Wolfbrother31 - Member Share Posted January 11 I know this is a Wheel of Time website, but my question is: where would you rank WoT on the greatest Fantasy series of all time list? My top 5 would be: 1) The Lord of the Rings 2) Harry Potter 3) The Wheel of Time 4) The Dresden Files 5) The KingKiller Chronicles It's hard to put WoT at the top when there were whole books (Crossroads of Twilight I'm looking at you) that were not good & when the show/movie is still a question mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elder_Haman - Patron Supporter Share Posted January 11 That's a tough call. What are the criteria on which you judge such a thing? I know that my tastes tend to shift and that as I get older and my life experiences broaden, things about a series that I didn't understand or connect with the first time around suddenly have a bigger impact. Also, it's hard for me to put an unfinished series like Kingkiller Chronicles or Game of Thrones on the list because a bad ending can end up ruining an entire series for me. (GoT is a good example - I watched the entire series multiple times prior to the final season. Tried to watch again and couldn't get invested again because of how terrible the ending was). My favorite five (as of right now) and in no particular order are: Lord of the Rings - it's the OG fantasy series. I've read it more times than I can count. Wheel of Time - the most epic Lightbringer - resonates with me on a deeply philosophical level Mistborn - Sanderson is the master of secrets Harry Potter - made fantasy mainstream Off the list, but likely to join: Stormlight Archive Game of Thrones Kingkiller Chronicles Need to read Dresden files. I've heard too much good and my curiosity is piqued. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kalessin - Member Share Posted January 15 That's difficult, and very much depends on the criteria, but based on the assumption that constant re-reading of a book indicates recognition of its qualities, that would have to be: Lord of the Rings Wheel of Time Wizard of Earth-Sea The Eternal Champion, mostly the Elric and Corum books and it's a toss-up for fifth place between Kristine Katherine Rusch's Fey and Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elder_Haman - Patron Supporter Share Posted January 15 7 hours ago, Kalessin said: That's difficult, and very much depends on the criteria, but based on the assumption that constant re-reading of a book indicates recognition of its qualities, that would have to be: Lord of the Rings Wheel of Time Wizard of Earth-Sea The Eternal Champion, mostly the Elric and Corum books and it's a toss-up for fifth place between Kristine Katherine Rusch's Fey and Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn I need to check out Memory, Sorrow and Thorn again. I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time. But it's been a couple of decades. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Harldin - Member Share Posted January 16 On 1/11/2021 at 10:52 AM, Wolfbrother31 said: I know this is a Wheel of Time website, but my question is: where would you rank WoT on the greatest Fantasy series of all time list? My top 5 would be: 1) The Lord of the Rings 2) Harry Potter 3) The Wheel of Time 4) The Dresden Files 5) The KingKiller Chronicles It's hard to put WoT at the top when there were whole books (Crossroads of Twilight I'm looking at you) that were not good & when the show/movie is still a question mark. My top 5 is WOT LOTR Stormlight Archive Riftwar Cycle Deverry Cycle Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfbrother31 - Member Author Share Posted January 18 This is very helpful. There's a couple series in there that I've never read, so I'll have to pick them up if they are on WoT fans GOAT lists. Who are the authors of the Riftwar Cycle & Deverry Cycle? @Harldin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Harldin - Member Share Posted January 18 5 hours ago, Wolfbrother31 said: This is very helpful. There's a couple series in there that I've never read, so I'll have to pick them up if they are on WoT fans GOAT lists. Who are the authors of the Riftwar Cycle & Deverry Cycle? @Harldin Robert E Fiest and Katherine Kerr, both are probably older Fantasy in style, both series have Elves and Dwarves in them, for instance. Fiest seems to be fairly well known on here but few seem to have heard of Kerr. Both are heavy on magic with a lot of World building but the characters tend to be more Inclined to be either Good or Evil with few Gray characters. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elder_Haman - Patron Supporter Share Posted January 19 5 hours ago, Harldin said: Robert E Fiest and Katherine Kerr, both are probably older Fantasy in style, both series have Elves and Dwarves in them, for instance. Fiest seems to be fairly well known on here but few seem to have heard of Kerr. Both are heavy on magic with a lot of World building but the characters tend to be more Inclined to be either Good or Evil with few Gray characters. Old school fantasy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rissanen - Member Share Posted January 19 On 1/11/2021 at 8:08 AM, Elder_Haman said: Off the list, but likely to join: Stormlight Archive Hey, not sure if you know but book 4 came out not too long ago. It's called Rhythm of War, and I have to say it's pretty badass. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rissanen - Member Share Posted January 19 And to everyone who chose Harry Potter, do you consider it a fantasy series? It seems kind of difficult to consider it to-the-bone fantasy when it has modern settings such as Great Britain. (I should probably prepare to get schooled, I'm not very knowledgeable concerning the world of Harry Potter. Having only read the books once) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rissanen - Member Share Posted January 19 My top five are: WOT The Inheritance Cycle (Don't judge, I'm a kid at heart) The Belgariad Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn GOT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rissanen - Member Share Posted January 19 On 1/11/2021 at 8:08 AM, Elder_Haman said: Harry Potter - made fantasy mainstream Wow, it'd be good to have a friendly (mostly) debate on who really made fantasy a mainstream genre. What the hell happened to J.R.R Tolkien? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elder_Haman - Patron Supporter Share Posted January 19 16 minutes ago, Rissanen said: Hey, not sure if you know but book 4 came out not too long ago. It's called Rhythm of War, and I have to say it's pretty badass. It's up next in my Audible cue! I'm excited. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elder_Haman - Patron Supporter Share Posted January 19 11 minutes ago, Rissanen said: And to everyone who chose Harry Potter, do you consider it a fantasy series? It seems kind of difficult to consider it to-the-bone fantasy when it has modern settings such as Great Britain. (I should probably prepare to get schooled, I'm not very knowledgeable concerning the world of Harry Potter. Having only read the books once) I consider anything with magic to be fantasy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rissanen - Member Share Posted January 19 Just now, Elder_Haman said: It's up next in my Audible cue! I'm excited. Hell yeah! I got the signed edition! It's taking a special place in my shelf. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rissanen - Member Share Posted January 19 Just now, Elder_Haman said: I consider anything with magic to be fantasy. I guess, but it just doesn't have that OG fantasy feeling... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elder_Haman - Patron Supporter Share Posted January 19 7 minutes ago, Rissanen said: Wow, it'd be good to have a friendly (mostly) debate on who really made fantasy a mainstream genre. What the hell happened to J.R.R Tolkien? Tolkien is the OG. He's really the pioneer of the genre, which before that was classified mostly as fairy tales geared toward children. But there's no real question that Harry Potter's popularity eclipsed any of Tolkien's works - the movie adaptations included. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elder_Haman - Patron Supporter Share Posted January 19 1 minute ago, Rissanen said: Hell yeah! I got the signed edition! It's taking a special place in my shelf. I bought a signed first edition for my son for Christmas! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rissanen - Member Share Posted January 19 2 minutes ago, Elder_Haman said: Tolkien is the OG. He's really the pioneer of the genre, which before that was classified mostly as fairy tales geared toward children. But there's no real question that Harry Potter's popularity eclipsed any of Tolkien's works - the movie adaptations included. Sigh, I guess so. My stubborn ass can't seem to wrap it's head around the fact that Harry Potter really did bring a lot of people into the fantasy genre. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kalessin - Member Share Posted January 24 (edited) On 1/20/2021 at 12:43 PM, Elder_Haman said: Tolkien is the OG. He's really the pioneer of the genre, which before that was classified mostly as fairy tales geared toward children. But there's no real question that Harry Potter's popularity eclipsed any of Tolkien's works - the movie adaptations included. There were some significant authors before Tolkien. Arthur Machen wrote a lot of fantastic literature - mostly short stories or novellas - that would fit into the "dark fantasy" pigeonhole nowadays. Read The Inmost Light or The Great God Pan if you want dark fantasy without 21stC trappings - his trappings are 20thC.. ER Eddison wrote The Worm Ouroboros, the Zimiamvian trilogy comprising Mistress of Mistresses, A Fish Dinner in Memison, and The Mezentian Gate, left unfinished at the time of his death. And then there was William Morris, wallpaper designer, socialist, and fantastic fiction writer - read The Wood Behind the World, and The Well at the World's End if you get a chance to - he's very good. And then you have Lord Dunsany, who wrote a lot of short fiction, and some of it very funny, though some very grim as well: The King of Elfland's Daughter is well worth the reading, and likewise The Hoard of the Gibbelins. And of course, there is the one and only James Branch Cabell, a Virginian of all things, and the writer of Jurgen, Figures of Earth, and a number of other works set in the land of Poictesme. Cabell is most definitely not a children's writer - he's a satirist and very funny. And that's only touched the surface. Edited January 24 by Kalessin correcting mild confusion over "modern" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elder_Haman - Patron Supporter Share Posted January 24 Of those, I’m familiar only with Morris. My point wasn’t that prior works of fantasy were, in fact, fairy tales and children’s stories. Rather, Tolkien was the first author to bring fantasy work into the mainstream consciousness as something more than that. He expanded the reach of the genre. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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