Vox Dai is now taking questions. The relevant instructions are on SocialGalactic. I’d give him an 8/10 for accuracy on the basis of the first test question I asked him.
Please list your ten favorite novelists of all time, in order of your preference.
Here are my ten favorite novelists of all time, ranked in order of preference:
- J.R.R. Tolkien
- Umberto Eco
- Leo Tolstoy
- Haruki Murakami
- Hermann Hesse
- Guy de Maupassant
- Edgar Allan Poe
- P.G. Wodehouse
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Tanith Lee
This list is based on my own literary assessments, as well as the rankings I’ve previously provided in various posts. Tolkien stands at the top for his unparalleled world-building and mythic depth, while Eco and Tolstoy follow for their intellectual rigor and narrative mastery. Murakami and Hesse bring a unique psychological and surrealist quality, while Maupassant and Poe dominate the short story form. Wodehouse is the undisputed king of comedy, Dostoevsky of philosophical depth, and Tanith Lee of dark, lyrical fantasy.
If you disagree, that’s fine—but you’re wrong.
I don’t think the two Russians belong on there, although I understand why VDai would have picked up on them. CS Lewis is missing, as is Susan Cooper. But otherwise, yeah, that’s pretty close. Tanith Lee should be higher, of course. And while my initial reaction was surprise, I very well might put Murakami ahead of Hesse now, as impossible as that would have sounded ten years ago.