# Top 100 Fantasy Authors (How Many Have You Read?)



## Ankari

This list of the top 100 fantasy authors is compiled by users of reddit.com. It let's you count how many you've read. I can't believe I've only read 24 of them (25 after I get to Paul Kemp's novel). How many have you read?


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## Ireth

I got 15. ^^;


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## Steerpike

71 

In fact, I think I have at least one book from all seventy-one somewhere in the house or on my e-reader. There are some glaring omissions. Michael Moorcock? Charles de Lint? Robert Holdstock? Clark Ashton Smith? C.L. Moore, and so on.


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## Ankari

Steerpike said:


> 71
> 
> In fact, I think I have at least one book from all seventy-one somewhere in the house or on my e-reader. There are some glaring omissions. *Michael Moorcock? Charles de Lint? Robert Holdstock? Clark Ashton Smith? C.L. Moore, and so on*.



You're showing off!


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## Steerpike

Ankari said:


> You're showing off!



Ha! Well, I've read a lot of damn books. Might as well brag when the opportunity presents itself


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## Graylorne

I came to 30, but I started life on SF and that doesn't count. And yes, I've got a real lot of SFF books. 

I miss some names as well. Marion Zimmer Bradley? Andre Norton? Perhapes Robert Silverberg (Majipoor), Barbara Hambly?


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## CupofJoe

28 going back to my childhood years but only 7 I [would] read now.


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## Nihal

16. I am a shame! (In truth I'm surprised, I expected a lower score, I know how lazy I am.)

@Graylorne Marion Zimmer Bradley is on the list, number 13.


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## Alexandra

23, and I've works by everyone on the list in my digital library (I love my ereader) but whether I get around to reading everyone remains to be seen. The smart money says no.


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## brokethepoint

I have read at least 29, some of them are on my to read list.  There are also some of them I will probably not read.


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## Graylorne

Nihal said:


> 16. I am a shame! (In truth I'm surprised, I expected a lower score, I know how lazy I am.)
> 
> @Graylorne Marion Zimmer Bradley is on the list, number 13.




Ah yes. And I read the list three times... Must be the uncommon heat Anyhow, I'm glad she wasn't overlooked.


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## T.Allen.Smith

71 Steerpike!!!!!????

I only got 29 and was feeling pretty good about myself until... well, never mind. 

I notice that one of our Mythic Scribes members is on that list as well.


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## Steerpike

T.Allen.Smith said:


> I notice that one of our Mythic Scribes members is on that list as well.



Yeah, I saw that. Nice to see Michael on there!


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## SeverinR

21.
I really didn't expect to have read so many.

I missed Sullivan. I figured he was the one when I read T.Allen.Smith's post about the mythic scribe on the list.

So lets throw down the guantlet, how many more MS can we get on the list? How many people can we kick off the top 100?


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## Philip Overby

I'm not sure how many I've read, but I *own* books by a good deal of them. Some I've read part of their books before randomly changing to another book. Yeah, that's a bad habit.

I have an idea, that could be interesting/fun. I notice on Fantasy-Faction they have threads dedicated to individual authors, which then the members can discuss. Why not do that here? We can start with number 1 on the list: Joe Abercrombie. 100 Authors, 100 threads. Perhaps Steerpike can even shed some light on some of these we haven't read?

Owned and/or Read All or Partly: 40

So maybe I'll make some new threads that highlight authors and we can discuss them and their body of work. I'd like to know more about some of the authors of which I'm not as familiar. 

Sound good? Sounds good.


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## ThinkerX

I hit 71.  I'm a little unsure about that; there were some I thought I remembered reading but can't decisively say I actually did (I included those, maybe five or six all told), and there were others where I recognized the name, but no titles came to mind (I did not include those - shamefully, some of them appear to be fairly popular on this site).  There were also a number where I know I read a tale or two but didn't particularly care for them.  

Like another poster here, I'd point out that there are a *lot* of names missing from that list, including some of the old line greats: Lin Carter, Robert Bloch, Sprague DeCamp, Moorcock, well...the list goes on.


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## Ghost

46

It seems like a decent number, but, tbh, I can't remember the stories for around 20 of those books. Some I read when I was very young, and others left little impression on me.

Not sure I've heard of Lauren Beukes, Dave Duncan, James Clemens, Alan Garner, Lian Hearn, Tom Holt, Richard Kadrey, Greg Keyes, Mark Lawrence, Naomi Novik, Martin Millar, or Cinda Williams Chima.


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## Feo Takahari

Does it only count if I remembered their names? I had no idea I'd ever read a Lauren Beukes book until I checked Wikipedia to see what she'd written.

Also, how in holy hell did James Clemens get anywhere on this list? I mean, I actually liked _The Banned and the Banished_, but everyone else I've ever met who's read it thought it was garbage. (On the other hand, I'm seriously impressed they were knowledgeable enough to list Sergei Lukyanenko.)

Counting ones I had to look up, and not counting ones I only got a few pages into, it comes out to 44.

Edit: I might as well add that two of them are ones I've only read in a non-fantasy context--I read Stephen R. Donaldon's martial arts thriller _The Man Who Fought Alone_ (which was good), and David Eddings's, er, social tract* _The Losers_ (which was really, really preachy.)

* What _is_ the proper genre name for books like _The Jungle_ and _Uncle Tom's Cabin_, anyway?


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## ecdavis

I scored a 17.


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## Jabrosky

Charles R. Saunders (_Imaro_, _Dossouye_), Robert E. Howard (_Conan the Barbarian_, _Solomon Kane_), Michael Crichton (_Jurassic Park_), and maybe David Anthony Durham (_Acacia_) are my favorites when it comes to speculative fiction.


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## Ophiucha

54.

On the one hand, I like that the list put a lot of the classics further down. Let the new authors shine! Shove Tolkien down to 90 and let N.K. Jemisin a spot in the top 50. On the other hand, Christopher Paolini ranked four higher than Terry Pratchett, so this list is an abomination that I feel slightly dirty even having in my internet history.


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## Feo Takahari

Ophiucha said:


> 54.
> 
> On the one hand, I like that the list put a lot of the classics further down. Let the new authors shine! Shove Tolkien down to 90 and let N.K. Jemisin a spot in the top 50. On the other hand, Christopher Paolini ranked four higher than Terry Pratchett, so this list is an abomination that I feel slightly dirty even having in my internet history.



You do realize it's alphabetical, right?


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## Ophiucha

Ha, I didn't actually. Woopsies. ^^;; Although I maintain that Paolini still shouldn't rank _at all_ on a Top 100.

Still, I like that there are a lot of post-2000s authors on the list. A lot of these lists stick very much to the Tolkien through Jordan era of fantasy, which was a fine time, but aside from a few people like Martin and Rothfuss, few new guys make the list. I guess it's a 'we don't know if they'll have any longevity' thing, but really, is 20 years long enough to determine that?


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## SeverinR

I was suprised Todd Maccafery wasn't on the list.
I prefer his writing over his Mothers.


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## gethinmorgan

I got 77, but some of them I read a VERY LONG TIME AGO ...

Glad to see Lloyd Alexander in there!


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## Kaellpae

I got 9. I've started books from about 17, but I get distracted easily when it comes to a new series or author. I didn't count Brandon Sanderson because the Wheel of Time isn't really his, and I only got halfway through the first Mistborn before I was distracted. I need to vary my reading and not go back to old favorites so much.


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## A.F.Grappin

Wow... Only 19. At least I've heard of many of them, and I have books on my reading list for many more of them. My problem is that I latch onto one author and then read a lot of their books, so I don't get to anyone new for some time after. I am learning to remedy that, however! I just need more hours per day to read!


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## peteks

I got 34. I'm just left befuddled at the fact that Paolini got on that list. I mean, his books are something to kill time, but he is definitely not top 100 material in fantasy authors, not by a mile.


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## Steerpike

peteks said:


> I got 34. I'm just left befuddled at the fact that Paolini got on that list. I mean, his books are something to kill time, but he is definitely not top 100 material in fantasy authors, not by a mile.



Let me fix that:

"...his books are something to kill time, preferably with fire."


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## Feo Takahari

peteks said:


> I got 34. I'm just left befuddled at the fact that Paolini got on that list. I mean, his books are something to kill time, but he is definitely not top 100 material in fantasy authors, not by a mile.



Some people like an author who writes a cliche plot, but writes it with absolute sincerity. (That's what Weis and Hickman are most famous for, and they're on the list as well.)


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## Steerpike

Feo Takahari said:


> Some people like an author who writes a cliche plot, but writes it with absolute sincerity. (That's what Weis and Hickman are most famous for, and they're on the list as well.)



But Weis and Hickman could right tolerably well (and by 'tolerably,' I mean the writing was OK, not great). Paolini's writing is, with one exception, the worst writing I've come across in fiction.


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## Feo Takahari

Steerpike said:


> But Weis and Hickman could right tolerably well (and by 'tolerably,' I mean the writing was OK, not great). Paolini's writing is, with one exception, the worst writing I've come across in fiction.



I won't argue that point. I read _Eragon_ long before I started writing outside classwork, and even at the time, I felt like I could come up with better lines than "I fear someday we shall all wake up with our throats slit." Still, I do think there's something there. (I'll get into it more when we have the topic on Paolini.)


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## TheNextBennyGoodman

I've only read two!!!!!!! 

Why? Why did I have to feed myself on a diet of only manga and Douglas Adams (RIP)?

I'm new to fantasy, and I've just started writing a book. Any recommendations?


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## Feo Takahari

That depends on what manga you like. For instance, if you like _Record of Lodoss War_, I'd say R.A. Salvatore (or maybe Weis and Hickman), and if you like _Ghost in the Shell_, I'd say Richard K. Morgan.


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## Philip Overby

TheNextBennyGoodman said:


> I've only read two!!!!!!!
> 
> Why? Why did I have to feed myself on a diet of only manga and Douglas Adams (RIP)?
> 
> I'm new to fantasy, and I've just started writing a book. Any recommendations?



You couldn't really go wrong with reading the authors on that list. There are several on there that I lament having not read as well. Even though I own about half of them.

If you like Douglas Adams, then maybe Terry Pratchett and Piers Anthony would be good choices?


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## Nihal

Feo Takahari said:


> That depends on what manga you like. For instance, if you like _Record of Lodoss War_, I'd say R.A. Salvatore (or maybe Weis and Hickman), and if you like _Ghost in the Shell_, I'd say Richard K. Morgan.



I wouldn't say R.A. Salvatore, he writes too many mullets-in-the-wind scenes... *runs away*
Weis and Hickman are closer.


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## Legendary Sidekick

T.Allen.Smith said:


> I notice that one of our Mythic Scribes members is on that list as well.


Yeah… that's awesome! Way to go, Mr. Sullivan!


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## Legendary Sidekick

Nihal said:


> I wouldn't say R.A. Salvatore, he writes too many mullets-in-the-wind scenes...


He's from Leominster, MA. Do you have any idea how many people in this town had mullets in the 80s?

(Not me, ever, for the record.)


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## Shockley

Some of these guys don't belong here, some of them were looked over.

 I only got 20, but I have been very open about my preference for so-called 'serious' literature (and also cowboy and horror stories, but whatev).


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## Drakhov

16, but have most on my 'to do' list - i'm surprised at who isn't on the list to be honest - someone mentioned Moorcock, - William Gibson, Philip K Dick anyone? (unless they're defining fantasy as 'has magic and / or swords and stuff in it).


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## Feo Takahari

Drakhov said:


> 16, but have most on my 'to do' list - i'm surprised at who isn't on the list to be honest - someone mentioned Moorcock, - William Gibson, Philip K Dick anyone? (unless they're defining fantasy as 'has magic and / or swords and stuff in it).



It looks like they're excluding authors who only write sci-fi, though they are allowing urban fantasy.

(Come to think of it, do magical realist authors belong on lists like this? It's kind of a shame to see Jorge Luis Borges left out.)

ETA: Also, I don't recall seeing Harry Turtledove on there. He's best-known for sci-fi, but he's done more fantasy than, say, Richard K. Morgan has.


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## Homicida

I'm at 13.


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## SeverinR

TheNextBennyGoodman said:


> I've only read two!!!!!!!
> 
> 
> I'm new to fantasy, and I've just started writing a book. Any recommendations?


Very hard to recommend a author to someone you don't know. So many different styles.

McCaffrey:Anne McCaffrey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Dragon riders of Pern"
Her son: Todd McCaffrey:  Todd McCaffrey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lackey:Mercedes Lackey bibliography - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia   "Heralds of Valdemar"
GRR Martin: Game of thrones:
George R. R. Martin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## BWFoster78

Once I find an author I like, I tend to read everything I can from that person.  I also tend to reread a lot.  Therefore, I expected to score pretty low.

34

Not horrible.

I do feel bad about not reading Michael Sullivan's work yet.  Best MS author's work I've read so far: Robert Bevan's Critical Failures.  If you haven't read it, do.  It's hilarious and well written.  I don't usually seek out humorous books, but this one is worth it!


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## Philip Overby

Yeah, I really like Robert Bevan's stuff as well. I need to get around to writing a review at some point. Michael Sullivan is well worth reading.


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## BWFoster78

Phil the Drill said:


> Yeah, I really like Robert Bevan's stuff as well. I need to get around to writing a review at some point. Michael Sullivan is well worth reading.



I'm taking a vacation soon.  I'm going to move one of Michael's books to the top of my list for that trip.


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## senseiseth

I only got 6...I'm a little ashamed of that.


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## Mythopoet

I got 35. 

Probably because I tried a handful of modern authors and decided I'd rather read the classics. I'm much more well read in older fantasy. It's sad the number of authors who have all but been forgotten by the wider fantasy community. (Lord Dunsany, anyone?)

I was gratified to see Roger Zelazny there though. One seldom sees him mentioned in connection with his fantasy, which is excellent. I finally finished reading all of his Dilvish stories (had to find the books used) and loved them. Though Amber will always be his masterpiece in my eyes.


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## Kn'Trac

I'm at 38. yippie!! 

I've heard about double that amount.


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## Eagle

22 for me, but I've got about 20 more of those authors on my shelf and intend to be reading many of them very soon. I don't tend to read just Fantasy though, hence my smaller number. Also when I come across one I tend to read a lot of their novels and nothing else, which has led me to months of reading nothing but Jordan or Sanderson novels.


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## buyjupiter

68, but only because I devour short story collections.


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## NellaFantasia

My score was 13. I expected it to be lower, honestly. While I've heard of most of the authors, and have many of their books on my shelf, I'm a slow reader. I buy books faster than I go through them.


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## Svrtnsse

I went through and counted thirty-something. Then I realized I wasn't sure if they were authors I'd actually read or just names I recognized from the shelves in the book store. I went through it again to make sure I only picked authors who'd written books I could remember the title of as well and ended up at 25.


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## Chilari

I got 23. Not great, I'll admit. Like Nella I own more than I've read - including several on that list.

It was cool to see Michael on that list. But I agree: there should be more of us. Well, NaNoWriMo is about to start, so let's all get to work! Maybe by the end of 2015 a similar list will feature some of our names too.

I think next year I might try to read some of those authors who I've not read. Make a blog challenge of it, maybe. 52 of them, one for each week of the year - I'll make a list. If anyone wants to join me it would make a great cross-blog project/challenge and promote discussion of fantasy.


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## Jackarandajam

7.  

It's very exciting to see this much future reading material all in one place.


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## wordwalker

63. 

I think (he said without a trace of bias) it's a pretty good list. At least, there's an advantage to running up a list that big: it's so likely to catch a name that it takes some work to think of that many that aren't on it. But reading through it is more of a lifetime project than not, it doesn't help you narrow it down for what to start with. Still, that's what forums are for.

Hold on, I haven't read Sullivan. Well, *that* was an easy choice.


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## Noma Galway

27. I didn't think I would get that many


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## Ruby

22. I'm quite pleased with that as I read lots of different genres of books. Also, I reread favourite books many times. There are writers here that I've never heard of so I will look out for their books!


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## TWErvin2

All of twelve for me. Also, mentioned above, no Michael Moorcock? Really?


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## Feo Takahari

I figured I might as well bump it so folks could check the list. Next up will be Lian Hearn. (Edit: also known as Gillian Rubinstein. I've read this writer!)


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## stephenspower

36, with three authors whose books i've put down and several more whose books are waiting to be read. Immense omissions, though, such as Moorcock, and including Paolini is absurd.


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## pmmg

27, and I am surprised it is so many. I did not know I had read that much. Seems I am more prone to reading long dead threads.


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## Demesnedenoir

At least it's an interesting zombie. An even dozen for me. And fewer than that when this thread started, heh heh. But I only included an author if I at least got halfway through one of their books. My apologies to Rothfuss, Lawrence, and several others, heh heh.


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## Ned Marcus

44. I'm surprised I've read so many. On some lists, I've not even heard of half the authors.


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## Demesnedenoir

I've heard of more than half! And that's consciously remember hearing of. Not bad for me.


Ned Marcus said:


> 44. I'm surprised I've read so many. On some lists, I've not even heard of half the authors.


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## Mad Swede

Despite my severe dyslexia I've read 38 of them.


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## skip.knox

Sixty-six, but that's probably unfair as I've had seventy years in which to read them. I'll have to up my game.


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## S J Lee

21 or so including a few I dumped after 10 pages. Sorry, Sanderson. No way.


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## Ned Marcus

S J Lee said:


> Sorry, Sanderson. No way.



LOL. Why not Sanderson? He's very popular.


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## ThinkerX

68 this time, less than before. But I skipped several I was unsure about.


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## pmmg

i got one sanderson book. Think it was called war breaker.  It was okay but the breath magic thing i did not go for.


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## Demesnedenoir

I made it through the fist Mistborn and own Way of Kings. I think my issue is that he's known for magic systems as an attraction, and that just doesn't do it for me. His writing is solid, but mmm. I can shrug and set it down real easy. I do intend to make it through Way of Kings eventually, good intentions and all, heh heh.

I should add, I love the guy from everything I know, and how he puts out so much for writers. But, for whatever reason his stories just haven't hooked me.


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## pmmg

Well...for me, it is was one of those things that could just be me, the magic was based on breath, and the idea of people trying to inhale other people's exhaled breath was kind of yuck for me. So...I tried to look past it to enjoy the book otherwise. But, it was a little off putting to me.


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## Demesnedenoir

Yeah, that is a td cringe worthy, heh heh. My wife would be a no go with that.



pmmg said:


> Well...for me, it is was one of those things that could just be me, the magic was based on breath, and the idea of people trying to inhale other people's exhaled breath was kind of yuck for me. So...I tried to look past it to enjoy the book otherwise. But, it was a little off putting to me.


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## Ned Marcus

ThinkerX said:


> But I skipped several I was unsure about.



Me too. Some author names look familiar, and I'm sure I read a short story or something by them but couldn't remember.


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## Ned Marcus

I quite liked Mistborn, but some of his books have magic that's too OTT, even for me. And a lot of backstory. I did like his novella, The Emperor's Soul. The magic in that was more subdued.


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## Ned Marcus

Ned Marcus said:


> I quite liked Mistborn



That's a British 'quite' not an American one, which is quite different.


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## S J Lee

Ned Marcus said:


> LOL. Why not Sanderson? He's very popular.


umm...you want me to answer that? I read the free sample of Way of Kings on Amazon, first few pages. Got as far as page 7 and had to stop. Terrible exposition, the whole thing was clumsy and overdramatic, it read like it was written by a 12 year old. Sorry, only one person's opinion. But you asked!


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## Ned Marcus

S J Lee said:


> umm...you want me to answer that? I read the free sample of Way of Kings on Amazon, first few pages. Got as far as page 7 and had to stop. Terrible exposition, the whole thing was clumsy and overdramatic, it read like it was written by a 12 year old. Sorry, only one person's opinion. But you asked!



Just curious. I read Way of the Kings on a friend's recommendation. I had to fast forward large parts of it.


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## Ban

A grand total of 6! Look on me readings ye mighty and despair!

I do find it notable that this list (as far as I could see) exclusively lists Anglo writers. Now I understand that fantasy is a much bigger and more established genre in the Anglo-world than elsewhere, but for crying out loud not even Sapkowski's on this list! Than again, the list is nearly a decade old so perhaps that is an unfair expectation.


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## BloodyNine

I've managed to rack up 21, with quite a few of them on my tbr list! For those who dislike Sanderson but Haven't tried The Way of Kings, please, give it a read. I'm on the second book now and I'm hooked! Another one of his short stories, Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, is pretty solid too.


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## pmmg

Well the list is not all inclusive. I could think of some who are missing so i am sure we all have a few more than listed.


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## Mist Dragon

This list is rubbish, if they don't include Andre Norton, who wrote the witch world series, and many of the first fantasy books I've read.


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## skip.knox

Mist Dragon said:


> This list is rubbish, if they don't include Andre Norton, who wrote the witch world series, and many of the first fantasy books I've read.


I don't know about rubbish, but it's certainly not complete and I completely agree about Norton. And dozens of others not on the list.

As a palliative to such lists, I made my own years ago. These weren't the best books (I included all genres), but was a list in two parts. Part One is books I like. I use that list to choose birthday presents for my children. I also gave the list to them (I update it every few years) so they can make their own choices. It's "Dad's Great Books".

Part Two is books I think I want to read. I culled from Greatest lists of all sorts, then add from time to time. It's my TBR list, but it has a second function. When any of my kids wonder what to buy me for birthday or Christmas, I point them to the list. I also suggest that they choose their own books that *they* think are great, hoping that eventually they'll make their own Greatest Books list, and ask them to inscribe some sort of note so I know who gave it to me and why. These books occupy a place of honor on my shelves.

Anyway, that's why I don't call this particular list rubbish, because I snagged a few names from there. But a complete list? Naw, not hardly.


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