The original versions and real stories behind the fairy tales we've been whispering to sleepy children.

Once Upon a Time

Culture

At one time or another in your youth, someone probably read you a fairy tale. At the very least, you&nbsp;saw one of the many Disney versions of a fantastical story that has been around for a few hundred years. But when you think back about everything that actually happened in your favorite children&rsquo;s story you may start to realize that everything was not as innocent as you believed.

The line between <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-fairy-tales/laura-allan?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">scary fairy tales</a> and a beloved story is incredibly fine, and sometimes the most creepy fairy tales tend to be the most popular. In some stories main characters go through unjustified pain and anguish while in others the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/details-from-original-pinocchio-story/patrick-thornton" target="_blank">protagonists commit unexcusible horrors</a>. Fairy tales derive from moralizing folk stories collected, but in some cases the lessons get lost in the all terrible things that happen.

11 Terrible Things That Happened in Your Favorite Childhood Fairy Tales

General

11 Terrible Things That Actually Happened in Childhood Fairy Tales

Jacob Shelton

England

Lists about and ranking the best poets and poems of all times, including rhymes, haiku, sonnets, free verse, blank verse, epics, ballads, love poems, villanelles, and even limericks. 

Poetry? Oh Noetry!

British

Who is the best English poet? From the Renaissance, to the Jacobean era, to the Restoration, to the modern day, great English poets have been making readers think across the ages. If you love to debate, &quot;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-poets/ranker-books?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Who is the best poet</a> in English literature?&quot; then this is the list for you.&nbsp;

Written works have the ability to make us feel. They make us want to believe, be inspired, and live vicariously through the stories we read on the page. This list of English poets and their works demonstrate this particular skill. It all begins with the words written on the page. Whether short or long form, poetry is often illusory, and full of rich imagery or hidden meaning. It is these elements which provoke readers to dig deeper and make poetry so engaging and moving.

The best of poems and poets are read throughout the ages. They are read from generation to generation and taught throughout school to young students. Poets and their poetry have the ability to take us places and into the lives of those we&rsquo;ve never imagined.&nbsp;Poets are often tortured souls or great thinkers who show readers a new view of the world they never would have imagined.&nbsp;This list includes the great English&nbsp;poets, such as Rudyard Kipling, John Keats, Geoffrey Chaucer, and William Shakespeare.&nbsp;

These greatest English poets provide the kind of emotional connection to the written word that few can. So, who are the best of the famous English poets?&nbsp;Vote up the absolute best English poets on the list below, or add a famous poet from England who is truly great, but isn&#39;t already on the list.

&nbsp;

William Shakespeare

The Best English Poets of All Time

Writer

Best English Poets | List of the Greatest English Poets

Ranker Books

Round-ups of the clever jokes, wordplay, and visual gags that keep children's films and TV shows tolerable - nay, enjoyable - for adult audiences.

Grown-Up Jokes in Kids Stuff

Adult Jokes

Considering his colorful life, it makes sense that there are some dark Shel Silverstein poem meanings, as well as some deeply witty and intentionally creepy Shel Silverstein stories. The man was certainly offbeat, if not extraordinary. He was unflinching&nbsp;and one of the most relatable children’s writers in the world.&nbsp;Silverstein lived a far-from traditional life. He wrote&nbsp;some pretty raw songs, illustrated cartoons for Playboy, hung out with Hugh Hefner, and allegedly slept with hundreds of women. He never married but had two children with a former Playmate. Tragically, he lost his 11-year-old daughter to a brain aneurysm.&nbsp;The meanings behind Shel Silverstein poems and stories are debated to this day, but it's undeniable that some were inspired by his weird and complex life.&nbsp;Are Silverstein’s poems and stories a safe place to dream, ponder extreme possibilities, and question the morals of society? Or was he promoting drug use, cannibalism, disrespect for authority, violence, anarchy, and the occult? &nbsp;Let’s put it to a vote. Which of these Silverstein stories or poems strike you as the creepiest?

19 Creepy Meanings Behind Shel Silverstein Poems and Stories

Poem

Lisa Waugh

Lists for fans who have already read every book, seen every movie, and then read / watched them all several more times each.

Going Deep in Harry Potter

Fantasy

The list of things book readers hate about the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/behind-the-scenes-pictures-harry-potter/lee-emjay?ref=browse_list&amp;l=2" target="_blank">Harry Potter movies</a> is as long as the list of school supplies for a first-year student at Hogwarts. Although the films were generally well-received, the Harry Potter <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/books-like-harry-potter/kate-kavanagh?ref=browse_list&amp;l=2" target="_blank">books</a> inspired an intense fandom, and that’s ensured a certain amount of snobbery when it comes to changes made in the course of adaptation. What Harry Potter purists hate the most about the movies are the innumerable small changes, omissions, and embellishments that seem completely unnecessary to those who feel&nbsp;the original versions are perfect.There doesn’t seem to be any <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-to-worst-harry-potter-films-as-rated-by-fans-" target="_blank">particular film</a> that draws more ire from Harry Potter purists, with all the movies in the series earning their fair share of criticism. Instead, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/harry-potter-fan-theories/lisa-waugh" target="_blank">fans</a> seem to take umbrage (no pun intended) with the consistent differences that writers, directors, and actors chose to make for the sake of adaptation. To a dedicated book reader, these changes stand out like a troll in the dungeon.

Serious Harry Potter Fans Completely Freak Out Over These Parts Of The Movies

What Book Readers Hate About The Harry Potter Movies

Stephan Roget

Lists about the wizarding world that captured the imaginations of children and adults alike and forever changed the way we view owls, brooms, and round eyeglasses.

The Universe of Harry Potter

Upon its release, the fantastical world of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-harry-potter-books/ranker-books" target="_blank">J.K. Rowling&#39;s&nbsp;</a><a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-harry-potter-books/ranker-books" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> stole everyone&#39;s hearts. Years later, we&#39;re still finding out about ideas&nbsp;J.K.&nbsp;Rowling&nbsp;left&nbsp;out&nbsp;of Harry&nbsp;Potter&nbsp;books.

Part of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-to-worst-harry-potter-films-as-rated-by-fans-" target="_blank">the series&#39;&nbsp;massive success</a> stems from&nbsp;the wizarding world&#39;s wildly intricate rules and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/things-book-readers-hate-about-the-harry-potter-movies/stephanroget" target="_blank">rich history</a>; one&nbsp;that&nbsp;might have been quite&nbsp;different if J.K. Rowling didn&#39;t have a team of highly skilled editors by her side.

There are a number of Harry&nbsp;Potter&nbsp;plot&nbsp;points&nbsp;J.K. Rowling&nbsp;didn&#39;t&nbsp;use, and it&#39;s probably for the best. From a Sorting Hat that was little more than a lackluster collection of straws, to killing off the only admirable father figure in the whole series, these cut scenes from the Harry Potter books would have unarguably changed the wizarding world for the worse. 

Thankfully, these&nbsp;abandoned Harry Potter ideas were cut more thoroughly&nbsp;than Nearly Headless Nick&#39;s neck.

12 Bizarre Plot Points That Were Wisely Cut From The Harry Potter Books

Bizarre Plot Points That Were Wisely Cut From The Harry Potter Books

Mariel Loveland

Literature

List of best books about revenge, including jacket cover images when available. All these popular books about getting revenge are sorted by popularity, so the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/watergate-scandal-books-list/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">highest rated books</a> are at the top of the list. This well-researched revenge bibliography includes out-of-print titles and generally contains the most popular, famous, or otherwise notable books - fiction or non-fiction - about revenge. If you're looking for a list of top books on revenge then you're in the right place.Examples include Under radar and Revenge of the Snob Squad.&nbsp;You should be able to answer the question, &quot;What are the best books about revenge?&quot; after checking out this list.This greatest revenge book list contains various bits of information, such as the author's names and what genre the books fall under. Most of these revenge books can be bought on Amazon with one easy click.

Blow Your Mind

<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-edgar-allan-poe-books/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_tag">Edgar Allan Poe</a>, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-john-grisham-books/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_tag">John Grisham</a>, and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-anne-rice-books/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_tag">Anne Rice</a> have all written books about Revenge.

The Best Books About Revenge

Book

Best Revenge Books | List of Top Books About Revenge

Reference

History

The art of letter writing has diminished in recent years with email, texting, video calls, and the like, but as the primary form of long-distance communication for most of human history, it stands to reason some great letters have been written by some great people. The Instagram account <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lettersofnote/" target="_blank">@LettersOfNote</a> collects the best. Check out a sample below.

27 Of The Best Letters Ever Written By Famous People Throughout History

27 Of The Best Letters Ever Written By Famous People

Anthony Barstow

Looking closer at the Lord of the Rings trilogy books and movies, The Hobbit, and everything else in J. R. R. Tolkien's beloved universe.

Welcome to Middle-earth

LOTR

Everyone goes into a film adaptation of a novel expecting some divergence. For the most&nbsp;part, director Peter Jackson was true to Tolkien&#39;s beloved tale and expansive universe&nbsp;when he made the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/everything-to-know-to-understand-lord-of-the-rings/zack-howe" target="_blank">Lord of the Rings</a>&nbsp;trilogy. Even so,&nbsp;there were things left out of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/lord-of-the-rings-trivia-facts/coy-jandreau" target="_blank">Lord of the Rings</a> films, and&nbsp;a few of the lost details are rather massive.

While some devout readers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-book-readers-hate-about-lord-of-the-rings-movie/stephanroget" target="_blank">hate the LOTR movies</a> for these changes, a number of the creative choices Jackson and co-writers&nbsp;Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens&nbsp;made are understandable. But some revisions make the story more convoluted, leaving fans to wonder what went into those decisions. Most people were probably okay without the ever-singing Tom Bombadil, but the final battle at the Shire was more sorely missed. With more than nine hours of screen time, it&#39;s amazing how many important details Jackson&#39;s&nbsp;LOTR&nbsp;trilogy is missing - and knowing the full story leads to a better appreciation of Tolkien&#39;s genius.

Huge Plot Points From 'Lord Of The Rings' That Changed For The Films

15 Huge Plot Points That Were Left Out of the LOTR Movies

Zack Howe

These are things that make America great. Get in the spirit and vote!

USA! USA!

Who is the best American poet? This list includes poets such as William Faulkner, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, and Robert Frost.&nbsp;From the postcolonial era to modernism, to post-WWII, to present day, great American poets continue to make us think. This list features the best American poets, who have entertained and touched readers throughout history.We often feel an emotional connection to poetry. It all begins with the words written on the page. Whether short or long poetry is often illusory, and full of rich imagery or hidden meaning. It is these elements which provoke us as readers to dig deeper. The best of poems and poets are read throughout the ages. They are passed from generation to generation and taught throughout schools to young students.Poets and their poetry have the ability to take us places and into the lives of those we’ve never imagined. Poets are often be tortured souls or great thinkers who allow us a new view of world which we never would have imagined. These greatest American poets provide the kind of emotional connection with the reader that few can. They are moving, saddening, or romantic.Vote up the best American poets below or add the poet from the United States you think is the greatest if he or she isn't already on the list.

Elizabeth Bishop

The Best American Poets

Poetry

Who are the best 20th century poets? This list includes great poets from the 20th century such as Maya Angelou, T.S. Eliot, James Baldwin, and Robert Frost. Though the genre of poetry has a rich history, dating back many centuries, the 1900s have seen some truly great poets and poetry. From modernist poetry and imagism to more traditional forms, the poets on this list have mastered their craft.Written works have the ability to make us feel. They make us want to believe, be inspired, and live vicariously through the stories on the page. Whether short or long form, poetry is often illusory, and full of rich imagery or hidden meaning. It is these elements which provoke readers to dig deeper. The best poems and poets are read throughout the ages. They are passed from generation to generation and taught throughout schools to young students. Poets and their poetry have the ability to take readers places and into worlds never imagined. Poets can often be tortured souls or great thinkers that allow readers a new view on the world. These greatest 20th century poets provide the kind of emotional connection to the written word that few can, and do so in a modern way. Among them are some of the top writers and poets of all time. Vote up the best poets from the 20th century on the list below, or add a 20th century poet if he or she is not already on the list.

Wallace Stevens

The Best Poets of the 20th Century

Best Poets of the 20th Century | Top Poet List 1900s

Hindsight is 20/20, and "Easter eggs" are inside jokes and references hidden for observant audiences, but there's a different name for the hints writers give at what's to come later in the story.

It's Called Foreshadowing

As most fans of the series already know, the&nbsp;Harry Potter books are filled to the brim with subtle, clever moments of foreshadowing. To some, these&nbsp;references to future events and places only became clear and obvious as the story went on. But, those moments of foreshadowing in the Harry Potter books don't just come in the form of&nbsp;building&nbsp;up to Harry's eventual fight with Voldemort at the end of the series, or the growing <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/why-harry-and-hermione-belong-together/rebecca-shortall" target="_blank">romantic tension between Ron and Hermione</a>.In fact, the books are littered with hidden messages and details, most of which slyly set up tragic character deaths in the series' later installments, or the incipient introduction&nbsp;of major places, objects, and characters. While some&nbsp;of these Harry Potter foreshadowing moments&nbsp;managed to make their way into the film adaptations too, it shouldn't be surprising&nbsp;that most were left&nbsp;for the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/things-book-readers-hate-about-the-harry-potter-movies/stephanroget" target="_blank">book readers to discuss amongst themselves</a>.So, in honor of author J.K. Rowling's hard and detail-oriented work&nbsp;writing the series, let's explore some&nbsp;of the best moments of foreshadowing in the Harry Potter books.&nbsp;

Utterly Genius Foreshadowing In Harry Potter Most Fans Completely Missed

13 Genius Foreshadowing Moments You Missed in Harry Potter Books

Alex Welch

&#39;90s kids loved to read. That generation especially that came of age in the early &#39;90 and straddled the line with those mythical &#39;80s kids. This was the generation that adapted&nbsp;to the internet while they were in school. But in those days, the internet was slow-to-download&nbsp;pictures, brightly colored and hard to read web pages, and a mix of chat rooms and AOL instant messenger. Reading for entertainment was still in books and magazines.

The &#39;80s and &#39;90s saw an influx of now classic children&#39;s&nbsp;and young adult literature. In addition to what was coming out, kids had reprintings of the stalwarts of the genre to choose from at book fairs. It was a great time to be a young reader. Many of us went through so many books, we may not even remember them all -&nbsp;even ones we loved. This is a reminder.

The Books That 90s Kids Loved To Read While Growing Up

Will Morgan

Got <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/american-gods-starz-adaptation/jennifer-arbues">American Gods questions</a>? You came to the right place. This&nbsp;in-depth look at Neil Gaiman’s award-winning fantasy novel will answer all of your questions and then some. Much has been written about Gaiman’s book, but a lot of people still want American Gods explained. At its core, American Gods is a study on what it means to be American, but that’s just one of the many facets of this densely layered narrative. While the novel was published in 2001, a number of American Gods mysteries still persist, with<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/11ixp8/who_is_the_god_in_the_gray_suit_american_gods/"> fans theorizing over characters</a> and <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/3flfpj/american_gods_what_do_the_indian_gods_gain_from/">events within the epic</a>.If you were one of the readers who raced through all 465 pages of the book and still found yourself asking, “So wait, exactly what happens in Neil Gaiman's American Gods?” prepare to have your burning questions answered.

Answers To All The Lingering Questions In Neil Gaiman's American Gods

Good Answers To Questions In Neil Gaiman's American Gods

Tamar Altebarmakian

Lists about the King of Horror and ranking his greatest works.

The Dark World of Stephen King

27 years after The Losers' Club defeated Pennywise, children are disappearing from Derry once again. Now, Mike has called the others home.

Stephen King Works

Warning: Spoilers ahead.&nbsp;There have been many books made into films, but few authors can boast a number&nbsp;equal to Stephen King.&nbsp;Nearly all the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-movies-based-on-stephen-king-books/lons" target="_blank">movies based on Stephen King novels</a>&nbsp;try to bring most of the horror in the literature to the silver screen, yet the&nbsp;It&nbsp;(2017) film&nbsp;actually circumvents some of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/scary-things-seen-heard/amandasedlakhevener?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the most terrifying</a> events that occur in the book.&nbsp;For example, there's a huge sex scene that is completely omitted in&nbsp;Andr&eacute;s Muschietti's cinematic interpretation of King's written story.&nbsp;Stephen King's It&nbsp;was&nbsp;made into a two-part miniseries&nbsp;in the 1990s, which was criticized for being comical and not scary enough.&nbsp;Nearly two decades later,&nbsp;Muschietti&nbsp;decided to bring&nbsp;It&nbsp;to the big screen in an ambitious film adaption with a wealth of horrifying scenes. Yet amongst all the frightening hubbub, book readers of&nbsp;It&nbsp;have been quick to point out that lots of scary things were left out in the movie. Just what exactly didn't make the cut for the movie,&nbsp;It? Here is a list of differences between the novel and the film adaptation of King's creepy clown masterpiece. Vote up the most surprising deviations from the book version of&nbsp;It.&nbsp;

Horrifying Things That Happened In The Book 'IT' Way Too Awful for the Movies

The 9 Biggest Differences Between IT the Movie and IT the Book

Jessika M. Thomas 

Hashtag Relatable Content

Trending on Ranker

The best literary memes combine&nbsp;classic literature with modern entertainment tropes. Take, for instance, those found on the&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/SparkNotes" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sparknotes_/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;pages for SparkNotes - they mention Ernest Hemingway and Lady Macbeth as often as Kevin Malone and Tan France. If you&#39;ve ever wondered how The Odyssey would play out in the 21st century or how Edgar Allan Poe might subtweet that raven, SparkNotes has you covered.

Anyone who read Shakespeare in high school probably&nbsp;referenced&nbsp;the internet&#39;s best literary study tool, and much like literature itself,&nbsp;SparkNotes has evolved with the times, making the classic novels only English nerds remember reading accessible with simple humor. The funniest literary memes only true bookworms will understand invites a community of&nbsp;readers to laugh about the authors who defined our understanding of contemporary works.&nbsp;

The Funniest SparkNotes Memes Only A True Lit Nerd Will Get

Bailey Brown

Poets

Who are the best female poets? This list includes great female poets such as Maya Angelou, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sylvia Plath, and Emily Dickinson. The women on this list have all changed poetry in their own way and left their mark on the genre. Women have been writing poetry through many eras and generations, but the poets on this list are the best.Written works have the ability to make us feel. They make us want to believe, be inspired, and live vicariously through the stories on the page. Whether short or long form, poetry is often illusory, and full of rich imagery or hidden meaning. It is these elements which provoke readers to dig deeper. The best poems and poets are read throughout the ages. They are passed from generation to generation and taught throughout schools to young students. Poets and their poetry have the ability to take readers places and into worlds never imagined. Poets can often be tortured souls or great thinkers who allow readers a new view on the world. These greatest women poets provide the kind of emotional connection to the written word that few can. Vote up the best woman poets on the list below, or add the women poets you think are the top if they aren't already on the list.

Audre Lorde

The Best Female Poets of All Time

Best Female Poets | Greatest Women Poet List

Literature lists at Ranker - The ultimate source for hundreds of literature lists and rankings

Literature lists on Ranker

Ranking the best novels and non-fiction books of every genre.

Bibliophilia

Lists about novelists, poets, short story authors, journalists, essayists, and playwrights, from simple rankings to fun facts about the men and women behind the pens.

People Who Write

poll

List of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-writers-of-all-time/ranker-books?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best authors of all time</a> as voted on by normal, book-loving people. For this list, we will consider writers who are mainly novelists.&nbsp;Many of the people included on this list are famous authors who wrote popular books; others may not be as well-known, but are masters of their craft.&nbsp; The <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-living-writers/ranker-books?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most popular authors</a> are ones that have somehow enriched our lives. J.D. Salinger gave us Holden Caulfield and the term &quot;phony,&quot; James Joyce introduced us to stream-of-consciousness prose and Carson McCullers immortalized the misfits and outcasts of the U.S. South in the first half of the 20th century.The best writers are ones that changed the literary landscape in some way, introduced an iconic character, experimented with form and style and captured our imagination with their language.While lists of &quot;best novelists&quot; are often attempted by individuals, they can be easily disputed because they often amount to no more than one person's opinion. Since this Ranker list is crowdsourced and open to voting, it benefits from the collective wisdom of many rather than the whims of a few.&nbsp;Feel free to vote on this list of top authors, add some that may have been left off, or ReRank this list entirely.&nbsp;

Miguel de Cervantes

The Best Novelists of All Time

Best Novelists of All Time | List of Top English Language Writers

What did we think the future would look like? How has it really turned out? What's next for humanity and the universe? What have we done? Lists to keep you up at night, quaking in your moon boots.

The Future Has Arrived

The End of the World

Dystopias have become a fascinating genre over the last century as disillusioned writers witnessed and reacted against imperialism, two world wars, including the Nazi and Stalin regime and the treacherous Holocaust. These writers played with the darkest sides of humanity, unearthed by war and technology and used satiric irony to present a destructive vision of the future. Dystopian novels are characterized by a lack of individual freedom, heroes that know something is wrong and contain many WTF moments that make you rethink the current status quo and become aware of the constructed nature of our values and standards.This dystopian novel list is nowhere near a complete list of all dystopian books, but on it are some of the greatest dystopian works of literature of all time (though most is from the 20th and 21st centuries). If you&#39;re a fan of H.G. Wells or George Orwell but are looking for more recent content, the best dystopian books list is the place to be.

If you want dystopia without the reading, check out the greatest dystopian and near-future movies or get some synopses on the 13 <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-13-best-dystopian-novels/ivana-wynn?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best dystopian novels</a>.

Never Let Me Go

The Greatest Dystopian Novels

Best Dystopian Novels | List of Great Near-Future Books

Walter Graves

Popular Opinion

Need a good read? Take a look at this&nbsp;list of the best must-read books of all time, suitable for every one of all ages, creeds and color. Featuring the newest YA novels reviewed by <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-book-review-youtube-channels/youtuber" target="_blank">popular literary channels on YouTube</a>, these are the novels, autobiographies, and short books that you should consider when you ask yourself, &quot;What book should I read next?&quot; If you somehow made it through school without reading the classic - or you're still in school - be sure to check them out to expand your literary horizons.An eclectic mix that does not cater solely to the sensibilities of the literati, culturati, illuminati or even paparazzi. With some hidden gems in here, it's a great list to consider when looking for something to read next. &nbsp;&quot;Tell me what you read and I'll tell you who you are&quot; is true enough, but I'd know you better if you told me what you reread' - Fran&ccedil;ois Mauriac. Give fellow voters the best tips you can on the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-books-of-all-time-_fiction_?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">top books of all time</a> that they must read by voting on your personal favorites and downvoting those you didn't enjoy.&nbsp;

Don Quixote

The Top Must-Read Books of All Time

Best Reads: The Top Must-Read Books of All Time

Ranker Community

Lists about the best (and worst) films, TV series, novels, characters, etc. in every sci-fi genre.

The Worlds of Science Fiction

The best science-fiction writers are among some of the most creative writers ever. Instead of only making up a story, they make up entire universes, time dimensions, alien technologies - it's really incredible. Truth be told, some are more successful than others - it is really easy to write bad scifi. But those who can actually pull the genre off are right here on this list of the top science-fiction authors. These are the best science-fiction authors of all time, ranked by readers and fans. This list include some highly recognizable and classic names, like Isaac Asimov and George Orwell, along with some contemporary science-fiction writers who are just beginning to make their mark on the genre. This list of the best sci-fi authors includes some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-horror-novelists">best horror writers</a> and the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-fantasy-authors">best fantasy authors</a>, but since the genres elements all go together nicely, it's to be expected. Fans of science-fiction know that there is always some overlap. All of the famous sci fi authors on this list have one thing in common: they've written fantastic, horrifying, mystical works of science-fiction for fans to enjoy for years to come. Vote for your favorite sci-fi authors here and add your own personal faves if you don't see them listed!Listed among the best science-fiction authors are some of the most well-known, popular sci-di authors ever, including a few that may not always show up on a 'best of' list. Disagree with a choice? Vote it down. The aforementioned (brilliant) writers are responsible for some of the best science-fiction novels and series of all time - but other sci-fi writers like Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451), Mary Shelley (Frankenstein), Robert Louis Stevenson (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), and Aldous Huxley (Brave New World) are excellent sci-fi writers as well. All of these authors, in my opinion, deserve a place of honor on this list.Hopefully, this list will grow and become totally comprehensive. Readers who are new to sci-fi can use it as a great guide to find new science fiction authors and books.

Larry Niven

The Best Science-Fiction Authors

The Best Science-Fiction Authors | List of the Greatest Sci-Fi Writers

Vazha-Pshavela

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi

Omar Khayyám

Who are the best poets of all time? It includes poets such as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, William Shakespeare, and Sylvia Plath. Poetry has captivated readers for thousands of years. Regardless of the time period during which they wrote, the great poets on this list have used their talents and ways with language to connect with readers of all ages.Written works have the ability to make us feel. They make us want to believe, be inspired, and live vicariously through the stories on the page. Whether short or long form, poetry is often illusory, and full of rich imagery or hidden meaning. It is these elements which provoke readers to dig deeper. The best poems and poets are read throughout the ages. They are passed from generation to generation and taught throughout school to young students. Poets and their poetry have the ability to take readers places and into worlds they've never imagined. Poets can often be tortured souls or great thinkers who allow readers a new view on the world which they never would have imagined. These greatest poets provide the kind of emotional connection to the written word that few can. Vote up the all time best poets on the list below or add the poets you think are the greatest if they aren't already on the list.