31-05-2002 00:18									#1
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Round 1: nominations.

What is the best fantasy novel or series in your opinion?
I'll start it off with The wheel of time

I thought destiny's road was good too...

	31-05-2002 00:27									#2
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Tad Williams' Memory Sorrow and Thorn.
I also liked Moorcock's Corum series a lot. The French series Agone by M.Gaborit (actually Chronique des Crepusculaires) is also very good. I am afraid it may not have been translated, though a game based on it has been.

	31-05-2002 00:31									#3
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lotr is the best seris

	31-05-2002 00:46									#4
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R.A. Salvatore's Drow series can remember the name.

Terry Brooks's original Shannara series. (Sword, Elfstones, Wishsong)

But then again those and Lord of the Rings are the only fantasy series I liked that I read. Every thing else was kind of crap, various AD&D books, Piers Anthony, Brooks's Landover series (actually that wasn't to bad).

A read part of wheel of time but they generally got worse after the first book, besides he really needs to end it. Oh the second Shannara series (scions etc.) was alright but the last book was poor.

If I can only nominate one it would be the Shannara series.

Edit: Misspelled shannara; I'm a real big fan uh.

Last edited by Moral Hazard on 31-05-2002 at 01:09

	31-05-2002 00:48									#5
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Hour of the Dragon by Robert E Howard. Plus most of his short stories.

Last edited by Buck Birdseed on 31-05-2002 at 00:55

	31-05-2002 00:49									#6
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The Wheel of Time

While I will admit to still following this snore fest, I would appreciate it a little more if the next book actually had SOMETHING happen in it. This "twice around the characters" and then call it a book stuff has to stop.

Oh... LOTR.
Is there any doubt

	31-05-2002 00:51									#7
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Not to be a pain, but if you guys could underline the book titles, it will make the tallying and poll making a lot easier! Thanks!

	31-05-2002 00:55									#8
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And ming, It is kind of slow, but i still liked it. Probably because the series lasted me a whole summer. I hate it when i'm reading a series and I have to wait a year for the next book...9,000 pages helped me not die of boredom after my knee surgery...

	31-05-2002 00:55									#9
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LOTR is the greatest fantasy series by far.

The Wheel of Time was interesting, but by the end of the 9th book I had forgotten 85% of what had happened, and there is no way that I will re-read that series.

Sword of Truth Series: Terry Goodkinds seems to Rip off Robert Jordan pretty badly. "Wizard's First Rule" was a good book, though.

Shannara: Pretty good books. Th first was the best. The series is a bit too simplistic for my taste.

	31-05-2002 00:58									#10
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Ach, God. No! "The Sword of Shannara" is the single worst book I've ever read.

I go for stuff that owes nothing to Tolkien. Top is the incredible "Mythago Wood" novels by Robert Holdstock, for being brutal and mind-blowing. Second is Ursula Le Guin's Eartsea quartet.

	31-05-2002 00:59									#11
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I've read most of the above. I find it peculiar no one mentioned the David Eddings books particularly the

Belgariad Series

LOTR still sets the standard.

WOT - great first 3 books now needs to move along a wrap things up. I agree with Nationalist I've forgottenmost of the characters and subplots by the time I get the next WOT book. At a minimum there should be a synopsis of what has happened previously to refresh your memory.

	31-05-2002 01:04									#12
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David Eddings' Belgariad was very good, but as it dragged on into the Malloreon, it became really dry and uninspired.
The two Trilogies, Elenium and Tamuli (both by Eddings) were much better than the Malloreon imo. All other works by Eddings were incredibly mediocre.

I've read a lot of the Chinese equivalent of fantasy, that is martial arts novels (no it's nothing like what occurs in Hollywood). But I don't think a lot of people here have read those.

	31-05-2002 01:04									#13
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the best ='Swords' series by Fritz Lieber

the worst = the guy with leprosy (appalling, i forget the name of the books)

	31-05-2002 01:05									#14
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Yeah, Shannara is simplistic and in the case of Sword highly derived but they were fun to read. Wishsong is the best by the way. Of course with my lack of fantasy knowledge they all might be derivatives.

Damn I forgot the Earthsea books, but I only read the first two. (Wizard and Tombs of Antuan)

Last edited by Moral Hazard on 31-05-2002 at 01:10

	31-05-2002 01:05									#15
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Oh gawd Shannara was bloody awful. If you didn't like the sword of..., be happy you never set about reading the rest of the series... Geez I was a stupid teenager.

Back when I still read High Fantasy (Restricting myself to light (Howard) and comic (Pratchett) Fantasy these days), my favourites used to be very non-tolkien as well. Katherine Kerr's celtic-based disjointed stuff was cool, and I did like Meredith Anne Brook's The Dark Angel which was rather trippy but certainly interesting.

	31-05-2002 01:09									#16
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note to self:

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

	31-05-2002 01:14									#17
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quote: Originally posted by Bugs ****ing Bunny Second is Ursula Le Guin's Eartsea quartet.

I didn't like Earthsea very much. I just didn't care much about the characters. IMO the 3rd book "Wizard of Earthsea" was the best, while the 2nd book (forgot the name) was the worst. BTW, I can see how people could dislike Shannara. I read it when I was 12 and thought that it was simple and too derivative. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed Sword of Shannara.

	31-05-2002 01:15									#18
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LoTR

WoT - the only series that took me a whole week to read when I had the books

Discworld

the George RR Martin series (song of ice and fire or something)

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville was good

Stardust by Gaiman

the Morgaine cycle by Cherryh (as weel as the Ealdwood novels)

Mordant's Need by Donaldson

The Amber series (first) by Zelanzie

I am sure I am missing some of my favorites

Jon Miller

	31-05-2002 01:18									#19
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I haven't read most of the books mentioned so far, but I did find LOTR very draggy and the Eddings books only slightly less so. My favorites are Joel Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame series and Lawrence Watt-Evans' Ethshar books.

	31-05-2002 01:19									#20
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quote: Originally posted by Jon Miller WoT - the only series that took me a whole week to read when I had the books

It only took you a week to read the 9 WOT books? Did you read them non-stop?

	31-05-2002 01:22									#21
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can't believe you have forgotten the best of all
Weis/Hickman's: DragonLance!

Howard's stories are also great.

	31-05-2002 01:24									#22
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The Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, damn good dark bloody low-magic political fantasy, best fantasy I've read in years.

Zelazny's Amber series and Moorecock's Elric series definately also deserve a nomination.

	31-05-2002 01:25									#23
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The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the worst anti-hero ever. Agreed. Run away. But there is noone better at wrapping up a 350 page book in 3 paragraphs like silverberg. wam bam thank you mam.

The Wheel of Time, Like most series, loses it after the forth or fifth book. Like the Belgariad Series. I loved the first few but then the same ole tired formula got more and more boring.

The same could be said of Zelanys (sp?) Princes of AMBER series. The first few books kicked butt, but then again the same ole tired formula killed it.

My favorites, LOTR, it did set the standard, and is not really a trilogy but one long book. (which is the major weakness of most new series.)

Another was Pier Anthony's the aspects of fate or something, where one book was about death, etc. Since each book was about a different character, it didn't fall into the same ole same ole pattern.

RAH

Damn, zhu, you beat me to the amber reference by one minute.
must learn to type faster

	31-05-2002 01:25									#24
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quote: Originally posted by Zhu Yuanzhang The Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, damn good dark bloody low-magic political fantasy, best fantasy I've read in years. Reminds me a lot of some of Bug's history posts Zelazny's Amber series and Moorecock's Elric series definately also deserve a nomination.

	31-05-2002 01:29									#25
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quote: I didn't like Earthsea very much. I just didn't care much about the characters. IMO the 3rd book "Wizard of Earthsea" was the best, while the 2nd book (forgot the name)

IIRC Wizard of Earthsea was the first, Tombs of Atuan the second, and Farthest Shore the third, I didn't know there was a fourth. My favorite was Tombs but I only read it and wizard. Easily better books than Shannara.

	31-05-2002 01:32									#26
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quote: Originally posted by rah The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the worst anti-hero ever. Agreed. Run away. But there is noone better at wrapping up a 350 page book in 3 paragraphs like silverberg. wam bam thank you mam. The Wheel of Time, Like most series, loses it after the forth or fifth book. Like the Belgariad Series. I loved the first few but then the same ole tired formula got more and more boring. The same could be said of Zelanys (sp?) Princes of AMBER series. The first few books kicked butt, but then again the same ole tired formula killed it. My favorites, LOTR, it did set the standard, and is not really a trilogy but one long book. (which is the major weakness of most new series.) Another was Pier Anthony's the aspects of fate or something, where one book was about death, etc. Since each book was about a different character, it didn't fall into the same ole same ole pattern. RAH Damn, zhu, you beat me to the amber reference by one minute. must learn to type faster

while I beat you by 10 minutes

Jon Miller

	31-05-2002 01:35									#27
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At least noone has mentioned Anne Macaffreys (sp?) Dragon lore series

RAH

Moorcock's Elric series was good but it too fell into the same ole same ole, highlighted by that one scene that seemed to appear in every book from a different perspective. Always amused me.
But a fun read none the less.

	31-05-2002 01:36									#28
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quote: Originally posted by rah The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the worst anti-hero ever. Agreed. Run away. But there is noone better at wrapping up a 350 page book in 3 paragraphs like silverberg. wam bam thank you mam.

Tried those, got be bit turned off after the rape scene though and ended up dropping it not much past that...

quote: Another was Pier Anthony's the aspects of fate or something, where one book was about death, etc. Since each book was about a different character, it didn't fall into the same ole same ole pattern.

I read three of those, very good light reading, definately better than all the Xanth stuff...

quote: Damn, zhu, you beat me to the amber reference by one minute. must learn to type faster

That's what I'm here for

Oh and I remember really liking Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy but I read 'em a looong time ago (early HS I think) so its hard to tell if they're really good or if I was being a stupid kid (I was even dumb enough to read some of the WoT books three times :eek.

	31-05-2002 01:37									#29
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quote: Originally posted by Jon Miller while I beat you by 10 minutes Jon Miller

Yes you are correct, don't know how I missed that one. I bow to your analness.

RAH

	31-05-2002 01:39									#30
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Oh, one more, Brust's Taltos books are pretty good cloak and dagger fiction, but they're way too magic heavy-for my tastes (I'm on the fourth book a the moment).