SFFWorld's unofficial Top 20 Fantasy Series List

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  1. Lord of the Rings - Tolkien
  2. The First Law - Joe Abercrombie
  3. A Song of Ice and Fire - George R Martin
  4. Dresden - Butcher
  5. King Killer Chronicles - Patrick Rothfuss
  6. Amber novels - Roger Zelazny
  7. The Deed of Paksenarrion - Elizabeth Moon
  8. Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
  9. Lankhmar - Fritz Leiber
  10. Kate Daniels - Illona Andrews
 
Well if you're going to add up scores, I guess I gotta make an official list. So, for now at least:

1. Lord of the Rings -- Tolkien
2. Earthsea -- LeGuin
3. Book of the New Sun -- Wolfe
4. Chronicles of Thomas Covenant -- Donaldson
5. Narnia -- Lewis
6. First Law -- Abercrombie
7. A Land Fit for Heroes -- Morgan
8. Riyria -- Sullivan -- it's just so stinkin FUN
9. Farseer -- Hobb
10. Potter

Dresden
Joe Pitt
 
Ok, I'll bite, although I'm not sure the system of points will give a good overview of popularity.(there is not enough difference in quality at the top to justify so much variance in points)

1 - J R R Tolkien - Middle-Earth
2 - Jack Vance - Lyonesse
3 - George R R Martin - A Song of Ice And Fire
4 - Adrian Tchaikovsky - Shadows of the Apt
5 - Terry Pratchett - Discworld
6 - Tad Williams - Memory, Sorrow, Thorn
7 - Robin Hobb - Six Duchies
8 - J V Jones - Sword of Shadows
9 - Matthew Stover - Acts of Caine
10 - Neil Gaiman - Sandman
 
1. GRRM - A Song of Ice and Fire
2. Stephen King - Dark Tower
3. Joe Abercrombie - First Law
4. J. R. R. Tolkien - Lord of the Rings
5. Scott Lynch - Gentleman Bastards
6. Tad Williams - Memory Sorrow and Thorn
7. Paul Kearney - The Monarchies of God
8. China Mieville - Bas Lag
9. Chris Wooding - Tales of the Ketty Jay
10. Pat Rothfuss - Kingkiller Chronicles
 
I don't have ten, but I still want my vote counted:)

1. First Law, Lord grimdark.
2. Wheel of time.
3. Prince of nothing.
4. Malazan series.
 
1. China Mieville - Baslag
2. Clive Barker - Books of the Art
3. Jeffrey Ford - Well Built City Trilogy
4. Stephen King - Dark Tower
5. Patrick Rothfuss - Kingkiller Chronicles
6. Tolkien - Lord of the Rings
7. Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn
8. George Effinger - Marîd Audran series
9. Chris Wooding - Tales of the Ketty Jay
10. David Eddings - Belgariad
 
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I wish I could have found a spot for Tales of the Ketty Jay, but I suspect not even a top twenty would be enough to include all the series I think are important (Elric, Orphan Tales, Kane, Conan, Chathrand Voyage, Wheel of Time, etc)
 
1. Ursula LeGuin – Earthsea
2. J.R.R. Tolkein – Middle Earth
3. Frtiz Leiber – Lankhmar
4. Roger Zelazny – Amber
5. Parke Godwin – Arthurian Cycle
6. Mervyn Peake – Gormenghast
7. Andre Norton – Witch World
8. Samuel Delany – Neveryon
9. John Brunner – Traveler in Black
10. Lloyd Alexander -- Taran
 
Results have been tallied at post #49. (Edited into first post) I will add in more if we get enough votes in the next few weeks.
 
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I updated my list.... somehow I forgot Donaldson when going over my library in my head while at work lol. Should have just gone on goodreads.

I'd also have chosen Discworld, but I feel that I need to have completed the series' (to date) in order to put it on a list. The Wheel of Time being the only exception in that regard, since I've read 10 of them.
 
1. Dark Materials - Pullman
2. Narnia - Lewis
3. Winnie-the-Pooh - Milne
4. Redwall - Jacques
5. The Once and Future King - White
6. A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle
7. Magic: The Gathering: Artifacts Cycle - Various
8. Harry Potter - Rowling
9. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Carroll
10. Oz - Baum
Hope I didn't break any rules.
 
  1. The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne
  2. Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
  3. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
  4. Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks
  5. Traveler's Gate by Will Wight
  6. Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin
  7. Cycle of Arawn by Edward W. Robertson
  8. Emaneska by Ben Galley
 
1. Riddle-Master
2. The Lord of the Rings
3. The Chronicles of Prydain
4. Riyria Revelations
5. The Wheel of Time
6. The Night Angel Trilogy
 
1) Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
2) Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
3) Legend of Drizzt by R.A. Salvatore
4) The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence
5) Coldfire Trilogy by C. S. Friedman
6) Gentlemen Bastards Sequence by Scott Lynch
7) Acts of Cain by Matthew Stover
8) First Law by Joe Abercrombie
9) Conan by Robert Howard
10) Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
 
chris777 said:
Here is the Top 20 list as of Fri May 1st 2015.

  1. Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
  2. A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin
  3. First Law by Joe Abercrombie
Click to expand...
Thanks for putting this together, Chris777. I see that I need to get some reading on!

I've read the first two of the top three, but not the third. I'll have to get working on Joe Abercrombie's First Law series. I've started his Shattered Sea series, which I really like, so I'm sure I'll enjoy this one.
 
N. E. White said:
I'll have to get working on Joe Abercrombie's First Law series. I've started his Shattered Sea series, which I really like, so I'm sure I'll enjoy this one.
Click to expand...

For me, the First Law books were one of those few series that really set me back on my heels -- made my eyes widen and my jaw drop and my heart go pitter-pat. No, they aren't perfect, and they aren't for everyone -- but they sure grabbed me! I sent Joe fangirl email and everything! ;-D
 
Thanks for compiling the rankings Chris! I've read, or at least dabbled in 16 of the 20. Thanks to this thread I decided to throw in the towel and stop saving The Earthsea series for a rainy day. Have the first volume coming via a certain mega bookseller any day now.
 
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