What other fantasy books do YOU read? - Page 4 - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

04-19-2002, 01:12 PM

Thanks for the welcome.

To answer your question, Birdland, I've actually read these books in two languages.
Most of them were Dutch (my native language), but some were available in English (like those Magic books and the Elric - sage by Micheal Moorcock).

Since so many of you seem to like these Narnia (? sorry if I didn't remeber it correctly) books, I think I'll try to locate them.

Thanks for all the good recommandations!

Sophia the Thunder Mistress · 04-19-2002, 02:56 PM

I also love the Myst series... the book of D'ni is particularly thought provoking. I can't believe more people haven't mentioned Lewis's Space Trilogy... Perelandra is the most hauntingly beautiful thing I've ever read. Madeline L'Engle is a great Fantasy read, and not only the time quartet... The Arm of the Starfish and a Ring of Endless Light both get me every time. Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker "trilogy" can hardly be left out, nor can Gayle Greeno's Ghatti's Tale, which is also a trilogy (Finder's Seekers, Mindspeaker's Call and Exiles Return), has anyone read that? Also I love the good old Shannara books, if you haven't yet read Antrax I highly reccommend it. Another series I get into is Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels. THey get a bit repetitive at times and I wonder how many times Richard Rahl can possibly be counted on to save the world... but...

04-20-2002, 08:29 AM

Myst is good. I've been meaning to read the Dragonriders of Pern books. And I love the Xanth books -- they're so funny, but they really are nothing like Lord of the Rings. There's no comparing anything to LotR! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Samwise · 04-20-2002, 06:29 PM

Sophia the Thunder Mistress and Rohansangel, welcome! Please make yourself at home! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]
~your friendly neighborhood gardener.

Quote:

LOTR (Movie) Moment (III) (Second Breakfast)
Pippin stops to cook
Aragorn says there's no time
Apple hits a head.

Copyright 2002 S. Uffelman

Samwise · 04-20-2002, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Edgar Allen Poe
Isaac Asimov

Ooh--creepy as the ones we read in school were, I enjoyed Poe's works, too.
And Isaac Asimov--what would my senior year of High School been without the series that began with "The Caves of Steel..." [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Quote:

LOTR (Movie) Moment (II) (Moria)
Nine Walkers enter
Frodo's sword glows with blue light
door barred--Orcs coming!

Copyright 2002 S. Uffelman

Samwise · 04-20-2002, 06:37 PM

Ever read Ray Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles"? There's a chapter in it called "Usher:2005"--about this guy who wants revenge and takes it Poe-style....very freaky. [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]

Quote:

LOTR (Movie) Moment (IV) (Moria)
Orcs are everywhere
Samwise whacks one with a pot
gets..."the hang of this!" [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Copyright 2002 S. Uffelman

ESTEN · 04-30-2002, 02:56 PM

The books that I read are far to many to list all here, but i will give you some of the ones that I enjoy:
Adventures in Wonderland, and trough the looking Glass
The Foundation series
Islandia
The Dune series
Shanarra
and anything dark and twisted, Poe, Hathorine, S. King, A. Rice, want to know anything more just ask [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

The Silver-shod Muse · 04-30-2002, 07:22 PM

The first novel I ever read (when I was five) was by C.S. Lewis: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The other six followed shortly after and I was infatuated with every one of them. It almost makes me jealous that everybody has read them because those books have always been my own personal little world, something like an early Middle Earth [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

I can't believe that more people havn't mentioned Jules Verne's books! They may be outdated now, but if you consider the age in which they were written, they're incredible! Especially 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Captain Nemo reminds me of a demented Gandalf).

The Dinotopia picture books are great (I'm not ashamed to say that I read picture books!) That psuedo-Australian continent seemed so real to me for so long! Everything made so much sense in Dinotopia (even though the name is cheesy)...

C.S. Lewis' Malacandra and Perelandra books rock!!! They are sure to bring on an attack of Weltschmerz, though if you don't know the Bible it may be difficult to make some connections.

All in all I believe it's a pretty bleak world out there for fantasy after reading Tolkien, the father of the genre. My eye twitches uncontrollably every time I read a Tolkien spin-off, and there are plenty of those. Right now I am sloughing into the jungle of bizarre stuff that precedes Tolkien's fantasy era (i.e. Jules Verne's books)in a desperate attempt to escape those post-Tolkien writers that should be shot for plagarism.

NyteSky · 04-30-2002, 09:24 PM

I haven't read through all the posts so I'm sorry if any of these have already been said.

David Eddings- my favorite,
Tad Williams
and Patricia C. Wrede- she has some funny ones and some serious ones, both good

I highly recommend those to anyone who likes fantasy. Excellent authors. But of course Tolkien remains the Master.

Tarthang · 04-30-2002, 11:33 PM

The first book I ever read was the Hobbit in fifth grade and LOTR within two years and since (and reread around 100 times for these four books), plus many of Tolkiens other works since.
Finished Lewis' Narnia Chronicles by eigth grade.
Other authors read include: Robert Jordans (IMO best author next to Tolkien)Wheel of Time Series (nine times through in it's entirety to date). Robert Asprins Myth series among others. The first half of Piers Anthony's Xanth series. Most of David Eddings works (he wrote what I consider two nine book series but can't recall the names).
Dave Mcfarland (??) Rune-lords series to date. Many of Alan-Dean Foster's works (all of the Pip & Flinx series to date). Stephen Kings Gunslinger series to date plus some of his other works. Anne Rices Witches series. Weiss and Hickmans Dragonlance series (plus many Dragonlance by other authors)plus the another series (can't recall the name but was mentioned in an earlier post for this thread. Many of the various Forgotten Realm series. George R.R. Martins series to date (again can't recall the name but was also mentioned earlier). Melanie Rawns Ambrai and Dragonstar/scroll series. Some of Katherine Kurtz's Deverry series. Many of L.E. Modessit's works. Andre Nortons Witchworld series. Dennis L. McKiernans Mithgar series (hasn't been mentioned yet and has a strong Tolkienish feel).
Authors I've read but am having trouble recalling the series names include: Burroughs, Orson Scott Card, Maggie Fury, Stephen Donaldson, Tad Williams, Cristopher Stasheff, Jennifer Roberson, Terry Goodkind, Terry Brookes and a great many others whom I can't recall.
As you can tell, I read a lot, especially series books. Unfortunately I'm at a point where I walk into a bookstore to see if any of these authors has released a new book to a currently ongoing series, and usually leave empty handed.

Tarthang · 04-30-2002, 11:58 PM

Sorry, after reading through the posts, I lost the original thread and just started listing authors and associated series. To answer the original question "what else do you read besides LOTR (/Tolkien)?", I would have to answer pretty much anything sci-fi/fantasy. Especially the fantasy and in series form. I have just reread the earlier posts and refreshed my memory for other authors and their series, I have read. to keep this post briefer I will add only the authors whose names I missed from my first post. Joel Rosenberg, Elizabeth Haydon, (some) Anne McCaffrey, Douglas Adams, Gayle Greeno, "Harry Potter", Marion Zimmer Bradley, Cristopher Rowley, (some) Michael Moorecock, Raymond E Feist and I'm still missing quite a few authors names. BTW I only buy books to read, as I mentioned previously (I think), I reread books when I can't find anything new.
My apologies if my posts are overly long. I work a swing shift and am currently at work trying to stay awake (gravy-job with little to do most nights).

Cimmerian · 05-01-2002, 12:29 AM

Books about Heroic Dark Fantasy with a dash of horror and a lot of gore. [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

JenFramp · 05-01-2002, 07:24 PM

Lostgaeriel- Douglas Adams is awesome..

I am suprised that no one has mentioned this particular author, however he is a bit before our time...George Macdonald..I highly recommend him and I think all of you should go out and buy a George Macdonald book..A good one would be "Lilith"...George Macdonald was one of C.S Lewis' cheif influences

05-01-2002, 10:16 PM

Mary Brown's "Pigs Don't Fly" and "Dragonne's Eg".

Oandanel

Samwise · 05-02-2002, 07:48 PM

A big "HI!" to all you new folks! Do stay and be sure and post lots!
~Samwise

Quote:

"Begging your pardon," said Sam, "I don't think you understand my master at all, "

Manelwen · 05-02-2002, 09:39 PM

I just stumbled across this wonderful series by a superb author by the name of Terry Goodkind. He writes a series called 'The Sword of Truth' It is one of the funniest and best things I have read in a while. There are a lot of things in it that would make a Tolkien fan laugh until their face turns red. I know I did. Zedd reminds me of a goofy Gandalf. He...er...makes a lot of men's 'precious' Vanish...

-Manelwen

Lady_Báin · 05-04-2002, 09:10 AM

I've read the chronicles of narnia and am rereading them for the second time,( my favorit is the silver chair but a close secound would be the voyage of the dawn treader Nevfeniel [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]) i've read a wrinkle in time, the last vampire series by pike, lotr, the hobbit and various other vampire books.

HEY Amyrlis where can I get the Chron. of Narnia with the cover like your picture PLEEZ tell me i've been looking for those kind for ever and can't find it anywhere [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] thanks in advance [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Kalessin · 05-04-2002, 06:28 PM

For obvious reasons I should say Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea Quartet. However, I would also like to cite Jose Luis Borges (author of many fantastical fictions), and The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende (loosely based on the magical tale-telling of Scheherezade) as being among my personal favourites - neither author perhaps part of the 'fantasy' section at your local bookshop, but (in a wholly original way) certainly part of the same realm of imaginative narrative, and perhaps closer in truth to Tolkien than many of the obvious imitators. Although majoring in SF, Brian Aldiss and Ray Bradbury have also written many ingenious and entertaining stories that qualify as fantasy. And for me, The Little Prince by Antione de Saint Exupery is a profound and moving work of fantasy.

I also enjoy thoughtful workings and re-working of 'true' myths and fairy tales - versions of the essentially tragic Cuchulain stories from Ireland, or Angela Carter's dark perspective on the traditional Perrault fairy tales, or Oscar Wilde's beautiful stories - highly recommended!

Ah, the list is endless ... but as you may have seen from my "rant" about fantasy elsewhere, I'm not a big fan of the standard genre-fillers. To each his/her own [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] But I'm sure there is plenty of good stuff that I haven't got to yet, and this thread is a useful shortcut [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Peace

piosenniel · 05-04-2002, 07:04 PM

one of my favorite books is 'The Magus' by John Fowles. Jam packed with all sorts of archetypal characters.

Dain · 04-16-2003, 07:53 AM

Well, there are lots of good books listed here, and I've read some of them. Frank Herbert's Dune is brilliant, David Edding's series about Ender is good, though "Ender's Game" stands out and you don't have to read it as a series. Robert Heinlein has some very good books (loved Starship Troopers) and some very strange ones (never finished Stranger in a Strange Land). And I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Philip K. **** , who wrote a lot of short-ish, strange, brilliant science fiction, including Do Androids Dream of Electic Sheep, which was the basis for the equally brilliant Blade Runner (though they are very different). C. S. Lewis' Narnia series is a must-read, though it's been years since I have.

I haven't found so many "fantasy" authors who really stand out. The stories are usually fun, but never quite satisfying... I keep going down to the bookstore and looking at all the pretty books and their intreguing titles, but can never figure out what to read. I'll look into some of the recommendations here, thanks!

Oh, so I can't write Philip K. **** , can I? How annoying. His name is D I C K, does that work? And even the titles of his books are just brilliant... can't beat old-school sci-fi.

[ April 16, 2003: Message edited by: Dain ]

Ainaserkewen · 04-16-2003, 01:50 PM

I read Harry Potter before LOTR. It's silly and funny.
But I've never liked Fantasy bofore either of them, I read mostly teen romances(I know, I know) and comic books(GO GARFIELD)
Now that I've read LOTR, I'm eager to read other Tolkien works and other Fantasy too. Can anybody recomend anything good?

Guo Si · 04-16-2003, 02:34 PM

Lately I've been reading more Eastern literature. I'm almost finished with The Four Great Chinese Classics (or something close to that). These are composed of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Water Margin. Journey to the West, and A Dream of Red Mansions.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a historical fantasy about the time when the Han Empire dissolved. Out of it came the three empires of Shu, Wu, and Wei. Its an excellent book, with more battle, intrigue, and treachery than you can shake a stick at.

The Water Margin is set in the time of the Northern Song Dynasty. Its about 108 bandits who fight against the corrupt government to help restore the Emporer's court to honor. Eventually they end up with an amnesty, but are killed by rival nobles anyways.

Journey to the West is about a buddhist's journey to India to obtain some holy scriptures. With him are three divine monsters. Its really good, even though I haven't finished it yet.

A Dream of Red Mansions is the only one I haven't gotten around to reading yet. Its about court life in the late 18th century, and the decline of the feudal estates.

Other books I've read include the Harry Potter series and numerous other's who's names elude me now.

Rumil · 04-16-2003, 03:39 PM

Aha, Guo Si, the Journey to the West must surely be the book which was adapted for TV in the 70s as the series 'Monkey'. I'm sure all UK Downers of a certain age will fondly remember Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy and the rather confusing (boy or girl?) Tripitaka. I think the series was made in China and dubbed into English - great fun. I confess to having tried to read the book once but given up, perhaps the translation wasn't up to scratch.

The Water Margin was also said to be a great TV series, but sadly not broadcast in my area at the time.

OK, on to the books. As many have said, I find it difficult to nominate good fantasy authors. The Eddings books are OK for a relaxing read, but rather shallow perhaps. I still love Terry Pratchett, for bringing the whole genre down a peg. Has anyone read any of Lord Dunsany's books, fantasy which pre-dated Tolkien? I'd be interested to hear your opinion as I haven't tried them yet.

In the Sci-Fi a long time favourite of mine was the fantastic Douglas Adams (now sadly missed) who wrote the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and others (though never enough). Also Philip K. **** , K.W. Jeter and William Gibson, used to be a big Asimov fan too. Iain M. Banks is currently a favourite, anyone who can write a book consisting in art of e-mails between spacecraft and make it a gripping read (Excession) has my vote. 'Consider Phlebas' is probably the best one to start with. (By the way, Banks and Jeter contain 'adult' themes, so I couldn't recommend them for some of our younger members - or at least don't get caught!).

I'll have to put a word in for the clasics of course. Odyssey and Aeneid are surely essential for the 'heroic age' and the Mabinogion is full of weird and wonderful things from my own cultural background!

Dain · 04-16-2003, 04:34 PM

Yeah, I clearly forgot Douglass Adams. Oops.

And I'm glad you recommend Banks, Rumil, and most importantly a book to start with. I've been wanting a push in his direction for a while, if you know what I mean.

I agree about Eddings being a bit shallow. I enjoyed them when I was a youth, but all the plots end up with the hero doing battle in gigantic form with the enemy to save the world. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] But I did enjoy them...

I've heard good things about George R. R. Martin, can anybody support that?

I find the trouble with a lot of fantasy is that the characters feel "modern" and so they don't seem to fit in their setting. Or else they are hopelessly stereotyped. Tolkien's work has an authentic feel that few others have duplicated. It's strange to judge a work of "fantasy" by how "real" it seems, but that's one of the keys for me...

[ April 16, 2003: Message edited by: Dain ]

**The Saucepan Man** · 04-16-2003, 06:09 PM

Quote:

I'm sure all UK Downers of a certain age will fondly remember Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy and the rather confusing (boy or girl?) Tripitaka.

Yup. [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Afte reading LotR (age 10) I was desperate to read more. I tried the Silmarillion, but found it hard going and gave up (I have recently rectified that omission). So I moved on to as many other fantasy authors as I could find to quench my thirst for the genre. Unfortunately, I do not recall coming across anything to rival LotR. However I do recall greatly enjoying Robert E Howard's Conan books and Michael Moorcock's Prince Corum series. I also have fond memories of Anne McCaffrey's Pern series. On the other hand, I gave up very early on with Terry Brooks' Shannarah books, which I recall thinking of as very pale imitations of LotR. This is all some time ago now, so my memories of all of these books are pretty dim.

Quote:

... a long time favourite of mine was the fantastic Douglas Adams (now sadly missed) who wrote the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and others

Amen to that. I would recommend the books to anyone and the TV adaptation was great too (and still frequently repeated on UK Gold type channels). An earlier post on this thread referred to Dirk Gently and his holistic detective agancy. Did Adams only write one of these books, or were there more? In any event, Dirk Gently is certainly a character that I am glad to be reminded of.

For now, however, there is certainly more than enough Tolkien to be catching up on ... [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Cúdae · 04-16-2003, 06:24 PM

Hmmm... I have always loved Lloyd Alexander's books (I know I'm too old for them, but I still like them) and I'm a huge fan of Ray Bradbury. I read Something Wicked This Way Comes twice in one day. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
I also love any King Arthur story- especially (sp?) TH White's The Once and Future King and Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon.
I will also read anything (and I mean anything) about Cuchulain. I read Lady Gregory's Cuchulain of Muirthemne and I am now reading Morgan Llewelyn's (sp?) Red Branch, which so far I have found to be pretty good.
And finally, Garth Nix's books Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen all hold the treasured, coveted space next to my copies of the Lord of the Rings.

[ April 16, 2003: Message edited by: Cúdae ]

Rumil · 04-16-2003, 07:09 PM

Hi Ironfoot and Sospan Fach, we all seem to be on the same wavelength tonight.

I agree with you Dain that too many fantasy writers make their characters too 'modern'. It's something you see a lot of in historical novels as well, the heroes are generally opposed to nasty practices such as slavery, racism and flogging whereas it seems that the majority of people in those benighted times were not. I think its a fine line to tread though, the reader needs someone to identify with, I can think of some Sci-Fi (written from an Aliens' point of view) which rapidly becomes unreadable. (I've mailed you about Iain M Banks)

Yes indeed Mr Saucepan, there was a second Dirk Gently Book (I think 'The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul' , though maybe that was the first one). Offhand I think there were 5 books in the Hitchhikers trilogy, 2 Dirk Gently, 'The Meaning of Liff' (which invents useful new words for modern day life), 'Last Chance to See' which is a factual book on endangered species and, my most recent purchase, 'The Salmon of Doubt', which is a bit of a Douglas Adams Unfinished Tales, published posthumously, containing the start of a new Dirk Gently and lots of other intriguing snippets.

If only he hadn't left so soon! (and suffered from such ferocious writer's block)

btw , there's a website called H2G2 hosted by the BBC, which aims to provide a 'Guide' in the Adams style.

Don't Panic !
[img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Sophia the Thunder Mistress · 04-16-2003, 07:40 PM

Not that Lawhead hasn't been mentioned enough, I have to say, his Taliesin is one of the best ones I've ever read. I absolutely love Charis and his description of Atlantis.

And I'm a hitchhiker fan as well... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] I'm one of those people that likes to sprinkle character names through things, so I've used zaphod, fordprefect, and damogran for nicknames on different things at different times, and my current fish is named Zaphod [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

*gulps* I've really struggled with TH White though, is it worth the effort to dig back in?

Sophia

Orual · 04-16-2003, 07:45 PM

RIP, Douglas Adams. He was one of the best of us.

Much of Lloyd Alexander (though his books follow a pattern and grow predictable after a while), all of Madeleine L'Engle's early works (Meet the Austins, the Time Quartet, etc), all that I could find of Susan Fletcher, some Patricia Wrede, 'Till We Have Faces' from C.S. Lewis, I'm up to book three of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, 'Dune' by Frank Herbert (though I never read the sequels), a little of Anne McCaffrey, Orson Scott Card's 'Ender' quartet and the parallels (I know they're sci-fi), and though I've barely scratched the surface of her many works, I adore Jane Yolen. I never got into Shannara, but I did read part of it.

We have some well-read people among us. I'll keep an eye on this thread...I always need more books on my list.

~*~Orual~*~

Aiwendil · 04-16-2003, 07:55 PM

Quote:

An earlier post on this thread referred to Dirk Gently and his holistic detective agancy. Did Adams only write one of these books, or were there more?

There are two - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. The first is very good, but the second is truly brilliant - one of my favorite books of all time. He had also begun a third Dirk Gently book but never finished it. Apparently, shortly before he died, he had decided to go back to it and turn it into a sixth Hitchhiker book instead of a Dirk Gently book - but alas, he never did. What is extant of it was published recently as The Salmon of Doubt, along with quite a few miscellaneous bits of writing by him (some previously published elsewhere).

Orual · 04-16-2003, 07:59 PM

On the topic of Douglas Adams--I wasn't going to bring this up, as it's not fantasy, or even fiction--anyone who likes him simply *must* read "Last Chance to See." It's a non-fiction about a trip he took to write about endangered species. Picture: Douglas Adams in Madagascar to see komodo dragons. Or in Mauritius to see the echo parakeets. But I digress; just read it.

~*~Orual~*~

**The Saucepan Man** · 04-16-2003, 08:17 PM

Quote:

There are two - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

Ah good, then I've read them both. But it's been a long time. Must dig them out again. Thanks Rumil, Aiwendil and Orual, I must add Salmon of Doubt and Last Chance to See to my list of things to read (which is currently Tolkien dominated). [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

PS Rumil, are you from Wales by any chance? [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img]

[ April 16, 2003: Message edited by: The Saucepan Man ]

Morwen Tindomerel · 04-16-2003, 08:32 PM

"I think all of you should go out and buy a George Macdonald book..A good one would be "Lilith"..."

And if you figure out what it's about please email me! Yes I own a copy but have never understood the plot, (assuming there is one). The Christian imagery is of course impossible to miss but as to what it all means...... [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

H. Ridder Haggard's adventure stories definitely shade into fantasy, especially with the 'She' books, (Ayesha reminds me a little of Galadriel actually - a Galadriel who took the Ring that is!)

I see I'm not the only Katherine Kurtz reader here - Chronicles of the Deryni, Histories of King Kelson, Legends of Camber of Culdi and Saint Camber's Heirs. The Eleven Kingdoms are a very detailed high medieval fantasy world with an emphasis on political intrigue, ritual magic and the Catholic religion and canon law. Featuring a magically gifted race known as the Deryni who are feared and persecuted by the normal Humans, and not without reason!

In addition to Lloyd Alexander's 'Chronicles of Prydain' there is another series based on the Mabinogion by Evangeline Walton; Prince of Annwn, Children of Llyr, Song of Rhiannon, and Isle of the Mighty. Which is far closer to the source material and mature in theme.

Has anybody read R.A. MacAvoy's 'Damiano' trilogy? featuring a young Italian wizard, a Finnish witch and the Archangel Raphael.

And then there's Tom Holt's humorous fantasies; 'Expecting Someone Taller' in which the Ring of the Nibelung, (remember that?) comes to a nice if nebbishy young Englishman who finds absolute power isn't anywhere near as much fun as one might think, especially when one has the entire Norse pantheon on ones back. In 'Who's Afraid of Beowulf' an archeologist named Hildy Frederiksen discovers a wonderful viking ship burial, unfortunately the vikings turn out not to be as dead as she thought they were. King Rolf Earthstar and his band of heroes adopt her as their guide to the modern world as they set out to destroy the evil Sorceror King, who for some reason has gone into computers.... 'Flying Dutch' features, who else? the Flying Dutchman who wants to find a cure for his immortality - which has some unpleasant side effects the legend forgets to mention.

Also in the humor category is Tim Powers 'Drawing of the Dark' where in a sixteenth century Irish soldier of fortune is recruited by an odd character calling himself 'Aurelianus' to act as a bouncer in an Viennese Inn and brewery which is definitely more than it seems - and so unfortunately for him is poor Brian Duffy!

Barbara Hambly is the author of several fantasy series. Her names show a definite Tolkien influence; a wizard named Ingold Inglorion, a dragon called Morkeleb. She is a highly descriptive author with an eye for fashion and decor. I like that, but not everybody does.

A favorite of mine that nobody has mentioned is Randal Garret's 'Lord Darcy' series. Mystery stories set in an alternate world where magic takes the place of science and Plantagenet Kings still rule most of Western Europe and the Americas through a modified feudal system. Customs and technology are Victorian and nobody seems to mind the highly stratefied social system. Lord Darcy himself is Chief Investigator to his Royal Highness Prince Richard Duke of Normandy. Assisted by that able master of forensic sorcery Master Sean O'Lochlain. Perpare to learn more than you ever wanted to know about practical sorcery and the laws of magic!

I've got lots more but I think I'll stop now. My fingers are tired [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Taralphiel · 04-16-2003, 11:36 PM

My reccomendation is for a book Im not sure is easy to find. Its by an Australian author called Kate Forsyth, 'The Witches Of Eileanan' Highly addictive! Based on a Scottish sort of otherworld fantasy. It is available in America though....

drigel · 04-17-2003, 10:07 AM

Silver shod - if you are trying to read that stuff you need to read Robert E Howard's Conan novels. If JRRT was the father of fantasy - then REH was the father of pulp fiction. Not as high brow, but the story is set "...in an age undreamed of... before the rise of the Sons of Aryas and the sinking of Atlantis.." (paraphrase)
good stuff

Burzdol · 04-17-2003, 10:28 AM

Lately I have read many new series that I liked, here they are:

Pendragon [D. J. MacHale]
Dragonriders of Pern [Anne McCaffrey]
Ender's Game [Orson Scott Card]
Redwall [Brian Jacques]

That's all I can think of now.

~Burzdol~

Tinuviel Took · 04-17-2003, 12:31 PM

This is to you people talking about the Myst books. I've read the Book or Artus, but it was more interesting for me because my international pastor (at the time) is the father of the two guys that wrote the game.

Rumil · 04-17-2003, 06:49 PM

Just a quick note to any UK 'Monkey' addicts, its back on Channel 4 !!! Still has great comedy value. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Guo Si · 04-17-2003, 08:42 PM

Off-topic: Any way for a resident of the US to see this "Monkey" show?

On-topic: I just read an amazingly good short story today. Its the "Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath" by H.P. Lovecraft. Unlike most of his stuff, this is pretty much pure fantasy, albeit one of a macabre variety. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who isn't opposed to reading anything a bit on the creepy side, as its wonderful writing style and relatively long length (its almost novella-length) should keep one entertained for a while.

Sapphire_Flame · 04-17-2003, 09:14 PM

The other fantasy books I enjoy are:

-Harry Potter (heh...)
-Sword of Truth series

Has anyone else here read any of the Sword of Truth books? They're by Terry Goodkind. Very good books...

04-19-2002, 02:56 PM	#122
Sophia the Thunder Mistress Scent of Simbelmynë Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Aboard Highwind, bound for Traverse Town Posts: 1,780	I also love the Myst series... the book of D'ni is particularly thought provoking. I can't believe more people haven't mentioned Lewis's Space Trilogy... Perelandra is the most hauntingly beautiful thing I've ever read. Madeline L'Engle is a great Fantasy read, and not only the time quartet... The Arm of the Starfish and a Ring of Endless Light both get me every time. Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker "trilogy" can hardly be left out, nor can Gayle Greeno's Ghatti's Tale, which is also a trilogy (Finder's Seekers, Mindspeaker's Call and Exiles Return), has anyone read that? Also I love the good old Shannara books, if you haven't yet read Antrax I highly reccommend it. Another series I get into is Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels. THey get a bit repetitive at times and I wonder how many times Richard Rahl can possibly be counted on to save the world... but... __________________ The seasons fall like silver swords, the years rush ever onward; and soon I sail, to leave this world, these lands where I have wander'd. O Elbereth! O Queen who dwells beyond the Western Seas, spare me yet a little time 'ere white ships come for me!

04-30-2002, 07:22 PM	#128
The Silver-shod Muse Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: The shoulder of a poet, TX Posts: 388	The first novel I ever read (when I was five) was by C.S. Lewis: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The other six followed shortly after and I was infatuated with every one of them. It almost makes me jealous that everybody has read them because those books have always been my own personal little world, something like an early Middle Earth [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] I can't believe that more people havn't mentioned Jules Verne's books! They may be outdated now, but if you consider the age in which they were written, they're incredible! Especially 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Captain Nemo reminds me of a demented Gandalf). The Dinotopia picture books are great (I'm not ashamed to say that I read picture books!) That psuedo-Australian continent seemed so real to me for so long! Everything made so much sense in Dinotopia (even though the name is cheesy)... C.S. Lewis' Malacandra and Perelandra books rock!!! They are sure to bring on an attack of Weltschmerz, though if you don't know the Bible it may be difficult to make some connections. All in all I believe it's a pretty bleak world out there for fantasy after reading Tolkien, the father of the genre. My eye twitches uncontrollably every time I read a Tolkien spin-off, and there are plenty of those. Right now I am sloughing into the jungle of bizarre stuff that precedes Tolkien's fantasy era (i.e. Jules Verne's books)in a desperate attempt to escape those post-Tolkien writers that should be shot for plagarism. __________________ "'You," he said, "tell her all. What good came to you? Do you rejoice that Maleldil became a man? Tell her of your joys, and of what profit you had when you made Maleldil and death acquainted.'" -Perelandra, by C.S. Lewis

04-30-2002, 09:24 PM	#129
NyteSky Haunting Spirit Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Tower of Sorcery and Lore Posts: 76	I haven't read through all the posts so I'm sorry if any of these have already been said. David Eddings- my favorite, Tad Williams and Patricia C. Wrede- she has some funny ones and some serious ones, both good I highly recommend those to anyone who likes fantasy. Excellent authors. But of course Tolkien remains the Master. __________________ The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. AIM: NightSky717 Email/msn IM: davidone_2000@msn.com

05-01-2002, 12:29 AM	#132
Cimmerian Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Aquilonia Posts: 382	Books about Heroic Dark Fantasy with a dash of horror and a lot of gore. [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img] __________________ IN STEEL I TRUST, BY CROM!

05-01-2002, 07:24 PM	#133
JenFramp Haunting Spirit Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Zionsville Posts: 90	Lostgaeriel- Douglas Adams is awesome.. I am suprised that no one has mentioned this particular author, however he is a bit before our time...George Macdonald..I highly recommend him and I think all of you should go out and buy a George Macdonald book..A good one would be "Lilith"...George Macdonald was one of C.S Lewis' cheif influences __________________ And seeing a picture of Jesus he cried out,"Momma, he's got some scars just like me." And he knew it was love, It was one he could understand He was showing his love, And that's how he hurt his hands.

04-19-2002, 01:12 PM	#121
grimlock Guest Posts: n/a	Thanks for the welcome. To answer your question, Birdland, I've actually read these books in two languages. Most of them were Dutch (my native language), but some were available in English (like those Magic books and the Elric - sage by Micheal Moorcock). Since so many of you seem to like these Narnia (? sorry if I didn't remeber it correctly) books, I think I'll try to locate them. Thanks for all the good recommandations!

04-20-2002, 08:29 AM	#123
Rohansangel Guest Posts: n/a	Myst is good. I've been meaning to read the Dragonriders of Pern books. And I love the Xanth books -- they're so funny, but they really are nothing like Lord of the Rings. There's no comparing anything to LotR! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

04-30-2002, 02:56 PM	#127
ESTEN Animated Skeleton Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Down the Rabbit hole Posts: 36	The books that I read are far to many to list all here, but i will give you some of the ones that I enjoy: Adventures in Wonderland, and trough the looking Glass The Foundation series Islandia The Dune series Shanarra and anything dark and twisted, Poe, Hathorine, S. King, A. Rice, want to know anything more just ask [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

04-30-2002, 11:33 PM	#130
Tarthang Wight Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Paths of the Dead Posts: 108	The first book I ever read was the Hobbit in fifth grade and LOTR within two years and since (and reread around 100 times for these four books), plus many of Tolkiens other works since. Finished Lewis' Narnia Chronicles by eigth grade. Other authors read include: Robert Jordans (IMO best author next to Tolkien)Wheel of Time Series (nine times through in it's entirety to date). Robert Asprins Myth series among others. The first half of Piers Anthony's Xanth series. Most of David Eddings works (he wrote what I consider two nine book series but can't recall the names). Dave Mcfarland (??) Rune-lords series to date. Many of Alan-Dean Foster's works (all of the Pip & Flinx series to date). Stephen Kings Gunslinger series to date plus some of his other works. Anne Rices Witches series. Weiss and Hickmans Dragonlance series (plus many Dragonlance by other authors)plus the another series (can't recall the name but was mentioned in an earlier post for this thread. Many of the various Forgotten Realm series. George R.R. Martins series to date (again can't recall the name but was also mentioned earlier). Melanie Rawns Ambrai and Dragonstar/scroll series. Some of Katherine Kurtz's Deverry series. Many of L.E. Modessit's works. Andre Nortons Witchworld series. Dennis L. McKiernans Mithgar series (hasn't been mentioned yet and has a strong Tolkienish feel). Authors I've read but am having trouble recalling the series names include: Burroughs, Orson Scott Card, Maggie Fury, Stephen Donaldson, Tad Williams, Cristopher Stasheff, Jennifer Roberson, Terry Goodkind, Terry Brookes and a great many others whom I can't recall. As you can tell, I read a lot, especially series books. Unfortunately I'm at a point where I walk into a bookstore to see if any of these authors has released a new book to a currently ongoing series, and usually leave empty handed.

04-30-2002, 11:58 PM	#131
Tarthang Wight Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Paths of the Dead Posts: 108	Sorry, after reading through the posts, I lost the original thread and just started listing authors and associated series. To answer the original question "what else do you read besides LOTR (/Tolkien)?", I would have to answer pretty much anything sci-fi/fantasy. Especially the fantasy and in series form. I have just reread the earlier posts and refreshed my memory for other authors and their series, I have read. to keep this post briefer I will add only the authors whose names I missed from my first post. Joel Rosenberg, Elizabeth Haydon, (some) Anne McCaffrey, Douglas Adams, Gayle Greeno, "Harry Potter", Marion Zimmer Bradley, Cristopher Rowley, (some) Michael Moorecock, Raymond E Feist and I'm still missing quite a few authors names. BTW I only buy books to read, as I mentioned previously (I think), I reread books when I can't find anything new. My apologies if my posts are overly long. I work a swing shift and am currently at work trying to stay awake (gravy-job with little to do most nights).

05-01-2002, 10:16 PM	#134
Oandanel Guest Posts: n/a	Mary Brown's "Pigs Don't Fly" and "Dragonne's Eg". Oandanel

05-02-2002, 09:39 PM	#136
Manelwen Haunting Spirit Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Alqualondë Posts: 78	I just stumbled across this wonderful series by a superb author by the name of Terry Goodkind. He writes a series called 'The Sword of Truth' It is one of the funniest and best things I have read in a while. There are a lot of things in it that would make a Tolkien fan laugh until their face turns red. I know I did. Zedd reminds me of a goofy Gandalf. He...er...makes a lot of men's 'precious' Vanish... -Manelwen __________________ Victory favors neither the righteous nor the wicked. It favors the prepared.

05-04-2002, 09:10 AM	#137
Lady_Báin Wight Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Peterborough, England Posts: 250	I've read the chronicles of narnia and am rereading them for the second time,( my favorit is the silver chair but a close secound would be the voyage of the dawn treader Nevfeniel [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]) i've read a wrinkle in time, the last vampire series by pike, lotr, the hobbit and various other vampire books. HEY Amyrlis where can I get the Chron. of Narnia with the cover like your picture PLEEZ tell me i've been looking for those kind for ever and can't find it anywhere [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] thanks in advance [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] __________________ pæling.

05-04-2002, 06:28 PM	#138
Kalessin Wight Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Earthsea, or London Posts: 175	For obvious reasons I should say Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea Quartet. However, I would also like to cite Jose Luis Borges (author of many fantastical fictions), and The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende (loosely based on the magical tale-telling of Scheherezade) as being among my personal favourites - neither author perhaps part of the 'fantasy' section at your local bookshop, but (in a wholly original way) certainly part of the same realm of imaginative narrative, and perhaps closer in truth to Tolkien than many of the obvious imitators. Although majoring in SF, Brian Aldiss and Ray Bradbury have also written many ingenious and entertaining stories that qualify as fantasy. And for me, The Little Prince by Antione de Saint Exupery is a profound and moving work of fantasy. I also enjoy thoughtful workings and re-working of 'true' myths and fairy tales - versions of the essentially tragic Cuchulain stories from Ireland, or Angela Carter's dark perspective on the traditional Perrault fairy tales, or Oscar Wilde's beautiful stories - highly recommended! Ah, the list is endless ... but as you may have seen from my "rant" about fantasy elsewhere, I'm not a big fan of the standard genre-fillers. To each his/her own [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] But I'm sure there is plenty of good stuff that I haven't got to yet, and this thread is a useful shortcut [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] Peace

05-04-2002, 07:04 PM	#139
piosenniel Desultory Dwimmerlaik Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Pickin' flowers with Bill the Cat..... Posts: 7,779	one of my favorite books is 'The Magus' by John Fowles. Jam packed with all sorts of archetypal characters. __________________ Eldest, that’s what I am . . . I knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.

04-16-2003, 07:53 AM	#140
Dain Wight Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Iron Hills Posts: 127	Well, there are lots of good books listed here, and I've read some of them. Frank Herbert's Dune is brilliant, David Edding's series about Ender is good, though "Ender's Game" stands out and you don't have to read it as a series. Robert Heinlein has some very good books (loved Starship Troopers) and some very strange ones (never finished Stranger in a Strange Land). And I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Philip K. ** , who wrote a lot of short-ish, strange, brilliant science fiction, including Do Androids Dream of Electic Sheep, which was the basis for the equally brilliant Blade Runner (though they are very different). C. S. Lewis' Narnia series is a must-read, though it's been years since I have. I haven't found so many "fantasy" authors who really stand out. The stories are usually fun, but never quite satisfying... I keep going down to the bookstore and looking at all the pretty books and their intreguing titles, but can never figure out what to read. I'll look into some of the recommendations here, thanks! Oh, so I can't write Philip K. ** , can I? How annoying. His name is D I C K, does that work? And even the titles of his books are just brilliant... can't beat old-school sci-fi. [ April 16, 2003: Message edited by: Dain ] __________________ Only I have looked through the shadow of the Gate. Beyond the shadow it waits for you still: Durin's Bane.

04-16-2003, 01:50 PM	#141
Ainaserkewen Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: A cosmic waiting room Posts: 651	I read Harry Potter before LOTR. It's silly and funny. But I've never liked Fantasy bofore either of them, I read mostly teen romances(I know, I know) and comic books(GO GARFIELD) Now that I've read LOTR, I'm eager to read other Tolkien works and other Fantasy too. Can anybody recomend anything good? __________________ Solus... I'm eating chicken again. I ate chicken yesterday and the day before... will I be eating chicken again tomorrow? Why am I always eating chicken?

04-16-2003, 02:34 PM	#142
Guo Si Animated Skeleton Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: I wanna kiss you but your lips are venomous Posts: 27	Lately I've been reading more Eastern literature. I'm almost finished with The Four Great Chinese Classics (or something close to that). These are composed of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Water Margin. Journey to the West, and A Dream of Red Mansions. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a historical fantasy about the time when the Han Empire dissolved. Out of it came the three empires of Shu, Wu, and Wei. Its an excellent book, with more battle, intrigue, and treachery than you can shake a stick at. The Water Margin is set in the time of the Northern Song Dynasty. Its about 108 bandits who fight against the corrupt government to help restore the Emporer's court to honor. Eventually they end up with an amnesty, but are killed by rival nobles anyways. Journey to the West is about a buddhist's journey to India to obtain some holy scriptures. With him are three divine monsters. Its really good, even though I haven't finished it yet. A Dream of Red Mansions is the only one I haven't gotten around to reading yet. Its about court life in the late 18th century, and the decline of the feudal estates. Other books I've read include the Harry Potter series and numerous other's who's names elude me now. __________________ Gimme a d00t!

04-16-2003, 03:39 PM	#143
Rumil Sage & Onions Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Britain Posts: 894	Aha, Guo Si, the Journey to the West must surely be the book which was adapted for TV in the 70s as the series 'Monkey'. I'm sure all UK Downers of a certain age will fondly remember Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy and the rather confusing (boy or girl?) Tripitaka. I think the series was made in China and dubbed into English - great fun. I confess to having tried to read the book once but given up, perhaps the translation wasn't up to scratch. The Water Margin was also said to be a great TV series, but sadly not broadcast in my area at the time. OK, on to the books. As many have said, I find it difficult to nominate good fantasy authors. The Eddings books are OK for a relaxing read, but rather shallow perhaps. I still love Terry Pratchett, for bringing the whole genre down a peg. Has anyone read any of Lord Dunsany's books, fantasy which pre-dated Tolkien? I'd be interested to hear your opinion as I haven't tried them yet. In the Sci-Fi a long time favourite of mine was the fantastic Douglas Adams (now sadly missed) who wrote the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and others (though never enough). Also Philip K. **** , K.W. Jeter and William Gibson, used to be a big Asimov fan too. Iain M. Banks is currently a favourite, anyone who can write a book consisting in art of e-mails between spacecraft and make it a gripping read (Excession) has my vote. 'Consider Phlebas' is probably the best one to start with. (By the way, Banks and Jeter contain 'adult' themes, so I couldn't recommend them for some of our younger members - or at least don't get caught!). I'll have to put a word in for the clasics of course. Odyssey and Aeneid are surely essential for the 'heroic age' and the Mabinogion is full of weird and wonderful things from my own cultural background! __________________ Rumil of Coedhirion

04-16-2003, 04:34 PM	#144
Dain Wight Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Iron Hills Posts: 127	Yeah, I clearly forgot Douglass Adams. Oops. And I'm glad you recommend Banks, Rumil, and most importantly a book to start with. I've been wanting a push in his direction for a while, if you know what I mean. I agree about Eddings being a bit shallow. I enjoyed them when I was a youth, but all the plots end up with the hero doing battle in gigantic form with the enemy to save the world. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] But I did enjoy them... I've heard good things about George R. R. Martin, can anybody support that? I find the trouble with a lot of fantasy is that the characters feel "modern" and so they don't seem to fit in their setting. Or else they are hopelessly stereotyped. Tolkien's work has an authentic feel that few others have duplicated. It's strange to judge a work of "fantasy" by how "real" it seems, but that's one of the keys for me... [ April 16, 2003: Message edited by: Dain ] __________________ Only I have looked through the shadow of the Gate. Beyond the shadow it waits for you still: Durin's Bane.

04-16-2003, 06:24 PM	#146
Cúdae Wight Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 160	Hmmm... I have always loved Lloyd Alexander's books (I know I'm too old for them, but I still like them) and I'm a huge fan of Ray Bradbury. I read Something Wicked This Way Comes twice in one day. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] I also love any King Arthur story- especially (sp?) TH White's The Once and Future King and Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon. I will also read anything (and I mean anything) about Cuchulain. I read Lady Gregory's Cuchulain of Muirthemne and I am now reading Morgan Llewelyn's (sp?) Red Branch, which so far I have found to be pretty good. And finally, Garth Nix's books Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen all hold the treasured, coveted space next to my copies of the Lord of the Rings. [ April 16, 2003: Message edited by: Cúdae ] __________________ "And if you listen very hard/ The tune will come to you at last/ When all are one and one is all/ To be a rock and not to roll." --Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven"

04-16-2003, 07:09 PM	#147
Rumil Sage & Onions Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Britain Posts: 894	Hi Ironfoot and Sospan Fach, we all seem to be on the same wavelength tonight. I agree with you Dain that too many fantasy writers make their characters too 'modern'. It's something you see a lot of in historical novels as well, the heroes are generally opposed to nasty practices such as slavery, racism and flogging whereas it seems that the majority of people in those benighted times were not. I think its a fine line to tread though, the reader needs someone to identify with, I can think of some Sci-Fi (written from an Aliens' point of view) which rapidly becomes unreadable. (I've mailed you about Iain M Banks) Yes indeed Mr Saucepan, there was a second Dirk Gently Book (I think 'The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul' , though maybe that was the first one). Offhand I think there were 5 books in the Hitchhikers trilogy, 2 Dirk Gently, 'The Meaning of Liff' (which invents useful new words for modern day life), 'Last Chance to See' which is a factual book on endangered species and, my most recent purchase, 'The Salmon of Doubt', which is a bit of a Douglas Adams Unfinished Tales, published posthumously, containing the start of a new Dirk Gently and lots of other intriguing snippets. If only he hadn't left so soon! (and suffered from such ferocious writer's block) btw , there's a website called H2G2 hosted by the BBC, which aims to provide a 'Guide' in the Adams style. Don't Panic ! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] __________________ Rumil of Coedhirion

04-16-2003, 07:40 PM	#148
Sophia the Thunder Mistress Scent of Simbelmynë Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Aboard Highwind, bound for Traverse Town Posts: 1,780	Not that Lawhead hasn't been mentioned enough, I have to say, his Taliesin is one of the best ones I've ever read. I absolutely love Charis and his description of Atlantis. And I'm a hitchhiker fan as well... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] I'm one of those people that likes to sprinkle character names through things, so I've used zaphod, fordprefect, and damogran for nicknames on different things at different times, and my current fish is named Zaphod [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] gulps I've really struggled with TH White though, is it worth the effort to dig back in? Sophia __________________ The seasons fall like silver swords, the years rush ever onward; and soon I sail, to leave this world, these lands where I have wander'd. O Elbereth! O Queen who dwells beyond the Western Seas, spare me yet a little time 'ere white ships come for me!

04-16-2003, 07:45 PM	#149
Orual Speaker of the Dead Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Superbia Posts: 868	RIP, Douglas Adams. He was one of the best of us. Much of Lloyd Alexander (though his books follow a pattern and grow predictable after a while), all of Madeleine L'Engle's early works (Meet the Austins, the Time Quartet, etc), all that I could find of Susan Fletcher, some Patricia Wrede, 'Till We Have Faces' from C.S. Lewis, I'm up to book three of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, 'Dune' by Frank Herbert (though I never read the sequels), a little of Anne McCaffrey, Orson Scott Card's 'Ender' quartet and the parallels (I know they're sci-fi), and though I've barely scratched the surface of her many works, I adore Jane Yolen. I never got into Shannara, but I did read part of it. We have some well-read people among us. I'll keep an eye on this thread...I always need more books on my list. ~~Orual~~ __________________ "Oh, my god! I care so little, I almost passed out!" --Dr. Cox, "Scrubs"

04-16-2003, 07:59 PM	#151
Orual Speaker of the Dead Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Superbia Posts: 868	On the topic of Douglas Adams--I wasn't going to bring this up, as it's not fantasy, or even fiction--anyone who likes him simply must read "Last Chance to See." It's a non-fiction about a trip he took to write about endangered species. Picture: Douglas Adams in Madagascar to see komodo dragons. Or in Mauritius to see the echo parakeets. But I digress; just read it. ~~Orual~~ __________________ "Oh, my god! I care so little, I almost passed out!" --Dr. Cox, "Scrubs"

04-16-2003, 08:32 PM	#153
Morwen Tindomerel Wight Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Minas Anor or Annuminas the Golden Posts: 187	"I think all of you should go out and buy a George Macdonald book..A good one would be "Lilith"..." And if you figure out what it's about please email me! Yes I own a copy but have never understood the plot, (assuming there is one). The Christian imagery is of course impossible to miss but as to what it all means...... [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] H. Ridder Haggard's adventure stories definitely shade into fantasy, especially with the 'She' books, (Ayesha reminds me a little of Galadriel actually - a Galadriel who took the Ring that is!) I see I'm not the only Katherine Kurtz reader here - Chronicles of the Deryni, Histories of King Kelson, Legends of Camber of Culdi and Saint Camber's Heirs. The Eleven Kingdoms are a very detailed high medieval fantasy world with an emphasis on political intrigue, ritual magic and the Catholic religion and canon law. Featuring a magically gifted race known as the Deryni who are feared and persecuted by the normal Humans, and not without reason! In addition to Lloyd Alexander's 'Chronicles of Prydain' there is another series based on the Mabinogion by Evangeline Walton; Prince of Annwn, Children of Llyr, Song of Rhiannon, and Isle of the Mighty. Which is far closer to the source material and mature in theme. Has anybody read R.A. MacAvoy's 'Damiano' trilogy? featuring a young Italian wizard, a Finnish witch and the Archangel Raphael. And then there's Tom Holt's humorous fantasies; 'Expecting Someone Taller' in which the Ring of the Nibelung, (remember that?) comes to a nice if nebbishy young Englishman who finds absolute power isn't anywhere near as much fun as one might think, especially when one has the entire Norse pantheon on ones back. In 'Who's Afraid of Beowulf' an archeologist named Hildy Frederiksen discovers a wonderful viking ship burial, unfortunately the vikings turn out not to be as dead as she thought they were. King Rolf Earthstar and his band of heroes adopt her as their guide to the modern world as they set out to destroy the evil Sorceror King, who for some reason has gone into computers.... 'Flying Dutch' features, who else? the Flying Dutchman who wants to find a cure for his immortality - which has some unpleasant side effects the legend forgets to mention. Also in the humor category is Tim Powers 'Drawing of the Dark' where in a sixteenth century Irish soldier of fortune is recruited by an odd character calling himself 'Aurelianus' to act as a bouncer in an Viennese Inn and brewery which is definitely more than it seems - and so unfortunately for him is poor Brian Duffy! Barbara Hambly is the author of several fantasy series. Her names show a definite Tolkien influence; a wizard named Ingold Inglorion, a dragon called Morkeleb. She is a highly descriptive author with an eye for fashion and decor. I like that, but not everybody does. A favorite of mine that nobody has mentioned is Randal Garret's 'Lord Darcy' series. Mystery stories set in an alternate world where magic takes the place of science and Plantagenet Kings still rule most of Western Europe and the Americas through a modified feudal system. Customs and technology are Victorian and nobody seems to mind the highly stratefied social system. Lord Darcy himself is Chief Investigator to his Royal Highness Prince Richard Duke of Normandy. Assisted by that able master of forensic sorcery Master Sean O'Lochlain. Perpare to learn more than you ever wanted to know about practical sorcery and the laws of magic! I've got lots more but I think I'll stop now. My fingers are tired [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

04-16-2003, 11:36 PM	#154
Taralphiel Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Swan Wood Posts: 649	My reccomendation is for a book Im not sure is easy to find. Its by an Australian author called Kate Forsyth, 'The Witches Of Eileanan' Highly addictive! Based on a Scottish sort of otherworld fantasy. It is available in America though....

04-17-2003, 10:07 AM	#155
drigel Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: commonplace city Posts: 518	Silver shod - if you are trying to read that stuff you need to read Robert E Howard's Conan novels. If JRRT was the father of fantasy - then REH was the father of pulp fiction. Not as high brow, but the story is set "...in an age undreamed of... before the rise of the Sons of Aryas and the sinking of Atlantis.." (paraphrase) good stuff

04-17-2003, 10:28 AM	#156
Burzdol Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: The Fair City of Rivendell Posts: 274	Lately I have read many new series that I liked, here they are: Pendragon [D. J. MacHale] Dragonriders of Pern [Anne McCaffrey] Ender's Game [Orson Scott Card] Redwall [Brian Jacques] That's all I can think of now. ~Burzdol~ __________________ "Kill them all for all I care. You just keep that bow away from me!"

04-17-2003, 12:31 PM	#157
Tinuviel Took Wight Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 115	This is to you people talking about the Myst books. I've read the Book or Artus, but it was more interesting for me because my international pastor (at the time) is the father of the two guys that wrote the game. __________________ "What my dear Lady Disdain! are you yet living?" "Is it possible Disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it, as Signore Benedick? Courtecy itself must convert to Disdain if you come in her presence"

04-17-2003, 06:49 PM	#158
Rumil Sage & Onions Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Britain Posts: 894	Just a quick note to any UK 'Monkey' addicts, its back on Channel 4 !!! Still has great comedy value. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] __________________ Rumil of Coedhirion

04-17-2003, 08:42 PM	#159
Guo Si Animated Skeleton Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: I wanna kiss you but your lips are venomous Posts: 27	Off-topic: Any way for a resident of the US to see this "Monkey" show? On-topic: I just read an amazingly good short story today. Its the "Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath" by H.P. Lovecraft. Unlike most of his stuff, this is pretty much pure fantasy, albeit one of a macabre variety. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who isn't opposed to reading anything a bit on the creepy side, as its wonderful writing style and relatively long length (its almost novella-length) should keep one entertained for a while. __________________ Gimme a d00t!

04-17-2003, 09:14 PM	#160
Sapphire_Flame Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: The World That Never Was Posts: 1,232	The other fantasy books I enjoy are: -Harry Potter (heh...) -Sword of Truth series Has anyone else here read any of the Sword of Truth books? They're by Terry Goodkind. Very good books... __________________ The Hitchhiking Ghost