Fantasy Recommendations for the Unenlightened 2

It's so great. I'm hanging out for The other 13 and a half Lives of Captain Bluebear, for you see, a bluebear has twenty seven lives all up.
 
ushumgal said:
Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings Series (how can you read fantasy and *not* read it?)
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Trust me despite popular belief Fantasy doesnt start and end with Tolkien.

I havent read him atleast not finished the first book of LOTR and have no problem enjoying many other fantasy authors and books.

There are as many people who love it as people who dont the see the fuss about LOTR.....
 
As much as I admire and enjoy Tolkien's work, I have to agree. Fantasy is much too broad a field for any single writer to be considered "essential" by this point. And Tolkien himself has plenty of formative influences behind him, no few of which are quite as worthy of reading as himself (and to some, no doubt, even more so).

There's also the fact that LotR (let alone the History of Middle-earth) is rather a large book to be throwing at someone who is just entering the field; I'd suggest something slimmer to begin with, to see if they like fantasy at all, before tackling some massive tome... let alone one of the enormous series out there.

My suggestion for newbies is to try several different writers with briefer books, or a few anthologies (preferably ones that include both short stories and reasonable-length excerpts from longer novels, to get a taste of what a variety of things are out there, and go from there....
 
"The Last Unicorn"-did they happen to make a certain movie acording to that?

ushumgal-I READ fantasy,like Dunsany and such and dont read it and im just fine,thankyouverymuch.
 
Let's watch the sharp retorts, please, people. The suggestion was meant, I'd say, in admiration of the man's work and influence, and there's certainly nothing wrong with expressing that. I simply have doubts that even Tolkien, as important as he is to the field, can be considered quite so essential that one must read his work if they love fantasy....

If, however, you're interested in the field as a whole, and want examples of the best, I'd certainly include LotR, as it is indeed a very special book....

As for Beagle's The Last Unicorn -- as good a book as it is, I would put it rather farther down the list than that, as there are many books which are, as a whole, much, much better and certainly more representative of the growth of the field; but again, it is a very good book and deserves to be read... though I will admit that I myself prefer his A Fine and Private Place....
 
For a new person the Masterwork series isn't a bad introduction. Plenty of shorter novels and in the main the books are stand-alone.

I think I prefer Fine ad Private Place too for Beagle but Last Unicorn seems to garner more kudos.
 
j. d. worthington said:
My suggestion for newbies is to try several different writers with briefer books, or a few anthologies (preferably ones that include both short stories and reasonable-length excerpts from longer novels, to get a taste of what a variety of things are out there, and go from there....
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I feel the same way, especially given the many 'tomes' and long series in the genre. It's a tad much for someone just starting to dip their toes in. I tend to start with collections of short stories personally and then go along to the novels if I find I have a liking for the writer. Then if the books are indeed 'tomes' I know that here is a writer I already rather like and am more willing to dig in.
 
Nesacat said:
I feel the same way, especially given the many 'tomes' and long series in the genre. It's a tad much for someone just starting to dip their toes in. I tend to start with collections of short stories personally and then go along to the novels if I find I have a liking for the writer. Then if the books are indeed 'tomes' I know that here is a writer I already rather like and am more willing to dig in.
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I share that view too, i have made people fantasy fans with stand alone David Gemmell books,Tim Powers, Jim Butcher, Neil Gaiman etc


I have found it its very destructive recommending people huge epic series. Usually they are too slow paced for newbies.
 
Anyone read or is going to read The Enemy's Son - Erth Chronicles book 1 by James Johnson, I'm intrigued to know some thoughts on the book as the author is local to me.

One review I've read mentions traces of Dune and Brave New World, and the writing has hints of Mieville and Tolkien.
 
Pentagathus said:
Why is eragon on the 1st post?
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I would say that was answered in the first line of that post: all the recommendations from the previous "Fantasy Recommendations" thread were included (or at least, that was the intent), and that was a huge thread; not quite dwarfing this one into inconsequence, but not too far from it, either.....
 
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
Book 1: The Name of the Wind

A refreshing read, to say the least.
The writing is very good, with plenty, but not an overbearing amount, of detail. Everything is described in a vivid and believable way, helping to bring the world, its people and their actions to life.
The characters themselves are convincing and the protaganist, Kvothe, is highly likeable yet imperfect, as characters should be. (I won't go into detail for fear of spoiling the plot.) The supporting cast are all strong and distinguishable too.
The pacing does slow in the latter-middle part of the book, but it's still enjoyable and refreshing.
Oh, and the changes from third to first person are very slick and have been done perfectly, in my opinion!

Edit: Whoops, didn't see that someone had posted before me! Well, I'll keep the post for the detail if that's alright.
 
Great list - also the author Philip K Dick is very good if you like Sci Fi- ever heard of him?
 
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