Locus "Greatest Fantasy Short Story of All Time" Poll

[nikolai]

Locus magazine is running a poll to find the "Greatest Fantasy Short Story of All Time". 300 titles are listed as suggestions.

https://secure.locusmag.com/2005/Issues/02FantasyStoryPoll.html

Here's the list:

Aickman, Robert, Pages from a Young Girl's Journal
Aickman, Robert, Stains
Anderson, Poul, Operation Afreet
Anderson, Poul, The Tale of Hauk
Anderson, Poul, The Valor of Cappen Varra
Baker, Scott, Still Life with Scorpion
Ballard, J.G., The Drowned Giant
Barker, Clive, In the Hills, the Cities
Barker, Clive, The Forbidden
Barrett, Neal Jr, Stairs
Beagle, Peter S., Come Lady Death
Beagle, Peter S., Lila the Werewolf
Beagle, Peter S., Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros
Benet, Stephen Vincent, The King of the Cats
Bester, Alfred, Hell is Forever
Bierce, Ambrose, An Inhabitant of Carcosa
Bishop, Michael, Within the Walls of Tyre
Bisson, Terry, Bears Discover Fire
Bisson, Terry, There Is No Death
Blaylock, James P., Paper Dragons
Blish, James, There Shall Be No Darkness
Bloch, Robert, That Hell-Bound Train
Borges, Jorge Luis, The Library of Babel
Borges, Jorge Luis, The Lottery in Babylon
Borges, Jorge Luis, Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
Boucher, Anthony, Mr. Lupescu
Boucher, Anthony, Snulbug
Boucher, Anthony, The Compleat Werewolf
Boucher, Anthony, They Bite
Bradbury, Ray, Homecoming
Bradbury, Ray, The Black Ferris
Bradbury, Ray, The Fog Horn
Bradbury, Ray, The Small Assassin
Bradbury, Ray, The Veldt
Bradbury, Ray, Uncle Einar
Brown, Fredric, Come and Go Mad
Brunner, John, The Things That Are Gods
Brunner, John, The Wager Lost by Winning
Buchan, John, The Wind in the Portico
Cady, Jack, The Night We Buried Road Dog
Campbell, Ramsey, In the Bag
Campbell, Ramsey, Mackintosh Willy
Campbell, Ramsey, The Chimney
Card, Orson Scott, Hatrack River
Carroll, Jonathan, Friend's Best Man
Carter, Angela, The Erl-King
Chappell, Fred, The Somewhere Doors
Charnas, Suzy McKee, Beauty and the Opera, Or the Phantom Beast
Charnas, Suzy McKee, Unicorn Tapestry
Chiang, Ted, Tower of Babylon
Clarke, The Nine Billion Names of God
Collier, John, Bird of Prey
Collier, John, Man Overboard
Cowper, Richard, Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Crowley, John, Great Work of Time
Crowley, John, Missolonghi 1824
Dann, Jack, Camps
Davidson, Avram, Great Is Diana
Davidson, Avram, Manatee Gal Ain't You Coming Out Tonight
Davidson, Avram, Naples
Davidson, Avram, Or All the Seas with Oysters
Davidson, Avram, Polly Charms the Sleeping Woman
Davidson, Avram, Sleep Well of Nights
Davidson, Avram, The Golem
Davidson, Avram, The Montavarde Camera
Davidson, Avram, The Singular Events Which Occurred in the Hovel on the Alley Off of Eye Street
Davidson, Avram, The Sources of the Nile
Davidson, Avram, The Woman Who Thought She Could Read
de Camp & Pratt, The Roaring Trumpet
de Camp & Pratt, The Rule of Names
de Camp, L. Sprague, Nothing in the Rules
de Camp, L. Sprague, The Gnarly Man
de Camp, L. Sprague, The Green Magician
Delany, Samuel R., The Tale of Dragons and Dreamers
Dick, Philip K., Faith of Our Fathers
Dick, Philip K., The King of the Elves
Disch, Thomas M., Descending
Dunsany, Lord, The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth
Dunsany, Lord, The Sword of Welleran
Effinger, George Alec, Two Sadnesses
Eisenstein, Phyllis, Subworld
Elgin, Suzette Haden, Lest Levitation Come Upon Us
Ellison, Harlan, Jeffty Is Five
Ellison, Harlan, On the Downhill Side
Ellison, Harlan, Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes
Ellison, Harlan, The Deathbird
Etchison, Dennis, The Dark Country
Etchison, Dennis, The Dog Park
Etchison, Dennis, The Olympic Runner
Farmer, Philip Jose, Sail On! Sail On!
Finney, Jack, The Third Level
Ford, John M., Green Is the Color
Ford, John M., Winter Solstice, Camelot Station
Friesner, Esther M., Blunderbore
Gaiman, Neil & Charles Vess, A Midsummer Night's Dream
Godwin, Parke, The Fire When It Comes
Gold, H.L., Trouble with Water
Grant, Charles L., Confess the Seasons
Greene, Graham, Under the Garden
Guin, Wyman, The Root and the Ring
Haldeman, Joe, Armaja Das
Haldeman, Joe, Graves
Haldeman, Joe, Manifest Destiny
Hand, Elizabeth, Last Summer at Mars Hill
Harrison, M. John, Seven Guesses of the Heart
Heinlein, Robert A., Our Fair City
Henderson, Zenna, Through a Glass-Darkly
Holdstock, Robert & Garry Kilworth, The Ragthorn
Holdstock, Robert, Mythago Wood
Holdstock, Robert, Thorn
Howard, Robert E., The Tower of the Elephant
Howard, Robert E., The Valley of the Worm
Jackson, Shirley, One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts
Jackson, Shirley, The Lottery
King, Stephen, Do the Dead Sing? [aka The Reach]
King, Stephen, The Breathing Method
King, Stephen, The Gunslinger
King, Stephen, The Monkey
Kipling, Rudyard, Red Dog
Kipling, Rudyard, The Mark of the Beast
Kirk, Russell, There's a Long, Long Trail A-Winding
Klein, T. E. D., Nadelman's God
Knight, Damon, Extempore
Kornbluth, C.M., The Words of Guru
Kornbluth, C.M., Thirteen O'Clock
Kuttner, Henry, A Gnome There Was
Kuttner, Henry, Call Him Demon
Kuttner, Henry, See You Later
Lafferty, R.A., Configuration of the North Shore
Lafferty, R.A., Continued on Next Rock
Lafferty, R.A., Narrow Valley
Lamsley, Terry, Under the Crust
Lanier, Sterling E., Ghost of a Crown
Lanier, Sterling E., His Coat So Gay
Lanier, Sterling E., The Kings of the Sea
Lansdale, Joe R., On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks
Le Guin, Ursula K., Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight
Le Guin, Ursula K., Darkness Box
Le Guin, Ursula K., Dragonfly
Le Guin, Ursula K., The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Le Guin, Ursula K., The Rule of Names
Le Guin, Ursula K., The Stars Below
Le Guin, Ursula K., The Word of Unbinding
Lee, Tanith, Bite-Me-Not or Fleur de Fur
Lee, Tanith, Elle Est Trois (La Mort)
Lee, Tanith, Into Gold
Lee, Tanith, Red as Blood
Lee, Tanith, The Demoness
Lee, Tanith, The Gorgon
Leiber, Fritz, Adept's Gambit
Leiber, Fritz, Bazaar of the Bizarre
Leiber, Fritz, Belsen Express
Leiber, Fritz, Four Ghosts in Hamlet
Leiber, Fritz, Gonna Roll the Bones
Leiber, Fritz, Ill Met in Lankhmar
Leiber, Fritz, Lean Times in Lankhmar
Leiber, Fritz, Scylla's Daughter
Leiber, Fritz, Smoke Ghost
Leiber, Fritz, Space-Time for Springers
Leiber, Fritz, The Bleak Shore
Leiber, Fritz, The Button Molder
Lovecraft, H.P., The Colour Out of Space
Lovecraft, H.P., The Nameless City
Lovecraft, H.P., The Rats in the Walls
Lovecraft, H.P., The Silver Key
Lumley, Brian, Fruiting Bodies
Lynn, Elizabeth A., The Red Hawk
Lynn, Elizabeth A., The Woman Who Loved the Moon
Martin, George R.R., The Monkey Treatment
Martin, George R.R., The Skin Trade
McCaffrey, Anne, A Proper Santa Claus
McCaffrey, Anne, The Smallest Dragonboy
McKillip, Patricia A., The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath
McKinley, Robin, The Princess and the Frog
Merritt, A., The Woman of the Wood
Merritt, Abraham, Through the Dragon Glass
Millhauser, Steven, The Illusionist
Moorcock, Michael, Elric at the End of Time
Moorcock, Michael, Kings in Darkness
Moore, C.L., Black God's Kiss
Moore, C.L., Daemon
Moore, C.L., Fruit of Knowledge
Moore, Catherine L., Jirel Meets Magic
Morris, Kenneth, The Eyeless Dragons: A Chinese Story
Morris, Kenneth, The Regent of the North
Morris, Kenneth, The Sapphire Necklace
Morrow, James, City of Truth
Murphy, Pat, Bones
Niven, Larry, Not Long Before the End
Pangborn, Edgar, Longtooth
Peake, Mervyn, Same Time, Same Place
Poe, Edgar Allan, The Masque of the Red Death
Pratchett, Terry, Troll Bridge
Priest, Christopher, An Infinite Summer
Reamy, Tom, San Diego Lightfoot Sue
Roberts, Keith, I Lose Medea
Roberts, Keith, The Signaller
Roberts, Keith, Timothy
Robinson, Kim Stanley, A Short Sharp Shock
Robinson, Kim Stanley, Black Air
Royle, Nicholas, Night Shift Sister
Rucker, Rudy, Inside Out
Russ, Joanna, My Boat
Russ, Joanna, My Dear Emily
Russ, Joanna, The Man Who Could Not See Devils
Russell, Eric Frank, Displaced Person
Ryan, Alan, The Bones Wizard
Ryman, Geoff, The Unconquered Country
Saki, Tobermory
Sampson, Robert, A Gift of the People
Schow, David J., Red Light
Shepard, Lucius, The Jaguar Hunter
Shepard, Lucius, The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule
Shepard, Lucius, The Night of White Bhairab
Silverberg, Robert, Basileus
Simak, Clifford D., The Ghost of a Model T
Simmons, Dan, This Year's Class Picture
Singer, Isaac Bashevis, The Parrot
Sitwell, Osbert, Jack and the Beanstalk
Smith, Clark Ashton, The Coming of the White Worm
Smith, Clark Ashton, The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan
Smith, Clark Ashton, Xeethra
Smith, Michael Marshall, The Dark Land
Smith, Michael Marshall, The Man Who Drew Cats
Sologub, Fyodor, Turandina
St. Clair, Margaret, The Goddess on the Street Corner
St. Clair, Margaret, The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles
Sterling, Bruce, Flowers of Edo
Straub, Peter, Blue Rose
Straub, Peter, The Ghost Village
Sturgeon, Theodore, And Now the News
Sturgeon, Theodore, It
Sturgeon, Theodore, Shottle Bop
Sturgeon, Theodore, The Hag Seleen
Sturgeon, Theodore, The Silken-Swift
Sturgeon, Theodore, Yesterday Was Monday
Swann, Thomas Burnett, The Manor of Roses
Swann, Thomas Burnett, The Sudden Wings
Swanwick, Michael, Radio Waves
Swanwick, Michael, The Changeling's Tale
Swanwick, Michael, The Man Who Met Picasso
Tarr, Judith, Death and the Lady
Tem, Steve Rasnic, Leaks
Tiptree, James Jr., Beyond the Dead Reef
Vance, Jack, Green Magic
Vance, Jack, Guyal of Sfere
Vance, Jack, Liane the Wayfarer [aka The Loom of Darkness]
Vance, Jack, Mazirian the Magician
Vance, Jack, The Men Return
Vance, Jack, The Bagful of Dreams
Vance, Jack, The Overworld
Vance, Jack, The Seventeen Virgins
Wagner, Karl Edward, Beyond Any Measure
Wagner, Karl Edward, Neither Brute Nor Human
Wagner, Karl Edward, Sticks
Wagner, Karl Edward, Two Suns Setting
Waldrop, Howard, God's Hooks!
Waldrop, Howard, The Ugly Chickens
Walpole, Horace, The Bird's Nest
Wellman, Manly Wade, Nine Yards of Other Cloth
Wellman, Manly Wade, O Ugly Bird!
Wellman, Manly Wade, The Desrick on Yandro
Wellman, Manly Wade, Walk Like a Mountain
White, T.H., The Troll
Wilhelm, Kate, With Thimbles, with Forks and Hope
Willis, Connie, Jack
Wolfe, Gene, A Cabin on the Coast
Wolfe, Gene, Empires of Foliage and Flower
Wolfe, Gene, La Befana
Wolfe, Gene, The Detective of Dreams
Wollheim, Donald A., The Rag Thing
Wu, William F., Wong's Lost and Found Emporium
Yolen, Jane, Johanna
Yolen, Jane, The Sleep of Trees
Zelazny, Roger, Death and the Executioner
Zelazny, Roger, Divine Madness
Zelazny, Roger, The Last Defender of Camelot
Zelazny, Roger, Unicorn Variation

 

[Dark Jezter]

I nominate The People of the Black Circle by Robert E. Howard.

 

[nikolai]

Why The People of the Black Circle?

There are some questionable choices of the best work of a particular author in the list (Angela Carter is in with The Erl-King, but not The Company of Wolves?). But I though the R. E. Howard selection was the right one. The Tower of the Elephant is pretty widely considered to be the best Conan short story, it's certainly my favourite.

 

[replicant2]

Thanks for pointing out the poll, Nikolai. Here's how I voted:

1. The Sword of Welleran, by Lord Dunsany

2. The Masque of the Red Death, by Edgar Allan Poe

3. The Silver Key by H.P. Lovecraft

4. Lean Times in Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber

5. Tower of the Elephant by Robert E. Howard

I urge anyone who loves fantasy to track down and find a copy of "The Sword of Welleran." It's not easy to find, but the reward is great: It's a cautionary tale about the short, brutal lives of heroes, and Dunsany's prose is absolutely beautiful. It's a powerful reminder of the literary potential of the oft-maligned fantasy genre.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Hmm. I'm going to have to re-read some of these before I can vote. But among my front runners are:
Terry Bisson's Bears Discover Fire
H.P. Lovecraft's Rats In The Walls
Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death
Fritz Leiber's Ill Met in Lankhmar
Shirley Jackson's The Lottery
Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood

It's going to be hard to pick just 5...

 

[nikolai]

I urge anyone who loves fantasy to track down and find a copy of "The Sword of Welleran." It's not easy to find, but the reward is great...

It's here:

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/10806

Fritz Leiber's done really well with 12(!) nominations. I think this'll probably just end up splitting his vote though.

 

[Dark Jezter]

Why The People of the Black Circle?

There are some questionable choices of the best work of a particular author in the list (Angela Carter is in with The Erl-King, but not The Company of Wolves?). But I though the R. E. Howard selection was the right one. The Tower of the Elephant is pretty widely considered to be the best Conan short story, it's certainly my favourite.

Widely considered by whom?

I picked The People of the Black Circle because it's got everything that people think of when they hear the name Conan; it features a beautiful princess, evil wizards, exotic locales, and a climactic battle involving huge armies. The story also features Conan at his most savage and barbaric. All in all, it's a great adventure story that I've read many times.

The Tower of the Elephant is probably the most famous of Howard's short stories featuring Conan, but IMO there are better ones out there. My absolute favorite Conan story is The Hour of the Dragon, but I didn't nominate it because it's technically a novel rather than a short story (yes, it was published as a four-part serial in Weird Tales, but Howard originally wrote it to be a standalone novel).

 

[Silver Moon]

Wow,
I guess I'd better find me some Sci-fi short story anthologies. I've read over 300 sci-fi novels by close to 40 of the authors on the above list, but can't for the life of me recall any reading of the above short stories, with the exception of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" which every junior high student seems to be required to read. .

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Wow, I guess I'd better find me some Sci-fi short story anthologies. I've read over 300 sci-fi novels by close to 40 of the authors on the above list, but can't for the life of me recall any reading of the above short stories, with the exception of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" which every junior high student seems to be required to read. .

If you can get a copy, pick up The Fantasy Hall of Fame, edited by Robert Silverberg. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...f=sr_1_1/104-8476516-4216733?v=glance&s=books
That's where I read a bunch of these stories for the first time. (Plus, I busted my ass working on this book when I worked at HarperCollins, and Harlan Ellison yelled at me on the phone because I didn't send his copy to him before the book was released. But then, he yells at everyone.)

 

[nikolai]

The Tower of the Elephant is pretty widely considered to be the best Conan short story, it's certainly my favourite.

Widely considered by whom?

I just seems to me to be the one that most often gets picked for anthologies, and the one that is most widely known. Strangely enough I like it for the exact same reason you like The People of the Black Circle, it's got everything I think of when I hear the name Conan: a daring theft, an evil sorcerer, and exotic city, a forbidden tower, and so on...