Best novels by your favourite authors?
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Warrior Poet
Explorer
In addition to Tolkien, and some of the other excellent mentions above, I'd add:
City of Bones and Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells.
Nightwatch by Sean Stewart. I didn't know there was a book of the same name by Pratchett. This book probably qualifies more as science fantasy, but it's definitely fantasy. And it's awesome.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman. A fairy tale for children aged 9 to 99 (or something like that, can't remember exactly what the dust jacket said). Great, great reimagining of classic fairy tales.
The books of the New Sun series by Gene Wolfe. Four books (or five, depending on how you look at the series. It's . . . complicated. Just like Wolfe's writing), including Shadow of the Torturer, Claw of the Conciliator, Sword of the Lictor, and Citadel of the Autarch. There are some other titles associated with the line of stories (it's a little confusing), but these are a good place to start. Wolfe is awesome. I've read the series several times, and I still can't tell you exactly what happens, because I'm not entirely sure myself, but the writing is amazing (Wolfe's vocabulary is astonishingly deep) and complex and nuanced and symbolic and . . . well, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I think the man and his writing are genius.
The Sandman series of comics/graphic novels, by Neil Gaiman. One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from this series: "You got what everyone gets. You got a lifetime."
The original Conan (Robert Howard) stories are fun. Also excellent (I think, not everyone's cool with Leiber) are the Fahfrd/Grey Mouser stories from Fritz Leiber.
I like the Elric of Melnibone series from Moorcock, but his style isn't to everyone's taste either.
Warrior Poet
City of Bones and Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells.
Nightwatch by Sean Stewart. I didn't know there was a book of the same name by Pratchett. This book probably qualifies more as science fantasy, but it's definitely fantasy. And it's awesome.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman. A fairy tale for children aged 9 to 99 (or something like that, can't remember exactly what the dust jacket said). Great, great reimagining of classic fairy tales.
The books of the New Sun series by Gene Wolfe. Four books (or five, depending on how you look at the series. It's . . . complicated. Just like Wolfe's writing), including Shadow of the Torturer, Claw of the Conciliator, Sword of the Lictor, and Citadel of the Autarch. There are some other titles associated with the line of stories (it's a little confusing), but these are a good place to start. Wolfe is awesome. I've read the series several times, and I still can't tell you exactly what happens, because I'm not entirely sure myself, but the writing is amazing (Wolfe's vocabulary is astonishingly deep) and complex and nuanced and symbolic and . . . well, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I think the man and his writing are genius.
The Sandman series of comics/graphic novels, by Neil Gaiman. One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from this series: "You got what everyone gets. You got a lifetime."
The original Conan (Robert Howard) stories are fun. Also excellent (I think, not everyone's cool with Leiber) are the Fahfrd/Grey Mouser stories from Fritz Leiber.
I like the Elric of Melnibone series from Moorcock, but his style isn't to everyone's taste either.
Warrior Poet
Brakkart
First Post
J.V. Jones - Master and Fool. Fantastic resolution to her Book of Words trilogy. Won't make a lot of sense if you've not read A Baker's Boy and A Man Betrayed first, but one hell of a payoff if you have! The scene in the Seer chamber on the Isle of Larn begs to be seen on a cinema screen, as does the Battle of Bren.
Terry Pratchett - Feet Of Clay. Easily my favourite of the guards series of Discworld novels, a murder mystery with golems, a vampire with a penchant for heraldry, and Commander Sir Samuel Vimes (imho Pratchetts best creation).
William King - Beastslayer. Gotrek Gurnisson & Felix Jaegar vs the armies of Chaos at the second battle of Praag. Hardly a literary masterpiece, but pure balls to the wall fun to read! Worth it for the interplay between Max the wizard and Malakai Makaisson an insane dwarven engineer with a zeppelin and a deathwish!
Terry Pratchett - Feet Of Clay. Easily my favourite of the guards series of Discworld novels, a murder mystery with golems, a vampire with a penchant for heraldry, and Commander Sir Samuel Vimes (imho Pratchetts best creation).
William King - Beastslayer. Gotrek Gurnisson & Felix Jaegar vs the armies of Chaos at the second battle of Praag. Hardly a literary masterpiece, but pure balls to the wall fun to read! Worth it for the interplay between Max the wizard and Malakai Makaisson an insane dwarven engineer with a zeppelin and a deathwish!
Jhamin
First Post
Wombat said:
I don't know that I agree with "all" the Earthsea books. The first three, written about 30 years ago are classics, and easily among my favorites.
The 4th one, written in the early 90s takes a very bleak turn both in prose and substance. I'd eagerly reccomend the first 3, but warn all but the fanatics away from the 4th.
Among my favorites..
-The Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, especially the Magician's nephew and the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. They get a little allagorical at times, but they are still great reads.
-An un-disneyfied, un-abridged version of Arabian Nights. Anyone who tells you that killing monsters and taking their stuff just doesn't happen in classic fantasy hasn't read any Sinbad.
-Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle. A semi-obscure sequal (but stands apart from) A Wrinkle in Time. It just manages to avoid getting preachy, set just before the Deluge and featuring Noah and Clan as supporting characters, but manages to cast anti-delluvian earth as a pretty fantasy realm.
(hmm. I'm 30 but I'm noticing that alot of my favorites would be listed in the Teen section at major chain stores. Wonder if that means anything....)
-Old School Conan as written by Howard. Avoid all authors who came later. Thrill as Conan treds the jeweled thrones of the earth beneath his sandled feet. (Interesting fact: Robert Howard was a penpal of HP Lovecraft. In the really old stories Conan met several cthuluesqe beasts. With barbaric results)
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Mordant's Need by Stephen Donaldson. All of the epic goodness of the Covenant books, but with more likeable protagonists.
Grunts by Mary Gentle. The epic war from the orc's point of view.
Apropos of Nothing by Peter David. Villain? Hero? Well, it isn't quite that simple...
Grunts by Mary Gentle. The epic war from the orc's point of view.
Apropos of Nothing by Peter David. Villain? Hero? Well, it isn't quite that simple...
Meadred
First Post
Well, it is not really fantasy, but I really like "Von Bek" by Michael Moorcock. I've read some other works by him, some good, some bad, but "Von Bek" has never been surpassed (though I haven't read any of the Elric books yet...). I especially like the twist in it.
Cheers,
Meadred
Cheers,
Meadred
1) Lord of the Rings-Tolkien (obviously)
2) Wheel of Time-Robert Jordan
3) A Song of Fire & Ice- George R. R. Martin
4) Riftwar Series- Raymond Feist
5) Belgariad- David Eddings
6) Unbeheaded King Series- L. Sprague de Camp
7) Seer King Series- Chris Bunch
8) Book of Swords Series- Fred Saberhagen
9) Fionavar Tapestry- Guy Gabriel Kay
10) Chronicles of Narnia- C.S. Lewis
2) Wheel of Time-Robert Jordan
3) A Song of Fire & Ice- George R. R. Martin
4) Riftwar Series- Raymond Feist
5) Belgariad- David Eddings
6) Unbeheaded King Series- L. Sprague de Camp
7) Seer King Series- Chris Bunch
8) Book of Swords Series- Fred Saberhagen
9) Fionavar Tapestry- Guy Gabriel Kay
10) Chronicles of Narnia- C.S. Lewis
John Q. Mayhem
Explorer
Ooooooh! I cut my teeth on Grimm's Fairy Tales and the Arabian Nights when I was a kid. I haven't read them for about 7 years, but they are indeed excellent.
The Unbeheaded King is...interesting. There's a series by Barbara Hambly called the Untaught Wizard or some such that's good.
The Unbeheaded King is...interesting. There's a series by Barbara Hambly called the Untaught Wizard or some such that's good.
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Thornir Alekeg
Albatross!
Many great ones mentioned already. Let's see what hasn't been mentioned...
The Crown of Stars series by Kate Elliott. A five book series - four are done, the fifth should be out in the spring. Absolutely fantastic in my opinion.
Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince and Dragon Star series.
Be careful about the Wheel of Time series. The first books are amazing and suck you in, but IMO, the more recent books have been pretty much a waste of paper.
The Crown of Stars series by Kate Elliott. A five book series - four are done, the fifth should be out in the spring. Absolutely fantastic in my opinion.
Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince and Dragon Star series.
Be careful about the Wheel of Time series. The first books are amazing and suck you in, but IMO, the more recent books have been pretty much a waste of paper.
Well, my favorites include:
Harry Turtledove's How Few Remain.
It's the first book in a series about how the world would/could have progressed had the Confederacy won the American Civil War. A great read of books, but How Few Remain is the best of the bunch, I think. It's use of historical figures as main characters made it slightly more appealing than the later ones (which star his own creations).
George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire
I like the series as a whole, and it's hard to pick one, considering the books just flow into one another. If I had to pick, though, A Storm of Swords would be my top pick.
R. A. Salvatore's Mortalis
In my opinion, that novel is the pinnacle of his work. While it's meant as a bridge between the first and second Demon Wars trilogies, Mortalis can easily stand alone.
Harry Turtledove's How Few Remain.
It's the first book in a series about how the world would/could have progressed had the Confederacy won the American Civil War. A great read of books, but How Few Remain is the best of the bunch, I think. It's use of historical figures as main characters made it slightly more appealing than the later ones (which star his own creations).
George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire
I like the series as a whole, and it's hard to pick one, considering the books just flow into one another. If I had to pick, though, A Storm of Swords would be my top pick.
R. A. Salvatore's Mortalis
In my opinion, that novel is the pinnacle of his work. While it's meant as a bridge between the first and second Demon Wars trilogies, Mortalis can easily stand alone.
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