Best Speculative Fiction Ever Written

[Jay]

It depends, the term speculative fiction is often just used as a generic term meaning Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horrorr - as well it depends if we are working with the defintionn as is or how it's been applied and commonly used. I admittedly just use it however it suits me at the time!

 

[Brys]

1. Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake - this has to be on there (best written as well).
2. Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury the best of the dystopian classics
3. Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien - most influential fantasy ever written.
4. Michael Moorcock's Elric - spearheaded an entire new movement in fantasy, and after Tolkien, one of the most influential authors in fantasy.
5. Viriconium by M John Harrison
6. Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber
7. Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino (most original, at least)
8. Dune - Frank Herbert (for SF)
9. Foundation - Isaac Asimov (for SF)
10. Amber - Roger Zelazny

Admittedly, not all of these qualify as the most influential, but they have all been very important in speculative fiction for one reason or another. Some which may be important, but aren't very good (or even average) I didn't list - Jordan, Eddings, Feist etc may have been important in the last 10 years, but they aren't great writers, and they probably won't be important in another 10 years, unlike the others I listed.

 

[Tim Bond]

It depends, the term speculative fiction is often just used as a generic term meaning Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horrorr - as well it depends if we are working with the defintionn as is or how it's been applied and commonly used. I admittedly just use it however it suits me at the time!

Reasonable.

If the terms 'speculative-fiction' is used to describe possible applications and extensions of a 'hard' science - then, the list can be very different from that of general science-fiction --- where the stock of technology is taken instead from a 'standard' of that genre at that moment and simply gives the illusion of looking forward, while instead it looks very much at a 'now' and our present concerns (JRR tolkens lord of the rings - and WWII - not even a current thing anymore and now outdated) or even like that of the fantasy works and the vision directed toward the past (starwars) and our (superman movies - and greek mythology) myths.

I like the scientific approach and in that case M.S. Frankenstein - i would put on a top-ten. I would keep off JRR tolkens lord of the rings however.

Almost all speculative fiction will eventually become outdated at some point in time and convert to modern fiction or enter into a myth we build up from an event or stage in our development.

I think Herbert would also be on my T10 - obviously, but for the use and development of mental engineering - the actual technology unfortunately is quickly overtaking many of his conceptions of what it could become and soon those things will be merely 'modern'.

 

[GOLLUM]

Gene Wolfe defintely deserving, I'm a huge fan of Martin, but I can't say I think he is one of the 10 most influential writers in the history of speculative fiction.).

Well actually I said that Martin being in their top 10 list was an author I personaly liked reading, NOT that he was top 10 in terms of influence historically on the Genre (although perhaps we'll view things differently in 50 years time who knows...). I wouldn't class him in this bracket but more as a product or result of previous pioneers of the Genre, so I think we're basically in agreeance on this point....

I think Jordan is mindless (without quotes) but I will agree it's a reputation he has earned from me for his last several recent efforts. I certainly am not ashamed to admit through 3 books I thought the series was definitely worth reading and had some instances of really groundbreaking ideas (from a world building perspective and scope), and his success unquestionable allowed authors superior to him to have the opportuntiy to write other fat fantasies, most of which I could have done without, but a few which are excellent

Well I tend to agree with you as far as the latter books falling away goes. Having said that I'm a major sucker for the EPIC read, so I'm still following this series but not reading some of the latter books (9 & 10) until the set is completed. Jordan certainly is nothing special really and the prose is fairly average IMO and quite often repetivtive I feel, but it still has enough elements of the EPIC storyline for my tastes to keep me half interested and I probably wouldn't go quite so far as to call him mindless.

I also agree that Jordan certainly helped pave the way in one sense at least in terms of furture authors like GRRM and Steven Erikson, both of whom are light years ahead, once again IMO only and my perspective folks!! to Jordan in writing ability and overall quality of work.

 

[GOLLUM]

3. Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien - most influential fantasy ever written.

Well I'm quite a fan of most of those books you list threre Brys, no secrets there but not sure if Tolkien's LOTR was the most influential fantasy ever written, certainly perhaps in the past 50 years or so but of all time? I'll have to think about that one....

Would be very interesting to know other people's thoughts on this one, anyone??...

 

[Tim Bond]

Ouchh... Tolken

Aside from previous mythology I hate to admit it - the work LOTR - was the most influential for good and Ill. For fantasy Tolken has few peers and most who follow will resign their fates to comparisson to this mans work in the area of fantasy - I liked the story - I just don't care for the aftermath that followed and have lost interest in ideas that resemble it.

Primarily a story of ultimate good (the allies of elves, dwarves ect...) vs. the Axis (orcs, bad 'humans' ect...) with one major bad guy much like hitler - right after WWII this made anew an entire modern (based on old patterns) myth system. a simple one - but myths are always at least simple enough (and require no thinking on the part of an afficted person going through it - just 'feeling' and strong emotion) to remember. ultimate Good vs. evil is an ancient myth, but the fantasy Tolken established is a specific take on it - the results had some good things about it (the JRR LOTR series itself) and has many poor results too:

the constant repetition with mediocre fantasy writers all hung up on Tolkens ideal - like sword of shannara ect... and most starting role-players/games rely heavy on this pattern - only more innovative works ever got through it as a phase. a whole generation who lived through WWII and the one after who had that world 'fed' to them by the words and works of the previous generation and their conception of a 'world the way it should be' - all these people would consume this in their fiction/fantasy or scifi (star-wars) and never understand that this pattern was just a simple (twist) variation on a simple myth thousands of years old and that it was just a culture wide response to great stress. Only when the excitement dies down and boredom takes over do people begin to ask "why does it always have to be like this? What makes it so right?"

For speculative fiction (fantasy or sci-fi)

Tolken is clearly myth and no longer serves even equivalency as modern translation of events. It really never was speculative (future oriented) and now resides within myth. Speculative fiction should be just that - looking toward the new possibilities and actions man may take or undergo for transformation. if it hints at myth re-creation, or delves into the merely modern concerns of the day then this is no longer speculation.

Orientations:

speculation - future -
new ideas and concepts for our future to come to terms with
Rock n’ roll 50’s

contemporary - here and now -
gossip or assimilation of once revolutionary ideas
Rock n’ roll 70’s

mythic - past - repetition of old patterns/ideas –
Rock n’ roll 90’s

 

[Brys]

Well I'm quite a fan of most of those books you list threre Brys, no secrets there but not sure if Tolkien's LOTR was the most influential fantasy ever written, certainly perhaps in the past 50 years or so but of all time? I'll have to think about that one....

Would be very interesting to know other people's thoughts on this one, anyone??...

I think in terms of direct influence, he has influenced more fantasy than any other single author. Dunsany admittedly was very influential, but not on the same level as Tolkien. And who actually influenced the late 19th/early 20th century history? Usually it came from a variety of sources, and it's hard to track anyone's influence. Perhaps there are a few who are close for science fiction, but it's hard to find any one author who had quite the same influence. Tolkien has influenced many who hate his work - eg Perdido Street Station was influenced very much by him, as Mieville tried to fight back against the Tolkienesque fantasy that's dominant - he said that Tolkien had loomed over it. He also played a huge part in making it a publishing genre. His influence is certainly not all good, but it's still influence.

 

[Jay]

I think there is no question Tolkien is the most influential Fantasy author ever. Whether I appreciate his legacy or not, isn't really isn't a factor, whiel I would argue the Moorcockian influence on fantasy was larger on books I enjoy, I would say Tolkien's influence extends far wider by a large degree. Epic fantasy is by far the largest/most popular branch of the genre and all roads lead back to Tolkien, whether it's Terry Brooks, or George R.R. Martin. Tolkien has probably inspired more heinous work than anyone else has influenced overall (either good or bad) however that doesn't detract that he did influence them. I don't thin he was a better writer than Dunsany (or dozens of others in epic fantasy), but I think the scope of his influence is described aptly even by one of his chief critics:

Tolkien is the wen on the arse of fantasy literature. His oeuvre is massive and contagious - you can't ignore it, so don't even try. The best you can do is consciously try to lance the boil. And there's a lot to dislike - his cod-Wagnerian pomposity, his boys-own-adventure glorying in war, his small-minded and reactionary love for hierarchical status-quos, his belief in absolute morality that blurs moral and political complexity

Whether love him or hate him, IMHO his influence is imho the farthest reaching, even if that influence hasn't translated to my tastes on more than a few occasions.

 

[GOLLUM]

Well lads you've done a good job at convincing the world that Tolkien was the most influenctial author in the fantasy Genre as we know it today......

Actually I've held a simliar belief for some time now but I was curious to see what reaction my question would elicit and it was a fairly convincing one..

After all, its good to stir the literary pot once in a while, otherwise things can get slightly boring..........

EDIT I also agree that Tolkien is by no means IMO a giant in terms of writing ability but YES ther'es no denying his influence, no matter what way you judge these things.

 

[Tim Bond]

Hah...LOL

We are all crazy

I thought this was about speculative fiction -
not speculation about fiction.

Anyway - I have gladly made my contribution on
the Tolken subject so my hands are not exactly clean.

I do like the direction off or on topic and don't mind either way we all go with it,
just mention. Tolken does do strange things to the fans.

LNL (laugh but not loudly)

Tolken is cool - I still think I like the series a little more than the movies
(the movies were great) - different pace and books always have more depth.

 

[Violanthe]

I agree that Tolkien's technical story-telling abilities are less than perfect. I consider him a heavyweight for his world-building, not for his storytelling.

 

[BAYLOR]

Dangerous Visions groundbreaking anthology edited by Harlan Ellison.

 

[RX-79G]

How did the OP's request for "best" become "most influential"?

The endless top whatever list making is getting on my nerves, because it is always defined primarily by the limited nature of the list itself, rather than criteria that could be applied directly to each work. Then what follows is soul searching and a list of stuff that critics who don't really like spec fiction would have assembled because it thumbs its nose at the mainstream of SFF. Insert Ellison and Bradbury here. I personally don't care that someone thinks a novel about firemen burning books is "important" - I found it boring and morally obvious.

And "influence" is even screwier, when you consider that the first guy to do something is not necessarily the first one to do it really well. There have been many authors that have broken new ground in their day and changed things at the time - but for all time?

And then there are the books that are great, but not influential - Hitchhiker's Guide is wonderful sci fi, even if it didn't spawn a sub genre of absurdist fiction. It is amazing all on its own.


Personally, I would rather submit the genre to some sort of quantitative criteria and see what falls out. Something like book sales/readership over time compared to readability score: What are the most challenging reads that people keep attempting? I think that would tell us a lot more about where our hearts believe the real magic is kept.