Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series

Legend_DIT

I probably haven't included lots of them so feel free to let me know which blindingly obvious ones I've forgotten..

mcgovern

Went for the Ender/Shadow books as they stay good through, and yet the two are very different.
Dune and Foundation drop sharply in quality after a few books.

Dades

I voted for HHGTTG, but I would have voted for Pullman's "His Dark Materials", or Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" if they were there!

Favourite SF maybe the "Rama" books.

shrapnel222

i voted for ender, but would have voted for hyperion if it had been there. a couple of others less known ones which for me are some of the best are the saga of the exiles series and the galactic milieu trilogy both by julian may

CiDeRmAn

Has to be The Culture series, although had The Nights Dawn series been there, it would have got my vote, Peter F Hamiltion wrote the best SF series so far with those ones.
John Birmighams Axis of Time series was great too.

moridin

If you're talking sci-fi then I'd go with the Gap series, by Stephen Donaldson Culture = good too though.

Shryke

Out of the options given I'd say the best 'series' would be Banks' Culture for Use of Weapons alone. But someone already mentioned A Song of Ice and Fire as a glaring omission, along with Hyperion. To add to that:

The Malazan Book of the Fallen
Prince of Nothing (Not a fan but allot of people are)
The First Law
The Dark Tower (Again not much of a fan but should be up there)
The Book of the New Sun
Gormenghast

ixoy

A huge amount of omissions here - personally believe that there should be a separate poll for "Best Science Fiction" and another for "Best Fantasy" - really believe the two genres are pooled together far too often.

In sci-fi terms, I went for "Dune" - incredible world building and originality there by Herbert, the likes of which I don't believe has been surpassed. I'd also have liked to see the "Gap" series there and Peter F. Hamilton's "Night's Dawn" trilogy.

Fantasy series, I think there are noticeable omissions - Pullman's "Dark Materials" (reading "The Subtle Knife" at the moment), George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire", the closest-to-Tolkein in recent times in Tad William's "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn", Erikson's "Malazan: Books of the Fallen" and Raymond E. Feist's finally-almost-ending "Magician" world saga.

I would discount some of the more recent works ("Prince of Nothing", "The First Law", etc) as they're too recent (and ongoing) to have gotten cult status yet.

seagull

The list seems to be heavy on the sci-fi side, and light on the fantasy.

I'd also like to have seen Modesitt as an option - both the Recluce series and the Corean chronicles among fantasy, together with his sci-fi works. The other major author you're missing is Eddings.

Hitchhiker's guide started well, and then went downhill, with Mostly Harmless not even fit for toilet paper.

Queen-Mise

you are missing a good few of the best & and a few in there i wouldn't include. anyway here are the ones I would include: Stephen donaldson, both Thomas Covenant and the gap series are excellent. Raymond E. Feist, the series he wrote with Janny Wurts are excellent in Midkemia. Tad Williams Otherland series.
Some new ones I would include would be the Robin Hobb - Assassin series, are very good. Lots more, but my brain is too tired to think of them:(

microgirl

Am I the only person in the world who likes the Wheel of Time anymore?

(I know all the problems with it, yes, there are many, later books suck, and he has a fetish for spanking women etc etc but dear God I've never come across a more complete world, more overall-gripping story (for the characters even more than the actual story) and the characters themselves. Some I hate, or don't think are well-crafted, but generally I think they're stupendous)

Thanx 4 The Fish

Like Brooks early series.

Also a big fan of The DragonLance series'

Best for me is probably Thomas Covenant.

ixoy

microgirl wrote: »

Am I the only person in the world who likes the Wheel of Time anymore?

Pretty much, yep

The rest of us are sticking with it to the bitter end. For what it's worth I think the characters are pretty woeful and don't change very much. They all seem to have one "quirk" - Nynaeve tugging her braids eptiomising this - that Jordan uses over and over again. I could go on into a rant but must stop myself now

Shryke

I think it would be good to make separate polls for SF and Fantasy. Also, The First Law trilogy is completed. And having finished it I can honestly say it is one of the greatest fantasy works I've ever read. No lie.
The first book is readable, the second book is a marked improvement, the third is ****ing amazing. Put together, phenomenal.

Mr. Presentable

World of Tiers by PH Farmer

Book of the New Sun - G Wolfe

Dying Earth - Vance

All good ones not on the list. Of the fantasy on the list only LOTR is any use IMO.

Oh, the Amber books - Zelazny

seagull

Thanx 4 The Fish wrote: »

Like Brooks early series.

Also a big fan of The DragonLance series'

Best for me is probably Thomas Covenant.

I enjoyed the Thomas Covenant chronicles the first time I read it. Second time round, I found it really dragged. Becuase I vaguely knew the plot, I got frustrated with the amount of description, and the gaps between anything happening.

mcgovern

seagull wrote: »

I enjoyed the Thomas Covenant chronicles the first time I read it. Second time round, I found it really dragged. Becuase I vaguely knew the plot, I got frustrated with the amount of description, and the gaps between anything happening.

I've been struggling to read it the first time.
One of the very few books I couldn't finish and had to leave down. Nothing ever happens in it

norrie rugger

Sandor wrote: »

Out
The Dark Tower (Again not much of a fan but should be up there)

NO NO NO NO NO

God no


can't be arsed writing why not out again
linky to my reasons

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=53615905&postcount=130

Shryke

norrie rugger wrote: »

NO NO NO NO NO

God no


can't be arsed writing why not out again
linky to my reasons

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=53615905&postcount=130

Just read your link, and I know, I know. Hush now.
Like I said I'm not a fan, but many people love it. I couldn't tell you why.

Suff

microgirl wrote: »

Am I the only person in the world who likes the Wheel of Time anymore?

(I know all the problems with it, yes, there are many, later books suck, and he has a fetish for spanking women etc etc but dear God I've never come across a more complete world, more overall-gripping story (for the characters even more than the actual story) and the characters themselves. Some I hate, or don't think are well-crafted, but generally I think they're stupendous)

I LOVE the Wheel Of Time, I didnt think any of the books in the series sucked or were boring! ..his attention to details in story telling is gripping and the method and the depth of the world's historical information is truely amazing. I was really sad for his passing...I look forward to "A Memory Of Light" (due fall 2009) I'm thinking of going through the entire series all over again to get into the right mood for when "Memory" is released.

Tony H

seagull wrote: »

I enjoyed the Thomas Covenant chronicles the first time I read it. Second time round, I found it really dragged. Becuase I vaguely knew the plot, I got frustrated with the amount of description, and the gaps between anything happening.

i know exactly how you feel , i recently reread the first and second chronicles as i wanted to read the final chronicles and found it heavy enough going , i have read the first book of the final chronicles and it was a hard read as well , but i suppose if the second third and fourth books are put in front of me i will read those as well . I voted for the foundation series more out of nostalgia than any thing else as Isaac Asimov was the first sci-fi author i read and still love , if it was just fantasy it would have to be Terry Pratchett's discworld as i have read and reread all of his books numerous times

Voted dune, but man I love peter hamilton's trilogy.

Katharine Kerr's series for fantasy.

Sarn

I would also add Hamilton's Nights Dawn trilogy and Erikson's Malazan book of the Fallen. That's a few new sci-fi I'll have to see about getting. There are too many fantasy series for me to have a definitive list. But I'll be looking for more recommendations.:)

I'm praying G.R.R. Martin doesn't go the way of Jordan (writing style that is, his latest is a bit worrying). I'm all for establishing the setting but c'mon..500 pages of filler.

While I have enjoyed Eddings (Belgariad, Malloreon) I feel his writing can be a bit on the simplistic side (The Dreamers was terrible).

lumix

i would have added the wheel of time.it's a bit long and not finished yet but it is still one of the best

eVeNtInE

This post has been deleted.

lumix

Mr Crystal wrote: »

I agree. I liked it a lot. Hopefully the final book will be good even though hes not writing it.

With Robert Jordan not writing it there is always going to be mixed veiws. lets hope he does it some sort of justice

Woden

mcgovern wrote: »

I've been struggling to read it the first time.
One of the very few books I couldn't finish and had to leave down. Nothing ever happens in it

I let it go also. Perhaps didn't given it enough of a chance I couldn't get into it and found his life as a leper more interesting then the other realm.

nialo

have to say i love the Jim Butcher's ongoing Dresden Files.. also fantasy a big fan of SE but my first love was Feist. Disliked Dune and Discworld to the point where i couldnt even finish the books i tried to read from them.

fitz0

I just started Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch. Like the book. Does anyone know if the series is worth continuing? Its a good book but its not the kind of book I cant put down.

bonkey

fitz0 wrote: »

I just started Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch. Like the book. Does anyone know if the series is worth continuing? Its a good book but its not the kind of book I cant put down.

It certainly doesn't get worse. In each book of the trilogy, I thought some stories were stronger/weaker than others...but overall it holds together pretty well.

bennyblanco

If you havent already you should check out Hugh Cooks Chronicles of an Age of Darkness..........
Absolutely unbelievably good.Brilliant style,deadly world,hilarious.(Big fan:pac:)10 books,set in the same world but you can read them alone too.
Go on treat yourself:D
Peter F Hamiltons Nightsdawn was amazing and the first two of his Greg Mandell novels were good but I've read the series he wrote afterwards and it was god awful.
Patrick Tilley's The Amtrak Wars are incredibly entertaining too.
(I think you should discriminate between scifi and fantasy <in the poll at least>)

protos

Went for foundation series as well out of the available options.

In my opinion the best SF series is the inhibitor series from Alistair Reynolds - I know his dialogue and character building are pretty crap, but when it comes to hard boiled space opera I think he's the best.

I also recently finished the Stephen Baxter series Destiny's Children - and I thought it was excellent. It gets off to a slow start with 'Coalescent' but really takes off after that.

Never could see what people liked about Pratchett or Douglas Adams - I always found the humour to be very forced - apart from 'Mostly Harmless' which was hilarious ...... different folks different strokes.

EDIT : and Peter Hamilton - My God - what a pile of sh*t. Bought some of his books as recommended by some threads on this forum and the one I tried to read was awful !!

Darkstrike

What about Terry Goodkind's Sword Of Truth series?

ixoy

Darkstrike wrote: »

What about Terry Goodkind's Sword Of Truth series?

It wasn't included in the poll because it's crap.

Tristram

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Has to be The Culture series, although had The Nights Dawn series been there, it would have got my vote, Peter F Hamiltion wrote the best SF series so far with those ones.
John Birmighams Axis of Time series was great too.

/me agrees