Over at the NPR website they are running a poll for the “top-100 list of the best science fiction and fantasy ever written”. They started out asking for suggestions, and then got a panel of experts to whittle those down to a long list. Those experts were John Clute, Farah Mendlesohn and Gary K. Wolfe so, while there are a few times where I thought “what were you thinking!”, it is a pretty good list. Of course it is by no means 50:50, but lots of fine women writers are mentioned.
NPR now wants everyone to list their top 10 from the long list. You can vote here. Let’s see if we can manage to make the final top ten not entirely male, eh?
” .. while there are a few times where I thought “what were you thinking!”, ”
I can share that sentiment! I mean..oh come ON, … ‘Battlefield Earth’ ?
Remember that they had to work from a list suggested by readers. If something was suggested by a lot of people, they would probably have to include it.
That was an odd experience. Very strange decisions about when to list a “series” and when to list a title.