Best novels by your favourite authors?

[Ry]

After a drought of leisure reading in university, I'm looking to get back into fantasy novels in a big way. But I have a hard time finding new authors; I tend to pick up a bad book by a good author, and then someone rolls their eyes and says "Oh, yeah. That's not really their best work."

So who are your favourite fantasy authors, and what is their best work?

 

[Teflon Billy]

I mention this in every appropriate thread...

The late Karl Edwrd Wagner's Kane novels are excellent reading and give a good example of how an Evil character is viable in Fantasy adventure.

The book Darkness Weaves is an unsung masterpiece of the genre, but the whole bibliography is good.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Tolkien and The Silmarillion.
Saberhagen's Books of Swords

 

[Jedidiah]

Tad Williams "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" series that begins with "The Dragonbone Chair" is still one of my all time favorites. Hoping to get his new one (Shadowmarch) for Christmas.

 

[Pants]

George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire - A Storm of Swords is my favorite, simply because of the emotions that it causes me to feel; hatred, sorrow, pity, and elation all in one book. Simply fantastic.

Robin Hobb's Royal Assassin, Book 2 of the Farseer Trilogy, simply causes me to feel constant pain for the main character. The fact that she can evoke such feelings within me is simply astounding.

Steven Erikson's Memories of Ice, Book 3 of the Malazan Series, is breathtaking in scope, mythology, and emotional impact. The battle scenes, the personal struggles, and the godlike ascendants weave together in a complex story full of pathos, bloody conflict, and some of the most fantastic battle scenes I've ever read. Great book.

China Mieville's Perdido Street Station evokes a lot of things in me: wonder, fear, disgust, and shock. Mieville manages to create one of the most disgustingly real cities ever in New Crobuzon and the way in which he weaves the storylines together is very satisfying. The creatures that he inhabits the world with are strange and (usually) really cool. Kinda overblown prose at times and he cannot write battle scenes, but I really enjoyed his books so far.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Have to second Karl Edward Wagner's Kane novels, they are that good.

Lord of Light by Zelzany.

Tarzan, John Carter of Mars, and Carson Napier of Venus by Egar Rice Burroughts will always have a spot on my list.

Pip and Flinx novels by Alan Dean Foster, enjoyable and fun reads.

Bazil Brokentail novels by Christopher Rowley, I just like them, good world building and characters.

 

[Lady Mer]

Lois McMaster Bujold- Civil Campaign is her best, but it's probably not as good without reading the earlier books in the series.

Terry Pratchett- I can't pick out a best. Seriously, he just keeps getting better. I usually recommend Small Gods or Guards, Guards though. Small Gods is unconnected to the other Discworld books, and Guards,Guards is the first book following my favorite characters, the Ankh Morpork City Watch. Good Omens, which he wrote with Neil Gaiman, is also fantastic.

 

[DeBhaal]

George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire - A Storm of Swords is my favorite, simply because of the emotions that it causes me to feel; hatred, sorrow, pity, and elation all in one book. Simply fantastic.

Robin Hobb's Royal Assassin, Book 2 of the Farseer Trilogy, simply causes me to feel constant pain for the main character. The fact that she can evoke such feelings within me is simply astounding.

Steven Erikson's Memories of Ice, Book 3 of the Malazan Series, is breathtaking in scope, mythology, and emotional impact. The battle scenes, the personal struggles, and the godlike ascendants weave together in a complex story full of pathos, bloody conflict, and some of the most fantastic battle scenes I've ever read. Great book.

China Mieville's Perdido Street Station evokes a lot of things in me: wonder, fear, disgust, and shock. Mieville manages to create one of the most disgustingly real cities ever in New Crobuzon and the way in which he weaves the storylines together is very satisfying. The creatures that he inhabits the world with are strange and (usually) really cool. Kinda overblown prose at times and he cannot write battle scenes, but I really enjoyed his books so far.

If you enjoyed Royal Assassin muchly, I'd suggest reading the Tawny Man trilogy by Robin Hobb .. it continues Ftiz's story, and is quite well done in my opinion.

 

[Wombat]

I guess it depends on what you call "fantasy"...

I love T.H. White's The Once & Future King. Some people might count that. Tolkein, of course, both The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. All of the Earthsea books by LeGuin. Guy Gavriel Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan and Tigana. I love most of Fritz Lieber's Fafhrd & Grey Mouser stories (I start losing it around Swords & Ice Magic). Give me almost any short story collection by Charle de Lint (The Ivory & The Horn, Moonlight & Vines, etc.). Emma Bull's The War for the Oaks is always lovely. And then there is Lewis Carroll -- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland probably started me along the fantasy path.

I could keep going, but this is a good start.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I mention this in every appropriate thread...

The late Karl Edwrd Wagner's Kane novels are excellent reading and give a good example of how an Evil character is viable in Fantasy adventure.

The book Darkness Weaves is an unsung masterpiece of the genre, but the whole bibliography is good.

Kane is one of my favorite villains. He is perhaps the only character who is actually a bad guy throughout the whole thing. He's not misunderstood. He's not under the influence of an evil sword. He's not a barbarian in a civilized world. He's just damn evil.

And I love it!

There are two collections right now, Midnight Sun and... duh... can't remember theo ther one. Best bet is to join the Science Fiction Book club because the standard versions are like $35.00 each. And if you join, say I recommended you! No seriously, e-mail me with details if you join! I could use more free books...