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From: brust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Re: Metropolis and Brunner
Message-ID: <142@hyper.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 22-Mar-85 13:02:04 EST
Article-I.D.: hyper.142
Posted: Fri Mar 22 13:02:04 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 24-Mar-85 07:07:01 EST
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> > From: Alastair Milne <milne@uci-icse>
> > 
> > 
> > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> > 
> >    >Also who wrote THE SHEEP LOOK UP , ( an english guy ?) , the Best
> >    >SF Book of all time .
> >    >-Julian Long
> > 
> >    No.  The best SF book of all time is LORD OF LIGHT by Roger Zelazny.
> >    It is also the best English Language book written in the twentieth
> >    century.  An argument of best SF book of all time could be made for
> >    Twain's Connecticut Yankee.
> > 
> >                             -- SKZB
> > 
> > 
> > <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> > 
> > 
> >   The best English language book of the 20th century is very probably 
> > Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings".  Absolutely masterful.  A work both of 
> > writing and creation that has become the standard by which such works are 
> > measured.  When a publisher really wants to turn heads for a fantasy book,
> > he puts on the cover something like "a new rival for The Lord of the Rings",
> > which is almost universally false, but eye-catching.
> > 
> >   Tolkien held the chair in English at Merton College in Oxford for many 
> > years, was a master of Middle English and a prolific writer.  His 
> > qualifications for use of English go far beyond those of any sf-author I have 
> > ever heard of, even my absolute favourites, and his writings and poetry prove
> > it.
> > 
> >   So I would want to see *very* convincing evidence of Lord of Light's claim
> > before I would even consider ranking Zelazny with Tolkien.
> > 
> > 					Alastair Milne
> 
> Since when does academia have a damn thing to do with a good book?
> Though Tolkien certainly was extremely imaginative and innovative.
> Personally, I find his writing ponderous and the characters a bit
> too black and white though certainly they are well above average
> books.  I enjoyed Lord of Light more than Tolkien but I am not sure
> I would say best book of all time.  Songmaster (Orson Scott Card)
> perhaps, Heritage of Hastur (Marion Zimmer Bradley) maybe, Creatures
> of Light and Darkness (Zelazny again) possibly, (Riddle of Stars)
> Patricia Mckillip Ahhh! I give up.
> But if I really had to choose I think I wouldgo with the Belgariad
> by David Eddings.  Though more recent the books blend real seeming
> and humorous characters with gripping fantasy.
> 
> David Albrecht

NOTE -- sorry to quote the whole thing for what won't be that a
long a comment, but I couldn't decide what to clip.

Anyway, I feel your choices are all goodones.  The reasons I wouldn't
agree with them aren't that they are bad, they merely aren't as
perfect as LoL.  SONGMASTER, in my humble opinion, falls apart
at the end, although it is tremendous up until then.  RIDDLE OF
STARS is very good, but not up their with the others.  Neither
Bradley or Eddings are quite good enough word-smiths, and CREATURES
OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS, while I love it muchly, isn't quite
accessable enough.

I tend to diferentiate "This is good" from "I like this."  Lord
of Light brings everything together.  It...oh well.  I'm glad
this discussion began.  I'm enjoying it.
			- SKZB