Recommend five (and only five) fantasy books

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

No sneaky "LotR is really one book" stuff -- just list FIVE fantasy books you'd recommend to someone. (Yes, five is too short. I did it on purpose. )

 

[Mycanid]

Well ... that stinks. All five are taken up in one swell foop. :\

But here goes:

The Hobbit
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
The Silmarillion

I DID have others [grumble, grumble]

 

[Mark CMG]

Setting aside Tolkein, as in a league of his own, IMO . . .

Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (Hardcover) by Robert E. Howard

Leiber Chronicles: Fifty Years of Fritz Leiber

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter, Jr. Miller (technically sci-fi but, nevertheless)

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

 

[mmu1]

J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit (After that, if they have half a brain, they'll make their way to the LotR on their own. So much for your 5-book limit!)

Tim Powers - The Anubis Gates

Lois McMaster Bujold - The Curse of Chalion

Steven Brust - Taltos

Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere

I think that covers a decent range...

 

[Ed_Laprade]

LotR is only one book. Anyway...

Gate of Ivrel by C. J. Cherryh (and the rest of the series), if you can find it!

The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon (ha, all three books in one edition)!

Eldrie the Healer by Claudia J. Edwards (first in a series that never emerged).

Silverglass by J. F. Rivken (and the rest of the series).

The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein (and its sequel).

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

The Coming of Conan, Robert E. Howard

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Sussanna Clarke

The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, Robert E. Howard

The Black Company, Glenn Cook

Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

1. Jhereg, by Steven Brust
2. Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
3. Camber of Culdi, Katherine Kurtz
4. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey (feel free to debate whether these are sci-fi or fantasy )
5. Thieve's World, Robert Asprin, ed.

edit: Ok, Black Company is a damn fine choice, too. And I'd take On Stranger Tides over Anubis Gates (and Declare over the rest, although it's on the edge of what I'd consider 'fantasy').

 

[WayneLigon]

Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Jhereg by Steven Brust
Ill Met in Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber
Songs of Earth and Power by Greg Bear
The Last Coin by James P. Blaylock

Just off the top of my head. There are many other books I'd mention, but they are first books in a series and it really wouldn't be right to mention them.

 

[joshhg]

For a good mix:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman - modern fantasy/mythical mix
Hell to Pay by Simon R. Green - urban/dark fantasy. Best book of the series in my opinion, and of the same type as the Dresden Files - Detective Urban Fantasy
Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher - Nice twist on roman culture injected into a magical setting
The Golden Compass by Philp Pullman - Good story for any age, and a movie is coming out here soon
The Homeward Bounders byDiana Wynne Jones - A older book I read as a kid, it is very good and focuses on what happens when you get to transverse worlds, and don't get any say in it.

Now, if I wanted to be mean, I have two books which each have a series of books collected into them. Thus, they are "one" book.

 

[Rl'Halsinor]

Lyonesse: Suldren's Garden - Jack Vance (superb high fantasy; Vance is a true wordsmith))

Sweet Silver Blues - Glenn Cook (Film Noir meets Fantasy)

Nine Princes in Amber - Roger Zelazny (his voice is greatly missed)

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury (another true wordsmith)

On Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (excellent)