What other fantasy books do YOU read?

[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).