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A Song of Ice and Fire / Announcements / SF/F Top 100

Ran
User ID: 0867924 Jan 22nd 9:50 AM
Posted about this a long while ago, and decided I'd note it again so for those who are curious and for those who might be interested. :)

Tristrom Cooke maintains the Internet Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy, which takes vote from people on-line and runs them through some equations to gather their location on the list. You can find information about the list at:

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/6113/ top100.html

(cut out the space between 6113/ and top100.html)

It's a good list to look at for prospective reading, and it gives folk a chance to vote in for their favorites. Since the list is updated every two weeks to a month, visible movement is pretty regular (about a 25 books have moved up in the latest list.)

And, for the GRRM fans, I'll note that _A Game of Thrones_ is just about ready to break into the top 25. At the pace that it's moving, it might be able to hit the top 10 by the summer. Might even go further if more folk vote well for it. ;)

Ami
User ID: 2742064 Jan 24th 11:39 AM
Ran, I couldn't get to this page (yes, I took the space out). Any words of wisdom?

Ran
User ID: 0867924 Jan 24th 12:51 PM
It's probably the space, though perhaps the server is down. If you can't copy and paste properly, just type out the address manually, or copy and paste and try to remove the space. The reason I have to insert a space is, otherwise, the thread will "break" and the lines won't wrap.

Also, just found a mirror site that's a bit slower. Try:

http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/~kevin/books/top100.html

Ran
User ID: 0867924 Jun 10th 6:48 AM
This is just a note concerning the list above, for the benefit of the many newer people we've gotten on the board of late. The address for the list remains the same:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/6113/
top100.html

(remove the space between the ...6113/ and top100.html)

Back at the beginning of the year, I noted that the book was about to break into the top 25. Well, as of May 30, the book has hit #10 on the list and will probably hit #9 on the next update.

In any case, check it out. A good list, especially if one wants to make a summer reading list for good SF/F. :)

Omer
User ID: 9551723 Jun 11th 5:28 AM
It's a pretty shameful list. I mean it really focuses way too much about 80s/90s books. Classicists such as Asimov are pusshed way back.

The most interesting book in there in my opinion is the Dangerous Visions anthology by Ellison. I haven't read it, but it's supposed to be a landmark of the genre, and one of the few attempts to create true sinergy in in the Genre since the days of John W. Campbell.

I think one of the problems is that the constant used in order to compensate for small number of voitng isn't high enough.

The short fiction list is more itneresting - It does have a greater representations for the likes of Asimov, Zelazny, Clarke, Ellison

Ran
User ID: 0867924 Jun 11th 5:51 AM
It would tend to draw in later things, because of that fact that it doesn't penalize hugely if one thing has 60 votes and another has 400. I should hardly call it "shameful" because of that, in any case. It's a list with a particular slant.

One notices that both _The Stars my Destination_ and _A Clockwork Orange_ are in the top twenty, and the former of them is an SF classic. And Heinlein is in the top 20 as well.

The short story list is pretty good, indeed, though that has very much to do with the fact that most people would vote for the classic short stories -- short story reading has rather become a dying thing over the last fifteen years or so. If you read a short story, it's probably in an anthology, not a magazine.

BTW, www.chicon.org has links to all the novellas, novelettes, and short stories nominated for the Hugos. Some very good ones.

"The Astronaut from Wyoming" and "Son Observe the Time" are my favorites in the novella sections, although "Hunting the Snark" has a very classic SF feel to its setup. A little light, however.

Novellete, I'd have to say that "Fossil Games" and "The Secret History of the Ornithopter" are good bets to win. "The Chop Girl" has a good chance, though -- MacLeod is a fine writer, and won a slew of awards for "The Summer Isles" last year. Including the WFA, somehow, despite it being an alternate history story.

Short story is tougher. "Scherzo with Tyrannosaur" is a typical story with some nice angles. "macs" has a very interesting feel and idea behind it, though.

Omer
User ID: 9551723 Jun 11th 1:46 PM
It is rather a same that people don't read SF magazines and short fiction, but that's at least partially because they aren't really available. You'd think they'd be sold in the bookstores, but they really aren't, at elast not here in Brussels. I haven't seen 'em in New York, either. So what I read is mostly Anthologies.

Do you think that the short fiction list tend towards longer works or shorter ones?

Ran
User ID: 0743024 Sep 3rd 6:31 AM
Just a post to bring this topic back to the top. ;)

While I'm at that, I'll note a website that has links to many SF/F fantasy stories available on the web. ;)

http://www.bestsf.net/gateway.html

Ran User ID: 0867924	Jan 22nd 9:50 AM Posted about this a long while ago, and decided I'd note it again so for those who are curious and for those who might be interested. :) Tristrom Cooke maintains the Internet Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy, which takes vote from people on-line and runs them through some equations to gather their location on the list. You can find information about the list at: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/6113/ top100.html (cut out the space between 6113/ and top100.html) It's a good list to look at for prospective reading, and it gives folk a chance to vote in for their favorites. Since the list is updated every two weeks to a month, visible movement is pretty regular (about a 25 books have moved up in the latest list.) And, for the GRRM fans, I'll note that _A Game of Thrones_ is just about ready to break into the top 25. At the pace that it's moving, it might be able to hit the top 10 by the summer. Might even go further if more folk vote well for it. ;)
Ami User ID: 2742064	Jan 24th 11:39 AM Ran, I couldn't get to this page (yes, I took the space out). Any words of wisdom?
Ran User ID: 0867924	Jan 24th 12:51 PM It's probably the space, though perhaps the server is down. If you can't copy and paste properly, just type out the address manually, or copy and paste and try to remove the space. The reason I have to insert a space is, otherwise, the thread will "break" and the lines won't wrap. Also, just found a mirror site that's a bit slower. Try: http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/~kevin/books/top100.html
Ran User ID: 0867924	Jun 10th 6:48 AM This is just a note concerning the list above, for the benefit of the many newer people we've gotten on the board of late. The address for the list remains the same: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/6113/ top100.html (remove the space between the ...6113/ and top100.html) Back at the beginning of the year, I noted that the book was about to break into the top 25. Well, as of May 30, the book has hit #10 on the list and will probably hit #9 on the next update. In any case, check it out. A good list, especially if one wants to make a summer reading list for good SF/F. :)
Omer User ID: 9551723	Jun 11th 5:28 AM It's a pretty shameful list. I mean it really focuses way too much about 80s/90s books. Classicists such as Asimov are pusshed way back. The most interesting book in there in my opinion is the Dangerous Visions anthology by Ellison. I haven't read it, but it's supposed to be a landmark of the genre, and one of the few attempts to create true sinergy in in the Genre since the days of John W. Campbell. I think one of the problems is that the constant used in order to compensate for small number of voitng isn't high enough. The short fiction list is more itneresting - It does have a greater representations for the likes of Asimov, Zelazny, Clarke, Ellison
Ran User ID: 0867924	Jun 11th 5:51 AM It would tend to draw in later things, because of that fact that it doesn't penalize hugely if one thing has 60 votes and another has 400. I should hardly call it "shameful" because of that, in any case. It's a list with a particular slant. One notices that both _The Stars my Destination_ and _A Clockwork Orange_ are in the top twenty, and the former of them is an SF classic. And Heinlein is in the top 20 as well. The short story list is pretty good, indeed, though that has very much to do with the fact that most people would vote for the classic short stories -- short story reading has rather become a dying thing over the last fifteen years or so. If you read a short story, it's probably in an anthology, not a magazine. BTW, www.chicon.org has links to all the novellas, novelettes, and short stories nominated for the Hugos. Some very good ones. "The Astronaut from Wyoming" and "Son Observe the Time" are my favorites in the novella sections, although "Hunting the Snark" has a very classic SF feel to its setup. A little light, however. Novellete, I'd have to say that "Fossil Games" and "The Secret History of the Ornithopter" are good bets to win. "The Chop Girl" has a good chance, though -- MacLeod is a fine writer, and won a slew of awards for "The Summer Isles" last year. Including the WFA, somehow, despite it being an alternate history story. Short story is tougher. "Scherzo with Tyrannosaur" is a typical story with some nice angles. "macs" has a very interesting feel and idea behind it, though.
Omer User ID: 9551723	Jun 11th 1:46 PM It is rather a same that people don't read SF magazines and short fiction, but that's at least partially because they aren't really available. You'd think they'd be sold in the bookstores, but they really aren't, at elast not here in Brussels. I haven't seen 'em in New York, either. So what I read is mostly Anthologies. Do you think that the short fiction list tend towards longer works or shorter ones?
Ran User ID: 0743024	Sep 3rd 6:31 AM Just a post to bring this topic back to the top. ;) While I'm at that, I'll note a website that has links to many SF/F fantasy stories available on the web. ;) http://www.bestsf.net/gateway.html