(July 24, 2015 at 3:56 pm)ILoveMRHMWogglebugTE Wrote: What are your favorite fantasy books and writers, and why?
Lately I've been reading a lot of urban fantasy. Vampires, werewolves, witches, warlocks, demons, fairies, elves and all other mythical creatures in modern settings. The Hollows series by Kim Harrison (sadly, complete) and the Dresden series by Jim Butcher (coming to a close if not already done) are currently my favorites with the Kitty series by Carrie Vaughn (also winding down with the final book due out later this year) and the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs also being quite good.
Other Fantasy I've read and completely enjoyed, most of it within the last five years or so...
C.S. Lewis tells some good tales in the Narnia books. Yes, I realize they're for kids and that they're biblical allegory, but so what. It's still fiction and pretty well told.
Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. Like the books by Lewis, written for younger readers, but they've held up surprisingly well.
Myth and Myth Adventures series by Robert Asprin. If you're interested in serious literature, stay far away from these. If you want goofy, ridiculous, sometimes raunchy fun, there's a ton of that here!
The Looking Glass Wars series by Frank Beddor. One of the best takes on "Alice" since she first fell down the rabbit hole!
The Fortress series C. J. Cherryh. For those who were warned off of the "Myth" books, here's your serious literature in fantasy format. Cherryh is one of the few authors to tackle both fantasy and sci-fi and do them both incredibly well.
Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. Another set of adolescent/young adult books that was glorious fun to read. Who could possibly not like a 12-year old criminal mastermind that sets out to steal gold from the fairies.
Anything and everything by Neil Gaiman, but especially "American Gods," "Neverwhere," and "Stardust" (lets please pretend the movie never happened). Despite (or maybe because of) his wide streak of dark humor, Gaiman has proven himself one of the most original and creative writers today.
As has been mentioned, the Discworld series by Sir Terry Pratchett. Top notch stuff!
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. The perfect answer to anyone who dislikes the Narnia "bible-stuff" books. Pullman actually wrote these to answer Lewis' challenge that you cannot create a fictional world without a benevolent god.
Anything and everything by Brandon Sanderson, especially the Mistborn series and "Elantris." I'm really hoping the Mistborn series gets made into movies, but Elantris does not. Hollywood would have to split it into three parts, or make an epic six-hour film. Otherwise it will be shit. Of course, Hollywood's adept at producing that...
Mary Stewart wrote a trilogy based on Merlin that was quite different from the usual Arthurian fare and incredibly good.
Thief and assassin for hire. Member in good standing of the Rogues Guild.
