Fantasy Aficionados discussion
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Lol...Erotica I'll give you but there are quite a few well respected Horror authors out there.
I was born in Hollywood, Christine but haven't been home to California in 14 years. I'd love to make it to comic con someday tho
I was born in Hollywood, Christine but haven't been home to California in 14 years. I'd love to make it to comic con someday tho
I understand exactly what you mean, Grant. I was the "social butterfly" in school. I'm attractive, I have no gross social habits, somewhat funny, athletic, and I have pretty decent conversation. Even with all of that I was always considered a nerd because I *gasp* read for pleasure and *double gasp* read FANTASY. I didn't have to do a lot of fighting after I took down the biggest guy in the school, though. :) This geek is MEAN and nasty. *evil smile*It took me awhile to embrace the nerd/geek term but now I proudly proclaim it. I agree, most good fantasy work is miles above contemporary and literary work that is considered to be “genius.” Considering the amount of fantasy that is being converted into movies and TV shows, mass disdain for the written word in fantasy lets me know that most people are missing their “imagination” gene.
My cousin is young enough that she can and does play cosplay. She is into Lolita -but she works for Nintendo, so all her friends are geeks like her. :) *lucky girl*
You've mentioned you have traveled and lived all over the world, how were you able to do that?Once a California kid, always a California kid!
Lol...MrsJoseph...I secretly suspect that you're an old girlfriend of mine. Just saying :)
well scratch the secretly part I suppose :)
MrsJoseph, I've been wanting to read Andre Norton for a while. Where do you suggest starting? As a romance novel fan (talking about genres that are looked down upon!), I do love fantasy romance. Can you recommend some of her books for me?
Mrs Joseph, I would like to know too, about Andre Norton
LOL! Maybe or another lifetime?
Wait...did somebody say Firefly? Cuz, dude, I own the box set, watched it as a marathon over Xmas break, then watched Serenity and then I found the old Firefly message boards and read archived threads of everybody's favorite quotes. All the while wondering why we couldn't at least have gotten 22 episodes?
Don't get me started on Fox canceling Firefly, Tina!!!
LOL!! You sound like me when I first found out about Firefly (sadly, it was already off the air). I think they cancelled the TV show because they just KNEW they would make tons and tons of dough on the *multiple* movies. Umm, attention movie makers: not every sci-fi is Star Trek.
Fox seems to have a pretension to wanting to be cutting edge and sci-fi, but they are scared to take a risk on their shows. They learned their lesson somewhat, since Fringe is still on the air. I didn't think it would last a season.
MrsJoseph wrote: "LOL!! You sound like me when I first found out about Firefly (sadly, it was already off the air). I think they cancelled the TV show because they just KNEW they would make tons and tons of do..."
If I remember; after Serenity's US release, the film's costs barely broke even. I don't know what the bottom line looks like now; but that's a tank, for that industry, not bundles of revenue.
TV, Books, Movies with original plots/inventive layers and subscripts - don't get me started...
No?!MrsJoseph wrote: "not every sci-fi is Star Trek"
I used to live in Half Moon Bay, in the San Francisco Bay area, for 7 years. Love, love that area. Wouldn't have moved out of that area if it hadn't been for my stbx's job relocation. Now, I'm stuck in lousy, snowy CT due to child custody for a long, long time.
I don't want to hear you jocks and pretty girls in high school complain about how you were mistreated for your reading choices. Try having no fashion sense, being skinny with coke bottle glasses, AND reading the whole library, in particular art history books, the holocaust, and abnormal psychology. I couldn't eat in the lunch room. Nobody wants to share a seat with an ultra-geek like me. Luckily, I prefer eating books at the library for lunch. That's why I was skinny. Can we say Urkle?
I'm with Aloha on this one. I was not quite the textbook nerd, but pretty close. :)
Aloha wrote: "I used to live in Half Moon Bay, in the San Francisco Bay area, for 7 years. Love, love that area. Wouldn't have moved out of that area if it hadn't been for my stbx's job relocation. Now, I'm s..."Then I guess you don't want to hear we are having blue bird skies and temps in the 60s today! Gotta love it here!
Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "MrsJoseph, I've been wanting to read Andre Norton for a while. Where do you suggest starting? As a romance novel fan (talking about genres that are looked down upon!), I do love fantasy romance. C..."Me, too!
I'm not sure the very BEST place to start, as she writes almost all genres (high fantasy, S&S, mystery, Sci-Fi, etc). I started in her Witch World saga with her Crystal Gryphon series. It remains one of my favorites, with her Ciara series being my favorite.
Gryphon Series
The Crystal Gryphon
Gryphon in Glory
Gryphon's Eyrie
Ciara's Song & Sequel
Ciara's Song: A Chronicle of the Witch World
The Duke's Ballad
Random but I love
Silver May Tarnish
I edited this to say:
1) Andre Norton started writing a long time ago so some of her work feels a little dated. Not in content but in format. Also, while I have listed my favorite books by her, the introduction to the Witch World started about 20 years before the publication of some of the books above. Another good place to start is the beginning: Lost Lands of Witch World. This book has 3 of some of the first full stories of Witch World. While I have an extensive collection of Witch World novels, I can admit that the older materials might only be for a fan. :)
Aloha wrote: "I don't want to hear you jocks and pretty girls in high school complain about how you were mistreated for your reading choices. Try having no fashion sense, being skinny with coke bottle glasses, ..."Ha! I my school(s), being considered smart was the Kiss of Death. Just to make matters worse, I was also a Theatre Geek. Only reason I wasn't bullied was that I was a fighter, didn't matter how big they were. But I was also suspended a lot, too. Almost got expelled after stabbing this guy in the neck with a pencil - but he was bigger and taller than me and had slapped me in the face 3 times (with witnesses) so I got off with suspension. HE never spoke to me again, lol.
Thanks for the recs, MrsJoseph. You sound like you could hold your own in a fight!
Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "Thanks for the recs, MrsJoseph. You sound like you could hold your own in a fight!"No problem, hope you like them. :)
Well, I used to be able to... not so sure now, lol!
My little brother is 6'7", about 300 lbs and in the military. If I can't take them now, I'll get him on it...soon as he gets back stateside. :)
Don't make me hate you along with the jocks and the pretty girls in high school! I went for a walk in 14F temperature today because I have to get out in the elements almost every day.Christine wrote: "Then I guess you don't want to hear we are having blue bird skies and temps in the 60s today! Gotta love it here!"
I deGeekified, wore contact lenses and picked up martial arts after high school. Grant does submission fighting. Maybe we can form an FA fighting team.MrsJoseph wrote: "Aloha wrote: "I don't want to hear you jocks and pretty girls in high school complain about how you were mistreated for your reading choices. Try having no fashion sense, being skinny with coke bo..."
Aloha wrote: "I deGeekified, wore contact lenses and picked up martial arts after high school. Grant does submission fighting. Maybe we can form an FA fighting team."I'm with it! Can I carry guns and a sword?? I promise I won't cut (or shoot) anyone who doesn't deserve it. :)
You get a high five!! I wish we could give karma. :)I've always thought I was born during the wrong time period as I begged my parents to let me learn sword play & archery. They gave me *blank looks* and "no." :( It's just as well, with my temper I'm sure someone would have gotten an arrow in the ass while I was growing up. :)
Christine said: "You've mentioned you have traveled and lived all over the world, how were you able to do that?"
My dad was a professional linguist. He spoke/wrote 8 languages fluently so we traveled the world due to his career. Between the military and the government it made for a helluva interesting life.
Aloha wrote: "I deGeekified, wore contact lenses and picked up martial arts after high school. Grant does submission fighting. Maybe we can form an FA fighting team."
I'm so in! I'll teach you guys jujitsu and simple blacksmithing. I can shoot a bow fairly well but I'd really love to learn how to be a bowyer and fletcher. Your guess is as good as mine on swordwork though. I'd love to learn.
And to all of you fellow Firefly fans, I love each and every one of ya :) That's why this place is so freaking great. It's like coming home to family. Family that you like :)lol
And MrsJoseph considering your temper, I'm even more convinced that you're an old girlfriend ;)
My dad was a professional linguist. He spoke/wrote 8 languages fluently so we traveled the world due to his career. Between the military and the government it made for a helluva interesting life.
Aloha wrote: "I deGeekified, wore contact lenses and picked up martial arts after high school. Grant does submission fighting. Maybe we can form an FA fighting team."
I'm so in! I'll teach you guys jujitsu and simple blacksmithing. I can shoot a bow fairly well but I'd really love to learn how to be a bowyer and fletcher. Your guess is as good as mine on swordwork though. I'd love to learn.
And to all of you fellow Firefly fans, I love each and every one of ya :) That's why this place is so freaking great. It's like coming home to family. Family that you like :)lol
And MrsJoseph considering your temper, I'm even more convinced that you're an old girlfriend ;)
MrsJoseph, I too am intrigued by archaic weaponry. I started taking archery, but I had to drop out due to time constraints.
Wow! This is the first time I've ever told anyone that without getting the side-eye.
No judgments from this corner. I have never considered myself 'normal.'
Grant wrote: "My dad was a professional linguist. He spoke/wrote 8 languages fluently so we traveled the world due to his career..."What an opportunity to learn about the world! You have traveled to places I can only dream about. You have been blessed.
Make that, me three! I am fascinated by archaic weaponry. I used to have a collection of swords, in particular Japanese. I love to watch Japanese movies with exquisite sword play. My fondest memories of camp during childhood was during archery practice. I would like to pick up archery.
Wow, can I relate to what you guys were saying. I used to make small paper bag covers (like you do with textbooks) for my Star Wars novels and all the other fantasy books I would read. I learned that really early. I was young for my grade and advanced in reading so I was 10 years old in 6th grade bringing in my Star Wars books. It did not end well which is why I started covering every book I read. It's so sad that I was basically conditioned to be ashamed of sci-fi/fantasy when it is a legitimate genre with fantastic authors. Just *today* one of my friends left a comment saying "Romantic Fantasy? Really?" on a Facebook post that had synced up to Goodreads with a book that I marked 'to be read'. I'm still having to defend myself at 26. It's ridiculous. FIREFLY *Hugs all of you* Oh, WOW do I love that show. I've conned/bribed/blackmailed most of my friends into doing marathons with me and I've converted 11 out of 12 haha. Pretty proud of that ;)
I don't usually categorize the fantasy that I read but I think I definitely skew towards historical fantasy (I love anything related to Celtic legend/lore). I feel like I haven't read a lot of the fantasy "staples". Of all the series Grant mentioned as Epic Fantasy the only one I'd read was Tolkien. Should I check out the others?
Lol, you could call me biased but umm..yes ;)
Haha okay I'll take a look at those series. I just always get a little skittish about jumping into fantasy series' that are like 12 books long. I'm afraid that I'll get 6 books in and won't have the energy to keep going. I'm so picky about authors too. Lol I guess I'm somewhat of a snob. But I've never read The Wheel of Time, A Song of Ice and Fire, or anything by McCaffrey or Terry Brooks - I just never know where to start with the more "mainstream" fantasy stuff
If you're truly interested in reading epic fantasy, Katie, just take it one book at a time. Soon, you'll come up with series that you can't help but devour. Likewise, you'll find ones that you hate, as well. :)
Lol..don't feel bad...no one here is a bigger fantasy snob than me ;) If you don't feel like jumping into big huge reads like the Wheel of Time (which isn't for everyone)then start with something smaller and more classic like David Eddings - Belgariad. It consists of 5 books but they're very short easy reads that are generally well liked. I think of it as kind of a nice ease into the genre.
Katie, I'm getting my feet wet in the epic fantasy genre. I'm doing as Jason suggested, one book at a time.Katie, I've been teased my whole life for reading romance, fantasy, horror, you name it. Oh well.
I can't commit into reading an epic fantasy. LOTR is the only epic fantasy series that I finished. For the others, I've only read the first book of each series, such as The Wheel of Time. I have too many other genres I want to read, such as horror, literature and non-fiction. I downloaded a whole bunch of Scientific American magazines that I want to catch up on. I used to subscribe to that magazine. I was thrilled when I found a whole bunch of them on-line.
I got made fun of a lot in hight school for the books I like to read. Nobody really does now though, for some unknown reason. I guess it helps that I don't know those people any more. I did have friends who enjoyed the same books as I, though, which was nice.I remember one guy would always comment on how thick some of the books I read were. It didn't matter if it was four hundred pages or a 1000, he was always stunned.
I had no friends to comment on the books I was reading. Being left alone was golden, I think. No peer pressure to worry about. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to read the odd books I was into. When I said I was a brainy nerd hanging out at the library, it's the truth, the whole truth and so totally the truth.
It's funny how people will tease you for reading a book as if that is the worst hobby ever. I thought it was funny that people who don't read try to give advice when you are a reader. I just blow it off and keep reading.
Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "It's funny how people will tease you for reading a book as if that is the worst hobby ever. I thought it was funny that people who don't read try to give advice when you are a reader. I just blow..."That's a regular occurrence, someone who doesn't read telling you what to read. Ha! My habit maybe expensive and it may be heavy - but at least it's good for me. :)
Since I'm an artist, I don't like a book cover being made mainstream. The more odd and creative the cover, the more attracted I am to the book.
I have to admit, I like the UK covers better a lot of the time. Not because they are more mainstream, they just appeal to me more. But in the case of the Farseer series, I definitely like the first set better. The second set you posted is boring :P
Unlike some here, having a nomadic life and being racially in the minority have helped me to maintain autonomy. I never expected to fit in, so I moved on my own momentum, without being influenced by anybody. I automatically love art, fiction, math, science, psychology and odd phenomenons, and books on them. So whatever I've been into was never influenced by mainstream thinking. The more creative the piece, from book cover to story, the more I like it.
I do love a great cover. I'm starting to feel like good fantasy cover art is being lost. :( One of my favorite artists is Frank Frazetta. If I could have anyone in the world re-create some of my favorite book's covers, it would have been him.
http://frankfrazetta.org/
I loved the way The Chronicles of Riddick has scenes that are inspired by Frazetta's work!
Fantasy Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
Izzy, Willy-Nilly (other topics)Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural (other topics)
The Eyes of the Dragon (other topics)
The Name of the Wind (other topics)
At Swim, Two Boys (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Kevin Hearne (other topics)Leigh Brackett (other topics)
My son and I are thinking of going this year. I live near San Francisco and he lives in Seattle so it is a little easier to make the trek to Comic-Con.