What other fantasy books do YOU read?

[Dwalin]

I find most fantasy writing to be very poorly written but once I get the book in my hands I enjoy it anyway.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the Belgariad and the Malloreon by David Eddings. They are long (five books each) and not exactly what I'd call "deep" but fun for a little "shallow" pleasure.

I also like Terry Brookes. The Shannara books are ok but "steal" too much from Tolkien (even more than most fantasy). I think Brooke's best writings are his Landover books, despite their ridiculousness. [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]


I like C.S.Lewis mostly for his non-fiction (Mere Christianity) but Narnia is alright

[ May 28, 2003: Message edited by: Dwalin ]

[Elentarimir]

I read the Song of the Lioness Quartet. Tamora Pierce is a great author! Some of my other favorites include Artemis Fowl(Eoin Colfer); Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen(Garth Nix);and The Dark is Rising Sequence(Susan Cooper).

There'e more, but it would take me AGES to write them all out.... [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Mahal]

I have read most books of Raymond E. Feist I think he is a very good writer.

[Luthien_ Tinuviel]

I LOVE C.S. Lewis' works, everyone should read The Space Trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia and Till We Have Faces (that last one's very confusing, though). I also like Tamora Pierce, and Madeline L'Engle, especially The Time Quartet. And Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine is a really good book (other books by her are good, too). A Book of Dragons by E. Nesbit is great (I love dragons). Ummm... let me think... the Redwall books are good, but there's just something about them I just can't really get into sometimes... maybe it's just tha fact that there are always a million storylines with at least one of the said storylines doing almost nothing, and it just seems to me that the action is altogether too slow. Not that I think they're bad of anything. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Frodo2968thewhite]

I'm a Die-hard Tolkien reader! I stick with everything LOTR & Middle-Earth! (and the rest of Arda!) [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[Amanaduial the archer]

What, you dont read anything but Tolkien? Man...

Hmmm. Terry Pratchett has definitely not been mentioned enough on this thread, so may I just reiterate how incredible the discworld books are. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] Have just finished reading Night Watch- Brilliant!

Are there other Pratchett fans out there? Are you hiding?! *scours crowd with eyes...*

[Wolf Larson]

I in my free time and when I am not involed in one of Tolkeins works enjoy the older Star Wars Novels and The Morgaine novels concerning Gates. Also some classic work such as Moby **** or Huck Fin.

[Amanaduial the archer]

Lets just call it Moby Duck for now, shall we? [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[Sapphire_Flame]

Terry Goodkind: The Sword of Truth 1-4

- Terry Goodkind

YES!!! Finally, I've found someone besides me who reads those books! Finwe, al'Thingolfin, you guys are great!!! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] I'm on the sixth book of the Sword of Truth series right now, and [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]. Talk about stress; this guy never gives you a break.

And Helka, there is absolutely nothing wrong with reading the HP books. In fact, I have already reserved my copy of the 5th book (coming out June 21st). [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Abedithon le!

[Faenaduial]

Everyone has mentioned some great authors and books, most of which I have read. My favorites (after Tolkien, of course) are:

Robert Jordan
David Eddings
Ann Rice

It is extremely difficult to find fantasy books that don't bear some resemblance to Tolkien. I find the truly original stories are the ones I enjoy the most.

I just finished a book by an author I haven't seen mentioned here that I enjoyed. It's The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling. Has anyone read some of her other books?

[Salocin]

And Helka, there is absolutely nothing wrong with reading the HP books.

Yes there is. You ought to be ashamed of your selves [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] (its the closest thing to scolding)

I just finnished the Ender quartet by Olsen Scott Card which I started because of the recomendations I saw here. I found all but the third one (Xenocide) so enthrawling I couldn't put them down. The first one (Ender's Game) seemedt to be for younger readers than the rest, but I liked it just as much. His strange ideas as a Mormon started to come out towards the end of the second book and on though.

Anyone know if the Alvin Maker, Shadow, or Homecoming series by Card are any good?

[ May 30, 2003: Message edited by: Salocin ]

[Sapphire_Flame]

Yes there is.

No, there isn't. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

[Amanaduial the archer]

Ah, I can see this getting steadily more and more mature. Now now children, lets all just reserve out views on Harry Potter and the actors therein...

The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddle. I'm reading one of them at the moment - The Curse of the Gloamglozer - and have read most of the others. I would recomend them for anyone who liked fantasy, not just sci-fi, or slight magical references, but completely different worlds and species fantasy.

[Salocin]

My desire to keep this wonderful thread HP free is clashing with my desire to enlighten those who are enslaved to HP. Can't you guys see it is just an atempt to draw people into witchcraft? Rowling is an admitted Wicka. And the books aren't even well writen! THis is what come from the "read a book any book" campains I guess. What ever happened to people being encouraged to read literature instead of just books?

Well I'll try to contain my self now. [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img]

[Amanaduial the archer]

Spelt Wicca. And she isnt a wicca, shes a wannabe wicca- just someone who has watched too much Buffy and tried to do magic by waving her hands and chanting some funny words in a made up language. Not that I have anything against Buffy, or the made up languages. Just JK Rowling. The books are a spin off of LotR, and also include several themes stolen from other fantasy books, but there are enough threads on this already. Maybe best to leave it.

[ArwenBaggins]

Here are some books I read:
The Redwall Series- Brian Jacques
The Icewall Trilogy- Douglas Niles
Chronicles of Narnia- I Can't Remember! [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]
The Dhamon Saga- Jean Rabe
The Crossroads Series: Dragon's Bluff- Mary H. Herbert
The Inheritance- Nancy Varian Berberick
Dalamar the Dark- Nancy Varian Berberick

Those are just some of my favorites. I have read many more. If I had to recommend one book/series, it would be The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques.

-Fëa

[Sapphire_Flame]

Lady Arwen, the Narnia books are by C. S. Lewis. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Lyra Greenleaf]

Robert Jordan: The Wheel of Time 1-10

WOT 1-10 is a LOT of reading. al'Thingolfin there is NO WAY you can say you have read little fantasy. And by the way, great combination of LOTR and WOT in your nick! s it just me or have WOT related nicks increased a lot recently?

I just read the Colour of Magic, the Light Fantastic and Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett. They are very VERY funny! So different to Tolkien, but great! Aman have you by any chance read Johnny and the Bomb? Not sure it's fantasy but I used to love it...In fact I may read it again when I have less stuff to do!

[Amanaduial the archer]

I havent no- I borrowed it from the library, forgot about it, came to read it only to find that it was already overdue, I'm afraid. Only You Can Save Mankind is great though - read it?

[Luinalatawen]

As of now, I'm halfway through The Mists of Avalon. Has anyone read any of the Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer??

[Orofaniel]

There isn't wrong reading the HP books, I read them too. I've read all of them about two times actually....

J.K. Rowling is a good writer, but her books are nothing compared to Tolkien's....My opinion though. HP book 1-3, you can read in one day. HP book 4-5, you can read in one weekend. LOTR has of course more pages than HP, but it takes longer time to read to because it's "deeper", if you know what I mean....

And Amanaduial the archer, did you really meet Daniel Radcliffe??? [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] Not that I don't believe you or anything, I just thought I'd ask....
[img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Amanaduial the archer]

Yes. Gloucester Cathedral, last Summer.

Luinalatwen, if you look back a bit, there are several opinions of the Eoin Colfer books, mainly Artemis Fowl, but also the Wish List. Have you read the most recent one?

As for the HP books...

HP book 1-3, you can read in one day. HP book 4-5, you can read in one weekend.

The reason for that is because they very often hook you. I read The Order of the Phoenix (by the way, has anyone else noticed that the front cover is really completely useless and only related to the title rather than the actual book?!) in about two and half days, but only because I read them until about 1 or 2 O'Clock in the morning. I lost a heck of alot of sleep over that book...

They are excellently written, and when you think about it, despite the fact that she has certainly, ahem, 'borrowed' ideas from several authors, something you really can't ignore, she has got ideas of her own, and by mixing these and her flowing writing and strong, mysterious plot lines, along with a very, very well developed sense of irony, she has created a cult. You can see why.

[Orofaniel]

The reason for that is because they very often hook you.

Well, I agree, HP books do hook you, but so does other books!

I think the main reason is that it's "easy" reading. LOTR is kind of "heavy" and "deeper", if you know what I mean. HP is a book for children and it's therefore natural to have less deatails than books for adults.

They are excellently written, and when you think about it, despite the fact that she has certainly, ahem, 'borrowed' ideas from several authors, something you really can't ignore, she has got ideas of her own, and by mixing these and her flowing writing and strong, mysterious plot lines, along with a very, very well developed sense of irony, she has created a cult. You can see why.

Wwll, I don't think that it's only Rowling "borrowing" things from other authors. All writers need inspiration and I think many of them get them from other books and therefore from other athors.

That's all for now! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Hi all,
Second post on here, usually just lurk and read, but this one got me.

Alot of you may not be old enough, or have looked back far enough, to catch some of the earliest Sci-fi/fantasy of A.A. Merritt, Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard and of course H.G. Wells, all of whom preceeded Tolkien. Burroughs was contempory with him.

These are just a few I grew up reading and was well hooked before I ever saw LOTR.

I have read so many good sci-fi/fantasy over the years I can't begin to list them all. Andre Norton, Marrion Zimmer Bradley (Witch World series as well as the 'Mists of Avalon'), Gordon Dickson, Poul Anderson, David Eddings, Piers Anthony (Adept set), Elizabeth Moon (just finished rereading the Deeds Of Paksennarion), Melanie Rawn's 2 trilogies for a few for you to check out.

Just started 'The Silver Call' one of Dennis McKiernan's Mithgar novels, obviously and acknowledged by him as being greatly influenced by Tolkien, but very well done and hard to put down.

Anyway enough for now. Just had to put in something from an 'OLD' fantasy/sci-fi reader. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[Amanaduial the archer]

Yes, but I'm not talking about things like using centaurs and mandrake roots, both of whom are creatures of myth, and are therefore, you could argue, created by others. Frankly, that would be ridiculous. No, what I'm talking about is when she has used some thing which are very close to, to take a topical example, Lord Of The Rings. Sauron is often referred to as the Dark Lord; Voldemort is always referred to in exactly the same way by Snape. Grima Wormtongue was a traitor in Lord of The Rings; one of the four animagi, Peter aka Wormy, betrayed Lily and James Potter.

I disagree on the point of details. Her writing isn't like that of a primary school child who has just discovered adjectives, true enough, but its certainly nowhere near spartan on that front either. She has quite a good balance I think. The descriptions she gives her characters are quite memorable really, such as that of Sirius Black when he was fifteen- "His hair flopped into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance that James and Harry's could never manage." (I'm sorry if that quote is a few words out, I wasn't using the book. Its in the chapter named Snape's Worst Memory if you really feel the need to check- I just find the HP books easy to quote after a first reading) This description, and the others around Sirius, weren't very long, and were relatively quite simple, I suppose, but the words are very well chosen to fix that image in your head. I have a photographic memory, and when I just think of a character, especially one with a description in the Order Of The Phoenix, I can immediately come up with a clear image of them (apart from Voldemort, for some reason I can't place him).

And her use of irony, in the last chapter of the fifth book for example, is far from childish.

[img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] I blew it there!

Andre Norton, Marrion Zimmer Bradley (Witch World series as well as the 'Mists of Avalon'), Andre Norton wrote the 'Witch World' series, Bradley wrote the 'Darkover' novels. Got in too big of a hurry there! [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Anyway thats fixed and there are so many more out there to explore, check out as many as you can, I'm sure you'll find many that will suit you all.

[Maylin]

Brian Jaques, CS Lewis, Terry Brooks( probably a lot of people here who dont like him) and madaline L'engle are some of my favorites

[Horse-Maiden of the Shire]

I read the Xanth series, by Piers Anthony. They are pretty cool, because they take names of objects from our world and give them a literal meaning in the world of Xanth. For example, (sorry if this has been done before...I'm too lazy to go back and check. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]) a burr will make you very cold if you touch it, and water chestnuts are nuts filled with water. Ha ha.

Also good is the Dark Portal series, by Robin Jarvis. I read these too long ago to give a description. And who can forget C.S. Lewis. Narnia, Narnia, Narnia! NARNIA!

[Gorwingel]

Where do all of you find the time?
For me it seems that I have barely enough time to get through the books just by Tolkien. Though I just did read The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman, which I read because it was a book that was suggested long ago in elementary school to me and I had just never had got to reading it. I enjoyed it immensely, but I have never gotten to the library to get the second and third books in the series. Which even though I have been forgetful about it I really want to read them.

This area of literature is so broad, that when you go to the bookstore you just don't know what direction to go towards. But I will try my best to read as much as I can.

[Beruthiel]

Where do all of you find the time?

I always read before I sleep, I can't sleep properly if I haven't! And if I'm far enough into a book, I usually stay up and finish it... Harry Potter for example, read it in two days, hardly slept at all that weekend!

has anyone else noticed that the front cover is really completely useless and only related to the title rather than the actual book

JK Rowling didn't give the illustrator any details at all about what the story was, she only gave him an idea of what she wanted on the cover and that was it, I think she was afraid that they would spill the beans and make a profit by ruining the story...

Anyway, back on topic I started reading this fantasy series by Isobelle Carmody, I don't think their very famous and I've only read the first book (Obernewtyn...Took me a while to realise how to pronounce it) and its really quite good but my friends tell me that the rest in the series are much better.

Other than this series, Harry Potter and LoTR of course I haven't really found any other fantasy or even sci-fi books that have caught my eye. I did try to read a Star Wars book but it bored me out so quickly I haardly got through the 2nd chapter... [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Amanaduial the archer]

JK Rowling didn't give the illustrator any details at all about what the story was,

Oh, well that was very bleedin useful. Poor guy, come to think of that, what was he supposed to do?

[Orofaniel]

No, what I'm talking about is when she has used some thing which are very close to, to take a topical example, Lord Of The Rings. Sauron is often referred to as the Dark Lord; Voldemort is always referred to in exactly the same way by Snape. Grima Wormtongue was a traitor in Lord of The Rings; one of the four animagi, Peter aka Wormy, betrayed Lily and James Potter.

Yes, Amanaduial the archer, I totally agree with you here. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

I disagree on the point of details. Her writing isn't like that of a primary school child who has just discovered adjectives, true enough, but its certainly nowhere near spartan on that front either. She has quite a good balance I think. The descriptions she gives her characters are quite memorable really, such as that of Sirius Black when he was fifteen- "His hair flopped into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance that James and Harry's could never manage." (I'm sorry if that quote is a few words out, I wasn't using the book. Its in the chapter named Snape's Worst Memory if you really feel the need to check- I just find the HP books easy to quote after a first reading) This description, and the others around Sirius, weren't very long, and were relatively quite simple, I suppose, but the words are very well chosen to fix that image in your head. I have a photographic memory, and when I just think of a character, especially one with a description in the Order Of The Phoenix, I can immediately come up with a clear image of them (apart from Voldemort, for some reason I can't place him).

I would say that the details are more "worked out" in Tolkien's books. When you think about it, Tolkien used many many years on his works. Rowling didn't use that many I think. I also feel that each character has more detailed and "deeper" history in LOTR. Characters in HP has history too, but I don't think thay are developed that much as Tolkien's character.

And her use of irony, in the last chapter of the fifth book for example, is far from childish.

I think you misunderstood me. I have never said that she writes childish and her books are like that. I'm only saying that HP is originally a children's book. I saw an interwiew with her, where she said it herself. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Then again, I heard some stuff about LOTR. It was said that Tolkien first told the story to children as a "good night" story, but I don't know if that's true. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] So would that make LOTR a children's book? I don't know the answer, I only feel after reading the HP books a couple of times each, and LOTR too that LOTR is much "deeper" and detailed.

EDIT: My 450th post!!!! yay
[img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[ July 08, 2003: Message edited by: Orofaniel ]

[Måns]

I would not say that I have read much fantasy at all, never liked the genre at all. It seems to me that Tolkien is not fantasy at all, no, indeed it is according to himself a historical novel about a prehistorical Europe and it seems silly to ignore that. What one has got to keep in mind is that it is supposed to be a tale, a tale from a time when magic was held possible to exist and seemed like a natural part of the microroom world, the empirical world. In those days the own views were very tiny for most people compared to todays epic views. In many years people will say the same about the today faraway parts of the universe, the proximity to those will then seem natural. We have got to put htings in a perspective, even thoguh there is really only one person who has published works on the aspects of room in earlier times, and he has not been translated. To get back to the subject, I have read fantasy but what I did not like is that they felt very much as constructions, developed by mind, and not like the works of Tolkien by heart. No disrespect to other fantasy writers, but Tolkien is still the best and will be as long as he is the only one that understands this.

Messy post, it was a while since I was on an internet forum and I guess it is pretty obvious.

[Amanaduial the archer]

Welcome to the Downs, Mans.

Where do all of you find the time?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I always read before I sleep, I can't sleep properly if I haven't! And if I'm far enough into a book, I usually stay up and finish it... Harry Potter for example, read it in two days, hardly slept at all that weekend!

Ditto that, Beruthiel, ditto that.

[Theoric Windcaller]

I enjoy a lot of Terry Brooks and R.A. Salvatore. I reccomend "The Cleric Quintet" Series by R.A. Salvatore, "The Icewind Dale Trilogy" and the Shannara series by Terry Brooks.

[Rimbaud]

Dossiers on Middle-East weaponry.

Alternatively, Senseless Acts of Violence, the majority of Ballard, Schismatrix by Bruce Sterling, William Gibson, and on an almost entirely unrelated note, The Dark by John McGahern, a superbly written book, which I have just completed for the second time. A further plethora, with which I choose not to tire you.

[ July 08, 2003: Message edited by: Rimbaud ]

[Brinniel]

About time I post in this thread. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Fantasy is the only genre of books I read for fun anymore, and I've come across some good ones.

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling: Yes, I'm another HP fan, but I find those books so enjoyable. And I think I got my family hooked on it. My mom read Book Five not long after I finished and my sister (who never reads) is currently reading the book. Now, only if I could get them hooked on LOTR...

Shannara series by Terry Brooks: I am a huge Shannara fan. I've read every single Shannara book that exists and am currently reading The World of Shannara, which is basically the history and background of people, places, and objects in the Shannara series. The author's next addition to the series comes out in September.

The Obsidian Chronicles by Laurence Watt-Evans: This isn't the best trilogy I've read, but I have found it quite fascinating. It's certainly different than the other fantasy books I've read. I'm still awaiting the third book, which comes out in September.

The Sword, The Ring, and The Chalice by Deborah Chester: These books were fairly good, though I found them a bit dull at times. The Chalice ended up being my favorite out of the three, because it seemed to have a little more action in my opinion.

[Elrowen Greenleaf]

Redwall and Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars!

[Arwen Imladris]

I have read: the Chronicals of Narnia, Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Dune, and The Hitchhickers guide to the galaxy. O.k., so maybe some of these aren't fantasy, but Sci-fi is pretty close.

[Kates Frodo Temp]

To echo Horse-Maiden, Narnia, Narnia, Narnia! NARNIA!!! Brian Jaques, C.S. Lewis, Susan Cooper (The Dark is Rising Sequence,) Bruce Coville (The Unicorn Chronicles,) Emily Rodda (Australian author of Rowan of Rin,) Gail Carson Levine (The Princess Tales, The Two Princesses of Bamarre.) The list goes on and on. And I still read nonfic sometimes! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] Hope I inspired someone to look up these great books/authors, even though they can't compare to Tolkien for passion and depth! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

~Kates~