Random_Taffer on 8/4/2006 at 12:10
Quote Posted by ilweran
Mostly sci-fi I think- Philip K Dick, Ursula le Guin, John Wyndham, Ray Bradbury. I do like fantasy, but I'm a huge Tolkien fan and nothing comes close to his work.I do like le Guin's Earthsea trilogy, early Terry Pratchett, Guy Kay, and I have read some Stephen Donaldson.
Yes! Guy Gavriel Kay's
The Fionovar Tapestry was amazing!
Rug Burn Junky on 8/4/2006 at 12:38
Oh, we got both kinds of music here. We got country AND western.
Para?noid on 8/4/2006 at 19:09
Aside from LOTR and The Farseer Trilogy, I have yet to read a fantasy novel that isn't derivative, cartoonish and convincing. Regardless it's the only genre of fiction I seem to read.
Random_Taffer on 8/4/2006 at 19:31
Ever read Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time? It's quite good so far. I'm only about 5 books in but it's quite unique and interesting. I considered putting the series down when I started the first book. The Eye of the World The prologue was great, then it was pretty boring for a bit...I wanted to put it down but I forced myself to start the 4th chapter. About two pages in I was hooked on the book. It got SO good from then on and has kept consistent since.
If you can trudge through the first three chapters you will be hooked.
:thumb:
Para?noid on 8/4/2006 at 20:08
Wheel Of Time peaks at Book 4. It has some great concepts, but for the most part is bloated, over the top crap that should have ended five books ago.
Random_Taffer on 8/4/2006 at 23:04
I'm currently on The Fire's of Heaven (Book 5). I hope I'm not in for a big disappointment...:(
So did you actually read them all? Just get boring for you? Or was this just what you've heard?
Jennie&Tim on 8/4/2006 at 23:04
I like both genres, but prefer fantasy.
Some that I find a bit different are:
Barry Hughart's Bridge of Birds: an amusing tale set in a China that never was. Good fun, not too intellectual.
Ernst Bramah's Kai Lung Unrolls His Mat: Been a while since I read this, I remember it as a satirical collection of stories strung together through the device of a wandering storyteller. Again, set in a version of China.
R.A. MacAvoy's Tea with the Black Dragon: Our world as a fantasy setting, a bit old but still fun. It's also a mystery, but I like those too.
Lawrence Watt-Evan's The Misenchanted Sword: All about what you can do with just a little magic and imagination. Good fluff.
Patricia Wrede's Mairelon the Magician : A fantasy mystery set in Regency England, a comedy of manners deftly woven.
Katherine Eliska Kimbriel's Night Calls: The American pioneer days with fantastic elements. An excellent book in an unusual setting for fantasy.
Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy books are a treat for those who like fantasy and mystery. Set in an alternate world where England and Poland are the great powers, Lord Darcy investigates mysteries of the highest national import. Great fun. Recently re-released.
Well, that's enough to be getting on with. Do note that I prefer cheerful books to grim ones, and my selection reflects this bias.
descenterace on 9/4/2006 at 03:32
Quote Posted by Naartjie
Discworld started out a madcap satirical pageant of all things swords & sorcery until about 7 books ago when he moved on to mirroring real life issues with the whole mental cast of characters and places he'd made.
Actually, I think he started mirroring Real Life several books before that. But otherwise you're exactly right.
Naartjie on 9/4/2006 at 10:34
Quote:
Originally posted by Random_TafferEver read Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time? It's quite good so far. I'm only about 5 books in but it's quite unique and interesting.
The Wheel of Time is
utter wank. I got 3 books in and frankly, if it takes that long for any series to get good, it's not worth it. Stodgy, slow-paced, clumsily derivative balls is how I'd sum it up, and not even a patch on most of the genre stuff you can get in your average WHSmith.
Quote:
Originally posted by descenteraceActually, I think he started mirroring Real Life several books before that. But otherwise you're exactly right.
I didn't have an exact book in mind y'know, he's just written so damn many that I lose track. Have read almost all of them though, and will continue to do so if he stays on track :)
