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Post by gjnoronh on Sept 18, 2017 16:56:16 GMT
Okay folks lets hear it What's your top 5 (or so) favorite Fantasy Novels or series.
I'm going to have to think about this a bit myself but I know three I really like are Tolkien Lord of the Rings/Middle Earth David Eddings Belgariad/Mallorean Robert Jordan Wheel of Time
I think Tolkien is in a class by himself for prose quality and world building (others are more complex geography/politics but no one else has ever spent as much time getting the background right.) If you like Warhammer and you haven't read Tolkien you are doing yourself a big disservice.
The other two I like a great deal but I'm not sure I love.
Inside Black Library's portfolio I highly recommend the Trollslayer series when William King was writing it. Highly enjoyable fast moving prose. The later stuff after he gave the series up doesn't speak to me. Again if you are an 8th ed fan you should get your hands on these books. It's definitely not high end literature but it's a load of fun.
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Post by wilsonthenarc on Sept 18, 2017 17:58:51 GMT
...the Trollslayer series when William King was writing it. Highly enjoyable fast moving prose. I own every one of these, and I read every one of them exactly once. They're good, and a fun "beach" type read. But not really my idea of a lasting classic. Counterpoint - I end up reading Tolkien, Two Towers, like once a year every year. I just 2 weeks ago re-read every word of the appendices in RotK. That book has 100+ pages of appendix material!!! ** *** ** Answering OP: All that said, I am huge into Historical Non-Fiction Fiction right now. Meaning, a story that fits into true and proven historical fact but with maybe 1 or 2 antagonists or protagonists that no one can prove existed (or didn't exist). Pretty much, a history textbook with like 15% fun swashbuckler flavor. - The Attila Trilogy, by William Napier
- The Great Siege (Clash of Empires), also by William Napier
- The Crown in the Heather (The Bruce Trilogy)
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Post by wilsonthenarc on Sept 18, 2017 18:01:17 GMT
Also, what do folks here think about The Silmarillion?
I read it back when I was 15 and made myself slog through it... worse than any organic chemistry homework, for reals. I re-read it when I was about 20. I would get 5 pages in and doze every time. Took me 4 months.
Totally an important piece of the overall Tolkien world and story, but FEEEK, it's a tough read.
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Post by mottdon on Sept 18, 2017 18:06:10 GMT
For me, I think it'd have to be something like this:
1. Hobbit 2. Lord of the Rings 3. Chronicles of Narnia 4. The Legend of Drizzt series 5. A Wrinkle in Time
1) The Hobbit would have to come first for me because that's where my obsession started for me. 2) The Lord of the Rings just expanded the universe that I already fell in love with, but lacked the "Dragon" elements that captivated me in the Hobbit. 3) The Chronicles of Narnia were extremely easy for me to relate to and I found myself constantly placing myself in the role of the character(s). Plus - BIG FREAKIN' LION! 4) The Legend of Drizzt series really got me to explore new and different relms and societies. And while it revolved around one central character (Drizzt) it also included other, well developed characters so that everyone had character to relate to. 5) A Wrinkle in Time was just the right amount of weird/fun/adventure all mixed into one. It took me on an exciting ride.
There are a good many others, but these are probably my top 5.
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Post by strutsagget on Sept 18, 2017 19:48:27 GMT
Top 1 and 2 is easy... the rest is hard need to think about this one a bit.
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Post by Bureaucrat of Chaos on Sept 18, 2017 20:38:02 GMT
Top 1 and 2 is easy... the rest is hard need to think about this one a bit. Yup, I'm working on a list. 8 contenders left, will narrow it down to 5... Inside Black Library's portfolio I highly recommend the Trollslayer series when William King was writing it. Highly enjoyable fast moving prose. The later stuff after he gave the series up doesn't speak to me. Target Games hired King to work on the Chronopia and Warzone backgrounds in the early 1990's. However, it is said that he had got married and stopped drinking absinthe at that time, so the magic wasn't there anymore. But I agree, the first few Trollslayer books are good, Warhammer-y, reads. Also, what do folks here think about The Silmarillion? I read it back when I was 15 and made myself slog through it... worse than any organic chemistry homework, for reals. I re-read it when I was about 20. I would get 5 pages in and doze every time. Took me 4 months. Totally an important piece of the overall Tolkien world and story, but FEEEK, it's a tough read. I agree. I love the ultra epic and often tragic stories such as Children of Hurin. But you have to work hard to get through it. Long time since I read it, maybe ripe for a re-read?
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Post by gjnoronh on Sept 18, 2017 21:03:25 GMT
To be clear I think Tolkien is #1 by a large margin and I think someone like William King is a lot of fun but not great literature. Will I definitely enjoyed the Silmarilion stuff (and lost tales etc) but I just bought in fully. I think those non LOTR/Hobbit books are less readable as a fun read but still capture and shape a lot of the magic and depth of Middle Earth to me. In the last 30 years they've re packaged the stories in more coherent reading form showing the variations over time which in some ways may be more readable i.e. www.amazon.com/Beren-L%C3%BAthien-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/1328791823Just this weekend made a Norse team in Blood Bowl 2 themed around the Children of Hurin. Much of the time the story telling is as much fun as the game. Maybe Beorn as a Ulfwennar (werewolf/bear)
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Post by avatarofbugman on Sept 18, 2017 21:09:48 GMT
For me it is like this: At #5 is the "Belgariad". It was the first real series I read and got me going.
At #4 Is the "First Law" series by Joe Abercrombie. It is a newer series, and I love Abercrombies ability to write really gritty characters. They enough depth that you feel as if you can root for anyone.
#3 is "The Lord of the Rings" series. It has great world building, great characters and amazing plot threads. It is not higher on my list because the top two spots are so different from traditional fantasy.
#2 is the "Discworld" series by Terry Pratchett. It is so zany and unique. Every story is on its own, yet they somehow all tie in.
#1 is the "Vlad Taltos" series by Stephen Brust. The idea of a human assassin trying to make it work in a world where humans are a disdained minority led to such amazing plots and plot twists. This series doesn't get as much love as it deserves.
An honorable mention goes to the "Wheel of Time" series. It would have been #3 of Robert Jordan had finished it himself. Having the ending written by another offer is a bummer, no matter how well it is done.
Another honorable mention goes to "Game of Thrones" this would have been #5, but G.R.R. Martin is too fond of killing off characters. I don't mind losing someone I like, but it starts to feel like he couldn't think of what else to do with certain characters.
Well, there you have my picks. Any surprises?
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Post by gjnoronh on Sept 18, 2017 21:36:07 GMT
Avatar of Bugman I very much enjoyed all of yours except I haven't read "First Law" Will have to check it out. I was debating putting Discworld in my list. It's not high literature but it's just so very much fun. Your point on GRR Martin resonates with me. mottdon agree with Narnia and Drizzt being a really solid fantasy read as well. Narnia as really great literature (though again written for younger audiences) and Salvatores stuff as again being a great way to bring vivid fantasy characters to life. Hmmm I think my top 4 are Tolkien, C.S.Lewis, Eddings, Jordan. Still need to think about 5 Other good names Brandon Sandersons Mistborn series is really good. He's great at developing the magical laws behind a universe and a good storyteller.
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Post by knoffles on Sept 19, 2017 12:52:22 GMT
Wow that is a challenge, I don't know if I can limit myself to a top 5 so I'll probably have to also include some recommendations. Some like the Shannara series, Eddings and Dragonlance I'd put in purely as after Tolkien, they helped cement my love of fantasy and are good, fun reads rather than necessarily being literacy classics (they are like meeting an old close friend when I reread them). I will be perusing the book shelves later. gjnoronh the first law trilogy is excellent with some great anti-heroes. The stories in the follow up books just generally aren't quite as good though. Love the Sanderson stuff and the mistborn series is superb. I also like the steampunk 'who-done-it' continuation.
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Post by Bureaucrat of Chaos on Sept 19, 2017 14:34:16 GMT
OK this is my list: 1. Tolkien, LotR. For reasons already mentioned. I'm including The Hobbit here to save space 2. Erik Granström, The Fifth Conflux series. Not translated to English (yet?). Based on an RPG campaign the author wrote 1987-1994. Hard to describe, but it's a 'save the world'-plot where both the world and the plot are very complex, politically, philosophically and morally. 3. Joe Abercrombie, Best served cold. Because it is so delightfully cynical. IMO even more inspired and 'complete' than First Law 4. GRR Martin, Game of Thrones series. Such a great read. 5. The Conan IP (mostly Howard). Because Conan is such a simplistic and maybe even naive creation, but at the same time stylistic, powerful and iconic. I regret that the following did not fit into the list: - Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Definitely ripe for a re-read. - Joe Abercrombie, First Law series. I might as well have put this onto the list rather than Best served cold. Love the characters, grit and grey zones. - Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising series. Because this absolutely amazed me when I was a child. I tried to re-read it as an adult but it was not the same. Tolkiens books seem to grow with me, but this one did not. - Narnia, also loved it particularly when I was young.
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Post by gjnoronh on Sept 19, 2017 17:44:40 GMT
Nuts Dragonlance, Susan Cooper again great reminders of series I loved (and when I say Dragonlance I mean Weiss and Hickmans first two trilogies) Again really really good stuff agree they (Coopers Dark is Rising) are best at a certain time of your life. But again just really immersive stuff that put you in a certain fantasy world whole heartedly. The story of the creation of the Dragonlance novels quite appeals to the one time RPG gamer in me.
I'm going to have to look on Amazon for this Abercrombie author wasn't on my radar at all.
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Post by knoffles on Sept 19, 2017 20:35:18 GMT
5# Tolkien - Hobbit/Lord of the Rings - Not because they are my favourite books (though I do love them) but because without them I probably wouldn't be reading the genre (in fact my dad read it to me every night when I was too young to read it myself, so I blame him for my addiction). OK I have a joint 5# as I couldn't not put these two in. 5# Trudi Canavan - Black Magician Trilogy - This is just a well written story, nothing epic but I keep coming back to it, especially as a holiday read. (Her Age of Five Trilogy is also good. Again an easy read but a different story to the norm). 4# Joe Abercombie - First Law Trilogy (his other books are also good, incl his teen trilogy, starting with Half a War) 3# Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn Trilogy (I have to say I am a real fan of most of his books including his teen books but this series is fantastic. I love how the follow up series jumps forward several hundred years and is set in a Victorian Steampunk setting, where even the powers have evolved. It's really unusual and a good spin on the norm. There is going to be another 1 if not 2 trilogies in the series each one jumping ahead in time). 2# David Eddings - Belgariad/Mallorean - I read this series on average once a year and have since a young age. I still love the humour and interplay between the characters, especially in King of the Murgos. (I also like the Ellenium and Tamuli series as again the character interplay is very good but the Younger Gods series I would avoid). 1# Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time Series. What can I say this is an epic series. I do get the impression that it could have continued longer but I thank Jordan for having the foresight to write copious notes for someone else to complete as he knew he was dying. And for it introducing me to Sanderson. Honourable mention goes to the following: Anthony Ryan - Raven's Shadow Trilogy - This is a new author and his first books. The series would have been in my top five but the third book just isn't quite as good as the first two. I really recommend them still, as they are real page turners. Stephen Donaldson - Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - The main character has leprosy and you will find it hard to warm to him due to his attitude and actions. However it is a great series, something completely different. The second Chronicles series was not bad, though you could skip the 2nd book completely. It was due to this series that I ended up getting a white gold wedding ring (just in case it did give me magic powers ) Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis - Chronicles 1 Series (I enjoyed most of the books in the range, especially Flint the King, but the dragons of autumn twilight etc. were the classics). Terry Brooks - Sword, Elfstones and Wishsong of Shannara. As a teen I loved these books. The follow up 4 Scions series was also great but after that it became too samey until he released the Word and the Void and Genesis of Shannara series that charted the end of the 'old world' and start of his Shannara world. Primary School ReadsLloyd Alexander - The Chronicles of Prydain (a very young reader series - similar age range as Narnia. The most well known book was the Black Cauldron, which was also made into an animated film). C.S. Lewis - Chronicles of Narnia Other
William Goldman - The Princess Bride - OK I saw the film first and then picked up the book but I still love it. "Stop Rhyming I mean it, does anyone want a peanut?". Classic. Terry Pratchett - For me it's not really fantasy in the normal sense but they are great reads and always get me chuckling. Black Library books - There are loads of good books set in the old world (normally the ones NOT written by Gav Thorpe). Gotrek series is good, The Witchhunter and Brumner trilogies. I also like the Von Carstein set and the Age of Legends books. Basically anything that fleshes out the history of the world that 'is', was great and is probably one of the reasons I have such a connection to the Warhammer world. Edit: I completely left out the Fighting Fantasy Series, particularly Deathtrap Dungeon. Had a huge influence on me as a kid. Steve Jackson then published a series of novels based in the world starting with the Trolltooth Wars, I still reread that occasionally. He also produced the first 'source' book I ever read called Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World. It was a history of all the lands and people that made up the majority of the fighting fantasy adventure books. It is still one of my favourite books of that type as the illustrations are classic early GW and there is loads of detail in it.
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Post by knoffles on Sept 20, 2017 4:12:44 GMT
Also, what do folks here think about The Silmarillion? I read it back when I was 15 and made myself slog through it... worse than any organic chemistry homework, for reals. I re-read it when I was about 20. I would get 5 pages in and doze every time. Took me 4 months. Totally an important piece of the overall Tolkien world and story, but FEEEK, it's a tough read. yep similar story from my end. It really isn't user friendly. In some respects it reminds me of a religious text where you need to almost tend a 'bible study' group to fully understand it (and sorry if likening it the the bible offends anyone).
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Post by KevinC on Sept 20, 2017 15:34:46 GMT
1. A Song of Ice and Fire (it's simply my favorite story ever told - the book version, not the TV show). 2. The Dragonlance Chronicles By Weis & Hickman 3. Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock 4. Malekith by Gav Thorpe (tells the story of how Malekith became the Witch King) 5. I've read a ton of WFB Black Library over the years. Everything by Bill King is great (Gotrek & Felix, he also did a Tyrion & Teclis trilogy that I love). Additionally, the Malus Darkblade series is awesome, and the Grey Seer Thanquol trilogy is hysterically excellent.
Honorable mentions The Lord of the Rings & the Hobbit, of course The Demon Cycle (the Warded Man) by Peter Brett
The Wheel of Time series has been on my To Read list for a long time, I'll eventually get to it...
A friend just recommended: The Name of the Wind.
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