I don't know about casting it as "the best of all time." This seems like a weird, motley collection of various subgenres. 100 books to add to the canon of "must reads" in the genre would probably...
I don't know about casting it as "the best of all time." This seems like a weird, motley collection of various subgenres.
100 books to add to the canon of "must reads" in the genre would probably be a better title. Mostly what this is communicating to me is that I should read more.
No, this is a really good list. A lot of lists fail to recommend anything new, but I see a new reading list here. My one exception of the things I've read is The Eye of the World. I'd say it was...
No, this is a really good list. A lot of lists fail to recommend anything new, but I see a new reading list here.
My one exception of the things I've read is The Eye of the World. I'd say it was roughly as good as Eragon, but the writing, and characters were weak. Plus in the middle of the series the plot ground to a halt from what I've heard. (I didn't get past the third book)
The characters in WoT develop a lot over the course of the series. The series also has a reputation for "The Slog", but I think it's overblown. I think the issue was that the two "slowest" books...
The characters in WoT develop a lot over the course of the series. The series also has a reputation for "The Slog", but I think it's overblown. I think the issue was that the two "slowest" books came out at a time when people were having to wait for them, and had a longer period between them than the previous books in the series. On a reread, that section of the series isn't nearly as long or tedious as people like to make out. That said, fiction is so highly subjective, and there are definitely idiosyncrasies in Jordan's writing and some of the theme's he was playing with in WoT that I could see people bouncing off. The series gets much more interesting and less tolkienesque as you go, but probably has narrower appeal the more you read, too.
Also (and again, preferences in fiction are subjective) I can't fathom how anyone could put Eragon and EotW in the same ballpark. The writing in Eragon has always seemed so amateurish to me, I had trouble staying engaged.
I can see why they'd choose otherwise though and just aim for the highlights. For example, one of the reasons I never bothered trying to read The Wheel of Time series is because it's such an...
I can see why they'd choose otherwise though and just aim for the highlights. For example, one of the reasons I never bothered trying to read The Wheel of Time series is because it's such an enormous commitment of time and energy that I don't feel like starting. The fact that they just recommend Eye of the World communicates to me that I can just read the first one, be happy with it, and not bother continuing unless I really want to. Similarly, recommending Storm of Swords as the only ASOIAF book kind of tells me I could give that one a try if I want to get into the series and read the earlier works and the later ones if I'm into it.
Eye of the World really isn't all that representative of WoT as a whole, though. I usually tell people to give it three books (I realize that's a pretty significant investment). By book three,...
Eye of the World really isn't all that representative of WoT as a whole, though. I usually tell people to give it three books (I realize that's a pretty significant investment). By book three, you're getting a pretty good representation of what the series is about, and Jordan has really started to develop the style and themes of the series. Plus, you're about to get into a stretch that contains the best books in the series by far. The Shadow Rising, The Fires of Heaven, and Lord of Chaos are three of the best in the series, and I think Fantasy in general, all back to back.
If you have the slightest interest in reading books in general, you undoubtedly should give Arabian Nights a go. Judging by your critique of the article you seem to have an open mind -- being even...
If you have the slightest interest in reading books in general, you undoubtedly should give Arabian Nights a go. Judging by your critique of the article you seem to have an open mind -- being even more reason to read it. I read it first sometime around age ~12 and it resulted in my fascination for traditional arabian culture, which since then has expanded into fascination for culture, folklore and history in general!
Oooh I think it's a good collection! There are certainly several of my favorites, along with others in my own must read and a lot I haven't read or seen before. I do like the time mix, in terms of...
Oooh I think it's a good collection! There are certainly several of my favorites, along with others in my own must read and a lot I haven't read or seen before. I do like the time mix, in terms of when these were published. Certainly a good motley collection to pull new reading fodder from.
I don't know about casting it as "the best of all time." This seems like a weird, motley collection of various subgenres.
100 books to add to the canon of "must reads" in the genre would probably be a better title. Mostly what this is communicating to me is that I should read more.
Well here's something we can all argue about https://time.com/collection/100-best-fantasy-books/
No, this is a really good list. A lot of lists fail to recommend anything new, but I see a new reading list here.
My one exception of the things I've read is The Eye of the World. I'd say it was roughly as good as Eragon, but the writing, and characters were weak. Plus in the middle of the series the plot ground to a halt from what I've heard. (I didn't get past the third book)
The characters in WoT develop a lot over the course of the series. The series also has a reputation for "The Slog", but I think it's overblown. I think the issue was that the two "slowest" books came out at a time when people were having to wait for them, and had a longer period between them than the previous books in the series. On a reread, that section of the series isn't nearly as long or tedious as people like to make out. That said, fiction is so highly subjective, and there are definitely idiosyncrasies in Jordan's writing and some of the theme's he was playing with in WoT that I could see people bouncing off. The series gets much more interesting and less tolkienesque as you go, but probably has narrower appeal the more you read, too.
Also (and again, preferences in fiction are subjective) I can't fathom how anyone could put Eragon and EotW in the same ballpark. The writing in Eragon has always seemed so amateurish to me, I had trouble staying engaged.
The ones I recognized were pretty good. In some cases there are two of the same series, which seems unfortunate.
Yeah, I'd prefer they choose the first book in a series.
I can see why they'd choose otherwise though and just aim for the highlights. For example, one of the reasons I never bothered trying to read The Wheel of Time series is because it's such an enormous commitment of time and energy that I don't feel like starting. The fact that they just recommend Eye of the World communicates to me that I can just read the first one, be happy with it, and not bother continuing unless I really want to. Similarly, recommending Storm of Swords as the only ASOIAF book kind of tells me I could give that one a try if I want to get into the series and read the earlier works and the later ones if I'm into it.
Eye of the World really isn't all that representative of WoT as a whole, though. I usually tell people to give it three books (I realize that's a pretty significant investment). By book three, you're getting a pretty good representation of what the series is about, and Jordan has really started to develop the style and themes of the series. Plus, you're about to get into a stretch that contains the best books in the series by far. The Shadow Rising, The Fires of Heaven, and Lord of Chaos are three of the best in the series, and I think Fantasy in general, all back to back.
If you have the slightest interest in reading books in general, you undoubtedly should give Arabian Nights a go. Judging by your critique of the article you seem to have an open mind -- being even more reason to read it. I read it first sometime around age ~12 and it resulted in my fascination for traditional arabian culture, which since then has expanded into fascination for culture, folklore and history in general!
Oooh I think it's a good collection! There are certainly several of my favorites, along with others in my own must read and a lot I haven't read or seen before. I do like the time mix, in terms of when these were published. Certainly a good motley collection to pull new reading fodder from.
Have they done the same thing science fiction?
Closest that you'll get from Time is sci fi + fantasy. It's reader chosen though.
There are some very beautiful bookcovers there.