What other fantasy books do YOU read?

[Thinlómien]

PS. For all Geroge R.R. Martin fans and everybody interested in a new fantasy TV series, HBO has realeased the first two teaser trailers for A Game of Thrones. This one looks really cool and has Sean Bean, although it's sadly really short.

[Oddwen]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

PS. For all Geroge R.R. Martin fans and everybody interested in a new fantasy TV series, HBO has realeased the first two teaser trailers for A Game of Thrones. This one looks really cool and has Sean Bean, although it's sadly really short.

Plus, GRRM claims to be five chapters away from the end of Dances with Dragons, the book he's been working on for ten plus years.

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Oddwen

Plus, GRRM claims to be five chapters away from the end of Dances with Dragons, the book he's been working on for ten plus years.

So it will take him at least a few more years to finish it, right?

[Aganzir]

Originally Posted by Ibrîniðilpathânezel

I would probably like LeGuin better as a writer if I had not met her as a person. Alas, I can say the same for a number of others, too... *sigh*

Poor Ibrin, most of would be happy to meet our favourite writers in person!

I think Robin Hobb is a very good read, and like Lommy said The Farseer trilogy is probably the best place to start. It's imaginative and good, in the later books it gets both more mature (dealing with equality & other current issues) and less inventive (it might be just me, though - I find dragons awfully dull).

I've read the Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin and couldn't really see what's so special about it. The characters are way too simple and superficial to my liking, so I never bothered to check out the rest of them. I might do it some day though.

I'm currently rereading the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. They're both better (there are nuances I didn't catch when I was 13)) and worse (illogical stuff, the writer ignores things I consider relevant for the plot - she's not nearly so bad as a certain Stephenie Meyer though ) than I remembered. Anyway I like me some wonderfully androgynous badass vampires.

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Oddwen

Plus, GRRM claims to be five chapters away from the end of Dances with Dragons, the book he's been working on for ten plus years.

Funny though, because I heard the release date of DWD is two years later. I hope he just finishes it quickly and gets it published so the readers don't have to die with impatience

[Galadriel55]

I've read quite a few fiction books (half of which I don't remember), but nothing can match with Tolkien's works. It seems like he just summarised the universe into just a few volumes. No other author got close to doing that.

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I've read quite a few fiction books (half of which I don't remember), but nothing can match with Tolkien's works. It seems like he just summarised the universe into just a few volumes. No other author got close to doing that.

Hear hear!

[Galadriel55]

Glad that someone finally agrees with me about Tolkien. People usually laugh or call me stupid when I say that LOTR is the best book ever written.

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Glad that someone finally agrees with me about Tolkien. People usually laugh or call me stupid when I say that LOTR is the best book ever written.

You misunderstand me. Tolkien is my favourite author, but I wouldn't call LotR the best book ever written. The reason it's my personal favourite is because of the fairy-tale feeling you get while reading it (though certainly there is no 'fairy-tale' ending!) and because of the beautiful and historically rich world Tolkien created. So yes, no author will ever come close to doing that, but there are people who write better than him. Examples? Victor Hugo, Leo Tolstoy, Mary Ann Evans, Charlotte Brontë etc.

[Galadriel]

I finally started on Harry Potter. Not because of the films, but because I've wanted to get into the fandom for a long time, but I kept getting put off by the first few lines in 'The Philosopher's Stone' and by people telling me it was a great work of art I'm around four hundred pages into the fourth book now, and I must say, I'm enjoying it much more than I thought I would. Still, I can't really call myself a 'fan' yet, since I haven't exactly fallen in love with the series the way I did with Lord of the Rings. Oh well, we'll see how it all turns out after I've finished all seven!