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Let's talk about Fantasy (the genre)

JivinJeffJones

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Come out into the light, ye fantasy lovers! Don't be ashamed, or at least don't let your shame stop you from posting here. Tell me your favourite Fantasy author and series (no Tolkien!). Also, any tips on good fantasy books which have come out in the last year or two would be greatly appreciated.

My favourite author: well, it's hard to pick one. David Gemmel is good, though he's dead now and his books start getting a bit repetitive after you've read a few. There was an author named Phyllis Eisenstein who came out with a couple of really good books and then seemingly fell off the face of the earth. Terry Pratchett is funny, though he probably only just qualifies as fantasy. RE Feist is pretty good, though humourless. His recent books especially have been quite entertaining.

Fav. series: probably the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. There may be others I've enjoyed more, but I can't think of them. All of Hobb's other books have been duds imo.
 

Moiety

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When it comes to fantasy or scifi I usually prefer to experience it in a more visual medium than books. To exact way how things look can often make or break the experience for me. But 90% of them are based off the swords n spellbooks, or spaceships and phaserguns clichés, so they usually don't catch my interest.
 

Ivy

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I missed this thread. I am not a fantasy fan but my bookshelves are covered with it, and for some reason I stay married anyway. I'll get him to come drop some science up in here.
 

Asterion

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I looked at hobbs books and they sucked, I must have been looking at the dud ones :whisting: I have avoided fantasy books for at least a year or so now, but like Stypg, I get some more visual sources of fantasy. My favourite series would either be Dune or The Axis Trilogy (etal.). Read every single one... I don't remember a word of it...
 

JivinJeffJones

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I missed this thread. I am not a fantasy fan but my bookshelves are covered with it, and for some reason I stay married anyway. I'll get him to come drop some science up in here.

I understood almost none of this post. :huh:

You're not a fantasy fan but your bookshelves are covered with it? Does that mean you read it, or that someone else in your family does? I will hazily accept the marriage quip as an assertion of a correlation between fantasy-reading and high divorce rates. And "get him to come drop some science up in here"? Are you referring to this thread, or your bookshelf? And what kind of science? Sci-fi? Whuh?

And are you stalking me, resurrecting my failed threads? :thelook:
If so, thanks!
 

BerberElla

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I looked at hobbs books and they sucked, I must have been looking at the dud ones :whisting: I have avoided fantasy books for at least a year or so now, but like Stypg, I get some more visual sources of fantasy. My favourite series would either be Dune or The Axis Trilogy (etal.). Read every single one... I don't remember a word of it...

What? the Liveship traders was an awesome trilogy, the farseer one was a bit more meh, but the forest mage etc she made up for it again. :D

I just recently re-read a margaret weis and tracey hickman combo, the death gate cycle, and it's still as awesome to me as it was when I read it as a teen.

I loved the wheel of time series, but it went on for so long the author died before he finished them, so that just sucks, that will probably happen to the clan of the cave bear author too, fans have died waiting for the next book. :cry:

Katherine Kerr of course, but again the deverry saga went on for too long and started to get a bit stupid after the first 4 books lol.

I'm enjoying some of kate elliots work too.

All my books are in crates at the moment, but the minute I unpack them for my new bookshelves, when I buy them, after I floor the house (yes, could be ages lol) I will post all my favourite fantasy series, I am a total nut for fantasy stories. :yes:
 

NoahFence

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Going to dodge the Dragonlance/Wheel of Time set, you've probably heard of those.

George R.R. Martin - Game of Thrones was right amazing. Huge scope, really captures the uneasy stasis artificially forcing various nobility together.

Joel Rosenberg - "Guardians of the Flame" series. The only non-hokey "modern day humans thrust into fantasy-land" books I've ever read...he does a great job with both the culture clash and the whole "Hello Mr. Swordsman check out my flintlock" scenario.

Vast majority of my collection is Sci-Fi. Some of which borders on fantasy. Dan Simmons' Illium is an example of this, combining technology with greek gods.

I understood almost none of this post. :huh:

I'm Ivy's husband.

*Cue Beam of Light from heaven, target: JivenJeffJones forehead*
 

Ivy

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I understood almost none of this post. :huh:

You're not a fantasy fan but your bookshelves are covered with it? Does that mean you read it, or that someone else in your family does? I will hazily accept the marriage quip as an assertion of a correlation between fantasy-reading and high divorce rates. And "get him to come drop some science up in here"? Are you referring to this thread, or your bookshelf? And what kind of science? Sci-fi? Whuh?

And are you stalking me, resurrecting my failed threads? :thelook:
If so, thanks!

For understanding almost none of that post, you sure explicated it nicely.

I was looking through thread titles of yours and a few other members I stalk, looking for ones I could butcher for a new thread I'm trying to create, but for some reason the forum isn't letting me post new threads. So my alibi is shot. :(
 

JivinJeffJones

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Hi Noah! Long long time no see!

Going to dodge the Dragonlance/Wheel of Time set, you've probably heard of those.

I've heard of them, but I haven't read any since I was about 13. I can't really remember the reason for that - it's possible that I stopped because a few of the characters went bad and the love-interest chicky was sleeping around. I've been wondering recently if I should give them another shot.

George R.R. Martin - Game of Thrones was right amazing. Huge scope, really captures the uneasy stasis artificially forcing various nobility together.

Yeah I just finished reading that series, and I can't begin to tell you how pissed off I was with the last book. More precisely, with the last (smug) chapter of the last book. Then he leaves a little note about how he expects to put the next book out sometime in '05. The git.

Joel Rosenberg - "Guardians of the Flame" series. The only non-hokey "modern day humans thrust into fantasy-land" books I've ever read...he does a great job with both the culture clash and the whole "Hello Mr. Swordsman check out my flintlock" scenario.

Cool, haven't heard of those. Will check it out.

Vast majority of my collection is Sci-Fi. Some of which borders on fantasy. Dan Simmons' Illium is an example of this, combining technology with greek gods.

I read Hyperion and whatever the next book in that series was, and was extremely impressed, especially with Hyperion. I haven't looked into too many of his other books though, mostly because I haven't seen them for sale. I'm not at all averse to sci-fi, just not before bedtime for some reason.

I'm Ivy's husband.

Yeah I remember you. Seems you used to post more, or am I thinking of INTPc? Thanks for the tips!
 

JivinJeffJones

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What? the Liveship traders was an awesome trilogy, the farseer one was a bit more meh, but the forest mage etc she made up for it again. :D

I have exactly the opposite views, but that's cool. I think the Liveship Traders was more female-friendly actually. Lots of love-triangles in that one.

I just recently re-read a margaret weis and tracey hickman combo, the death gate cycle, and it's still as awesome to me as it was when I read it as a teen.

Looks like this might be a place to start for me.

I loved the wheel of time series, but it went on for so long the author died before he finished them, so that just sucks

Don't get me started. He could've easily finished the series 5 years ago (10 even?) if he had started each book with a synopsis of what had gone before instead of stuffing it into every book all over again. And he kept introducing new, unnecessary characters and making the story bigger and bigger until it had slowed down to a crawl. He should've killed off half the characters to lose some weight and get it started again. Even more infuriating was that he was writing other books with his main series unfinished.

Katherine Kerr of course, but again the deverry saga went on for too long and started to get a bit stupid after the first 4 books lol.

I have trouble getting into any books with a female as the protagonist. This is probably indicative of a deep flaw in me or my motivation for reading fantasy.

I'm enjoying some of kate elliots work too.

Interesting, never heard of her. I'll look into her.

All my books are in crates at the moment, but the minute I unpack them for my new bookshelves, when I buy them, after I floor the house (yes, could be ages lol) I will post all my favourite fantasy series, I am a total nut for fantasy stories. :yes:

Hurry up!
 

NoahFence

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Jun 23, 2007
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Much more presense on INTPC than here...tends to be easier to keep up with over there. My post count drops when my cyborg body's batteries run low.

And I cannot in good conscience discuss SciFi in this thread...you'll have to make a "Let's talk about SciFi (the genre)" thread.
 

ed111

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Sep 9, 2008
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I got bored of Pratchett after the first few books, didn't even bother with Dragon Lance, David Eddings's first series was OK but then he carbon copied it for his second series of books. I enjoyed David Gemmil's books, but they mostly have a similar theme.

My favourite fantasy series has to be Stephen King's Dark Tower books, which gradually increase in size. I feel sad that they ever had to end.
 
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