What's everyone's favorite fantasy author?

People I like:

Glen Cook (Black Company)
Raymond E Feist (Serpent War Saga)
Terry Brooks (Shannara)

People I don't like:

Robert Jordon (series drug out much too long)
RA Salvatore (Drizzt can't live forever bub)
JRR Tolkien (LOTR should be seen, not read)


There are a lot out there that I haven't read, so let's get some comments from the fans of the following:

Tad Williams
David Eddings
Michael Moorcock
Terry Prachett
Mercedes Lackey (like LOTR, mostly for children?)
Terry Goodkind

etc. Not even sure whether all those names belong in the same column, but whenever I go into a bookstore, I seem to find more fantasy authors. Any opinions on the above? Which other authors deserve mention?

Anyone recommend authors similar to those I like above?

Cheers,
-EU

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[fanboy mode] Too bad you don't like Tolkien, I won't talk to you! [/fanboy mode]



So let's start with Terry Pratchett: writes a parodic heroic-fantasy, filled with non-sensical humor and puns by the shovelful. One of the very few authors who get better with every volume of a series (30 or so Discworld books and counting!) A must have!

David (and Leigh, his wife) Eddings: Writes a very classic fantasy with many cliché characters ( the wizard, the thief the warrior and so on), but amazingly finds a way to make them refreshing ( the sorcerer Belgarath has absolutely nothing in common with Gandalf: he's a drunk, womanizing, thieving old man...). Their intrigues however are always of the "group of heroes against evil god" type... So, nothing really original, but a good read nonetheless if you're not looking for a masterpiece.

You should read Georges RR Martin's "Ice and Fire books", but I'll let MagicNakor do the introduction...

oooh, time to eat, will post more later!

While Drizzt can't live forever, barring any unnatural death he *can* live for around 350 years, which, compared to his companions, is forever. Unless he happens to come across an elven companion. Drow don't live as long as surface elves. Anyway. That's your D&D trivia for today.

George R.R. Martin is the "latest and greatest" on the fantasy scene right now. His Song of Ice and Fire books are very good indeed (even if A Feast for Crows is taking bloody forever to write, dammit!), and I'd certainly recommend reading them. You can get them for fairly cheaply now too...I got Storm of Swords for $12 hardcorver.

Terry Goodkind does the Sword of Truth series. It's interesting for the first few books, but it starts to repeat itself and become terribly preachy. After the last one, I doubt I'll be reading any more of them. Too bad...if he had decided to have a close-ended series (see Song of Ice and Fire ) it would've been far better.

I'm not much of a fan of Michael Moorcock's, Mercedes Lackey's, or Terry Pratchett. Sometimes Pratchett's alright. Lackey bores me to tears.

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things are quiet until hitler decides he'd like to invade russia
so, he does
the russians are like "OMG WTF D00DZ, STOP TKING"
and the germans are still like "omg ph34r n00bz"
the russians fall back, all the way to moscow
and then they all begin h4xing, which brings on the russian winter
the germans are like "wtf, h4x"
-- WW2 for the l33t

Tolkien is better read than watched, imo.

Definately give Pratchett a go.
Hugh Cook, well I loved his Chronicles of an age of Darkness series. 10 books in all.

If you want to try something very different from the norm, seek out the works of Robert Rankin. He's the only author who can always make Pratchett laugh, apparently.

...and the missus strongly recommends David Gemmell.

Edit: typo

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Discworld is sci-fi, no?

Does anyone have a listing of Edding's books in the order in which they should be read?


Oh gawd, no!


Ah, like the Wheel of Time. Not my thing.

I'm looking for something in Medieval-D&D type fantasy, that breaks the mold and gets away from the endless cliches. The authors I listed (Cook & Feist) did this for me.

Cheers,
-EU

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Depending on your tolerance level for puns, Piers Anthony's Xanth series can be a fun romp. Incarnations of Immortality is decent too.

Gotta go into town right now, but I'll edit/add when I get back.

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things are quiet until hitler decides he'd like to invade russia
so, he does
the russians are like "OMG WTF D00DZ, STOP TKING"
and the germans are still like "omg ph34r n00bz"
the russians fall back, all the way to moscow
and then they all begin h4xing, which brings on the russian winter
the germans are like "wtf, h4x"
-- WW2 for the l33t

Nope, definitely Fantasy, although Pratchett sometimes mixes modern concepts into a world filled with dwarves, wizards and so on...

Sure:
Now, most of Eddings series come into twos ( The belgariad and the malloreon , The elenium and the tamuli).

A) The Belgariad
1) Pawn of prophecy
2) Queen of sorcery
3) Magician's gambit
4) Castle of wizardry
5) Enchanter's end game

followed by

B ) The Malloreon
1) Guardians of the west
2) King of the murgos
3) Demon lord of Karanda
4) Sorceress of Darshiva
5) The Seeress of Kell

Prequels to the Belgariad and Malloreon:
1) Belgarath the sorcerer
2) Polgara the sorceress

C) The Elenium
1) The diamond throne
2) The ruby knight
3) The sapphire rose

D) The Tamuli
1) Domes of fire
2) The shining ones
3) The hidden city

E) The redemption of Althalus

F) The Dreamers
1) The elder gods
2) The treasured one (not published yet)

In the fantasy Genre

The Thomas Covenant Books are really rather good - Stephen Donaldson.

The Many Coloured Land (and sequels) - Julian May. Also highly recommended.

Terry Pratchett is very much more Fantasy then Sci Fi, at least if you speak of the Discworld novels.

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I own those books. I really like David Eddings although I didn't like some of the ones after those two series for some reason

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Superb books, I know I've said it before but The Gap Series is one of my favourite series of books ever.

I even did a project on the books for college, shame I don't have it here else I'd bore you all to death by posting it.

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