Introductions - tell us a little about yourself Showing 851-900 of 3,618

[Janny]

Nick wrote: "Janny wrote: "Nick wrote: "Hello all!
I just found the site this weekend via Brandon Sanderson's blog, and am glad I did. I have long been looking for a place to be able to discuss fantasy novel..."

I ran through your shelves - there are a lot of interesting books, and even more interesting gaps.

The question I'd pose: are you wanting more depth and complexity (aka Martin/Malazan books) or do you prefer the middle road tradition of easy to grasp action adventure epic - like Feist, Lackey, and Tad Williams?

Notably absent are the rich, character driven works by Guy Gavriel Kay, Martha Wells, Carol Berg, Barbara Hambly, etc.

You don't list anything by Patricia McKillip, though her work is more poetic and faery tale like.

If action is your take, do try Jennifer Roberson's Tiger and Del books, Dennis McKiernan, Michael Sullivan.

If dark and complex, C. S. Friedman, and darker still, Joe Abercrombie.

You also might enjoy Patrick Rothfuss, which rolls a lot of themes into one. And maybe Acacia: The War with the Mein.

[Brian]

Hi everyone! I am a new member of this group and I am excited to be a member of The Fantasy Book Club. Although I have a number of favorite authors and love poetry, I never ventured into fantasy. One of the only genres of writing I have not read besides romance. I am currently reading George R.R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones". I have to admit that fantasy is like a whole new universe to explore. Thanks to goodreads author George Straatman for inviting me and for highly recommending the book.

[Nick]

Janny wrote: "Nick wrote: "Janny wrote: "Nick wrote: "Hello all!
I just found the site this weekend via Brandon Sanderson's blog, and am glad I did. I have long been looking for a place to be able to discuss ..."

I enjoy all the flavors, but not equally. A Song of Ice and Fire and the Malazan books are by far my two favorite series. I will add your suggestions to my reading pile immediately! Thank you for your help.

[Marc]

Nick wrote: "I enjoy all the flavors, but not equally. A Song of Ice and Fire and the Malazan books are by far my two favorite series. I will add your suggestions to my reading pile immediately! Thank you for your help."

Bear in mind that many of those are among the 'Top 40' of fantasy fiction, which are continuously recommended every time anyone asks for something new to read. There are hundreds of fantasy novels out there that are as good, possibly better, and get no mentions because they aren't big names or in the bookstores. (This includes mine, although I think it's crass to constantly be jumping up and down saying 'Read me! Read Me! every time this question gets asked.) Kfir Luzzatto, Regan Black, Jacquelyn Sylvan, and J.R. Turner come to mind, but also Joel Rosenberg, Janet Kagan, A.C. Crispin, Diane Carey, Diane Duane, L.E. Modesitt, and John M. Ford. Tanya Huff, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Dave Duncan, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Lawrence Watt-Evans are pretty heavy hitters and they also get few mentions on these threads. (If you like Jim Butcher try Huff's The Enchantment Emporium or Summon the Keeper.) I'm a big fan of character-driven fantasy, and a lot of these epic, plot-driven things leave me stone cold.

[Deb]

Hi I'm Deb and I just joined goodreads. Fantasy is my favorite genre followed closely by science fiction. Probably my favorite fantasy book is "The Forgotten Beasts of Eld". I'm always on the lookout for new books.

[Brian]

Pardon me for all the updates on the "Game of Thrones". Three times I could not figure out what it was loading and why. Three times I stopped it. Finally, I let the loading run it's course only to find out the loading calibrated progress along with the number of pages the book contains. Small graph included. Kinda funny!

[Daisy]

Hi, I'm Daisy, 22 years old and just joined this group when I saw it had a topic about Brandon Sanderson (I'm currently reading Elantris).
Some of my favourite fantasy books are the Tamir triad, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, the Name of the Wind and His Dark Materials (I love how almost every fantasy novel is part of a series). When I'm not reading, I'm interning at the hospital, which takes up a lot of my time and energy, but is what I want to be doing :)

[Rachael]

Hello everyone, I'm Rachael, I am 24 years old, and I just found this group today. I haven been on Goodreads for awhile now, but didn't really delve into the community. I just used it as a resource to track what I've read, and to create a "to-read" list that I wouldn't lose...

I have been fascinated by books my entire life, and have always been drawn to fantasy. As a child I started off with the Redwall series by Brian Jacques, and devoured each new installment with unending enthusiasm. From there I moved onto Piers Anthony, and eventually stepped up to The Wheel of Time series. I will always hold the WoT books dear to my heart.

Some of my favorite authors include - Anne Bishop, Jim Butcher (Codex of Alera), Jacqueline Carey, C. S. Friedman, Robert Jordan, Katherine Kerr, Charles de Lint, George R. R. Martin, Melanie Rawn, J.R.R. Tolkien, and many, many more. I tried to keep the list short!

I'm here to meet like-minded readers, enjoy some literary discussions, and see what everyone else is reading!

[[deleted user]]

Hi everyone, I'm Laurel and am new to Goodreads. I am relatively new to fantasy too, but have fallen in love with it. My family are big fantasy fans and for years have been encouraging me to give it a go.

I started with the Robin Hobb Assassin and Tawny Man trilogies, which are still my favourites. Other authors I have been reading are GRRM, Raymond E Feist, Robert Jordan, and I have just started with Sara Douglass. I attempted Cecilia Dart Thornton, but could not get into it.

I really love finding a well established fantasy series where i know there are lots of books just waiting for me to read. I am very impatient waiting for new books to be written, so I prefer work that's a bit older and already completed! Any suggestions would be great.

[Charles]

Dear Deb, Daisy, Rachael, Laurel

Welcome to the Fantasy Club!

[Brandon]

Hey everybody I'm Brandon. I am 18 years old. i am in college. i love me some fantasy books and i also like some sci-fi. i would probably be considered a slow reader. For some people it might take them 2 week to read a book and i wont finish it for a month or more. i just like to take my time and pick out details and let it sink in.

[Brian]

Great Brandon! A reader like me. Sometimes I will reread soemthing ten pages back to understand the full meaning and the connection to something on a page I am reading. It makes for slower reading but worth it for when I finish a complex book I would retain more than some people would. It is so with the book I am reading now.

[Luculus]

Hi everyone,

Been lurking around for almost week so I thought I might as well introduce myself :)
My name is Lucia, I come from Slovakia and presently live in Switzerland where I work on crazy particle physics theory stuff.
I was a sci-fi fan long before I knew what sci-fi was, could name all the planets in the solar system in any order when I was seven and when I saw my first star wars movie I couldn't sleep from excitement. Over the years I grew up into a regular geek, loving every good movie/tv series/comic book and occasional game that crossed my path.
But it is books I love the most. In the spirit of Lemony Snicket's 'Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them' I carry one with me wherever I go and tend to open it in the most unlikely places (in the elevators, while brushing my teeth - you name it). Recently I drifted more towards fantasy, not sure why, possibly because it seems to offer more space for character development and interactions which is what I love most about my books.
My favourites include many of the new(ish) names - Patrick Rothfuss, Scott Lynch, Brandon Sanderson, Scott Bakker, Carol Berg, .... But I'm always on the hunt for some new fantasy goodness! :)

[Janny]

Luculus - welcome! What a list - and yay, for another who appreciates Carol Berg!

You may also enjoy (in no particular order) Sarah Zettel, Lois McMaster Bujold, Guy Gavriel Kay, and Barbara Hambly whose characters are as well developed and whose plots are just as airtight as Berg's, and as moving. Juliet Marillier should be on this list too (she styles her work in first person) - her stories center around womens' issues, with a beauty and sensitivity, which may make her work of less interest to male readers.

[William]

Hey guys,

I have also been lurking for a bit. My name is Wil and I have been reading fantasy and sci-fi as long as I can remember. My introduction to fantasy/sci-fi was my mother reading The Crystal Cave and The White Dragon to me when I was little boy.

As I begin branching out on my own I begin reading
J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Lloyd Alexander.

High school, college, marriage and two children later, I am still reading fantasy with no intentions of ever stopping.

I am looking forward to speaking with you guys. wb

[Rachael]

William wrote: "High school, college, marriage and two children later, I am still reading fantasy with no intentions of ever stopping. "

Welcome to the club Willian! I am pretty new myself, but had to chime in because of your above statement!

I don't think I could ever stop reading fantasy! Who says we ever have to give up what we enjoy!? More power to you.

[Barbm1020]

William, I agree we don't have to give up what we love in literature, we can just share it with our kids. I love the books & authors you mentioned, except for the White Dragon, which I don't know, and enjoyed reading Lloyd Alexander's Taran books to my kids. Now I'm into Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, but I still go back to the Mabinogion when in the mood for some great myth & magic stories.

[Brie]

Hello All! I've been on Goodreads for awhile, but just found this group. I read all types, but mostly I stick to Fantasy...and then some Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction, and a little Science Fiction here and there.

My love for fantasy came from reading Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders series in High School, and I haven't looked back! My favorite series is A Song of Ice and Fire by GRRM, and of course the Dragonriders. Some new authors I have enjoyed are Patrick Rothfuss and Scott Lynch (although I've only read the first book by each).

I look forward to having some discussions with you all soon!

[Ashley]

Hello,
My name is Ashley. I'm a reading specialist at an elementary school in Washington. I've enjoyed fantasy ever since I was introduced to the Grimm's fairy tales as a child. I look forward to being introduced to new books and discussing them.

[[deleted user]]

Welcome to the group Nymeria and Ashley and we look forward to you both being part of the discussions.

Nymeria we are currently reading A Game of Thrones so you may wish to join that discussion next month. Patrick Rothfuss is a member of the group and will be doing a discussion of his second novel, which has no fixed release date yet.

Ashley, it would be interesting to do a group discussion of those old fairy tales.

[Joy]

Been in a couple of groups but I hardly read anything other than Fantasy these days so I hope I fit in better here. I'm a retired graphic artist and love graphic novels as well as YA/children's books. I think I missed out on being a children's book illustrator because I love the art in Neil Gaiman books and others like him.

[Alex]

Hello, this is me introducing myself. I'm a 31 year old Librarian, soon to be ex-Librarian because I've been disillusioned for some time with the profession. I've always loved books and reading and especially fiction though. I adore most kinds of fiction and am a big lover of Romantic/Victorian and flip flop between reading that and fantasy literature which I've loved since being a teenager.

I can't really narrow down my favourites any more because I have a tendency to get caught up with current obsessions, but in the past I've salivated over Eddison, Vance, Wolfe, Howard, Tolkien, Donaldson and errr Weis and Hickman (shhhhhh now, their talents are just different from everyone else's) I tend to like my fantasy on the more literary side but honestly, I'm not that fussy... if there's a big sword and a dragon somewhere within it'll probably keep me quiet for a bit...

...actually, it won't keep me quiet because I tend to be more than a little forthright and outspoken.

[Ashley]

thank you for the welcome. I've had the series 'A song of ice and fire' by Martin on my list of books to read. this gives me a good excuse to go ahead and start. You mentioned that Patrick Rothfuss is a member of this group and will do a discussion on his new book. I admit I haven't read 'The name of the wind yet', but I've heard great things about it. I know alot of people are looking forward to his next book in the series.

[Brie]

Thanks for the welcome! I look forward to joining the discussion for A Game of Thrones. I always enjoy seeing what other people think of this book/series.

[Donna]

Hi. I'm Donna. I grew up on JRR Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, Terry Brooks, Andre Norton and David Eddings. I used to read a lot of sci fi in addition to fantasy but I like fantasy better, although I still love Star Wars (the original trilogy, not the icky prequels) and Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica(the original mini series).
My current fantasy faves also include Sharon Shinn and newcomer Lynn Kurland. I also love historicals, which, really are pretty much fantasy with some extra work in the research department. I'm published in Regency and am about to be published in fantasy, a book I wrote about 20 year ago and about 20 million revisions ago ;-) I just picked up a book by Robin Hobb and am looking forward to discovering her books.

[Nora]

Hi everyone, I'm Nora and I'm from the Netherlands. I read all sorts of books, both fiction and non-fiction. I read fantasy to relax, and because I like to become engrossed in a new world with new rules. Recently I enjoyed the Magician's Guild trilogy by Trudi Canavan and the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks. I've read much Anne McCaffrey, Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett (does he count?) in the past. I suspect there's oodles of fantasy out there that I've never heard of, so here I am to discover them!

[Brian]

Welcome Nora; I read all sorts of books to. Fantasy is rapidly becoming my favorite though. The Netherlands, that is so cool. My great grandfather was born in Holland and participated in the Olympics in the early 1900's as a high bar specialist. Quite a gymnist.

[Donna]

I just finished a fantasy trilogy by Elizabeth Kerner that I loved. The first book is called Song in the Silence. It's got a strong romantic subplot which I appreciate. I highly recommend it.

[Barbm1020]

Hi new people! Good to see you here. Nora, I had to smile when you asked about Terry Pratchett, "does he count?" I am a great fan of his books, because I think they are so much fun. So my answer is yes he counts, probably backwards and forwards and in several languages. Check out the "Cult of Anoia" group here if you are interested in what others have to say about his work.

[Eden]

Hi, I'm new and my name's Eden and I'm from Pennsylvania. I love to read and play video games. I also love to write and I'm currently writing a book series. I've always liked fantasy books, but I got more into fantasy after reading His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman and since then I've read quite a few fantasy books. Besides Pullman, I love Diana Wynne Jones and think she is an amazing fantasy author.

[[deleted user]]

Welcome to the group Eden and keep up with the writing.

[Victoria]

Carol Berg, Sarah Zettel, Lois McMaster Bujold, Guy Gavriel Kay, Barbara Hambly and Juliet Marillier.

Thanks for putting my reading list in for me, Janny! LOL. I haven't read Berg or Zettel before and I haven't read Bujold or Hambly in a few years, but Kay and Marillier are favorites, so I'll make sure to check out Berg and Zettel soon.

I'm not big into sequels anymore, but I've enjoyed The Riftwar series, Narnia Chronicles, LOTR, The Pern and Deryni novels, the first Shannara Trilogy and the Belgariad. Right now, I'm privileged to be reading a galley of Kay's "Under Heaven" which is due out in April. I will hopefully post my review this week.

[Janny]

Victoria wrote: "Carol Berg, Sarah Zettel, Lois McMaster Bujold, Guy Gavriel Kay, Barbara Hambly and Juliet Marillier.

Thanks for putting my reading list in for me, Janny! LOL. I haven't read Berg or Zettel bef..."

Victoria: Carol Berg is Phenominal - it doesn't matter if she's writing a series or a one-off, she builds, deepens, startles and the payoff is amazing. I will NEVER recommend a book that does not deliver a crack stunner for an ending. Start Berg with either her standalone, her first trilogy, or her Lighthouse duology (not the four book series done between)...expect everything to change as she grows the story, you'll revise your opinions and even volte face, on the way. I have not read her new one yet (but only due to work/deadline pressure, it's high on the list once I'm free)

Zettel is way too under appreciated. Both her SF and her Fantasy are topflight.

Both of these writers characterize as well as Hambly, Kay, and Bujold. And Marillier - though unlike Marillier, whose issues are oriented to women, I've found male readers may enjoy Berg and Zettel.

You may also like Jennifer Roberson - her Karavans duology is great, and also, her Tiger and Del series - light, fun reading, on the latter, fast adventure and again, great characters/plausible plots.

I hate carelessly crafted books with either research or plot holes you could drive a truck through....

[Victoria]

Great! Thanks again. I love stories with great characterizations, but plot needs to be there or the characters aren't enough to get me to return, which I like to do. It's not enough to just read and enjoy a book - I want to study and learn from them, too. ;D Of course, you can do that with bad books, but that's not an enjoyable experience! LOL

[Jenny]

Hey! I'm Jenny. I recently graduated LSU with a degree in Literature. Reading is one of my several (harmless) addictions, and lately I've been on a little bit of a fantasy binge, but I am a newish fan of the genre. I won't get into listing all the books or authors I like here since people can nose around my bookshelf to find that information. I found this group while looking for a place to pick up some good fantasy suggestions. I look forward to discovering new stories, reading and discussing them with all of you.

[Siomoria]

Hi, I'm a 21 year old girl from Finland. I have been reading fantasy all my life. Even before I thought of myself as a fantasy fan I always favored books with supernatural elements.

My favorite authors change over time but currently they are Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb, Patrcik Rothfuss and Terry Pratchett. I am currently reading John Milton's Paradise Lost and since I always read Pratchett I'm also reading The Last Continent for the third time (I've read all his books at least twice)

[Barbm1020]

Hi Siomoria, nice to see you here. I am an American grandmother and I also love Terry Pratchett. It's good to have something funny to go back to when you are trying to comprehend John Milton. Currently I am re-reading Wyrd Sisters. I like Granny, Nanny and Magrat, and also the Shakespeare references. Hope you will enjoy our discussions here.

[David]

I'm Dave, originally from Winnipeg, Canada but now living in New England. I have a degree in business and a decade or so experience in sales and management, but my real love growing up was writing.

I grew up reading fantasy and historical fiction:
JRR Tolkien
Lloyd Alexander
David Eddings
Robert E. Howard
Gary Gygax
Robert Aspirin's Thieves World
Weis and Hickman
Paul S. Kemp
David Gemmell, and
Michael Curtis Ford (historical fiction).

Lately, I've been reading heroic fantasy and sword & sorcery, specifically Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy.

I like protagonists that start out with little or no magical ability. They can develop abilities, but I like to see them struggle with it.

In addition to Goodreads, I support Boysread.org.

[Brian]

My name is Brian I am fairly new to goodreads and joined the book club only recently after reading some of the posts. I have begun to read more Fantasy recently and read "Eye of the World" a few years ago after much prodding from some friends. I have just begun reading Steven Erikson and like his writing very much. I also have read "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings". I live in Las Vegas with my wife.

[Philip Tha-]

My name if Filip, actually joined some time ago but have been so busy and on-the-go that I've not had time to date to get very involved. But I AM a big Fantasy nerd ;)

[Barbm1020]

Hi Brian and Filip, glad you found this group. Dave, I just noticed you listed Robert Asprin's Thieves' World. I read some of these books years ago when they were being written by various authors, and played the role-playing game for a while. It got a bit too brutal after a while, but the whole idea was intriguing and some of the stories I liked a lot.

[Donna]

Hi, I'm Donna from North Carolina. I go through I guess "phases" with books and right now I'm reading a lot of fantasy. I just finished Memory Sorrow and Thorn which I thoroughly enjoyed after getting through the first book and I think I'm going to start Sabriel today.
I don't really know how to describe what type of fantasy I like other than to say I'm not a big fan of the usuals such as Tolkien, Brooks, Jordan, Goodkind, etc. But I love magic, elves, fairies, and characters that I remember after the book is closed.

[William]

Donna wrote: "Hi, I'm Donna from North Carolina. I go through I guess "phases" with books and right now I'm reading a lot of fantasy. I just finished Memory Sorrow and Thorn which I thoroughly enjoyed after gett..."

Hey Donna, I am also from North Carolina. You live in Cove City? I am outside of Seven Springs, we are practically neighbors.

[Lewis]

Hi everyone! My name's Lewis, and I just joined this site last night, and this is the first group that caught my eye when I was browsing a few to join. I've been a massive fan of fantasy since I was a kid, and I relish every opportunity to discuss that kind of thing.

Anyway, about me. I'm 24, I currently live in Mississippi, and I'm trying to re-ignite a reading obsession that's been partially displaced by movies and video games. My favorite fantasy writers are Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, and David Eddings.

[Lewis]

Also, I do most of my posting from an iPhone, so please pardon the typos that are sure to come.

[Julie]

Hi Donna and Lewis, welcome! Donna, I loved the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series as well. Some day I'm going to go back and re-read them.

[Curly]

Hello all! My name is Curly Raphino. First let me say I am ecstatic that sites like this exist for all fantasy lovers. I am a fantasy writer myself and I just finished my first fantasy novel Fire in the Ocean: A New Testament. This is the first installment of a three part series that accounts for God's true intentions for creating mankind (well, at least my interpretation). The story merges Greek Mythology and prominent figures of Christianity to bring this tale to life. At the same time it explains the coming of age of the legendary King Triton. Everything you thought you knew about Greek Mythology or Christianity for that matter is about to be challenged, because in this story when Poseidon meets Lucifer all hell breaks loose -- literally. I'm looking to get some reviews and feedback from true avid fantasy readers, so check out my book Fire In The Ocean: A New Testament and don't be shy to drop by and say hello.

[Shel]

Hi everyone!

I have been on Goodreads for a few months and just HAD to join this group when I got my Brightweavings e-newsletter (Guy Gavriel Kay fan site) and learned that he was here to discuss A Song for Arbonne, which is one of my favorite books.

Kay is one of my favorite authors, along with Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Tad Williams, Robin Hobb, and for light reading, Mercedes Lackey, among many others.

About me, I'm a middle school science teacher (I know, I'm nuts!), I live in Boston with my husband, and I have been a fantasy fan all my life. I read some science fiction as well but tend to like fantasy better. I also have been getting into historical fiction more recently and am absolutely in love with Dorothy Dunnett - and there seems to be some fairly significant overlap between Dunnett fans and fantasy fans, so that's why I mention it :)

Anyway, nice to meet you all, I look forward to participating in your discussions!

[Nelia]

Hi everyone. I'm from Calgary, AB in Canada. I read lots of other genres, but I always come back to fantasy which I've been reading for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I started out with the Chronicles of Narnia and then moved to the Prydain Chronicles, Madeleine L'Engle, Tolkien, Raymond E. Feist and David Eddings' The Belgariad. I also like R.A. Salvatore and read the Shannara series by Terry Brooks but I'm not as keen on those. I've dabbled a bit in Sci-Fi, but I'm mostly a fantasy gal. Recently, I've started reading some YA fantasy again (The Prince of Neither Here Nor There, the Harry Potter Series) because I love that genre and am working on the outline of a YA fantasy novel of my own. I've also just discovered graphic novels of Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore which I think qualifies as fantasy.

Anyhow, happy to find so many other avid fantasy fans and looking forward to joining the discussions.

[Janny]

Shel wrote: "Hi everyone!

I have been on Goodreads for a few months and just HAD to join this group when I got my Brightweavings e-newsletter (Guy Gavriel Kay fan site) and learned that he was here to discuss ..."

Hi Shel, interesting that you enjoy Dorothy Dunnett. That marks you for an intelligent reader, quite willing to wait for an amazing plot to unwind. (With this author, nobody gets it all on the first read - that I ever heard of, anyway.)

Did you know that there are a few fantasy authors who also share your appreciation for this wonderful historical writer? You may want to look up the fantasy by Ellen Kushner, for one. I see you've already fallen for Kay. Good choice!