Fantasy Books

[Vagabond]

While I agree that the Thomas Covenant books are an adult read, I was not your average child who read nothing more than comic books or Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy Mysteries. I found no merit in the books, and still find no merit in them - they were dull then and that estimation has not changed.

Please do not insult me. I can accept that people have different views and enjoyments, and I can accept that you enjoyed the books, but that was not my experience, but I would not insult your enjoyment of the books.

Hey, you are free to hate Shakespeare if you like too. But, don't expect me to hold you in the same regard if you do. Hating great literature is not an opinion it is a lapse. Not to mention feeling the need to share such an opinion. You obviously have some kind of axe to grind against it. I am sure you haven't tried reading it again since, but act like you have. If telling you the truth is insulting then perhaps you should re-evaluate.

 

[Chanileslie]

Hey, you are free to hate Shakespeare if you like too. But, don't expect me to hold you in the same regard if you do. Hating great literature is not an opinion it is a lapse. Not to mention feeling the need to share such an opinion. You obviously have some kind of axe to grind against it. I am sure you haven't tried reading it again since, but act like you have. If telling you the truth is insulting then perhaps you should re-evaluate.

Well, I tried to respond to you politely, but I see that politeness to the rude is a worthless effort. Thank you for clarifying. Your brilliance shall, I am sure, be lauded the world over. Especially since you changed the discussion from a piece of work that is hardly on the calibre of Shakespeare to Shakespeare itself. That is disingenuous and rather pitiful, which equates your opinon as less than nothing.

Also, some kind of axe to grind because I did not like a series of books? Are you that absurd? Grow up and then perhaps we can have a discussion, but until such a time, I will ignore you.

edited to correct my atrocious spelling.

 

[TragicMonkey]

Hating great literature is not an opinion it is a lapse.

And who determines what is "great literature" or not?

Anyone is perfectly free to like or dislike anything, no matter what other people's opinions are. Personally, I find Dante's Inferno insipid and dull, and the other two even worse. And yeah, self-appointed arbiters of culture have told me how stupid I am because I dislike Dante. That's their opinion, and they are entitled to it every bit as much as I'm entitled to my opinion of Inferno. Tastes differ. Attempting to elevate one's own tastes to some sort of intellectual height by appealing to other people's opinions....well, what's the point of that?

 

[Vagabond]

but until such a time, I will ignore you.<<<<<

Things are looking up for me all the time.

 

[Vagabond]

And who determines what is "great literature" or not?

Anyone is perfectly free to like or dislike anything, no matter what other people's opinions are. Personally, I find Dante's Inferno insipid and dull, and the other two even worse. And yeah, self-appointed arbiters of culture have told me how stupid I am because I dislike Dante. That's their opinion, and they are entitled to it every bit as much as I'm entitled to my opinion of Inferno. Tastes differ. Attempting to elevate one's own tastes to some sort of intellectual height by appealing to other people's opinions....well, what's the point of that?

Yeah, but you are being a hypocrite. You act like people who proclaim such things great or classic are elitist, however you hold your opinion of not liking them in the same regard. Same with our shallow friend above. I could care less whether you like Dante or not, but going out of your way to let me know just how "insipid and dull" it was is a failing on your part. There is no piece of literature that is wholly good and very few that are wholly bad
either. You act like whether something is great or sucks is just a matter of personal opinion. It's not. If we didn't have a common ground for what is good, what would be the purpose of asking others their opinions on the matter in the first place?

 

[TragicMonkey]

Yeah, but you are being a hypocrite. You act like people who proclaim such things great or classic are elitist, however you hold your opinion of not liking them in the same regard.

Uh, this is rather unclear.

eta: If you're mad because I expressed my opinion on the work, I should point out that the point of my post was that nobody's opinion is inherently better than anyone else's in matters of taste.

Same with our shallow friend above. I could care less whether you like Dante or not, but going out of your way to let me know just how "insipid and dull" it was is a failing on your part.

I was citing a specific example of a personal opinion of mine that varied from generally accepted "great literature", and received flak for.

There is no piece of literature that is wholly good and very few that are wholly bad
either.

True. But did anyone claim otherwise?

You act like whether something is great or sucks is just a matter of personal opinion. It's not.

Then what is the criteria for being great? List the universal rules that determine whether a given work is great or sucky.

If we didn't have a common ground for what is good, what would be the purpose of asking others their opinions on the matter in the first place?

To find out what other people think? It's sort of the same idea behind posting to internet message boards.

 

[Ryokan]

The best fantasy books, IMO, are the books by Raymod E. Feist. Great epic stuff.

Oh, and I rather liked the Thomas Covenant. Very dark fantasy.

 

[Kevin_Lowe]

I think I might go start a "your favourite fantasy authors sucks" thread, to parallel the one about comedians, to avoid derailing the nice thread with arguments.

I will say that if you find Anne McCaffery's Pern books a grievous insult to your intelligence, then you might enjoy Rider at the Gate and Cloud's Rider by C.J. Cherryh. They are far, far more intelligent books about humans and their relationship with telepathic wildlife. Her Russian series (Rusalka, Chernevog, Yvgenie) is excellent fantasy as well.

Sheri S. Tepper's early fantasy work is quite good, and she hasn't been mentioned yet either. Michael Swanwick (The Iron Dragon's Daughter) and Mervyn Peake (Gormenghast, Titus Groan) are very good.

Barry Hughart is well worth seeking out too (Bridge of Birds, The Story of the Stone, Eight Skilled Gentlemen).

There are lots of good suggestions in the thread about good children's fantasy too - if it's good, adults can enjoy it equally well.

 

[athon]

Sheri S. Tepper's early fantasy work is quite good, and she hasn't been mentioned yet either. Michael Swanwick (The Iron Dragon's Daughter) and Mervyn Peake (Gormenghast, Titus Groan) are very good.

Hey, wow; maybe this is a winner for the million dollar prize. I whole-heartedly agree with Kevin about something!



Iron Dragon's Daughter and Gormenghast are both fantastic reads and would be in my top twenty books of all time. The scene in IDD with the drowning horse; macabre and disturbing in a most creative way.

On of my favourite fantasy authors is a London chap by the name of China Mieville. If you like dark, weird fantasy (Swanwick, Moorcock, Gaiman, Barker etc.) then give him a try. King Rat is his first, and while it is an obvious first novel by it's style, the story itself is quite clever. Perdido Street Station, The Scar and Iron Council are all set in the same world, a fantasy universe which is very weird and very cool.

Athon

 

[Bikewer]

I agree; Iron Dragon's Daughter was very good. A very unique take on Elves and Faerie. (think...Decadent)

Also China Miehville. Sci-Fi? Fantasy? Strong elements of both. Very literate, very inventive, very dark. Great stuff.

 

[Cleon]

Hey, wow; maybe this is a winner for the million dollar prize. I whole-heartedly agree with Kevin about something!

The million dollar prize is for demonstration of a paranormal ability, not for the rapid ejection of small aviatic primates from your rectal cavity.

Nor is it given simply because the temperature at the 8th circle of hades fell below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[alfaniner]

...
Piers Anthony's Xanth is always a fun read, but don't read any further than Ogre, Ogre - it becomes too pun filled after that to be interesting or fun. I really like his Splint Infinity also. Bio of a Space Tyrant was utter and complete crap.
...

I've always preferred sci-fi to fantasy, but have found a few books to be entertaining. I liked the Piers Anthony Split Infinity series as a balance of sci-fi and fantasy, and after seven books it actually concludes. I stopped reading the Xanth series after about book 8 with no end in sight. Really liked the first three or four though. Bio of a Space Tyrant was like nothing I'd ever read before, and I recall the first two books very well, but the remaining ones are just blurs in my memory and it is unlikely I would revisit them.

I read one Dragonriders of Pern book and failed to see what the appeal was. There was another box set I got as a gift -- for the life of me I can't remember but it was about something like Amazon-type women warriors and crystals and utterly boring. I do recall it was very popular with women of a select body-type (and possible certain orientation) at sci-fi conventions.

If you like reading and are interested in fantasy at all, go now and get The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende. Even if you've seen the first (good) movie, this is a magical book that includes much more. If you get the hardcover version with the two-color print (red and black), it lends much more to the story.

 

[Boo]

Anne Mc Caffrey: pretty much anything she has written.

Same goes for Mercedes Lackey, from SERRAted Edge to Valdemar and reworked "fairy tales" to Joust.

One I haven't seen mentioned here yet is Sharon Shinn. Her first book "The Shapeshifter's Wife" is nicely done. The 'Archangel' series got a tad odd but the first two were outstanding, especially if you enjoy vocal chamber music. What I like most about her is she plays with different formulas within the "fantasy" genre, always with an added twist.



Boo

 

[Leif Roar]

...you might enjoy Rider at the Gate and Cloud's Rider by C.J. Cherryh. They are far, far more intelligent books about humans and their relationship with telepathic wildlife. Her Russian series (Rusalka, Chernevog, Yvgenie) is excellent fantasy as well.

I can't believe you left out her Morgaine books! In my opinion that is her best fantasy work. Of course the books you mentioned are very good too (I'm not too enthusiastic about her Fortress books though.)

For other fantasy authors it's worth looking into I'll recommend Steven Brust ("Reign in Hell" is a masterpiece), Neil Gaiman (start with "Stardust" or "Neverwhere"), Glen Cook (in particular the first Black Company books), Fritz Leiber ("The Father of Sword and Sorcery"), Michael Moorcock and, while it's really more science fiction (or at least sci-fi), Frank Herbert.

 

[supercorgi]

Hmmm... I don't think anyone has mentioned C.S Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy yet -- I really enjoyed those books. Another one I'm enjoying is David Farland Runelords series. Did anyone mention Robin Hobb yet? Love her stuff.

 

[IllegalArgument]

For military sci-fi, Davd Drake's Hammer-Slammers in small doses is good. Just don't read them back to back to back.

 

[Kevin_Lowe]

I can't believe you left out her Morgaine books! In my opinion that is her best fantasy work. Of course the books you mentioned are very good too (I'm not too enthusiastic about her Fortress books though.)

Agreed on all points, but the Morgaine books' status as fantasy is borderline whereas the Russian series is clearly fantasy so I gave it the nod. Then again, people are already talking about scifi anyway.

I believe I forgot to mention Tim Powers (Last Call, The Anubis Gates) earlier. He swings and misses sometimes, but the two mentioned books are excellent.

 

[Nova Land]

If you enjoy humorous fantasy, Robert Asprin has a couple of good series: Myth Adventures and Phule's Company. These are light reading and generally reliable entertainment (although the early ones are better than more recent ones).

I discovered Will Shetterley back in the 1980s from his work on Captain Confederacy (an excellent black-and-white comic about an alternate earth in which the South was successful in seceding.) If you like alternative history, a la Harry Turtledove, I highly recommend it (but good luck finding it -- the original series, at least. Shetterley did a color sequel for Marvel's Epic imprint which is relatively easy to find but not nearly as good). Shetterley doesn't have a lot of work available in paperback, but what he does have is well worth picking up: Cats Have No Lord and Witchblood are the two I have.

His wife, Emma Bull, is also a very good fantasy writer. Here is a list of her books and stories.

Another top-notch fantasy writer is PeterDavid. His very best work is collaborative illustrated fiction -- Fallen Angel, for example, and others too numerous to list -- but he has an extensive list of paperback and hardback books as well. Among his books are a number of Star Trek novels (including Imzadi, the New Frontier series, and many others), which are surprisingly enjoyable even to someone like me who is only marginally familiar with Trek. A couple of his early fantasy works are Knight Life and Howling Mad, which are enjoyable appetizers for his more recent books. I give very high recommends to Sir Appropos of Nothing and its sequel Woad to Wuin. (And I am greatly looking forward to picking up the 3rd Sir Appropos book, Tong Lashing, in the near future.) Here is a link to a slightly dated and thus unfortunately incomplete Peter David bibliography

And for classic fantasy, Fredric Brown is in a class by himself. (His mysteries are well worth reading, as well.)

 

[Nova Land]

Oops! Forgot to mention two other very enjoyable fantasy writers: Diana Wynne Jones and Diane Duane.

 

[sam catte12]

George RR Martin, the Game of Thrones series (recommended by lots of people before) is just great...you want to know what happens to every main character, and he does not hesitate to kill characters you thought were important.

And a good series from Australia ....(yes wombats I know) written by Tracy Canavan, the Magicians Guild series (Magicians Guild, Novice, High Master).. if you enjoyed the early David Eddings then you will enjoy these books. Not sure if published in the USA but worth ordering.

(PS the books contain no wombats or references to wombats... fruit bats may appear)