To my mind, there are different categories. There are 'Great Works', 'Great Reads' and 'important works' (and, of course, things I don't much care for).
The movies have prompted me to reread Tolkien for the first time in almost 20 years. I am finding it a rewarding and altogether different experience reading them at 34 than I did at 15. Parts of the book I glossed over then are important to me now. Then I cared more for the adventure...now I equally care for the world he crafted, and the compelling conflicts and allegories. Then I thought his writing archaic...now I appreciate what he was doing, and why. To me, Tolkien is all three categories.
There are few other Great Works, per se, to the genre. (hence the reason for my 'important works' category)
For Great Reads, I prefer most of the authors listed above, to varying degrees.
Robert Jordan, once my favorite, lost his position when he choked. Still enjoyed, but he's written a story that he doesn't know how to finish, and is floundering. The most recent book gave me hope, but we'll see with the new book slated to arrive next month.
J.K. Rowling. A relatively new favorite, but one often 'pooh-pooh'ed by pure swords and sorcery fans. Well crafted books that classify as 'ripping yarns', they are often mistook as adventure novels, when they are really mysterys, IMHO. Their format is not so much a formula as it a device. As Rowling gets further along, the books get better, and the maturity level rises with each book. Judging the books by the movies is a foolhardy notion; imagine judging Tolkien by Bakshi's production, for example.
David Eddings Belgariad Before Eddings and his (until recently uncredited) co-writer wife began rehashing the story over and over again, the Belgariad passed as an extremely entertaining diversion. Not great literature, perhaps even a guilty pleasure, but a lot of fun and not entirely serious, something the genre lacks overall. Eddings failings afterwards (particularly in a lack of originality) shouldn't dim this series.
Glen Cook The only author I've met personally (several times), Cook writes some of the best military fantasy in print with the Black Company, and some of the funniest mystery fantasy with the Garrett series. Both are highly recommended and easy reads.
Steven Brust: Jhereg A D&D game that became a succesful series, Jhereg is series that flounders in the middle (when he lays the political allegory on a little thick), but features some engaging characters and some of the funniest writing in fantasy.
George R.R. Martin, Song of Ice and Fire Still a work in progress, and could possibly fail, but unlikely. Unlike Jordan, Martin has a long and more reliable track record to look to, and has much less fear about setting conventions on their ear, or suprising the reader. A more mature read than most fantasy, Martin creates a compelling political drama and then slowly adds fantasy elements in. His world is as compelling as the story, and his ability to redefine characters and deftly deliver a serious page-turner.
Barry Hughart The Master Li series (co-starring Number 10 Ox) is a true romp, taking advantage of an excellent and highly under-used
Fred Saberhagen The Empire of the East (and then the Book of Swords) is entertaining fantasy (or, truthfully, sci-fi with a fantasy cover). Saberhagen is very sparse, however, and not terribly good at overall continuity or world-building, but it's an amusing read, nonetheless.
Brian Jacques Yeah, Redwall is a for younger readers. So are many titles on the more popular fantasy list. The Hobbit, Narnia, Prydain and others are, as well. Once more, ripping good yarns, although somewhat formulaic, Jacques has a lot of fun with the whole concept.
There are others, but these are what occur to me on the short list.
Who you won't find on my list are folks like Tad Williams, who made me so angry with Memory, Sorrow and Thorn that I threw the book against a wall, I felt so cheated by the ending. A beautiful writer who can paint wonderful imagery, the story promised on what it could not deliver, IMHO. Piers Anthony is another. It's a shame when a good writer just won't stop writing bad fiction. Anthony has written some good stuff in his time, but his time in hell will be spelled X-A-N-T-H. Katherine Kurtz's Deryni series may be good, but for some reason I just couldn't get into it. After 30 pages or so, I put it down and never picked it back up. Then, of course, are writers like Mercedes Lackey....(shudder). Jessica Amanda Salmanson's Tomoe Gozen series was fun at the time...but I prefer the original legends she co-opts to her versions, as often as not.
Most of the writers I classify as 'important works' are ones that are usually fairly famous, but not necessarily ones that I've read or would consider reading again.
These include folks like:
- Jack Vance, The Dying Earth series
- Michael Moorcock, Elric and the Eternal Champion Series
- Fritz Leiber, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series
- Robert E. Howard, Conan, Kull, Kane and others
- T.H. White, The Once and Future King
There are others, here as well, of course. Most of the list, however, falls into the 'read it once so I could see what all the fuss was about' category, for me, and then I've never read them again. Most of them are bound with the pulp tradition, and that appeals to me little to none. This doesn't make them bad, just not to my taste, generally. Elric's repetition became problematic, for me, for example.
This thread is nice, in that it allows me to see some names I haven't seen before. I'll definitely have to check some of them out.
