Locus Online Polls

[stj]

20th Century SF Novel:
RankAuthor : Title (Year)PointsVotes1Herbert, Frank : Dune (1965)39302562Card, Orson Scott : Ender's Game (1985)22351543Asimov, Isaac : The Foundation Trilogy (1953)20541434Simmons, Dan : Hyperion (1989)18361315Le Guin, Ursula K. : The Left Hand of Darkness (1969)17501206Adams, Douglas : The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)16311137Orwell, George : Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)14931058Gibson, William : Neuromancer (1984)13841009Bester, Alfred : The Stars My Destination (1957)13119110Bradbury, Ray : Fahrenheit 451 (1953)12759111Heinlein, Robert A. : Stranger in a Strange Land (1961)11217512Heinlein, Robert A. : The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966)11077613Haldeman, Joe : The Forever War (1974)10908214Clarke, Arthur C. : Childhood's End (1953)9877015Niven, Larry : Ringworld (1970)9557416Le Guin, Ursula K. : The Dispossessed (1974)9076217Bradbury, Ray : The Martian Chronicles (1950)9026318Stephenson, Neal : Snow Crash (1992)7796019Miller, Walter M. , Jr. : A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959)7765620Pohl, Frederik : Gateway (1977)7595821Heinlein, Robert A. : Starship Troopers (1959)7445322Dick, Philip K. : The Man in the High Castle (1962)7285423Zelazny, Roger : Lord of Light (1967)7275024Wolfe, Gene : The Book of the New Sun (1983)7034325Lem, Stanislaw : Solaris (1970)6384726Dick, Philip K. : Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)6324727Vinge, Vernor : A Fire Upon The Deep (1992)6204828Clarke, Arthur C. : Rendezvous with Rama (1973)5884429Huxley, Aldous : Brave New World (1932)5814230Clarke, Arthur C. : 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)5693931Vonnegut, Kurt : Slaughterhouse-Five (1969)5433932Strugatsky, Arkady & Boris : Roadside Picnic (1972)5183633Card, Orson Scott : Speaker for the Dead (1986)4483134Brunner, John : Stand on Zanzibar (1968)4433335Robinson, Kim Stanley : Red Mars (1992)4413536Niven, Larry</B> (& Pournelle, Jerry) : The Mote in God's Eye (1974)4373237Willis, Connie : Doomsday Book (1992)4333338Atwood, Margaret : The Handmaid's Tale (1985)4223239Sturgeon, Theodore : More Than Human (1953)4082940Simak, Clifford D. : City (1952)4012841Brin, David : Startide Rising (1983)3932942Asimov, Isaac : Foundation (1950)3602443Farmer, Philip Jose : To Your Scattered Bodies Go (1971)3562544Dick, Philip K. : Ubik (1969)3552545Vonnegut, Kurt : Cat's Cradle (1963)3182446Vinge, Vernor : A Deepness in the Sky (1999)3152247Simak, Clifford D. : Way Station (1963)3082448Wyndham, John : The Day of the Triffids (1951)3022449*Keyes, Daniel : Flowers for Algernon (1966)2972349*Delany, Samuel R. : Dhalgren (1975)29719
20th Century Fantasy Novel:
RankAuthor : Title (Year)PointsVotes1Tolkien, J. R. R. : The Lord of the Rings (1955)56753402Martin, George R. R. : A Game of Thrones (1996)21821493Tolkien, J. R. R. : The Hobbit (1937)20401384Le Guin, Ursula K. : A Wizard of Earthsea (1968)16131135Zelazny, Roger : Nine Princes in Amber (1970)971706Lewis, C. S. : The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)821587Mieville, China : Perdido Street Station (2000)757548Rowling, J. K. : Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)657499Crowley, John : Little, Big (1981)6454110Adams, Richard : Watership Down (1972)6324611Goldman, William : The Princess Bride (1973)6044612Martin, George R. R. : A Storm of Swords (2000)6024313Beagle, Peter S. : The Last Unicorn (1968)5974514White, T. H. : The Once and Future King (1958)5894615Pratchett, Terry</B> (& Gaiman, Neil) : Good Omens (1990)5233816Kay, Guy Gavriel : Tigana (1990)5223817Gaiman, Neil : Neverwhere (1996)5093818Wolfe, Gene : The Book of the New Sun (1983)4943519Vance, Jack : The Dying Earth (1950)4573120Bulgakov, Mikhail : The Master and Margarita (1967)4422921Rowling, J. K. : Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)4403322Tolkien, J. R. R. : The Silmarillion (1977)4333223Leiber, Fritz : The Swords of Lankhmar (1968)4253024Jordan, Robert : The Eye of the World (1990)4232925Donaldson, Stephen R. : Lord Foul's Bane (1977)4163226Bradbury, Ray : Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962)4113027Peake, Mervyn : Gormenghast (1950)4102928Rowling, J. K. : Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)4063229Powers, Tim : The Anubis Gates (1983)4032930Martin, George R. R. : A Clash of Kings (1998)3812631Bradley, Marion Zimmer : The Mists of Avalon (1983)3682832Hobb, Robin : Assassin's Apprentice (1995)3672733Pratchett, Terry : The Colour of Magic (1983)3592734Holdstock, Robert : Mythago Wood (1984)3262535King, Stephen : The Stand (1978)3162236*L'Engle, Madeleine : A Wrinkle in Time (1962)3102336*Pratchett, Terry : Small Gods (1992)3102338Ende, Michael : The Neverending Story (1983)2912339Peake, Mervyn : Titus Groan (1946)2872040Howard, Robert E. : Conan the Barbarian (1950)2832041McCaffrey, Anne : Dragonflight (1968)2812242Orwell : George : Animal Farm (1945)2792043Feist, Raymond E. : Magician (1982)2742144Silverberg, Robert : Lord Valentine's Castle (1980)2612045Lovecraft, H. P. : At the Mountains of Madness (1936)2492046Swanwick, Michael : The Iron Dragon's Daughter (1993)2471847King, Stephen : The Shining (1977)2381848Garcia Marquez, Gabriel : One Hundred Years of Solitude (1970)2231649Saint-Exupery, Antoine de : The Little Prince (1943)2171650Hughart, Barry : Bridge of Birds (1984)21316
21st Century SF Novel:
RankAuthor : Title (Year)PointsVotes1Scalzi, John : Old Man's War (2005)6741012Stephenson, Neal : Anathem (2008)432633Bacigalupi, Paolo : The Windup Girl (2009)367584Wilson, Robert Charles : Spin (2005)305495Watts, Peter : Blindsight (2006)251376Morgan, Richard : Altered Carbon (2002)238377Collins, Suzanne : The Hunger Games (2008)199328Gibson, William : Pattern Recognition (2003)197309Mieville, China : The City & the City (2009)1932910Stross, Charles : Accelerando (2005)1873111Mitchell, David : Cloud Atlas (2004)1853012McDonald, Ian : River of Gods (2004)1812913McCarthy, Cormac : The Road (2006)1512314Harrison, M. John : Light (2002)1472215*Willis, Connie : Black Out/All Clear (2010)1422015*Chabon, Michael : The Yiddish Policemen's Union (2007)14223
21st Century Fantasy Novel:
RankAuthor : Title (Year)PointsVotes1Gaiman, Neil : American Gods (2001)7211092Clarke, Susanna : Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004)609943Rothfuss, Patrick : The Name of the Wind (2007)422644Mieville, China : The Scar (2002)221335Martin, George R. R. : A Feast for Crows (2005)213346Rowling, J. K. : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)211337Bujold, Lois McMaster : The Curse of Chalion (2001)177278Mieville, China : The City & the City (2009)170289Fforde, Jasper : The Eyre Affair (2001)1602710*Bujold, Lois McMaster : Paladin of Souls (2003)1502210*Pratchett, Terry : Night Watch (2002)1502612Gaiman, Neil : Coraline (2002)1442413Wolfe, Gene : The Wizard Knight (2004)1412314Pratchett, Terry : Going Postal (2004)1372315*Gaiman, Neil : The Graveyard Book (2008)1362215*Lynch, Scott : The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006)136

I've read all but Roadside Picnic on the 20th century list. I cannot agree that Ender's Game, Hyperion and 1984 deserve to be there. I've only read about half the list for 21st century SF. But The Windup Girl is definitely overrated.

Of the 21st century fantasy I've only read a couple of Gaiman's, Fforde and Clarke. The City and the City making both SF and fantasy lists is not a good sign, although finding it impossible to believe in the narrator in Embassytown was worse. Is China Mieville really any good?
Putting Animal Farm on the list is an indictment of the Locus community.

PS These lists didn't transfer neatly, so here's a link: http://www.locusmag.com/2012/AllCenturyPollsResults.html

 

[T'Girl]

I cannot agree that Ender's Game, Hyperion and 1984 deserve to be there.

Have to agree with 1984 not deserving to be there, it was important to bring that particular subject to the public consciousness. But others wrote on the some subject and did it better. I've never been impressed with Orwell's writing style.

On the up side of the list, can't argue with the novel in the number one position for 20th century science fiction, Dune (imho) is the single best SF novel ever written.