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 Klondike
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Registered: 04/13/09
Posts: 486
Loc: Oregon
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 Fantasy Novels 
#10355321 - 05/17/09 07:02 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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What are some good fantasy novels to read? Now that summer is upon us I want to do some reading, and I would like to try some fantasy. I read the Dragonlance books when I was a kid, so maybe something in that vein would be good. Also open to science fiction. Any recommendations?
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 GoaM
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Re: Fantasy Novels [Re: Klondike]
#10355374 - 05/17/09 07:14 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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When I was a kid I liked the The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson, LOTR of course by Tolkein, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Fritz Lieber, Ringworld by Larry Niven to name a few series.
Lately I pick up Discworld series books by Terry Pratchet every once in a while.
That's just off the top of my head. There's lots of good fantasy, though Ringworld is more scifi.
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GoaM
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Re: Fantasy Novels [Re: GoaM]
#10355380 - 05/17/09 07:16 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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Oh yeah, The Elric Saga series by Michael Moorcock. Must read!
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Klondike
Newbie
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Loc: Oregon
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Re: Fantasy Novels [Re: GoaM]
#10355463 - 05/17/09 07:37 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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Thanks! I am reading up on The Elric Saga now and it looks pretty interesting. I will research the others too. Summer is the perfect time for escapist literature.
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Dystopia
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Re: Fantasy Novels [Re: Klondike]
#10355473 - 05/17/09 07:38 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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If you want to escape the typical gnome/elf/dwarf shit, check out the Coldfire Trilogy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldfire_trilogy
It completely breaks away the shell that is the Fantasy Novel.
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Even now, if I see in my soul the citron-breasted fair one
Still gold-tinted, her face like our night stars,
Drawing unto her; her body beaten about the flame,
Wounded by the flaring spear of love,
My first of all by reason of her fresh years,
Then is my heart buried alive in snow.
The universe is transformation: life is opinion.
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Klondike
Newbie
Registered: 04/13/09
Posts: 486
Loc: Oregon
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Re: Fantasy Novels [Re: Dystopia]
#10355500 - 05/17/09 07:45 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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Wow, thank you. This one looks like a definite read. I love fantasy but I have always wondered why it couldn't expand beyond the stereotypical characters and storylines. So it is nice to see something really creative that remakes the boundaries of the genre.
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thePatient
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 Re: Fantasy Novels [Re: Klondike]
#10355700 - 05/17/09 08:24 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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The Wheel of Time - series by Robert Jordan, is one of the most EPIC fantasy novel series of all time.
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T h e r e a r e n o o r d i n a r y m o m e n t s.
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Dystopia
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Loc: 451°F
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Everyone always says that.. usually the only people that recommend it are deadset into the cliche mode of fantasy. Does it fulfill that qualification, is it a culmination of different ideas, a breakthrough in the genre?
Can never seem to get a solid enough of an answer to convince me into reading it.
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Even now, if I see in my soul the citron-breasted fair one
Still gold-tinted, her face like our night stars,
Drawing unto her; her body beaten about the flame,
Wounded by the flaring spear of love,
My first of all by reason of her fresh years,
Then is my heart buried alive in snow.
The universe is transformation: life is opinion.
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FuzedBox
Registered: 07/20/08
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Hey GoaM, tell me how you like Diskworld when you're done with it or the series.
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“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong” -Voltaire
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LSDreamer
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Re: Fantasy Novels [Re: FuzedBox]
#10355735 - 05/17/09 08:29 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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I am a goddamn fantasy junkie, and my all time favorite fantasy series is The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. The first book in the series is Storm Front. HIGHLY recommended. Urban-fantasy mystery-noir. Fucking fantastic.
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thePatient
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Re: Fantasy Novels [Re: Dystopia]
#10355771 - 05/17/09 08:43 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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I'm not a huge fan of fantasy novels, so traditional fantasy or even "cliche" fantasy wouldn't appeal to me. What does appeal to me is the astonishing amount of detail that Jordan puts into writing, and the endless metaphors.
But what I truly feel makes the series so good, is the same thing that makes any book worth reading. It's the attachment that manifests between myself and the characters involved in the story. The main characters become like family, because I can see myself and even my friends in them. As the story progresses I watch them grow, and mature... and maybe even die. Slowly, the chapters of the book have coalesced into chapters of my life. Reading is a great way to escape reality.
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T h e r e a r e n o o r d i n a r y m o m e n t s.
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RipVanWinkle
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Re: Fantasy Novels [Re: Klondike]
#10355827 - 05/17/09 08:55 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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Definitely check out The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. By far one of the best fantasy books I've ever read.
S.M. Stirling has some good books too, while they're more sci-fi than fantasy, I guarantee you'll find them interesting.
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Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.
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DragonChaser
Ice in Her Ass and Pussy
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Posts: 6,053
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Re: Fantasy Novels [Re: Klondike]
#10356032 - 05/17/09 09:46 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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Dude... I was going to make a thread about this today too.
I recommend the Sword of Truth series, or the Wheel of Time series.
I've got a bunch more, I'll look through them tomorrow.
I know those two are typical, and Robert Jordan gets long winded, but those are the first two fantasy series I read, so they really stuck with me.
I was wondering if anyone knows any good Celtic style fantasy books?
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My name is Mud
The OP shall return.
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deCypher
Registered: 02/10/08
Posts: 52,515
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Quote:
thePatient said:
The Wheel of Time - series by Robert Jordan, is one of the most EPIC fantasy novel series of all time.
Yes, yes, yes. The best fantasy series that I've read.
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Acidic_Sloth
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Quote:
thePatient said:
The Wheel of Time - series by Robert Jordan, is one of the most EPIC fantasy novel series of all time.
i just started book 11. it's taken me 2 1/2 months to read all of them up to this point, but i have been completely sucked in. so much so that my dreams have been reflections of the books, which is  .
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Klondike
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Registered: 04/13/09
Posts: 486
Loc: Oregon
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Wow thanks everyone for your recommendations. It's going to take me a while to thoroughly research each one but in time I will. Looks like multiple rec's for Wheel of Time so I will definitely check that out. And from glancing at the Wikipedia entry, The Dresden Files looks really interesting. This is potentially a lot more than a summer's worth of reading.
It's great to hear opinions from fellow fantasy lovers because it seems like there is this literary snobbery issue, so many fantasy books don't even get critical reviews. Or if they do get reviewed it is in a sneering manner. I never understood that at all, in fact based on my experience those who love fantasy novels are far more intelligent than average readers (who are in turn more intelligent than the general population). But it makes it hard to figure out what fantasy novels are good, so the insight from all of you helps me out a lot.
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Cannashroom
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Re: Fantasy Novels [Re: Klondike]
#10356273 - 05/17/09 10:49 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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Robert Jordan pales in comparison to George RR Martin. A Song of Ice and Fire is the best fantasy series I have ever read, except for maybe LOTR. A Game of Thrones is the first book, it is incredible.
Also the historical fiction about king Arthur by Jack Whyte is amazing.
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"A human being is part of the whole, called by us 'Universe'; a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.
This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and affection for a few persons nearest us.
Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty.
Nobody is able to achieve this completely but striving for such achievement is, in itself, a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security."
Albert Einstein
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Klondike
Newbie
Registered: 04/13/09
Posts: 486
Loc: Oregon
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Great minds think alike 
I haven't read any of these books, but I did a bit of a search and came across this article.
Celtic Fantasy
It says most purely Celtic fantasy novels were based on this old series called Mabinogion, but that there are elements of Celtic mythology in many fantasy novels.
As someone whose heritage is almost purely Celtic, I too am interested in this stuff.
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Bipolardox
^^^Like the name says^^^
Registered: 05/06/09
Posts: 1,226
Loc: Renton Wa
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Re: Fantasy Novels [Re: Klondike]
#10356384 - 05/17/09 11:14 PM (3 years, 9 days ago) |
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Hay LSDreamer, thanks for the suggestion. I listened to the inheritance series by Christopher Paolini, and Phillip Pulmans dark materials. I work in a setting where I listen to headphones literally
ALL DAY LONG, everyday!!! Music gets boring after a couple years, books let me zone out and the days fly by!, I found storm front on audiobook so I'll start tomorrow, I usually go through a book in 1-2 days, and have run out of audio books.
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"When everyone goes home, you're stuck with yourself."
~Layne Staley~
"Life Is Good, and every breath is a gift" ~Bipolardox~
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circularvortex
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http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Drizzt-Boxed-Books-I-III/dp/0786947772/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242627319&sr=8-3
Real good fantasty books. There's a lot of them in the series, too. It's set in the Forgotten Realms.
It's about a Drow (Dark Elf) who eventually runs away from his underground society of evil guys and lives up on the surface.
The descriptions of the dark elf society are really cool.
</nerd>
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No statements made in any post or message by myself should be construed to mean that I am now, or have ever been, participating in or considering participation in any activities in violation of any local, state, federal, or fashion police laws. All posts are works of fiction.
For well you know that its a fool who plays it cool
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Under closer inspection I realised it was a funky ball of tits from outer space.
  
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