Poll - I'm over 25 and I've read....

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

I don't know. I checked that I've read him, but the Mazalan books are one of the few series I've given up on. Interesting world, but too complex and depressing. I somethimes think a lot of newer writers have forgotten that you read SF and fantasy for fun.

The fact that it's a dark and complex world, combined with the depth of history of its backdrop and the intelligence of the writing, makes it the most fascinating and engrossing piece of literature that has strolled across the fantasy landscape in a long, long time, if not ever. If you love epic fantasy, this series (i.e. the Malazan Book of the Fallen) is an absolute must read.

 

[Keldryn]

No one mentioned her in the previous thread, and I just plain forgot her and a few others- Richard Knaak, for example.

I just wanted to point out that I mentioned Rose Estes as a joke. Her "Mika the Wolf Nomad" Greyhawk books were pretty much universally reviled, to the best of my knowledge.

I certainly thought they were utter crap.

 

[JoeGKushner]

For Feist, I find his writing makes good popcorn reading. It's nice to visit the old world, see how Pug and THomas are doing and see what's happening in the kingdoms. Not very deep reading or anything and his writing has an easy to read and finish style. I find Terry Brooks in the same boat. It's like I've read all the material before so it's familiar and easy to get through.

For authors "missed", I'd say (and man I'll be embarrased if it's there and I just missed it), Fred Saberhagen (probably butchered that name.) His various Book of Swords provided a lot of depth to many a campaign I and my friends ran (because we all shared our books back in the day.)

One interesting thing about some of these authors though, is that some of them have a wide history of publishing and some of them publish in multiple series and genres so reading one book by an author may not mean that you've read the author's 'good writing'.

 

[Nellisir]

The fact that it's a dark and complex world, combined with the depth of history of its backdrop and the intelligence of the writing, makes it the most fascinating and engrossing piece of literature that has strolled across the fantasy landscape in a long, long time, if not ever. If you love epic fantasy, this series (i.e. the Malazan Book of the Fallen) is an absolute must read.

I love fantasy. I don't mind epic fantasy. I read one book of Erikson's, and just can't bring myself to pick up another. It was just a -slog-. The book needed to drop about 200 pages, minimum (and, for the record, I say the same thing about the last few books of King's Gunslinger series). Everyone keeps saying that "once you get through the first few they're great", but frankly, I'm pretty wary of anyone that requires you to slog through 1500+ pages to get to the "good part". I'd rather read someone that's good from the beginning, not somewhere in the middle.

I also have a slight preference for reading epic series that are actually finished.

 

[Greg K]

No Terry Goodkind (Okay, I haven't read the Sword of Truth novels, but I just recently got into Legend of the Seeker and wanted to name an author not on the list).

And, what about Steven King (Eye of the Dragon, Dark Tower series), Marion Zimmer Bradley (Mists of Avalon), Lawerence Watts Evans, Barbara Hambly, Christopher Stasheff (Warlock Series), Will Shetterly ( Cat's Have No Lord, Witch Blood (a good example for making monks working in D&D)), and T.H.White (A Once and Future King, the Book of Merlin).

Edit: I guess I should have read the thread more closely as several (if not all) of the authors that I listed were mentioned by others

 

[Greg K]

From the list, I have read Poul Anderson, Neil Gaiman, Gary Gygax, Frank Herbert, Hickman and Weiss, R.A. Salvatore, JRR Tolkein, and a little bit of Lovecraft, Martin, Moorcock, and Leiber.

I tried Vance, but couldn't get into the book and put it down.

From other on the list, I have Terry Brooks and Terry Pratchett sitting on my bookshelf of books to read.

 

[Rani]

Well, I would've checked almost all of those off, but I'm only 23. GG

 

[Jack7]

What about Tieck, Baum, Dumas, Carroll, Lear, Yolen, ER Eddison, the Brothers Grimm? Mallory, the Arthurian cycle, or the poets of Charlemagne? Ovid? The poet of Beowulf? Siegfried, and the Ring Cycle?

Fantasy is much older than just the twentieth century, and much broader than just goblins and twinkle swords.

It's in the old blood too.
Matter of fact it was there first.

But I realize you can't list everybody.
But thought they should be mentioned.

 

[Dice4Hire]

I have read many of these, but it is clear that living in Japan for alost 2 decades has put a major crimp in my reading. There are too many authors I ahve never even heard of.

 

[Wombat]

What about Tieck, Baum, Dumas, Carroll, Lear, Yolen, ER Eddison, the Brothers Grimm? Mallory, the Arthurian cycle, or the poets of Charlemagne? Ovid? The poet of Beowulf? Siegfried, and the Ring Cycle?

Nice list, that