Top 10 Fantasy Series: What are yours?
NAMELSS
Hello,
I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
Please respond with yours!
TOP 10
~~~~~~
#1 Wheel Of Time- RJ
#2 Dragonlance Chronicles- Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
#3 Icewind Dale Trilogy- R.A. Salvatore
#4 Riftwar Saga- Raymond Feist
#5 Prydain Series (Book Of Three, etc..)- Lloyd Alexander
#6 Belgariad- David Eddings
#7 Earthsea Trilogy- Ursula LeGuin
#8 The Seventh Sword- Dave Duncan
#9 Dancing God Series- Jack Chalker
#10 Xanth- Piers Anthony
Honorable Mentions:
Lord Of Rings- JRR Tolkien
Shannara- Terry Brooks
Once again please post with your favorites and maybe everyone will be able
to find a new series of books that they haven't read before!
Thanks,
Aaron Rough
Andrea Lynn Leistra
In article <4otlrn$d...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, NAMELSS <nam...@aol.com> wrote:
>Hello,
> I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
>for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
>and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
>Please respond with yours!
You should check out
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~aleistra/booklist.html, where I have a
compilation of the recommendations of rasfwrjites.
In no particular order, though, I'd suggest Tad Williams' _Memory, Sorrow,
and Thorn_ trilogy, Stephen Donaldson's _Chronicles of Thomas Covenant_
trilogies, C.S. Friedman's Coldfire trilogy, and Orson Scott Card's Tales
of Alvin Maker (four books out of five are published so far). I'd also
recommend Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy, or at least the first two
volumes, but judging by your tastes I don't think you'd like it too much.
--
Andrea Leistra http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~aleistra
-----
Life is complex. It has real and imaginary parts.
Don HARLOW
nam...@aol.com (NAMELSS) lastatempe skribis:
>Hello,
> I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
>for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
>and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
>Please respond with yours!
>TOP 10
>~~~~~~
>#1 Wheel Of Time- RJ
>#2 Dragonlance Chronicles- Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
>#3 Icewind Dale Trilogy- R.A. Salvatore
>#4 Riftwar Saga- Raymond Feist
>#5 Prydain Series (Book Of Three, etc..)- Lloyd Alexander
>#6 Belgariad- David Eddings
>#7 Earthsea Trilogy- Ursula LeGuin
>#8 The Seventh Sword- Dave Duncan
>#9 Dancing God Series- Jack Chalker
>#10 Xanth- Piers Anthony
>Honorable Mentions:
> Lord Of Rings- JRR Tolkien
> Shannara- Terry Brooks
>Once again please post with your favorites and maybe everyone will be able
>to find a new series of books that they haven't read before!
>Thanks,
>Aaron Rough
#1 - The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
#2 - Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (Tad Williams)
#3 - The Deed of Paksennarion (Elizabeth Moon)
It'd be hard for me to rate any of the others. Feist + Wurts are
certainly up in the top ten with the "Chickie of the Empire" trilogy,
which was better than Feist's go-it-alone Riftwar Saga; but neither is
as good as Dave Duncan's "A Man of His Word" (which I'll include as a
single series with "A Handful of Men"). Been a long time since
LeGuin's "Earthsea Trilogy" (which now contains four books, I
believe), but I remember the first as being enjoyable, the second and
third less so. Had Eddings been satisfied with "Pawn of Prophecy" he
would be up there, too, for his fresh and invigorating writing style;
but by about the sixth book, that "fresh, invigorating style" was
getting awfully old and boring. Also worth reading: Katharine Kerr's
"Deverry" stories, Melanie Rawn's first six books (if you can stomach
an unholy child of Harlequin and the S.C.A., the series is actually
quite good), and, naturally, Barbara Hambly's "Darwath Trilogy", her
first three books ("by Tolkien, out of Lovecraft").
I'd like to include J.R.R. up there as well, but by current standards
his plot was simplistic and his character development non-existent. I
enjoyed reading the series the first time, because it was the only
currently-written traditional fantasy around (stories like those
published by Campbell in "Unknown Worlds" were quite a different
species of fish) and Tolkien had a good grasp of myth, but I never did
manage to plow through it a second time. I would also like to include
C.S. Lewis's Narnia stories and the Ransom Trilogy -- except, for the
latter, I could never stomach "Perelandra" (but I loved "Out of the
Silent Planet" and "That Hideous Strength").
Don HARLOW
http://www.webcom.com/~donh/
(English version available at http://www.webcom.com/~donh/dona.html)
oddity
NAMELSS (nam...@aol.com) wrote:
: Hello,
: I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
: for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
: and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
: Please respond with yours!
: TOP 10
: ~~~~~~
: #1 Wheel Of Time- RJ
: #2 Dragonlance Chronicles- Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
: #3 Icewind Dale Trilogy- R.A. Salvatore
: #4 Riftwar Saga- Raymond Feist
: #5 Prydain Series (Book Of Three, etc..)- Lloyd Alexander
: #6 Belgariad- David Eddings
: #7 Earthsea Trilogy- Ursula LeGuin
: #8 The Seventh Sword- Dave Duncan
: #9 Dancing God Series- Jack Chalker
: #10 Xanth- Piers Anthony
Let me reiterate the age question... There are 2 or 3 excellent books in the
whole series, but that does not make it a good series. Even Piers admits it's
crap that he just writes for the money.
: Honorable Mentions:
: Lord Of Rings- JRR Tolkien
: Shannara- Terry Brooks
: Once again please post with your favorites and maybe everyone will be able
: to find a new series of books that they haven't read before!
: Thanks,
: Aaron Rough
And now.. my top ten :)
1. Wheel of Time - ... I forget the authors name, can anyone clue me in?
2. I HAVE forgetten the name of this series. With Haplo, Lord Xar, Alfred,
and Hugh the Hand - Weiss & Hickman
3. Riftwar - Feist
4. Incarnations of Immortality
5. Once again, the name eludes me. Croaker, Soulcatcher, anyone? - Glen Cook
(Did Glittering Stone ever come out? I'm still waiting..)
6. Discworld -Terry Pratchet
7. LotR - Tolkein
8. Amber - Zelazny
9. The Belgariad - Eddings
( Haven't read this in a while, but it seems to keep droppping on my list :( )
10. The avatar Trilogy - Collective TSR
I can't remember everything I've ever read (sorry) so I've probably missed
one or two really good things that should be in here. Oh, btw, #4 is by Piers
Anthony.
--
/---------------------------------------------------------------------------\
| Alex McConnell - odd...@knight.ufp.org |
| Here's a bunch of space that serves no apparant purpose. |
| That's because you don't see the subliminal messages. |
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------/
Hohn Cho
> I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
>for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
>and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
>Please respond with yours!
#10 Belgariad -- David Eddings
#9 Xanth -- Piers Anthony (what can I say, I like puns...)
#8 Wheel of Time -- Robert Jordan
#7 Mallorean -- Eddings
#6 Gor Series -- John Norman (take out the sex, and it's really good)
#5 Dragonlance: Tales -- Weis, Hickman and various others
#4 Bio of a Space Tyrant -- Anthony (thanks for the rec, Chad!)
#3 Elenium -- Eddings
#2 Tamuli -- Eddings (what can I say, he just keeps on getting better)
#1 Wizard's First Rule Series -- Terry Goodkind (take that, John!)
--
Sincerely,
Hohn Cho
hoh...@kaiwan.com
Don HARLOW
hoh...@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Hohn Cho) lastatempe skribis:
>#6 Gor Series -- John Norman (take out the sex, and it's really good)
Not only that, but it's easy to read, because it's reduced to one slim
volume!
Michael Kozlowski
>TOP 10
>~~~~~~
>#1 Wheel Of Time- RJ
>#2 Dragonlance Chronicles- Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
>#3 Icewind Dale Trilogy- R.A. Salvatore
>#4 Riftwar Saga- Raymond Feist
>#5 Prydain Series (Book Of Three, etc..)- Lloyd Alexander
>#6 Belgariad- David Eddings
>#7 Earthsea Trilogy- Ursula LeGuin
>#8 The Seventh Sword- Dave Duncan
>#9 Dancing God Series- Jack Chalker
>#10 Xanth- Piers Anthony
You have just confirmed every nasty stereotype of Jordan fans and AOLers.
I hope you're happy.
--
Michael Kozlowski
mlko...@students.wisc.edu
kozl...@cs.wisc.edu
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~kozlowsk
John S. Novak, III
>#10 Belgariad -- David Eddings
>#9 Xanth -- Piers Anthony (what can I say, I like puns...)
>#7 Mallorean -- Eddings
>#6 Gor Series -- John Norman (take out the sex, and it's really good)
>#5 Dragonlance: Tales -- Weis, Hickman and various others
>#4 Bio of a Space Tyrant -- Anthony (thanks for the rec, Chad!)
>#3 Elenium -- Eddings
>#2 Tamuli -- Eddings (what can I say, he just keeps on getting better)
>#1 Wizard's First Rule Series -- Terry Goodkind (take that, John!)
Jeezus, he wants the best, not the worst, Hohn.
--
John S. Novak, III j...@cegt201.bradley.edu
http://cegt201.bradley.edu/~jsn/index.html
The Humblest Man on the Net
oddity
Hohn Cho (hoh...@uclink2.berkeley.edu) wrote:
: #4 Bio of a Space Tyrant -- Anthony (thanks for the rec, Chad!)
This is SF, not Fantasy... tho it is a good series :)
Tim Ni
On 2 Jun 1996 23:23:35 -0400, nam...@aol.com (NAMELSS) wrote:
>TOP 10
>#1 Wheel Of Time- RJ
>#2 Dragonlance Chronicles- Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
>#3 Icewind Dale Trilogy- R.A. Salvatore
Bleah McFantasy. Though Salvatore is a bit better than the rest.
>#6 Belgariad- David Eddings
Is the Belgariad that good? Am I the only one who has never read
Eddings around here?
>#10 Xanth- Piers Anthony
Xanth? Was that written last year? About 400 books ago?
>Honorable Mentions:
> Lord Of Rings- JRR Tolkien
LotR -- honourable mention?!
Is it me, or does the fantasy genre have a lot more fluff than other
genre's?
Timothy Ni, t...@po-box.mcgill.ca
Montreal, Canada
"Courtney Love killed Asmodean"
Kenneth G. Cavness
Hohn Cho (hoh...@uclink2.berkeley.edu) wrote:
: In article <4otlrn$d...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, NAMELSS <nam...@aol.com> wrote:
: > I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
: >for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
: >and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
: >Please respond with yours!
: #10 Belgariad -- David Eddings
: #9 Xanth -- Piers Anthony (what can I say, I like puns...)
: #8 Wheel of Time -- Robert Jordan
: #7 Mallorean -- Eddings
: #6 Gor Series -- John Norman (take out the sex, and it's really good)
: #5 Dragonlance: Tales -- Weis, Hickman and various others
: #4 Bio of a Space Tyrant -- Anthony (thanks for the rec, Chad!)
: #3 Elenium -- Eddings
: #2 Tamuli -- Eddings (what can I say, he just keeps on getting better)
: #1 Wizard's First Rule Series -- Terry Goodkind (take that, John!)
What a cute little troll.
David Ian Badilotti
odd...@knight.ufp.org (oddity) wrote:
>5. Once again, the name eludes me. Croaker, Soulcatcher, anyone? - Glen Cook
>(Did Glittering Stone ever come out? I'm still waiting..)
I will not comment on your choices, (Tastes Vary(tm)?) but the group
of books involving the above characters can be collectively referred
to as the the Black Company series. There are actually a couple of
series plus one stand alone book.
Arthur Kleiman
Here is my top 10 list.
1. Kathrine Kurtz-- Deryni series
2. Robert Jordan-- Wheel Of Time series
3. Anne McCaffrey-- Dragonriders of Pern (including Harper Hall) series
4. Anne McCaffrey-- Crystal Singer series
5. C.J. Cherryh-- The Alliance-Union Universe
6. Jerry Pournelle-- Tran series
7. Donaldson-- The Chroncles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever series
8. Mercedes Lackey-- Valdemar novels
9. C.J. Cherryh-- Merovingen Nights series
10. C.J. Cherryh-- The Foreigner Universe
Jeffrey Schneck
#9 Shannara -- Brooks (Not really like most series, ie not same char)
#8 Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold -- Brooks (humorous)
#7 Incanations of Immortality -- Anthony (May not be fantasy but good)
#6 Dragonlance: Chronicles -- Weis & Hickman (Were tales really necc.)
#5 Belgariad -- Eddings
#4 Elric -- Moorecock (A real Bad-*** hero with a black blade)
#3 Dragonlance: Legends -- Weis & Hickman (Dragonlance needed to die
after this series)
#2 RiftWar Saga -- Fiest (Powerful Wizard, Powerful Warrior what more
could you ask for?)
#1 Wheel of Time -- Jordon (Details with boring you, good char. dev.)
Stuart Lamble
oddity (odd...@knight.ufp.org) wrote:
[snippety snip]
: And now.. my top ten :)
: 1. Wheel of Time - ... I forget the authors name, can anyone clue me in?
Duuuuuh...I forgot too. :-)
: 2. I HAVE forgetten the name of this series. With Haplo, Lord Xar, Alfred,
: and Hugh the Hand - Weiss & Hickman
The Death Gate cycle - no real argument here about its position.
[more snipping]
: 9. The Belgariad - Eddings
: ( Haven't read this in a while, but it seems to keep droppping on my
: list :( )
It's good the first time around, possibly even the second, but it doesn't
have the same sort of re-read value that something like LotR, or tWoT,
has. Usually good for the "waiting ten minutes for the dentist" type
situation.
--
I'm on a low-fat, high stress diet: coffee and fingernails.
Don HARLOW
Arthur Kleiman <adri...@earthlink.net> lastatempe skribis:
How do 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10 qualify as fantasies? I'd class 'em as
science-fiction, myself...
Morten Schjelle Larssen
On 3 Jun 1996 06:48:46 GMT, hoh...@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Hohn Cho)
wrote:
>In article <4otlrn$d...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, NAMELSS <nam...@aol.com> wrote:
>
>> I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
>>for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
>>and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
>>Please respond with yours!
>
>#10 Belgariad -- David Eddings
>#9 Xanth -- Piers Anthony (what can I say, I like puns...)
>#8 Wheel of Time -- Robert Jordan
>#7 Mallorean -- Eddings
>#6 Gor Series -- John Norman (take out the sex, and it's really good)
>#5 Dragonlance: Tales -- Weis, Hickman and various others
>#4 Bio of a Space Tyrant -- Anthony (thanks for the rec, Chad!)
>#3 Elenium -- Eddings
>#2 Tamuli -- Eddings (what can I say, he just keeps on getting better)
>#1 Wizard's First Rule Series -- Terry Goodkind (take that, John!)
>
>--
>Sincerely,
>Hohn Cho
>hoh...@kaiwan.com
If you take the sex out of the GOR books, there's hardly anything
left, and at 20-something books that get's kind of repetetive.
My own suggestions :
# 5 Donaldson : Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
# 4 Rosenberg : Guardians of the Flame
# 3 Feist / Wurts : Empire - Trilogy
# 2 Jordan : Wheel of Time
# 1 Tolkien : Lord of the Rings
Tolkien is still on top for the pure pleasure of reading fantasy by a
man that was a master of language.
Best regards
Morten Schjelle Larssen
msla...@online.no
Ravi
cav...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Kenneth G. Cavness) wrote:
>Hohn Cho (hoh...@uclink2.berkeley.edu) wrote:
>: In article <4otlrn$d...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, NAMELSS <nam...@aol.com> wrote:
>>
>: #10 Belgariad -- David Eddings
>: #9 Xanth -- Piers Anthony (what can I say, I like puns...)
>: #8 Wheel of Time -- Robert Jordan
>: #7 Mallorean -- Eddings
>: #6 Gor Series -- John Norman (take out the sex, and it's really good)
>: #5 Dragonlance: Tales -- Weis, Hickman and various others
>: #4 Bio of a Space Tyrant -- Anthony (thanks for the rec, Chad!)
>: #3 Elenium -- Eddings
>: #2 Tamuli -- Eddings (what can I say, he just keeps on getting better)
>: #1 Wizard's First Rule Series -- Terry Goodkind (take that, John!)
#1 fantasy book of all time IMHO is the Bible. It has great characters
and the stories just indulge me.
mhunter
On 03-Jun-96 00:16:08, Tim Ni (t...@po-box.mcgill.ca) wrote in rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan:
>On 2 Jun 1996 23:23:35 -0400, nam...@aol.com (NAMELSS) wrote:
>>#2 Dragonlance Chronicles- Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
>>#3 Icewind Dale Trilogy- R.A. Salvatore
>Bleah McFantasy. Though Salvatore is a bit better than the rest.
The Weis and Hickman pair do OK most of the time, althought they
have been going downwards lately. Haven't read Salvatore.
>>#6 Belgariad- David Eddings
>Is the Belgariad that good? Am I the only one who has never read
>Eddings around here?
Yes. Keep it that way; Eddings is mind-candy, but not worth really
paying attention to (or spending huge amounts on).
>Is it me, or does the fantasy genre have a lot more fluff than other
>genre's?
Nah. Just the fluff is easier to spot.
--
Matthew Hunter (mhun...@andrew.cmu.edu)
Amiga 4000/030/18/CyberVision64/Ariadne
Vote Libertarian -- Harry Browne in '96!
Thomas Howard
Well, I'm not going to list all Fantasy series. Rather, my list
includes both SF and Fantasy. This is intended as a list only,
not a ranking.
1. Wheel of Time
2. Coldfire Trilogy- C.S. Friedman
3. Hyperion, etc.- Dan Simmons
4. 1st Chronicles of Thomas Covenant- Stephen Donaldson
5. 2nd " "- " "
6. Memory, Sorrow, &Thorn- Tad Williams
7. Uplift novels- David Brin
8. Known Space- Larry Niven
9. Sprawl Trilogy- William Gibson
10. Chronicle of Narnia- C.S. Lewis
This leaves out a lot, of course. I could list many more series,
as well as single novels. This is a decent representation of
my tastes though.
Thomas Howard
Andrea Lynn Leistra
In article <4ovvao$i...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>,
Kenneth G. Cavness <cav...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu> wrote:
>Arthur Kleiman (adri...@earthlink.net) wrote:
>: Here is my top 10 list.
>
>
>Oh, why the hell not. It's one more day. I haven't had my quota of quirky
>posts, since I didn't jump in on the Aeil warfare skids nor the casting
>threads.
> 7. Foundation -- Isaac Asimov
I thought he asked for _fantasy_ specifically, right?
Thomas Howard
Ravi wrote:
> #1 fantasy book of all time IMHO is the Bible. It has great
>characters and the stories just indulge me.
Frankly, I found the characterization weak, and there were too
many continuity gaps for my taste. This type of thing is to be
expected from a shared-world anthology though.
Thomas Howard
Emma Pease
In <4p065o$6...@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> wasser...@osu.edu (Bryon Wasserman) writes:
>ra...@ucla.edu (Ravi) wrote:
>>#1 fantasy book of all time IMHO is the Bible. It has great characters
>>and the stories just indulge me.
>Not to mention all the sex!
But Numbers and Leviticus do drag a bit.
I agree with some of the suggestions (Coldfire, LoTR, Taltos) but not
others. For ones not yet mentioned
Five Children and It (and its two sequels) by E. Nesbit, children's
fantasy, quirky, early 20th century
Godstalk (and sequels) by Hodgell
Door into ... by Duane
I'm not sure they would be in my top 10 but they would be up there.
Another good fantastical writer is Kipling (Brushwood Boy) though none
of his writings could be called a fantasy series.
Emma
--
\---- |blue|
|\* | Emma Pease Net Spinster | () |
|_\/ em...@csli.stanford.edu Die Luft der Freiheit weht | /\ |
David Ian Badilotti
badi...@autobahn.mb.ca (David Ian Badilotti) wrote:
> I will not comment on your choices, (Tastes Vary(tm)?) but the group
>of books involving the above characters can be collectively referred
>to as the the Black Company series. There are actually a couple of
>series plus one stand alone book.
hmmm... now where did that .sig go. I know I left it around here
somewhere. I knew I should have cleaned my desk yesterday.
Cordially,
David I. Badilotti
Them that asks no questions isn't told a lie --
Watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by!
- Rudyard Kipling
Kenneth G. Cavness
Oh, why the hell not. It's one more day. I haven't had my quota of quirky
posts, since I didn't jump in on the Aeil warfare skids nor the casting
threads.
10. Memory, Sorrow, Thorn -- Tad Williams
9. Fionavar Tapestry -- Guy Gavriel Kay
8. Vlad Taltos -- Steven Brust
7. Foundation -- Isaac Asimov
6. The Dark is Rising -- Susan Cooper
5. A Wrinkle in Time -- Madeline L'Engle
4. Coldfire Trilogy -- CS Friedman
3. Wolf of Winter series -- Paula Volsky
2. Any book by -- Terry Pratchett
1. Wheel of Time -- Robert Jordan
The last 4 can pretty much be said to be on equal terms, and the other 6
can be close behind. And yes, numbers 5 and 6 are children's novels, but
what can I say? I'm a sentamentalist.
-- Kenneth G. Cavness
Bryon Wasserman
ra...@ucla.edu (Ravi) wrote:
>#1 fantasy book of all time IMHO is the Bible. It has great characters
>and the stories just indulge me.
Not to mention all the sex!
Bryon Wasserman
b...@mps.ohio-state.edu
Teri Vogel
In <4otlrn$d...@newsbf02.news.aol.com> nam...@aol.com (NAMELSS) writes:
>
>Hello,
> I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently
looking
>for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking
responses
>and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
>Please respond with yours!
>TOP 10
In no order (because I'm too tired to rank them):
Belgariad--Eddings
Iron Tower Trilogy--McKiernan
Incarnations of Immortality--Anthony
Wheel of Time--Jordan [started this one about 5 weeks ago and about
finished with LofC]
Deryni, Camber, etc.--the 4 trilogies by Katherine Kurtz are probably
my favorites if I was forced to choose
Chronicle of Pydrain--Alexander
Kingdom of Landover--Brooks
Teri
Jeffry Smith
nam...@aol.com (NAMELSS) wrote:
>
>Hello,
> I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently
looking
>for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
>and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
>Please respond with yours!
>TOP 10
>#1 & #2 (Tie) Wheel Of Time- RJ
With LotR. JRRT gets points for inventing several languages, some with
multiple dialects, setting the standard for others to meet, using
countless allusions to various myths, etc. etc.
#3 Albion series by Stephen Lawhead -- I still haven't found the third
book, but I love the first two!
#4 Mordant's Need by Stephan - Wonderful books. Very good
characterizations, good plot with some surprises.
#5 Narnia Series by CS Lewis - Excellent. Would be higher, but I give
the adult series points for greater complexity. Atheists may not like
the Christian symbolism.
#6 Taliesan series by Stephen Lawhead - Arthur retold with freshness.
#7 Ransom Series by CS Lewis - Someone else mentioned they hated
Perelandra. I liked it, even if I thought some of the ideas were silly.
#8 Thomas Covenant-- Steven Donaldson - I hated parts of it while I read
it, and I thought Tom was unbelievably inept, but I kept reading, and
still think about it to this day.
#9 The Elenium - David Eddings Good characterizations, rather simple plot.
#10 Xanth seriers by Piers Anthony - I like puns too, Hohn.
-
JEFFRY SMITH BGL...@prodigy.com aka Jeff Smith
"If you think education is expensive, consider ignorance"
Robert Crawford
In hoh...@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Hohn Cho) write
>#6 Gor Series -- John Norman (take out the sex, and it's really good)
Then what's the point? Is there anything _left_?!
--
Robert Crawford craw...@iac.net http://www.iac.net/~crawford
The Lurker on the Threshold...
Michael Kozlowski
In article <4ou0jn$a...@solaris.cc.vt.edu>,
oddity <odd...@knight.ufp.org> wrote:
>NAMELSS (nam...@aol.com) wrote:
>: #10 Xanth- Piers Anthony
>Let me reiterate the age question... There are 2 or 3 excellent books in the
>whole series, but that does not make it a good series. Even Piers admits it's
>crap that he just writes for the money.
>4. Incarnations of Immortality
So let me get this straight: You lambast NAMELSS for liking a Piers
Anthony series, and then list one in your own top ten? Nice.
>10. The avatar Trilogy - Collective TSR
And _then_ you have the temerity to put this crap on your list. Look,
normally I'm a big advocate of YMMV, but with this book YM can not
possibly V. These books are crap. Pure, unadulterated, poorly written,
poorly plotted crap.
Ken Kofman
Hi,
I will include 'series' that only have one book. :-) Here is
my go at a top 10 list, though if you catch me on another day,
I might offer something slightly different.
In no case do I include a work not intended as fiction, thereby
excluding the Mahabarata, the Mabigonion, the Midrash, and a
multitude of marvelous myths. I similarly exclude compilations
such as Grimm's Fairy Tales and the 1,001 Nights, and other works
that are not novels. A Midsummer Night's Dream therefore doesn't
qualify, nor do the Iliad or Odyssey, or the corpus of the
Cthulhu mythos.
Penultimately, I have avoided to mention works still in progress,
such as Xanth, Gor, The Wheel of Time, Deverry, Amber, Brust's
Dragaeran cycle, The Vampire Chronicles, and Neveryona. Oops, I
just mentioned them. :-)
Finally, it is sometimes difficult to decide whether a work is
fantasy, or is more comfortably shelved with books from another
genre. To me, Dune seems closer to science fiction than fantasy,
as does the series beginning with A Wrinkle in Time. Lord of
Light doesn't belong here either, but it is probably the best work
of sf/fantasy crossover, and I include it anyway. So there.
1) Watership Down, by Richard Adams
This classic is one of the few books that really can be enjoyed
by children and adults. The rabbits here have more depth of character
than some of my neighbors. The plot is taut, but not simplistic,
and Adams has a fine ear for myth. If there is a perfect fantasy
book, this is it.
2) The Once and Future King, by T.H. White
The best telling of the Matter of Britain I know of. Of course, in
this version, the story of King Arthur has less to do with Britain
and more to do with more important matters, larger and smaller than
that of Britain. The story slows down in places, like a four by four
mired in mud, but its worth the effort to get past the rough spots.
The first part of the book, The Sword in the Stone, is a children's
classic, but this is a book meant for mature readers.
3) Ancient Evenings, by Norman Mailer
This is no ordinary fantasy novel. The writing will take your
breath away, if you have the patience to read it slowly, and savor
the flavor of an environment and mindset as alien as any. I have
read this book many times, but still find it difficult to explain
what it is about in a single sentence. But Mailer re-creates
ancient Egypt as it should have been, and brings it alive. It's
worth a visit.
4) The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
What more need be said? This is the book that spawned an entire
genre, and almost a subculture.
5) The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco
Some might argue that the book is a mystery - but Eco traipses over
genre boundaries like a Pakistani or Bostonian driver staying in his
own lane. When genres collide, the wreckage usually belongs either
in fantasy, science fiction or comedy. This wreckage is worth
picking through, whether you like mysteries, thrillers, or prefer
to find the hidden jokes and references. A must read.
6) Lord of Light, by Roger Zelazny
Prince Siddhartha, Lord of Light, Binder of Demons, also called Sam,
takes a stand against the Lords of Karma, who have set themselves up
as Hindu gods, with powers to match. Zelazny's best.
7) The Chronicles of Prydain, by Lloyd Alexander
Over the course of five books, Taran, a young assistant pig keeper
grows up, as the shadow of Arawn Deathlord lengthens over Prydain.
For children of all ages.
8) Maia, by Richard Adams
This book lacks the depth of some of the others, but the scope
of the world Adams created for this book and Shardik, another novel
set in the same world, is spectacular. Maia offers high fantasy
of a very different kind. Not for children.
9) The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, by Stephen Donaldson
The first Chronicles, that is, the trilogy of Lord Foul's Bane, The
Illearth War, and The Power that Preserves. Donaldson has an
idiosyncratic writing style, but if you can get past his predilection
for words like 'preternatural' and if you like your fantasy dark,
this series is worth checking out. The second trilogy is worth avoiding,
except for the first book.
10) Jalav, Warrior Princess, by Sharon Green
Hey, I'm serious! No, really. If you like your fantasy trashy, with
gratuitous sex and violence, and gratuitous sex, where men who can
agree on nothing else agree that nothing beats having a beautiful
woman, preferably one who doesn't want to be had, and anyone who is
anyone carries a sword and knows how to use it (no, not that kind
of sword, silly,) you'll probably enjoy this. Unlike some
series, such as Gor, the women don't all secretly aspire to be
slaves, and better still, the series has not only a beginning, but
also a definite end. Most of the series involves the heroine getting
into bad situations and various bad men getting into her, but there are
at least two real books worth of story in these five novels. Check
it out.
Anyway,
KenK
--
-------------------
ke...@best.com I am the cat and the canary,
k...@chromatic.com and ye who believe in me shall
not want for fur or feathers.
Carl Wanting
Well, in no particular order :
Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (Also enjoy his Conan stuff)
Dune series - Frank Herbert
Icewind Dale Trilogy - R.A. Salvatore
The Belgariad - David Eddings (Damn but this is a good series...)
Death Gate Cycle - Weiss and Hickman
The Warlock series - Christopher Stasheff (I highly recommend this one)
Discworld series - Terry "call him GOD" Pratchett
Conan series - Robert E. Howard, Lin Carter and L Sprague de Camp
Hitchhikers Guide trilogy - Douglas Adams
First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - Steven Donaldson
Tyger Lord
Okay, I'll give you the off-the-top-of-my-head list, 'cause unfortunately
my books are not available at the moment to skim.
ObSigh...had to narrow it down to Fantasy, didn't you?
Well, if it's at the top of my head, it must be balancing on the point!
(pointy ears, that is.)
***** The Wheel of Time - goes above the Top Ten..of course.
1) The Novels of Tiger and Del - Jennifer Roberson
Sword Dancer, Sword Singer, Sword Maker, Sword Breaker
2) The Ring of Allaire trilogy - I THINK it's by Susan Dexter..god, I
miss those books..
3) The Riddle-Master of Hed trilogy - Patricia A. McKillip
4) The Dragaeran Novels (Vlad Taltos) & Khaavren Romances - Steven Brust
5) The Deryni Saga - Katherine Kurtz
The Legends of Camber of Culdi trilogy, The Chronicles of the
Deryni trilogy,
The Histories of King Kelson trilogy
6) The Dragonriders of Pern series - Anne McCaffrey - yes, it is
technically SF, but..
7) The Earthsea Trilogy - Ursula K. LeGuin
8) The Amber series - Roger Zelazny
9) The Discworld series - Terry Pratchet
10) The Myth Adventures books - Robert Asprin - for the child at heart
And, of course for honorable mention as excellent when read for the first
time;
* The Lord of the Rings - JRR...oh, heck, you know
* The Shannara series...first three only - Terry Brooks
* The Riftwar Saga - Raymond E. Feist...for anyone who plays RPGs, this
is good.
* The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe series.. Gods, I've forgotten
the author!
*John Carter, Warlord of Mars - E. R. Burroughs (can't miss it!)
*And, as far as I'M concerned it's fantasy, Doc Savage, the entire
series...
Heh, thanks, now I have a list of what to reread next.....
Keep the Hunt Alive,
Nabu Greymane
Tyger Lord of the Northern Reaches
Empath1646
Ravi writes:
<<#1 fantasy book of all time IMHO is the Bible. It has great characters
and the stories just indulge me.>>
I always had a private joke that the Bible was a work by a prehistoric
fantasy author (something like the Silmarillion) and someone picked it up
and misunderstood it.
-------------------------------------------------
Daln deYannos
The opinions expressed therein, thereout, etc., are my opinions are your
opinions are everyone's. We are all one, although some suspect we are all
six and two thirds.
--------------------------------------------------------
"How did you DO that?"
"WHY did you do that?"
- Mystery Science Theater 3000
Empath1646
#1: Wheel of Time
#2: Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
#3: First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
#4: LoTR
#5: Riftwar
#6: Belgariad (embarrassing)
Can't think of any more. BTW, the worst were the Tamuli, The Gap Into
Conflict: The Real Story (first book), and DragonLance!
Chad R Orzel
In article <4ou1se$q...@agate.berkeley.edu>,
Hohn Cho <hoh...@uclink2.berkeley.edu> wrote:
>In article <4otlrn$d...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, NAMELSS <nam...@aol.com> wrote:
>
>>for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
>>and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
>>Please respond with yours!
>
>#9 Xanth -- Piers Anthony (what can I say, I like puns...)
>#7 Mallorean -- Eddings
>#6 Gor Series -- John Norman (take out the sex, and it's really good)
You're really, really bored, aren't you?
>#5 Dragonlance: Tales -- Weis, Hickman and various others
>#4 Bio of a Space Tyrant -- Anthony (thanks for the rec, Chad!)
Hey, no problem.
If you like this, you'll want to check out his short story collection...
damn, I can't remember the name, now. The one with "Up Schist Creek" and
"On the Farm" in it...
Later,
OilCan
("We can't have students wandering the halls during class, issuing vague
prophecies of a coming plague." "Um- yeah. Sorry 'bout that.")
Kenneth G. Cavness
Andrea Lynn Leistra (alei...@leland.Stanford.EDU) wrote:
: In article <4ovvao$i...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>,
: >: Here is my top 10 list.
: >
: >
: >Oh, why the hell not. It's one more day. I haven't had my quota of quirky
: >posts, since I didn't jump in on the Aeil warfare skids nor the casting
: >threads.
: > 7. Foundation -- Isaac Asimov
: I thought he asked for _fantasy_ specifically, right?
We'll get into that some other time. Ok, I'll exchange it for
7. Mordant's Need -- Stephen R. Donaldson.
Happy now?
Michael Kozlowski
In article <4ovvao$i...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>,
Kenneth G. Cavness <cav...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu> wrote:
> 3. Wolf of Winter series -- Paula Volsky
I don't know if I'd really call these a series. Sure, they take place in
the same world, but they're not really related.
But they _are_ good, although I still think _Illusion_ is the best of the
bunch.
Tracy Karachi
> In article <4otlrn$d...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, NAMELSS <nam...@aol.com>
wrote:
> >Hello,
> > I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
> >for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
> >and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
> >Please respond with yours!
>
My favorites in no order whatsoever:
Wheel of Time/Jordan
Deverry/Kerr
Tales of Aeron/Kenneally
Alvin Maker/Card
Summer Queen/Snow Queen/Vinge
Memory, Sorrow,and Thorn/Williams
Fionavar Tapestry/Kay
--
Tracy Karachi
kara...@cleo.bc.edu
Kenneth G. Cavness
Michael Kozlowski (kozl...@sol6.cs.wisc.edu) wrote:
: In article <4ovvao$i...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>,
: Kenneth G. Cavness <cav...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu> wrote:
: > 3. Wolf of Winter series -- Paula Volsky
: I don't know if I'd really call these a series. Sure, they take place in
: the same world, but they're not really related.
True; but I was stretching here. Trying to find _series_ as opposed to
_books_ that I liked more was actually quite difficult. I, unlike others
on this same thread, do not think one book a series makes.
: But they _are_ good, although I still think _Illusion_ is the best of the
: bunch.
Oh, by far. I think that _Illusion_ is classic material, but I wasn't asked
for favourite books.
Kyle Curry
I haven't written to this newsgroup before so I thought this was a good
message to reply to first.
Being 15 I haven't really read that many good fantasy series yet so I'll just
post what series I have read and a brief description
#1 The Chronicles Of Narnia by Lewis (read in second grade): Geared for the
youngsters.
#2 The Chronicles of Prydain by Alexander : Although geared for younger people
these books were very good I thought. They were short and very easy to
comprehend. All the stuff you could want from a fantasy series. I'd recommend
reading them just because they're so short and you could probably read them in
one or two sittings. Like I said they are aimed towards a younger audience.
#3 The Lord of the Rings by Tolkein: The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Rings
were very good but I only got half way through The Two Towers.
#4 The dark is Rising by Susan Copper: I don't know if I can classify this as
Fantasy or not but I loved these books. Geared to a younger audience, true, But
I just reread it last year and still loved every page of the books. Pretty
short books too.
For about three years other than rereading the Dark is Rising series I've stuck
pretty much to Star Trek novels. The only dips into the Fantasy world I took
were my three favorite Super Nintendo games....
#1. Secret of Mana
#2 Final Fantasy 3 <-- The BEST. Its great. I think anyone reading this note
would love it. If you are slightly interested write me.
I'd be more than happy to explain the plot.
#3 Chrono Trigger
Then some suggested...
#5 The Wheel of time--- True, I only just finisher EOW and started TGH but this
series is great...but if your reading this you know that
The only other thing I'll add is
#6 Xanth-Anthony : These books look great. I bought the first three. I figure
If I ever finsih the existing WOT books The humor of Xanth would be a welcome
retreat from Jordans seriousness(however refreshing it is)... The series sounds
to me to be very "punny" while still being fantasy.
I'll probably read a few Star Trek books in between those series though.
Well..Thats my first post. Sorry If I got a little off track there :)
----
Phantom <km...@cencom.net>
Andrea Lynn Leistra
In article <31B3BC...@ix.netcom.com>,
Thomas Howard <ahr...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>Ravi wrote:
>
>> #1 fantasy book of all time IMHO is the Bible. It has great
>>characters and the stories just indulge me.
>
>many continuity gaps for my taste. This type of thing is to be
>expected from a shared-world anthology though.
And we thought we had it bad with a year and a half between books; I mean,
centuries? Sheesh. Not to mention all the unresolved threads brought up
in the last book.
Angela Furry
nam...@aol.com (NAMELSS) wrote:
>Hello,
> I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
>for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
>and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
>Please respond with yours!
>TOP 10
>~~~~~~
>#6 Belgariad- David Eddings
>#10 Xanth- Piers Anthony
>Honorable Mentions:
> Lord Of Rings- JRR Tolkien
<less flammable authors munched>
>Once again please post with your favorites and maybe everyone will be able
>to find a new series of books that they haven't read before!
>Thanks,
>Aaron Rough
Just to warn you ahead of time, with the rasfwrj atmosphere the way it
is, you can probably expect some REAL agitated responses to David
Eddings and Piers Anthony. (As an example, I direct your attention to
the Eddings War.)
In addition, you should probably expect a jihad coming soon to your
doorstop for placing Tolkien on the bottom. Do you have an asbestos
vest? Do you have fire insurance? It might be a good idea to get some.
Oh, and I like Tanith Lee.
Angela "Don't Say I Didn't Warn Ya" Furry
deirdre kelleher
I'd highly recommend the following(DIFFERENT ones to the usual:) ) :
Sara Douglas - The Axis Trilogy
Maggie Furey - Forgotten the name of the series but her first book was
Aurian
Guy Gavrial Kay - Fianovar Tapestry and Tigana
Melanie Rawn - The Ruins of Ambrai
Mickey Zucker Reichart - The Last Renshai
--
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Deirdre Kelleher
j180...@ironbark.bendigo.latrobe.edu.au |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
deirdre kelleher
oddity wrote:
<munch>
> 2. I HAVE forgetten the name of this series. With Haplo, Lord Xar, Alfred,
> and Hugh the Hand - Weiss & Hickman
The Deathgate Cycle
Willem Gorter
Top ten sf-series, here they come (although reading ten sf series covers
a lot of time, so last reads keep climbing naturally on the list...)
1. TWOT - R.J.
2. Lord of the Rings - Tolkien
3. The Exiles (Many-colored land...) - Julian May
4. Dragon Prince - Melanie Rawn
5. Dune - Frank Herbert
6. Belgariad - Eddings
7. Covenant II - Stephen Donaldson
8. "People" series - K.O'Neal Gear & W. M. Gear
9. Elenium - Eddings
10. Intervention - May
--
Willem Gorter <gor...@worldnet.net>
http://myweb.worldnet.fr/~gorter/
France
Jake Kesinger
: nam...@aol.com (NAMELSS) lastatempe skribis:
: >Hello,
: > I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
: >for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
: >and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
: >Please respond with yours!
All comments IMHO.
: >#2 Dragonlance Chronicles- Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
The Horrible-norm of these books is slightly less than the Horrible-norm
of the others in T$R's offering (that I've read), but still very high.
: >#3 Icewind Dale Trilogy- R.A. Salvatore
If I read these again, how many years will that count for in
Purgatory?
: >#4 Riftwar Saga- Raymond Feist
#include <words/eight_deadly.h>
And the _Foo_of_the_Empire_ books were terrible.
: >#5 Prydain Series (Book Of Three, etc..)- Lloyd Alexander
Bit of a suprise here.
: >#6 Belgariad- David Eddings
Proving that it is indeed possible for Man to Write by Xerox.
: >#7 Earthsea Trilogy- Ursula LeGuin
Should have stayed a trilogy. (Well, Tehanu wasn't *bad*, per se).
: >#8 The Seventh Sword- Dave Duncan
Not even close to his best stuff. (None of his series are as good as
his standalones, IMHO).
: >#9 Dancing God Series- Jack Chalker
Don't know if I've read this one, but Chalkboard's been on my Do Not Buy list
for a *long* time.
: >#10 Xanth- Piers Anthony
And a swift boot to the head! (Mine, not yours)
Oy, talk about different tastes. The only list mine would have in common
with yours is TWoT, and that would be #4 _at_most_.
I think I'll just go have a lie down now...
--
--Jake _ Jake Kesinger (kesi...@math.ttu.edu), Outrageous Liar
LUBBOCK -> _|*~- http://www.math.ttu.edu/~kesinger/
\, _} ``It's a damn poor mind that can only think of one way
\( to spell a word.'' (Andrew Jackson)
Hohn Cho
In article <4p1gp0$p...@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu>,
Chad R Orzel <oil...@wam.umd.edu> wrote:
>Hohn Cho <hoh...@uclink2.berkeley.edu> wrote:
>>#6 Gor Series -- John Norman (take out the sex, and it's really good)
>
>You're really, really bored, aren't you?
I was, yup.
I wasn't much more engaged yesterday, either, when I was reading _aCoS_.
A rant on that will probably be forthcoming at some point.
Oh, as for the real top ten fantasy list (including works in progress),
off the top of my head...
#10 Black Company series, Glen Cook (simple style, but very cool
setting and characters...The Limper gets my vote for the "scary, yet
pathetic" villain of the year)
#9 Guardians of the Flame series, Joel Rosenberg (I loved these
books back in middle school, but even the later releases have been
solid..._The Road to Ehvenor_ was a standout, IMO)
#8 Memory, Sorrow, Thorn series, Tad Williams (good, solid series,
it got a bit tedious during parts, and the ending was only above average,
but I nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed it)
#7 Coldfire trilogy, C.S. Friedman (Tarrant and Damien have one of
the most fascinating relationships I've seen in fantasy)
#6 Fionavar Tapestry, G.G. Kay (his later works are better, but then
they aren't really series)
#5 Farseer trilogy (two so far), Robin Hobb (I haven't been
anticipating a forthcoming book this much since...well, since Jordan)
#4 Dragaera novels, Steven Brust (I'm grouping the Vlad novels with
the Khaavren novels...they're both quite awesome)
#3 Chronicles of Prydain, Lloyd Alexander (a classic, it's the
series that got me into the genre)
#2 Wheel o' Time, Robert Jordan (although I'm tempted to lower this after
reading _aCoS_...)
#1 Drenai Legends series, David Gemmell (something about this series
just exemplifies Heroic Fantasy to me, the "siege the fortress" mentality
notwithstanding...this series also has perhaps my favorite fictional
character of all time, Tenaka Khan)
--
Sincerely,
Hohn Cho
hoh...@kaiwan.com
mhunter
Hmm. Top ten, in no particular order.
10: The Dark is Rising: Susan Cooper
9: Coldfire Trilogy: CS Friedman
8: Continuing Time: Daniel Keys Moran
7: Vlad Taltos: Brust
6: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever: Donaldson
5: The Fionavar Tapestry: Kay
4: The Last Herald-Mage: Lackey
3: The Book of the New Sun: Wolfe
2: Various Deryni: Kurtz
1: Wheel of Time: Jordan
--
Matthew Hunter (mhun...@andrew.cmu.edu)
Amiga 4000/030/18/CyberVision64/Ariadne
Vote Libertarian -- Harry Browne in '96!
cd skogsberg
Yea, let it be known that in <4ou29m$6...@nntp1.best.com> the scribe
d...@donh.vip.best.com (Don HARLOW) wrote thus:
> hoh...@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Hohn Cho) lastatempe skribis:
> >#6 Gor Series -- John Norman (take out the sex, and it's really good)
> Not only that, but it's easy to read, because it's reduced to one slim
> volume!
Wow - you mean it's more than half a page?
cd
(Who has one of the first, maybe even *the* first Gor novels at home.
But I haven't read it, honest. And I didn't inhale.)
--
\\\\\ HFF Spokeshuman, Head of the Quisition /////
\\\\\\\__o Archbishop (Church of Hedgehog) o__///////
_\\\\\\\'/____CD Skogsberg/c...@alfakonsult.se____\'///////_
Join us in bringing Jimmy and Hedgehogs to the Common Folk
cd skogsberg
Yea, let it be known that in <4ov01f$o...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu> the
scribe cav...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Kenneth G. Cavness) wrote thus:
> What a cute little troll.
<BLAM>[1]
It probably had some kind of nasty disease. Your mother[2] would never
have allowed you to keep it anyway.
cd
[1]: Sound of a large gun.
[2]: Gina/Billy/Hope. See the family tree for more details.
Don Harlow
cd skogsberg wrote:
>
> Yea, let it be known that in <4ou29m$6...@nntp1.best.com> the scribe
> d...@donh.vip.best.com (Don HARLOW) wrote thus:
>
> > hoh...@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Hohn Cho) lastatempe skribis:
>
> > >#6 Gor Series -- John Norman (take out the sex, and it's really good)
>
> > Not only that, but it's easy to read, because it's reduced to one slim
> > volume!
>
> Wow - you mean it's more than half a page?
>
(I tried to increase the amount by including Norman's "Imaginative Sex", which
certainly qualifies as fantasy. But every page of that one came out in the
desex compression algorithm.)
> cd
> (Who has one of the first, maybe even *the* first Gor novels at home.
> But I haven't read it, honest. And I didn't inhale.)
"I chewed on him. But I didna swallow." (Draco to Bowen, _Dragonheart_)
-- Don HARLOW
http://www.webcom.com/~donh/
(English version at http://www.webcom.com/~donh/dona.html)
weikel
Okay, what hasn't been mentioned so far...
The River of the Dancing Gods series by Jack Chalker.
The Shannara Series by Terry Brooks (though I only really
like the Sword and Druid books)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman (not a series, but
I desperately wished they would make it one!)
The Dark is Rising (Kiddy fare I know, but better then much
of the pulp which calls itself "adult fantasy".) Susan
Cooper.
FFarhd and the grey mouser by Fritz Leiber (a little too
much gratitous sex for me but excellent story telling)
The Cronicles of Pyrain by Lloyd Alexander (this was the
series that got me started on fantasy)
Red as Blood by Tanith Lee (a collection of familiar fairy
tales with a macabre twist)
Arthur Kleiman
In article <4ovr0e$m...@nntp1.best.com>, d...@donh.vip.best.com wrote:
> Arthur Kleiman <adri...@earthlink.net> lastatempe skribis:
>
> >Here is my top 10 list.
>
> >1. Kathrine Kurtz-- Deryni series
> >2. Robert Jordan-- Wheel Of Time series
> >3. Anne McCaffrey-- Dragonriders of Pern (including Harper Hall) series
> >4. Anne McCaffrey-- Crystal Singer series
> >5. C.J. Cherryh-- The Alliance-Union Universe
> >6. Jerry Pournelle-- Tran series
> >7. Donaldson-- The Chroncles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever series
> >8. Mercedes Lackey-- Valdemar novels
> >9. C.J. Cherryh-- Merovingen Nights series
> >10. C.J. Cherryh-- The Foreigner Universe
>
> How do 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10 qualify as fantasies? I'd class 'em as
> science-fiction, myself...
>
> Don HARLOW
> http://www.webcom.com/~donh/
> (English version available at http://www.webcom.com/~donh/dona.html)
Mea Culpa! My only excuse is I find them in the same section in the
bookstores I frequent.
Thanks for quoting my entire list. I thought post was lost,cut , garbled,
deleted or something. Whether Fantasy or Sci-Fi these are series I think
others may well enjoy reading.
--
ADRISDAD aka Arthur Kleiman
"There is wild magic graven in every rock,
contained for white gold to unleash or control"-- Donaldson
Dennis Higbee
In article <4p2fu7$o...@elaine35.Stanford.EDU>,
Andrea Lynn Leistra <alei...@leland.Stanford.EDU> wrote:
>In article <31B3BC...@ix.netcom.com>,
>Thomas Howard <ahr...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>>Ravi wrote:
>>> #1 fantasy book of all time IMHO is the Bible. It has great
>>>characters and the stories just indulge me.
>>Frankly, I found the characterization weak, and there were too
>>many continuity gaps for my taste. This type of thing is to be
>>expected from a shared-world anthology though.
>And we thought we had it bad with a year and a half between books; I mean,
>centuries? Sheesh. Not to mention all the unresolved threads brought up
>in the last book.
Dunno. I thought they wrapped it up really nicely. I mean
what's more final than 'everyone dies.' Sure there's an after-
life, but, hey, someone might want to write a sequel.
--
Dennis Higbee | "Ain't it funny that they all fire the
bn...@li.net | pistol at the wrong end of the race."
http://www.li.net/~bnook/ | -P. Townshend
Karl-Johan Noren
In article <4p1ek2$s...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
empat...@aol.com (Empath1646) writes:
> Can't think of any more. BTW, the worst were the Tamuli, The Gap Into
> Conflict: The Real Story (first book), and DragonLance!
If you stopped after _The Real Story_ in the Gap series
you're missing one helluva story.
It's little more than an introduction to the action,
intrigue and political imbickering to follow.
--
Karl-Johan Norén (Noren with acute e) -- k-j-...@dsv.su.se
http://www.dsv.su.se/~k-j-nore/
- To believe people are as stupid as one believes is
stupider than one can believe
Robin Maguire
nam...@aol.com (NAMELSS) wrote:
>Hello,
> I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
>for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
>and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
>Please respond with yours!
I'm in the middle of a new (so far) trilogy by an Englishwoman named Maggie
Furey. The first book is Aurian, then Harp of Winds, and Sword of Flame. I
really like it. I've been reading this stuff for 26 years, so I can be a
little hard to impress.
RJ impresses the hell out of me.
Robin
Harlequin
Well,since everyone is doing it...
#1 WoT by RJordan (Who?)
#2 Death Gate , by weiss&hickman
#3 Riftwar saga ,by Raymond Feist
#4 wars of Light and Darkness (or something like that) by J Wurts
#5 Memory sorrow and thorn by tad williams
#6 star of the guardians by weiss
#7 chronicles of Majipoor(or something) by R. Silverberg
#8 Daughter of the Empire by wurts & Hickman
#9 Belgariad and Malloreon (up to a point) by eddings
#10 and of course LotR by JRR Tolkien
Andrew & Kimberly Harvey
In <4otlrn$d...@newsbf02.news.aol.com> nam...@aol.com (NAMELSS) writes:
#1 Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
#2 Swords Trilogy (name not precise) - Tad Williams
#3 Wizrads Series - Terry Goodkind
#4 Mirror of Dreams/Man Rides Through - Stephen Donaldson
#5 Thomas Covenant Trilogy (1-3) - Stephen Donaldson
#6 Riftwar - Raymond Feist
#7 Amber Series - Roger Zelazny
#8 Thomas Covenant trilogy (4-6) - Stephen Donaldson
#9 Lord of the Rings - Tolkien
#10 Crystal Throne trilogy (name not precise) - David Eddings
You should definitely try Tad Williams, Terry Goodkin and Stephen
Dnaldson
Andrew
>
>Hello,
> I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently
looking
>for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking
responses
>and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
>Please respond with yours!
>TOP 10
>~~~~~~
>#1 Wheel Of Time- RJ
>#2 Dragonlance Chronicles- Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
>#3 Icewind Dale Trilogy- R.A. Salvatore
>#4 Riftwar Saga- Raymond Feist
>#5 Prydain Series (Book Of Three, etc..)- Lloyd Alexander
>#6 Belgariad- David Eddings
>#7 Earthsea Trilogy- Ursula LeGuin
>#8 The Seventh Sword- Dave Duncan
>#9 Dancing God Series- Jack Chalker
>#10 Xanth- Piers Anthony
>Honorable Mentions:
> Lord Of Rings- JRR Tolkien
> Shannara- Terry Brooks
David Ian Badilotti
I must confess that I am suprised to see that Jonathan Wylie has not
been mentioned at all. I would not put him in the top ten, but I
would definitely give his two series honourable mentions.
Cordially,
David I. Badilotti
Them that asks no questions isn't told a lie --
Watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by!
- Rudyard Kipling
Vandal
Jake Kesinger (kesi...@math.ttu.edu) wrote:
> : nam...@aol.com (NAMELSS) lastatempe skribis:
> : >Hello,
> : > I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
> : >for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
> : >and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
> : >Please respond with yours!
1) The Malloreon by David Eddings
2) The Belgariad by David Eddings
3) WOT by Robert Jordan
4) RiftWar Saga by Raymond E. Feist
5) Mordat's Need by Stephen R. Donaldson
6) Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson
7) Tales of Alvin Maker by Orson Scott Card
8) A Man of his Word by Dave Duncan
9) The first Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks
10) The first Apprentice Adept Series and the first 9 Xanth books by
Piers Anthony
Bart Thompson
btho...@sol.cs.trinity.edu
HntrRos
Hmm.... some thought shall go into this, I imagine...
1. The Kull series - Robert E. Howard
2. The Elric saga - Michael Moorcock
3. The Darkfire Trilogy - Margaret Weissman
4. The Solomon Kane series - Robert E. Howard
5. The Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser line - Fritz Leiber
6. Bran Mak Morn - Robert E. Howard
7. Conan - Robert E. Howard (with no mention of his degenerate
derivatives!)
8. Birthright derivatives - Simon Hawke
9.The Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe
10. And nothing else (of author known) that is even worth mentioning.
Dishonourable mention to Tolkien the fairy-tale-teller, whatever fell
hands crafted the all-too-pompous tomes encompassing those most
fallacious of holy propoganda, Robert Jordan for his long-winded,
undescriptive stupor of late, and all of the other stupid Bible and
Tolkien
copy-clocks that abound.
Lyle Caldwell
Here are my votes:
1) Tolkien. LOR, Silmarillion, Hobbit. The first, the best, the
real thing.
2) Williams. Dragonbone Trilogy. Almost as well done as Tolkien's.
Sexier Elves.
3) Donaldson. Thomas Covenant series. Very interesting, devoid of
standard boy-becomes-man-while-saving-the-universe stuff. At
last, a good guy we can hate.
4) Jordan. Obvious reasons (though if rest of series is like ACoS,
he'll be moving way down the list.)
5) C.S. Lewis. Space Trilogy. I know it's kind of Sci-Fi. Just
read it.
6) Stewart. The Merlin books. Good retake on Arthur, etc. Lots of
Celtic crap. Well researched but not preachy.
7) Zimmer Bradley. Mists of Avalon. See #6, plus female
perspective.
8) C.S. Lewis. Narnia. Face it, it's what got most of us hooked
when we were kids.
9) Donaldson. A Man Rides Through, etc. Good, adult stuff.
10) Moon. Paksenarion. It's pretty good, and it's long.
I'm sure I left off someone's favorite, and others are cheering me. Oh,
well.
Lyle Caldwell
John Sutherland
Well, let me see.
1. Eye of the World-Robert Jordan. For all its detractors,
it still is mesmerizing to say the least.
2. The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings-JRR Tolkien. The
granddaddy of them all.
3. The Chronicles of Saint Camber-Katherine Kurtz
4. The Belgariad-David Eddings
5. Dragonlance (Parts I and II)-Weis and Hickman. Anything
else is pretty much drivel.
6. A Man of His Word-Dave Duncan. Cool concept.
7. The Dragon Books-Anne McAffrey
8. The Many-Colored Land-Julian May
9. The Histories of King Kelson-Katherine Kurtz
10. The Fionavar Tapestry-Guy Gavriel Kay
Definite dishonorable mention to any Michael Moorcock books, with
the exception of the 6 Coram books.
Drew
--
=========================================================
+ "Humility is for those who can't carry off +
+ arrogance successfully!" +
+ -Drew Sutherland +
+ <jsut...@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca> +
=========================================================
John Sutherland
Vandal (btho...@cs.trinity.edu) wrote:
: 1) The Malloreon by David Eddings
: 2) The Belgariad by David Eddings
What? You rated the Malloreon above the Belgariad? Next you'll
try and tell me that the Tamuli rocked them all I suppose?
: 3) WOT by Robert Jordan
Good choice, considering the ng.
: 4) RiftWar Saga by Raymond E. Feist
Not bad.
: 5) Mordat's Need by Stephen R. Donaldson
: 6) Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson
Yes, both were very good, although Mordant's Need could have
spawned some more books, a very cool world IMNHO.
: 7) Tales of Alvin Maker by Orson Scott Card
Never read them. Heard good things about them.
: 8) A Man of his Word by Dave Duncan
Yeah!! A Canadian makes the list! Have you read 'A Handful of
Men'?
: 9) The first Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks
Sure.
: 10) The first Apprentice Adept Series and the first 9 Xanth books by
: Piers Anthony
Not bad, how about Tolkien?
James and Staci Avison
In no particular order, but Jordan is def. my favorite.
1. Jordan's Wheel of Time
2. Feist's Midkemia books
3. Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books (as another poster said, a good
guy you just can't help but hate)
4. Moorcock's Eternal Champion series (For some reason, particularly the
Elric,Von Bek and the Hawkmoon books)
5. Wurt's Wars of Light and Shadow
6. Lackey's Last Herald-Mage books (though I like the others too)
7. Eddings...well everything!
8. William's Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series
9. Kay's Fionvar series (I also like his later works a great deal)
10. Terry Goodkin's books (Although, the title of the second, "Stone
of Tears" always makes me think of the Stone of Tear..)
Sorry to those Tolkien fans out there, but all those cute cuddly Hobbits
were just a bit too much for me. (Read Moorcock's opinion of Tolkien,
and you've got how I feel.) I do appreciate his work in that it inspired
so many others, but contrary to popular opinion and practice, I'd rather
read a "rehash" any day.
Staci
eud...@pyrrho.demon.co.uk
On 2 Jun 1996 23:23:35 -0400, nam...@aol.com (NAMELSS) wrote:
>Hello,
> I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
>for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
>and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
>Please respond with yours!
Hmmm....
My List is:
1. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - Stephen Donaldson
2. Dune Saga - Frank Herbert
3. The Fionavar Tapestry - Guy Gavriel Kay
4. The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - Stephen Donaldson
5. The Belgariad - David Eddings
6. Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
7. Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
8. The Drenai Saga - David Gemmell
9. The Riftwar Saga - Raymond Feist
10. Memory, Sorrow & Thorn - Tad Williams
Also worthy of a mention;
The Pendragon Cycle - Stephen Lawhead
Elric, The Eternal Champion - Michael Moorcock
The Sipstrassi Tales - David Gemmell
Cycle of Fire - Janny Wurts
Earthsea Trilogy - Ursula Le Guin
Thats my lot, like or lump 'em.
Eudoxus
Matthew Malthouse
John Sutherland wrote:
>
> Definite dishonorable mention to any Michael Moorcock books, with
> the exception of the 6 Coram books.
>
of Morcock's work?
Of the 50+ novels the largest part are slim, somewhat lightweight and
form the Eternal Champion cycle of which Corum (kool though he is) is
only one manifestation. But among the rest, especially the later works
there is some truely good, literary writing.
Matthew.
John Sutherland
Matthew Malthouse (matthew....@guardian.co.uk) wrote:
: John Sutherland wrote:
: >
: > Definite dishonorable mention to any Michael Moorcock books, with
: > the exception of the 6 Coram books.
: What do you consider distingushes the 2 Corum trilogies from the rest
: of Morcock's work?
I think it is purely because they were the first ones I read. Any
of the later ones seemed to me to be only a rehash of them. I suppose had
I read an Elric, etc. series first, that would be the one to stand out. I
have the same beef with Eddings. The scenes change, but the characters do
the same thing time and time again.
Matthew Malthouse
John Sutherland wrote:
> Matthew Malthouse (matthew....@guardian.co.uk) wrote:
> : John Sutherland wrote:
> : > Definite dishonorable mention to any Michael Moorcock books, with
> : > the exception of the 6 Coram books.
>
> : What do you consider distingushes the 2 Corum trilogies from the rest
> : of Morcock's work?
>
> I think it is purely because they were the first ones I read. Any
> of the later ones seemed to me to be only a rehash of them. I suppose had
> I read an Elric, etc. series first, that would be the one to stand out. I
> have the same beef with Eddings. The scenes change, but the characters do
> the same thing time and time again.
I can't comment about Eddings only having read 1, but in Moorcock it's
deliberate, the point of the cycle is that it _is_ the same character.
The less closely related (read- less obviously deriative) books, especially
the later ones get out of this rut. IMHO Moorcock is a writer of considerable
skill - he doesn't always use it well though.
Matthew
David Ian Badilotti
jsut...@gpu4.srv.ualberta.ca (John Sutherland) wrote:
> Yeah!! A Canadian makes the list! Have you read 'A Handful of
>Men'?
I think that 'A Handful of Men' was a little too contrived. 'A Man
of His Word' was excellent. The second series was just more of the
same. Duncan is a good writer, but he wrote himself into a hole with
the second series and the ending was anticlimactic.
Cordially,
David I. Badilotti
To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What Man has made of Man
- William Wordsworth
Abe
Just had to get my $.02 in:
1: Tolkien. The reason I read fantasy in the first place.
2: Elric/Corum.(Moorcock) Some of the coolest stuff ever.
3: Thieves World anthologies. The first 4 or 5 books are unparralelled in
their
intricacies and plot twists.
4: Fritz Leibur. I can't belive how few fantasy readers know these
books.
(Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser)
5: Thomas Covenant. Very entertaining. Appeals to the freak in me.
6: Titan/Wizard/Demon by Varley. More sci-fi but with delicious fantasy flavor.
7: Lyonesse saga by Jack Vance. Highly reccommended for Jordan fans.
8: Book of the new Sun. (gene Wolfe) Outstanding.
9: The Black Company. Glen Cook writes the best battle stories.
10:Wheel of Time.
Just my opinions. I've been reading fantasy for 15 years. The WOT is
definately a great story. A lot of it's elements seem lifted from other
works, but it stands on it's own. If you have not read the Jack Vance
books (No.7), and you like strong women, then pick em up. All of the
series above could be completed by the time the next Jordan book comes
out. Happy reading. Feed your imagination.
Abe
John Sutherland
David Ian Badilotti (badi...@autobahn.mb.ca) wrote:
: jsut...@gpu4.srv.ualberta.ca (John Sutherland) wrote:
: > Yeah!! A Canadian makes the list! Have you read 'A Handful of
: >Men'?
:
: I think that 'A Handful of Men' was a little too contrived. 'A Man
: of His Word' was excellent. The second series was just more of the
: same. Duncan is a good writer, but he wrote himself into a hole with
: the second series and the ending was anticlimactic.
Jealous?? :) You are right, 'A Man of His Word' was by far the
better series. Have you read the Seventh Sword series? Very good as
well. Am I the only reader to find that, with the exception of perhaps
Donaldson's Covenant series, the second crack at anything is always the
weaker sibling? Any thoughts?
ShawnisGod
Personally, I thought that the Thomas Covenant books were kinda plodding.
Still, the first trilogy was pretty strong, though I detested the second.
1. Tolkien's LotR. Natch.
2. Mervyn Peake's _Gormenghast Trilogy_. While the third book was
disappointing, and perhaps many might not consider the series fantasy,
it's exceptional work.
3. WoT.
4. The Illuminatus! Trilogy, by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. Okay,
so maybe it's more SF. But read it. I guarantee it'll be a trip.
5. Thieve's World - first several anthologies were just spectacular.
6. _The Chronicles of Amber_, by Roger Zelazny. The first 5 were best,
though all 10 are exceptional.
7. The Swords trilogy, by Saberhagen.
8. _The Prydain Chronicles_ by Lloyd Alexander. While intended, perhaps,
for younger audiences (mid-late teens) these books still give me a rush.
9. The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. You think there're religious
overtones in WoT? You ain't seen nothin'.
10. Lastly, though it's only a single book, _Lord of Light_, by Zelazny.
It's SF, but with strong fantasy overtones, and a rollicking good read
b'sides.
-Shawn-
Perrin
In article <4podfd$a...@dfw-ixnews5.ix.netcom.com>,
James and Staci Avison <zif...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>Sorry to those Tolkien fans out there, but all those cute cuddly Hobbits
>were just a bit too much for me.
Hmm, I've never thought of Frodo as "cute and cuddly". Or
many of the other Hobbits either.
/
:@-) Scott
\
Vandal
> : 1) The Malloreon by David Eddings
> : 2) The Belgariad by David Eddings
> What? You rated the Malloreon above the Belgariad? Next you'll
> try and tell me that the Tamuli rocked them all I suppose?
Yes, I rated the Malloreon above the Berlgariad. I liked it better I suppose.
I also appreciated it more. I was in middle school when Eddings finished
the Belgariad, but I was just out of high school when he finished the
Malloreon. I was at the bookstore at opening on every release day of each
book of the series. I have very fond memories of that series, and I still
enjoy reading it. Yes, the Belgariad is the better written series, but I
have more fun reading the Malloreon. I didn't care much for either the Tamuli
or the Elenium series. Eddings is still my favorite author, although I think
Jordan is a better writer. I guess I have just been an Eddings junkie for so
long I can't imagine ever liking another author more.
> : 8) A Man of his Word by Dave Duncan
> Yeah!! A Canadian makes the list! Have you read 'A Handful of
> Men'?
The second series blew hard. I loke alot of his independant books, but
A Handful of Men was the lowpoint of his writing. I hope he picks it
up after this.
> : 9) The first Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks
> Sure.
> : 10) The first Apprentice Adept Series and the first 9 Xanth books by
> : Piers Anthony
> Not bad, how about Tolkien?
I just cannot get into Tolkien. He's good, but not very much fun to read.
This list was just off the top of my head. There are some other wonderful
series out there that I did not mention.
Bartman
btho...@sol.cs.trinity.edu
Michael Kozlowski
In article <4q4p6k$9...@canopus.cc.umanitoba.ca>,
David Ian Badilotti <badi...@autobahn.mb.ca> wrote:
> I think that 'A Handful of Men' was a little too contrived. 'A Man
>of His Word' was excellent. The second series was just more of the
>same. Duncan is a good writer, but he wrote himself into a hole with
>the second series and the ending was anticlimactic.
YMMV, of course, but I thought _Handful_ was nothing like _Word_. _Word_
was, in essence, a story about Rap's coming of age. _Handful_ was a
story about great turmoil in the world. I thought both series were
great, but _Handful_ was on a more epic scale.
(And I'm still waiting for the next book of "The Great Game." Anyone
know when it'll be out?)
--
Michael Kozlowski
mlko...@students.wisc.edu
kozl...@cs.wisc.edu
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~kozlowsk
KAVLCJG
My Top Ten Are:
The Wheel of Time,Jorden
The Belgariad,Eddings
The Riftwar Saga,Fiest
The Shannera,Brooks
Michael Kozlowski
In article <4q6hpq$4...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>,
ShawnisGod <shawn...@aol.com> wrote:
>10. Lastly, though it's only a single book, _Lord of Light_, by Zelazny.
>It's SF, but with strong fantasy overtones, and a rollicking good read
>b'sides.
Is this book still in print? It didn't exist in the Barnes & Noble
computer system, and I've never seen it anywhere.
David Ian Badilotti
jsut...@gpu2.srv.ualberta.ca (John Sutherland) wrote:
> Jealous?? :) You are right, 'A Man of His Word' was by far the
>better series. Have you read the Seventh Sword series? Very good as
>well. Am I the only reader to find that, with the exception of perhaps
>Donaldson's Covenant series, the second crack at anything is always the
>weaker sibling? Any thoughts?
First -- I think I may have missed something. Jealous?? ?? ??
On your second point, I have wondered about this myself. I may be
wrong, but I think a second series would actually have to be
significantly better in terms of plot and writing to seem equal to
the reader. Part of the joy of a new series is the discovery of the
author's creation. The nature of his world, the behaviour of her
characters, the peculiar twists and turns of events are all new and
exciting. Familiarity unfortunately breed contempt, and the second
work lacks that excitement.
Cordially,
David I. Badilotti
Grant me, before I pass beyond, One chance to play a part,
To drop the guise of the little clerk, And show the man at heart
- H.J. MacLean
Brian Douglas Ritchie
um..
uh..
Maybe it's just me, but didn't you say top ten?
Unless you use the new math, I think you'll find there are only four listed.
--
------------------------
Brian Ritchie
gt8...@prism.gatech.edu
John Sutherland
: > Jealous?? :) You are right, 'A Man of His Word' was by far the
: >better series. Have you read the Seventh Sword series? Very good as
: >well. Am I the only reader to find that, with the exception of perhaps
: >Donaldson's Covenant series, the second crack at anything is always the
: >weaker sibling? Any thoughts?
:
: First -- I think I may have missed something. Jealous?? ?? ??
Note the smilies. Personally, I have a hard time criticizing most
printed works. After all, they are printed, someone must like them.
: On your second point, I have wondered about this myself. I may be
: wrong, but I think a second series would actually have to be
: significantly better in terms of plot and writing to seem equal to
: the reader. Part of the joy of a new series is the discovery of the
: author's creation. The nature of his world, the behaviour of her
: characters, the peculiar twists and turns of events are all new and
: exciting. Familiarity unfortunately breed contempt, and the second
: work lacks that excitement.
So, do you think that it is something inherent in the reader, or
in the author? For example, I read the Camber series after the first
Kelson series, but enjoyed the Camber series much more. Anyone else have
any thoughts or any comments about a second series that was better IYO
than the first?
Nathan Lundblad
KAVLCJG (kav...@aol.com) wrote:
: My Top Ten Are:
: The Wheel of Time,Jorden
: The Belgariad,Eddings
: The Riftwar Saga,Fiest
: The Shannera,Brooks
That's four. 1, 2, 3, 4. You're missing 5 through 10.
"Do you know why they call me the Count? Because I love to count."
--
Nathan Eric Lundblad These are the pale deaths
lund...@ugastro.berkeley.edu That men miscall their lives
http://www.ugastro.berkeley.edu/~lundblad ----------------------------
Richard Goldman
> : 1) The Malloreon by David Eddings
> : 2) The Belgariad by David Eddings
> What? You rated the Malloreon above the Belgariad? Next you'll
> try and tell me that the Tamuli rocked them all I suppose?
I agree with John Sutherland. The Belgariad had originality, a sense of
beauty and wonder, and.. uh.. basically nothing else. The Malloreon had..
uh.. basically nothing.
Shaun Tancheff
Better late than never ... i base my decision on series that are worth
reading *again* - not just once, or when i was just a kid, etc...
1. WoT, nothing else comes close
The rest in no strict order:
2. The Fuzzy Papers, H. Beam Piper (not really a series though has
secondary short stories, and other related works by other authors)
3. Myth Adventures, Robert Lynn Asprin (absolutly stupidly
hilarious)
4. Venus, Inc. (compilation of _The Space Merchants by Frederik
Pohl, and C. M. Kornbluth, and _The Merchants' War_ by Frederik Pohl
5. Forbidden Boarders by W. Michael Gear (editing support by
Kathy, his wife probably made this a much stronger work)
6. Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, by Tad Williams.
7. Battlefield Earth (long enough to be a series) / Mission Earth
(should have been edited down) by L. Ron Hubbard
8. Belgariad by David Eddings
9. Battle Circle by Piers Anthony
10. The Culture Series by Ian M. Banks
Honorable Mention: Rogue Warrior and RW II: Red Cell by Richard
Marcinko and John Wiesman (not SF/F genre)
%% :-> shaun ;->
%%%####
%%%###### sh...@primenet.com (Shaun Tancheff)
%%%%%####
%%%%%%### "... oversees six first-rate programmers, a managerial
%%%%### challenge roughly comparable to herding cats."
## -- The Washington Post Magazine, June 9, 1985
Angela Furry
gt8...@prism.gatech.edu (Brian Douglas Ritchie) wrote:
>In article <4q7sd1$p...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, KAVLCJG <kav...@aol.com> wrote:
>>My Top Ten Are:
>>The Wheel of Time,Jorden
>>The Belgariad,Eddings
>>The Riftwar Saga,Fiest
>>The Shannera,Brooks
>um..
>uh..
>Maybe it's just me, but didn't you say top ten?
>Unless you use the new math, I think you'll find there are only four listed.
Of course it new math, silly!
Can't you count?
HTH!
----
Angela
spm...@vaxb.isc.rit.edu
I don't know about top ten, but here's a few wayyyy up there... (I'll spare
you the obvious ones)...
Tales of Alvin Maker - Orson Scott Card
Coldfire Trilogy - Friedman
Dark Tower - Steven King (it's fantasy. What the hell else would it be?)
cd skogsberg
On 2 Jun 1996 23:23:35 -0400, nam...@aol.com (NAMELSS) wrote:
>Hello,
> I just recently started reading rec.RJ. I am currently looking
>for other good Fantasy Series to read. In hopes of provoking responses
>and recommendations, I I am listing my Top 10 favorite Fantasy Series.
>Please respond with yours!
In no particular order...
Robert Jordan _Wheel of Time_[1]
Elizabeth Moon _the Deed of Paksenarrion_
GG Kay _the Fionavar Tapestry_
Kay (again!) _Tigana_[2]
Steven Brust _Dragaera_
Terry Pratchett _Discworld_
H.P. Lovecraft et al _Dreamlands_ books[3][4]
H.P. Lovecraft et al the Cthulhu mythos[5]
C S Lewis _Narnia_. I loved them when I was younger (no matter that
they are stuffed with Christian allegories) and they are still nice.
Ursula K LeGuin _Earthsea_
And probably a slew of others that I am too tired to remember.
cd
[1]: If you don't get this, check the Newsgroup: line in the header,
fer cripes sake.
[2]: Not really a series, but who cares?
[3]: Okay, so it's horror *and* fantasy. ObFlavio: Sue me.
[4]: But Brian Lumley's stuff wasn't too good.
[5]: Horror. Big deal. It's still great.[4]
--
\\\\\ HFF Spokeshuman, Head of the Quisition /////
\\\\\\\__o Archbishop (Church of Hedgehog) o__///////
_\\\\\\\'/____CD Skogsberg/c...@alfakonsult.se____\'///////_
Join us in bringing Jimmy and Hedgehogs to the Common Folk
ShawnisGod
I HATED the Dark Tower books. I mean, c'mon, you've got archers RUNNING UP
to their targets and THEN shooting them. I always thought the idea of
ranged weapons was RANGE... King's horror is good, but his fantasy just
wasn't very well done, IMHO.
-Shawn-
Walt61
1) Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Donaldson
2) LOR by JRR
3) Book of the New Son by Gene Wolfe (by far the most original fantasy
series)
4) WOT by Jordan
5) Titan/Wizard/Demon by Varley (very cool scifi with lots of originality
and erotic content - for adults only)
6) The Coldfire Trilogy by CS Friedman (dark gothic fantasy with amazing
imagery and intense good vs evil internal struggle and redemption)
7) Death Gate Cycle by Wiess/Hickman (very ambitious complex setup with
interesting characters)
8) The Belgariad by Eddings (Good classic fantasy with adventure and
camraderie)
9) Daughter/Servent/Mistress of the Empire by Fiest/Weiss (companion to
Riftwar)
10) Dark Elf Trilogy by RA Salvatore (don't laugh - I know this is an AD&D
series but it is fascinating and contains very interesting messages)
I also agree the Lord of Light by Zelazny is excellent !!
ShawnisGod
Michael Kozlowski wrote:
>Is this book still in print? It didn't exist in the Barnes & Noble
>computer system, and I've never seen it anywhere.
If not, the publishing industry is doing the world a grave disservice.
Still, it's rather old, so I can assume it may be out of print. However,
if you can't find it at a used bookstore, Zelazny's recent death is
spurring many houses to reprint his older works, so it may be out soon.
-Shawn-
P.S.: while you're waiting, check out _A Night in the Lonesome October_ by
Zelazny. I guarantee you'll love it.
Mike Hoye
In article <4q84cr$3...@acmex.gatech.edu>,
Brian Douglas Ritchie <gt8...@prism.gatech.edu> wrote:
>In article <4q7sd1$p...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, KAVLCJG <kav...@aol.com> wrote:
>>My Top Ten Are:
>>The Wheel of Time,Jorden
>>The Belgariad,Eddings
>>The Riftwar Saga,Fiest
>>The Shannera,Brooks
>
>um..
>uh..
>Maybe it's just me, but didn't you say top ten?
>Unless you use the new math, I think you'll find there are only four listed.
Oh, let him be. He's just trying to perpetuate a stereotype.
--
Mike Hoye
And he's not doing that bad a job of it, at that.
Andrea Lynn Leistra
>3) Book of the New Son by Gene Wolfe (by far the most original fantasy
^
You misspelled "Sun".
Standard advice to those planning to read Wolfe: Have a good dictionary
at hand.
--
Andrea Leistra http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~aleistra
-----
Life is complex. It has real and imaginary parts.
Andrea Lynn Leistra
In article <4qd63q$8...@agate.berkeley.edu>,
Nathan Lundblad <lundblad@ttauri> wrote:
>Andrea Lynn Leistra (alei...@leland.Stanford.EDU) wrote:
>
>: Standard advice to those planning to read Wolfe: Have a good dictionary
>: at hand.
>
>Make sure it is big, heavy, and dusty. Those are the only ones you find
>words like "fuligin" in.
"fuligin" was actually in my fairly standard Webster's. Only about half
of the words I didn't know were. Those I was curious enough about, I
looked up in the OED in the library.
Don HARLOW
gt8...@prism.gatech.edu (Brian Douglas Ritchie) lastatempe skribis:
>In article <4q7sd1$p...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, KAVLCJG <kav...@aol.com> wrote:
>>My Top Ten Are:
>>The Wheel of Time,Jorden
>>The Belgariad,Eddings
>>The Riftwar Saga,Fiest
>>The Shannera,Brooks
>um..
>uh..
>Maybe it's just me, but didn't you say top ten?
>Unless you use the new math, I think you'll find there are only four listed.
Have you never heard of base four arithmetic?)
Don HARLOW
http://www.webcom.com/~donh/
(English version available at http://www.webcom.com/~donh/dona.html)
Nathan Lundblad
Andrea Lynn Leistra (alei...@leland.Stanford.EDU) wrote:
: Standard advice to those planning to read Wolfe: Have a good dictionary
: at hand.
Make sure it is big, heavy, and dusty. Those are the only ones you find
words like "fuligin" in.
--
Brian Douglas Ritchie
In article <4qd6du$j...@nntp1.best.com>,
Don HARLOW <d...@donh.vip.best.com> wrote:
>gt8...@prism.gatech.edu (Brian Douglas Ritchie) lastatempe skribis:
[munch list of four series]
>>Maybe it's just me, but didn't you say top ten?
>>Unless you use the new math, I think you'll find there are only four listed.
>Have you never heard of base four arithmetic?
Yes. However, that would only apply if it was the top 10. Ten is a
value, and has a different representation in each system.
Ten=10000000000=1010=101=22=20=14=13=12=11=10 for bases 1-10 respectively.
HTH!
Brian Douglas Ritchie
>: Standard advice to those planning to read Wolfe: Have a good dictionary
>: at hand.
>Make sure it is big, heavy, and dusty. Those are the only ones you find
>words like "fuligin" in.
Maybe, maybe not. I have Webster's New World Dictionary of the American
Language, Second College Edition, 1984. Dusty, yes, but not very big.
It doesn't have fuligin, but it does have fuliginous and its Latin root,
fuligo, which means...
Go look it up.
David DeLaney
kozl...@sol6.cs.wisc.edu (Michael Kozlowski) writes:
>ShawnisGod <shawn...@aol.com> wrote:
>>10. Lastly, though it's only a single book, _Lord of Light_, by Zelazny.
>>It's SF, but with strong fantasy overtones, and a rollicking good read
>>b'sides.
>
I don't think so. But it should not be hard to find at a good used bookstore
_or_ a medium-sized library. It's one of his best. [Repeat "Mahasamatman"
after me ten times quickly...]
Dave
--
\/David DeLaney d...@panacea.phys.utk.edu "It's not the pot that grows the flower
It's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to see
Love is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>
http://enigma.phys.utk.edu/~dbd/ - net.legends FAQ / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.
Nathan Lundblad
: Nathan Lundblad <lundblad@ttauri> wrote:
: >
: >Make sure it is big, heavy, and dusty. Those are the only ones you find
: >words like "fuligin" in.
: "fuligin" was actually in my fairly standard Webster's. Only about half
: of the words I didn't know were. Those I was curious enough about, I
: looked up in the OED in the library.
Many of them I hardly believed existed. A truly amazing book.
--
Nathan Lundblad