What other fantasy books do YOU read?

[Oddwen]

*clunk*

Hmm, what have I read since waaay back when?

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - I really, really liked this book. It's quite a hefty book, something to re-read after several years maybe, but it's got a great story, and I loved the imagery.

The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde - this...isn't fantasy. It's a fantasy I suppose, half of it takes place in an alternate past, and the other half takes place in the "book-world". But I loved the heck out of it. Also by the same author is the Nursery Crime series, which is a bit more fantasy-esque. Or fairy tale-esque.

[Morthoron]

Hmmm...I don't go in much for reading fantasies anymore.

*Shocked gasps from the audience*

No, really. Most of the fantasies I read are with my daughter (currently going through the Narnia Chronicles and Redwall series).

I've read most of the greats, I suppose. Ones I truly enjoyed were Stephen R. Donaldson's Thomas Covenant Chronicles (but only up to the 4th book -- it gets entirely too wordy after that), all of Ursula K. LeGuin, all of Dune (up to God Emperor, anyway), Mary Stewart's Merlin series, Asimov's Foundation, and T.H. White's Once and Future King (the greatest of all latter day Arthurian tales). Then of course there are Lewis Carroll and Orwell which I tend to reread every now and again. I once enjoyed Aldous Huxley, but he's not so much fun sober.

So give me Umberto Eco or a good history book for now and I'm content.

[Gwathagor]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

So give me Umberto Eco or a good history book for now and I'm content.

Can you recommend any of his books besides Name of the Rose, which I've read (and felt extremely erudite while doing so)?

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Gwathagor

Can you recommend any of his books besides Name of the Rose, which I've read (and felt extremely erudite while doing so)?

Foucalt's Pendulum is a definite read. It makes The Da Vinci Code look like a first grade primer. Read it once through, then go back a second time to research the dizzying amount of obscure references to other works (if you like puzzles).

Baudalino is good as well (although I enjoyed Name of the Rose and Foucalt more). It takes place in the 12th century during the 4th Crusade, wherein the brave and saintly Crusaders decided to ignore the formidable Muslims -- who usually crushed them in battle -- and instead disgracefully sacked and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople. Yes, truth is stranger than fiction (can I get a Deus Vult?).

After you get through those, we can discuss Eco's work in semiotics (the study of symbology and signs). Fascinating reading if you are interested in words and how they relate as symbols in communication.

P.S. By the way, I see you like the Pogues. When I was in bar bands, one of the most requested Christmas songs was always Fairytale of New York. Other tunes we liked playing were South Australia and Bottle of Smoke (great drinking songs). We also did a version of Rocky Road to Dublin, but it was more akin to the Young Dubliners' heavy guitar style.

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Foucalt's Pendulum is a definite read. It makes The Da Vinci Code look like a first grade primer.

The Da Vinci Code IS a first grade primer!

B.t.w. Eco devotes a whole delightful chapter of Foucault's Pendulum to having a go at The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, the (supposedly) non-fiction book that Dan Brown used as his source material. He has the characters come up with an identical conspiracy via an automatic plot-generator. I loved it.

I don't read fantasy that much as a rule anymore either. There's one I've just started, Temeraire, that isn't bad so far. It's all about the Napoleonic Wars... only with dragons. However, the eponymous Temeraire is showing signs of turning into an extra-special Mary Sue dragon– as if just being a dragon wasn't enough.

So... proceed with caution is my advice to anyone who wants to read it.

What I can wholeheartedly recommend is my favourite third-rate fantasy novel, Blade of the Poisoner. It's hilariously cliched, but without all the padding that you find in similar books. It's been out of print for about twenty years, but if you're curious, I'm summarising it here. (Don't worry, I'm not one of those people who post embarrassing personal stuff in their journals).

[Gwathagor]

Originally Posted by Nerwen

B.t.w. Eco devotes a whole delightful chapter of Foucault's Pendulum to having a go at The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, the (supposedly) non-fiction book that Dan Brown used as his source material. He has the characters come up with an identical conspiracy via an automatic plot-generator. I loved it.

I read that one. Holy Blood, Holy Grail I mean. It wasn't very good; mostly because of absurd claims supported by shoddy scholarship which even I could identify. So, good for Eco.

[Nerwen]

It's the most ridiculous example of house-of-cards arguing I've ever read.

One one page they'll say A might be true. Then three pages later they'll refer back to A as an absolute certainty, which makes B possible. In another three pages the known facts A and B will be used to prove C. Etc, etc, etc.

[Gwathagor]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

After you get through those, we can discuss Eco's work in semiotics (the study of symbology and signs). Fascinating reading if you are interested in words and how they relate as symbols in communication.

You're on.

Originally Posted by Morthoron

P.S. By the way, I see you like the Pogues. When I was in bar bands, one of the most requested Christmas songs was always Fairytale of New York. Other tunes we liked playing were South Australia and Bottle of Smoke (great drinking songs). We also did a version of Rocky Road to Dublin, but it was more akin to the Young Dubliners' heavy guitar style.

off-topic
Ah, Fairytale of New York.I managed to see the Pogues on the first day of their US tour this year, but as it was not Christmas, they played practically every song BUT Fairytale. Actually, they didn't play Lullaby London either, but Rainy Night in Soho made up for its absence. Woooooooo! Pooogues!
back on-topic

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Oddwen

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - I really, really liked this book. It's quite a hefty book, something to re-read after several years maybe, but it's got a great story, and I loved the imagery.

I am 2/3 of the way through JS & MN (which at 800 pages, gives War and Peace a run for the money for sheer volume). I am not at all sure that I like it. How odd to have read this far into a novel, and to be altogether unsure if one is enjoying the story. To paraphrase Rossini in regards to Wagner, the book has beautiful moments but awful quarter hours. In fact, I enjoyed the book far more early in the story, and am beginning to like it less and less the further I trudge on (and I do feel I am slogging through a muddy field). The citations of fictional books was interesting at first, but get exceedingly tedious after several million chapters. It's reminiscent of the interminable notes and citations that caused me to loathe Moby Dick.

The characters, particularly the magicians, are a bit thick and slow to catch on regarding the plot that swirls around them, and there aren't many characters that are likable at all (many are just plain despicable or mere ciphers).

But I'll finish it before passing final judgment. Perhaps everything will get better by the conclusion (maybe there is an epiphany or a eucatrastrophe of significant proportions to make up for the unnecessary length).

[Bêthberry]

Anyone taken a look at Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind?

It's gotta be of interest to Tolkien fans. Here's the dedication:

To my mother, who taught me to love books. Who opened the door to Narnia, Pern, and Middle Earth.

To my father, who taught me that if I was going to do something, I should take my time and do it right the first time.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Hmmm, doesn't look like I mentioned my most recently discovered book series and author here: Jasper Fforde's 'Thursday Next' books (and his 'Nursery Crime' books as well) are the best stories I've read in a long time (present company excepted, of course)! It's been interesting to look for them in bookstores, as they are sometimes multiply displayed; I would definitely count them as fantasy literature, as they take place in a parallel world - a basic premise similar to that of Pullman's 'Dark Materials' books.

The interaction between real and fictional worlds is what makes the books most fascinating, and the humour is wonderful, with many plays on literature and words. A review I heard called them "hypermetafiction"! Though each book is complete in itself, it's wise to read them in order, so that the ideas that continue from book to book can be understood. "The Eyre Affair" is the first book which presents the heroine Thursday Next, a literary detective who investigates crimes like abductions of original manuscripts which are held for ransom.

When the boundaries between 'real' and fictional worlds become porous, the stories are at their very best. Tolkien references are included very occasionally (don't know if copyright issues prevent more).

Highly recommended!!

[BGreg]

The best fantasy I read lately was George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire". It's a really good series and I enjoyed reading it (can't wait for the rest of his series). Characters are realistic, they're not just black&white, and you can relate even to the bad guys.

I also read Tad Williams, his "The Dragonbone Chair", but sadly I never got to read the rest of the trilogy.

Now, I've wanted to read all of Guy Gavriel Kay's work recently. I actually met the guy in person, and he signed a book for my friend. He's younger than I expected for such a famous writer. Anyway, he got me intrigued in his work, so I'll probably get on those books as soon as I can.

[Thinlómien]

Welcome to the Downs, BGreg! I can warmly recommend Guy Gavriel Kay, he's one of my favourite authors. He's just fascinatingly skilled with words and has a breathtaking sense of drama.

I quite like George R.R. Martin too and I'm anxiously waiting for the next novel to the series. Sadly, he seems to be a rather slow writer...

[Andsigil]

Not exactly fantasy, but historical fiction are two of my favorites:

The Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell

The Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser.

I can't recommend them both highly enough!

[Beregond]

Count another fan of A Song of Ice and Fire. Wish they weren't so crude at times, but they are realistic, I guess. And I'm not always a great fan of books that blur the line between good and evil, but George Martin's books have an amazing allure. One of the hardest series of books to put down once you start reading. Many sleepless nights are attributed to ASoIaF. They got me more interested in medieval study/way of speech a few years back when I read them.

I met G.R.R. at a book expo in New York in '05, he signed a preview of the fourth book. That was kind of neat! He looks the same in person as he does in pictures.

Following his blog is really frustrating though. All he talks about is American football - when me and thousands of fans are screaming for him to get on and finish Dance of Dragons (book 5, which was scheduled for release last year). I almost hate to say things like this, but after the death of Robert Jordan, I can't help worrying about whether we'll see the end of this series. G.R.R. seems to have lost interest, for the moment. I know if I were a writer I'd have the same problem finishing books, but...I'm not, and he is, and it's not fair that we have to wait!

[piosenniel]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Anyone taken a look at Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind?

It's gotta be of interest to Tolkien fans. Here's the dedication:

Anyone taken a look at Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind?

It's gotta be of interest to Tolkien fans. Here's the dedication:

** To my mother, who taught me to love books. Who opened the door to Narnia, Pern, and Middle Earth.

To my father, who taught me that if I was going to do something, I should take my time and do it right the first time. **

I just finished re-reading this book. Wonderfully written, lyrical at times. Nicely drawn 'world'. The story line is very engaging. And the end of this first book makes you want to shake the author 'til the pages of the next novel come tumbling out of his grey cells. sigh....

There are some reviews - HERE. Ignore the one from Amazon.com as I'm sure they were in the throws of the Harry Potter cash-phenomenon when it was written.

I'd recommend it.

I'm none too patiently awaiting the second novel which won't be out until April of 2009. Until then, I'm filling the time wandering through Charles de Lint's interesting town - Newford, laughing my way again through Mr. Pratchett's amazing Disc World, trekking about in George R.R. Martin's Westeros. And last but not least, solving mysteries with Sister Fidelma in mid-seventh century A.D. Ireland.