Roger Pavelle's Top Ten Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels

Well, here goes in no particular order after the first:

1. The Once and Future King by T.H. White
   This is one book that will always hold a special place in my heart. I first read it shortly after seeing Camelot on Broadway back when I was around 15. It covers the entire Arthurian legend, from Arthur's days as a child (The Sword in the Stone, for those wanting a Disney reference) through the night before his final battle against Mordred. What really makes it work is the way all the characters are fleshed out as real people, which really hadn't been done before this. All the hopes and dream are easy to relate to, the despair is heartfelt, the intercharacter relations the same as those between any group of friends. And it brings out the essence of the tragedy and triumph that lie at the heart of the story of King Arthur.

2. The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment)
   I don't know if this was the first attempt to write an Arthurian story set in its historical context, but it's the first and best one I've read. An interesting counterpoint to TH White.

3. Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein
   [Note: this does not include The Hobbit, which is a separate book and worth reading in its own right] - Who can say if there would be fantasy literature as we know it if it wasn't for Tolkein.

4. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
   Kay was one of the chief editors on the Silmarillion and picked up a lot from Tolkein in the process. His books are some of the few that I will always pick up in hardcover because I don't want to wait for the paperbacks to come out a year or more later. They tend to the epic in scope with twists and turns, characters who aren't what they seem (unless they are), wrapped up in some wonderful writing.

5. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
   Many people would agree that Heinlein's 3 best novels are Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers, and this one. All are worth reading and very different in style, subject and feel. What tips the balance for me is that Moon doesn't get sidetracked as much with politics or sexual philosophy as the other two. Read them all and decide for yourself.

6. Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams (The Dragonbone Chair, The Stone of Farewell, To Green Angel Tower)
   Be warned, Tad Williams writes LONG books. Fortunately, he does so very well. This trilogy is a classic fantasy-coming of age-epic world story that's certainly worth the effort.

7. The Ender Wiggin novels by Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind)
   It's amazing how four novels, written by the same person about mostly the same characters, can have such different feels and themes between them and yet hold together as a coherent story. Almost everything by Card is worth reading, but these are among the best.

8. Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
   I had heard about the Sandman stories and so I borrowed a copy of this collection of graphic short stories from a friend. When I was done I asked him if all the Sandman stuff was this good and he responded yes. About a year later, having read the rest of the Sandman stories, I gave a copy of Preludes and Nocturnes to my brother as a gift. His reaction, "Is all the Sandman stuff this good?" My response, "Yes".

9. War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
   This is really a novel for people in the Twin Cities. It is set in the metro area and encompasses all those places you've seen or heard about with a sense of the magic in the area. And, as the taller half of the Flash Girls, you can also go and meet her at CONvergence this year.

10. Dogland by Will Shetterly
    I'm not really sure how to describe this one except to say it is a wonderful story and you should go read it.

Honorable mentions (besides other books by the authors above) - The Odyssey by Homer, Beowulf, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by S.T. Coleridge, The Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne.

There's a lot more that I haven't read and others that I read and enjoyed but haven't mentioned here due to time and space. Oh well.