What other fantasy books do YOU read? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Inziladun · 07-07-2009, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

Do you like Lovecraft (Howard Phillips, i mean

)? Some of his early stories sort of border on the fantasy genre, but personally, I prefer the Cthulhu stuff.

The Cthulhu Mythos is good, but two of my favourites are The Whisperer In Darkness and The Shadow Over Innsmouth.

Pitchwife · 07-07-2009, 04:53 PM

Agreed, that's two of his best! I'd like to add Mountains of Madness, with its glimpses of vast prehistoric ages (and the tantalizing mystery of what was beyond those accursed other mountains!) and Dreams in the Witch-House - the only story that ever gave me nightmares (Brown Jenkin! Brrrr!).
However, I digress...

Legate of Amon Lanc · 07-08-2009, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inziladun

I'll admit to being an (initially unwilling) fan of the Harry Potter series.
Beyond that, my tastes run more toward horror than fantasy.

I just started to re-read HP now (well... I started a few months ago, but during the school year, I was unable to move much, but now since summer started I managed the Goblet of Fire and now I am in the middle of 5, it's interesting how one reads it differently after some time - especially with the Goblet it was really great to follow the character of Moody and try to see the story through his eyes. I never read 4-7 more than once (and I always read them when they came out), so I'm interested to see what it's going to be like, how it will differ from the first reading.
I happened to read the first HP "before the wave came", that is, when it was still unknown, I sort of randomly stumbled on it (my grandmother who worked in a library back then mentioned it to me) and I was not particularly fascinated, but as the others came out, I followed. The third was probably the one which broke it, I bought it on the very day it came out and thought that I'll read it during the weekend when I was home alone, but I started to read and could not leave it unfinished - so I practically read it all in one evening. Since the fourth, I have been reading them in English, as I did not want to wait half a year for translation. And of course, since the fourth it became much more... serious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

Do you like Lovecraft (Howard Phillips, i mean

)? Some of his early stories sort of border on the fantasy genre, but personally, I prefer the Cthulhu stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inziladun

The Cthulhu Mythos is good, but two of my favourites are The Whisperer In Darkness and The Shadow Over Innsmouth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

Agreed, that's two of his best! I'd like to add Mountains of Madness, with its glimpses of vast prehistoric ages (and the tantalizing mystery of what was beyond those accursed other mountains!) and Dreams in the Witch-House - the only story that ever gave me nightmares (Brown Jenkin! Brrrr!).
However, I digress...

Hey, I like HP (

Lovecraft, not the scar-forehead boy) too, I'd list him among my favourite together with Tolkien and Chinghiz Aitmatov (other two in the top five would be probably Andrzej Sapkowski, a Polish fantasy author, and then maybe the Potter stuff... though I'm not so keen on advertising it because it's so widespread). I like At the Mountains of Madness a lot and lot of the "Cthulhu-stuff" as well, though I have some of my favs among the shorter stories (like Polaris and this thing about the German submarine, can't recall the name now). I also like the Dream-cycle stuff, though, especially wherever it's mixed with the Old Ones. I was so cheered up when I read the Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath this spring and I noticed that at one point, Nyarlathotep is called "Legate" there!

The first one I read from him was the Haunter of the Dark, which I read in one SF magazine, and it's still probably the best for me. It has brilliant atmosphere and I just love it. I recently discovered that it was actually the last story he wrote, so I wonder whether it has anything to do with it.

JeffF. · 07-08-2009, 10:19 AM

I like the stories of his Middle Earth-like world. I particularly like the Silver Duology which is plainly (thinly disguised) his version of the Dwarves retaking Moria.

Pitchwife · 07-09-2009, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

I was so cheered up when I read the Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath this spring and I noticed that at one point, Nyarlathotep is called "Legate" there!

Ever considered Crawling Chaos as your personal title?

McCaber · 07-28-2009, 05:14 AM

People who have read A Game of Thrones: Sean Bean will play the part of Eddard Stark in the coming HBO series.

Nerwen · 08-28-2009, 07:18 AM

Well, I started to read Ashling, the second sequel to Obernewtyn, a fantasy for teenagers. I read the first book when I was a teenager, and liked it, but I don't know if I can be bothered with this one. Maybe it's just that I'm too old and too cynical these days.

I mean, the first instalment wasn't exactly original– your standard neo-medieval post-apocalyptic fare, complete with psychic mutants. (The Chrysalids must vie with LotR for the title of Most Frequently Ripped-off SF Novel.) All the same, if my memory's not playing me false, it wasn't too bad and the really cliched stuff stayed in the background.

With this one it's taken over... all the mutants now have silly Capitalised Names for their various "Talents"– in fact Everything Is In Capitals– and the story's going round and round in circles and seems likely to end exactly where the first book left off.... you know the kind of thing.

*sigh*

Oh, and there's a character named Angina(!), and it's not meant to be a joke.

Gwathagor · 08-28-2009, 01:34 PM

Anyone read the Mistborn series? I'm on the second book, The Well of Ascension. Good stories so far, ingenious system of magic. The writing itself is decent, but not fantastic (no pun intended).

Thinlómien · 12-30-2009, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McCaber

People who have read A Game of Thrones: Sean Bean will play the part of Eddard Stark in the coming HBO series.

Really?! That's cool.

(Although he wouldn't have been my first choice for the role, but with his skill, I know he can do it!)

Has anyone read Vellum by Hal Duncan? I just finished it, and I must say it was quite baffling. I have some (a lot of?) criticism against it, but I can't help but be hooked when someone takes ancient sumerian myths, the Bible and various other things and makes them into a pompously grand-scale mix involving a lost pre-ice age civilisation and repeated appearances of certain mythical characters throughout times and places...

07-07-2009, 04:53 PM	#2
Pitchwife Wight of the Old Forest Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Unattended on the railway station, in the litter at the dancehall Posts: 3,329	Agreed, that's two of his best! I'd like to add Mountains of Madness, with its glimpses of vast prehistoric ages (and the tantalizing mystery of what was beyond those accursed other mountains!) and Dreams in the Witch-House - the only story that ever gave me nightmares (Brown Jenkin! Brrrr!). However, I digress... __________________ Und aus dem Erebos kamen viele seelen herauf der abgeschiedenen toten.- Homer, Odyssey, Canto XI

07-08-2009, 10:19 AM	#4
JeffF. Haunting Spirit Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 70	Dennis McKiernan books I like the stories of his Middle Earth-like world. I particularly like the Silver Duology which is plainly (thinly disguised) his version of the Dwarves retaking Moria. __________________ JeffF(Fingolfin)

07-28-2009, 05:14 AM	#6
McCaber Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Skyrim, again. Posts: 820	People who have read A Game of Thrones: Sean Bean will play the part of Eddard Stark in the coming HBO series. __________________ Werewolves vs. Fishmen. The battle of the century.

08-28-2009, 07:18 AM	#7
Nerwen Wisest of the Noldor Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: ˙˙˙ssɐןƃ ƃuıʞooן ǝɥʇ ɥƃnoɹɥʇ Posts: 6,694	Well, I started to read Ashling, the second sequel to Obernewtyn, a fantasy for teenagers. I read the first book when I was a teenager, and liked it, but I don't know if I can be bothered with this one. Maybe it's just that I'm too old and too cynical these days. I mean, the first instalment wasn't exactly original– your standard neo-medieval post-apocalyptic fare, complete with psychic mutants. (The Chrysalids must vie with LotR for the title of Most Frequently Ripped-off SF Novel.) All the same, if my memory's not playing me false, it wasn't too bad and the really cliched stuff stayed in the background. With this one it's taken over... all the mutants now have silly Capitalised Names for their various "Talents"– in fact Everything Is In Capitals– and the story's going round and round in circles and seems likely to end exactly where the first book left off.... you know the kind of thing. sigh Oh, and there's a character named Angina(!), and it's not meant to be a joke. __________________ "Even Nerwen wasn't evil in the beginning." –Elmo.

08-28-2009, 01:34 PM	#8
Gwathagor Shade with a Blade Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: A Rainy Night In Soho Posts: 2,512	Anyone read the Mistborn series? I'm on the second book, The Well of Ascension. Good stories so far, ingenious system of magic. The writing itself is decent, but not fantastic (no pun intended). __________________ Stories and songs.