What other fantasy books do YOU read?

[Gil-Galad]

I just finished the fourth book of A Song of Fire and Ice, and as much as I was dreading the fourth book (Because of Hookbill telling me of it). I don't venture into fantasy books that often, being the only other series I have read was Tolkien and Raymond E. Feist.

I absolutely love the series for its realism, and curse the lack of the 5th book anywhere. So I figure when I am in England this summer I will have to pick up a copy.

[Aganzir]

Originally Posted by Eruanna

I just started to read 'Perdido Street Station' yesterday after finishing 'Kraken' last week. I'm having a similar problem. It's well written and the characters are even weirder to imagine than usual, but I'm finding it a bit harder to immerse myself this time.

It's worth finishing, not only because otherwise you won't catch the references in the later books, but in my experience it's overrated.
Also, don't forget to check out The Scar - it's very good too!

I intend to read the Abercrombie series when I have the time (or rather, when I feel like it, because I always have time for reading), but now I have some Gene Wolfe, Sandman comics, and Hungarian folktales on their way from the library.

Originally Posted by Gil-Galad

I absolutely love the series for its realism, and curse the lack of the 5th book anywhere. So I figure when I am in England this summer I will have to pick up a copy.

Oh come on!

[Gil-Galad]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

Oh come on!

Amazon has been weird to me, I did look up the 5th book but at first Amazon told me July 12 2012, then that page which I can get now. Even my local bookstores don't have a copy, and they are all decked out with the Game of Thrones show popularity.

[Alfirin]

Originally Posted by Gil-Galad

Amazon has been weird to me, I did look up the 5th book but at first Amazon told me July 12 2012, then that page which I can get now. Even my local bookstores don't have a copy, and they are all decked out with the Game of Thrones show popularity.

I saw someone reading a copy on the train 3-4 weeks ago, so it is presumably avaiable somewhere. And it looked like a normal run book, not an advance galley copy.

[Lalwendë]

Does anyone else absolutely love The Weirdstone of Brisingamen?

Well, davem pointed this out to me earlier. The trilogy is due to be completed this August. I'll be outside the bookshop at 9am for this one, I'm very excited.

I don't agree with Phillip Pullman that Alan Garner is 'better than Tolkien' because he's simply a very different kettle of fish. However, he is comparable to CS Lewis and trumps him on all accounts.

Since I first read the Weirdstone as a child, I've thought of Alderly Edge as a magical place, rather than the exclusive haunt of Man U footballers. And the passage with the tunnel is so vivid I even have dreams about that now.

Anyone else love it?

[Eruanna]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Does anyone else absolutely love The Weirdstone of Brisingamen?

Me! Me! I have well thumbed copies of The Weirdstone and its sequel 'The Moon of Gomrath' on my bookshelf, and there's a space just crying out for the last part of the trilogy!
Thank you so much for the link...I'm unbelievably excited!!

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Eruanna

Me! Me! I have well thumbed copies of The Weirdstone and its sequel 'The Moon of Gomrath' on my bookshelf, and there's a space just crying out for the last part of the trilogy!
Thank you so much for the link...I'm unbelievably excited!!

I'm reading Weirdstone again now, spurred by the news. My copy is very well read (in the front, it says I bought it in Skipton in 1984 ) but I'm bursting with excitement at all the new things I'm picking up reading it now. I've just looked up a bit about Alan Garner and he grew up in Alderley Edge, descended from a family that had lived there for centuries - one of his great grandfathers carved the 'wizard' that's on the rocks in the woods. His family passed down the folktales of the area to him, as they weren't skilled readers, and he wove them into his stories.

There was also something on the Wikipedia entry about his love of language and the local Cheshire dialect (apparently it's possible to read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in the original, if you know the Cheshire dialect - which is interesting as the 'Green Chapel' isn't very far away). And a lot of the places mentioned are still very much there, such as 'Llyn-dhu' and Radnor Mere, and of course The Wizard pub.

It's also chiming with a lot of the language and stories of the North West that I picked up as a child.

This is a fantastic book. I love it even more than ever.

[Galadriel55]

A Dance with Dragons is in the local bookstore here. However, with the recent popularity, it costs ridiculous money. And, all the library copies are out (with a line up of about 15 people - which is more than I've seen for HP when it came out). I'm waiting for all the excitement to go down to get a copy.

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

A Dance with Dragons is in the local bookstore here. However, with the recent popularity, it costs ridiculous money. And, all the library copies are out (with a line up of about 15 people - which is more than I've seen for HP when it came out). I'm waiting for all the excitement to go down to get a copy.

Have you tried Amazon? :P

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Galadriel

Have you tried Amazon? :P

I got a copy from the library... FINALLY!