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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Pielorinho" data-source="post: 1348493" data-attributes="member: 259">By standalone, can we mean "books that don't require reading any other books to be appreciated"? Some books take place in a world common with other books, even with the same characters, but are self-contained stories with their own beginning, middle, and end. For example, you needn't read any other Earthsea book to enjoy Le Guin's classic A Wizard of Earthsea. And that's my best recommendation for classic fantasy. For modern-day fantasy, I've got two recommendations: Sean Stewart's Mockingbird, a lyrical story about a modern world in which magic has returned and it is NOT a positive or exciting or fun thing, but is rather like having the line between waking and uneasy dreaming blurred. And Tim Powers' Last Call, a thrilling romp of a book about secret societies, magical rituals, and freakish bad guys (including the world's scariest Elvis impersonator -- Hail to the King, baby!) For weird fantasy standalones, I'll recommend Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville. I can't guarantee you'll like it, but I can guarantee that you'll feel strongly about it; it's a love-or-hate book, and I loved it. Maybe it depends on how closely the book mimics your worst nightmares. When I read it, it was like Mieville tapped straight into my dream aesthetic and told the scariest possible story while I slept. For fun pseudohistorical fantasy, I'd recommend The Lions of Al-Rassan, already mentioned, and The Grand Ellipse, by Paula Volsky. Fun stuff!Daniel</blockquote>

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