What is the single best fantasy novel of all time?

[HaroldTheHobbit]

Ok, so I'm a sci fi dude at heart, and I still think the absolute majority of fantasy I've (tried to) read are formulaic, overlong snoozefests. But that also mean that I've only read a fraction of fantasy literature compared to broad sci fi and other genres and classics, and there actually are good fantasy books.

So I have a list of 3 to pick from.

3 The original Dragonlance trilogy. As a young teen it shaped my view of what good fantasy and roleplaying fiction should be. In retrospect it is poorly written, have a whole bunch of unsavory bagage, and there are way, way better game based books. But nostalgia is nostalgia.

2 Tolkien. The genre master of course. But I have a hard time reading his books as the best fantasy of all times, I view them more as important fantasy literature in a historic sense that set lots of high benchmarks for the genre.

1 So my number one must be LeGuins Earthsea trilogy, and to pick one, the first in the series, A Wizard of Earthsea. Amazing prose and creativity, enjoyable for adolescent and adult alike.

A comment on Ghormengast: I love the trilogy and have reread it a bunch of times, but for me the books are more weird fiction than fantasy. But lets not derail the thread by getting into a genre definition war ;-)

 

[Zardnaar]

I don't think Eddings's style has aged particularly well, and his personal history has cast a pall over his books. (See also: Marion Zimmer Bradley and Anne McCaffrey.)

Anyway, another vote for Lord of the Rings.

I also reread one and yeah. Elenium still kinda fun but wasn't as good as I remembered. He's also repetitive.

 

[Zaukrie]

I also reread one and yeah. Elenium still kinda fun but wasn't as good as I remembered. He's also repetitive.

I did not enjoy my re-reads of him much. Which is fine. Not every book needs to be re-read. Like, the Vlad Taltos books are fun re-reads, but they aren't the best novels of all time.

 

[R_J_K75]

For pure "FANTASY"...Penthouse Forum January 1988. Really, it's not much different than RPGs, 4 people sitting at desks, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes writing fiction.... sounds about right to me.

 

[Riley]

1 So my number one must be LeGuins Earthsea trilogy, and to pick one, the first in the series, A Wizard of Earthsea. Amazing prose and creativity, enjoyable for adolescent and adult alike.

The first three are excellent- and unlike so many of my childhood favorites, I enjoyed them more upon rereading as an adult.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Operation Chaos by Poul Anderson.

Interesting choice, that one. I'm curious why you picked it - I would have expected Anderson's The Broken Sword to show up here, but Operation Chaos (which is a great novel, don't get me wrong) surprises me.

 

[nevin]

I love the whole idea of a world where witches and wizards and werewolfs all grows up and become's a modern world with degree's in witchcraft and flash modules that let Were's control thier shapeshiting and car factories alongside magic carpet factories. It's not even victorian, or steampunk it's just a modern world with science and magic. so fun. Not many stories like it. don't get me wrong I love the broken sword, I'd be voting 3 hearts and 3 lions instead of it though, but they are both just standard fantasy stories buried with a million others many of them just like it.

 

[JAMUMU]

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

 

[nevin]

I will check it out.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

Yes, a better novel from a plot perspective than either The Scar or The Iron Council; but the world-building in especially the Scar was EPIC. I still want to have some sort of afanc in a high level game...