender's Game books! I just think they're awesome. The way Orson Scott Card writes, I just love it all. As for what I would vote secondly, I'd say LOTR.

What, I'm the only person to vote for Narnia? And what about Terry Brooks?
Shannara or the Magic Kingdom mean anything to anyone? Hey, what about Piers Anthony? Xanth? Hello?

Piers Anthony! The Incarnations of Immortality! Definitely!

Geez Pollox, could you have put a less-well-defined question?
I mean, you missed out all the great classics -
KSR's Mars triliogy,
The whole "Known Space" series that Fraggle just mentioned,
The Moonbase/Moonwar books by Bova,
Heinlein's "Future History" series,
The whole "Xeelee" series,
Benford's "Galactic Centre" series,
Asimov's Robot... well, library really :D,
and that's just a few moment's listings, there are quite a few more - and that's just the hard sci-fi listings!

I couldn't choose, but hometown (or island in this case) props came in and I voted for Goodkind. (bet you didn't know that Pollux!)


You missed the Wilderness of Four and McKeirnan's Midgard Chronicles too!

Mary Stewart's Arthurian Saga:

Crystal Cave, Hollow Hills. The Last Enchantment.

Absolutely brilliant--the writing, the narration,the humanizing of Merlin, romance, intrigue, etc... I hope some of you here who have not read them do..

The Lensman series by Doc Smith. That is where Lucas got his Jedi Knight idea from. The books were written in the 1930-1940 time frame.

The new Founding of the Commonwealth series by Alan Dean Foster, but I'll settle for the Flinx and Pip series which is much longer and set in the same milieu. (Yes, I do love Foster and he writes so many books per year it's wonderful.) You know if he's written one after the oen where he meets his sister or whoever?

More than being the most realized science fiction universe Dune is also the most thought provoking. There are enduring lessons to be gained from the read about the nature of life, war, and politics. None exist who can deny the enchantment given by those blurbs before each chapter. Each is relevant and engaging.

The characters flow naturally and are all rounded through backstory and empathy. Every faction has a historical goal and each exercises its plan in a weaving myriad of subplots. It is certainly the deepest Scifi universe, more so than even Lord of the Rings the book to which Arthur C. Clarke compared it.

Originally posted by Gifted
You know if he's written one after the one where he meets his sister or whoever?Not in paperback, anyway. I quite reading hardbacks when I fell asleep reading Michener's "Texas" and flattened my nose. It is Flinx's sister. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her. In the meantime I'm enjoying the Catechist series. And "Kingdoms of Light" was perfect vintage Foster, "sense of wonder" on every page.

I loved the first two books in the original Dune Series. After Messiah though, I kinda lost interest.

From the choices on the poll, I like the Ender's Saga. Dune would come in fairly close (but only the prequels).

Had the Belgariad (Eddings), Wheel of Time (Jordan), or Song of Ice and Fire (Martin) books been listed..it would have been a very hard choice.

Ooops. Forgot the Riftwar series (Feist).

well, its a dirty job, but somebodys got to do it
since no one else is speaking up for Michael Crichton's jurassic park ill hafta do it

damn good book

he sold out on the sequel though

I think you question is too broad to really examine which is best

Prey and Timeline were good too

What do you think of the new Dune novels? Are they any good? I don't want to spoil my fond memories. Lord of the Rings is the definitive fantasy - you can't picture an elf or orc any other way once you've read it. I own the whole Shannara series, although I was a bit upset that the last three tried to "trick" me into buying them, they were a little too commercial. I have read enough David Eddings to like him, but not enough to be able to judge. I wouldn't vote DiscWorld because it's a hit-or-miss series that reminds me of the days when I collected Superman comic books. The Foundation series is brilliant, but a bit patronizing. Arthur C. Clarke goes without saying, but he feels a bit archaic in retrospect.

Did anybody else read the Fionavar Tapestry?

I don't think this is even debateable. Tolkien wins out by far. He created entire races, entire languages and entire worlds. That man did not leave anything unwritten. What a brilliant mind.

Would recommend the works of Andre Norton.

My favorite in that list is the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, but my favorite series of all time is the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I am in the middle of the third book, and I am so engrossed, I can barely put it down.

I am dismayed to find that David Eddings Belgariad Series is not in there for that is where my vote goes, if it was there that is, which it is not ;)

Robert Jordan Wheel of Time should be there too, so my vote will go with JRR himself - the master.

Glad to see The Foundation Series there, masterful Sci Fi, read that many many years ago.

I agree about Robert Jordan, I would vote for his wheel of time series since i just finished up to 9 a few days ago, but Douglas Adams is just as good. I would think The Vampire Chronicals by Anne Rice would be up there also, but they're not that popular to the general public.
Tolken and Card are great, but just a little lower than Adams. I think his books were the only ones that made me cry.. from laughing so much.

Here's a link to the most influential sci fi books of usa today... link (http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2003-03-02-tolkien-side_x.htm) now they may be influential, but not really the best. Though they still are pretty good.

The best Fantasy series, in my opinion, is His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. These books create a story of parallel universes, while defying the existance of God. It give meaning to the word 'age' through Dust, as well as uses history to define time. The usage of daemons create this greater understanding of human nature.

Over all, I would definitely recommend anyone to pick the trilogy off the shelves, and start the exciting journey on which the series takes you.

Although I must agree with the Wheel of Time saga by Robert Jordan. I am in the middle of the second book, and can barely put it down. So far the first seems better though.

With Tolkien, although his writing is beautiful and his saga amazing, I find his work occasionally racist, like the fact that all the men supporting Sauron were dark, and had an arab-like appearance. They also had animals similar to elephants (which can only be found in certain parts of Asia and Africa). Otherwise he was an amazing writer.

I read the Fionavar Tapestry. It was like wrenching a pointed stick around in my gut.

The resolution of the story was, at least at the moment, the most idiotic resolution I can even think of. It was even worse than the end of Ender's Game...

Originally posted by PhiloNysh
With Tolkien, although his writing is beautiful and his saga amazing, I find his work occasionally racist, like the fact that all the men supporting Sauron were dark, and had an arab-like appearance. They also had animals similar to elephants (which can only be found in certain parts of Asia and Africa). Otherwise he was an amazing writer.
I think your "racist" interpretation is unwarranted. Their "dark" complexion is a narrative device (good=light/white (like Gandalf) bad=darkness/black). And of course, Tolkien was born in South Africa (Bloemfontein), so I'm sure elephants had natural place in his upbringing and his imagination.

It was even worse than the end of Ender's Game...

Why was that a bad resolution?

Originally posted by Jenyar Tolkien was born in South Africa (Bloemfontein)]

He lived there until he was 4. Don't forget that South Africa isn't just roaming with elephants. He would have actually gone out to see them. Secondly Tolkien was born in a period where racism was strife. Black/coloured people were still though of as inferior and perhaps evil, especially in England, where colonies were disappearing ever so fast.

I don't understand omission of Hyperion Cantos, which would have to be in top 5 on any list, in my opinion. :confused:

Top 5 in any order:
Lord Of The Rings
Hyperion
Foundation
Ender's Game
Discworld

Dune at #6, the first couple of books were really good, but then it went down rapidly.

I haven't even heard of Hyperion Cantos, Enders Game, Sword of Truth, Foundation.

Harry Potter series is #1 and I did like the Dark Tower/Stephen King series, but it went to hell in a hand basket towards the end. (Did it end?/ I quit reading them)

I vote for the Lord of the Rings series for sure. I'm kind of obsessed with them...

Out of the ones up there, Dune. However, I really liked Keith Taylor's historical fantasy series, Bard.

how is the sword of truth on the list but not the wheel of time and also why is cs lewis down so low he was just a good of auther as tolkien hell the two of them were friends and proof read each others work

Mission Earth by L.Ron Hubbard
Foundation by Asimov
Does it need to be a series?I'd say Heinlein would have to be one of my favourite writers, you grok:)

that was the best damn book i ever read stranger in a strange land uncut version

Stanislaw Lem!

Pilot Pirx

although no american will have read it me included i have heard good things about the whicher series and i hope it comes out in english soon.

While i do vote for trek, thanks to Peter David and his Excalibur series.. I think you are missing out on the Halo trilogies books.. there are 6 novels to date.. that qualifies as a series doesn't it ?
yeah Enders Game series was awesome too.

The things in SW novels aren't canon, so you cant relate to the movies. :shrug:

Uh, where's the 'None of the Above' option???

wow...that list is so limited in choices...I mean...none of the above

dont read many books but i love movies bout alien abductions i myself never been abducted but i dont understand why other people dont believe em when they been hurt abused i think one would know there own body and the differences the next day and then they member stuff so i love watching things like that or even hearing bout it is wild to know they been carefuly selected and not others

Kir Bulychev is just as honorary as Asimov...Kir has much more sci-fi deep thinking novels. more imagination, more possibilites.

Of the above list...I will vote" 2001 Series-Arthur C. Clarke"

Perry Rhodan series should win the volume award.

I don't understand omission of Hyperion Cantos, which would have to be in top 5 on any list, in my opinion. :confused:



Hyperion was really good, but it was a bit derivative for my taste. There was just too much that seemed like I'd heard it before.

I'd add the Schroedinger's Cat series by Robert Anton WIlson, and WTF is Edger Rice Burroughs not doing on that list?

I'm a big fan of the writers of the Campbell/Gernsback era, Leiber, Heinlein, Azimov, van Vogt, Anderson, et. al..

I still have all my old SF paperbacks including the ACE books that had two novels in them. You read the first one and flipped the book over to read the second one.


Among my favorite series are the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books by Fritz Leiber, the Foundation series as well as the Robot series by Azimov, Heinlein's Lazarus Long books and the Ringworld series.

I love the SoT series by terry goodkind. he has another book coming out in febuary 2011. the series is 11 books long and is very in-depth. although i dont care much for the romance parts i like how lifelike the characters are.

i love foundation series and robot series read them several times..

When Goodkind came out with Wizard's First Rule, I thought this was the debut of a great talent.

Unfortunately, by volume 5, it was obvious that this was another interminable series, al la Wheel of Time.

Edgar Rice Boroughs, John Carter of Mars series

http://www.johncarterofmars.ca/

The Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster. An inept wizard-in-training in a parallel universe casts a spell to summon a real wizard, and instead he gets a law student from UCLA, who happens to have magic powers in that universe because he can play a guitar.

It's pretty wacky, all the animals can talk and they have a civilization that more-or-less holds together without a lot of violence. But still there's a lot of evil to fight (that's why he's there after all) so he finally decides to get with the program and goes off to fight it with his trusty otter companion. He never ceases to amaze himself, and everyone around him, by discovering what unpredictable thing he can make happen by playing a hit from the 60s or 70s.

Foster is at his best with humor, and this is his best.

For best single book, I'd pick either his Midworld, which is much more serious--so serious that my English-major wife actually appreciated it--or Code of the Lifemaker by James P. Hogan, which is perhaps even more serious. Midworld is about a colony of humans that have been lost so long that they've mutated on a planet where all lifeforms influence each other. Code of the Lifemaker is about human explorers discovering a planet run by mechanical beings who build organic machinery. Each one thinks that the other is the leftover artifacts of a lost race of creatures like themselves.

The movie Avatar was a direct rip-off of Midworld, and the followup Flinx book.

Bah, Niven's Ringworld series, Niven & Pournelle's Mote in God's Eye series, Moorcock's Eternal Champion series, Wagner's (Karl Edward, not Richard!) Kane series, Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy (or his other series)...
Katherine Kurtz's Deryni books, Mary Stewart's Merlin books...

Best? Pfft, too many to pick an overall best. ;)

What about Thomas Covenant?

Oops, yep, Stephen Donaldson as well.

And Neal Stephenson. I loved The System of the World (which ties in with Crytonomicon) and his sort-of-series Snow Crash and The Diamond Age.

What about Thomas Covenant?

Hated him. He was the most unlikeable character I've ever read a series about.

Hated him. He was the most unlikeable character I've ever read a series about.

Kept reading, huh? :D

Of course.

Hating a character is as good a reason to keep reading as liking him is.

Indifference would have me putting the book down for good.

Although I just haven't been able to get interested in the latest one.

Bah, Niven's Ringworld series,
series?

riverworld was better in book..

integral trees..(niven?)
smoke ring(niven)
battlefield earth(book 100% better than movie)

would like to see foundation series as movie,(eventual they would have to include the robot series in that..)

series?
Series.
Ringworld, Ringworld Throne, Ringworld Engineers, Ringworld's Children (and 3 prequels according to Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringworld)).
Of course they are all a sub-set of his Known Space "series".


riverworld was better in book..
Farmer?
I think I read one of the books about 30-40 years ago.


integral trees..(niven?)
smoke ring(niven)
Read 'em. Didn't like them as much as Ringworld.


battlefield earth(book 100% better than movie)
Aaaargh! I managed two chapters before I gave up in disgust. Hubbard was a dreadful writer.

I voted for Asimov's Foundation series because Bujold's Vorkosigan series wasn't in the list.

http://www.lunch.com/reviews/d/UserReview-Vorkosigan_Saga-1436309-17529-Review_of_Vorkosigan_series_by_Lois_McMaster.html

I wouldn't vote for any fantasy series. They should be separate polls.

I considered voting for the Ender series but since the Foundation was already ahead I went with that. Science fiction has become to corrupted over the last 20 years or so. Stuff that ain't science fiction is called science fiction like Star Wars.

psik