Cairnraiser's comments (member since Sep 27, 2007)

Cairnraiser's comments from the Building a SciFi/Fantasy Library group.

I'd add King Rat by China Mieville and Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

"Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" is good, however it's not really fair comparing it to "His Dark Materials". "Jonathan Strange..." is much more sedate for the first two-thirds of the book and doesn't really pick up the pace until the end.

The books are directed at two different audiences, I'd say. "His Dark Materials" is children/YA literature. While I'd say "Jonathan Strange..." is for a more mature crowd.

If you'd like recommendations for YA fantastic lit., I highly recommend Neil Gaiman's Coraline or Clive Barker's Thief of Always. Both are fantasy with a touch of horror - or vice versa.