Raise your hand if you're surprised that Tolkien won the last poll. Anyone? No? Didn't think so. The second place prize was hotly contested though! The City & the City took an early and surprising lead (not because it's not awesome, just because new books don't tend to do well in these polls). Book of the New Sun came up right behind that, then On a Pale Horse made a big gallop forward. Finally, Thomas Covenant pushed forward past both of them, tying The City & the City for second. Both books will be put in the second place runoff along with The Jungle Book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM, The Crystal Cave, and maybe more from this or future polls.
So what do we have this week? Well, one of the biggest and most popular series of fantasy ever published, more D&D spinoff novels, the master of horror doing dark fantasy, one of the first fantasy series to follow in JRR Tolkien's footsteps, a retelling of Robin Hood set in 11th century Wales, children questing in Avalon, the magical world beyond Westland, and the Faerie world beyond Wall. It's the penultimate poll of the first round!
Isn't penultimate a great word?