Which book got you started on science fiction/fantasy?

[Cloud]

I think it was actually the original Star Trek TV series that piqued my interest in SF, even though I was (and am) an avid reader. Along about there I also read The Phantom Tollbooth books (I think) and the Mushroom Planet books, too.

 

[jackokent]

Susan Cooper and Alan Garner and the like were pretty influential on me as a child, but LOTR was probably the real gateway, and The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant was the first fantasy I ever fell in love with.

Susan Cooper and Alan Garner were my too as well. I still think they are hard to beat.

 

[Somebloke]

The one, the ultimate: Watership Down by Richard Adams, at age 9-10. I think it'll be safe to say it positively changed my life.


Lucky you! Earthsea at 8-9... wish I had read them that early...

Watership down...I read that when I was 25 and the final scenes in the burrow still had me afraid to turn the pages.

Does anyone here remember a series called The Borribles, about a group of faery-like immortal homeless children?

 

[Urien]

I loved the Susan Cooper books. The cover of "The Dark is Rising" had a man riding a horse with a sort of stag's head, it used to give me nightmares. I also loved "The WeirdStone of Brisingamen."

Whatever happened to Alan Garner? He didn't seem to write very many books.

 

[Rosemary]

The story of the Secret Garden and then The Hobbit

 

[j d worthington]

Whatever happened to Alan Garner? He didn't seem to write very many books.

While it's true he doesn't have an extensive bibliography, he has a respectable number of books to his credit, all (to my knowledge) highly regarded:

Alan Garner - Summary Bibliography (Long Works)

 

[Urien]

Yeah after making that comment, I went all Wikipedia on his ass. He seems to write something every ten years. His last book was in 2003. I shall, with all the determination of a ham sandwich on a dusty day, seek it out.

 

[j d worthington]

with all the determination of a ham sandwich on a dusty day....

Oh, I like that one! I'm gonna have to remember this.... Er, you charging royalties?

 

[GOLLUM]

Does anyone here remember a series called The Borribles, about a group of faery-like immortal homeless children?

Yep, but I didn't see any series if you're talking about TV? I read the books which were quite "in your face" for a supposed children's story but it's an aspect I liked. M de. Larrabeiti was quite an influence on modern great China Mieville, whose poilitical influence may be seen in China's writing. In fact China wrote an intro to the 2002 edition which never got included.

 

[Somebloke]

Yep, but I didn't see any series if you're talking about TV? I read the books which were quite "in your face" for a supposed children's story but it's an aspect I liked. M de. Larrabeiti was quite an influence on modern great China Mieville, whose poilitical influence may be seen in China's writing. In fact China wrote an intro to the 2002 edition which never got included.

It was a book series. Sorry...although a miniseries would have been interesting...

Years later the stories are still stuck with me. So cynical.

 

[Fried Egg]

The first fantasy book I read was "The Devil's Doorbell" by Anthony Horowitz and the two books that follow it. However this book was given to me by somebody. The first fantasy that I went out and bought was the "Belgariad" series.

 

[Jen526]

There've been a couple "key" books for me.

The first was probably "The Magician's Nephew" (C.S. Lewis). At the time, it wasn't yet considered the official "first" book of the series, but it was the one the library happened to have on the shelf. I have a vivid memory of standing in the school library overhearing the librarian describe the series to another kid, and when they left, I sidled over to that area of the library and picked one up for myself.

Narnia and Prydain were probably the main influence on me when I was young.

I'd say that it wasn't until I read Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonflight" around 6th grade that I really knew that I was hooked on the genre.

 

[Steve Jordan]

The first SF novel I ever read was A Stitch in Time by Madeline L'Engle. But the book that got me into reading SF was Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles.

 

[kaneda]

As an early adult? Dragonlance chronicles. Read the lord of the rings before that, but it didn't do to me what Dragonlance did. Margaret and Tracy have a lot to answer for

 

[Robert M. Blevins]

This sure brings back memories...

Sixth grade...a Catholic parochial school in Roseburg, Oregon.
I read 'Fahrenheit 451' and loved it. Read '1984' and it scared the hell out of me.
After that, I started writing my own sci-fi, trying to pass it off on the nuns as 'essays.' I found myself being dragged by my ears to the priest for lectures on 'proper writing'.

Over the years I have forgotten the names of the nuns who did this, but I shall never forget the youngest nun there at the school, the one who encouraged me to continue writing.

Thank you, Sister Maureena...wherever you are.

 

[Scriven]

My memory is so bad I can't even remember. My mum probably read me something when I was a tot, and it made a lasting impression. I do remember sitting in the library for hours on end, reading Fighting Fantasy to my sister and looking for books with dragons in.

 

[Anomander]

I don't think there was ever a time when I didn't lean towards fantasy. It all started with the "golden oldies" - Chronicles of Narnia and Magic Bedknob, and even Peter Pan. There was also all those magical Enid Blyon stories flying around, and my dad had boxes of science fiction stored in the basement (no wonder I turned out so weird, all those long evenings spent poring over musty books in the basement.....)

 

[Cloud]

Does anyone here remember a series called The Borribles, about a group of faery-like immortal homeless children?

No, but this reminds me of "The Borrowers" - a wonderful series of books about little people who live in people's houses, which I read early on.

 

[Aegon the Unworthy]

I love this thread....

I picked up a copy of the 4th book of Eddings Belgariad series (I have since graduated on to bigger things).....and it was an enjoyable read so I did a book report on it for my 4th grade class....my teacher brought three of the others of that series to me the next day. I always remember her as the person who provided my joy of reading....that little positive affirmation started me down the road to something like 2500 books in my current collection....

I had never heard of the Hobbit til much later and I caught the stupid cartoon version of it and I was hooked with the goblin song...

"Down down to goblin town,
You go my lad....you go my lad"

 

[Scriven]

There was also all those magical Enid Blyon stories flying around

That jogged my memory! I remember we used to have a huge collection of Enid Blyton books, I loved them to pieces. They're still around somewhere, probably boxed up in the loft. I miss them now I think about it.