Favorite non-LOTR fantasy books?

[Emmie]

Thought it would be fun to see what everyone's favorites are. Mine are below.

Epic/"high" fantasy:

- Shadowmarch (+ Shadowplay) by Tad Williams
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
- Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin

Other fantasy:

- Little Big by John Crowley
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
- Neil Gaiman (anything by him)
- Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees

[Starwell]

I actually enjoy young adult fantasy a lot - i.e. Bartimaeus trilogy, Abhorsen trilogy, etc. Haven't come across anything good in a while, though.

[Ring Lunatic]

I'm currently re-reading (for the gazillionth time) Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, cause I love it SO MUCH. But I love basically everything Pratchett & Gaiman write. I'm also a big fan of the Dark Tower series by Stephen King.

I actually own quite a few fantasy books, but barely read them anymore these days.

[Lady Marti of Rivendell]

I'm also into Young Adult fantasy...

Twilight, Eclipse, New Moon, and Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

[Elven]

I love reading fantasy and will generally try anything.

Top of my list are Sir Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. They're both such wonderful authors. (Recommend Nation by Pratchett - not fantasy and aimed at kids but still very good)

Tad Williams did a wonderful trilogy called Otherland which is a bit sci-fi but I really enjoyed that too.

I like Harry Potter (books, not films), Abhorsen trilogy, His Dark Materials, Artemis Fowl, Narnia, Redwall, Wicked, Redwall, Garth Nix, David Gemmel.

And I ABSOLUTELY recommend the Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde series. It's not strictly fantasy but is set in an alternate version of England where you can jump in and out of books, so I count it. It's really accessible for anyone to read. My entire family are in the process of reading them now and we're a pretty electic bunch!

... I can't actually list all the books I adore. Oh well. I recommend www.goodreads.com for those who want to keep track of everything they've been reading.

[Emmie]

I read like half of Otherland. I didn't really get into it as much as his fantasy, though I may have to give it another try... I also haven't read his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series yet, but I want to.

The Abhorsen trilogy was really good - these days I actually think they're better books than Harry Potter (which I would have considered blasphemy when I was younger).

I liked Wicked! And Son of a Witch, too. I actually read it because I was going to see the musical

Also, I would second the goodreads recommendation. It's a really wonderful site and I love keeping track of what I've read, and what I want to read.

[Blodeuedd]

I love, love Magician by Raymond E.Feist, the ret of the Riftwar saga is good too.

Second fav is The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, can read those forever.

Big fan of the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb.

And then there are a nuch of others I have followed or still follow

[Emmie]

Oo, I have a copy of Assassin's Apprentice that I've been meaning to pick up for ages. I read Shaman's Crossing by her.

I read the first three or four Wheel of Time books - got a little tired of them after that. Are you excited about the last one being released?

[Blodeuedd]

You must read it!! I love Fitz beyond words. Shaman's Crossing was ok but no where near as good as The Farseer books :D

I will stay with them to the bitter end when ever that may be. I guess I got so enthralled by them, and Rand is just great. A bit disappointed that it will be split into so many but I can wait.

[Elven]

I liked Wicked! And Son of a Witch, too. I actually read it because I was going to see the musical


It's amazing how different they are from the musical, isn't it? Slightly blasphemous but I love the musical more. Looking forward to the third in the series being completed and released though!

[Emmie]

You must read it!!
Will do. :) Like I said, I have an epic number of books I need to read, but I'm sure I'll fit it in sometime this summer. Along with The Dragonbone Chair (by Tad Williams) - that's another fantasy novel I really want to get to.

It's amazing how different they are from the musical, isn't it? Slightly blasphemous but I love the musical more. Looking forward to the third in the series being completed and released though!
I love the musical more, too. The book was really well written, and Elphaba is a great character, but it left me feeling sad.

Isn't the third book A Lion Among Men? Because it's been out for at least a few months; I have a copy on my bookshelf. (I still need to read it.)

[Elven]

Isn't the third book A Lion Among Men? Because it's been out for at least a few months; I have a copy on my bookshelf. (I still need to read it.)

It's out already?! Oh my god, to Amazon! *runs*

[Crichton]

I think Dune by Frank Herbert, very wise and deep book from the science-fiction genre - if you didn't read it, you just have to. It doesn't look like sci-fi book though, it's rather philosophical book about good and evil. It also contains feudal system and win of humans over technology.

I also like A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin, fantasy book where nobody it plain good or evil and where nobody wins. I think maybe more than Dune.

I also reccomend you Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams, about cats and their believes. It's almost fantasy, his cats think, speak and make plans!

[Emmie]

I said this in your intro thread, but I have a copy of Dune now that I'm going to read ASAP.

I'm actually not alll the way through Song of Ice and Fire yet - I'm maybe five chapters into A Feast for Crows, and I'm not in any huge hurry to finish it, since it's going to be a while before A Dance with Dragons comes out anyway. But it's one of the few series with four or more books that I continue to follow excitedly.

Let's see, more books:

- I really liked Quicksilver and The Confusion by Neil Stephenson. It's shelved with the fantasy books, although it seems more like historical fiction. Really funny, though.

- I enjoyed reading The Historian, though it's more vampire novel than fantasy.

- Dandelion Wine was good, I still have to read the sequel...

- I want to read His Majesty's Dragon sometime soon (along with everything else on my To Read list) - I've heard good things about it, and Peter Jackson got the film rights to it a while ago.

[Clarett]

I like A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, but I probably don't know, if it is fantasy...x)
Then Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis and two czech books - Klobouky z Agarveny - Markéta Prášek (Hats from Agarvena) or Luko malý vlkodlak - Sandra Vebr (Little werewolf Luko)...

[Crichton]

I don't know if Witcher is outside Poland. Have you seen/read it in English or in other language? I had pleasure to read it in original language, very full of cruel humor and action.

And there is a game based on the series ^^

[Emmie]

I haven't seen it around, but Wikipedia says (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krew_elf%C3%B3w) the first novel (Krew elfów / Blood of Elves) was published in English late last year.

I think I've seen a computer game based on the books being advertised, though...

[PiRaTeGiRl]

I like Narnia and Harry Potter! ^^

[jimmyboy]

Hmm...I don't think I have anything to add to this thread, really. The ONLY fantasy stuff I read is Tolkien's Middle-earth stuff. Not that I haven't tried other stuff, it's just that fantasy as a genre doesn't appeal to me.

But hey, to each his own. :)

[PiRaTeGiRl]

I forgot War of the Worlds! The best book ever... :D

[Arien]

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Edmund Pevensie has been one of my favorite characters since I was little.

The Hero and the Crowd and Beauty by Robin McKinley

And any good book of fairytales. I love reading essays on the history of them, and how the stories change between cultures and over time.

[PiRaTeGiRl]

Yup, I read all the book of Narnia. Oh i might say it's nice...I don't really like it XD I like LotR better.

[Arien]

Yup, I read all the book of Narnia. Oh i might say it's nice...I don't really like it XD I like LotR better.

Ben Barnes fan, though? ;)


Has anyone here ever read Watership Down by Richard Adams? I loved it as a child and am trying to find another copy of it. I remember how much I worried about those rabbits!

[Emmie]

I think I did read Watership Down - but it was such a long time ago that I don't remember it too well.

I stumbled across a preview chapter of the next book in the Shadowmarch series by Tad Williams: http://www.tadwilliams.com/short_detail.aspx?id=8 I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I was very excited. Especially because the final book in the series is going to be released in 2010. And it was so long that it's actually been split into two books.

I haven't read a whole lot of fantasy lately other than that (although I did read The Wee Free Men a few weeks ago - that was pretty hilarious). But I have a ton of things on my To-Read list that I'll hopefully get around to soon.

[Sam]

I'm into Warhammer but so much the table top, Gotrex and Felix is my best series :)

[Lanyare]

Wow, where to start???

I love The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan... They're very different than Lord of the Rings, but they do have this same sense of ancient history threaded throughout them. And it almost feels like the story's just going to go on and on. I know it's going to have to end some day, lol, especially with Jordan not being around to finish them anymore. Hopefully the other author writes as well, I haven't actually bought the 12th part just yet.

Another series I very much enjoyed, is Memory, Sworrow and Thorn, by Tad Williams. The other books I've read by him were awesome as well, but I've only read Tailchaser's Song and a couple of the Otherland novels so far. Definitely want more.

When I was younger still, I used to love David Eddings to pieces, especially the Belgariad and the Mallorean. Planning on revisiting him soon by buying his novels. It'll be the first time I read them in English, since they came translated into Dutch at the library off course.

I loved Lewis' Narnia as well, and His Dark Materials by Pullman, and the Deverry chronicles by Katharine Kerr, and Robin Hobb's books... It's just so hard to really pick one author. Does it show I adore reading? ;)

[Emmie]

Anyone read Mists of Avalon? It's one of those books I've heard about from various people for years, and I just recently started on it. I'm only a hundred pages in, though.

[Lanyare]

Now isn't that a coincidence!! I finished a reread of that only a couple of weeks ago!

Personally, I loved it. The book's a very interesting interpretation of Arthurian legend. Did you know, though, there's an entire series? I only just now found out that it's actually the third book in the series, or at least in the story-chronology. I'm reading what's supposed to be the first book now, The Forest House, and plan on acquiring the other installments as I go along, as well.

So, how are you liking it, actually? Never seen the mini-series by the way? It's a fairly good rendition, or at least I enjoyed watching it. Can't remember any serious offences compared to the book, but then, it was all a long time ago. Now that the book is still fresh in my memory, I want to watch it again.

By the way, another very good book by the same author, is Firebrand. It's more or less the same set-up, you could say, but an entirely different story. The war and fall of Troy, witnessed through Paris' and Hector's sister, Cassandra's eyes, as well as Helen's. Always loved the fact that the author recounted everything from the main female characters' point of view.

[Emmie]

So far, I'm really liking it. I haven't read all that much since the last time I posted, since I normally read multiple books at the same time and I had to get through something else that needed to go back to the library, but it's interesting.

I did hear about the other books in the series, though I'm not sure if I'll read them - I could be entirely wrong about this, but I got the feeling that they were hastily written after the success of The Mists of Avalon and that they weren't put together with the same care. The Forest House (1993) and Lady of Avalon (1997) were co-written by Diana L. Paxson; Princess of Avalon (2000) was completed after Marion Zimmer Bradley's death, and all of the Avalon novels written since then were written solely by Diana L. Paxson.

Also, for some reason the idea of a prequel doesn't appeal to me in the same way that a sequel might.

I don't think I've heard of Firebrand before - that's definitely one I'll have to look into, although I already have a pretty epic To Read list.

Have you read anything else that's good recently?

[Lanyare]

Aye, I read up a bit on wikipedia, because I wasn't sure about the order they came in. There is a very, very short reference in the Mists to the main character of the Forest House, though. Only noticed that on my recent reread.

I read both The Forest House and Lady of Avalon years ago, from the library. Since it was so long ago, I don't really remember it well, but I did like them as well. Have to admit, though, that, even from the short time I've been reading in The Forest House, the style IS different.

Firebrand, or The Firebrand rather, on the other hand, is completely by Marion's hand. Again, it was a long time ago that I read it, but I remember liking it.

I'm actually trying to put some order in my acquiring books... Have a number of incomplete series sitting on my book shelves, so I've decided to reread my entire collection alphabetically (going by author) and complete every unfinished series as I go along. There are even some books I bought but never got around to actually reading just yet. :o

Before I started reading Bradley (only at the B still, lol, so I have a long way to go still), I was revisiting my childhood in a way. I have reread two series by a Dutch author I really liked in my adolescent years: Give me space, set in France during the War of the Hundred Years between England and France, and Children of Mother of Earth, which is set in the future. They're written by Thea Beckman and I really loved them. Funnily enough, Beckman was also a woman with feministic views, just like Marion Zimmer Bradley.

[Lanyare]

Have to take back what I said earlier, about no serious offences agains the book in that miniseries I mentioned, of The Mists of Avalon.
I saw it two nights ago, and there's quite a lot left out if you ask me, though I suppose it's understandable. Some of the changes are minor and I didn't mind too much, but especially near the end there are some majour differences with the books that did make me frown.
All in all, I still think it's very well-made and I did like watching it, though. But obviously, the book is waaaaay better.

[Clarett]

I love The Land Of Elyon by Patrick Carman. :) It's an amazing book...

[Sowen]

Aye, I have seen the Wither in Great Britain.
And I can fairly say it's one of my favourites books - the world quite similar and so different in one from Tolkien. The way how the book is written..well, if you have any chance to read in your own language I can olny say "read it" - but be ready for strong, bad words, strange humour and unexpected changes of stories...but it makes the book so good for me!

Except the Wither I like Narnia (since my childhood). I enjoyed Neil Gainman (don't remember the title in English:P). Anyway, I have read some fantasy books but Tolkien and Witcher would be the top one!
Now I am readng "The Eartchsea Quartet" by U.leGuin but I am not satisfied enourgh..

I have mention about Harry potter and Twighliht as well:P - I enjoy reading it but I have some mixed filling about it (about the style and plot)

[rowan]

There are way too many books that I like...

I'm working my way through A Song of Ice and Fire now, though I have to take breaks in between reading them. I enjoy them immensely, but reading such a large and detail-oriented book makes me crave some light reading in between. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series, really entertaining and fast reads. I've read Eragon/Eldest/Brisingr and although they're entertaining, I have issues with the originality of them. They're good fantasy fluff, but nothing special imho. Harry Potter is near and dear to my heart, but that's mostly because they're the first series that really dragged me in and totally cast a spell over me. (Pun actually not intended.) LoTR followed soon after, although I have to admit it's been far too long since I last read them. I have a soft spot for Christopher Moore and Neil Gaiman and Chuck Palahniuk and other quirky, off-the-wall writers. Although I own all of the Narnia books, I've yet to get past the fourth one...for some reason I just get bored with them. I loved Redwall as a kid, but it's been ages since I've read one. Love His Dark Materials too.

And I've read Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse/Breaking Dawn, just because I hate passing opinions on things that I know nothing about. However, I feel that they have far too much influence on pre-teen kids. Although I appreciate that someone besides JK Rowling has encouraged kids to read, I feel that unlike Harry Potter, the values instilled in Twilight are negative. But, I'll not tirade here.

[Emmie]

Aye, I'm reading A Song of Ice and Fire myself (as I believe I've mentioned). I'm in the middle of the fourth book right now, and I have been for a while. There doesn't seem any point in hurrying until the fifth book is released anyway.

Agreed about Eragon and Eldest, and apart from the originality I didn't think the quality of the writing was that great. But... I did have fun reading them. And I haven't read Brisingr yet (though I started on it once) but I probably will eventually.

I loved Harry Potter for a long time. I think I had read The Lord of the Rings first (or at least had it read to me), but I was much more into Harry Potter until the LOTR movies started coming out.

I also read Redwall as a kid; I also like His Dark Materials; and I also like Neil Gaiman. And I could write my own tirade about Twilight. It sounds like we're pretty much identical when it comes to taste in books! :D

[Lanyare]

Agreed on Eragorn and Eldest... Enjoyable reads, but not exactly up to Tolkien's standard. ;)
Admittedly, I have yet to read Brisingr as well... I just couldn't find it in the edition I wanted it in, until only about a month or two ago. But it'll have to wait until I finish everything else.

As for Harry Potter... That has been on my 'to read sometime' list for ages, but I never seem to get around to actually buying those books. Perhaps I should rather look into borrowing them, but I have no idea where I could borrow English editions.

And Twilight... Haven't read any of those books, though I recently did see the movie. Normally I don't very much like stating opinions about something when I don't really know anything about it, but what I've heard about the books doesn't really sound like something I'd enjoy. I'm extremely picky when it comes to vampires, and personally, I don't think they should be walking around in broad daylight, let alone glitter like discoballs in it. As far as vampires go, Anne Rice is my authority. So anyone who has read both her books and the Twilight saga, will understand why I'm keeping away from Twilight. ;)

[rowan]

Oh, I don't blame you at all for not reading Twilight. I just felt bad that I was bashing it based on sparkly vampires without having read it at all. Now that I have read them, I can't say that the opinion has changed ;)

[Lanyare]

Lol, I don't think I have that much problems with that at all. Then again, I did get my intel from a couple of sources I knew for sure I could really trust. And you are confirming it again, too. ;)