Is it bad?

[Phranchesskah]

Classics are overrated

That is the fundamental definition of them. Although that's not to say that they aren't, more often than not, good.


/opinion

[WICKES]

Bad? Christ no! Who can blame anyone for wanting to escape from this world into another?

[Tsuyoiko]

Having said that reading habits change with time, these books in the future may not scratch the itch for you any more. It also has to do with personal development as a reader. If you read a lot and often, you may feel the need to gravitate to something beyond pop lit. I cut my teeth with the likes of Tolken, but I could not go back to them now. I am sure there are some excellent fantasy writers out there however and it may be worth cutting though the drivel to find them.

I agree. I read mainly fantasy in my early teens, starting with Tolkien of course. In my late teens and early 20s I preferred science fiction. Since my mid 20s I've been reading mainly classics and contemporary literature.

There are two fantasy writers that I would definitely recommend: Philip Pullman and George R R Martin. I'm so into Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series that I've read the sample chapters of his latest book from his website, because I'm getting withdrawal symptoms waiting for its release! Try this out: http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-sample.html. Quality

[rozreads]

Hey, what would you call Alice in Wonderland?

[Lokasenna]

I'm the same, and can quite easily distinguish between them. I enjoy the classics, but sometimes I just want to read something nice and easy where I don't need to think particularly hard - I've read the Wheel of Time through thrice now.

That said, I'd argue that Tolkein is a classic anyway. The man was a great scholar, and his work, both fictional and academic, had much to do with the Medieval revival. I specialise in ancient Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon literature, and quite frankly they have many similarities to modern fantasy...

[Lilith785]

Hey, what would you call Alice in Wonderland?

Funny you should say that. I reading Alice for the third time. I consider it a book of life lessons.