The folks over at the Westeros Forums recently had a forum-wide vote to determine their list of the Top Ten Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors (of All Time, apparently).  Aidan Moher of A Dribble of Ink reposted the list, with a short introduction, in an easily digestible format with brief comments by Werthead on each.

The (unannotated) list is as follows:

10.  Frank Herbert

9.  Joe Abercrombie

8. Stephen R. Donaldson

7.  Steven Erikson

6.  China Mieville

5.  Robin Hobb

4.  Gene Wolfe

3.  R. Scott Bakker

2.  J.R.R. Tolkien

1.  George R. R. Martin

The list is an interesting one, not least because of the presence of Joe Abercrombie and even China Mieville.  China Mieville has only been writing novels for about a decade and Joe Abercrombie's first book was published in 2006.  The inclusion of such relative newcomers in an "all-time best," especially one based on popular vote, is somewhat astounding.  The list also suggests a shift in taste in fantasy and science fiction.  Granted, this is one list compiled from the votes of one online forum.  But of the ten authors listed, only one, Tolkien, could really be characterized as epic fantasy in the classic sense.  That is to say, of all the works listed, only The Lord of the Rings follows the classic Hero's Journey archetype to the letter.  The others make it harder on their characters and generally don't promise happy endings.  China Mieville, for instance, has publicly scorned the genre's reliance on the Tolkien style and predictable epic fantasy in general. 

None of this is a bad thing.  All of these authors write important, original, engaging literature, and it is due to their efforts on the genre's behalf that we even have such alternative reading.  Even ten years ago, such a list would probably have been populated primarily by names like Robert Jordan, David Eddings, and Terry Brooks.  The fact that these authors weren't included doesn't lessen their impact, but it does indicate that fantasy is evolving as a genre.  And evolution is a good thing.

We do, however, mourn the fact that Tad Williams' name didn't make the top ten.