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Guardian Top Science Fiction List
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strongaf
Posted 2015-02-23 5:37 PM (#9701)
Subject: Guardian Top Science Fiction List



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I was looking at 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read published by the Guardian, from which the list here on WWE is taken, and realized that there are a number of works already in the database here that are part of the larger Guardian list but in a different section than science fiction and fantasy. For instance, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Slaughter-House Five, The Island of Doctor Moreau, Cryptonomicon, Gulliver's Travels (among others) are all listed under the heading of War and Travel. While the Guardian listed them under another heading, WWE considers these books SF/F/H. However, they do not appear in the Guardian: Best SF/F list here on WWE. I think it makes sense to add all books in the WWE database in the Guardians larger list to the Guardian: Best SF/F list here, regardless of heading in the original Guardian list.
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justifiedsinner
Posted 2015-02-25 10:52 AM (#9720 - in reply to #9701)
Subject: Re: Guardian Top Science Fiction List



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I disagree. I think we should stick to the lists as published. We are, in a way, a site of record. We should not be publishing our own versions especially since our classification of what is SF/F/Horror is subjective.
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strongaf
Posted 2015-02-25 2:38 PM (#9725 - in reply to #9720)
Subject: Re: Guardian Top Science Fiction List



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I think that your concern might be misplaced. Any possible confusion could be fixed through presentation. For instance, the regular Guardian Top SF/F list could stay the same and below there could be a supplement that lists other works in the WWE database on the Guardian listed thematic areas other than SF. This could explicitly tell the reader that the book is not in the Guardian thematic area of SF, but WWE still includes the work in its database.

Further, the Guardian Top SF/F list already isn't as published. The Guardian did not publish a list of the best SF/F novels. They published a list of 1000 novels everyone must read. The list was published in thematic "supplements," but was not intended to pigeon-hole any book listed into one specific genre. I do not think that the Guardian, in thematically arranging their list, intended to argue that Slaughter-House Five was not science fiction. In fact, in the introduction to their thematic section on science fiction, the Guardian argued for an expansive definition of science fiction and fantasy: "It is sometimes assumed that science fiction, fantasy and horror must mean spaceships, elves and vampires - and indeed, you'll find Iain M Banks, Tolkien and Bram Stoker on our list of mind-expanding reads. Yet these three genres have a tradition as venerable as the novel itself. Fiction works through metamorphosis: in every era authors explore the concerns of their times by mapping them on to invented worlds, whether they be political dystopias, fabulous kingdoms or supernatural dimensions. JG Ballard, the writer who brought SF into the mainstream, has remarked that 'Everything is becoming science fiction.'"

Finally, I think that including the novels already in the WWE database would further the mission of WWE. WWE's goal, as stated in the FAQ, is to help in "to identifying, reading and sharing the best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror novels the genre has to offer." I think that including all novels listed by the Guardian as one of the 1000 novels everyone must read that are in the WWE database, regardless of thematic section, would help readers identify worthwhile books. I know that I personally find the Guardian's list one of the most compelling and useful for creating my reading list. I really think that adding the additional books in the Guardian list would be a useful tool for people to help identify worthwhile books.

Happy reading!

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