Best Fantasy Novels

[ranskaldan]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
Prachett's Diskworld series is halarious. But as Athene points out, there's a lot of satirical philosophy snuck in there too. Don't start with either The Color of Magic or The Last Continent. There okay, but not up to his usual quality. Instead, I recommend to you: Hogfather, Thief of Time, Feet of Clay and Moving Pictures.

Shouldn't I read it in publishing order?
I mean I'd be spoiling things for myself if I didn't, right?

[Jon Miller]

not neccesarily

and Small Gods is one of the best in my oppinion

Jon Miller

[Kristalli]

Discworld. Absolutely! Read them in finnish and now a second round in english....hilarious stuff...

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by ranskaldan
Shouldn't I read it in publishing order?
I mean I'd be spoiling things for myself if I didn't, right?

I don't think so. I'm reading them in the order I've come across them, and I'm having a wonderful time. This series isn't like most series, where each book rests on the previous and where characters are continually developing. Rather, each story seems to have different main characters--although other characters often pop up...eg. Death, Cpl. Nobby, Rincewind.

Something like Harry Potter, though, you definitely have to read in order. If you read 4 first, you know what happens in 3; 3 begins by telling you what happened in 2, and 2 tells what happened in 1.

[Ethelred]

Originally posted by Kamrat X
. It was too...detatched (for loss of a better word). The same happened with Gene Wolfes "Books of the new sun"-series.

The good thing about Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer series is that the odd style fit the character very well. A torturer needs to be detatched. However Wolfe's other books have the same style. They are no where near as good. Not the ones I have read anyway. I gave up on him a while ago.

[Bosh]

Oh some of HP Lovecraft's works count as fantasy (Dreamquest of the Unknown Kadath, White Ship etc.) and they're real clasics.

Read the book before passing judgment

I tried, I really did

Glen Cook's The Black Company

Been meaning to read those for a while, will have to track them down...

A Boat of a Million Years. One of the best historical fiction novels I've read...

Was the best of the novels of his I've read, got really wierd at the end though...

Also it isn´t a bit original, it´s standard fantasy model 1 A. But since it is his first attempts at fantasy, and since it is fairly well written I´d give it my unconditional recommendations. If you like Tigana, you´ll like this one just as much.

Hmmm, maybe not. One of the things I liked in Tigara was the level of moral ambiguity in it, but that seems to be dissolving as the book progresses much to my disappointment I hate having all the characters shorted out into "good guys" and "bad guys" for me

[Ethelred]

Re: Re: Re: Best Fantasy Novels

Originally posted by Jon Miller


I am not sure if I regard Lord of Light as Fantasy

although I will agree that it borders the genres

Jon Miller

It was deliberatly and intentionly writen to stradle and cross the border so frequently that it was erased. There is psuedo science in it. The mind powers are so far out there that it becomes fantasy.

I mean it has gods, demigods, demons, monsters, fantastic beasts, reincarnation, Prayer Machines, The Lords of Karma and even Heaven. So even though they are given psuedo scientific excuses for existence its still very much a fantasy novel.

The battle in Hellwell is one the best action sequences I have ever read.

Off the top of my head:

He never said he was a god, then again he never said he wasn't, things being as they were neither would have helped but amibiguity would. He was called Mahasamatman but he preferred to drop the Maha and the atman and just be called Sam.

No I have NOT read it too often. In fact I think I will read it again.


I give one warning about the book. The middle part is a flashback from the start. THere is little indication of this and indeed it is possible to read the whole thing without figuring that out. I didn't figure out till I had the passed that point when I read it the second time and noticed that something didn't quite fit. I noticed it the first time also but I just couldn't slow to down to figure it out.

At the end of one chapter there is this ONE SENTENCE that indicates what happened.

Sam remembered.

Pretty much that short. I thought he had just sat and remembered something and then the story went on. Not the case, in fact the next major section of the story is Sam remembering what happened that put him where he was. I am not the only one that failed to notice this. Even warned about it some friends of mine did not notice untill they too became aware that there is seemed to be an odd distortion of time.

There needs to be a warning.

FLASH BACK FLASH BACK FLASH BACK FLASH BACK FLASH BACK FLASH BACK FLASH BACK FLASH BACK FLASH BACK FLASH BACK

Accross the bottom of one page and on the top of the next.

Not that it realy matters because I enjoyed the book immensly despite my confusion the first time around and it allowed me to read it a second time as a different novel than the first time.

[Ethelred]

Originally posted by SpencerH

Robert E Howard - A hard drinkin texan who blew his head off with a shotgun before he was thirty.
Read the Conan (mostly short stories) actually written and completed by Howard instead of the mostly shlock that was re-written by others. My favorite is "Red Nails"

I am pretty sure it was a pistol. A 45 calibur revolver. He was a Texan after all.

Red Nails is great. Barry Smiths black and white comic version is stunning. One of the best comics ever produced by Marvel. The first of the Conan comics were terrible and then someting happened. Suddenly Barry Smith got it and the art changed dramaticly for the better. It went from bad comic book to Graphic Novel.

L. Spague De Camp adapted some of Howards non-Conan stories and those have always struck me as being nearly as good as Howards pure versions.

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by Ethelred

I am pretty sure it was a pistol. A 45 calibur revolver. He was a Texan after all.

Red Nails is great. Barry Smiths black and white comic version is stunning. One of the best comics ever produced by Marvel. The first of the Conan comics were terrible and then someting happened. Suddenly Barry Smith got it and the art changed dramaticly for the better. It went from bad comic book to Graphic Novel.

L. Spague De Camp adapted some of Howards non-Conan stories and those have always struck me as being nearly as good as Howards pure versions.

It certainly could have been a 45. L. Spague De Camp and Andrew Offut did finish a few of Howards storys quite seamlessly but their own novels didnt have the same raw feel as Howards (although I wouldnt spit on them). I've seen other Conan authors that were drivel though. Howard had a very simple style of writing, but when he was good it was like a Picasso, just a few brush strokes tells the story.

[Immortal Wombat]

Originally posted by ranskaldan
Shouldn't I read it in publishing order?
I mean I'd be spoiling things for myself if I didn't, right?

You should read each mini-series in order. eg. The Witches books (Equal Rites, Lord & Ladies, Witches Abroad, Wyrd Sisters, Carpe Jugulum) should be read in order, the City Watch books should be read in order, and the Rincewind books should be read inorder, but other than that, it doesn't much matter.

[Kaak]

All i have to say about HP is that in the movie, he defeated the guy with LOVE. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? i'll never read one of the books.


Also, I may get crucified for this, but i found Farland's RuneLords series entertaining. But then again I also liked Feists Riftwar saga.

But hey! i'm only 22, and it seems i have a lot of catching up to do!!

[Kristalli]

Originally posted by Immortal Wombat


You should read each mini-series in order. eg. The Witches books (Equal Rites, Lord & Ladies, Witches Abroad, Wyrd Sisters, Carpe Jugulum) should be read in order, the City Watch books should be read in order, and the Rincewind books should be read inorder, but other than that, it doesn't much matter.

I have not read the mini-series in order, and it has spoiled a couple of suprises. But that's not too serious...

And by the way, who is your favourite character in Discworl series? Mine is Death. Love him!

[Moral Hazard]

Oh about the Drow Series I only read the three Mezobearean books, and started crystal shard (I hated it). So I was referring to the Mezoberean series (prequels). I found the first to be the best, second was good, concerning the third I agree with Snowfire (bad villian).

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by Kaak
But then again I also liked Feists Riftwar saga.

Whats the matter with the Riftwar series?

[Immortal Wombat]

Originally posted by Kristalli
And by the way, who is your favourite character in Discworl series? Mine is Death. Love him!

Difficult question. None of the really major ones I think. Either the Bursar (mad!), Vetinari (genius!) or Leonard of Quirm (mad genius!). Or Gaspode.
Although Death has been getting funnier in the later books, I must admit.
Argh! too many characters...