Favorite fantasy/sci-fi literature other than Tolkien
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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 4:57 pm 
 

bbarsh's recent movie topic inspired me to do this one...hopefully it hasn't been done before...

Like I'm sure many the members here are, I'm an avid reader. For me, I'll take a book over a movie every time. Of course, we've all read LOTR, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, etc...and most have read Conan as well, so we'll exclude the works of Tolkien and Howard. Let's find out everyone's favorite author or work, and then others may discover something they haven't read yet, that would be worth checking out!

In, the fantasy world, Raymond Fiest's Riftwar books to me are incredible reading, and would have to rank at the top of my list. Also love the Xanth series, although the earlier books I find far superior. 1st and 2nd Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Donaldson (wish someone would turn that into a movie!). Daivd Eddings' Belgariad and Malloreon series are pretty good.

When it comes to sci-fi, of course I love the old Bradbury and Asimov...but IMHO, nothing comes close to Battlefield Earth by L.Ron Hubbard, followed closely by the satirical Mission Earth dekology. Yes, of course it's been forever tainted by that god-awful movie (barely even resembles the book), and I'm no scientologist, but really...it is pure enjoyment...I highly recommend!

  

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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 5:02 pm 
 

seeyouinescrow wrote:...but IMHO, nothing comes close to Battlefield Earth by L.Ron Hubbard

*g*. The longest book I've read in one sitting. :D
Got to half way, then just kept going... Fun ^^

  

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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 5:05 pm 
 

Wizard of Earth Sea, Shannara, Guardians of the Flame, Gord the Rogue series, Kenneth C. Flints books and Jack Chalkers Dancing Gods series. Might as well add the Elric line and the Gor books (though these are not too everyones taste).


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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 5:48 pm 
 

faro wrote:
seeyouinescrow wrote:...but IMHO, nothing comes close to Battlefield Earth by L.Ron Hubbard

*g*. The longest book I've read in one sitting. :D
Got to half way, then just kept going... Fun ^^


Regardless of whether it is good or not I refuse to read anything that nut job created  :evil:

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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 5:49 pm 
 

Actually, I don't think I've ever read any Conan.

I have read:
Piers Anthony (Xanth and Split Infinity)
Fritz Lieber (Fafhrd&Grey Mouser (Lankhmar))
Roger Zelazny (Amber)
Poul Anderson (no series!  3 Hearts and 3 Lions is my favorite, in spite of its shameless theft from Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court)
Thieves World anthology

At one point, I was just buying and reading the influeneces cited in the back of the DMG (1E).  Quality has varied somewhat, but haven't hit anything truly weak yet.

  

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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 5:59 pm 
 

improvstone wrote:Regardless of whether it is good or not I refuse to read anything that nut job created  :evil:

You'll not be reading any vanVogt, either, since he rather blindly supported said "nut job" for many years?
etc., etc.

Heh. If anything, Battlefield Earth was the best indication of how much LRH's newfound "science" managed to change him from a decent pulp writer... into a decent pulp writer.
Few things can debunk an individual's "aura of mystique" as much as their own written word.

  

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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 6:00 pm 
 

Katherine Kerr (can't recall the series of books, but she did help write CM9 Legacy of Blood)
Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time series
Various Authors - Thieves World
Can't recall the Author, but he wrote Wizard's First Rule, etc
George R.R. Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire series

Frome TSR:
Dragonlance (most of the early ones)
Ravenloft

I know I'm missing some others, but those came to mind.

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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 6:12 pm 
 

ooh nice thread!!

my three fave books of all time are (in no order):-

Robert A Heinlein "Glory Road" (june 1984 reprint)

Emil Petaja "Saga of Lost Earths" (1st print may 1979)

David Gemmell "Legend"

and a classic from when i was a kid and have looked for it ever since to give to the girls to read:

Terry Nation "Rebecca's World"

books are a great passion of mine and i have em scattered all over the house. i love the 60s/70s fantasy / sci-fi stuff - the writing styles were very raw and imaginative and suits how i like things perfectly. also liked the old perry rhodan books (yes mike i know you have em sat in your ebay shop  :wink: )

i like most books of this ilk, but these for me stand out way above the others.

other faves are:

john coyne "hobgoblin" - this is cool - it starts off relating to a group of kids playing an RPG game called Hobgoblin - and when his character Brian Boru dies, it all gets interesting in a horror sorta way - good book from the early 80s

james barclay - chronicles of the raven series - an excellent read

Robert E Vardeman - the war of powers series - great reads too - very explicit but also quite amusing.

man i could go on for hours :D

Al


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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 6:15 pm 
 

faro wrote:You'll not be reading any vanVogt, either, since he rather blindly supported said "nut job" for many years?
etc., etc.

Heh. If anything, Battlefield Earth was the best indication of how much LRH's newfound "science" managed to change him from a decent pulp writer... into a decent pulp writer.
Few things can debunk an individual's "aura of mystique" as much as their own written word.


Actually I don't blame the individuals who are misled by those who seek to abuse the trust of their fellow man or woman.

By the way I did see the movie before I realised it was based on his book.

IMDB wrote:The original plans called for a sequel to be produced, which would be based on second half of the novel by L. Ron Hubbard. These plans were scrapped due to the poor critical and public reaction to this film.


At least the gods have not totally abandoned us  :twisted:

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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 6:23 pm 
 

No contest, it has to be Fritz Lieber's Lankhmar books!

After that, I'd recommend the first 2 Thieves' World books, then some early Conan, some Moorcock Eternal Champion (especially Corum and Hawkmoon).

After working my way through that lot, I'd start reading Fafhrd & Mouser again!

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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 6:44 pm 
 

Andre Norton, recently deceased, wrote many books.  These are excellent, although (IMHO) they degrade as you move through the series.

The Witch World (1963)  
Web of the Witch World (1964)  
Three Against the Witch World (1965)  
Warlock of the Witch World (1967)  
Sorceress of the Witch World (1968)

BTW, the "nut job" stayed in my parents B&B on Brighton seafront for many weeks.  I think it was in the 60's (my memory for dates is not so good). He stayed closeted within his room, probably writing something or other.  Fortunatley, nothing rubbed off on me.


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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 6:53 pm 
 

C.A. Smith, cant go wrong with Zothique or Averoinge. All of Lovecraft and a good bit of Derleth as well. Robert Adams Horseclans, Yes I will say it I like both Terry Brooks and David Eddings.. Im sure I will burn in some sort of hell for it. Algeron Blackwood, Frank Belknap Long are other favorites for me. C.S. Lewis.


Im not a big sci-fi fan for readinig. I much more prefer westerns and anything written by Louis Lamour.


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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 7:22 pm 
 

I keep on meaning to read Guy Gavriel Kay's The Fionavar Tapestry and Jack Whyte's Skystone.  Has anyone read these?

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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 7:31 pm 
 

My favorite writer is Margaret Weis, whom I am proud to have known personally.

My first choice would be the Dragonlance Chronicles, written with Tracy Hickman. But maybe I'm just affectionate. Margaret also wrote Star of the Guardians, a galactic fantasy (à la Star Wars, let's say - NOT science fiction) saga. That's her masterpiece.

After that, I'd place Harry Turtledove's Invasion. A great idea at the basis (aliens invading Earth in the middle of World War II), but also greatly developed.

I'd ban Terry Brooks from bookstores.

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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 7:32 pm 
 

guerret wrote:My favorite writer is Margaret Weis, whom I am proud to have known personally.

My first choice would be the Dragonlance Chronicles, written with Tracy Hickman. But maybe I'm just affectionate. Margaret also wrote Star of the Guardians, a galactic fantasy (à la Star Wars, let's say - NOT science fiction) saga (no Hickman here). That's her masterpiece. Very few people have read this saga, but I recommend it to everyone.

After that, I'd place Harry Turtledove's Invasion. A great idea at the basis (aliens invading Earth in the middle of World War II), but also greatly developed.

I'd ban Terry Brooks from bookstores.

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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 7:53 pm 
 

seeyouinescrow wrote:bbarsh's recent movie topic inspired me to do this one...hopefully it hasn't been done before...


It was done at least once before but that was at least a year ago and I'm not about to go and search for the thread.  :D   Besides, this is a good topic anyways.  So where do I start?

As good as Raymond Feist's Riftwar Saga is, IMHO his best book is Faerie Tale.  If you havent read it you should!

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time.  The Dragon Reborn is still my favorite.

William Gibson's Neuromancer.  At the time it was released it was the first book to win the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick awards the same year.  Still may be the only one to do so.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.  Tried to read the others in the series....blech...couldnt get into them at all.

Anything by Greg Bear.  Eon, Blood Music, The Forge of God...I love all of his books.

The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs.  Odd little fantasy book I read way back in 5th or 6th grade.  Couldnt find it anywhere else so I stole it from the library in high school.  :twisted:

And I just started a book by Gregory Benford called In the Ocean of Night which is the first book of The Galactic Center series.  Most of his stuff is great hard sci-fi.

Just like a lot of people I could keep going for awhile.  Moorcock, Leiber, Terry Goodkind, George R.R. Martin, Dan Simmons...the list goes on and on.  :wink:

  

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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 8:08 pm 
 

Saberhagen's Swords. Nothing else comes close for me.
Jeffrey Lord's Blade series is nice in a pulp sort of way.


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Post Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 8:22 pm 
 

dune is first  followed by riverworld by philip jose farmer ( i like the first world of tiers book by him as well). elric by moorcock and foundation by asimov would round out my top five.

  
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