I'd like to add Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie to my favorites. If not my top five then it's definitely in my top ten.

Tim,

There are books from all periods of Star Wars constatnly being published, so it's hard for me to understand which era you are talking about. If you mean the time during which the prequels take place, then you are referring to the books that deal with the era of The Old Republic. If you are talking about the era when the old movies are taking place then that is post Return of the Jedi era.

The only reason why I asked is because you said you loved all of the books and since there are many people who might read this thread to discover which books they should read, I wanted to be clear that not every SW book is very good, let alone worth reading.

Tim (a.k.a. Vincent) wrote: "My absolute favorite sci-fi books are Star Wars. All of them!"

Tim,

I agree that many of the Star Wars books are wonderful. But are you sure you love all of them? How would you rate Children of the Jedi and Planet of Twilight? Just curious to know if you include them in your favorites list. ;)

For those who enjoy created worlds, a whole civilization is to be found in GALACTIC EXODUS: Counterdance of the Cybergods. It deserves discovery.

Perrin wrote: "I would have to say my favorite fantasy would be Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and David Edding's, especially the Belgariad."

I must admit, I too love The Mabinogion and even borrowed a scene or two from it for my novel The Legend of Witch Bane.

Hands down, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion is my all-time favorite book. Other than the bible (which I might add is written by several writers), I can't think of a book so ambitiously written. Tolkien singlehadedly created a cycle of myths, of which The Lord of the Rings is only a small part, centered around The Silmarillion. No writer in history has ever dared to take on such a ridiculously difficult challenge. I am in awe of Tolkien's skills and only wish I could achieve half as much as he did with his Middle-Earth masterpeice.

Michael, wrote: "If you write in this genre, chances are you read it, diligently. What is your favorite read, and why?

"

Hi Michael! One of my 'must read' list of books is anything by Lois Bujold. Her latest series, "The Sharing Knife" I've just re-read [again:]. She grounds me, and surprises me, constantly. And always in a good way. Her writing reflects her character and she's an excellent person.

When it comes to Sci-Fi, I can't really think of anything. I'll have to check my collection. As for fantasy, I have enjoyed the Nightwatch series by Sergei Lukyanenko. It takes many of the tropes and themes of fantasy and places them in a modern and familiar world.

Gary wrote: "When I was in high school, several English teachers found time to tell me that nobody wrote good fiction anymore and that all of the truly great works were done prior to the 20th century."

My thoughts on this is that "quality" is a subjective term.

Classics are not always lauded because they are good, but because they are classics. Having been told you should appreciate a book, and then given the reasons for doing so (many of which have been invented over centuries of creative critiquing,) one often "learns" to appreciate something that otherwise might be discarded as so-so, or even bad.

Keep in mind that many of the "classics" were not well received in their day, which places them on par with modern books. In two hundred years Stephen King's the Stand might be taught in universities along with Danielle Steel.

Some artists find their work completely ignored or maligned during their life and rediscovered a century later and only then added to the pantheon of the greats.

You also need to take into account the time period. Readers often revel in the language of Dickens, and other formally written works, but it wasn't so much that they were especially eloquent so much as that was the common style at the time. Watch a Ken Burns documentary and listen to the formal, flowery language of personal letters written between spouses during the Civil War and you will be amazed. Writers tend to mimic the language and style of the era in which they live.

While Melville and Hawthorn were successful in their day, I agree they would not be today, not because the objective virtues of the work, but because of the different expectations of the audience. I wonder if your English instructors were aware of Twain's quote that, "A classic is a book that everyone wants to have read, but no one wants to read." I'm sure Moby Dick was the Da Vinci Code of its day, but attitudes change.

As for why people list the best known works in a genre is rather easy to deduce. It is the same as why people often list George Bush and Bill Clinton as one of the best all time presidents--its what they are familiar with. Fewer people have read the lesser known fantasy authors of the turn of the century, yet even if they have, the style of that time might not resonate with them as well as Harry Potter.

Also the first exposer to something makes for a lasting impression. The first book that really touches you--one read in your youth--even if it isn't all that great compared to later work, will always be special. And if you don't re-read it to discover it doesn't satisfy as much, you might idealize it beyond its value.

My favorites changes based on what I'm reading at the time, my mood, and the phase of the moon. Right now I'd have to say "Yiddish Policeman's Union," by Michael Chabon, "Bold as Love," by Gwyneth Jones, "Going Postal," by Terry Pratchett and "The Iron Council." by China Mielville.

A book that I have read several times and will read again in the future would be "A Princess of Mars", by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

And nobody can beat George RR Martin for plot twists and complexity, though my opinion of him would be higher if he would just publish his next damn book. Or at least give us a consistant date for publishing.

Amen.

I have to admit, I could barely get through Tolkein. I just could not bring myself to care. I was WAY more interested in his writings on the languages he created than fiction he actually wrote (but that may be the linguist in me).

I couldn't even finish "His Dark Materials." It got so theological in the end it was sickening. If I want to read a critique of religion, I'll read non-fiction.

As to the books I actually like:

Anything by Anne Bishop is always what I go to for my comfort novel (though it seems to bug the hell out of every guy that reads it). The Blood world is the best.

Anne McCaffery is a classic, and I'm fond of the Pern books written by her son too. Elizabeth Kerner's trilogy is another really cool take on human and dragon interaction, if you're looking for a less popular author to read.

I can't resist anything by Jim Butcher. I have to admit that. I'm addicted to his books, no matter which series.

And nobody can beat George RR Martin for plot twists and complexity, though my opinion of him would be higher if he would just publish his next damn book. Or at least give us a consistant date for publishing.

R.M. Meluch is one of my favorite authors. The Queen's Squadron and Sovereign are my particular favorites. Until recently there was no book of hers I didn't want to read, but the fourth book in the latest series, which begins with the Myriad, if I'm not mistaken, was very poorly written and I could barely get into the first chapter. I've spent most of my time lately writing my own novels or stories, or reading the latest books from my publisher, or selling books at various local events such as Lunacon, last week. I'll be at ICon next week.

Marc wrote: "I've never understood the appeal of so many of the popular authors: GRRM, GGK, Jordan, Feist, etc. I read the first few Rowling's but I didn't continue past the fourth.

The thing that amuses m..."

Marc - have you ever read R. M. Meluch's SF/Military space adventure, with humor and a fun style - The Myriad?

Or, on a really whacked grunt-level Arthurian re-take, by David Drake, Dragon Lord? About two Irish thugs who enlist in Arthur's army, where Merlin is totally mad, Arthur is a megalomaniac, and Lancelot is a blowhard drill sergeant? It's quite funny, twisted fun.

Another not well known title that's a blast, would be Killer by David Drake and Karl Edward Wagner. It's about an alien predator, dropped onto the planet, in Roman times - told from the standpoint of an animal trapper, who snares game for the arena...it's an amazing story, well done, and reputed to be the "seed idea" for the movie Predator - and unusual blend of SF and Historical, brilliant work, and fast moving.

There are a few that weren't blockbusters, but are jewels in their own right.

I have read some Tanya Huff, so I see where you are coming from, there.

I've never understood the appeal of so many of the popular authors: GRRM, GGK, Jordan, Feist, etc. I read the first few Rowling's but I didn't continue past the fourth.

The thing that amuses me about GoodReads is that this is a place to find new and original books, yet it seems like everyone's next book is some well-known blockbuster. Has anyone read or even heard of Webmage? Greek God cyber-punk. What about Tanya Huff's Valor's Choice and all it's sequels? Grunt-level military scifi.

I remember Necromancer. It was very good. Long time ago that I read it though.

I'd have to go with Martin. A Game of Thrones knocked my socks off back when I read it, and the rest of the series hasn't disappointed. I love the brutality and "realism" of it. By real, I mean that there is no good or evil, everyone has a motive for his or her actions, and sometimes people die just as they do in real life: without reason. In real life, a person doesn't die to further the story :-).

I also thoroughly enjoy Neil Gaiman and JK Rowling.

Terry Goodkind, the first few books.

Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" the first few.

"Neuromancer"

Tolkien, every book, not just the "Lord of the Rings"

"Harry Potter"

"The Host" by Stephanie Meyer

T.H. White

H.G. Wells

Anne McCaffrey

R.A. Salvatore

and the unforgettable Doctor Who

My introduction to Science Fiction was Andre Norton.
The first book I ever read by her was Star Man's Son.

Steingard wrote: "I loved “Titus Groan”, first of the Gormenghast triology (“Gormenhhast”, not so much. “Titus Alone”, not at all). And Tolkien, of course. And Pratchett, for fun. And Asimov, when it comes to sci-fi..."

I find titus groan and gormenghast to be equal. Titus alone is somewhat unfinished, however undoubtedly the most sinister of the three.

I like Peake, David Eddings, Tad Williams and Robert Jordan.

I cannot put down anything by Laurel K. Hamilton.
Just cover a lot more then ten right there.

I also love Andre Norton, thus lots more, Gena Showalter, Keri Arthur, loved Pamala Palmer's The Dark Gate, H.P. Lovecraft.
And so many more good writers.

Okay - Top 10 favorites:

Stranger In a Strange Land by Robert H. Heinlein
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Cities In Flight by James Blish
The "Conan" series by Robert E. Howard
The "Foundation" Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
The General's President by John Dalmas
David's Sling by Marc Stiegler
Marching Through Georgia by S.M. Stirling

Well, I've tried to think of some of my faves without repeating what everyone else has already said, and it has proven quite difficult - but I did come up with something and have decided to put in my 2 cents.

But I must first say, as someone else did earlier, that a large section of my bookshelves is devoted to Stephen King. To be exact, he has his own entire shelf in my rather large armoire!!

So, to get to the point, here are two authors that I don't believe have been mentioned...

1) I'm not sure if these books are technically categorized as fantasy, but as a child I loved John Bellairs books. I actually just took out a few of his books from the library recently and I'm very close to 20-10. If you are not familiar with him or his work, I highly recommend doing a search and checking him out. Especially if you have (or know of) children who are interested in fantasy/paranormal.

2) My new favorite is, by far, Melissa Marr. I fell in love with the entire 'Wicked Lovely' world while reading the book of the same name and then I plummeted even deeper - thoroughly enjoying every moment of the fall - while reading 'Ink Exchange.' I am eagerly tapping my toe as time drags on towards the release of 'Fragile Eternity!' She is an amazing writer and I would recommend her to anyone. The only caveat is that these books are a little more R than PG-13, so younger teens should read at their parents discretion....imho.

Picking favourites in any genre is hard to do. Here's my top ten...

C.S. Lewis
Mary Stuart
Douglas Adams
Diane Duane
Isaac Asimov
Patricia McKillip
Terry Pratchett
Ursula K. Le Guin
Jonathan Stroud
Patricia Wrede

(oops... should be top 11)

How could I forget Jasper Fforde

Robin wrote: What's with those Brits and all the initials ;-)."

The short answer is ... Tradition.

For "the classics" - I go with:

J.K. Rowlings
J.R.R. Tolkien
C.S. Lews

(What's with those Brits and all the initials ;-)

For "newer" authors I like:

Brandon Sanderson
Michael J. Sullivan
Patrick Rothfuss
Jonathan Stroud

Yes, Kristen. She also wrote the The Riddle-Master of Hed along with 2 other books. Great trilogy.

Love.... Anne McCaffrey, Octavia Butler, Kage Baker, Marge piercy, Julia Czerneda, Melissa Scott, Elizabeth Bear, Marrianne DePierres, Justina Robson, Shelley Jackson, Samuel Delany, Tannith Lee.... etc, etc

Patricia McKillip. Her name sounds very familiar. Did she write The Changeling Sea?

You pretty much hit the nail on the head but here's a few more thoughts on this:
First, the older writers had--oh, how can I put this--not more respect, but much more descriptive(?)and much more formal styles of writing, i.e. Dickens (who makes my sister swoon by the way)than say, today's writers. My opinion is that they had much more time or rather it took more time to write by hand as opposed to computer keyboarding. I mean, Milton's Paradise Lost wasn't written on Fast Draft!
This however, isn't to say that today's writers are any less talented, its just that our perspectives on the world at large have changed. Whether it's real or not, it appears as though our current society has speeded up and no longer is hindered by the time it takes to travel, communicate (instant messaging), write, edit and publish and we've even changed some of the actual process of publishing via ebooks!
We no longer are hindered in our writing due to the literal candle burning low, we have light hopefully greened)24 hours a day due to electricity. I'm sure Shakespeare would have written innumerable plays had he fluorescents! Writers today have to speed through novels in order to meet the publishers'/readers' desire for 'trilogies' and series books, which I love by the way, but it removes the ability to really think about the words themselves. I myself am guilty of this as well.
Again, this is not to demean current writers. Stephen King is undoubtedly one of our best writers, regardless of genre' due to his wonderful style of descriptive realism.
However, I do have a small peeve. Today, I nabbed a paperback of a very popular writer (NOT in fantasy/scifi genre')who has been ballyhooed as a great writer.
I read the first sentence in a random chapter and the character (to paraphrase) "knew several of the popular places for breakfast that opened up at 9 or ten. So and so decided on Ray's for breakfast..."
I felt insulted as a reader that the object (breakfast) of the sentence had to be repeated twice as if I could not retain what the character was trying to get.
That is either BAD editing (and BELIEVE ME, I've seen this type of thing happen in many many major novels)or bad writing or writing DOWN to the reader.
So it doesn't necessarily follow that just because we have a reference from the past we're better writers. I had a similar discussion on editors on another group and we came to the conclusion that many of the current 'editors' are young and either do not have a grasp of grammar and style or are too young to have immersed their readings in classics to absorb any style and prose. Most of us here and other places that favor older writers are the ones who read the classics because we loved reading and writing. I think that's just our generation, the generation that has bridged the gap between the classics and today's writers.
In any case, I have to stop here and go to the grocery store for ingredients for Chicken Parmesan.

Broos, I love the Robin Hobb stories. The Assassin trilogy is the same character as Tawny man series, just happens before. I am reading the Tawny man series now.

Broos,
You will love Mary Stewart's Arthurian series. Pick up a copy of The Crystal Cave and you should be hooked. I still love Tolkien, he'll always be number one with me, I am just surprised at the lack of detail that I once remembered. But, as I said, perhaps that is the mark of a great writer: creating entire worlds with a minimum of words. I don't think there was a dry eye in the theater at the opening scenes of LOTR:Fellowship. I know I was openly weeping. Especially after the two hideous attempts to bring LOTR to the screen in the 1970's. I knew one day they'd figure out they needed live action along with effects, i just never figured it would be in my lifetime!

Broos wrote: "I recently went back to Robin Hobb and read all the Liveship Trader and Tawny Man books, and enjoyed them very much despite the dragons. T.H. White's The Sword in the Stone is lots of fun. I'm not ..."

I recently went back to Robin Hobb and read all the Liveship Trader and Tawny Man books, and enjoyed them very much despite the dragons. T.H. White's The Sword in the Stone is lots of fun. I'm not sure why Tolkein has fallen out of favor, as you can bet that fantasy writers still read him and are greatly influenced by The Hobbit and the Ring trilogy. I need to catch up on my Mary Stewart--the only book of hers I've read is The Moon-Spinners.

Boy, you guys don't leave much to list. I find it hard to say what my "favorite" is. Since style, plot, characters and the environment of the story is so different from each other. Azmiov was a wizard at the setting, David Niven in Ringworld made you wonder about the solar system, J.R. R. Tolkien left you feeling you knew all about Hobits, the Mission Earth series was a saga into humand frailties and Scott wove such a believable story that it didn't seem like it was science fiction. The strengths of the authors come threw like the dominant colors on a master piece. I even like the novels I wrote, but then, I might be too close to them.

S.A., I liked your comments very much, and your listing of many classic scifi/fantasy authors I have long loved. Few people know Robert Heinlein wrote a far-out sword/sorcer/scifi novel called GLORY ROAD. He did it before most of the current fantasy names even got rolling. Myself, in fantasy, I find earth magic/Gaea-based fantasy to be most rewarding. Also, Andre Norton's original Witch World trilogy was just wonderful. A highlight of my early scifi author career was getting a personal note back from her. And for those who like Gaean-style fantasy, you can find the short story "The Totem" at my online author's site of http://www.sff.net/people/t-jackson-king... Also got some novel first chapters along with various types of poetry there. Finally, you can check out my two published scifi novels. I'm really into Alien biology/culture and Hard SF. Tom (T. Jackson King).

Oh, no, I read all of Mary Stewart's Crystal Cave series when I was about 13, at least all that came out until The Wicked Day, which I have but cannot bring myself to read, I don't want that series to end in my mind, I guess. I feel the same way, no one has had a better rendition of genealogical theory than her and that was one of the main reasons I liked it and thought it a plausible theory of how Arthur came to power.

I was introduced to SciFi by reading a Heinlein book with my mother at age 8. I have never stopped reading since. I love the old classics(Heinlein, McCaffrey, Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke) but also enjoy modern fantasy and scifi. Cherryh's Foreiner series is great and I noticed someone mention Stewart's Merlin series which I greatly enjoyed. A lot of Weber I enjoy but they are usually twice as long as they need to be to tell the story.

Really, I love to read and the great authors out there are too numerous to mention without forgetting someone.

LOL. I loved the hobbit and after seeing the movies I tried to read the lord of the rings, but it just went on and on and on. I did get most of the way through it.

I am probably a lot older than you all and I read Mary Stuart's Merlin books long before I knew about Mists of Avalon. I also had already read most of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels, which I still love. Mists of Avalon was ok, but nothing I have read about King Arthur's court can compare to Mary Stuart's. If you haven't read them and you liked Mists of Avalon you will probably like them, The first one is The Crystal Cave.

You know, it's funny but I re-read LOTR after the movies and I found that Tolkien's writing, while effective on giving visuals, was so much more simplistic than I remembered. I thought it was just me but then my sister said she'd done the same thing and came to the same conclusion! I guess that's a compliment to T's ability. Or, perhaps it was just a simpler time in his and our lives and lifetimes. Again, I'm just weird.

P.I. wrote: "For some odd reason, I never could get into The Mists of Avalon. Don't know why. I was given most of the books we both share when I was about thirteen by a friend and I think they really affected m..."

We must be right about the same age, then - I read most of those in my early teens. But they're still the ones that stand out as my favorites.

For some odd reason, I never could get into The Mists of Avalon. Don't know why. I was given most of the books we both share when I was about thirteen by a friend and I think they really affected me, being in that turbulent emotional time. Yes, I'm weird.

P.I. wrote: "Aw, Sue, I lOVED the Mabingion, at least Evangeline Walton's(? can't remember her name exactly) version. My faves still remain Mary Stewart, Tolkien, and for some reason Harlan Ellison. I also ador..."

Mary Stewart! I remember going nuts trying to find one of her books - I'd bought a couple of them (possibly #1 & 3) and then couldn't find the second anywhere. Finally did, though - those were great books, I still have them.

Tolkien I borrowed from my uncle, and he got so tired of waiting for me to give them back (I kept re-reading them) that he bought me my own set.

I read the same set of the Mabinogion, and I can't remember the author's name either!

Other favorites - Marion Zimmer Bradley (Darkover, Mists of Avalon, and her Light series), Joel Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame, Guy Gabriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry, and Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan books.

Aw, Sue, I lOVED the Mabingion, at least Evangeline Walton's(? can't remember her name exactly) version. My faves still remain Mary Stewart, Tolkien, and for some reason Harlan Ellison. I also adore the ballads of Great Britain.

I would have to say my favorite fantasy would be Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and David Edding's, especially the Belgariad.

I read quite a lot of SF and fantasy between the ages of 16 and 30, although never exclusively, but once I stopped commuting to London (train journeys are great for getting through books!) I got more picky about my reading, and SF lost out to history. When it comes down to it, I find real lives more interesting than fiction!!

So my favourite fantasy authors tend to have been around for a while (and certainly pre-date Harry Potter) - Robert Heinlenn, TH White, HG Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tolkein, Mary Stewart, Ann McCaffery, Robert Silverberg, RA MacAvoy, Patricia McKillip, Andre Norton, Christopher Stasheff - plus, slightly more up to date, Terry Pratchet, David Eddings, Jean Auel. And some of the originals - the Cu Chulainn legends, the Morte d'Arthur (couldn't cope with the Mabignion) and the ballads and folksongs of England, Ireland and Scotland.

Sue

I have been a fan of Anne McCafferey for 25 years, She was my first favorite author and I realize she is often criticized but I guess I'm loyal. I love Orson Scott Card because some of his work was unpredictable for me and Octavia Butler took me out of my comfort zone.

My all time favorite author is Martin Millar. He is the only author that I know of, who can weave fairies into real life situations, and make a believer out of you!

His latest work Lonely Werewolf Girl is a stroke of genius!

Dee Marie

Right now my favorite author is Robin Hobb. I just finished reading the first book of he second series, The Tawny Man series, which is a pick up of the Assassin series.

Other favorites are Jim Butcher, Ray Bradbury, May Stuart, Marion Zimmer Bradley, etc. I can't list them all here, it would take too long.