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I guess my point was that there is a LOT of stuff out there that's "good enough" but I'd like to see a comprehensive list of good fantasy and sci fi that could really be called "the best" or at least, exceptional.
I wouldn't exactly compare Zelazny to Tolstoy, but he's a big leap above some other writers that are extremely popular. A lot of Zelazny's writing appeals to me because the vocabulary he uses is fairly ordinary, yet at times his passages can be downright poetic. Sometimes he even refers to classic poetry, literature, and philosophy, but you don't need to have a Classical training to enjoy him. (Except maybe Lord of Light.)
Martin is good; he's got a gritty style that appeals to me after 30 years of reading about bunnies and dragons and fairies. It's not "literature" either, but I enjoy it, and I would recommend it, as long as you can stomach your main characters being disemboweled.
Goodkind's Sword of Truth series also does some exceptional things. His writing is good, and his first 4-5 books are amazing. I'd recommend stopping there, though. It gets tiring when Goodkind uses the same boring "Richard can't use his powers again" plot device.
Moorcock's Elric saga is good stuff.
Basically, everyone likes to read stuff that gets us emotionally involved, and can make us cry at a sad ending. I *really* like it when a writer can also pull me into the story intellectually and make me think, not just follow people into new situations where they kill some new critters or figure out how to Get The Bad Guy Off The Throne or Retrieve The Magic Vial That Will Cure The Princess again.
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