#901 ·
I actually thought her work was quite solid initially; however, I found the final installment of the Chronicles of Amber to be a complete disappointment.
Personal Top Lists & Rankings
Started by Raymond Barrett12 · · 👁 17 views · 1K replies
Participants
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#902 ·
Sandra Chase16 said:The last one from the Chronicles of Amber was a complete letdown for me.
I think I'm just getting to the part where Corwin's son shows up... I believe his name was Merlin. Maybe that's book six?
#903 ·
I actually just wrapped up Prince Chaos, and honestly, I don't know what happened—I absolutely inhaled the last three books in a single 24-hour stretch. I couldn't put them down.
(I might need to go back and re-read that final one just to process everything.)
(I might need to go back and re-read that final one just to process everything.)
#904 ·
stormywolf339 said:God forbid we live in a universe where he’s actually the best.
If authors just stuck to their first two hundred pages, the world would be a better place.
Fine, here goes:
1. Gene Wolfe
2. Ian McDonald
3. Roger Zelazny
Shame on you, heretic.🙄
Alright, look, your picks are 🙏 🙏 , but I’m questioning how much "sci-fi" they even are (looking at you, Zelazny and Wolfe).
I could probably list another 🙏 🙏 names, but then we'd be looking at a Top 50 list instead of a Top 3.😬
#905 ·
Ponor said:🎉
even if she’s out there shouting "bring it on" about some damn prince's head, it still sucks.
I totally disagree.
And honestly? Just wait until Arthur C. Clarke comes after you for making a statement that blasphemous... 😁
#906 ·
stormywolf39 said:🎉
even if she's out there yelling, "bring it on, I want the prince's head," honestly—that whole vibe is just total garbage.
#907 ·
😁 😁 I’ll just keep my mouth shut, otherwise people might think I'm taking things personally. Of course *Princehood* is one of the funniest books ever written, even if it definitely has a heavy dose of Robert Sheckley in there—honestly, I bet most of the best jokes belong to him. Anyone who’s read his "mind warp" will catch onto that immediately, whereas Roger Zelazny focused more on the prose and the storytelling side of things. Even if the book only had that one bit about the magic sword disappearing and then showing up later looking all drunk and disheveled, it would still be worth the read. I’ve always wondered why *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* became such a cult phenomenon when, to me, it always felt way inferior in style compared to something like a Sheckley novel. It just gets a bit tedious halfway through for me. Sadly, the sequel, "bring it on" *Faustian Mess*, is much weaker.
By the way, I find Zelazny is much better at novellas and short stories, but that’s not surprising—most sci-fi writers really shine in that format. Most writers do, really; a novel is a huge undertaking. And those *Chronicles of Amber* books were the least interesting thing Zelazny ever wrote, though I guess I’ve never been much of a fan for those endless fantasy series anyway...
Anyway, I didn't want to get dragged into any debates over sci-fi rankings, especially since I noticed nobody included Ray Bradbury on these lists, so I don't really know what to tell you guys. At least someone remembered Le Guin.🙂
By the way, I find Zelazny is much better at novellas and short stories, but that’s not surprising—most sci-fi writers really shine in that format. Most writers do, really; a novel is a huge undertaking. And those *Chronicles of Amber* books were the least interesting thing Zelazny ever wrote, though I guess I’ve never been much of a fan for those endless fantasy series anyway...
Anyway, I didn't want to get dragged into any debates over sci-fi rankings, especially since I noticed nobody included Ray Bradbury on these lists, so I don't really know what to tell you guys. At least someone remembered Le Guin.🙂
#908 ·
Honestly, if I were putting together a top ten list, I’d have included Ray Bradbury right at the top.
For that same reason—my appreciation for stylistically elegant sci-fi, which is a rare breed these days—I’m also throwing out the wonderful, truly wonderful T. S. Sturgeon. 🙂
For that same reason—my appreciation for stylistically elegant sci-fi, which is a rare breed these days—I’m also throwing out the wonderful, truly wonderful T. S. Sturgeon. 🙂
#909 ·
Kevin Chavez3
Honestly, if I were making a top ten list, I’d probably throw Ray Bradbury in there.
It's the same reason I'm bringing up the wonderful T. S. Sturgeon. It's hard to find sci-fi with that kind of stylistic beauty these days. 🙂
Makes sense to me,👍
#910 ·
So there it is, the heavy hitters: Sturgeon, Bradbury, LeGuin, Martin... though if I'm being honest, I’d probably put Gibson at the top of my list. But yeah, strictly speaking, they all outclass everyone else when it comes to short stories, maybe with the exception of the Strugatsky brothers, who are definitely right up there in the mix too.
#911 ·
Ponor said:🎉
Even if she’s all like, "bring me the head of the charming prince," that's total garbage.
I totally agree with this! Just picked it up today—finally 🙂 one of seven books I grabbed today. Honestly, I live for the annual book fair every single year.
#912 ·
raliSHA said:Oh, you skeptics... 🙄
Fair enough, some of those picks are 🙏 🙏 , though I'm not entirely sure how strictly they fit the SF mold—I'm thinking along the lines of Zelazny or Wolfe.
I could probably list another 🙏 🙏 names, but then we’d be looking at a top 50 list instead of a short one. 😬
My mistake, I completely overlooked Vonnegut. 😳
And Sturgeon is wonderful too, though in my defense, I haven't picked up his work in years. I actually wonder if all his collected short stories have been released yet—those white books? I've only ever seen and read the first two.
Simmons isn't strictly a sci-fi writer either. To be honest, I find him best when he steers clear of the genre entirely; for whatever reason, I just can't get into Hyperion, though that might just be due to a poor translation.
It seems like Zelazny struggles with collaborations. I've only read one Sheckley story, and even that was lightyears better than that mess involving Zelazny. When it comes to the whole good versus evil trope, with angels and demons wandering around, Pratchett and Gaiman's Good Omens absolutely runs circles around anything else in that vein.
#913 ·
Cannon 6 things I’d rather be doing right now instead of heading straight home to a sleep-deprived wife and a month-old baby who’s constantly hungry. Or maybe the other way around. Who even knows at this point...
1. Sex.
2. Oral sex.
3. Any kind of sex where I don't have to use my own hands.
4. Having someone suck on my hand without any milk involved.
5. Eight rounds of ice-cold Budweiser.
6. Sleep.
1. Sex.
2. Oral sex.
3. Any kind of sex where I don't have to use my own hands.
4. Having someone suck on my hand without any milk involved.
5. Eight rounds of ice-cold Budweiser.
6. Sleep.
#914 ·
Alright, here are my top 3 absolute worst writers—and no, I am NOT counting Stephen King:
1. Stephen King
1. R.A. Salvatore
1. Mary Higgins Clark
🙂
1. Stephen King
1. R.A. Salvatore
1. Mary Higgins Clark
🙂
#915 ·
Nicholas King62 said:Man, my bad, totally blanked on Vonnegut 😳
I didn't even bring him up myself... 😳 Though, if some people here are still debating whether he even qualifies as a sci-fi writer, then what's there left to say about him?...
#916 ·
anti-person said:Alright, here are my top three worst writers, excluding Stephen King:
🙂
Yeah, right, King? :gross: :gross: : forget about him! He's a total superstar!:
#917 ·
dmj said:I didn't bring him up either... 😳 Though, if some people here are already questioning whether he even qualifies as a sci-fi writer, what else is there to say?
all I'll say is he's a brilliant writer 🙂
(even if he hasn't produced anything worth mentioning in at least fifteen years 😳 )
#918 ·
dmj said:I didn't bring him up myself either... 😳 Though, if some people are already questioning whether he even fits the definition of a sci-fi author, what can one really say about him?
Forget about genre constraints for a second, right? 🙂
Personally, I don't even shelve him in the sci-fi section; he just sits there with the general fiction, but if someone were to ask me if his work qualifies as sci-fi, I’d probably lean toward saying yes—perhaps more within the realm of speculative fiction than strict science fiction, though there's no need to split hairs over semantics.🙂
anti-person said:The top 3 worst writers, excluding Stephen King:
1. R.A. Salvatore
1. Mary Higgins Clark
1. [Redacted]
🤣
#919 ·
Daniel Bailey7 said:(though he hasn't really contributed anything worth noting for at least the last 15 years 😳 )
I think Timequake is actually quite good.
#920 ·
Nicholas King62 said:I actually dig Timequake.
I'm not so sure—it feels a bit too much like it's just recycling its own tropes...
The last truly great one was Galapagos, though that was way back in... 🤔
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