What got you hooked on the fantasy genre?

[Eternalknight]

What got you hooked on the genre? For me, it was reading the Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf books, and laying the old Hero Quest board game. From their I went on to Warhammer, Magic the Gathering and evetually D&D. So, how did you get hooked on fantasy as a genre?

 

[Psychotic Dreamer]

Back in sixth grade I didn't like to read. None of the stuff in the school library interested me. A friend of mine gave me the first DragonLance book to read. I struggled through it over a 2 month long period. Once finished I asked for the second one and read that one in about a month. Then I asked him for the third book and finished that in about 2 weeks. That was what got me into reading Fantasy novels.

The same friend got me into roleplaying. For Christmas in seventh grade he gave me a copy of the D&D Expert Boxset. I read through it and quickly realized I needed the first box for it to do me any good. My pareents (reluctantly) got it for me. That was 1985. I haven't stuck with Fantasy all that time, but I often return to it.

 

[Skade]

It was of course Tolkien. I was probably six when I first saw the animated Hobbit. I loved it, and my uncle owned the book, though he had never read it, so he gave it to me, thinking it would be fun to watch me try to read it. So I tried. It was alittle advanced for me, but I muddled my way through with a dictionary close by. Really, I don't remember it being THAT difficult, but I do remember the dictionary. I quickly moved on to the Lord of the Rings, which caused some problems at school. Despite having a fairly advanced reading level for my age, I was not allowed to go into the "big kids" section, where the Lord of The Rings was of course (small town school/public library). My mother had to actually go to school board to get permission for me. It was a principle at this point, we could have bought the books.

Long and pointless anecdote aside, after all that it was finding The Blue Sword, and the rest of that series by Robin McKinley. She was a big influence on me, and is probably why most of my protagonists are women. That and the Chronicles of Prydain, which I recomement every child read before age 12.

-Kane

 

[Kai Lord]

What got you hooked on the genre? For me, it was reading the Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf books

Lone Wolf? Never heard of it.

 

[WayneLigon]

Despite having a fairly advanced reading level for my age, I was not allowed to go into the "big kids" section, ... My mother had to actually go to school board to get permission for me. It was a principle at this point, we could have bought the books.

My god, I had no idea people still did that. What morons. You'd think any educator would jump at the chance to have a child read.

 

[Alzrius]

As far as I can remember, I've always been hooked on fantasy.

When I was just a tiny tyke, I played with Masters of the Universe action figures and listened to audio books about them. That eventually gave way to other fantasy cartoons, which soon gave way to books such as the Narnia Chronicles, and from there it really was all downhill.

 

[Psychotic Dreamer]

After reading what Alzirus had to say on this subject it reminded me, that I also used to play with Master of the Universe action figures. Hadn't really thought of that as part of what got me into fantasy, but now that I think of it I can indeed see it as a connecting factor.

Some days you even learn something new about yourself.

 

[Agamon]

Actually, for me, D&D came first. Tolkien, Dragonlance, ElfQuest and other early influences came as a result.

 

[Dark Jezter]

When I was 11 years old, I read the Hobbit and I've been a fan of the fantasy genre ever since.

In Summer of 2001, I got my hands on the Conan stories by Robert E Howard, and they re-sparked my interest in fantasy.

 

[Skade]

My god, I had no idea people still did that. What morons. You'd think any educator would jump at the chance to have a child read.

That is essentially what my mother told the school board. I could not imagine that happeneing now, and I would be the first to fight gainst it if I ever heard about it. This was in 1982 or so. Not exactly current.