Before diving into the list itself, I’d like to establish a few things: first, these are completely subjective rankings based on my own favorite series. The list takes into consideration things like prose, dialogue, characters, worldbuilding, and plot. In some cases, weight will be given more to phenomenal prose; in others, the focus will be on setting or characters or whatever the books’ major strengths happen to be.
It also ignores incomplete series, so you won’t see any love for The Kingkiller Chronicle or The Stormlight Archive, among others. Similarly, it ignores standalone books, so no Uprooted or The Windup Girl or Roadside Picnic.
Additionally, this list in many ways represents science fiction and fantasy of the past (mostly the late 20th century). It’s likely that a few of these will still be on my list in a decade, but SFF of the past few years has taken a much-needed turn toward more diverse viewpoints and voices. This means that I simply haven’t read some of the best new authors yet—and others, whom I have, don’t have their series finished. So while the largely male and white voices of the 1980-2010 era have provided some excellent groundwork, the future of science fiction and fantasy will undoubtedly feature more diverse voices at the top of the board.
For instance, I haven’t yet read the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin (which is by all accounts a stunning literary work). Authors like Jemisin are sure to figure into future lists of this sort…and the opportunity to find and read new stories from new voices is one of the most exciting things about reading SFF.
That said, let’s dive on in!
10. The Runelords (“Earth King” series) by David Farland
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The Runelords
David Farland’s Runelords series occupies an interesting spot in the fantasy canon, especially for me. Perhaps because of the timing of my introduction to it, and perhaps because of the cover art, but I’ve always thought of Runelords as a more traditional series. Like The Wheel of Time, Runelords had cover art for most of the books done by the legendary Darryl K. Sweet.
Indeed, it was that cover art that led me to buy the first book, The Sum of All Men, in a little beachfront bookstore on vacation in Hawaii when I was 12. I saw something that looked like The Wheel of Time and jumped in with both feet.
I’m glad I did. Farland’s a talented writer, and he truly excels at giving depth to things that normally get glossed over in fantasy.
There are two main magic systems, for lack of a better term, in Runelords. The first involves a pretty standard elemental magic: you’ve got magic-users who can perform magic based around earth, air, fire, and water. There are some interesting applications here, but the genius in this series lies with the other magic system.
In this world, people can grant endowments—physical or mental attributes—to other people. Those who have acquired such endowments are called Runelords, and tend to be nobles or soldiers. After all, a warrior with the strength of five men and the stamina of three is going to be tough to fight on a battlefield.
Farland could have left the magic there and made the series somewhat interesting. Instead, he dug deeper, exploring the ethical, moral, and even economic implications behind such a system.
When an endowment is given to a Runelord, it’s transferred. Thus, if a Runelord wants the sight of two men, his Dedicate will be left blind, and the endowment only works for the Runelord while the Dedicate is living.
The result is tremendous expense given to keep Dedicates alive. The giving of endowments like grace (the ability to relax muscles), brawn (the ability to flex them), and stamina leaves such Dedicates in extremely fragile states. A Dedicate who gave stamina, for instance, is susceptible to disease.
On top of that, Runelords are almost unstoppable in battle, except by other similarly powered Runelords. Instead of facing them down on the field, strategy has evolved to focus on assassins, who try to break into Dedicates’ Keeps and kill the helpless Dedicates, weakening Runelords out on the field. It’s a fascinating look at all of the implications of the way this magic works.
I should note that while, technically speaking, the extended series as a whole will run nine books, it’s really split into two: the first four books comprise the “Earth King” series, and the next four (and forthcoming fifth) comprise the “Scions of the Earth” series. The first four are where Farland’s story and world work the best.
9. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
As one of my friends noted when I mentioned this list to her, “one of these things is not like the others.”
Harry Potter may be aimed at a younger audience than the rest of the series here, but it is without a doubt one of the most influential series of the last 30 years.
Sure, Rowling’s writing is a bit elementary during the first few books, but it improves as the series goes on. Her worldbuilding is excellent (despite post-publishing missteps), the characters are undeniably vibrant, and the plotting is, for the most part, tight.
Most impressive, however, is the pacing of these books. There truly isn’t much wasted space, even in the 800-plus-page The Order of the Phoenix. They are eminently re-readable, buzzing along at a healthy speed and filled with moments of thrills, sadness, and exuberance.
8. The Mistborn Trilogy (Era 1) by Brandon Sanderson
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Mistborn: The Final Empire
The only completed series in Sanderson’s Cosmere deserves a place in this list. While many of the series that I have ranked higher are there because of incredible prose or vibrant characters, Sanderson’s strength lies in his worldbuilding.
Scadrial is perhaps the most “traditional” of the worlds in the Cosmere, with the typical medieval tech and armies of high fantasy. But Sanderson’s world around those staples is unique, with the mists and the ashmounts—and the Metallic Arts.
The three main types of magic used in Mistborn revolve around the use of metals to fuel (or steal) magic, with an intricate, thorough grounding. Mysteries are explored and revelations abound, remaining satisfying and surprising despite how logical they are.
While the second book, The Well of Ascension, suffers from pacing issues and a bit of a lackluster conflict through the first two-thirds, its final third and climax are truly outstanding work—some of Sanderson’s best.
The Hero of Ages presents the kind of bombastic conclusion hoped for, with twists, surprises, and a beautiful, bittersweet ending. By all accounts, Era 2 of Mistborn is even better, but that review will have to wait for the release of The Lost Metal, expected sometime in late 2019.
7. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
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The Lord of the Rings
This may be a somewhat controversial pick; or it may not. Either way, Tolkien’s famed trilogy holds a special place in my heart. Lord of the Rings is not the best-paced story, nor the most intricate, but it does several things extraordinarily well.
The way Tolkien handles tropes is straightforward but meaningful: Samwise Gamgee, for instance, truly is the hero of the story. It’s not Aragorn or Legolas or Gimli, of course, but neither is it Frodo. Samwise is the ultimate sidekick, because at the root of the story, he’s not a sidekick.
Tolkien’s prose gets knocked fairly often, though I don’t mind it. But where he really knocks it out of the park is with his dialogue. The elevated language flows beautifully, and there are some absolutely fantastic conversations and exchanges in these books. Take Gandalf’s encounter with the Witch King inside the gates of Minas Tirith:
In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face.
All save one. There waiting, silent and still in the space before the Gate, sat Gandalf upon Shadowfax: Shadowfax who alone among the free horses of the earth endured the terror, unmoving, steadfast as a graven image in Rath Dínen.
“You cannot enter here,” said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. “Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!”
The Black Rider flung back his hood, and behold! he had a kingly crown; and yet upon no head visible was it set. The red fires shone between it and the mantled shoulders vast and dark. From a mouth unseen there came a deadly laughter.
“Old fool!” he said. “Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!”
Not many writers can craft something so smooth, foreboding, and powerful. Similar scenes between Eowyn and the Witch King, and between Aragorn and the Mouth of Sauron, stand out.
The Silmarillion technically doesn’t belong here, but I must note that it is also a tremendous bit of storytelling in a different style. The tales in the Quenta Silmarillion vary from exciting to romantic to outright heartrending (looking at you, Túrin Turambar…).
6. The Ender Quartet/Shadow Quartet by Orson Scott Card
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Ender's Game
I struggled with whether or not to split these into two series, since they really do follow two separate (but intertwined) stories. In the end, I felt that the way Card has written in new novels since completing the main quartets shows he considers them more connected.
Ender’s Game is certainly one of the most popular science fiction novels ever written, and for good reason. It resonates with younger audiences, while exploring themes and morality suitable for any adult. The subsequent Ender books carry forward that more adult-oriented focus.
Speaker for the Dead remains the single best science fiction book I’ve ever read, and while Xenocide and Children of the Mind do not maintain that lofty standard, they at least give a decent conclusion to the series.
Meanwhile, the Bean installments are uniformly excellent. Ender’s Shadow was a brilliant idea, and the way the subsequent Shadow books handle the characters of Peter Wiggin and Petra Arkanian is wonderful.
5. The Acts of Caine by Matthew Woodring Stover
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Heroes Die
Like The Gap Cycle by Stephen R. Donaldson, Stover’s quartet can get rather gruesome at points. It’s the kind of no-holds-barred adventure story that fantasy often aspires to be, but misses. It’s grimdark, but not for the sake of being grimdark.
Starting with Heroes Die, Stover’s series blends science fiction and fantasy: in the far-future of Earth, the world finds its entertainment in the recorded Adventures of Actors, sent by inter-dimensional technology to a fantasy world called Overworld, inhabited by elves and dragons, wizards and ogrilloi.
As the series goes on, it becomes clear that the fates of Overworld and Earth are more intertwined than people believed, and Hari Michaelson, a.k.a. Caine, is at the center of it all.
The characters are truly what shine in Stover’s series. His prose is excellent, riddled with fight scenes and one-liners to make any reader laugh, but the most impressive part is how he molds a wide cast of characters.
Caine is, of course, the focus. However, his estranged wife Shanna (or Pallas Ril, as she’s known on Overworld) is a deeply interesting woman with psychological depths of the kind rarely explored in other series. The antagonists are at turns pure evil and startlingly sympathetic. Arturo Kollberg, Hari’s boss on Earth, undergoes one of the most shocking transformations you can imagine. Ma’elKoth, the god-emperor of Ankhana on Overworld, is ruthless yet tender.
Most of all, The Acts of Caine is an ambitious series. Heroes Die is a near-perfect adventure novel, with sublime pacing and a cathartic climax. The Blade of Tyshalle follows up Heroes Die as a flawed masterpiece.
In Blade, Stover plays with mythology and legend while taking the old authors’ maxim “think of the worst thing you can do to your protagonist, and then do it” to 11. It is in this book that we see the darkest depths of characters; it is also here where we see hope shine the brightest.
The third book, Caine Black Knife, is an unadulterated love letter from Stover to Caine, covering his most famous Adventure. The final book, Caine’s Law, is a runaway roller coaster, full of bombastic twists and mind-boggling revelations.
The Acts of Caine is, at heart, an adventure story—but one with all the trappings of high literature already in place. It allows the reader to enjoy the thrill of the action, but also forces you to consider the entertainment you’re consuming, and what it means to consume it.
4. The Gap Cycle by Stephen R. Donaldson
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The Real Story: The Gap Into Conflict
Donaldson’s Gap Cycle is my highest-ranked pure sci-fi series. This is the peak of space opera, as far as I’m concerned.
The five-book series starts with a shorter volume: The Real Story is basically a novella, laying the groundwork for the fireworks to come. It tells a story from several different perspectives, showing how point-of-view impacts what people might think of as “the real story.”
Donaldson’s clever introduction explodes in the second installment, Forbidden Knowledge. From here, the series just gets more intense, more tightly woven, and develops ever-increasing stakes.
The Gap Cycle is, in fact, probably the only series I’ve ever read where each book is demonstrably better than the last. The final book, This Day All Gods Die, was a white-knuckle thriller from page one to the epilogue—on top of having one of the most incredible titles I’ve ever seen.
(Content of the stories aside, Donaldson’s titles are just fantastic. A Dark and Hungry God Arises? Awesome. This Day All Gods Die? Hell yeah.)
This series has one major knock, and that’s the subject matter. The first two books especially deal with graphic violence, of both sexual and psychological natures. It can get pretty tough to read at points. Despite that, it’s an incredible story, well-written, with some of the most complex and layered characters in science fiction.
3. The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
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Shadow & Claw
Gene Wolfe is probably the most decorated, celebrated, and accomplished SFF writer that most people have never heard of.
(Okay, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration. But not by much.)
Wolfe’s four-part Book of the New Sun is a monumental literary accomplishment. His use of symbolism, metaphor, an unreliable narrator, and constant foreshadowing beggars anything that Robert Jordan or George R.R. Martin have ever done.
Wolfe’s story is compelling, but unorthodox. The pacing of the series—especially in the first two books—is strange, as the narrative meanders about, touching on seemingly inconsequential events and glossing over (or leaving out entirely) big action scenes.
But the action and adventure isn’t the point. Wolfe’s writing is so rich and his storytelling so involved that he grips you and pulls you along in a riptide of language and mystery.
The Book of the New Sun is a challenging read, to be sure. Archaic language abounds, and layered storytelling forces the reader to pay attention, smarten up, and read more critically.
My favorite part of Wolfe’s work is his writing, though. The way he uses words, conjuring everyday images in beautiful ways, is unparalleled among writers I’ve read (really, only Kai Ashante Wilson is even in the same conversation):
How glorious are they, the immovable idols of Urth, carved with unaccountable tools in a time inconceivably ancient, still lifting above the rim of the world grim heads crowned with mitres, tiaras, and diadems spangled with snow, heads whose eyes are as large as towns, figures whose shoulders are wrapped in forests.
Who else would describe mountains like that? Who else would turn such an everyday writing opportunity into lyrical, evocative imagery?
I think it says a lot that, after I finished Citadel of the Autarch, I couldn’t make myself read any other authors for almost two months. Everything just felt bland after the richness of Book of the New Sun.
2. The Black Company by Glen Cook*
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The Black Company
Glen Cook is a lesser-known name, but his mark on fantasy is everywhere. His knack for approaching the grittier, more down-to-earth aspects of fantasy inspired the grimdark genre. The Black Company itself eschews the deep worldbuilding of Jordan or Martin or Sanderson, instead concentrating on the day-to-day stories of soldiers in the mercenary Black Company.
Tropes are twisted on their heads, humor abounds, and settings move from standard European fare to vibrant Middle Eastern analogues and beyond.
The Black Company is a rollicking good time, interspersed with creepy demons and eldritch castles, mad wizards and the horrifying conditions of besieged cities.
This series features some of my favorite characters. Whether it’s the snarky Croaker, brooding Murgen, competent Sleepy, or the irrepressible Voroshk girls, there’s a wide and diverse cast. Not only that, but the emotional impact built up over the course of ten books leaves the reader stunned at the end of Soldiers Live.
It’s that lasting impression from the end of the series that sticks with me—it’s the most perfect series ending I’ve read.
As Croaker says at one point, “Memory is immortality of a sort.” The Black Company left this reader with indelible memories.
*The full narrative arc of the series is completed in Soldiers Live, but Cook may not be totally finished just yet. Port of Shadows, a sort of “interquel” between books one and two, was recently released. Another book has long been rumored, called A Pitiless Rain.
1. The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson)
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The Eye of the World
I almost feel bad about how little there is to say in this section. When it comes down to it, I can’t do justice to this series in a list review. The meat, the immersion, the pure reality of reading Robert Jordan’s magnum opus is something that must be experienced to be understood.
The Wheel of Time is one of the preeminent fantasy series of the late ’90s/early 2000s. Jordan was an absolute titan of fantasy, with his books selling upwards of 80 million copies, according to some sources.
Jordan took Tolkien’s legacy and transformed it for the modern era. The series purposely starts in a similar, familiar fashion, but rapidly comes off the rails and grows into its own monster. The level of worldbuilding is incredible, down to histories, cultures and customs, genealogies and magic.
The Wheel of Time defined a generation of fantasy. Robert Jordan didn’t turn out sparkling prose like Gene Wolfe, but he certainly had his moments. His characters aren’t necessarily as compelling as those in The Acts of Caine or The Black Company, but they’re nonetheless rich, dynamic, and feature the kind of warmth that makes readers consider them friends. The Wheel of Time is, in its way, the complete fantasy package.
Drew McCaffrey lives in Fort Collins, CO, where he is spoiled by all the amazing craft beer. You can find him on Twitter, talking about books and writing, but mostly just getting worked up about the New York Rangers.
A lot of this list is great (and my own personal favorites, too) but as the author points out, it would be encouraging to see either more diversity or a fuller explanation of how these books in particular shaped the author’s life in a more detailed way. There are more women writers than Rowling. What about Earthsea by Le Guin? Dragonriders by McCaffery? These works (and others) have been around a long time, and are just as much representative of “science fiction and fantasy of the past.”
Fascinated to see The gap cycle there but not Thomas Covenant
Good job Drew.
I will however add my voice to the crowd to say READ the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. Only writer to ever make 2nd Person PoV work for me.
Adding a little more to your Science Fiction – Read Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga. Her fantasy Chalion books are also well worth anyone time. Both have won the only two Series Hugo award there have been.
And I will always have a special place in my heart for the Death Gate Cycle by Wise & Hickman. Never had the strongest prose, but always a good story.
And it’s a good thing you said right off why Rothfus is not on your list. I still expect to see it in the comments. :-D
I was surprised to not see the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey. One of the best series I’ve ever read.
No Ekumen or Earthsea? No Snow Queen? No Inheritance trilogy? No Duel of Sorcery? No Ivrel? No Tortall? No Flat Earth Cycle? No Kushiel? No Obsidian & Blood? Allow me to recommend the Ekumen, Earth Sea, Snow Queen, Inheritance, Duel of Sorcery, Ivrel, Tortall, Flat Earth, Kushiel, Obsidian & Blood series.
Is there a place to make general statements about the articles on Tor.com that would be off-topic if posted within a specific article (much like this comment)?
@@.-@ & 5 Kushiel is great! I seriously considered including that first trilogy here, along with Pern. It was tough to knock off Runelords or HP, though…
Really surprised that Eddings (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Eddings) isn’t on there.
I’ll throw in another vote for Eddings, Kushiel, and then throw out Zelazny’s Amber Chronicles as well as a missed gem. Also Pratchett’s Discworld, even if it isn’t technically a series, and yet is a billion books long (and all worth reading.)
Several of these series are on my favorites list or I’ve at least read them. Although I would have to include the Dune series on mine (only the original 6 by Frank Herbert). For the ones I haven’t read, I’ve got stuff on my list now :)
This is a fantastic list. Don’t know if “best” is the right word, but a lot of these series top my favorites list: Wolfe, Stover, Donaldson, Cook, and Tolkien are all up there. I agree that Speaker for the Dead might be the best sci-fi novel I’ve ever read.
I would add:
Steven Erikson’s Malazan series
Karen Traviss’ Wess’Har series
@8: Finding Eddings as a kid and newer to reading fantasy, I can agree. As an adult he’s a comfort read.
Finding him as an adult after reading other stuff, he just becomes the tropeist of tropes. I mean tropes come from somewhere. But he has almost all of them in his most famous works.
The less said of his Elder Gods books, the better. Biggest waste of my time ever.
Braid Tug – both Vorkosigan and Chalion are not complete, despite the Hugos, so are outside of the article’s scope.
Surprised and glad to see the Gap Series on this list – which I love even though the subject matter is incredibly brutal in part.
I agree the list would benefit from diversity. I’d love to see Robin Hobb’s Farseer (Assassin’s Apprentice) series, which should be considered to be complete even if two additional trilogies with Fitz as the main character followed it.
My own list would probably include Jack Vance’s Lyonesse trilogy (since I’m not sure if the Dying Earth books would qualify), as well as Raymond Feist & Janny Wurts’ Empire trilogy (which is, yes, a sidequel to the (now completed) Riftwar series, but which stands very nicely on its own). Oh, and R.A. Macavoy’s Damiano trilogy, and maybe Louise Cooper’s Indigo books or her Time Master trilogy.
Would Burroughs’ Barsoom books count? Although those didn’t so much complete as just stop.
No mention of Malazan?
11. SaltManZ, 15. Garth, from what I’ve read of Malazan, I would agree that it warrants a place on a ‘Best of’, but I only started it recently and am on ‘Memories of Ice’. Great series so far.
Braid_Tug @12. I believe Eddings’ best series is his Elenium (the first Sparhawk trilogy). I think that series holds up when I read it as an adult.
Thanks for reading my musings.
AndrewHB
aka the musespren
Tor.com has done a lot of great work highlighting the indisputable fact that fantasy and sci-fi authors have never been all white and male, and that those who aren’t white and male are often deliberately erased from canon. Because of that, I’m surprised and disappointed to see this article open with the assertion that because this article focuses on the past, that’s an excuse for it to be exclusively white people and 90% male.
I’m not going to quibble with the list itself, because everyone has their own preferences. But I question why tor.com thought THIS list of personal preferences, in particular, needed to be published–particularly with that opening disclaimer. I’ll add Octavia Butler and Diana Wynne Jones to those already mentioned above in comments who completed great fantasy series in the 20th century.
How about Philip Jose Farmer’s Riverworld series or Gordon R Dickson’s Childe series? Or Poul Anderson’s Psychotechnic League or Asimov’s Foundation?
@@@@@ many – Keep in mind the title of the article: these are one person’s ten favorite-so-far completed series. I personally would have a hard time deciding which of my 20 favorites to eliminate when I’m trying to get to 10!
Also, what works for one person doesn’t work for another, so… too bad, I guess? For example, I absolutely cannot stand reading Octavia Butler, so her work would never appear on my favorites list. It has nothing to do with gender, race or any other “identity” things – I just don’t like her stuff. Does that somehow disqualify my opinion, if I don’t like something you do?
I think it’s worth pointing out that the author of the article clarified that these are his personal favorites – and then he articulated why they hold their status.That’s the real value of an article like this, even if his priorities are different than yours. If you don’t like Wolfe’s style, you probably won’t read it – but if that quotation draws you in, you might just have found a new read. Or if you’re like me, his disclaimer on the Gap Cycle confirms that I probably won’t enjoy it enough to bother getting started, so I’ll focus on the ones that he’s convinced me I’d enjoy. (I now realize that in addition to rereading Book of the New Sun, I also need to go grab that Farland set off my shelf and actually read it. And finish the Ender series.)
We need articles like this, which come from a variety of different backgrounds. If every article were based solely on getting the right percentage of the currently PC representation, many excellent works would get lost because they weren’t written by the “right” people. I’m reasonably confident that the author is looking through the comments for his next reads, so it’s worth doing your own version of “why I love this series” right here.
I mean I guess Drew knew what he was getting into by posting a list like this on a site like this. For someone like me who has read much sf but is looking to try more f, I enjoy this kind of subjective take. But no matter how much you say this is subjective and only based on one person’s reading, blah, blah, blah you just know the comments are all going to be “But what about…?” As for me, thanks for another list I’ll take from what I need and leave what I don’t. I’m on an Octavia Butler kick at the moment but will be looking at this list again soon.
I see that A Song of Ice and Fire did not make the cut…tough call on that.
@Wetlandernw — The issue isn’t that this author likes these books. That’s totally fine. I tend to read a lot of books (actually a disproportionate amount of books) that are written by white guys too. No one is going through the author’s bookshelves in the privacy of his home and complaining that his tastes aren’t varied enough.
The issue is this: “This means that I simply haven’t read some of the best new authors yet—and others, whom I have, don’t have their series finished. So while the largely male and white voices of the 1980-2010 era have provided some excellent groundwork, the future of science fiction and fantasy will undoubtedly feature more diverse voices at the top of the board.”
It is implied that the “diverse voices,” which are treated (rightly) as a good thing, have only begun to appear on the scene or will soon appear. I agree with the author that diverse voices are a good thing. But (what seems to me as) the underlying implication isn’t true. Those voices have been around a long time. This website has made it a goal of making us all more aware of those voices. Hence @claire ‘s comment.
In sum: this is not a criticism of the author’s taste. It is just a reminder that we can all do better when acknowledging the past and history of these genres in English (or any other language).
@18 I’m horrified that people are still recommending OSC, the nasty little homophobe and homophobia supporter that he is. It is as bad as the way people still recommend MZB’s stuff too, given that we now know she was a massive sexual predator.
Very much agree with Claire. If you’re going to make a disclaimer, it’s all right to be honest about it. “I personally don’t have much diversity in my formative reading, and so the lack of diversity in this list is attributable to that.” is a perfectly valid admission, given that you’re already making it clear that the list is only “according to me”.
As someone who worked in a bookstore in the late-80’s and well into the 90’s, it is really disheartening to see the continued erasure of authors like those mentioned in this comment-thread. I remember straightening shelves in that pre-internet era, and people like Anne McCaffrey, Katherine Kurtz, Patricia McKillip, Mercedes Lackey, Andre Norton, and many others weren’t just slivers of easy-to-overlook one-offs. They were major series with just as much shelf space devoted to their work as their male counterparts. Lackey usually filled half a shelf on her own, and a new Pern book got just as much “fanfare” as a new Shannara book. I know firsthand that they weren’t invisible back then, so why do we delete them from history now?
@24 – There’s a debate to be had over how to separate art from artist – and is it even a worthwhile endeavour? (I have a good friend who now refuses to watch Kevin Spacey movies…). I don’t think it’s wrong to recommend things we enjoy – whether it be movie, book, etc – to people, even if we have issues with the source. But full disclaimer – I’m currently re-reading Ender’s Game, so I’m most definitely biased in terms of this particular case.
…and why am I even posting this? Glutton for punishment, apparently. I’ve seen too many comment threads derailed by OSC debates and here I am contributing to the problem.
Agree 100% with The Gap series. Some of the best named books ever!! :)
Also agree with Book of the New Sun. Classic. Black Company… you can’t go wrong.
Overall, a solid list.
@22, That may be because Martin can’t get “Winds of Winter” finished already!
I really liked Dave Duncan’s Seventh Sword series- some fine world building, memorable characters, and a nicely plotted story arc in the first three books.
I’ll also put in a good word for Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series, even with the regressive attitudes in that world.
Most of my favorites are either in the list of 10 or mentioned in the comments. I’ll add two more.
Patricia McKillip’s Riddle-Master trilogy would be on my list, as would Janny Wurts’ Cycle of Fire trilogy.
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Great list Drew. I have read only 5 of these series, though the rest are on my perpetual list. I will get there someday!!
Just yesteday on a FB group there was a ‘list your 10 favorite series’ thread. I tried it out. Turns out listing only your favorite 10 series/books is REALLY hard. If I rewrote my list today, it might be different. And it’s all okay. Because over time not only does our genre change but we as individuals do as well. As others have said, Eddings books are great. Until you read 10 more series and come back to them with greater understanding. (Though Nostalgia gets me through them every few years.)
Articles/lists like these are great because they help some of us (like me) who haven’t read as broadly for whatever reason to find quality books to read. And then there will be another list, which will expand the horizons further.
Thanks for this list — it’s given me some new series to try! I would highly recommend C.J. Cherryh’s “Chanur” series (perhaps known as the “Compact Space” books, 5 novels), as well as the Earthsea cycle (5 novels + short stories) by Ursula LeGuin. Certainly, female SFF authors existed and excelled before the 2010s!
I do still recommend certain books from the Darkover series to friends, but my recommendations are laden with caveats about the author. Her personal life did inform a lot of her writing, but there are still bits that shine — “Hawkmistress” and “Shattered Chain” spring to mind as feminist without being pedophillic (if that’s even a word?).
A huge vote for Zelazny’s first Amber series, as well! The second five books, not so much. Once I got to the end, and realized to whom Corwin had been speaking the whole time, and understood his motivation to be an unreliable narrator, I had to re-read the whole thing, looking for where Corwin might have glossed over or spun certain things to his advantage.
Another thought would be the three books of Barry Hughart’s Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, especially the first: “Bridge of Birds.” Sumptuous! Not a “completed” series, as such, but the author has said he won’t write any more, sadly.
@22 – ASOIF is not finished yet, so can’t be on the list (as defined by the author’ scope).
Re many – As I noted earlier, I would have appreciated more diverse voices on this list, including Robin Hobb (whom I love) and several of the completed series listed above. Happy to hear the author’s perspective on his personal favorites but curious whether the “completed” requirement knocked out some of the author’s favorite female-written series or whether there were some honorable mentions from female authors that didn’t quite make the cut.
@22 Drew said finished series at the start of the article.
I love some of those series (Cooke/ Jordan in particular) and I generally think it’s an accepted response to an article like this to post comments along the lines of ‘but what about..?’ I take it as a way to promote discussion about things people might not have heard of, so here are my ‘what abouts..?’,.
The Belgariad/malloreon by David Eddings. Reminds me of being a teenager back in the early 90s when fantasy was far more niche. The Assassin’s apprentice series by Robin Hobb. one of only a few female fantasy authors whose work i really enjoy and look out for anything new by. The Ostenard series by Tad williams.. Again with the member berries. Lastly Malazan by Steven Erikson. For just being plain awsome.
Some more series by women:
Deverry (Katherine Kerr)
Pegasus (Anne McCaffrey)
Tales of the Otori (Lian Hearn)
Wolfwalker (Tara K. Harper)
@32 Yeah, that’s definitely the case. The first Kushiel trilogy was a near-miss (I had some issues with the third book, but I loved the first two). I’m really enjoying the Lady Trent books, but haven’t finished the series yet.
Another standalone that missed the requirement is The Mists of Avalon, but the big one (that I mentioned in the article) is Uprooted. I was blown away by that book. Even though I’m not much for alternate/fantasy history, I’ve been seriously considering putting Temeraire on my TBR list simply because Novik is such a fantastic storyteller.
@@@@@ 35 – Yes, read Temeraire!! The series does start to drag a bit in the later books…but the early books, oh my goodness. Such imagination and they’re beautifully written. First book is just an ideal book to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea. =)
@1 sigh…just because he happens to like books that are written by white men best does not make one racist or that he hasn’t read others. Why must he have diversity on a list for the sake of diversity? I happen to like LeQuin better than Jordan but not everyone has to or should, and they certainly shouldn’t feel like they have to so they “have a female author they like”. You should like or not like a book for the book – not for any aspect of the author. The work speaks for itself.
@OP – can you do a reread of New Earth reading your quote and analysis – this shows how much of this I missed as when I read that part even in the original book I didn’t think of Mountains – I thought of large statues such as the Statue of Liberty or the Sphinx. I am always unsure in Gene Wolf how much he intended or intended to leave ambiguous (he certainly seems like an author that would write something knowing it could be entended as mountains or as statues and intend both). Have you read his Greek God series (title escapes me and don’t have time right now to look it up) I almost liked that one more than new sun – but this may have had more to do with the fact having read Edith Hamilton’s mythology many times I had more of a basis to understand allusions.
Man I want a new sun reread so bad. I am going to have to check out the gap cycle. Donaldson’s more fantasy works that dealt with plague were amazing.
Also – anyone who thinks Tolkein doesn’t belong on a list like this or has problems with his prose…well I’m there are not someone worth listening to IMHO. But then I always found the Pern stories to be rather overrated compared to the ones on your list (lackey as well). LeQuin is probably my favorite female SF/F author – even if I end up disagreeing massively with the political/social positions she takes in her works.
@@@@@ 25 – I don’t understand your point. Most SciFi/Fantasy authors from the 80s were white men. At no point did the author assert they were all white men; merely that the preponderance of authors were white men and therefore his preferences are skewed towards works by white men.
There isn’t any erasure going on. The author is pretty upfront about these being his preferences, and is open about the fact that the increasing visibility of female writers, or writers of color, means that his list could change drastically in 10 years. He isn’t asserting that an Octavia Butler or a Anne McCaffrey didn’t exist or do good work, he’s merely saying those aren’t his favorite authors. Complaining about a lack of diversity on this list is the definition of looking to stir up trouble for the sake of it.
One word…
AMBER
@38 – and you are surprised at this? And I suppose I should stop there….sigh. Ok away from the internet for a bit for me…looking at CNN while reading here to much for one time. Buy internet for several hours.
Yup. Runelords doesn’t get enough credit. Glad to see it made the list.
@1 @18 @25 Diversity is not the only topic of modern day conversation worthy of discussion. Tor is, in fact, a site that used to focus on science fiction and fantasy, so in that vein it’s refreshing to find an article that does just that.
Anyway, I’m not sure what diversity has to do with an individual’s favorite scifi/fantasy series. Had the author’s favorites included Le Guin or McCaffrey or Butler, he would likely have included them in this list–hence the ‘according to me’ part of the title. The guy thought about his favorite series and wrote an article about them–a love letter to books that mean something to him. I can’t see any good reason to disparage him for his personal favorites for not being diverse enough.
I wasn’t going to post given the criteria (completed series), but since wetlandernw said to post your suggestions, I will say I was very pleasantly surprised with Foundryside. I felt it had a great magic system, and was very well done. Robert Bennett completed a trilogy prior to Foundryside, but I have not had a chance to read it yet to properly comment. Already looking forward to book 2 and 3 of Foundryside and there is no indication when they will be written or released. Ah patience.
My personal favourites: you will see I tend to huge series that are FINISHED but that tell one story over multiple books. Looking back over my library and kindle I find that many series are either linked books but not one story (like Chalion which I love) which makes it difficult to pin point an exact end, or aren’t finished yet and may never be (not just the obvious culprits here, there are many other writers who have fallen by the way side, see note on Kate Elliott).
Katharine Kerr Deverry series – huge scale and wrapped up
Kate Elliott – Crown of Stars, ambitious alt dark ages. My fav series of hers (actually linked trilogies) isn’t completed yet so I won’t add this.
Jacqueline Carey – Kushiel
Elizabeth Bear – Eternal Sky
Robin Hobb – Farseer/Dragon books and also the Forest Mage series
Greg Keyes – Briar King books
Juliet McKenna – Aldabreshin Compass etc
Stephen Deas – Memory of Flames etc – amazing but patchy, under rated series, would make amazing TV
Jordan and Sanderson – Wheel of Time – I lost interest in the middle but was good to see how it all came together
Robert Jackson Bennett – Divine Cities.
Hi,
I liked your list and look forward to reading a few selections. I am currently reading Jon Sprunks 3 part series Book of the Black Earth. Blood and Iron, Storm and Steel, and Blade and Bone, which is the one I am currently reading. Have you read it? I’m really enjoying it.
Can we really consider The Book of the New Sun to be a finished series? Wolfe wrote The Urth of the New Sun as an explicit follow-up, and characters from the cycle show up in The Book of the Long Sun and The Book of the Short Sun.
Who cares if “The Book of the New Sun / Urth of the New Sun” is a “finished series” or whether “Long Sun” and “Short Sun” is necessary to complete the series? Gene Wolfe’s prose and world-building are distinctive, and in my opinion, not to be missed.
I am somewhat surprised that no one in comments above has mentioned Samuel Delany’s Neveryon series. Here again is distinctive style and world-building. Highly recommended. I regret that he never followed up on the planned second volume in a duology starting with “Stars in my pocket like grains of sand”, a fascinating novel that “just ends”. I wanted to hear more about this bispecies world’s cultures and their conflicts, pertinent then and now.
Also scarily pertinent, down to the “Make America Great Again” is the duology by Octavia Butler, “Parable of the Sower” (1993) and “Parable of the Talents” (1998).
The Gap Cycle is similar to the first two Covenant series (I bounced off of Fatal Revenant); some tough scenes but nail biting for the length of an entire book.
I love Earthsea as a trilogy. I found Tehanu a boring downer until the very very end, and never picked up the fifth.
Ender’s Game is a classic, I can’t unread it.
Eddings’ first series was also revolutionary. The characters didn’t take themselves so seriously (well, Polgara), and were relatable like Roseanne’s TV family was. And it was fun.
Elizabeth Bear’s Jenny Casey trilogy and Philip Jose Farmer’s World of Tiers are a couple of my favorites.
Great list. Finally someone gives Cook his due. Obviously I’m a huge fan, and the Black Company novels stand as the greatest works of fantasy ever written as far as I’m concerned. I retired after 24 years in the military, and nothing I’ve ever read captures the spirit of military life as well as these books. Over the course of a military career people come and go, friends come and go. Some just move on to new assignments, some get out, and some are lost. You never forget them though. These novels make you feel what that is like.
also, I’ve always felt that the Forsaken in The Wheel of Time were basically reskins of The Ten Who Where Taken in the original Black Company Novel. Anyway, great list!
For diversity in theme and origin how about Jo Walton’s Small Change trilogy of:
Farthing (2006)
Ha’Penny (2007 )
Half a Crown (2008)
Or again completed in a most amusing fashion:
The Just City (2015)
The Philosopher Kings (2015)
Neccessity (2016)
Fred Saberhagen’s Empire of the East is a series and mostly complete in the 1979 fix-up under that name. One more sequel explicitly and many more long after implicitly for those who care but there won’t be any more so complete in any event.
I’d say Ender’s Game as a series was as drawn out and distorted as any piece of differential topology from the short original work to the drawn thin as a ringwraith or Gollum extension and extended again but I’d not call Mr. Card nasty when in my experience he’s nice enough.
Interesting list.
At one stage before it was finished, I thought The Wheel of Time was going to be an eternal measuring stick.
Cook & Card were both swings & misses in my attempts to read them. Maybe I’ll give them another swing.
Loved The Runelords for the same reasons listed. And at the time I read the first book, The Sum of All Men, it was a refreshing change.
Harry Potter was like swinging at a knuckleball pitcher for me, for the longest time. But when I eventually reached the end, I found it the most satisfying & the best realised ending to any multi volume series I’ve read so far.
Hated Donaldson. As a result I never even looked at the series listed. Maybe now I’ll have a think about it.
Some extra series I would recommend on my end:
– The Rigante Saga by David Gemmell (4 bks of 2+2)
– Elenium & Tamuli by David Eddings (the only Eddings that remotely stands a reread for me).
– The Renshai Trilogy by Mickey Zucker Reichert (Really enjoyed this first trilogy into what expanded into an ongoing series in wider universe).
– All of Robin Hobb’s work in the Fitz & The Fool Universe. (multiple trilogies here)
– Though I prefer her SF work, CS Friedman has two excellent Fantasy Series in The Coldfire Trilogy & The Magister Trilogy.
– And lastly Guy Gavriel Kay. Both of his multibook works are magnificent. (For mine all his books are). Always happy to recommend his solo debut as an author, The Fionavar Tapestry. I MUST insist though on The Sarantine Mosaic (2 books) as my first/last, foremost & fiercest recommendation. As a series work I think it resolves into a masterpiece of Story; Character; Prose & Dramatic Realisation. I savour every reread (of the whole work or any beloved passage I may randomly flick to) the same way a playful pup does its favourite tennis ball.
Really happy to see Farland on here! Picked him up in the library and was a great read. Also does not shy away from main characters making mistakes with large consequences.. Definitely an underappreciated gem.
Adding my voice to the people clamoring for the Amber series, I’m probably one of the few people that still really enjoyed the 2nd half. It is always sad knowing that you will never get new adventures in these worlds.
As for inspiration, I’m going to give the Gap series and Black company a go :)
Elsewhere on the net, I’ve been following a topic where people post their own top ten series and … shocker … no two lists are alike.
My no. 1 is Julian May’s Pliocene Excile series.
How can any list like this not include Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series of Frank Herbert’s Dune series? I do love that Sanderson made it onto this list. I suspect that when he finishes his Stormlight Archive, it will be up there with The Wheel of Time series.
Highly subjective, but is also shows why there is so little variation in what is being published by Tor and it’s related outlets. They have a very narrow band of taste, and apparently, no desire to expand beyond what their subject literary agencies send them.
Love the Stover recognition! For those who haven’t read the Acts of Caine: give them a try. You won’t be disappointed.
Nice list! I really enjoyed the first 4 books of The Runelords as well. Ender’s Game was great, but I remember the rest of the series as being just “ok.” It’s been a while so I may have to give them another go.
Nice to see the love for Cook, really loved the series. Wheel of Time is my favorite and I can’t imagine that changing. I’m going to have to read The Book of the New Sun, it sounds like it’s right down my alley but I’ve never touched it.
One of my favorites that doesn’t get enough love is Codex Alera by Jim Butcher. It’s not too heavy, just a really good time.
@59 – I just re-read Codex Alera, which is a pretty good series for a set of books that originated with a bet that Butcher could not create novels that combined two unrelated topics – the lost legion of Rome and Pokemon. :-)
When folks don’t include Tolkien in their top fantasy lists it just ruins their credibility , not Tolkien’s. I was deeply pleased to see WoT where it clearly belongs–at the top of the list, despite four books in the middle that were off in lala land. (Sanderson finished it better than Jordan could have, IMHO. Especially the Matt thread.)
But Dune.
Dune, Man!
DUNE.
And yes, just the original Frank.
A series I have re-read several times is Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and Gray Mouser series. I would recommend it highly
I’ve read four of those series, but one that isn’t mainstream comes to mind – The Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts – I love this series and am still trying to figure out when I can find time for an in depth re-read!
I would recommend Ian M. Banks series about the Cluster.
Being 70 I only recognized a few of those titles. I’m more into the Classic Heinlein’s Future History series featuring Lazarus Long. I also like the Juveniles The Podkayne books especially. Along with Clark Edmond Hamilton, Harry Harrison and James P. Hogan.
Le Guin’s Earthsea belongs on the list.
I’d also be tempted to include Asimov’s Foundation (though the initial trilogy is better than what it became after some of the late add ons).
Cherryh’s Chanur books are also worth considering for the list.
The Chronicles of Amber, by Roger Zelazny. Great stories; spare and elegant writing, believable and flawed characters.
Wow, I can’t believe the stuff that’s not on that list….
No Herbert’s Dune, no Asimov’s Foundation, no Chanur, no Thomas the Unbeliever, no Fionavar from GGK, no Zones of Thought from Vinge, no Uplift from Brin, Worlds from Haldeman, Pliocene from May, heck no Callahans from Robinson??
I think the OP needs to get out more :-)
I know some of that isn’t exactly current, but if recent matters then Kushiel and Broken Earth had to be on the list.
C’mon, tell the truth, the article was written just to get people like me to complain, right?
But… Lord of the Rings IS a standalone book.
For all those people shouting “Amber!”, I’m with you but…are they really completed? The short stories we have seem to illustrate that Zelazny was not done with Merlin’s story and I don’t think Prince of Chaos has the type of ending that I really think of as definitive even if it does imitate the Courts of Chaos ending.
This is to say nothing of the Dawn of Amber books which are both terrible AND unfinished.
Really surprised that I don’t see The War Against the Chtorr SF series by David Gerrold on this list…
oohhh you meant “Completed” series. Right. Guess you better get back to writing, Mr. Gerrold (PLEASE!!!! I’m rereading these books for like the 20th time. An unfinished series shouldn’t be this good, even with the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers.)
On a serious note, I’m glad to see WoT at #1, and for the reasons listed. Robert Jordan might not be the best writer, and the characters might not be realistic, and the drama might sometimes come off as hamfisted, but it worked better than any finished fantasy epic I’ve read to date.
Also, honorable mention to Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Empire in Black and Gold series, and Michael Sullivan’s Riyeria Chronicles, though I’m not entirely sure that those are finished, yet, either.
Does anyone remember Perry Rhodan.
It’s been ongoing for A long time in German somebody please translate.
The Gap Sequence which is usually left off absolutely belongs. Missing is Dan Simmons Hyperion Cantos which absolutely belongs.
The Malazan Book of the Fallen is the finest epic ever written and should always be number ONE.
My list would overlap a lot with this — LotR; WoT; HP; and there are some interesting things here to explore next. Like others, I have favorites which are missing — Dragonriders; the Darkover Novels. But this year I have discovered the Recluce series by L.E. Modestitt. I wonder where they’d fit on this list.
And I think the inclusion of HP begs the question of so many other good YA series that don’t get a nod. You may love Ender’s Game; but I think Susan Cooper’s High King series surpasses it.
A few more off the top of my head (authors’ last names alphabetized):
– Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy
– Kage Baker’s Company series (starts with The Garden of Iden and ends with Not Less Than Gods)
– John Crowley’s Ægypt sequence (The Solitudes, Love & Sleep, Daemonomania, Endless Things)
– Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch trilogy (Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, Ancillary Mercy)
– K.J. Parker’s Engineer trilogy (Devices and Desires, Evil for Evil, The Escapement)
– Tim Powers’s Fault Lines trilogy (Last Call, Expiration Date, Earthquake Weather)
– Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass)
– Cat Valente’s Fairyland series (https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Fairyland_(series))
– ALMOST THERE! 2 OCTOBER! Martha Wells’s Murderbot Diaries!
Well done.
I’m not going to quibble about what’s on the list or not on the list (although it is fun to see all those other recommendations in the comments). I would add that the Ender series, Gap series, and just about any book by Robert Jordan demonstrates mind-blowing author skills at a level that is incomprehensible to the rest of us. Farland almost makes that grade too.
I think a lot of commenters are missing the fact that the list is “According to Me,” that is, the specific preferences of the author.
Everybody’s tastes are different, and it doesn’t matter that the Lord of the Rings, or Dune, etc. are not on the list because this is the author’s specific and personal favorites. What you find to be really excellent he may be uninterested in, and vice versa. Fiction is so subjective and there are so many works to consider that it is not surprising that everyone has different opinions.
Also, note that the author said his list will probably change as he reads more series and as others are completed.
It is fun to see everyone’s lists, though.
Jack Vance Dying Earth,Daemon Princes,Lyonesse.
I’m going to suggest one I very very seldom see here – some of the early Deryni trilogies, by Katherine Kurtz. Another might be Gael Baudino’s Strands series, or even her Dragonsword trilogy.
@Drew McCaffrey
1. Next time I’m in FoCo at O’Dells we can discuss the list over a beer. My treat.
2. The list is really solid, but I’m surprised at a few omissions: Aasimov’s Foundation series, Earthsea by LeGuin (the one that got me into the genre), Dragonlance Chronicles by Weis & Hickman, Old Man’s War series by Scalzi, and the original Icewind Dale trilogy by Salvatore. To me, many of these are amazing works of both Sci-fi and Fantasy that laid the groundwork many others walk. Kushiel by Carey is really interesting as it’s a line not often walked in the genre but the books are truly fantastic.
Completely agree with WoT, LoTR, Ender, and Harry Potter. I love Mistborn, but I have an extremely hard time putting it above Foundation, Dragonlance, or the others I mentioned. As for the rest, I’ve got some reading to do!
Thanks for putting together a list like this! The debate is half the fun!
I would never rec The Runelords because while I loved that first book and I think I loved the first four. I eventually reached a point where the scope of the series was just way too big. Oddly enough I don’t have that issue with Sanderson’s mistborn.
Robert Jordan–meh. I enjoyed the first 4 or 5 books in WoT, but he lost me somewhere around book 8 or 9 (Winter’s Heart?) when I realized that he was doing basically nothing to advance the main plot of the story. At that point, the prospect of waiting another couple of years for the next batch of navel-gazing lost its allure.
And I think it needs to be said–your top 10 list looks basically like the US Senate Judiciary Committee from 1991. Don’t get me wrong, these are by and large some talented authors, but at this stage of the 21st century if you’ve managed to create a top 10 list in SFF with only one woman and not a single nonwhite writer then you definitely need to expand your horizons a bit.
@kevin Grierson: Not everyone goes and looks up biographies on their authors – Samuel Delany is a common entry for Great SF Lists – and he fairly often gets mention that he’s gay. How often does it get mentioned that he’s black, as well? Anyone notice that the frequent Larry Niven collaborator, Steven Barnes, is black?
And for women – I second many’s suggestions of Anne McCaffrey, and would include Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series, except that it’s not finished by any means. There’s also Zenna Henderson’s People stories – but I didn’t want to list them due to them being a series of short stories, rather than full books. For that matter, let’s pull in *both* of Madeleine L’Engles’ series – Chronos & Kairos – as I’m quite sure they’ve had a huge effect on a lot of people.
It may just be that the current mode of only recognizing and remembering the last decade has caused so many to fade – after all, there’s a LOT of SF/F fans that don’t remember, or have never read Heinlein, Doc Smith, Andre Norton (see what I snuck in there?)…
Endless series like Perry Rhodan and John Sinclair don’t count because they aren’t finished.
Maybe now would be a good time to post a list of great works of SciFi and Fantasy from 1980s-2010s by non-white and non-male authors? We have a habit of assuming that most books by and about diverse authors are coming out now, but non-white and non-male have been writing for a long time. And maybe your readers, and the author of this article, could enjoy reading something new!
I’m not surprised that Steven Erikson’s series Malazan Book of the Fallen isn’t here, but it should be.
The Ender/Shadow series isn’t finished. You should update your list accordingly, or remove the ‘finished series only’ criteria from your introduction.
It’s ok to say what his favorites are. There’s nothing wrong with that, because it’s all personal. The fun thing with lists like this is it works to branch out some new options. I saw Acts of Caine (So good, but brutal), Book of New Sun and Black Company, and for me, that says I have some liking of what this reader does too. So when he adds a new Donaldson (Didn’t even know about Gap series) I know have something new to check out and read. It’s pretty fantastic.
Broken Earth is fantastic as well, so pick that up when you get a chance!
Great list! I would add:
– Dan Simmons “Hyperion Cantos”: still my absolute favorite SF series, readable and with different philosophical takeaways as a single book, two books, or all four. YMMV on the second half, but being raised in a traditional christian household I found it captivating. These are the old and the new testament of an SF bible.
– Lev Grossman “The Magicians”: these three books are a newer addition (2009–2014) , but beautifully deconstructed (and eventually, rebuilt!) the heroic figures and philosophy of classic young adult fantasy. These explore the meaning of being human and surviving in the modern world more than any other modern fantasy book I’ve read.
Dan Abnett Gaunt’s Ghosts due to finish Jan 2019.
Jay Lake ,Green ,Endurance,Kalimpura.
Karl Schroeder,Virga.
Ken Scholes,Psalms of Isaak.
Agree on the lack of the Stephen R. Donaldson Thomas Covenant series. I have to confess that they were life changing books for me, with the change in perspective between the first 3 books and the last.
Alistair Reynolds,Revelation Space.
@dwcole: “@OP – can you do a reread of New Earth reading your quote and analysis – this shows how much of this I missed as when I read that part even in the original book I didn’t think of Mountains – I thought of large statues such as the Statue of Liberty or the Sphinx. I am always unsure in Gene Wolf how much he intended or intended to leave ambiguous (he certainly seems like an author that would write something knowing it could be entended as mountains or as statues and intend both).”
Funny, I read that passage as telling us that actual mountains had been carved / modified into giant sculptures. So (from my interpretation) yes they are sculptures, but sculptures so big they functionally are mountains, with snow-clad peaks and forests growing on them.
Neal Asher,Agent Cormac,Spatter Jay.
Ian C esslemont ,Malazan Empire.
Re the Earthsea series: Yes, it is a pretty glaring omission. One understands that these lists are/can be very personal, but come on!
That said, and now that my beloved Ursula has left us, I’ll come clean: I think the first three novels are the bee’s knees. Also the Earthsea stories that I have read (haven’t read them all). But I found Tehanu to be the prologue to… something that never really came. (Though it does have a very satisfactory ending.) And, sorry, but I found The Other Wind a BIG letdown. Disappointing, unimaginative, and oddly derivative (Philip Pullman, anyone?).
Octavia Smith is sadly absent, though I personally prefer a single volume of Xenogenesis than the whole Dune incoherent, inconsistent debacle. And someone please prod Delany to write the sequel to his absolutely mindblowing Stars in my pocket like grains of sand.
Riddle Master of Hed by Patricia McKillip
I sometimes wince when reading some of the writers from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Having said that, here are a few series that are on my favorites list:
Mars series by Burroughs (arguably 1-3 are the series and the remainder are standalone in the same universe), Lensman series by EE Smith, Earthsea series by LeGuin, Vorkosigian Saga by Bujold, LoTR by Tolkien, Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov, First Law Trilogy by Abercrombie, Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Mistborn Series by Sanderson, and Ender series by Card. Burroughs was in my father’s collection and I read him first (you always remember your first!). Lensman, Earthsea and Foundation in grades 7-8, LoTR and Amber in college, and the rest thereafter.
Honorable mentions: original Pern series by McCaffrey (downhill after that), the Instrumentality Stories of Cordwainer Smith, Poliotechnic League by Anderson, Faded Sun and Tristan series by Cherryh, Forever War series by Haldeman, 1st Amber series by Roger Zelazny (downhill after that). I’m sure I missed a few. Alas, Heinlein didn’t have a series per se though the Future History novels are generally great, especially The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. A few prolific authors mentioned in other comments didn’t make the cutoff: Andre Norton, Philip Jose Farmer, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Harry Harrison amongst others.
Trigger Everything Warning: (Reading this next series is like watching a train wreck: You want to look away but you can’t.)
The most politically incorrect, far-right, misogynist, and possibly the worst series ever written: Ghost series by John Ringo, which evoked the best review ever: https://hradzka.livejournal.com/194753.html and gave birth to the immortal line: “Oh, John Ringo, no!” Hey, a lot of Baen novels are available in the Baen free library. Sometimes you need something to read — despite the eye rolling — on a long flight!
I absolutely agree with the ones I have read (sadly only 4 of the 10). I would add His Dark Materials by Philipp Pullman. My other personal favorites are all unfinished – but I might give a few of these a try.
I’m really surprised that McCaffrey includes on his favorites list both eloquent writers like Tolkein and Wolfe AND mediocre writers more focused on systems like Jordan and Sanderson. In my experience it’s unusual to find people who are equally charmed by both.
Top Ten lists are so hard; let me try:
1. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
2. Oz by L. Frank Baum
3. Mary Poppins by PL Travers
4. Harry Potter by JK Rowling
5. The Foundation by Asimov
6. The Hainish Cycle bu Ursula Le Guin
7. Lord of the Rings by Tolkein
8. Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
9. The Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake
10. The Vorkosigan Saga (any of the completed sub-series) by Lois McMaster Bujold
Michael Moorcock,Eternal Champion.
I recognize that this is a personal account of some favorite series but since it is on Tor’s website I would hold it to higher standards of diversity, especially since it was featured in the newsletter and I clicked through hoping for some interesting recommendations. I’m extremely disappointed that this list doesn’t bother to have a single POC on it and only one woman.
Even given that this is a list of personal favorites, it still seems disappointing that the author’s favorites are so unbalanced.
i agree with almost all of this. I just can’t believe the Dragons series by Margerate Weis & Tracey Hickman isn’t on the list!
Wheel of time #1? No way!
O.M.G. – The Gap Cycle. I had no idea what I was getting ino when I started with the “The Real Story”. To me this was both a brutal series to read and yet still absolutely compelling. I don’t think I will ever re-read it however.
Another vote for LMB and the Vorkosigen Saga. Great characters and action while just being plain good stories that make you want to keep reading and never stop.
I’ve only read the first book in the Jamison series but it was excellent world building and so different a “feeling” for me. It felt unique.
@74
YES. Malazan is mind-blowing. I am about to start my first re-read and I can’t wait. This time I’ll hopefully not have to check the wiki’s as often to remember who, where, and what is and has happened..
Great list Some of these lists are unknown to me, so I will hunt for them as they do not appears bookstores any longer. One author who has completely disappeared is Andre Norton. She has several series and beginners in the sci-fi genre should at least read a book of 2 .
Well, this is a poor list.
In Fantasy: Death’s Gate Cycle, as mentioned, Conan, Cthulhu Mythos, The Descent.
In Sci-Fi: Revelation Space, Southern Reach, Space Oddyssey.
Also, joining Fantasy and Sci-Fi is sign of lazy reading (and in this case, writing). They’re not the same thing, as illustrated by me throwing horror, sword and sorcery and space operas in the same comment.
@Sing. Re 6. The Hainish Cycle bu Ursula Le Guin: As much as I love basically all of it, the Hainish Cycle does not really count as a series, and only loosely as a shared universe. So loosely, in fact, that there are two completely different planets named Werel in it, for the simple reason that LeGuin forgot she had already used the name…
Some gems you may not be familiar with, but are well worth taking the time to read:
Wen Spencer’s Ukiah Oregon series
Manly Wade Wellman’s John the Balladeer books (I don’t know if that can be considered a series. It’s more a set of connected standalones.)
Sheri S. Tepper’s Marianne series
Suzette Haden Elgin’s Ozark series, and Native Tongue
Nina Kiriki Hoffman – Red Heart of Memories, and Chapel Hollow
I went through a lot of the comments and along with the author, I have yet to see anyone mention ‘The Malazon Book of the Fallen’ series.
Not criticizing anybody’s picks. But that is one of the most in depth series I’ve ever read. True, it starts off slow but…. WOW, does it get good. Each individual book may seem like it is a stand alone but you realize each one sets the stage for the epic finish in the last book. The magic system, the geography, the characters, the history of the universe its set in. I have never read something so all encompassing and it all fits together too.
Just my two cents, thanks for reading if you got down this far
Interesting list and I love all the suggestions in the comments. I second Lois McMaster Bujold’s Chalion and Vorkosigan series. Avoid the Sharing Knife. Cheers.
(Mods, as a rule, please don’t publish comments with the keyword “diversity” or “politically correct”. Some people spend too much time raging on the Internet.)
@39
Another word…
Morgaine
@82 Nathan Lawless Talking books over some Odell’s sounds like a fantastic time—let’s do it!
Too little SF, too much fantasy. There should probably be too separate lists, since they really are too different genres.
I agree with most. But has no one here read Erickson’s malazan books of the fallen
Another vote here for Philip Pullman’s monumental, monumental, MONUMENTAL trilogy. (Did I mention it’s monumental?)
And yet another for Grossman’s Magician books. A little too self-conscious and hipsterish for its own good (the author is from Brooklyn after all), and astonishingly thin on the ethnic diversity (for a Brooklynite!), but satisfyingly solid. I was so happy that it had been picked for a SyFy series, but –whoopsie daisy! I sincerely hope they paid Grossman well.
I love list like this because I have read a lot of these books, but not all of them. I added a few of these to my reading list and based upon the comments a few more. I do agree that Rothfus should be on here but since its not done its understandable… Thanks!
If it ain’t got His Dark Materials, it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on, and the rest of the list is completely suspect. ;-)
And I say that because that may be my favorite single written material of any sort, if I count it as a single work. Maybe in contention or tie with House of Leaves (which unlike HDM is a single novel).
Heinlein – Future History
Asimov – Foundation
Piers Anthony – Apprentice Adept
Piers Anthony – Xanth
Piers Anthony – Incarnations of Immortality
Piers Anthony – Bio of a Space Tyrant
Piers Anthony – Cluster
Piers Anthony – Kelvin of Rud
Robert Asprin – Myth Adventures
Harry Harrison – Stainless Steel Rat
Terry Brooks – Landover
L Sprague de Camp – Harold Shea
There are others, but they aren’t “done” yet
The Dagger and Coin series by Daniel Abraham.
He is half of the writing team that created The Expanse, and is part of George R.R. Martin’s editorial staff. Dagger and Coin is a full-fledged world with its own rules. The books have great characters and dialogue and a tight story line.
@24 So the writer of Songmaster, a book that moved me to tears and forced me to re-examine my own beliefs and biases on homosexuality is a “nasty little homophobe” and “just as bad” as a mother raping her own children? Wow. He couldn’t jump on the same sex marriage train, so he just wasn’t pro-gay enough for you? No, he must be destroyed, demonized, silenced and lumped into the same category as pedophiles.
“Oddly enough, even as I am attacked by some as a homophobe, I am attacked by others as being too supportive of homosexuality, simply because I cannot see individual homosexuals, in or out of my books, as anything other than human beings with as complex a combination of good and evil in them as I find within myself.” – OSC
Yeah, what a monster.
Um, Lord of the Rings isn’t really a trilogy. It’s one long novel which was broken up into three parts for convenience to the publishers. But it is one of the best fantasy novels ever. Actually, I’d rate it top in the “quest” genre.
A couple of people have mentioned Cherryh’s Chanur series. I agree it’s one of the great SF stories; I would add her Faded Sun trilogy (SF) and the Morgaine series (F). Also perhaps the Fortress of Time (F), although it does go on a bit.
I have the impression that Faded Sun is not well known, but it should be.
I suppose the Alliance-Union Universe series can never be considered complete until Ms Cherryh dies, but as a coherent, far-flung, and gripping character-driven picture of a particular future it’s hard to beat. If for some reason you haven’t read any of it, go back to the beginning and pick up Downbelow Station, or jump into the middle with Cyteen.
The Foreigner series presents a conundrum regarding the rules. The series as a whole is not yet complete, but the first six trilogies are, and each of them is itself a coherent whole. I would highly recommend reading them from the beginning.
Do I like CJ Cherryh’s writing? You might say so. I wouldn’t actually make my favorite 10 list entirely of her works; rather, I think I would have to make a favorite 20 list and fill in the back end with other authors. Wolfe would rate high; OSC would never get close.
Thanks for a great list. Its great to read your reasons for your choices and thrilling when it resonate with me e.g. Tolkien, Jordan, Sanderson. Its even more interesting to read why you like certain books that dont really appeal to me like Black Company. I find it too dark and despairing but its eye opening to read the appeal to you and other readers.
I am female ( in case you can’t guess from my name).
I have read McCaffrey, Lackey, Norton, Le Guin, Wurts, Kerr, Elliot, J Maas, Martha Wells, Jemisin, Veronica Roth, Shannon, Atwood, Douglass to name a few. But in drawing a list of my 10 personnel fantasy/SF favourites, they will not be on the list. But to me, there is no erasure, no delete. I have enjoyed reading them but I have enjoyed others more. Simple as that.
I have recently through Tor.com also read Yoon Ha Lee and Cixin Liu. I chose to read these authors not because of diversity. But because they are really really good.
Thank you Tor.com.
I particularly enjoyed Melanie Rawn’s Dragon Prince and Dragon Star series in my youth. Wonder if I would still enjoy it as an adult? I thought Eddings’ was one of the best authors I’d read, but found it almost cringe-worthy rereading decades later.
Opinion. Erickson’s book of the fallen is incredible. I almost missed it because I started with the audiobooks and soon gave up. The audiobooks are almost impossible to follow. I never knew what was going on, who was who, or what was happening. Luckily I decided to try the book versions. Reading the names and being able to re-read passages made all the difference.
100% on Sanderson’s Mistborn. His other books are equally good.
This is a great list Drew.
I will have to agree with some fellow readers here that The Chronicles of Amber is a favorite of mine and I was happy to see that someone else mentioned The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman the use of song as spells was phenomenal and while it did peer into the realm of common fantasy tropes, they were always kept at a distance and there were surprises throughout. One would never mistake these for Dragonlance books (which have their time and place as well, but not on a list like this).
I’d also have to toss Dune into my version of this list as well as Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s novels as well as Terry Prachett’s Discworld (Yes, yes they’re comedy but they are good and fun to read)
Great article. Nothing worse than falling in love with a series, only to hit a wall, then having to wait on the author.
Have read a few of these, but will definitely add a few to my tbr list. Cheers.
Would love to also see a top 10 list of unfinished SFF series. You know, for the masochists in us.
The Ancillary series by Ann Leckie!
Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, Ancillary Mercy.
John Carter of Mars, Foundation, The Lensman, Conan.
Hi all, some great suggestions in the comments of wider reading options. Like many, I read the Belgariad etc when they still had only one of their co-authors on the covers, but let’s not forget when recommending them now that they were by David and Leigh Eddings, and that all current printings use both names.
Jen’s comment on this thread about the disappearance of once popular and commercially powerful female authors from our history is really, really, REALLY important. Every time I walk into a bookshop these days, it’s really gutting to see which authors have the bigger chunks of shelf space, who only has a title or two, and who has vanished entirely. The reason people think that women weren’t writing SFF in the 80s and 90s is because they’re not still on the shelves today… they were THERE. I remember them.
It’s really lovely to see so many recommendations building up in these comments, especially of authors of colour who get left out of the history even more than white women. Keep them coming.
Great list, but would add Peter F. Hamiltons Commonwealth series and Karen Traviss Wess’har series myself.
Not a single mention of His Dark Materials?! :'(
No-one’s mentioned Discworld because…
As I was scrolling down through the article my anticipation grew that the Malazan Book of the Fallen would be in its rightful place at number one. But, low and behold, it’s not even on the list?! After all the time you guys spent on these books it’s a travesty of justice that this series didn’t make the cut. This list is invalid… ;)
One from the past that I rate as good as LOTR and WOT is The Lensman Series by E.E. Doc Smith, its world building for the time is as good as Tolkien & Jordan. Also 2 others from the pulp SF world are three John Grimes series by A. Bertram Chandler and the Dumarest Saga by EC Tubb are also very good.
@136, 137, someone does mention HDM and someone else Discworld. Strictly speaking, Discworld was not finished apart from the Tiffany Aching books. If the author had lived he might have written more. HDM was indeed finished, until the author wrote a prequel recently…
I’ afraid I never got beyond the original Dune novel, which was a classic and satisfied me as a stand alone. I did try.
Barbara Hambly’s Windrose Chronicles WERE a trilogy, but she has recently been writing novellas, novelettes and short stories and self publishing them on Smashwords. Is that finished or not? They are great, anyway – especially if you loved Tom Baker as the Doctor! Antryg is the Doctor with cheap jewellery instead of a scarf.
Appreciate the list and the suggestions in the comments. Having had it reaffirmed that I haven’t read 1% of the books mentioned in the comments, I’m excited & daunted by the long long journey ahead as a reader. :)
That said, Malazan book of the fallen is the most comprehensive series I’ve read from a character-building perspective, and the concept of warrens just blew my mind. Far better than WoT/ LoTR / HP in my opinion….
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this – it’s not easy! – but here we go. I included some loosely connected series in this, which I realize is not exactly following the rules, but what can I say? I don’t care. I’m not leaving off Le Guin and Mieville!
10. Thessaly Series by Jo Walton (Gods, time travel, philosphy, robots! What’s not to love?)
9. The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne by Brian Stavely (solid, traditional, and kickass fantasy)
8. Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown (grim space opera with a great lead character)
7. Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons (if I were considering just the first duology, this would be at the top. The Shrike is still terrifying. This is big, bold space opera at it’s best.)
6. Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy by Cixin Liu (did I say Simmon’s was the best space opera? I change my mind.)
5. Bas-Lag trilogy by China Mieville (I know this is a very, very loosely connected series, but it’s so inventive and weird and glorious and occasionally horrific. I love it.)
4. The Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin (I confess I’ve only read The Dispossessed an the Left Hand of Darkness thus far, but even if the rest of it is terrible, which by all accounts isn’t the case, it would still make the list. Amazing novels)
3. Lord of the Rings
2. The Wheel of Time (if only Book 10 wasn’t so terr *ahem* skippable)
1. The Malazan Book of the Fallen
Will anything ever be as epic and amazing as Erikson’s masterwork? I highly doubt it, but I’m going to try and find one anyway.
The only thing else is this: I really don’t get the love for The Book of the New Sun. I barely made it through the first novel. It reminded me a little of M. John Harrison’s Viriconium series, which I do really like and just missed the cut above, but tBotNS was just unbearably dry for me.
Dammit! I left off Alex Marshall’s awesome Crimson Empire series. Super honorable mention for those who dig First Law and old school adventure novels.
@tara Li–agreed as to McCaffrey, though in retrospect some of the sexual aspects of the Pern books are a bit disturbing to me (largely due to consent issues rather than who is having sex with whom). As for my personal favorites, I’d also add Madeleine L’Engle and Ursula K. LeGuin, along with Jessica Amanda Salmonson’s Tomoe Goezen series.
I don’t necessarily go looking up biographies of authors (though most women don’t feel the need to hide behind masculine or at least gender neutral names these days–DC Fontana, anyone)? But here’s the thing–for years, with notable exceptions, SFF was dominated by old white guys. “Best of” lists that mostly ignore the last 20 years, like this one, tend to just reinforce that stereotype.
And I say this, BTW, as a middle-aged white guy who cut his teeth on Heinlein and Tolkien, still two of my favorites. But as I’ve grown older it has become increasingly important to me to hear voices, artistic and otherwise, outside my demographic. After all, white guys are only 31% or so of the US population–there’s no particular reason they should be 90% of someone’s top 10 list, particularly when there are so many talented authors who don’t look like, well, me. ;)
Various – lots of love for Malazan in the comments above – and I like them myself – but….is it finished yet? The list only applies to finished series.
@121 and your Piers Anthony series – I recommend you look way back and find his “Of Man and Manta” books, starting with Omnivore. Very enjoyable and much harder/better sci-fi than the Anthony series you have listed (most of which I have read). Also, for those who think only of the silly humor of Xanth when you consider Anthony, I recommend taking a look back at his one volume work Macroscope, an intense sci-fi book that was Hugo nominated.
@146: thanks for the suggestion. I will add the Manta books to my tbr
I wanted to comment on this because this is the first list I’ve seen that has Runelords in the top ten.
@144. Agree wholeheartedly. I don’t really care about an author’s race or personal preferences. As long as they write good books then that’s all that matters to me. I didn’t even know Andre Norton was a women until someone mentioned it! I still don’t care though. lol
@145 I would consider the Malazan book of the fallen series to be finished as the other titles have different series names to them.
Lots of love for the Vorkosigan saga but I don’t think it’s done.
I read through all 145 comments and I didn’t see one recommending Simon R Green’s Deathstalker. Although I’m not sure it would be on my top ten so maybe that’s why.
Are the Dragonlance books excluded? Weis & Hickman’s Dragonlance Legends are awesome!
In Book of the New Sun there is a description,a knight in white armour with a golden visore standing in a grey landscape,once I understood all the rest fell in to place.
I think I could have skipped reading this list if I’d known it was headed to put Wheel of Time on top. Jordan is not a great writer on prose or plot or dialogue. His characters only ever have one defining characteristic each, to the point that any time they’re off their main track (that’s a whole lot of pages) they’re frequently indistinguishable without reference to their name tags. The ideas have no insight or importance… The WoT series was marginally less painful than David Eddings’ or Terry Brooks’, since Jordan only told his bloated story once, instead of rehashing it over several iterations, I guess? But that’s part and parcel of his being such a poor storyteller that only the posthumous, BRUTAL truncation by Sanderson got the thing wrapped up in “only” five times as many words as the *Bible*.
No one’s mentioned
Katherine Kurtz’ Deryni series – classics. Lin Carter’s World’s End series is endlessly amusing. I’d also suggest Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s linked novels A Red Heart of Memories and Past the Size of Dreaming.
You put Ender ahead of Tolkein? Fuck that noise. Automatically disqualifying.
I couldn’t make it past the first 30 pages of The Eye of the World. I gave it two tries. The language was just, I don’t know, amateurish and stilted. So every time I see WoT on a top ten list, I alternate between questioning my recollection and the article writer’s taste, ha!
@145: The Ender/Shadow series is in the list and it’s not finished.
Well I am going to avoid the fight that has developed over inclusion or non inclusion of certain books. Some of the ones (like Susan Cooper) that people have mentioned I have read and didn’t find as good as this list but honestly who cares? This post did its job brought people to the site, kept tor’s name in peoples minds and we all see the advertisement for their books on the site. The fact that everything has to devolve into a bitter fight now is sad.
Anyway started a week ago the first of the Runelord books – finished it yesterday and immediately picked up the second one. Not as good as the higher ones on this list I have read (Tolkein, Ender, Jordan) but certainly entertaining and different in ways I did not expect. I would check out the first one if you haven’t. No idea if it keeps it up as it goes along but will definitely be checking out the other books on this list I haven’t read. Always nice to find good Tor published books I didn’t know about before.
So- these are the ten best series? Must be a generational thing. I grew up reading the John W. Campbell crew, and this list has no traction for me (I am omitting all Fantasy from consideration, because I do not subscribe to the librarian’s crime of conflating it with SF).
@145 RobMRobM
The Malazan Book of the Fallen is finished. All the other books by Erikson and Esslemont are in the same world but not part of that series. Esslemont, for example, has the Malazan Empire series, and a prequel trilogy, and Erikson has a stalled prequel trilogy and several novellas.
Most of the stuff on this list, bar Harry Potter, is stuff I got 1-2 books into. I love the Wheel of Time, but not for any reason it deserves. It’s objectively a badly written slog for most of the series with a few high points, and I’ve read it all twice, so I don’t need to give it, pun intended, time. *Shrugs* so I guess taste is relative…
But the lack of any real diversity here in writers, or any wheelhouse of fantasy outside of pseudo-Europe, DnD-style magic system… this is kind of disturbing. Why is this article, which reads more like an enthusiastic blog post from a young adult just discovering fantasy, running on a website that supposedly is part of the cutting edge of the field? Anyone who reads widely in this field would include at least one of Butler’s series and the Broken Earth. And Earthsea? There’s great non-European, non-magic system fantasy out there like Charles de Lint’s Newford books. Sure, love this stuff, geek out about it, but don’t go on one of the most influential websites in SF to write an authoritative list and expect a few caveats to cover it. Do your homework.
@157 – Thanks, Valan. I read through the end of the principal series – Dust of Dreams? – but I had no idea how all of the additional volumes that I haven’t read are seen to relate to that series.
I wouldn’t have Malazan in my personal top 10 fantasy/sci fi but I respect the series quite a bit and loved some of the individual volumes, especially in the first half.
For geographic variety consider David Drake’s Books of the Elements. The continuing characters are European but the story is rather a world tour.
Robin Hobb – that is all.
I don’t want to be rude, but considering the lack of reading comprehension displayed by some of the people whose complaints demonstrate that they haven’t bothered—or worse, can’t be bothered—to check how this list was constructed, I’m not sure I’d trust their literary recommendations: have they read those books as carelessly as they read the introductory paragraphs above?
Similarly, if you can’t tell the difference between an official statement by Tor and a personal preference expressed by a contributor to this website, even when it’s stated clearly in the contribution, why should I trust your recommendations to be based on literary merit rather than whatever message you are trying to push?
Maybe such people are in as much need of coffee as I am: surely it couldn’t hurt!
Other series? The Skeen books by Jo Clayton (and since the author is no longer with us, I feel reluctantly obliged to consider them finished).
Slippery Jim et al by Harry Harrison.
And one last candle held for Various Skylarks and Lensmen books by E.E. ‘Doc’ Smith–I didn’t quite learn how to read on them, but I certainly read them fairly early in life and enjoyed them immensely then (my head keeps wanting to rewrite the Skylark books where Blackie DuQuesne is a bit less of a Villain Robot).
I’ve never understood why people lump science fiction and fantasy together. I love both but when I’m looking for one, I’m definitely not looking for the other. These need to be separated and have more definitive lists for both.
I’m not going to try, but I think if we use everybody’s mentions/reminders at this point we’re well past 100 all vying to be top ten. NPR’s list from a while back was at least attempting to be democratic rather than one person’s opinion, but the more time passes (it was 2011 then) the more you see a few titles that were flashes in the pan for that time; and there will always be some of those: https://www.npr.org/2011/08/09/139248590/top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-books
Let’s look at this a bit differently — what are the genres of science fiction and fantasy and what series best represent them?
– interplanetary romance — Burroughs’ John Carter Warlord of Mars books
– high fantasy — _The Lord of the Rings_
– fantasy which breaks conventions — _Ursula K. LeGuin’s _Earthsea_ trilogy
– fantasy which is actually science fiction — C. J. Cherryh’s Morgaine books / Alliance-Union novels
– urban fantasy — Susan Cooper’s _The Dark is Rising_ pentalogy — honorable mention Mannly Wade Wellman’s John the Balladeer and John Thunstone stories
– ecological science fiction — Herbert’s _Dune_ books
– traditional science fiction / future history — tie between Heinlein’s Future History and H. Beam Piper’s Terro-Human Future
– contemporary high fantasy — Jack Vance’s Lyonesse Trilogy, honorable mention to Michael Moorcok’s Eternal Champion books
– science fiction / fantasy which defies categorization — Zelazny’s _The Ten Books of Amber_
Note that that’s only 9 — I’m leaving room for Steven Brust’s Dragaera books when they’re complete — hard to believe that there are only 4 more to go (plus any additional Paarfi books, which I’m really looking forward to the Count of Monte Cristo retelling)
Thanks for the list and the comments have many other series to look into as well. I am about halfway thru the last book of The Wheel series and am conflicted! I want to see the ending, but I don’t want it to end… Large series and thick well written books are music to my eyes!
I recently stumbled on this list. It’s a great list. I bought a couple of the books and have not been disappointed. The comments (not all) were a little disappointing. While I agree that it might not conform to most people’s idea of “diversity”, we should really grow into a new phase of diversity that doesn’t vilify white males for the sake of their being born both white and male. I even know some people who would argue that it is offensive for people to assume that all of these people were male, and not women trapped in men’s bodies who lived in fear of the societal reprecussions of expressing their true feelings.
There are plenty of examples of lists on this site that are 90% female. Real diversity should allow for this sort of list, as well.
And while I agree that some of these series could be replaced by others, I would never put McCaffrey or LeGuin in an all time top ten. Good, yes. Great, sometimes. Consistently top ten material for an entire series? No. Not for me, at least. Herbert, maybe. DWJ, maybe. Cooper could even be a maybe. My own list might even have other old white guys, like Gaiman, CS Lewis, or Pratchett. Our lists are all our own. Being a white male author shouldn’t automatically exclude a person from a list, particularly with the percentage of white male authors out there. That being said, it’s my experience that most book recommendations occur by word-of-mouth and that most people don’t care (or even always know) the race, gender, or orientation of the writer. A good story is a good story, and I look forward to reading some of the books on this list.
Jim Grimsley’s Kirith Kirin, first published in 2000, is an outstanding (and mighty thick) high fantasy novel told from the perspective of the Merlin character. Both the world and the magic system are fascinating and detailed and consistent to a fault, as well as completely fascinating. And, refreshingly enough, it is a queer, queer world, where the king and his wizard can not only be lovers, but marry as well.
This is not a completed series per se, and the (slowly) following books have evolved strangely and wonderfully into sort-of-hard SF territory (moreover, at this point I’m not even sure there will be a satisfactory conclusion to the whole thing), but Kirith Kirin can be read as a standalone book. And it is an ambitious, ambitious one.
I have always wondered why it has apparently flown under the radar for so many years, while much inferior books have caught on –I’m looking at you… well, too many to mention, really.
I 100% agree on WoT being #1. Maybe because it’s the 1st fantasy series I ever read (and it hooked me to the genre), but it holds a special place in my heart and there will never be anything that tops it. I cant really describe what it is that Jordan did, but he made it actually feel like the characters were old friends. You felt their pains, fear and joys. You hurt for them in moments of despair and rooted for them in their triumphs. I’ve never read another series that’s done that for me.
On a side note, I’d like to add Elizabeth Moon’s The Deed of Paksenarrion. It’s a really good trilogy, that led to a prequel duology and far later another 5 book series taking place after the events in Deed.
WoT – the biggest (literally?) bore of a series I ever tried to read. Stopped about book 5 or 6, skimmed the last one at the library and was thankful I hadn’t spent money on it. I appreciate that there are big fans of it but it wasn’t for me.
Tolkien was is and will always be number 1.
As long as we are discussing personal favourites (not previously mentioned) : Waylander by Gemmel. Dumarest by Tubb, Flinx by Foster, Taltos by Brust, The Forever Hero by Modesitt.
Except for Waylander the writing is not of the highest literary quality but the concepts and story execution make these must reads.
Respect to Drew for putting forward a subjective list he obviously knew he’d be vilified for, and kudos for Tor.com for being willing to publish it, given how predictably acerbic some of the responses have been, not least with all the “fantasy and sci-fi aren’t even that same genre” complaints, never mind the critique about diversity. For what it’s worth, I find military sci-fi and military fantasy much closer than the whimsical SF like Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to either.
I’m not even going to attempt to try and formulate a top ten of my own. Tolkien and Eddings would both be in there, and maybe McCaffery, issues of consent included (yeah, had a few discussions about that elsewhere on the Internet, with people recommending them for children … sheesh). Pratchett as well. These authors are all dead, so their series are safely termed concluded. My other favourite series are by living authors (LMB, Drake, Webber, Scalzi, Novik, Wells, to draw a few names out of my hat), who have a regrettable tendency to keep writing, and thus new stories keep appearing for “finished” series…