"The Children of Hurin" ... for me the single most striking story in the whole mythology
The History of Danish Dreams Peter Hoeg
The Christmas Mystery Jostein Gaarder - nearly the Solitaire Mystery but this is enchanting.
The life of Pi Yann Martell
I suppose these are ones which stretch the fantasy definition but I don't read a lot of true fantasy. I enjoyed the Potter books but I am still sorting my enjoyment from the hype. Narnia, I loved as a child and found it heartbreakingly dreadful rereading it as an adult. I stopped before I got to the Silver Chair lest I discover I no longer loved Marshwiggles.
. I thought Northern Lights, one of the best written books I had ever read but one of the bleakest, The Subtle Knife was not as good and I actively loathed The Amber Spyglass, so that is out.
So for my final selection, even though for me his appeal is that he satirizes our world through discworld and so I hardly classify him as fantasy (though I know that sounds weird and Boromir88's sig would suggest that the great man would not agree with me), has to be Terry Pratchett, probably
Maskerade as I love opera and Agnes is a heroine I can relate to - but it could easily be Hogfather .... especially at this time when some of us are liable to be worshipping "Bilious"
