What other fantasy books do YOU read?

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Have you finished reading The Long Earth, Lal? Please do give a brief report! I'm contemplating getting it and want to know if it's re-readable. One-time reads usually end up being lent from the library...

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

Have you finished reading The Long Earth, Lal? Please do give a brief report! I'm contemplating getting it and want to know if it's re-readable. One-time reads usually end up being lent from the library...

Not yet, because I've been so busy with kid stuff and weather geekery, but I will do soon! So far, it's rather good.

[Galadriel55]

I haven't read much of Terry Pratchett. Only one or two chapters from The Amazing Maurice, I think. It was my sister's book anyways, and it didn't catch on with me, so I did not pursue other Pratchett books - or finish that one.

Maybe it's just that I have an issue with reading comedy. It never catches with me for some reason. I am more amused at a random joke stuck in the middle of a serious novel that at a whole heap of comedies. The last one I read made me at most feel bad for the poor characters who got themselves stuck at the most unlikely places and all that (when my mother read the book at my age she said she was rolling on the floor from laughter). Since, from what I gather about him, Pratchett writes half-comedy half-fantasy books, I think the comedy part killed it for me.

[Ardent]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

Have you finished reading The Long Earth, Lal? Please do give a brief report! I'm contemplating getting it and want to know if it's re-readable. One-time reads usually end up being lent from the library...

I've read all of Sir Pratchett's work at least once and The Long Earth has become my current favourite. I've read it twice already and can't wait for the sequel. The book does stand alone but has several themes which could go in various directions. In fact there is so much in it it has the potential of becoming a genre every bit as divers as the Diskworld series, though that may require more time than Terry has...

The primary theme is that of the opening of a seemingly unlimited frontier in the form of parallel worlds. The main character 'boldy goes' from world to world, encountering variations of earth, from slight to extreme, plus adventurers and settlers who have moved to a few of them.
There are similar themes dealt with in sci-fi series like 'Sliders' or some 'Star Trek' episodes, but the technology for 'stepping' between worlds is made available to everyone. Also it differs from other parallel world/time-line tales in that no humans are found on any but our earth: O brave new worlds that have no people in them!

[Ardent]

Anyone else here into Babylon 5? I know it's primarily a TV series, though there are books as well, but it has so many themes in common with LotR and many ideas directly drawn from it. Perhaps it may warrant a thread of its own?

[Estelyn Telcontar]

*raises hand, waving enthusiastically*

I'm a big fan of B5! I remember starting a thread on comparisons - here it is!

edit: Here is an article on the subject (among other influences): B5 influences

And another.