Need some Fantasy Help

[Frank]

Christopher wrote: "I always recommend some older stuff like Fritz Lieber, Michael Moorcock, Katherine Kurtz, and Roger Zelazny among others."

Artman182 wrote: "I just finished the Hobbit and plan on reading the Lord of the Rings set. I've also read Fire and Ice Series to current level. I really like medieval type stuff (swords, armour, etc), elves/dwarves..."

Roger Z, Mike Morecock, H. Beam Piper, Heinlein's Glory Road, mcaffery"s dragon riders (debuted in THE hard SF mag Analog, BYW), now we're talking about ScoFi whimsical. 9 princes in Amber, Why Call the back from Heavan, new age not fantasy. Cutting edge SF award winners absent tropes of warlocks, Wizards, spunky girl with powers, spell casting (sort of), arcana and occult.

[Frank]

Papaphilly wrote: "You sound like a fantasy reader to me. So you might want to try the Thomas Covenant Series by Stephen R. Donaldson. I loved the series, but not everyone does.

You also might want t..."
The Magic Goes Away, beautiful Boris illustrations, nice forray into fantastic baloney by SFgrandmaster.

[Frank]

P.D. wrote: "I think the Lord of the Rings is the appropriate primer for the fantasy genre. Anyone who tells me they love fantasy but don’t like Tolkien is viewed with immediate suspicion. There are some excell..."

LOTR is a much better series of movies than books. The trilogy is renowned for a sentence of plot and bludgeoning of with archetypes. Don't read the books. May as well read Joyce's Ulyses, or Rands shrugging Atlas. Style and philosophy/politics over story. I've read LOTR twice. A chore like reading War and Peace. Few truly get it and fully enjoy LOTR. Hobbits, schmobbits.

[Frank]

Frank wrote: "Papaphilly wrote: "You sound like a fantasy reader to me. So you might want to try the Thomas Covenant Series by Stephen R. Donaldson. I loved the series, but not everyone does.

Yo..."

Artman182 wrote: "I just finished the Hobbit and plan on reading the Lord of the Rings set. I've also read Fire and Ice Series to current level. I really like medieval type stuff (swords, armour, etc), elves/dwarves..."

Covenant and White Gold Wielder are one trick ponies and you'll note little else from the author. Read LeGuin and magnificent wrought Earthsea...the try The Left Hand Of Darkness and really get a brain workout.

[Mary]

Frank wrote: "Few truly get it and fully enjoy LOTR. "

While the rest is a matter of opinion, this is a matter of fact -- and falsehood. The Lord of the Rings did not regularly end up at the top of those lists of the best books of the 20th century (despite underhanded means to exclude it -- only actually removing it from selection worked) because few people enjoyed it.

[Trike]

Craig *ARISEN FROM THE ABYSS* wrote: "Was going to create a similar topic, hope tc doesn't mind me asking here...

I have a site bookmarked that lists the top 50 Fantasy series. I have bought a few of the first books of a couple of ser..."

You might like The Warded Man. It's probably my favorite Fantasy series currently. Demon-fighting tattoos!

Science Fiction that feels like Fantasy, try the Destroyermen series by Taylor Anderson. First one is Into the Storm.

Similarly, Julian May's Saga of the Pliocene Exile. First one is Many-Colored Land.

For classic Medieval-style Fantasy, I always recommend Katherine Kurtz's Deryni Chronicles. It's the template for Game of Thrones, but without the dragons and zombies.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Uhh...The Lord of the Rings trilogy is considered (by multiple groups) the book of the 20th century. I get that everyone won't agree and there are classic books I don't care for. That said please decide for yourself. I've read the trilogy (and The Hobbit) multiple times.

The movies are good, but really the books are immeasurably better.

I'd also suggest you consider The Deed of Paksenarrion (trilogy) if you like good epic fantasy.

[Tony]

John wrote: "Try David Eddings. The Belgariad and The Malloreon Series. There are 5 books in each series but they are not overly large books (300 or so pages) and quick reads."

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