Any good fantasy stuff?

[Manardariel]

First of all- hi! Hope you´re all doing fine! ~*Elen sila lúmenn´ omentielvo!*~

Ok, I was wondering... do any of you know some good fantasy books worth reading? I know all Tolkien Stuff, the Narnia books and the "His dark materials"books- BTW those are really good!- but apart from that....
So, if ya know some good stuff- post it!
Thanx

[Banshee]

Hi! Narnia books are really cool. Have you ever read Ursula K. Le Guin books? Also fantasy, very wise and interesting, very phycological and complicated. They lack the light and joy of both Tolkien's Lewis's works, but they are also great. Which is more, Le Guin doesn't copy Tolkien, as the majority of writers do, she has her own approach to fantasy. My most favourite books are:
"The Wizard of Earthsea" (a cycle of books)
"The Left hand of Darkness" (planet of eternal winter where there is no difference between sexes - borders schi-fi)
Another good fantasy story that I know of is by Clifford Symack (I don't think I spell it right, I read him in Russian translation). The name of the book is "The reserve of goblins" (again not sure)Coll, very funny
If you can read in Polish or in Russian, you can take Anjei Sapkovsky - don't know if he has ever been translated into English. The book is named "Vedmak" (The witch) and it is about the world where people and elves lead an eternal war for lands, war without mercy and till the end.
There is also one guy named Terry Brooks, but he writes junky fantasy.
If I recall anything else, I'll write you. Namarie.
smilies/smile.gif

[gollum*elf*pup]

Hallo Manardariel, welcome to the Downs! Have fun being dead!
Some of my favourite books are "The Sword of Truth" series be Terry Goodkind. They're really good!

smilies/biggrin.gif

[the phantom]

So, you're looking for fantasy books, huh?

Well, I grew up reading books by Brian Jacques. I started reading them in junior high and I still read every time he comes out with a new one. It's basically a medievil world (castles, swords) only instead of people there are animals that walk around in armour and fight and talk. Each species has some of its own characteristics and some are naturally good or evil (good: mice, squirrels, hares... bad: rats, ferrets, foxes, snakes...)

If you read them, start with Martin the Warrior. It's one of the best, and it gets you introduced to the most important character in the series (Martin appears in every book, even though some of them take place after his death).

Good luck finding your books!!

[Túroch]

Be careful who you ask this question too. I could give you a huge amount of good books to read. My favortie fantasy book of all is of course LOTR, however here are my other favs:

2: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (This book stands on its own to feet. It is definately no cheap clone of tolkien. I'd heavly recomend it to anyone. It has a very lyrical style and is a joy to read)

3: The Black Company by Glenn Cook (This isn't your normal fantasy. There are no dwarves, elves or any other races just men. It is a very medevil type fantasy, with some really GOOD plots. Not a lot of description, but the way he writes it pans out.)

4:The Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis (Since this has already been mentioned I wont say too much except it is a great read)

5: The Diskworld Series by Terry Prattchet (Not series fantasy but a great read and is absolutely hilarious)

6: The Redwall Series by Brian Jaques (A great series. Just because it has talking animals doesn't make it a child story. I'm in college and it is still great)

Well I could give ya more but i've got to go. C ya.

[Birdland]

Manardariel - Here's a link that I've posted before: 100 Best Fantasy Novels (http://www.strangewords.com/weirdbooks/fantasy100.html)

Though I have not read every book on Mr. Pringle's list, I have read quite a few, and I can't fault his selection. Most of my personal favorites are included on this list.

BTW - Don't get miffed at the placement of LoTR. The list is arranged by year of publication, not "merit". Unfortunately, it seems to stop in the 1980s, so there may be some twenty odd years of good writing missing from it.

[Eärendil]

Elisabeth Moon has written a trilogy about a girl named Paksenarrion. It´s somewhat "middle-agish" (I think), but with fantasy elements (loads). I think it´s original, exciting and interesting. No cheap copies of Tolkien. Probably among the best fantasy I´ve read besides Tolkien.
David Eddings is great as well. (The books about Mallorea/Belgarion). smilies/smile.gif

[ December 11, 2002: Message edited by: Eärendil ]

[MLD-Grounds-Keeper-Willie]

I saw your link Birdland and thanks. Also, i read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. That was pretty good although I only read it once in fourth grade, but I remember liking it. But I have to say Watership Down is a great book. Its sad in a way and its really good. Its about rabbits who migrated and ended upp fighting other rabbits for their new homes. I love it. Besides the books by Tolkien, Watership Down is my next favorite. Although its not really dragons and wizards and hobbits and stuff, but its about rabbits and its really good.

[the real findorfin]

Here we go (in no particular order)......

1) Terry Brooks - Shannara Series (Slight copy of LOTR but it is a good read.)

2) Sara Douglass - Axis Trilogy?/Wayfarer Redemption Trilogy (Amazing books, characters are really good and the world its set in is really believable)

3)David Eddings - Belgariad/Mallorean, Elenium/Tamuli, Redemption of Althalus (He is the new master, these books are the best)

4)Sean Russel - The swans War (Only the 1st is published so far but it was amazing.)

5) Robert Jordan - The Wheel of Time (Good series of 9 (?) books, a devil vs. unwitting hero kind of theme)

6)???? - The Shadowleague (Interesting and very different from others, world split by magic walls that keep peoples separated for their own safety.)

[Donlammenion]

Fin is correct in his assumptions and i must emphasise that Eddings is awesome so wel worth taking time to read once you stop you'll never want it to stop read the Elenium first its the best of the series.

if your interested in writing as well go to http://www.msu.edu/~clarion/

[the witch king]

Id say "the chronicles of thomas covenant, the unbeliever" by Stephen Donaldson," and the "tales of redwall" by Brian Jacques there great!

[Airehiriel]

I would also like to put a vote in for David Eddings. Excellent reading material!
Also, if you like animal fiction, "Watership Down" by Richard Adam's was very good and "Tailchasers Song" by Tad Williams. Both were excellent in my opinion. And last I would like to offer Clare Bell. I have a hard time finding her work, but she is another good fiction writer. Most of her stuff that I know about deals with cats. "The Jaguar Princess" and "Tomorrow's Sphinx" are two great books by her.

[Airehiriel]

I would also like to add that I really enjoy the Left Behind Series. But that isn't quite fantasy.

[Demloth of Dol Amroth]

i really wish NyteSky would come here-he has David Eddings whole series, which he is faithfully and persistently trying to get me to read-which i think i will, after i've had a third lap through the silmarillion. getting rusty, i daresay. smilies/biggrin.gif

[Nenya]

I must give Eddings a vote too. I compleately fell in love with The Belgariad/The Malloreon, even though his writing style is very different from Tolkiens. Which brings me to a question: could anyone recommend a great fantasy-series/book for an admirer of LeGuin, Tolkien, and Eddings? The key word for me is a character I can love, like Frodo, Garion or Ged.(Sorry, everyone is probably fed up with these requests.Thought I'd still try.)

[Brinniel]

1) Terry Brooks - Shannara Series (Slight copy of LOTR but it is a good read.
Only the first book, The Sword of Shannara is. The rest are wonderful. If you like action, you'll love the Shannara series.

[Schmendrick]

I also want to recommend "The Last Unicorn" by Peter S. Beagle - an amazing book!(Even my name comes from that book...). Unfortunately it's almost impossible to find it in Finland! smilies/frown.gif

[Durelin]

I really liked these books: The Squire's Tale, The Squire His Knight and His Lady, The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf, and Parsifal's Page by Gerald Morriss, they're an easy read with a witty sort of story! I liked them because I'm into Arthurian Legend, they are mainly about Sir Gawain and his squire, who is made up, and in the third book, Gawain's brothers Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth show up. They make Lancelot a very unlikable character, so if you've always liked Lancelot, don't read them! I never liked Lancelot though, he's a pretty boy pansy! smilies/biggrin.gif I don't know what kind of fantasy you like, but I thought they were good books! Oh, I think the first three are better than the last one, just wanted to say that! Love fantasy, I'll see if I can find more, I need some new stuff to read too!
smilies/biggrin.gif Happy reading! smilies/biggrin.gif

[ December 18, 2002: Message edited by: Durelin ]

[Rina]

I would like to recommend the Lloyd Alexander series. It starts with The Book of Three, but most people are more familiar with the second book, The Black Cauldron. The books are set in the fantasy world of Prydain and are based on Welsh legends. There is a fine humor in them, as well as some very scary parts.

[ December 18, 2002: Message edited by: Rina ]

[smile]

Hey one good book or series is..ummm what were they called..anyway the first book is by Ed Greenwood and its called gerrrrr whart is is called...Shadow in the wood I think..
Also good books are the triliam trilagy.I love them books too. (sorry I know i didnt spell stuff right im really bad at that)
im out bye

[Merri]

Don't know if anyone has suggested these series before:

1) A Wrinkle in Time series by Madeline L'Engle (any of her books are good)

2) Pastwatch by Orson Scott Card

3) Enchantment by Orson Scott Card

(I'm not sure if the last two would be considered fantasy or not, but they are both excellent books, and you should read them anyway smilies/biggrin.gif)

[Luineglin]

there are a couple good ones in my opinion. easier reading may include the shanara series by Terry Brooks(or any of his other series) then there is the Wheel of Time series the Harry Potter series but for more adult tastes there is always Anne McAffery's Pern series.

and hey for you hardcore readers out there is always Bewoulf which is one of the beginings of fantasy writing.

[ December 22, 2002: Message edited by: Luineglin ]

[dragoneyes]

I liked Robin Jarvis' The Deptford Mice Trilogy and along with those three, Thomas as you might've guessed from the title, they're about mice, but like Redwall, they're not for young children. The only trouble is his writing style is a little predictable, and I found that I read one and could almost guess the big twist in the next book, but they're still good reads.

[Durelin]

Found a new one: Daggerspell by Katherine Kerr. It's the first book in the Deverry and the Westlands series thing. I got it out of my library and started reading it just today. It's really good, atleast in my opinion. I checked out some of the other suggestions here too. Glad this thread was here!

[Inwe]

I really like the stuff by Diana Wynne Jones, especially Hexwood. Hexwood really messes with your head, and you have to pay attention to get it, and at the end, all the
little details fit together, its a kind of sci-fi fantasy. And EVERWORLD by K.A. Applegate. And I'm glad that someone mentioned Gerald Morris!! They are some of my favorite books. I actually have The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady sitting right here! Really, anything by Diana Wynne Jones will be pretty good. Read the Chrestomanci series by her. And oh, yah, just to add something, not really fantasy, but oh, well. The REMNANTS series is really good. Really easy reading, but good stories that kind of mess with your head. Anyway, tahnks for listening to my rambling!! If I find anything else, I'll add it.

Sincerely...
ME

[Gorwingel]

The Redwall books are good. My personal favorites are "Redwall" and "Mattimeo". Those are the ones that really got me into fantasy, they involve quests, battles, good vs. evil, and really good food (love the October ale, the hobbits would fit in well).
I always seem too busy to read though. I need to catch up with my fantasy, but I have hard enough time keeping up with just the Tolkien books.
I want to try out the "His dark materials series" they sound cool, the librarians tried to get me to read those books years ago. smilies/cool.gif

[Iargwath]

Ive heard Terry Pratchett books are fantastic. Heres a link (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/103-8711861-9571859) to a list of his works. And heres another link (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0061031321/ref=lib_dp_TT01/103-8711861-9571859?v=glance&s=books&vi=reader&img=4#reader-link) that gives you an insight to his writing style. Its a page from one of his books called 'Thief of Time'.

[Purple Elf]

Erm lemmie see,
.for comic fantasy i strongly recommend Terry Pratchet he is hilarious.
. If you want another whole new world to explore i suggest the Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell the may be a little young and the first book is a bit predictable but they are very good for getting lost in and Chris Riddell does some fantastic pen and in fantasy drawings to accompany the story.
. If its another great and enthralling literary work youre looking for try Gormengast by Mervyn Peake it is very long and is a trilogy like LotR but is definately worth it is kind of a gothic fantasy but with nothing that couldn,t fasably really happen, and steerpike is a wicked character.

[Lossentilien]

Some interesting books:

Jan Siegel-
"Prospero's Children" and "The Dragon Charmer" both brilliant. About a girl with "the gift" who must find a mythical key that opens doorways to other times/worlds. Very imaginative- my fave part is the bit in Atlantis.

Anne Rice-
The whole vampire chronicles series is amazing. They're kinda gory in places though, so not for everyone. I've not started on the books about the Mayfair witches yet, but have heard they're great.

Philip Pullman has already been mentioned, but have you read "The Tiger in the Well" and "The Tin Princess" etc?

Apparently, Wilbur Smith is brilliant, but I haven't found time to actually read his stuff. "Warlock" was recommended to me, it's set in Egypt and is very imaginative and detailed, and again gory in places.

[vanwalossien]

My fave (non-Tolkien) fantasy books are:
Katharine Kerr's Deverry-series (celtic fantasy with endless twists and turns)
Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time-series
Terry Brooks's Shannara-series
Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea-series
B. Andreas Bull-Hansen's Horngudens Tale-series(don't think this has been translated to English,it's Norwegian)(celtic/norse fantasy, amazing and still not very famous
smilies/rolleyes.gif )
Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials-series
Clive Staples Lewis' Narnia-series
That's all I can think of right now. (All? It's thousands and thousands of pages with great reading!)

[Jedana]

I really like (ok, maybe not fantasy, but still a good, dark read) the Anita Blake books by Laurell K. Hamilton. And I still love the Krondor series by Raymond Feist. And In Legend Born by Laura Resnick is ok.
Ooh, I forgot...the Basil Broketail series. Christopher Rowley does a great job bringing human qualities to the dragons.

[ January 04, 2003: Message edited by: Jedana ]