Not sure where the hatred of Game of Thrones is coming from, maybe because it's been successful? I suppose it's all opinion based as I've seen things suggested I regretted reading.
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Top 25 Best Fantasy Books ?
- Thread starter slobake
- Start date
No love for The Chronicles of Narnia? The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my all time favorite book.
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That list is terrible.
No Terry Pratchett or Piers Anthony? No Jack Chalker or Larry Niven? Lots of other authors and fantasy books that are mysteriously neglected in favor of some very mediocre pulp.
Also, nearly every great fantasy novel is automatically turned into a series so it's probably more useful to name the entire series rather than just one of the novels.
Just a few series off the top of my head that are must reads in the fantasy genre. The ones in bold I consider the best of the best with Discworld being number 1:
Discworld - Terry Pratchett
Land of Xanth - Piers Anthony
Blue Adept - Piers Anthony
Incarnations of Immortality - Piers Anthony
Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - Stephen R. Donaldson
Chronicles of Amber - Roger Zelazny
Well of Souls - Jack Chalker
Four Lords of the Diamond - Jack Chalker
Tales of Alvin Maker - Orson Scott Card
Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McAffrey
The Magic Goes Away - Larry Niven
Shannara - Terry Brooks
Magic Kingdom of Landover - Terry Brooks
Myth Adventures - Robert Lynn Asprin
Thieves World - Robert Lynn Asprin (editor)
Darkover - Marion Zimmer Bradley
Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Compleat Enchanter - L. Sprague de Camp
Elric Saga - Michael Moorcock
Good list, most of these I have read. I wil disagree with you about Piers Anthony. He is not my favorite, but that is a subjective thing.
I thought the Narnia series got weaker after the first two books in the Narnia chronology. The Magicians Nephew, and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, I thought they went downhill after that. Have you ever read "Until We Have Faces?'
As others have mentioned a lot of us are listing books that I consider Science Fiction. Personally I don't care, I say if it is a good book or series bring it up. For instance has anyone ever read "A Confederacy of Dunces." By far the funniest book I have ever read.
Oh yeah back to fantasy, I also love Tolkien's short stories. "Farmer Giles of Ham" and "Leaf By Niggle." are my favorites. I even like "Roverandam."
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See, that's the problem. When they republished the books in chronological order of the Narnian timeline, rather than the order they were published in, it ruined the whole story. Magicians Nephew is the prequel to the whole story and meant to be read after you've read the first 5.
I'm going through this now with my 6 year old daughter. As a kid I read these (and re-read and re-read, lol) starting with the Wardrobe book. We picked up a 2nd hand all inclusive that starts with the Magician's Nephew. I've never read it that way and it changes the feel of the overall story for sure.
I loved Narnia when I was a kid. When I went back and reread it as an adult, the allegory was way too obvious and cloying. Also, I agree with J. K. Rowling's comments on Susan. (see also this essay).
I agree that Gene Wolfe is well worth reading, both the New Sun and the Long Sun stuff.
The prototypical series about a D&D style paladin is the Deed of Paksenarion, which I see someone else has mentioned. The book that helped me really understand D&D style clerics was The Blue Hawk, by Peter Dickenson. (Out of print, but you can still scoop it up used from Amazon). I've liked very few of the branded D&D novels, though I love the game... well, did, until the fourth edition came out, anyway.
Don't care much for Piers Xanthony. He has a bad habit of writing one book, then writing the same book three more times and calling it a series. Also, he's kind of a perv, and not in a good way.
Although known for his Science Fiction, Heinlein wrote Glory Road, which is fantasy. However, also a pervy misogynist.
Glad others mentioned Zelazny, he's written some of my favorite fantasy (and sci fi) books, including the Amber series.
I was also a huge fan of the Chronicles of Narnia when I read them as a kid, although my favorite childhood book was A Wrinkle In Time.
When I was a young teen, the Dragonlance series was all I needed, though mainly the novels written by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman. I think I read the first three novels at least three times each. I actually failed a lot of my grade 8 classes because I spent most of my time reading (those were my pre bass playing days) and would stay up late at night just to squeeze in an extra couple chapters, and be in a haze in class (much like the haze I'm in now at work).
I was also a huge fan of the Chronicles of Narnia when I read them as a kid, although my favorite childhood book was A Wrinkle In Time.
When I was a young teen, the Dragonlance series was all I needed, though mainly the novels written by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman. I think I read the first three novels at least three times each. I actually failed a lot of my grade 8 classes because I spent most of my time reading (those were my pre bass playing days) and would stay up late at night just to squeeze in an extra couple chapters, and be in a haze in class (much like the haze I'm in now at work).
1 - LOTR
Game set match. Everything else is redundant.... Ok not really but almost (I'm a big E Howard fan too).
Honestly i should like fantasy, i mean i do, like i play a bunch of fantasy video games (currently 90 hours into Kingdoms of Amalur), and i even was the nerd kid who did pen and paper rpgs and i collect fantasy gamebooks (Fighting Fantasy, Lone Wolf, Bloodsword, Grailquest, etc, that kind of thing), and all my life has basically been bathed in fantasy. And yet i find it hard to read any fantasy books.... Or enjoy fantasy films (i'm one of those few a-holes who cannot stand Jackson's films) I don't know what my problem is but yeah. I guess i feel it's all so derivative and generally i find it not very engaging.
Game set match. Everything else is redundant.... Ok not really but almost (I'm a big E Howard fan too).
Honestly i should like fantasy, i mean i do, like i play a bunch of fantasy video games (currently 90 hours into Kingdoms of Amalur), and i even was the nerd kid who did pen and paper rpgs and i collect fantasy gamebooks (Fighting Fantasy, Lone Wolf, Bloodsword, Grailquest, etc, that kind of thing), and all my life has basically been bathed in fantasy. And yet i find it hard to read any fantasy books.... Or enjoy fantasy films (i'm one of those few a-holes who cannot stand Jackson's films) I don't know what my problem is but yeah. I guess i feel it's all so derivative and generally i find it not very engaging.
i was one of those nerdy kids who loved Greek mythology. If forget my favorite translation. It has been a while. I also like the Beowulf translation by Seamus Heaney.
I guess if we are relaxing genre from strictly swords and sandals then I'd also nominate HP Lovecraft's dream cycle stories into the mix. Far more fantasy than horror or sci-fi I've always thought.
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Also, these are good classic reads that get few mentions these days...
Etidorhpa
Voyage to Arcturus
The Worm Ouroboros
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Also, these are good classic reads that get few mentions these days...
Etidorhpa
Voyage to Arcturus
The Worm Ouroboros
