SFX poll.

Haven't read this magazine in years, but was sent a link to a poll to vote for
the greatest SF or fantasy authors of all time through their website.

I decided to make my list before I read through other peoples, glad I did, though when I read through after many names cropped up I would have liked to say too. Five is too small a number of course. I liked the logic of some of the choices, especially the person who voted for Oscar Wilde on the basis that The Picture of Dorian Gray is a fantasy book (which of course it very much is).

Anyway, my choices...

1. Neil Gaiman - first came across him thanks to Pratchett (Good Omens, incredible book) but it was Sandman and Anansi Boys really got me hooked.

2. Ursula le Guin - A Wizard of Earthsea is one of the most beautiful books I've ever come across. Despite the succinct nature of it and its language every sentence every sentence carries so much meaning, this book is poetry as fiction.

3. Terry Pratchett - everything about this man is brilliant, it was his Witches books I came to first, I loved the way he made Fantasy stare face to face with feminism. And Death, you just want to give him a hug.

4. JRR Tolkien - I know I'm going for all the obvious here, but The Lord of the Rings changed my life, I still have dreams where Gandalf is my Grandad.

5. Jenny Nimmo - I nearly put Mervyn Peake or Susannah Clarke here, but when I think back I can't forget the Snow Spider. Until Tolkien came into my world it was my favourite book ever, when I read it now I still get a tingle down my neck whenever Arianwen appears. When I was a boy I very much wanted to be a wizard, and I very definitely wanted my own snow spider.

So many others I would liked to have included - J K Rowling, Susanna Clarke, Mervyn Peake, Douglas Adams, Frank Herbert, Orson Scott Card (if you haven't read Capitol you really need to) and of course Philip Pullman & Alan Moore.

One person I expected to see mentioned more was CS Lewis, I'm not that bothered as I do think he's overrated, but the backlash against him is getting a bit extreme. At the very least The Magician's Nephew and Prince Caspian are ace.


EDIT: Cannot believe I forgot to mention John Wyndham. The Chrsalids is possibly my favourite book ever!