Recommend five (and only five) fantasy books

[Wombat]

If I am going to be limited to five of any kind of book, these will have to be meaty books, books that will provide insight and interest every single time I read them and will offer a fair chuck of pages so that I have time to reflect.

The Lord of the Rings -- as has been said, it is one book. That is how Tolkein designed it and that is how I accept it.
Le Morte D'Arthur -- Sir Thomas Mallory rarely does me wrong.
The Complete Works of Chretien de Troyes -- okay, a bit of a cheat...
The Lions of al-Rassan -- I have read this book by Guy Gavriel Kay 4 times and each time I have been in tears by the end. That is powerful writing.
A Wizard of Earthsea -- a short book, but one of the finest meditations on acts and consequences written. I always gain something from reading Ms. LeGuin.

Any of these books would have me seriously thinking, reflecting on human life and human emotions, lwould pull me along and would fill me with a sense of wonder. I cannot ask for more from books.

 

[Asmo]

Terry Goodkind - Wizard´s First Rule ( first book in "The Sword of Thruth" saga)
I can still remember the "wow!" feeling when I read this the first time. High fantasy. On steroids.

Fool´s Errand, The Golden Fool and Fool´s Fate all written by Robin Hobb.

The sequel to The Farseer Trilogy - in my opinon Hobb is one of the best writers out there with an amazing feeling for how to bring life to her characters. Her world is small but filled with wonders. I can´t recomend her enough.
Low fantasy, the focus is more on people and politics.

Belgarath The Sorcerer by David & Leigh Eddings.

Many things can be said about Eddings writing, but it ain´t boring
The more I read fantasy, the more I enjoy Eddings and their work, simple but classic.

High fantasy - I guess.

Asmo

 

[Hypersmurf]

Storm Front and Jhereg are both the first books and are not really the first third of a book; they are self-contained in and of themselves.

Fair enough

See, I'd have no compunction about recommending Book 1 of a trilogy. Only costs one of my five, and if they like it, they'll get the others anyway!

(Similar reason as to why there are a few Book 1s in the Baen Free Library. Get them hooked on the first one, they'll pay for the rest )

-Hyp.

 

[FireLance]

My picks:

The Black Cauldron, Lloyd Alexander
The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula LeGuin
Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
And Eternity, Piers Anthony

 

[papastebu]

I see a lot of Pratchett here, but no Small Gods. I purely love this book, and would recommend it to anyone for a variety of reasons, not the least of which are Mr. Pratchett's insightful and incisive humor, and the telling commentary about weighty religions.
Her Majesty's Wizard, by Christopher Stasheff, is a pretty straightforward book, but an amazingly good read. I like alternate magical universe stuff.
Seventh Son, for a long time Orson Scott Card has been an extreme favorite, and this alternate history colonial America story is amazing. Something new every time I read it.
Wild Seed, by Octavia Butler. The woman's characterization rocks.
Transformation, by Carol Berg. Again, characterization. This lady knows how to make you see things through the perceptions of her characters. If you haven't read this and its sequels, you should.

 

[Pielorinho]

Most of mine are duplicates:
A Wizard of Earthsea: poetic, beautiful, unlike most fantasy novels; Ged kicks Harry's butt.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: hilarious, complicated, dry, exciting.
Perdido Street Station: Freaky, dark, intense.
The Phoenix Guards: Also hilarious--it's even funnier if you've read Dumas (who I read after finishing Phoenix Guards)
The Hero and the Crown: One of the best young-adult fantasy novels ever written, IMO.

Daniel

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

The Jackal of Nar - John Marco
The Gunslinger - Stephen King
The Golden Compass - Phillip Pullman
The Winter King - Bernard Cornwell (historical fiction with just a dash of the supernatural)
Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman

Ok... so all but one of those is the first of a multi-part series. Even Gaiman's book is tied to American Gods. But I think the individual works stand on their own very well. Especially Anansi Boys; I read that before American Gods.

 

[Michael Tree]

1) Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay. One of my favorite books of all time, with more beauty, tense action, sorrow, and loss than any other fantasy book I've read (except for a couple others by Kay).
2) Nine Princes in Amber.
3) Jhereg, by Steven Brust, for a Chandleresque high-fantasy assassin smartass with powerful friends and a backtalking smartass familiar
4) A Wizard of Earthsea. Especially if you can find the audiobook read by Rob Inglis.
5) Smoke and Mirrors, by Neil Gaiman. A book of short stories and poems rather than a novel, but a delightful mix of artsiness, beauty, and sheer unabashed fun (Chivalry, Troll Bridge, Nicholas Was..., etc.)

 

[Pozatronic]

If by Fantasy you mean traditional "fantasy"

1. Last Light Of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay (only because somebody already mentioned Tigana)
2. The Scar by China Mieville
3. A Storm Of Swords by George R.R. Martin
4. Deleriums Mistress by Tanith Lee
5. Tales of Neveryon by Samuel R. Delany

The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell would have made it, but somebody else already mentioned it.

If by Fantasy you mean anything that's "fantastical"

1. Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
2. The Course of the Heart by M. John Harrison
3. City Of Saints and Madmen by Jeff Vandermeer
4. Kalpa Imperial by Angelica Gorodischer, translated by Ursula K. LeGuin
5. Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind (Vol. 3) by Hayao Miyazaki

Yes, that last one's a Manga (I don't even like manga), but it is a book.

 

[Pozatronic]

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. )

hey, were are YOUR five?