What books got you started on Fantasy?

[Jeones]

Roger Zelazny (RIP), Amber series and others
Michael Moorcock, Elric series and others
Piers Anthony, Planet of Tarot series, Apprentace Adept series, Incarnations of Immortality series (I hated the Zanth series) Cluster is good but Sci Fi.
Stephen Donaldson, Thomas Covenant series
Raymond Feist, Riftwar series

While I read Tolkien as well I enjoyed the above much more.

[Parnicail]

~ Astrid Lindgren

Then, of course, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion etc...
Then, for some reason, I couldn't pickup books again until the 5th grade when the DragonLance series came out.

but, by far... my favorite has always been Mio My Son.

[Macnair]

I had high hopes for the Thomas Covenant series by Stephen Donaldson. The first book was pretty good, the one with the blind general was not bad, and the last one was decent. He created interesting characters, and gave them a good chance to develop. The hero is a leper. And the almost last line about "all he can do is hurt me" is a classic.

But the other three books just seemed to be fill. And the one about the tree -- is that number 5 in the series? -- omg a whole book about a dead end in the plot ...

[Kloo]

The Witches of Karres - James H. Schmitz
Anything by Anne McCaffery, Mercedes Lackey and Marion Zimmer Bradley

[Kneesmasher]

Terry Brooks, Sword of Truth series. I was enthralled with the first 3 or 4 of those. Elfstones of Shannara is still one of my all time favorites. I LOVED The Reaper character. He was a great nemesis.

Wizards First Rule was also a great series.

I read all of the Covenant series also and hated every one of them!

[Rolane2]

I'm going to have to go with Watership Down, was the first book i remember reading all the way through and have reread several times since. Another was On A Pale Horse, didn't really like the rest of the series but the first one was pretty good.

[haxot]

[Kanamori Hitatomi]

[darkpaw]

[Layya EQOracle]

Dune series. LoTR, Harry Potter all some of my favorites

[Sanradak]

People need to be shot for reading the Harry Potter books... I remember when the first book came out and a friend was reading it in the cafeteria in HS. I said Ben let me take a look at it, read the first paragraph handed it back and said that's a children's book. He said it was great... which told me where his mindset was at so I forgave him. I just never understood how much of a boom it took when it was so.... meh to me. I'm picky.

[Beafly]

[Sarthor]

[Samanna]

[Unmei]

[Brohg]

I disagree about Harry Potter, I've really enjoyed the books. I may have a different opinion of the seventh, concluding book in the series, if the resolution turns out how it's been telegraphed, but I'll read it happily, hoping to be surprised. So far, they've been very entertaining.

[Specter]

Raymond E. Feist..... As far as I'm concerned, the best work he's done so far is the Servant of the Empire series, which is a spinoff of the Riftwar Saga. It's much, much, MUCH deeper than the Riftwar series was at the beginning, exploring the political geography and stratagems of the Kelewan.

Yes, the Gap into Conflict series is very good. A bit dark, really, but still very good. I pull it out and reread it about once a year.

Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy may be a short book, but the series is decently long. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Restaurant At the End of the Universe, Life the Universe and Everything, So Long and Thanks for all the Fish, and Mostly Harmless.

The Deed of Paksenarion is incredible. I bought that book 2 years ago and have read it at least 4 times since then.

I had forgotten all about the Deathgate series, and am ashamed to say that I have yet to finish it. What I have read of it is very good though. I tend to think of Margaret Weis in relation to the Star of the Guardians series these days. SciFi, but pretty good.

Terry Brooks is a very good author. The Shanara series is wonderful and his Magic Kingdom series is also quite entertaining.

Harry Harrison's Deathworld series is fun, and he is quite ingenious with his plot twists. His Stainless Steel Rat series is not deep at all, but VERY fun to read.

Alan Dean Foster is tremendous. Any of his books are great reads, although I'm partial to the Flinx series and his books of The Damned.

Stephen R. Donaldson also wrote the Mordant's Need series. I enjoyed those.

Gordon R. Dickson's Dorsai series is good. His Dragon Knight series is VERY good as well.

John Steakley's book Armor is great. I loaned that out to a friend and he bought his own copy.

David Eddings..... I find that it's either a love him or hate him thing with his books. I quite like his Mallorean and Belgariad. I even enjoyed his books about Polgara and Belgarath. But, other than those, I have had a hard time getting into any else he's written.

Steven Brust is another author whose only books I like are about Vladmir Taltos.

Kate Elliott's Jaran novels are very good and move along at a decent pace.

Daniel Hood has written 3 books so far called Fanuilh, Wizard's Heir, and Beggar's Banquet. Kind of a Fantasy/Mystery thing. Very enjoyable.

Alan Cole and Chris Bunch co-authored the Sten Adventures.

Other author's that are fun, although not necessarily deep, reads are:

C. Dale Britain, Rick Cook, Spider Robinson, L. Sprague deCamp, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Robert Asprin, William C. Dietz, Steve Perry.

[Sanradak]

As far as Raymond Feist goes, and I have read Riftwar, Serpentwar and Conclave of Shadows; The Servant of the Empire was a great one also. His tale of Kelewan and Midkemia are great and the death of great people in the Serpentwar Saga showed that not everyone do live forever.

David Eddings, The Sapphire Rose series was a very nice touch. His works with his wife Leigh Eddings is a good piece also. You are right though as he is a love/hate author.

Sara Douglass, has anyone read her Wayfarer Redemption series? That was a great series of books. I preferred Elizabeth Haydon's over her's though. The first book Rhapsody was a book that suprised me. Very dark actually. As for a lot of the older authors that go. I've never delved to far into them. I have the Chronicles of Narnia, read part of the book and have a great respect for it, I was just suprised I'd never READ it before the movie first appeared and it clicked...hey that was a BOOK Heh I got a tongue lashing.

[Ledas Spiritwind]

Actually now that I have thought about it the first fantasy book I ever read was a Choose Your Own Adventure book(If anyone remembers those). It was a D&D book that let you pick your path through the book. Not a great read but for a young child it was my first experience with the fantasy world.

[Poguk]

"The Hobbit", by that Tolkien guy.

[Tharkis]

[Cronikk]

[Maddoc]

[Tharkis]

[Catmandew]

[KB]

[Samanna]

[KB]

[Bigsnack For'Mobs]

[Kheera]

[Bigsnack For'Mobs]

[Bigcat Daddy-o]

[Tharkis]

[fuzzy]

[Imapercent]

[KB]

[Rannk]

My dad used to read all of L Frank Baums' Oz books to me as a child, plus a lot of Prince Valient. As a teenager, I moved up to Tolkien, Lewis, Donaldson, and Anthony for Fanasty and Herbert, Asimov, Niven, Heinlein, Adams, and Harry Harrison for science fiction. (and McCaffery kinda of a SF/Fanatasy mix).

I can't believe no one has mentioned Robert Feist's - The Riftwar Saga: Magician's Apprentice, Magician: Master, Silverthorn, Darkness at Sethanon, Prince of Blood, The King's Bucceneer, Daughter of the Empire, etc. etc.

and

David Eddings The Belgariad I&II: Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, Enchanter's Endgame.

Fiest and Eddings are required reading.
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opps, guess they were mentioned. Helps to read ALL the posts. Regardless, Fiest and Eddings are still required reading. I left off Phillip Jose Farmer too...To where your shattered bodies go, Riverworld, etc...
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opps, Jack L Chakler: The Well of Souls series.

[Terminato]

But I'm surprised noone has mentioned Vonnegut. Cats Cradle.... Yes Yes !!!

And I think Halas has discovered Ice 9

[Kellenial]

[Alaene]

Wow, not a single mention of George R R Martin's 'Song of Ice & Fire'. The first three books are EXCELLENT - better even than Robin Hobb, and a bazillion miles ahead of Feist, Goodkind and Jordan etc. The most recent book is very much a filler, and is starting to fit the cliche a little... but the first three really are sensational.

A note about the Feist "Empire" trilogy - it was cowritten by Janny Wurts, which explains why it's significantly better than his other chaff. Magician was good, but he just got too prolific and cliche driven. Have to say I enjoyed many of his characters, even if his plots are absolutely generic

On that note, another author not mentioned - RA Salvatore. Well loved for his Dark Elf books, even if they're derivitive in many respects.

Seen a few mentions of Niven, but noone mentioned the Dreak Park series which he cowrote - EQ players should get a kick out of these books even if they're a tad dated

And in closing... /cheer Ender & Bean.


*edit - I should have read the Jordon thread first. Glad to see Martin's not being ignored *