Solid fantasy reads

[Homyrrh]

I've had brief exposure to some of the more well-known fantasy series, but was looking to again start with some other-worldy literature.

I've either read entirely, rad in (nominal) parts, or am at l, at the least, familiar with the following (plots, characters, etc.):

'A Song of Ice and Fire' - George R.R. Martin
'The Lord of the Rings' - J.R.R. Tolkien
'Chronicles of Narnia' - C.S. Lewis
'The Dark Tower' - Stephen King (someone can finally spell their ENTIRE name...)
'The Wheel of Time' - Robert Jordan
'Inheritance' - Christopher Paolini (ugh...)

I've spent a moment or two in my life staring at the covers of the following, but have done litle else:

'Sword of Shannara' - Terry Brooks
'Discworld' - Terry Pratchett

I'm sure several on here will swear by one series or another; my personal favorite is George Martin's magnum opus (for reference). Any recs? Why?

[MarkHockley]

Well, I'm going to have to risk embarrassment and quietly direct you towards my own novel, The Magic Lands. It's not really like any of the titles you mentioned, but it is definitely in the fantasy genre!

[PeterL]

"Conjure Wife" by Fritz Leiber beats all of those. You might also want to look at Lord Dunsany's works.

[Homyrrh]

"Conjure Wife" by Fritz Leiber beats all of those. You might also want to look at Lord Dunsany's works.

From my brief Amazon search...some creepy ****.

[Charles Darnay]

I'd have to recommend Discworld for its sheer brilliance. However, although it is fantasy, it exists in a different vein the most of the others on your list.

For more "traditional" fantasy....I recommend "Sword of Truth" series by Terry Goodkind.

If your want "not-quite-all-out-there-fantasy-but-still-fantasy" - a complex genre to be sure...also ill-defined....check out the works by Niel Gaiman and Susana Clark.

[JBI]

Those all are second rate novels at best. The best author who writes what I would call fantasy is hands down Italo Calvino. He most surely is the most original, that's for sure.

[Homyrrh]

Those all are second rate novels at best. The best author who writes what I would call fantasy is hands down Italo Calvino. He most surely is the most original, that's for sure.

My entire post consisted of second-rate novels? Hmph. Rather brash, I'd say.

[Niamh]

I'd highly recommend the BitterBynde Saga By Cecilia Dart Thornton. It takes in a lot of celtic mythology. Wonderful trilogy.


I've read nearly all of the Shannara series (just not the latest ones). If yo are going to read these, start with the elfsones and just skip the Sword of Shannara. Its too lord of the rings. Only real difference is, they are trying to recover something not distroy something.

[moose gurl]

Perhaps it was because I was in 8th grade when I read them for the first time, but the DragonLance series has a special place in my heart. Sure, they aren't the best literature, but the stories are fantastic, and if you really get into it, it can be ultimately entertaining. I also really enjoyed The Dark Tower and The Wheel of Time, but the original DragonLance trilogy is what brought me in to fantasy literature and I think all fantasy lovers should give them a shot. They are incredible fantasy books...The first trilogy is "Dragons of an Autumn Twilight," "Dragons of a Winter's Night," and "Dragons of a Spring Dawning." I wouldn't recommend any other DragonLance works, because the one's I've read (other than those 3) were just crap. I didn't like Terry Goodkind, Terry Brooks, or Paolini either, but to each his own.
Hope you find something you enjoy.

[JBI]

Geez, did I say second rate, should have said at least 6-7th rate. None of those authors are very original, and most of them lack in maturity, depth, and coherent structure. I've read parts of all of those, so I feel comfortable to comment.

[believin]

Two excellent fantasy writers who are not as well known as they should be, especially in the US, are Geraldine Harris and Diana Wynne Jones. I've heard that both have had some trouble with disputes with publishers, which has kept Jones from gaining a bigger market in the US, and kept Harris's books from enjoying a much-deserved reprint. (You'll have to find Harris's The Seven Citadels in the out of print section, I think.)

Both are very good writers. Jones is prolific. Harris has one very noteworthy series, and most of the rest of her work is nonfiction. Her series (The Seven Citadels) is, to me, the best fantasy series ever written.

[Oniw17]

I would recomend Keith Taylor's bard series, since it incorporates history and mythology with some degree of accuracy.

[mtpspur]

Lord Dunsany and/or Clark Ashton Smith. At the very least you'll have your vocabulary expanded. Forerunners in the genre and rarely matched. Try anything by them. If not your cup of tea it will at least help mold what sort of fantasy you like.

[togre]

A series I really enjoyed was Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. It is 3 books (4 volumes). A friend gave me the first book (The Dragonbone Chair) and I got so hooked I had to buy the others myself. Great adventure.


I also have read some of the Dragonlance series (a while back). They are kinda second rate, but I enjoyed them. They are like potato chip--fun but not alot of substance. Worth a try.

Pleasant reading!

[Lioness_Heart]

Can't remember the name of the series, but the first book is Magician by Raymond E. Fiest. They're really good if you want something slightly lotr-ish but original as well. My favourite is the second of the series, Silverthorn but he's written loads in different trilogies all based around the same world/set of characters. They don't have much in the way of a moral message, but they're well worth reading just for enjoyment.