Your favourite fantasy

[djnoz]

I'm a great fan of fantasy material... as a kid I read the entire Narnia series many times over.

Tolkien grabbed my interest about 5 years ago (that was before the films came along), and after this I moved onto Robert Jordan.

Jordan is my favourite fantasy author. Despite the fact that I have not completed the series (due to lethargy/boredom with it) I find his universe ... attractive. Because each individual volume is so huge, he manages to pack a lot of detail in, causing you to become absorbed when you read it. Anyway, I'm starting this thread to see if anyone can come up with some good recommendations. I'm personally looking for some other epic stuff aside from jordan/tolkien.

[prgmrdave]

David Eddings' first ten books (the Belgariad).

E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series (7 books), but that's SF, not fantasy (which is not to say the series is not fantastic :thumb:)

Raymond Fiest's Riftware Saga (4 books).

I've read each of these numerous times, but like a :dufus: I gave away my Lensman series. Twice. I mean, after I gave it away, I bought another set, then gave that away. :duh: Then it went out of print. :argh: But there's a new publisher bringing back the series, so all is not lost... :joy:

Never finished the Silmarillion, but Narnia, LoTR and The Wheel of Time are all on my bookshelf :read:

[Piebald]

I'm a fan of Harry Potter, which I know is controversial among Christians. I initially read the first one to see what all the commotion was about and found it rather charming. I'd reccomend them, though they are certainly not as 'deep' as Tolkien.

[Ryokan]

I think Tolkien probably had it best, but I am a fan of Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Wheel of Time, even if Jordans too heavy on discription and his female characters are two dimensional. Michael Moorecock is good. Also, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant are good, if cynical. Terry Pratchett is very funny as well, and Small Gods is one of my favorite books.

A series I recently started by george rr martin, A Song of Fire and Ice is very good. It is very deep, and more "realistic" than Jordan or Tolkien.

[Pilgrim]

I'll go with the Belgariad as well for my first pick. And The Chronicles of Narnia. Followed by The Lord of the Rings and then the first series of Terry Brook's Shannara. I have to admit that I also really like Harry Potter. My wife and I use them as date books. We go down to the river or the ocean and read out loud to eachother. We also did that with all of Narnia.

[djnoz]

I like my fantasy deep, dark and brooding, so I guess that's why I was never that attracted to the Harry Potter series.

[Pilgrim]

I like it because it's fun. That's about it. It's not great writing but the story is compelling.

[Megane]

Today @ 11:53 AM post located here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=80982#post80982)
djnoz:

I like my fantasy deep, dark and brooding, so I guess that's why I was never that attracted to the Harry Potter series.

You really ought to check out "A Song of Ice and Fire" then; it doesn't get much darker than that. And it's a really great series, if a bit unrealistic. But then it is fantasy..

Megane

[Alien]

Today @ 12:48 AM post located here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=80711#post80711)
prgmrdave:
I've read each of these numerous times, but like a :dufus: I gave away my Lensman series. Twice. I mean, after I gave it away, I bought another set, then gave that away. :duh: Then it went out of print. :argh: But there's a new publisher bringing back the series, so all is not lost... :joy:

I have them all, except "Masters of the Vortex" which wasn't really part of the sequence at all. And I'm keeping them. (wicked grin).

BTW, I thought they were a great example of the way "background" technology in sf rarely progresses beyond what was current when the book was written. They want to find the best minds in the galaxy and they spend days running punched cards through sorting machines. :)

Entertaining though, as you say.

[Jaltus]

Some of the best fantasy has been written by Robin Hobb. Her "Farseer Trilogy" is phenominal.

1) Assassin's Apprentice
2) Royal Assassin
3) Assassin's Quest

The next, though possibly better, is the "Coldfire Trilogy" by C. S. Freidman.

I don't remember the titles, but they are great stuff.

The best fantasy starts with JRRT, then Jordan, then Hobb, Freidman, Feist, and Tad Williams.

Well, Williams may not fit, but I liked his story a lot.

I know my fantasy well.

[Patroclus]

Considering Tolkien's definition of Fairie Tale, I like the Middle Earth Fantasy.

[Pilgrim]

What about adding Science Fiction into the mix? I would put Rober A. Heinlein at the top of the list for that.

[DanielleJoy]

I haven't read Tolkein yet :shy: but my favorite so far is the first fantasy series I read: The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander... I'm rereading them right now actually

[Rusty T]

I am very serious about this: Tad Williams is the best fantasy author since Tolkien. His Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy is superb.

[The Curtmudgeon]

Top of the list: E. R. Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros and Zimiamvia: A Trilogy (that's the title of the one-volume edition, which is the most recent and easiest found; the separate books are Mistress of Mistresses, A Fish Dinner in Memison and The Mezentian Gate; the latter, however, was left unfinished at Eddison's death although he left a complete detail outline/plot synopsis so it's not really a problem). Tolkien himself described ERE as "the greatest inventor of fantasy worlds", which is high praise indeed. ERE wrote his works shortly before Tolkien published LotR. (I will warn, though, that if you find and read Worm, try very hard to ignore the framing sequence ERE jammed onto the fantasy--it stinks big time. But once the fantasy action starts, it's, well, fantastic in several senses!)

Danielle, I'll second you on The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander; like you, I first found them when quite young, and have loved them ever since. Likewise, C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia are still a favourite, and I recently finished re-reading them in a one-volume edition.

Back in the 70s & 80s, paperback publisher Ballantine Books had an Adult Fantasy series edited by Lin Carter. Don't let that word 'adult' scare you off, since few if any of them were "blue" in that sense; rather, they were adult in that they were usually pitched just a little higher than most children or teens would understand or appreciate. Some great works appeared in that series, a lot of Lord Dunsany's works such as The Charwoman's Shadow, William Morris' The Wood Beyond the World and The Well at the World's End and others, and a lot more. Just about everything that came out in that line was worth reading and usually re-reading. I'll mention one series and one book in particular, though:

Evangeline Walton did four books which were fantasy versions of the Welsh myth-cycle "The Mabinogion", entitled Prince of Annwn (that's the Welsh Underworld), The Children of Llyr, The Song of Rhiannon and The Island of the Mighty. Slight warning: these books, at least a couple of them, are a little more "adult" in that other sense of the word than was usual for the Adult Fantasy series, although not prurient--I just wouldn't suggest them for young teens or under. But other than that, Danielle and others who enjoyed The Chronicles of Prydain would probably also enjoy these as they share the wonderful Welsh mythology in their backgrounds. I see on Amazon.com that there is a one-volume edition currently available now.

Second, Lin Carter himself edited a book entitled Double Phoenix, in order to publish two novellas, "The Firebird" by Edmund Cooper and "From the World's End" by Roger Lancelyn Green, which were too short to publish separately, and also had the shared theme of the phoenix in them. "From the World's End" is a great Christian fantasy about love. It begins with a sonnet by Green that I can still quote almost perfectly (I think!) even though I haven't read the book in probably 20 years:


I cannot seek the Golden Fleece for you,
Nor fight strong Brecca all a winter's day,
Nor find that tree from whence the Phoenix flew
Above the Well of Life which, far away,
Leads from the world's confines. No longer may
These old familiar deeds reveal how true
Our constancy of love. The beasts we slay
Quest not as once, made plain to mortal view.

Yet in dim woods the Golden Bough still grows,
And dragons lurk, and pale Morgana sings--
Woods of your heart and mine, and through the night
Of half-seen shapes it leads where, shining bright,
Dwells our True Phoenix, with immortal wings,
Guarding within our hearts the Singing Rose.


Having already said that it's a Christian fantasy, it shouldn't take you much thought to realise Who the "True Phoenix" is! :teeth:

The (somewhat phantastical myself, at least most days) Curtmudgeon

[Vorkosigan]

Since no one's mentioned them:

Empire of the East by Fred Saberhagen is superb. Saberhagen wrote another set of works loosely related to this world called the Swords books that use the Greco-Roman gods as their basis.

The Chronicles of Amber by Zelazny. The first five are some of the finest fantasy ever written, the second five are forgettable.

Karl Edward Wagner's Kane series, among the darkest fantasy ever written, set in a world populated by HP Lovecraft gods. Death Angel's Shadow, Darkness Weaves[/i]...Wagner has won several short story awards for this series.

Marilyn Zimmer Bradley's Darkover books are fantasies with a SF twist. The two best are The Heritage of Hastur, one of the great books of SF-Fantasy, and Sharra's Exile.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned HP Lovecraft, the granddaddy of horror fantasy and one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.

[Solly]

LOTR is my favourite "fantasy". But I only discovered that in the last decade. Before then, I was into either hard SF, like Clarke, Bova, Pournelle, Niven, Clement; or New Wave (as was then) Ellison, Delaney, LeGuin. If I had time I would buy and read the collected Philip K Dick that is coming out over here. As far as fantasy goes, I have always wanted to read Michael Moorcock, which again is coming out in a collected set.

I don't think much of modern SF/Fantasy, I must admit. Towards the end of the eighties, many SF writers jumped on the fantasy bandwagon, which put me off it. SF itself went CyberPunk, which doesn't appeal to me either, and the "Greats" started passing away or going senile - like Clarke; or got stuck in a rut - like Niven and his latest blockbuster.
Even bright stars like Bruce Sterling (Involution Ocean - Wow!!)didn't live up to their early promise.

Edit: I forgot to say: favourite SF is "The Affirmation" by Christopher priest

[spl_cadet]

Well, it involves two amply endowed blondes, a hot tub, and...oh wait, wrong fantasy :teeth:

Piers Anthony's books are all real good, though I didn't like the liberal moralizing that's evident in the later books.

[The Curtmudgeon]

Today @ 08:36 AM Vorkosigan:
The Chronicles of Amber by Zelazny. The first five are some of the finest fantasy ever written, the second five are forgettable.

I heartily concur with both those statements!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned HP Lovecraft, the granddaddy of horror fantasy and one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.

I love Lovecraft, but I generally tend to treat horror as a separate genre from fantasy (aka "high fantasy" or "heroic fantasy"), which is why I didn't include him in my list--I just didn't think of him as being included in the discussion.

My first HPL experience: Ballantine brought out a set of 6 paperback collections of HPL stories in the early 70s (I forget exactly when, but I was still in middle school/junior high), with various skulls/monster faces on the covers. Being a completist sort of collector, I bought all six off the rack, took them home, and cracked open the first one. (Of course, being the type I am, I paid no attention to the fact that it was already after dark!) I read the first story, "Imprisoned with the Pharoahs" (ghostwritten for Harry Houdini, of all people), got some way into the second one, "He" (IIRC), put the book down carefully, and didn't touch any of them again for four or five years. :rofl: Then I started them again, read straight through the lot, and loved them!

The (I am not scared of the dark--I'm just scared of HPL in the dark!) Curtmudgeon

[GrayPilgrim]

1)Lord of the Rings


















































2) Jordan Wheel of Time
3) Lawhead Songs of Albion


The gap shows the distance in my esttem for their styles of writing as they both ape Toliekn is some ways.

GP

[Lizard]

LOTR of course. But apart from Tolkien, I am not really into Fantasy. I think this is because the first few Fantasy novels I read after I first read Tolkien were horrid. I think that I would like GOOD Fantasy. However, I have read one Fantasy series recently (within the last three years) that was reccommended by a co-worker who knew I liked Tolkien and SF. However, no one has mentioned it yet.

Has anyone else read the Wizards First Rule series by Terry Goodkind? I thought it was really good (well the first few books anyway), and wanted to know what other people with more exposure to non-Tolkien Fantasy thought about it.

[geochron]

Since no one mentioned him: Jack Vance - The Dying Earth series and The Lyonesse series. I guess I prefer my fantasy whimsical. I find Tolkien hard to take, it seems so rooted in pre war England, an invented mythology for a country that long since disappeared (I'm glad to say). The stuff in the Shire always makes me cringe.

[Jaltus]

Sorry, but Goodkind is just a rip off of George RR Martin and JRRT. He walks the middle path between them, but he is much too intentional with what he does. Most of his plots are hackneyed (but whose isn't these days?) and his characters are too one dimensional.

I recommend George RR Martin, though only for those who are older. There is a bit of "smut" in them, but his characters are incredible and quite real. He is pushing a bit to get the magic part in, but his understanding of politics in the Middle Ages is quite solid.

[Jaltus]

I cannot believe I forgot to mention Guy Gavriel Kay. He is better than Jordan by far. Read his Tigana and then his trilogy The Fionavar Tapestry.

If this tells you anything, he was the one who helped Christopher put The Silmarillion together.

[Entropic Gnosis]

Tolkien The Lord of the Rings hands down wins the prize

Gene Wolfe The Book of the Long Sun

Mervyn Peake The Gormenghast Novels

Tad Williams Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn

And i am sorry if i offend anyone here but Robert Jordan started off ok but it gets rappidly more and more trite. His characters tend to be fairly repeditive even if he has some intersting settings. Also i find his female characters to be far too prone to swooning and resorting to the breast/leg phallacy . . .ummm . . . fallacy of behavior.

[Karl_Franz]

Titus Groan, Gormenghast, and Titus Alone are possibly my three favourite fantasy novels, and unlike Tolkien they haven't been cloned by generations of successive authors.

Obviously from my avatar I am a fan of H.P Lovecraft, and I disagree with the label of Horror that he has had applied to his work. He created an entire world, an entire mythology to set his works in, and only when read in the context of that world are the individual stories truly effective.

[Ryokan]

04-29-2003 @ 05:36 PM post located here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=82356#post82356)
Jaltus:

Sorry, but Goodkind is just a rip off of George RR Martin and JRRT. He walks the middle path between them, but he is much too intentional with what he does. Most of his plots are hackneyed (but whose isn't these days?) and his characters are too one dimensional.

I recommend George RR Martin, though only for those who are older. There is a bit of "smut" in them, but his characters are incredible and quite real. He is pushing a bit to get the magic part in, but his understanding of politics in the Middle Ages is quite solid.

I don't think a realistic portrayal of human being doing human things in order to further a story constitutes "smut

[Jaltus]

Some of it is just not needed. I'll admit that most of it makes sense in the story, but some of the Tyrion scenes are a bit unnecessary.

[Morco]

I love to read fantasy, although there's really only a few authors I have read, and I feel that most of the new ones are just bad rip-offs(not all, of course).

My favourites are JRR Tolkien's and CS Lewis's books; about Middle-earth and Narnia. I've also read the first book of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, and I have the three next in my bookshelf(my brother has read almost all of them I think). I enjoyed it quite much, although I must say I liked Tolkien and Lewis better. I also have a book by David Eddings, I think, but I haven't read it yet..

Anyway, I heard someone mentioning the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander. Are they any good? What are they about?

And of course, I've read all the Harry Potter books. They're a good read, although I do not think them to be on the same level as the others mentioned above. :smile:

[Lava Lamp]

Well, I've got this one where I'm stranded on a deserted island populated solely by midget women when suddently-

Wait, wrong topic...

[Casslanpepci]

The Chronicles of Narnia
Harry Potter Series

Even though I am long in the tooth, :lol: I read both series at least twice a year [ and watch the films of both, made to date].