What other fantasy books do YOU read?

[Kitanna]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Yay! Another fan! What did you think of the re-telling of Midsummer Night's Dream?

I wouldn't put it on my favorites list, but it was still really good. A very interesting take on the play, that's for sure.

[Encaitare]

Originally Posted by Lalwende

What did you think of the re-telling of Midsummer Night's Dream?

Originally Posted by Kitanna

I wouldn't put it on my favorites list, but it was still really good. A very interesting take on the play, that's for sure.

The funny thing is that now whenever I'm reading Shakespeare and a character is talking about dreams, my ears sort of perk up and I think "What? Dreams? Morpheus? Yay!"

[Lalwendë]

I'm going to make Encaitare jealous now. I've just got a signed copy of Anansi Boys!

I hope my reading pile gets smaller soon so I can make a start on it!

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

I'm going to make Encaitare jealous now. I've just got a signed copy of Anansi Boys!

I hope my reading pile gets smaller soon so I can make a start on it!

Well, I have a signed copy of Coraline. So there!

You know, there are times when I am reading Gaiman that I become absolutely convinced that he is the new/next Master of Fantasy, along the same lines as Tolkien. They're very different writers of course, in terms of world view and perspective, but in their ability to create magic on the page and to reimagine the world as a perilous realm, I think Gaiman is the Next Apparent.

What do y'all think? What are the common elements in Tolkien's and Gaiman's fantasy? Do they both understand how to reinvent mythology?

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Neil Gaiman

My great daydream when I was ten was to travel to a parallel universe exactly like ours - except that in that other universe, nobody had ever written Lord of the Rings. I would bring along my copy, get somebody to type it out for me in manuscript, send the pages off to a publisher, and then be celebrated as author of The Lord of the Rings without doing any of the work.

I love that quote. It's not only funny, and expresses what a lot of us have probably thought at some time or another (I know I have ), but it shows how a writer as skilled as Gaiman realises how what Tolkien wrote was unique and could not be repeated, how it was Tolkien' lifetime of work which produced Lord of the Rings.

I think we are always looking for the next Tolkien and always will be, but I don't think there ever will be another Tolkien. However, Gaiman could well garner such support as Tolkien did if he keeps on producing such good work, as he does share that understanding and appreciation of mythology. His work is most definitely of its time (as was Tolkien's - no sex, no swearing etc), reflecting a darker kind of world, and is already having an influence - how many girls go around dressed like Death, and boys as Dream?

The main difference that I see is that Gaiman, possibly due to being from a different era, is not afraid to confront the darker side of human nature, and he ties in figures such as John Dee and serial killers to his tales. Where Tolkien found it more difficult, certainly as he aged, to deal with chaotic ideas (such as Tricksters), Gaiman seems to have more freedom to play with these ideas.

And I also think that while Tolkien's work leads us on to mythology, Gaiman's work actually seems richer if we know something about mythology (and history and literature) before we read it.

[deal_with_it]

The Shannara series was good. Just got repetitive after awhile.

[Oddwen]

I just read "Anansi Boys" - I'd been wanting to read some of Gaiman mostly because of the talk around here. I'd read "Good Omens", but wasn't really impressed with the subject matter.

It's weird..."Anasi Boys" is very close to Douglas Adamses "Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul". I found it an easier read (less "british" I suppose), but wow. Is Gaiman is the next Adams? Hmm. I'll have to get my hands on something else of his to be sure.