What other fantasy books do YOU read? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Hilde Bracegirdle · 04-19-2003, 03:34 PM

Unfortunately, the first fantasy series I read was Chronicles Of Narnia and LoTR after that. Then on to C.S. Lewis’s SciFi. After that I spent a LONG time trying to find something as good as LoTR but after many years gave up.

During that time (late ‘70’s) I read
Lloyd Alexander
Katherine Kurtz's Deryni books
T.H. White
Madeline L'Engle
Terry Brooks (The Sword of Shannara only)
Lewis Carrol
Ursula LeGuinn
Frank Hebert’s Dune series

All these guys are good and very talented writers (especially LeGuin And Herbert) but they just don’t have what Tolkien did. He is the master! Frank Herbert comes close, in depth.

Most of the stories had a dark element to them as well, and given the choice between an excellent dark tale and an excellent one that isn’t 10 times out of 10 I’ll pick the one that isn’t. I mean even Tolkien’s twisted stuff isn’t so much deeply disturbing as it is deeply tragic (Turin).

So off I went to myths & epics, Anne Dillard, Farley Mowat, Hermann Hesse (Magister Ludi is excellent!), Douglas Adams and landed in classics. Current favorite besides Tolkien is George Eliot.

There has been a lot of stuff mentioned here that is rather tempting, though.

04-19-2003, 03:34 PM	#11
Hilde Bracegirdle Relic of Wandering Days Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: You'll See Perpetual Change. Posts: 1,480	Unfortunately, the first fantasy series I read was Chronicles Of Narnia and LoTR after that. Then on to C.S. Lewis’s SciFi. After that I spent a LONG time trying to find something as good as LoTR but after many years gave up. During that time (late ‘70’s) I read Lloyd Alexander Katherine Kurtz's Deryni books T.H. White Madeline L'Engle Terry Brooks (The Sword of Shannara only) Lewis Carrol Ursula LeGuinn Frank Hebert’s Dune series All these guys are good and very talented writers (especially LeGuin And Herbert) but they just don’t have what Tolkien did. He is the master! Frank Herbert comes close, in depth. Most of the stories had a dark element to them as well, and given the choice between an excellent dark tale and an excellent one that isn’t 10 times out of 10 I’ll pick the one that isn’t. I mean even Tolkien’s twisted stuff isn’t so much deeply disturbing as it is deeply tragic (Turin). So off I went to myths & epics, Anne Dillard, Farley Mowat, Hermann Hesse (Magister Ludi is excellent!), Douglas Adams and landed in classics. Current favorite besides Tolkien is George Eliot. There has been a lot of stuff mentioned here that is rather tempting, though.