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| Welcome to the Layonara forums!
Layonara is so much more than a game. We started off as a tabletop Dungeons and Dragons campaign more than a decade ago. Since then we have developed into a fantasy world with as much compelling and engrossing detail as you will find anywhere.
Our current showcase is a Neverwinter Nights version of Layonara, where our world comes to life in a finely polished persistent world which you can play free of charge. These forums are set up to support and accentuate our player's experiences, but it goes far beyond that.
After years of passionate effort, our world is so well developed, so detailed, so refined that any of the handbooks, maps, historical accounts, legends, descriptions of artifacts, creature reports, character biographies, short stories, novels, movies and original art which populate these forums can surely serve as resources or inspiration for your own fantasy endeavors, whatever they may be. And our world is endlessly evolving, so resources are frequently added and updated.
There are also years of sage advice and commentary on role-playing, gaming and online community development stored in these forums. If camaraderie is what you seek, we offer that too. Our community is as active and supportive as you're likely to find on the internet. In short, these forums are a resource for you to use for whatever purpose or project brought you here.
We're confident that you will find what you are looking for, and likely, substantially more.
Please be our guest and browse around the forums which are available to you. As you do, keep in mind that you are sampling only a portion of what Layonara has to offer. Membership in our community is free, and allows you to establish a Layonara identity to pose your questions and share your thoughts on the forums. When you join you'll also be able to communicate privately to other members (PMs), establish and respond to polls, upload and download content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free. So please. join our community today!
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04-16-07, 12:19 PM
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#41 | | Beholder Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 475
Thanks: 254
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|  Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
Nibor,
I agree with you about Thomas Covenant. I've read the whole series and kept looking for some redemptive value in him but at the same time I just couldn't put it down. I love hated him. |  |   | |
04-18-07, 11:24 PM
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#42 | | Game Master Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 3,120
Thanks: 111
Thanked 715 Times in 503 Posts
| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
Three additional authors who I cannot believe have not yet appeared on this list: - Robert A. Heinlein
- Spider Robinson
- Douglas Adams
(The fact that the last was not on the list is some sort of travesty. | | | | |
04-19-07, 03:58 AM
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#43 | | Gamemaster Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 733
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
Ah, books! Such lovely things, and so darn distracting when you need to be working on something else. They're very similar to Layonara in that regard.
I see some of my favourites have already been given attention in this thread, so I'll throw out a couple authors and books I've enjoyed that haven't been mentioned yet.
Guy Gavriel Kay -- A Canadian fantasy writer with two Aurora awards under his belt, and many years of good writing still to come. He's the author of the "Fionavar Tapestry" series, "Tigana", "The Lions of Al-Rassan", "Ysabel", and half a dozen other books.
Susan Cooper -- A childhood favourite, and a very celebrated English children's author. I think she has at least one or maybe two Newbery awards for her series "The Dark is Rising". Personally, I always liked "The Boggart" too, but it was "Seaward" that captured my heart.
O. R. Melling -- Another childhood favourite, and another Canadian. She wrote "The Hunter's Moon" and "The Singing Stone" among other things, and tends to have a focus on Celtic and Irish folklore in her fantasy.
Lois Lowry -- "The Giver". (While I'm on childhood favourites). If you've read this one, you probably know why I'm mentioning it. I think this may have been one of the books that set me up to love fantasy and science-fiction so much.
Some other more adult favourites: - "High Fidelity" -- Nicholas Hornby
- "The Poisonwood Bible" --Barbara Kingsolver
- "The Lovely Bones" -- Alice Sebold (Also, an interesting biography by the same author -- "Lucky")
- "The Loop" -- Nicholas Evans ("The Horse Whisperer" was also good, but I liked "The Loop" better)
- Several of Farley Mowat's books -- make me laugh till I cry every time
- Anything by Christopher Moore, when I'm in the mood for something wacky/absurd/funny/awful/dark/unique. This guy is crazy, but crazy in an interesting and often very very funny way. The last book of his I read? "A Dirty Job" (all about Death with a capital D). One before that? "Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story" (wacky vampire romances)
- Lots of the classical English literature types. Comes with the English minor, I guess, but I genuinely like Shakespeare, the Romantic poets, Dickens, Joyce and the like. "Wuthering Heights" is a definite favourite.
- Plays. I took a course on Canadian drama two years ago from a great prof, and it really opened up my eyes to a genre I'd been ignoring. I know they're "meant to be seen" but they make pretty good reading too. And no, I don't just love Canadian plays. I just know them best. Have to say I love Tom Stoppard too.
- "The Time Traveller's Wife" -- Audrey Niffenager. This is an amazing work -- probably my current favourite book. I simply cannot praise this highly enough. It had absolutely everything I was looking for, and was absolutely uncompromising in the path its story took.
I could go on, but I won't, because I could literally post all night!
p.s. For those that are wondering ... No. There really is no rhyme or reason to my taste in books. I'll read anything, from cereal boxes to instruction manuals. Call my taste random, crazy, eclectic, or non-existant, but I'm just that kind of person. |  | | |
04-21-07, 03:10 PM
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#44 | | Mind Flayer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Suffield CT
Posts: 777
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
The Hourus Heresy set
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"The question that once haunted my being has been answered. The future is NOT fixed, and my choices are my own. And yet, how ironic... For I find I have no choice at all."
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04-21-07, 08:13 PM
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#45 | | Adamantium Golem Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 174
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
So many where do I start. King of course, LOTR, Also like Kellerman a lot. Classics wise I am a big fan of David Copperfield and Jayne Eyre. I also like James Patterson. Enjoyed the Harry Potter Series. Books I read the most are true crime books though no particular author expect maybe along the lines of John Douglas and other former FBI profiler folk. I'm sure I will think of many many more and have to come back and edit. | | | | |
04-21-07, 10:07 PM
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#46 | | Mind Flayer Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: ft lauderdale
Posts: 1,205
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
sunrunners were mentioned by melanie rawn
both trilogies are great the dragon prince is the first trio
and dragon star the second
robin hobb- ship of magic, madship, and ship of destiny
the ships are actually alive
any dragonlance by weis and hickman
any forgotten realms novels
battlefield earth by hubbard
and one i notice hasnt been mentioned at all
anne mccaffrey- anything from pern
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....when the fire that burns your hands appears from darkened woods ....think again before you wander into a druids realm.....
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04-23-07, 10:50 AM
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#47 | | Adamantium Golem Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 214
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
1) Harry Potter, the series, by J. K. Rowling
2) Redeeming love, I can't remember the author
3) Screwtape Letter by C. S. Lewis
4) Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis | | | | |
04-29-07, 11:10 PM
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#48 | | Adamantium Golem Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Washington
Posts: 226
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
I read all the time, and here are just a few.
-The Wheel Of Time (Books 1-11)- by Robert Jordan
-The Left Behind Series(not exactly know how many books there are)
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And Tod's a fashion cautious guy, who rarely ever dies, 'cos he's got suits of black and blue, equipped with sword and pies! -Rockhead Howling Wolf
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04-29-07, 11:20 PM
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#49 | | Beholder Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 475
Thanks: 254
Thanked 83 Times in 54 Posts
| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
I've read those too. Good books.....lot's of suspence in the Behind series. | | | | |
05-06-07, 06:00 AM
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#50 | | Mind Flayer Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Finland
Posts: 1,160
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
There are many already listed above that I like very much, like D&D novels, Tolkien, Dune saga.
I myself would like to add the Finland's folk story legend: Kalevala, although it is in a poetic form and works best in finnish. But I'm sure there are aplenty of translations available nowadays.
The other that I would recommend is Robin Hobb's Assassin Series.
Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin's Quest
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05-06-07, 09:33 AM
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#51 | | Banned Join Date: May 2006 Location: In Interia's Closet
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
Alot o fthose books I've read.
L.E Modesitt Jr. - The magic of Recluce series.
Its very good, all about Chaos and Order and the struggle to Balance.
He does other fantasy books, and sci-fi books. One of my favorite sci-fi ones by him is the Parafaith war. Good take on a religous war, its worth a read. | | | | |
05-07-07, 02:35 AM
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#52 | | Ancient Dragon Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,221
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
To add to the list:
Jane Yolen - Dragon's Blood
Edit: For those of you considering reading the silmarillion and get incredibly bored in the first section to the point where you're about to give up... just skip to the main section of the book. It'll give you the reason to read the beginning (which has been (accurately) portrayed as reading like the old testemant.)
__________________ "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss
Last edited by Talan Va'lash : 05-07-07 at 02:39 AM.
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06-18-07, 12:23 AM
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#53 | | Beholder Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 475
Thanks: 254
Thanked 83 Times in 54 Posts
| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
I just had to add this one since I just finished reading it.
Children in the Night
By Harold Myra
An epic fantasy of yearning, horror, myth, and wonder. A story of good versus evil in a subterranean world of Perpetual night.
It may be difficult to locate this book as it is now out of print but it's worth the search if you find it!
Mooneyes
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As Zig Ziglar said, "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.
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11-21-08, 01:50 AM
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#54 | | Adamantium Golem Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 258
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
great books all
i have collected the complete forgotten realms books to date (twice since my mum gave away my complete first collection) The maztica trilogy is one of my favorites. but when i feel like being a big kid i actually mess around with my collection of steve jackson and ian livingstone's FF (fighting fantasy books). ahh the good ol days! | | | | |
11-21-08, 07:55 AM
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#55 | | Beholder Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Delaware, USA
Posts: 528
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
FYI
Terry Goodkind : Wizard's First Rule, the first in the Sword of Truth series.
It is now in TV format: Legend of the Seeker Series. Available for download as its up to episdoe 6. (Mininova.com for bittorrent) I have it here on WPHL 17 Philadelphia. | | | | |
11-21-08, 12:54 PM
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#56 | | Mind Flayer Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
Hmm, let's see
- Tolkien
- Pratchett
- Raymond E. Feist (especially the Empire's Trilogy, and the first 4 books of The Krondor's Chronicle)
- Anne McCaffrey - The Chronicle of Pern)
- Asimov and Philip K. (name automatically erased/edited for a strange but obvious reason)
- David Lodge (nothing to do with Sc-Fi or Fantasy though)
- Malory (if anyone else read him, and/or know what he wrote, let me know  )
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"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then don't be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even Ozy cannot see all ends."
JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (more or less *grins*)
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11-21-08, 07:00 PM
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#57 | | Beholder Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: In a small cave on the second story of my house.
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| Re: Most Enjoyed Books or Authors
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jilseponie Wyndon  FYI
Terry Goodkind : Wizard's First Rule, the first in the Sword of Truth series.
It is now in TV format: Legend of the Seeker Series. Available for download as its up to episdoe 6. (Mininova.com for bittorrent) I have it here on WPHL 17 Philadelphia. | I just finished the last book Confessor... I recently was able to buy it paperback.... awesome series.  not to mention that the series looks good. I've only seen episode 4 though...
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