Favorite Fantasy Reading Series

  • Thread starter Thread starter CanonAlberic
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I was really into De Lint when I was younger, but as I age I find his desire for ruleless magic and wonder a little flat. And his pantheism, too.

I haven’t read Guy Gavriel Kay’s trilogy yet, but I like A Song For Arbonne and The lions of Al-Rassan. His characters are sometimes irritatingly perfect- scholar, poet, military tactian, great lover, very witty, and eats his vegetables!- but his writing is lush and nicely realised. He lives in my city, too, which is cool.
(About WoT)
gave up after 1 and a half. I saw that it was 11 books and still going and that was all for me. It also lacked creativity. Jordan’s ideas came from Christianity and Judaism and other areas.
Click to expand...
(inviting flaming) My husband and I were talking about WoT yesterday night, and we agreed that something that bothered both of us about WoT was that Jordan doesn’t seem to have any real conception of personal good or evil. It’s something I’ve mentioned before about other books, and it really bothers me. I think a lot of fantasy lacks heart because the writer doesn’t understand that morality is about choice, and (to paraphrase a writer whose name I can’t spell) that the line between good and evil runs through every human heart. Jordan Has ‘good characters’, and they act like flaming jerks. He has ‘bad characters’, and they act like flaming jerks. No separation. He seems to want his readers to take it on faith that good and bad are arbitrarily ascribed and not inherent.

Madeleine L’Engle was one of my favourite authors growing up. I’ve gotten disenchanted with her theology, but she was the one who first led me to read Julian of Norwich, Thomas Merton, a lot of C. S. Lewis, and many other very wonderful writers. I am deeply indebted to her. A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, Many Waters, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet are wonderful.

Yes, Robin McKinley’s latest book, Sunshine, is about vampires. In a way it’s yet another take on Beauty and the Beast. It’s more adult than many of her books, and quite dark. I love it, but I love Deerskin, and that’s very dark. Most Fairy tales- most stories!- are about the confrontation between good and evil. Her take on the battle doesn’t bother me.

This is a lot longer than I meant it to be.
 
I love Tolkien, but am I get older I find the Silmarillion is more satisfying that LOTR. When Tolkien moves the scale of the story from epic to mythic the result is wonderful.

I love Donaldson as a teenager. I just reread the 1st Covenant Trilogy, and I kept thinking leper or not would it kill this guy to show a shred of manners? Covenant is annoying! Most of the Lords, except Mhoram, were so whiny. If it wasn’t for the Bloodguard and the Giants, I don’t think I could have made it through the book.

Patricia McKillip’s Riddlemaster trilogy is my other all time favorite. The haunting images have really stuck with me over the 25 years since my first reading at 13. Some people have complained the plot is too non-linear and seems to lose steam, but that is just part of what makes it so real and touching.
 
I’ve only read two on your list, LOTR and Harry Potter. Out of those two I picked Harry Potter. I like LOTR but I liked the movies tons more. The style of the books was just too long winded and boring. I’m going to read Narnia here soon. My favorite series of fantasy has always been The Prydain Chronicles. Great stuff!! I also love the first three of the Dune series, when the fourth comes around it gets boring, complicated and gross lol. Another awesome one is The Neverending Story.
 
40.png
threej_lc:
My all time favorite fantasy series is the Shannara series. Sure, the first book is a ripooff of LOTR, but IMVHO it actually improves it. The majority of the rest of the books are fantastic and original.

I don’t count the chronicles of Narnia in this, because they’re not fanatasy, they’re allegory 😃

I also really like the Xanth series, and I have inded read it from start to… about 2/3rds… But I must admit, the stories aren’t that original:

Somone has a problem.

I go to see the good magician humphrey. (In a story arc, for a while, he’s disappeared, so skip this step.)

Solve three riddles. Talk to humphrey.

Go on quest. Quest helps humphrey, so I don’t have to do a year of service.

For some reason, I have to cross the gap chasm. Mind the gap. It has a dragon. Unless the dragon reverse aged. Then another dragon has temporariliy taken its place.

Probably go to the land of the gourd for some reason along the way.

Beware the tanglers. Don’t take the obvious paths.

Kiss the girl.

The end.

Am I missing anything?

Josh
Click to expand...
You forgot:

Mention The Adult Conspiracy at Least once a chapter and focus an inordiante amount of time on undergarments.
 
For the George R.R. Martin fans out there. Does anyone else consider Song of Fire and Ice a guilty pleasure? His writing can be a bit excessive in certain areas (those who read him know what I mean) but other than that , his books are some of the best I have ever read.

Also try Otherland by Tad Williams, very inventive.
 
40.png
nasdravie:
I have always enjoyed the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. Nobody else has mentioned them.
Click to expand...
Actually, one other person did.
I was hoping that would be a choice actually. I went with Narnia since it wasn’t.

Dragonlance is so amazing! I was just introduced to it last year and I can’t get enough of it. I named one of my lovebirds Goldmoon and we have a little baby lovebird with a bad foot whom we’ve dubbed Justarius. I’m sure there will be a Raistlin or Caramon in there somewhere eventually.

I get lost in those books and sometimes that’s exactly what you need - just to not think about anything else and to read a great story like that. Margaret Weis is awesome too. I’ve emailed with her on occasion. She’s a phenomenal writer. 👍
 
  1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was my definite first choice. In this age of the films (which are excellent), I take pride in saying I read the books years before the films were even mentioned. 🙂
  2. My second choice would be Stephen R. Lawhead’s Pendragon Cycle. I love his take on the Arthurian legend. His story is much superior to the recent movie.
  3. C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia come in at number three. While the style of writing is aimed more at children (which is not in any way a bad thing), I still love his stories. I’m very excited for the movies, though I’m a bit nervous that Hollywood will tamper with the obvious Christian message in his books.
  4. I also loved George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire books. As some have mentioned, some of his scenes are a bit risque, so I wouldn’t recommend his books for children. However, his writing is superb, and these books are the most realistic fantasy novels I’ve read.
For honorable mention, I’ll add the Dragonlance novels, which I loved in grade school and junior high. I did read The Sword of Shannara, which some others have mentioned, but I didn’t like it all that much. I couldn’t read about the character Allanon without thinking about Alcoholics Anonymous.
 
Dragonlance is definitly my fave. I read 11 of them and another book by Margaret Wiess Called Amber and Ashes, it was great. I haven’t read the Robert Jordan books, my father says they are his favorite. I read the Belgariad and the Mallorean. I think I read all of those books in like 6 months maybe. I didn’t pay enough attention in my college classes, but being a writer myself, I was greatly inspired.
 
surf(name removed by moderator)ure:
Actually, my two aren’t on the list. First and foremost is the C.S. Lewis sci-fi trilogy: *Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, *and That Hideous Strength.
Click to expand...
I have to second…um…fifth this. This is a great trilogy for those who loved Naria as a kid (or still do as in my case) but are looking for something a little more challenging. Wonderful books! 👍
 
I never hear anyone mention “Canticle For Leibowitz”, by Walter M. Miller, JR. Is this book forgotten by Catholics.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top