Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="mmadsen" data-source="post: 4870355" data-attributes="member: 1645">When it comes to things they haven't read yet?  I disagree.  In fact, I know that I didn't know my own tastes when I first came to fantasy novels, and I made some terrible purchases, because I had to make my own decisions based on cover art, branding, etc.No one's passing down edicts on what fantasy fans must read.  The issue is that other people have read more fantasy novels than I have, and they have a better grasp of what's out there, so it would behoove me to take their advice on what's good and what's bad.  Will it perfectly match my own taste?  No, of course not.  Is it a better guide than buying the latest Dragonlance-branded novel?  Yes, definitely.Someone who reads nothing but Forgotten Realms novels is missing out.  If they try Tolkien, Howard, etc., and they still prefer Forgotten Realms novels, that's one thing.  If they never try the classics of the genre, that's sad.I never suggested that a mystery fan must read the entire Sherlock Holmes canon, just that it would be odd for a mystery fan to have never read any Sherlock Holmes at all.Agreed.  But I would recommend that every D&D player try some Tolkien, Howard, etc.  -- and probably a few not-really-classics that profoundly influenced D&D, like Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions.</blockquote>