FS Survey on which fantasy books you'd like to see a Foilio edition of

FS just posted a link to this on Twitter, so if you have any thoughts on fantasy books you'd like to see them produce, now is your chance to have a say: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/FolioFantasyBooks

Personally, I'm not a huge reader of fantasy so I'm struggling to think of much that deserves the FS treatment, but I'm sure there are others out there who have suggestions.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
Dark Tower by Stephen King

I'm hoping they put that survey up because Folio published all of the worth fantasy and science fiction books, only plan to publish a few more titles, and will go back to focusing on literature and history.

... one can dream, right?

I suggested M. John Harrison's Viriconium Sequence, Jack Vance's Dying Earth series, and Roger Zelazny's Amber Chronicles.

- Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke

- The Broken Earth Trilogy - N. K. Jemisin

- More from the Hainish Cycle and Earthsea Trilogy- Ursula K le Guin

- First Law Trilogy - Joe Abercrombie

- Mistborn (era 1) - Brandon Sanderson

- Circe - Madeline Miller

- Tigana - Guy Gavriel Kay

>4 Joshbooks1: ...except that fantasy and science fiction IS literature, my friend. At least when done right.

Here are a few I'm hoping for:

Gene Wolfe - The Book of the Long Sun, The Book of the Short Sun
Milorad Pavic - Dictionary of the Khazars
Arthur Machen - The Hill of Dreams
David Lindsay - A Voyage to Arcturus
Jack Vance - The Demon Princes
Susanna Clarke - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Alfred Bester - The Stars My Destination (Tiger, Tiger!)
Jane Yolen - Dragon's Blood
David Feintuch - Midshipman's Hope

>7 -Ophidian-: +1

I would like to see a box set of the Eustace and Hilda Trilogy by L. P. Hartley. Strictly speaking this is not in itself fantasy, but the idea that the Folio Society as presently constituted might consider it probably is.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, Stardust by Neil Gaiman, and other fantasy classics not already mentioned by others here.

>9 boldface:

Inspired choice. A trilogy made for Folio. I'd like to add it's better-known cousin, Fly Fishing by J.R. Hartley.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Stardust
Neverwhere
The Graveyard Book
Good Omens
Dandelion Wine
Beauty by Robin McKinley
Entire Earthsea Trilogy
Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums
Watership Down

to name a few...

A collection of Tolkien's short stories would be nice, either with the Pauline Baynes illustrations or in series with the FS's other Tolkien works.

Just got a mail from them asking for my interest in the Following series :

Wheel of time
Hunger games
Kingkiller Chronicle
Earthsea
Witcher
Broken Earth
Dark Tower
Gormenghast
Book of Dust
Elric

They add that the books would be priced at about £50 / 75$ and that they don't have the rights yet.

Edit: Never mind, >14 tyreas: noted the other e-mail survey a few seconds before I posted.

I know there has much debate about this and so I don't want to rehash the move into fantasy - but I was disheartened to see the survey, I filled it out, but made my opinions known that if this increase of publishing in this genre is a part of Folio's direction IN ADDITION to the great catalogs of the past, then I'm all for it (who doesn't want Folio to be financially successful?), but if it's IN PLACE of the type of things that filled past catalogs then I am wholeheartedly against it. I am starting to fear it's going to be the latter rather than the former.

>16 vmb443: Your fears are not unfounded. I hope they do something soon to allay those fears.

>16 vmb443: ahh i'm with you. I almost have to laugh about Hunger Games and The Witcher. Years ago I played the last Witcher video game which was fun and the TV show is a worthwhile (don't judge) action show with some soft core porn thrown in, but, really? I'm almost at a loss. It's a little disconcerting to me as well that that is the only survey I have been offered to take in over two years since I started collecting Folio titles.

My suggestions were:

Viriconium, by M. John Harrison

The Worm Ouroboros, by E. R. Eddison

The Night Land, by Hodgson

The Eyes of the Dragon, by Stephen King

The Last Unicorn, by Peter Beagle

The other Earthsea novels, by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Darkness that Comes Before, by R. Scott Bakker

The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart

Swordspoint, by Ellen Kushner

The Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro

>7 -Ophidian-: too bad I didn't think of A Voyage to Arcturus at the time. Oh well.

>4 Joshbooks1: Why do so many people on here have a problem with FS publishing SFF/popular modern works? For a start it isn't like they are exclusively publishing these, and the income generated from selling them is probably crucial to their continued existence. I know that I would prefer they published books I wasn't interested in, if it also allowed them to continue publishing some of the books I was (for the record I like most of thier SFF books so it's a non-issue for me). Very likely the choice is between them publishing a mixture of genres and catering to a wide range of tastes, or them publishing nothing at all, so why is there such an abundance of people complaining about the fact that FS doesn't exclusivley publish books for them?

Secondly, even if I am wrong and they could exclusively publish so called literature and historical works (though as someone else pointed out SFF very much is literature), why do you begrudge people who aren't interested in that the opportunity to own nice versions of their favourite books?

Personally I am glad they publish all sorts of different books, and enjoy the fact that I can buy FS editions of East of Eden and Game of Thrones, but I don't understand the need some feel to try and shut out those who don't enjoy 'classics' or non-fiction works.

The Witcher? Really? Just confirms to me that FS has totally lost the plot, and is being run by illiterate imbeciles (including an MD who doesn't realise Neil Gaiman is one of her authors, not illustrators).

It breaks my heart to see what the current dimwits at FS are doing to a once great institution.

>16 vmb443: I responded along exactly the same lines. That was before I was aware of the separate survey post which laughably included titles with the literary merit of a toilet roll And they laughably still state the following on their website. What a joke.

"Founded in London in 1947, The Folio Society publishes carefully crafted editions of the world’s finest literature. We believe that great books deserve to be presented in a form worthy of their contents. ... Beautifully crafted, imaginative editions of the world’s great works of fiction and non-fiction".

Yes strong language I know, but I am angry.

FS was a publisher of quality lit. That was its niche and why people joined and bought their books. If it’s to become a no-brow publisher of anything that sells, a la EP, what’s the point?

I must admit I filled in the survey and found two of them would tempt me (Earthsea, Gormenghast). In my comments I did state I would prefer more historical works but as I seem to buy their fantasy works at full price am not helping my cause

I love that Folio publishes SF and Fantasy. I just wish they would publish actual classics of the genre, of which there are many deserving of the Folio treatment. Instead...Witcher.

Why can't they just put out the Gormenghast set they used to have? It was searching for a nice set of those titles a decade ago that got me into Folio.
I'm sure Book of Dust would do gangbusters for them, but I just need to snag the third special edition when it comes out to complete that hardcover set, so not going to pump another 150 into it!
Wheel of Time, going to end up costing 800+ so no thanks. Would maybe pick up the first Witcher, the short stories - might be a niche for them to commission a new translation?
Earthsea was the only one that got my full approval. I really like the Vess illustrated cycle from last year, but the book is so large and flimsy made it is tough to read.
Hunger Games - well, they are becoming increasingly visible at democratic protests across the world so they do carry a significance beyond being derivative Sci-fi. I also first read them when I was doing an incredibly stressful series of navigation exams and I just wanted something to take my mind off those, so I do have a soft spot.

I received a survey by email asking to rate these potential titles.

1Wheel of Time
Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan’s high fantasy series covers a vast cast of characters and spans fifteen volumes. The world is locked in a perpetual magical battle of good and evil. Moraine, leader of a band of magic channellers, must protect five survivors of a slaughtered village. She suspects one of them is a reborn channeller called the Dragon – fated to save the world … or destroy it.

Definitely would buy

Probably would buy

Probably would not buy

Definitely would not buy

2Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins

Every year a tribute of children is sent from the impoverished Twelve Districts of Panem to participate in a televised Hunger Games death match – a sentence upon the Districts for a lost war many years ago, and entertainment for the wealthy inhabitants of the victorious Capitol. The resourceful Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister’s place, and becomes an unwitting inspiration for rebellion.

3Kingkiller Chronicle
Patrick Rothfuss

Kvothe was once many things - magician, thief, assassin. Now he is Kote, an unassuming innkeeper. The Kingkiller Chronicle is Kvothe’s story, taking us from life as an abandoned orphan via court intrigue and murder to exile in a land made dangerous by magic and men - amongst whom Kvothe is the most dangerous of all.

4Earthsea
Ursula K. Le Guin

A young wizard is haunted by his own spell; a nameless high priestess contends with her destiny; a pair of travellers set out on a quest to restore magic to the land … Le Guin’s much-loved Earthsea Cycle and her unlikely heroes bring depth and humanity to the realm of fantasy.

5Witcher
Andrzej Sapkowski

Geralt of Rivia is a witcher, trained from childhood to slay monsters, sacrificing much of his humanity to do so. He claims an unborn child, Ciri, to raise as a witcher, only to reject her when she is born female. But as strife rises between the magical and non-magical peoples of the Continent – the dominant humans and ghettoised elves, dwarves and gnomes – it soon becomes clear that Ciri is no ordinary child, and their paths are destined to join again.

6Broken Earth
N. K. Jemisin

The land called the Stillness has been ripped apart by a world-shattering earthquake, and people are looking for someone to blame. For Essun, who returns home to find her son murdered and her daughter kidnapped by their father, the earthquake has another meaning: she and her children are orogenes, who can manipulate seismic forces with their minds. As towns close their gates against newcomers and prevent people leaving, Essun sets off on a quest to find her daughter and wreak revenge for her son’s death.

7The Dark Tower
Stephen King

Roland of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger, pursues the Man in Black across a desert towards the unknown Dark Tower, through an uncanny echo-world, never that far from our own.

8Gormenghast
Mervyn Peake

Titus Groan is growing into his inheritance reluctantly: Gormenghast Castle is the crumbling seat of the Earls of Groan, steeped in ritualised tradition, and towering over the Mud Village, its sorry demesne. But treachery and murder stalk the gloomy gothic halls, and Titus must face his enemy before he can seek the world outside.

9The Book of Dust
Philip Pullman

In Pullman’s alternative, theocratic Oxford, the Magisterium is all-powerful and humans have literal soulmates, shapeshifting daemons. Both prequel and sequel to Lyra Belacqua’s adventures in her world and our own, The Book of Dust revisits the universe-jumping adventure and mystery of His Dark Materials.

10Elric
Michael Moorcock

Created partly in parody of Robert E. Howard’s Conan, Elric of Melniboné is both an emperor and a wandering outlaw, one of the first of Moorcock’s eternal champions who inhabit his multiverse. A sickly antihero, Elric obtains the soul-eating sword Stormbringer, which brings him strength – and his doom.

>20 DanGoddard98: I don't begrudge people that like such titles. My problem lies with the decrease in titles which they have been publishing for decades and replacing those titles for science fiction and popular modern works. I like modern fiction, but Folio has been increasing ever more slightly trendy modern fiction that make or made popular movies. Of course these titles will sell, but they aren't the books Folio has focused on in the past. Even for modern fiction they clearly choose the mass market titles. There's no Javier Marias, Thiong’o, Knausgaard, Murakami, Oe, Modiano, McCarthy, Dedillo, to name a few. I don't even like some of those authors but I would like Folio to at least humor me every now and then. Instead they have taken the opposite route and we get Jurassic Park and the Godfather. That's fine if these books were published every now and then, but it seems much more like the norm these days.

I understand it's financial and I would be fine if they publish an assortment of titles. Look at the facebook page - most walls are only filled with the newer fantasy and science fiction titles. Secondary markets are absurd for some of these sold out books (Man in the High Castle and Call of the Cthulhu immediately come to mind that have turned into popular amazon and hbo series and sell for triple or quadruple their original price). Since Folio likely makes so much money from these titles i'm afraid it's going to become a science fiction and popular fiction publishing company. There are so many more small science fiction publishing companies and so few focusing on literary fiction. As things seem to progress i'll buy less from folio and more from the likes of Arion, Library of America, Everyman's library, and Thornwillow.

I apologize if I have shown contempt for the science fiction and fantasy group but bygone are the days of what Folio once was.

The list was disappointing for me. I would probably go for Elric. Already have the FS Gormenghast and a nice copy of Earthsea set. Big wtf to The Witcher and Hinger Games.

>19 abysswalker: loved the Mary Stewart Arthur books. Never hear them mentioned.

Voted for Earthsea, Broken Earth and Book of Dust.

>27 Joshbooks1: I personally love Everyman’s Library (though wish they published more titles per year) and LOA. Also would love some FS Marias! And more Ishiguro though not really Buried Giants. I would personally prefer When We were Orphans or A Pale View of the Hllls. Would have been nice if they had also released a survey for their more traditional offerings.

Personally find this surveyed selection entirely disappointing.

I’ve just completed the survey after being sent the link by email. I expect this is going to touch a nerve with some of the people who are not enamoured with the route FS is taking!

Personally I would buy Gormenghast and The Book of Dust in a flash, they certainly have literally merit and are only trilogies. But not much else on the list.

I also suggested a new translation of The Witcher, as the setting is very interesting but the writing very poor. The source Polish could be terrible as well for all I know.

Only books from the survey I'm interested in are Elric and Earthsea. Possibly the Gormenghast trilogy, but if they're going to be sold individually that's a downgrade from the original boxed set and I probably wouldn't bother.

>19 abysswalker: - OT, but if you're looking for a quality version of 'The Buried Giant', Faber & Faber published a nice members exclusive edition in standard & deluxe flavors.

This might be of interest as well, regarding his new book 'Klara and the Sun' - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nobel-laureate-kazuo-ishiguro-in-conversation-with-...

I really, really, really hope it isn't Kingkiller Chronicles. The idea of Rothfuss making even more money for an incomplete series is just so frustrating. Plus, i hated that book and would loathe for FS to procure the rights for it. Not only is Rothfuss never going to finish it (much like Martin), the second book is even worse than the first!

Hunger Games is also, quite frankly, rather ridiculous. Even with all the protests going on...surely there are books which are a better representation of our times than HG!

I have read Witcher and like the books well enough to own in paperbacks. I can't say how good/bad the translations are in English, but they seemed fine enough in German. However, i would not be ready to pay £50 per book which FS will end up charging. The books are simply not good enough, in my opinion.

I have never read any Stephen King, so no to Dark Tower.

As for Wheel of Time...good lord. No, thank you. Most irritating representation of women i have ever read in a fantasy series (which is saying something).

Earthsea, Gormenghast, Broken Earth would get an immediate "yes".

*************************************************

I agree with others who find the current situation less than satisfactory. Although i like SFF quite a lot, i find the tilt towards this genre to be a bit too much. They are turning into a less special Suntup. What makes FS unique is that one could have picked up any book published by them and still been in good hands when it came to the quality of the writing. Something that can definitely not be stated for Easton Press. Maybe i don't have a long enough relationship with FS to have acquired enough loyalty towards them, because i would have preferred it if they had continued with their original intentions of publishing great literature. No matter what anyone says, Hunger Games/KKC/WoT are not great literature. Popular, yes. Great, no.

But i guess FS doesn't stand for what it used to. I am just disappointed that i didn't find it sooner and get to live the thrill of seeing silkbound Balzac, etc. turn up in the catalogues.

I get Marvel and (God forbid) Kingkiller. *sigh*

>27 Joshbooks1: You definitely have some valid concerns, and to be fair the main reason I replied to you about it is simply that yours was the most recent post I have seen which reminded me of the complaints people often have. I certainly didn't get the impression you were disparaging SFF. I agree that they could diversify a bit more within the modern works the publish, but I do understand why they choose what they do. Certainly I agree it would be a shame if they stopped publishing the types of book they were originally known for, but I don't get the sense that this is their plan (of course this is just my own take, and I can see why people would worry about the direction of travel). It seems to me that in order for them to continue being a profitable business they need to tap into some of the huge markets they have been, in order to support the publishing of works with less of a mass appeal.

I completely agree with what you point out about some of their books which are also TV or film series, and some of the options from their survey seem to suggest they are trying to lean into this (ie Hunger Games, Witcher). While I do think that taken on merit alone some of those seem strange choices, they are incredibly popular and if fans of those series want a high quality version then I think it is nice that they could have the option of buying one (the question then I suppose is how many fans of the Hunger Games are willing to spend the money required to buy a FS edition).

Where I take issue is when people seem to take quite a high and mighty position (I am not saying this is you, but there are definitely people who do), and look down on certain types of book. It's almost as if it is more important to them that they are a part of an exclusive club, rather than the quality of the books FS produce.

Case in point; >22 foxtrot345: are you seriously saying that just because they publish books by Neil Gaiman, there is no point in them publishing a book by John Bunyan? You say people joined and bought their books because it was niche, do you honestly believe that is more important to people than fantastic standard of illustrations, bindings etc? Because personally, I don't care how many books they publish that I am not intersted in, I am far more concerned that those I am interested in continue being produced to the high calibre I have experienced thus far.

I don't mind Fantasy but I was surprised by the selection. Wheel of time is way too long, I doubt its fans could afford it, and Rothfuss, although quite good, is yet unfinished, so I can't see why FS would even consider publishing any of those at the current stage. I wonder if they have someone who really knows the genre on the team, or if they just try to select whatever seems popular?

Hi. I get great enjoyment from the many viewpoints on Folio topics here but this is the first time I am giving my own. I too received the survey and was in the group of disappointed. I have a great love of fantasy but in regards Folio editions I would be a bit more picky in regards what should get the Folio treatment. I like many genres and have collected Folio editions for a number of years now. Part of what has expanded my reading interests has been the selection of titles Folios back catalogue offers and this forum. But its troubling when the first survey I have received in a while from Folio is for more fantasy and are mostly titles I would not be keen for Folio treatment (and I have read a good portion of the list). There are titles there that I found good but the only one I would give a definite yes to is continuing the Le Guins. Fantasy sells but I would prefer Folio regain a bit more balance in their future title choices. Like has been stated by others Folio is losing what makes it special in the first place if they continue this way. I hope my first post here does not cause any offence to anyone.

I'd have really liked Malazan on this list... I'll never be able to afford 1-5 from SubPress secondary prices :(

Also FWIW because they mentioned Game of Thrones... I own several books from FS/SubPress/Suntup and I think by far the best ones quality wise are FS ASoIaF series... the bindings feel nice, cover art looks great, page quality is nice as well as the chapter headings. My main problem would probably be I don't think the art is the best, and there are huge differences in quality of artwork from picture to picture.

>38 assemblyman:

Hello and welcome to the world of expressing an opinion about the Folio Society and taking your life into your hands :) No, not really. Excellent, thoughtful first post. Let it be the first of many.

I requested Malazan. Was disappointed to see that it wasn’t in the initial list. I would probably buy FS editions of Dark Tower and Elric, though. Some of the others are hard no’s.

I’m glad someone above suggested the continuation of Wolfe’s Solar Cycle. It didn’t occur to me because I typically consider that Sci-Fi.

I also got the survey and would like to mention that it's specifically about epic fantasy, not any type of fantasy. That's why I didn't mention Gaiman, for example. I assume that Martin and Hobb did well for them, which is all good, they've got to earn their money after all.

I like fantasy, actually, and have been happy with some of their publications there and in science fiction. Pratchett, Gaiman or Heinlein, for example, were excellent choices in my opinion. But looking at this list, I get the impression that some of them aren't about high quality, but only about popularity, which is a pity. There are some really good authors / series out there that I would have preferred to pretty much anything on this list. One's incomplete, another excessively long, then there's one they already released some years ago and kept putting into sales because they couldn't get it sold otherwise, one's young adult... This could be much more appealing. How about Tad Williams, for example, Robin McKinley, Glen Cook, Lois McMaster Bujold, or yes to some of the above: More Gaiman, please, and The Last Unicorn, epic fantasy or not.

I love fantasy books and I was aghast at some of the titles on this survey. I feel like someone threw up their netflix que.

I suggested Lloyd Alexander, Peter S Beagle, and Robin McKinley as authors they haven't explored previously. I'd probably consider Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin (haven't read this yet but have heard good things). I would definitely get the rest of the Earthsea books by LeGuin.

I wish they would get someone who actually knows the genre well to curate their choices though.

It would appear the survey I posted around midday was very quickly used to create the list of fantasy series that was sent round to everyone at 4pm. The replies to the original Tweet almost mirror the list in the new survey so it's perhaps a clue as to how they selected the list: https://twitter.com/foliosociety/status/1358747919306936322

Their response that "It does depend on demand" to a request for the Witcher is, I think, quite enlightening. It's clear that FS have moved decision making significantly to a numbers game; whatever is likely to sell the most copies is likely to get the Folio treatment - regardless of any perceived merit - especially if there is an upcoming or recent TV/Movie release. I suppose this makes sense from a business perspective - certainly there is money to be made by producing more popular in-demand books if they can shift them for £50 each (£750 for the Wheel of Time collection!).

The Witcher is a particular surprise given its reputation for being awfully translated and surely is only there because of the success of the TV show and games. The Hunger Games is certainly not well regarded as literature, even if it has some merit due to its moral ambiguities and generally interesting world, but again, it was was spun off as some very successful movies which is probably the reason for its inclusion.

I said originally that I wasn't a huge fantasy reader, but I do have have The Wizard of Earthsea and would like to see a complete folio set. I would also like a Folio edition of The Book of Dust to go with His Dark Materials (although I'm not sure they're of the same standard), however Pullman hasn't even finished writing the 3rd book yet, so it seems premature to be planning a Folio edition (have FS ever had a release day Folio edition of something you could also get as a £10 hardback?). I'm sure the Dark Tower would sell well, but again I suspect it has little to do with its merit as literature and more to do with the recent(ish) movie.

My fear, more than anything, is that FS becomes a publisher of books to go with TV and movie productions, rather than a publisher of books that stand on their own.

>40 folio_books: Thank you for the welcome. I probably shouldn’t have started with a negative comment for my first but intend to have more positive input in the future.

I would love to see Lord Dunsany as he has been so influential in this genre.

>46 assemblyman:

I wouldn't classify your post as negative. I would agree with you, mostly, as would a lot of people posting in this thread. Not that numbers matter that much. Its just one of those subjects that are divisive, and generate strongly-held opinions. Hang around and you'll get used to it.

A couple dystopian SF/Alternate history titles I would love to see:

Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go
Ian MacLeod - The Summer Isles

>my points that, as FS was founded as a publisher of fine lit and not mass market genre lit, its current turn seems to negate the raison d'être of the whole thing. Its as if a fine saddle maker starts making skateboards.

>49 DCBlack: Never Let Me Go was published by FS a few years ago

>51 RRCBS: Sure enough. I knew they had done Remains of the Day, but missed that they also published Never Let Me Go.

>30 RRCBS: Another Marias fan! He's slowly turning into one of my favorite authors. I've read all of his novels and find him so engaging. Some wonderful philosophical tangents.

LOA is great (along with Everyman's). I'm thinking about become a LOA member again. I didn't realize until browsing the other day how many great boxed sets they have. Also agree with Ishiguro. He hits all the Folio checkmarks in that his stories are engaging, unique, with beautiful prose.

My survey holds some clues, and so do yours, here goes :

First off onto the main page it says : We need your help
Tell us your thoughts on future Folio publications

`I would also encourage you to add in the comments section any other authors or series within this broad category which you would like us to consider. Your suggestions are often the most valuable part of our customer research: many of our finest publications have over the years been first proposed by our readers`

Scrolling down onto the survey itself it says :

(12) : If you have any further comments or suggestions please let us know below.

-

I do not interpret that as `feck off` we are from now on not and never again going to publish or re-publish any great literature that has stood the test of time, from now on we are only going to publish shait, and shait only.

Blame public opinion, tell it`s readers they are stupid. But personally I highly doubt FS are ever going to not stop publishing great literature, just because they want to toss a coin on some titles that are (highly) demanded by Folio Society fans (there is a reason they are listed), again and again .. and again on a survey to take the temperature. This librarything group are certainly a hot source, but are not the entire ocean. If anything, state your(s) opinion where it is meant to be written on the survey.

An offensive wanting mind (insert book title here). In possession of a Battering ram or any other siege weapon (a metaphor for the keyboard), any castle door will eventually break. We want Potter, `arry `arry Potter. Not me, but the invaders.

My bet is that we will with Folio Society see a hall of great literature (of course we will), but with the odd one out still. And to be fair, the odd one out has always been there also, hasn`t it. The very very odd ones out has also been printed, hasn`t it. I can name titles, but is not (that) relevant. Folio Society have published many a strange title since it`s existence, difference is when they do it in the future they could as well make some money out of it (because the demand is there). These last years we have seen classics never before printed by FS, so I hardly see this survey as doom and gloom. Oh no, never again a sunny day.

Maybe somewhere out there a teenager would stop playing computer games `all the time` because he had the Witcher for present, or something. Old boy Carl can read his Jane Austens or whatever, or Witcher, or Reacher (haha).

Stop acting like babies (joke), give the babies something to pat on, and I am sure FS will do just that.

I have to admit, though I’m a huge SFF fan and usually am critical of some of the comments here, this really was an awful list.

I have no idea why they thought the Wheel of Time would be a good idea, what with all the braid tugging on every other page. The Witcher I understand is also poorly written, or perhaps poorly translated, but seems like a clear way to cash in on the game and TV show.

And they didn’t have The Malazan Book of the Fallen on there, for whatever reason.

I was pretty aghast to be honest.

I love fantasy and Sci fi and classic literature so I’m happy most of the time with anything Folio publish. However I understand the why publish this popular series/title instead of one of my favourites I and many others regard to be great literature sentiment.

I don’t quite understand how the Broken Earth Trilogy won the Hugo for each novel as I found it to be a huge let down. Poorly written in some parts to rival the lowest quality YA airport novel with completely transparent twists that would make M Night Shyamalan blush. I loved the concept history and world building of the settings which had great promise but I found few other redeeming qualities in the series especially the character work. However this series has many fans and think the twists are clever and well written so it’s likely just me who didn’t like it.

Kingkiller is again not great literature but at least it’s entertaining somewhat and the series will be finished as it’s only one book left that’s he’s been working on for years.

Wheel of time is far too long to collect proving very costly.

Hunger games I honestly haven’t read but wouldn’t imagine this would be in Folio’s Wheelhouse.

The Witcher again I haven’t read but have heard from many the prose is lacking a great deal.

Hopefully they take the suggestions from the surveys and the fans of these works don’t sink the FAD voices to the bottoms of the ocean.

I was dissapointed with the list but I tried to make the most out of the survey. I answered that I won't buy any of those titles and suggested instead that they publish the rest of the Dune Chronicles.

You know, I find a lot of the comments to be at least somewhat snobbish. Don't like the options in the survey? Fine. That's why there is an option to say that you will not buy it. But to say "I've never read Stephen King" with a wink-wink his work is too plebeian for you, and therefore Dark Tower must be a piece of junk, is condensending to say the least. I am not a fan of King in general, especially as a man, but his Dark Tower is one of the best fantasy epics I've read, if not the best in my humble opinion. If you refused to read it because it was written by King, it's your loss. I, for one, would definitely buy all 8 of the books , if FS decides to publish them, in a hearbeat.

>56 Charon49: I can’t agree more about the broken earth series. Terrible from front to back and I do not understand why the author is so highly thought of.

Honestly the list feels like a list of fantasy dreck. I read primarily fantasy and likely always will, and there is so much good fantasy to choose from not to mention so many in the SFF category in general to choose from. It’s very hard to understand how FS came to this list.

The Witcher is so badly written I would shame FS if they published it.

Wheel of time is overrated wanna-be LOTR.

King killer will never be finished. His editor says that she doesn’t believe he’s written a word in six years and the last published book was ten years ago.

Hunger games is YA at best. It’s fun and I liked it but have a hard time seeing the folio society publishing YA.

Gormenghast already has a nice edition from FS and I don’t see a reason for another.

Etc etc.

I would love it if FS made the fantasy category a real part of their catalogue but they can and must do better then this.

Wouldn't it be great if they asked for our top ten reissues? We could then get gems like Walden, Beowulf, the Dante books, 20K Leagues, Pinocchio, etc.

Been another price hike on the folio website. Notice many titles going up 5-10 aud from items like Yangtze Valley to Dune to I Am Legend to Guns Germs and Steel.

>61 Charon49:
Despite the Aussie Dollar improving against Sterling in the last few weeks. :-(

>59 Sorion: "King killer will never be finished. His editor says that she doesn’t believe he’s written a word in six years and the last published book was ten years ago."

Truly? Has he been trolling his fans for the past six years then? And why hasn't his editor quit then?

>55 U_238: ... "I have no idea why they thought the Wheel of Time would be a good idea" ...

Amazon Prime series coming.

>58 dar.lynk:
I’m with you darlynk. I’m totally fine with anyone sharing their preferences but come on let’s also think of things from other people’s perspectives too. Jurassic Park has sold crazy good already which shows high interest, popular titles are good for business. And personally, I for one will gladly take Hunger Games or even Witcher (sorry y’all) over another lame fairy book or some little known title that won’t sell worth a darn. Hunger Games would be a goldmine for them. Bring in the King series, I say.

Remember back when these title suggestions were not-so-funny jokes? Ah, halcyon days, if only we knew.

Count me among the disappointed, but not surprised. Of course, I let Folio know in the survey that I would definitely not be buying any one of the works listed. It’s a far cry from the limited editions surveys of April 2017 when a good 75% of the books were ones I selected as “definitely would buy” and did so for the many that eventually got published. I’m all for Folio expanding their tent to bring in more fans, but this does feel like they are shifting their focus entirely—with fewer books published each year and a greater percentage devoted to pulp fiction/SFF. Again, I’ll be very happy if I’m wrong here and this is merely a tent-expansion exercise.

Such strong negative reactions to Fantasy as a genre.

Tolkien and Shakespeare.

You could never write like them. Does it really matter what mental box you try to put them in?

Is The “Buried Giant” worse litterature than “The Remains of The Day”?

Did not Homer write of a Cyclops and Sirens on an island?

Where do we limit the imagination to make sure that we only write Da Royal Queen’s Best Quality Fiction.

Can the same person possibly enjoy reading both “War and Peace” and “Way of Kings”.

Can a rant be too long if it contains no dragons.

When we assign hidden meanings to other people's simple and plain words, then there is really no telling where the discussion ends up, since we would be letting our imagination (and maybe even our insecurities) dictate the tone of the discussion, rather than taking words at their face value.

I never made any comments regarding the merits or demerits of King's works. The reason why i haven't read The Dark Tower is because it is a Western/Gunslinger sort of fantasy. I don't like westerns as it is. So why would i read a fantasy based around that. Plus, the ending is supposed to be irritating. It's not as if all the fantasy i have read (and loved) is so high brow. I simply have never wanted to read King and the time i tried with The Stand...well, i couldn't do more than a chapter. Also, if the only reason one didn't read a certain kind of literature was because one looked down on it or considered it "too plebian"...well, wouldn't that be just so comforting! (no *wink wink*)

I personally liked The Broken Earth and would most definitely buy it if FS produced it. However, i am not going to take offence if someone cribs about it, since...you know...i neither wrote the book nor is it a personal affront to me if someone doesn't like her writing.

Coming back to Dark Tower, a far more relevant question is if it would even be a success and i think that it wouldn't. The Shining, which is so very well known and a part of pop culture almost, had to be put on sale and still didn't sell out at the time! The Dark Tower is far less recognisable and has a disastrous movie attatched to it. I do not think it would make a runaway success like GoT, etc. (Something like The Stand would have made far more sense considering...well...2020). Although i could be wrong. SFF nerds are unpredictable.

>63 ultrarightist: Pretty much. The disrespect he has shown to his fans time and again is just galling. One of his quotes:
"When fans ask about book 3...(whiny noise) 'Wheeere's book threee?'. That what y'all sound like to me when you... (imitates whine) You know like the sound of...of like a nail being dragged across my teeth combined with the smell of someone who just...shit on themselves. That's the sound it makes in my head when people are like - 'Where's book three, you said it was done years ago.' "

I really hope that FS doesn't get the rights for KKC.

>69 sekhmet0108:

Interesting quote! I haven't read his books, but I wouldn't hold that against him.

Imagine a massive obligation constantly hanging over you and every mention of it causes you to hate the book more and more until all joy of writing it is completely drained away. I might feel similar 😕

>70 Jobasha: I don't take this partucular quote too seriously, but there have been many such incidents. When an author's publisher is also complaining about lack of communication and decency on a public forum, then it's definitely an issue. G R R M at least is decent to the fans, expresses regret and is a bit sorry for having made us wait this long. Rothfuss just shows arrogance, in my opinion.

And i do understand that he must be under a lot of pressure, but that is the price for celebrity. Almost every author is dying to have widespread recognition, money, fans, etc. That will have its cons too. The pressure is part of the deal. For years people have been donating to his causes, watching him livestream on Twitch, supporting him in every way possible. Just expecting one thing in return...the third book. Seems more than fair to me.

>71 sekhmet0108: he hosts live streams where he answers fans questions and has been very upfront about the mental health difficulties he has had with the pressure of writing this third book heavily in demand by many. Also he explained how his process of writing and polishing his work takes a long time as it took him over a decade to write The Name Of The Wind and how he had the second and third books already written but after so many changes the domino effect takes time to make sure the changes make sense and change the story accordingly. Basically he said if he didn’t care about book 3 it would already be out and he is working hard on it. Therefore I wouldn’t be so doom and gloom about it never coming out I’d say it will be out within the next few years as he is already outlining further stories for book 4.

Lastly In my opinion I don’t think an author in general owes the fan a book even if it is an unfinished trilogy or storyline.

I suggested a comprehensive and cohesive set of Discworld - unlikely to ever happen, but I can dream!

I also suggested The Twig Trilogy of The Edge Chronicles - it's a British children's fantasy series which started in 1998 with Beyond the Deepwoods. I've always thought of it as almost a cross between Gormenghast and His Dark Materials (but a bit lighter), and the artwork is just wonderful.

>73 Xandian97:

I'd absolutely love an FS complete Discworld, but as you say, very unlikely to happen. The copyright holders seem to be 100% behind the current Discworld Collector's Library, which I find pretty awful because of the covers. It's cheap, that's nice, but simply nothing special, no illustrations either. I wasn't happy with the FS illustrations, but the books were still miles ahead of anything else I've seen. Such a shame it ended after two books.

i suggested:
discworld
elric saga
fafhrd novels
worm ouroboros
snow spider trilogy

>65 warehouseisbare: Thank you :)

>69 sekhmet0108: The reason why i haven't read The Dark Tower is because it is a Western/Gunslinger sort of fantasy

That's only the first book. You can't really put a fixed label like that on The Dark Tower as a series. It contains elements of several different genres. It would be an excellent candidate for the Folio treatment.

My own suggestions were The Children of Húrin, Stardust, Watership Down and Cloud Atlas (which is SF technically).

Crock of Gold by James Stephens

>74 SF-72:

I'm trying to get some of the Unseen Library books. They are not illustrated (apart from the Discworld map on the endpapers and a small Kidby portrait on the cover) but they have an infinitely superior quality to those in Discworld Collector's Library. They were also printed by the now defunct Bath Press. Bad news is that they only did until Maskerade.

Through the years Folio has published fantasy that has aged now to become classic in the genre. It is now when they discovered the demand for newer works when the debate is starting to rage. I don't think there is debate with LOTR, The Once and Future King, Earthsea or Gormenghast. Neither with children's fantasy with Howl's and Pullman.

The debate is on where are the boundaries on technical merits are being pushed to tap this huge demand. ASOIAF pushes a bit, as well as Realm of the Elderlings. Pratchett gets a pass because he was beloved and his books are pure social commentary in the classic style of the satire. So the debate is natural to continue raging.

Personally, I think there are Fantasy books which deserve Folio treatment and that have not been picked up by specialty or fine presses. I always call for Jonathan Strange and The Neverending Story. MacDonald's Phantastes would be superb too. I don't think WOT, KKC or good gracious, Hunger Games merit Folio Treatment.

My list, albeit composed while somewhat befuddled with weariness after working out, shoveling my driveway, snow raking my roof, and then shoveling an elderly neighbor’s driveway:

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

Silverlock by John Myers Myers

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

The six core Elric books by Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melnibone, The Sailor on the Seas of Fate, the Weird of the White Wolf, The Vanishing Tower, The Bane of the Black Sword, and Stormbringer)

Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson

Arthur Rex by Thomas Berger

>79 dyhtstriyk:

Yes, I stayed away from those because they're incomplete and will remain so. I'd prefer to get invested in a complete set, not a relatively small part of the series. I still hope that at some point there will be something better than we can currently get. I find the recent illustrated editions of Good Omens and Guards! Guards! nice, but I don't think they're planning to do the whole Discworld series like this. Both editions were clearly connected to a streaming / TV series being published.

I've never read the Redwall series, but I know quite a few people that loved them as children. News came out a few hours ago that Netflix is adapting the series though, so I'll bet money FS will decide to publish at least the first books.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

There are several Mervyn Peake titles beyond Gormenghast, such as Mr Pye, Boy in Darkness, and Letters from a Lost Uncle. All are worthy of the Folio treatment IMO.

>83 sdg_e: I read them as a young child and they were wonderful. A fantastic example of what children's stories can be.

>39 Soup811:
Which Suntup do you have? The FS GoT treatment is nice, but can at most be on par with Suntup Artist Editions (AE). The numbered and above run circles around it, which are their main focus - the AE are only made so fans on smaller budgets also can look forward to something.

>87 strangenews: great covers and nice that Elric remains in print, but I saw these in a bookstore and the build quality wasn't great. Mediocre paper, glued bindings, grainy interior image reproduction.

>88 abysswalker: Yeah, I got these just because of the presentation of the contents and all of the editorial extras (and because, tragically, I missed out on the Centipede editions), but you've identified the inherent problem with most mainstream "special editions" like these: At the heart of it, they're still crappy trade editions with cheap paper, glued bindings, and typically, cheap paper-covered boards. *sigh*

>87 strangenews:
Enabled. Moorcock and Elric aren't at the top of my list so the Centipedes weren't an option, but more than happy to have all the stories in hardcover even if the quality isn't great. So, duly ordered and thanks for the heads-up.

What about Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles? Are these any good?

>91 Nicolas89: They have good parts, though it's been a long while since I read them. Decent YA fantasy fiction, though like most longer fantasy series the quality varies from title to title.

I just want them to get permission to print Discworld novels again.

>93 Geo135:
Same, but they need to commit to the whole series.

>93 Geo135:
>94 AmsterdamTaff:

I don't think there's any chance of that, more's the pity. The rights were withdrawn as soon as Terry Pratchett died and the (to me very unappealing) current hardback release of all the books is really being pushed by the publisher. I doubt that competition is welcome there.

If Folio had the opportunity then the obvious one with huge financial potential would be Robert E Howard's Conan stories. Maybe they're a little too masculine/macho for their sweet feminine sensibilities though.

All that 'hearing the lamentations of the women' might not be politically acceptable in the 2020s.

Apparently Tolkein was a fan of Howard's by the way and why wouldn't Folio want to make Crom happy.

>96 tkidcharlemagne: Folio is still publishing Lovecraft, so hope springs eternal.

Additionally, you may wish to check out the Grant publications of Howard. All are excellently produced, and often still reasonably priced on the secondary market.

>96 tkidcharlemagne: if they were going the route of huge financial potential then Harry Potter is a no brainer. Loads of existing customers would likely buy but beyond that they would get an incredible amount of first time buyers coming to purchase them. As we all know you can’t just buy one folio. When you get the bug you get the bug. Surprised they haven’t done it. There must be licensing reasons.

>98 Geo135: I'd be intrigued to know the gender purchase stats on folios particularly LEs. I'm assuming their heavily leaning towards the male dominated. They're ostensibly investment vehicles now. This in publishing; a now skewed female dominated industry. I imagine the cut on publishing Potter was uneconomical.

If they could aquire the rights to publish Howard they'd be foolish not to. Everyone needs to balance the books. Abyss is right too though. They publish Lovecraft despite his views being controversial. Maybe Howard's not considered literary enough/too pulpy for them. IMHO his prose is brilliant.

Imagine a weird tale short stories compendium. It would be a huge seller but would perhaps rattle too many cages.

>99 tkidcharlemagne:

Howard’s Savage Tales of Solomon Kane is the way to go! All of the fanatical puritan’s thrilling adventures in one sweet Folio Society volume would be tremendous!

>96 tkidcharlemagne:
While I'm a big fan of Howard's, he has been quite well served between the REH Foundation, Wandering Star/Subterranean Press and others in recent years. I wonder whether other (sometimes neglected) early giants of the genre might not be a better choice.

George MacDonald (Phantastes and Lilith), E.R. Eddison (Worm Ouroboros, Styrbiorn the Strong), Poul Anderson (The Broken Sword), George Fletcher Pratt (The Well of the Unicorn), Lord Dunsany, and of course my perennial request for the prose romances of William Morris would serve them well.

I'm fortunate enough to have most of those in either 1st editions or facsimile but nice Folio editions would be welcome. My main concern would be their choice regarding illustrations which to my mind have not always been felicitous of late.

>100 betaraybill: Do the folio email survey they just sent subscribers and request Howard. Hopefully they take note.

>101 bradleyrees: If you're in the states there may be plenty of Howard options at truly extortionate prices on the auction sites. Very few anywhere else. I'm sure your fantasy alternatives are worthy but would never be considered by Folio until Howard is proven a success I'd imagine.

Still I find it unlikely Folio will be delving into these hard boiled fantasy realms anytime soon. They appear to have rather straight laced tastes.

Saying that if anytime was right for a Howard collection to be a rip roaring financial success it's precisely now. Expecially in a prototype civilisation collapse with the Barbarians ready to storm the metaphorical gates of Rome.

Howard and Lovecraft were great penpals. Their main bone of contention appears to have been whether the Barbarian or the builder was the natural state of man. It would be interesting for Folio to highlight an alternative visionary.

>101 bradleyrees:
I'm in Australia not the U.S. and I've never paid extortionate prices for my Howards but I did put in many hours searching for the right books at good prices. It also took me quite a few years to build my collection to its current state.

I didn't mean to imply that Howard wouldn't be a popular choice but the rights situation in regard to Howard, and especially Conan, is complex and I doubt FS would be willing to navigate it. Conan would of course be a big hit but I'm not certain, going by recent FS decisions, that they would get it right.

The other authors I mention would almost all be out of copyright making it easier for FS to publish. They have already published some Morris and both he and Dunsany are recognized literary figures which might be a way to ease the path to some of the lesser known gems from the past.

>96 tkidcharlemagne: If ‘lamentations of the women’ is a problem for FS, that means no more Homer!