What other fantasy books do YOU read?

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Galadriel

No, but you could say I live far, far away.

I was looking at some reviews on Amazon, and they said that the series actually lacked humanity, and that the characters appeared somewhat flat and inconsistent with their own personalities. That itself was enough to turn me off again, though the book is lying in my basket...

No, they're not 'flat' at all. One thing you often find in dystopian fiction is that it's all about the situation and characters seem to be only ciphers, especially those who aren't the protagonist. But what I did like about this was that the narrator (it's first person) Katniss is very much human and reacts in a natural way. She is a tough cookie, but questions herself and changes throughout as anyone would. Nor are the other characters 'flat'.

The concept it's based around is inhumane of course, but that's the story, how people react to and deal with an inhumane situation.

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

No, they're not 'flat' at all. One thing you often find in dystopian fiction is that it's all about the situation and characters seem to be only ciphers, especially those who aren't the protagonist. But what I did like about this was that the narrator (it's first person) Katniss is very much human and reacts in a natural way. She is a tough cookie, but questions herself and changes throughout as anyone would. Nor are the other characters 'flat'.

The concept it's based around is inhumane of course, but that's the story, how people react to and deal with an inhumane situation.

Actually, I've never read dystopian novels. I am not terribly fond of futuristic books/movies - I much prefer stuff that takes me into the past, for some reason.

I *did* buy a book called Duncton Wood - it had some pretty fantastic reviews, and I'm curious to see how it turns out. An epic fantasy with moles as protagonists - intriguing.

[McCaber]

As kludgy as the Wheel of Time got between books 7 and 10, it really picked up towards the end. Now the last book has a release date set for next January and I'm actually excited for it.

Brian Sanderson's done one hell of a job on the last two, and I have every confidence in his ability to finish this one strongly.

[Eruanna]

Anyone read Kate Griffin's Matthew Swift novels? 'A Madness of Angels' 'The Midnight Mayor' and 'The Neon Court'. The latest one is 'The Minority Council' which I'm just finishing. They're a brilliant read.

Matthew Swift is an 'urban magician' drawing power from the lights, fumes, history and cityscape of London. The books are full of fantastical but entirely believable characters.
Old Father Thames is real, magical power sings through the telephone lines, the dragon emblems of the City of London come into being to protect the city when needed...and sometimes, being dead doesn't mean you can't come back!

[Glorthelion]

Harry Potter series
The Chronicles of Narnia series
Deltora quest
Rowan of Rin
Ranger's apprentice

I must say None of the fantasy series mentioned above (save Harry Potter) were close to the high standards of writing set by Tolkien.

Glorthelion