LORD OF THE RINGS Among Locus' “Best Novels of 20th and 21st Century”

In November 2012 Locus Online hosted a poll for the best novels and short fiction of the 20th and 21st centuries, with five categories in each century: SF novel, fantasy novel, novella, novelette, and short story. For 20th century categories, up to 10 votes in each category were allowed; for 21st century categories, 5 items in each were allowed. Results depend on rank of votes within each category, using algorithms that reward a 1st place vote twice as many points as a 5th or 10th place vote, but not 5 times or 10 times as many.

A total of 625 valid ballots were received, three-quarters of them in the last four days of November.

Since all votes were write-in, the task of compiling results was more arduous than it is for the annual Locus Polls. As of today only results in the novel categories have been completed, and are as follows. An * indicates a tie.

20th Century SF Novel:
Rank Author : Title (Year) Points Votes
1 Herbert, Frank : Dune (1965) 3930 256
2 Card, Orson Scott : Ender's Game (1985) 2235 154
3 Asimov, Isaac : The Foundation Trilogy (1953) 2054 143
4 Simmons, Dan : Hyperion (1989) 1836 131
5 Le Guin, Ursula K. : The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) 1750 120
6 Adams, Douglas : The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979) 1631 113
7 Orwell, George : Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) 1493 105
8 Gibson, William : Neuromancer (1984) 1384 100
9 Bester, Alfred : The Stars My Destination (1957) 1311 91
10 Bradbury, Ray : Fahrenheit 451 (1953) 1275 91
11 Heinlein, Robert A. : Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) 1121 75
12 Heinlein, Robert A. : The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966) 1107 76
13 Haldeman, Joe : The Forever War (1974) 1090 82
14 Clarke, Arthur C. : Childhood's End (1953) 987 70
15 Niven, Larry : Ringworld (1970) 955 74
16 Le Guin, Ursula K. : The Dispossessed (1974) 907 62
17 Bradbury, Ray : The Martian Chronicles (1950) 902 63
18 Stephenson, Neal : Snow Crash (1992) 779 60
19 Miller, Walter M. , Jr. : A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959) 776 56
20 Pohl, Frederik : Gateway (1977) 759 58
21 Heinlein, Robert A. : Starship Troopers (1959) 744 53
22 Dick, Philip K. : The Man in the High Castle (1962) 728 54
23 Zelazny, Roger : Lord of Light (1967) 727 50
24 Wolfe, Gene : The Book of the New Sun (1983) 703 43
25 Lem, Stanislaw : Solaris (1970) 638 47
26 Dick, Philip K. : Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) 632 47
27 Vinge, Vernor : A Fire Upon The Deep (1992) 620 48
28 Clarke, Arthur C. : Rendezvous with Rama (1973) 588 44
29 Huxley, Aldous : Brave New World (1932) 581 42
30 Clarke, Arthur C. : 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 569 39
31 Vonnegut, Kurt : Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) 543 39
32 Strugatsky, Arkady & Boris : Roadside Picnic (1972) 518 36
33 Card, Orson Scott : Speaker for the Dead (1986) 448 31
34 Brunner, John : Stand on Zanzibar (1968) 443 33
35 Robinson, Kim Stanley : Red Mars (1992) 441 35
36 Niven, Larry (& Pournelle, Jerry) : The Mote in God's Eye (1974) 437 32
37 Willis, Connie : Doomsday Book (1992) 433 33
38 Atwood, Margaret : The Handmaid's Tale (1985) 422 32
39 Sturgeon, Theodore : More Than Human (1953) 408 29
40 Simak, Clifford D. : City (1952) 401 28
41 Brin, David : Startide Rising (1983) 393 29
42 Asimov, Isaac : Foundation (1950) 360 24
43 Farmer, Philip Jose : To Your Scattered Bodies Go (1971) 356 25
44 Dick, Philip K. : Ubik (1969) 355 25
45 Vonnegut, Kurt : Cat's Cradle (1963) 318 24
46 Vinge, Vernor : A Deepness in the Sky (1999) 315 22
47 Simak, Clifford D. : Way Station (1963) 308 24
48 Wyndham, John : The Day of the Triffids (1951) 302 24
49* Keyes, Daniel : Flowers for Algernon (1966) 297 23
49* Delany, Samuel R. : Dhalgren (1975) 297 19

20th Century Fantasy Novel:
Rank Author : Title (Year) Points Votes
1 Tolkien, J. R. R. : The Lord of the Rings (1955) 5675 340
2 Martin, George R. R. : A Game of Thrones (1996) 2182 149
3 Tolkien, J. R. R. : The Hobbit (1937) 2040 138
4 Le Guin, Ursula K. : A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) 1613 113
5 Zelazny, Roger : Nine Princes in Amber (1970) 971 70
6 Lewis, C. S. : The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) 821 58
7 Mieville, China : Perdido Street Station (2000) 757 54
8 Rowling, J. K. : Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) 657 49
9 Crowley, John : Little, Big (1981) 645 41
10 Adams, Richard : Watership Down (1972) 632 46
11 Goldman, William : The Princess Bride (1973) 604 46
12 Martin, George R. R. : A Storm of Swords (2000) 602 43
13 Beagle, Peter S. : The Last Unicorn (1968) 597 45
14 White, T. H. : The Once and Future King (1958) 589 46
15 Pratchett, Terry (& Gaiman, Neil) : Good Omens (1990) 523 38
16 Kay, Guy Gavriel : Tigana (1990) 522 38
17 Gaiman, Neil : Neverwhere (1996) 509 38
18 Wolfe, Gene : The Book of the New Sun (1983) 494 35
19 Vance, Jack : The Dying Earth (1950) 457 31
20 Bulgakov, Mikhail : The Master and Margarita (1967) 442 29
21 Rowling, J. K. : Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000) 440 33
22 Tolkien, J. R. R. : The Silmarillion (1977) 433 32
23 Leiber, Fritz : The Swords of Lankhmar (1968) 425 30
24 Jordan, Robert : The Eye of the World (1990) 423 29
25 Donaldson, Stephen R. : Lord Foul's Bane (1977) 416 32
26 Bradbury, Ray : Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) 411 30
27 Peake, Mervyn : Gormenghast (1950) 410 29
28 Rowling, J. K. : Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999) 406 32
29 Powers, Tim : The Anubis Gates (1983) 403 29
30 Martin, George R. R. : A Clash of Kings (1998) 381 26
31 Bradley, Marion Zimmer : The Mists of Avalon (1983) 368 28
32 Hobb, Robin : Assassin's Apprentice (1995) 367 27
33 Pratchett, Terry : The Colour of Magic (1983) 359 27
34 Holdstock, Robert : Mythago Wood (1984) 326 25
35 King, Stephen : The Stand (1978) 316 22
36* L'Engle, Madeleine : A Wrinkle in Time (1962) 310 23
36* Pratchett, Terry : Small Gods (1992) 310 23
38 Ende, Michael : The Neverending Story (1983) 291 23
39 Peake, Mervyn : Titus Groan (1946) 287 20
40 Howard, Robert E. : Conan the Barbarian (1950) 283 20
41 McCaffrey, Anne : Dragonflight (1968) 281 22
42 Orwell : George : Animal Farm (1945) 279 20
43 Feist, Raymond E. : Magician (1982) 274 21
44 Silverberg, Robert : Lord Valentine's Castle (1980) 261 20
45 Lovecraft, H. P. : At the Mountains of Madness (1936) 249 20
46 Swanwick, Michael : The Iron Dragon's Daughter (1993) 247 18
47 King, Stephen : The Shining (1977) 238 18
48 Garcia Marquez, Gabriel : One Hundred Years of Solitude (1970) 223 16
49 Saint-Exupery, Antoine de : The Little Prince (1943) 217 16
50 Hughart, Barry : Bridge of Birds (1984) 213 16

21st Century SF Novel:
Rank Author : Title (Year) Points Votes
1 Scalzi, John : Old Man's War (2005) 674 101
2 Stephenson, Neal : Anathem (2008) 432 63
3 Bacigalupi, Paolo : The Windup Girl (2009) 367 58
4 Wilson, Robert Charles : Spin (2005) 305 49
5 Watts, Peter : Blindsight (2006) 251 37
6 Morgan, Richard : Altered Carbon (2002) 238 37
7 Collins, Suzanne : The Hunger Games (2008) 199 32
8 Gibson, William : Pattern Recognition (2003) 197 30
9 Mieville, China : The City & the City (2009) 193 29
10 Stross, Charles : Accelerando (2005) 187 31
11 Mitchell, David : Cloud Atlas (2004) 185 30
12 McDonald, Ian : River of Gods (2004) 181 29
13 McCarthy, Cormac : The Road (2006) 151 23
14 Harrison, M. John : Light (2002) 147 22
15* Willis, Connie : Black Out/All Clear (2010) 142 20
15* Chabon, Michael : The Yiddish Policemen's Union (2007) 142 23

21st Century Fantasy Novel:
Rank Author : Title (Year) Points Votes
1 Gaiman, Neil : American Gods (2001) 721 109
2 Clarke, Susanna : Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004) 609 94
3 Rothfuss, Patrick : The Name of the Wind (2007) 422 64
4 Mieville, China : The Scar (2002) 221 33
5 Martin, George R. R. : A Feast for Crows (2005) 213 34
6 Rowling, J. K. : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007) 211 33
7 Bujold, Lois McMaster : The Curse of Chalion (2001) 177 27
8 Mieville, China : The City & the City (2009) 170 28
9 Fforde, Jasper : The Eyre Affair (2001) 160 27
10* Bujold, Lois McMaster : Paladin of Souls (2003) 150 22
10* Pratchett, Terry : Night Watch (2002) 150 26
12 Gaiman, Neil : Coraline (2002) 144 24
13 Wolfe, Gene : The Wizard Knight (2004) 141 23
14 Pratchett, Terry : Going Postal (2004) 137 23
15* Gaiman, Neil : The Graveyard Book (2008) 136 22
15* Lynch, Scott : The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006) 136 23

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