TOR.com Readers Poll RESULTS
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/03/best-sff-novels-of-the-decade-readers-poll-results
With 10,000 votes and 1,600 nominated titles over the course of a week, the winners are...
1. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi - 295 votes
2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman - 270 votes
3. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - 231 votes *
4. Blindsight by Peter Watts - 221 votes
5. Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey - 194 votes
6. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin - 179 votes
7. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - 167 votes *
8. Anathem by Neal Stephenson - 141 votes
9. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson - 125 votes
10. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville - 124 votes
* = Debut novel
And here's a fabulously entertaining follow-up article where #1 "stews" over #3
Well, I have to hardily endorse the winner. Not just because it's the only one of the list I've read, mind you, but because OLD MAN'S WAR (the whole series for that matter) is one enthralling, thought-provoking, knock your socks off piece of SF (with a tiny touch of romance, even).
I think the SFR Brigade should hold a Readers Poll of the Best SFR of the Decade. Don't you?
How about best book of the year? (decade?) Some of our authors published works are not novels, lol.
ReplyDeleteWe could do that. Or even two categories?
ReplyDeleteI haven't read all of these, so I can add to my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteI did read Jonathan Strange, I cannot conceive any reason why this book should have been published. It's rambling and twice as long as it would have been if somebody actually edited it.
I am a HUGE Neal Stephenson fan. Read everything twice. But I simply couldn't get into Anathem. I give him a #FAIL on it. If your biggest fan ever (think Kathy Bates in Misery) can't finish the book, then something is definitely wrong.
John Scalzi's Old Man's War was brilliant. He should have stopped right there. Well, Ghost Brigades was okay. Lost Colony weak, but that retelling of OMW in the POV of the girl (Zoe's Tale)? Sucked every which way from Sunday.
Let the arguments begin!
As for the Best Books thing, it's impossible to read absolutely everything so any votes are inherently uninformed.
ReplyDeleteDo it like the Oscars and require everybody to read all the entries first.
I agree Old Man's War was the best of the three, though I did enjoy the entire series and the wrap in The Last Colony (though the "fix" at the climax was just a little logistically-challenged, I thought.)
ReplyDeleteI purchased Zoe's Tale "just because", but haven't read it. I'm not sure it could add anything more to the series even from a new perspective. Maybe someday I'll find out. I'd LOVE to read a novel told from the POV of Lt. Stross(?) Not sure I have that name right, but he was a Space Turtle.
I've heard tons of positive things about The Name of the Wind, but being that it's Fantasy, I'll probably never get around to reading it.
At my niece's wedding this weekend, my sister-in-law was raving about Brandon Sanderson, so I got some samples to check out.
ReplyDeleteNot sure my TBR can handle any more books, even my digital TBR! I'm so behind.