The World of Layonara
The Layonara Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: SquareKnot on March 17, 2006, 10:07:25 PM
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I'm trying to introduce my wife to the whole fantasy genre. She's an avid reader, reading about 5 books a week (she has to do something while I'm playing Layo :) ). A lot of what she reads is the typical romance novel fare. But I've convinced her to try some fantasy novels. Now I just need some specific titles as a starting place. She's seen some of the LotR movies, but that's about it.
There are a lot of books out there, but I'm looking for something that doesn't assume you've memorized the Monster Manual and have a map of the Forgotten Realms tatooed on your forearm. If someone could recommend something with a romantic, but not too racey, theme, they'll earn bonus points.
From here, it will only be a tiny step before she's submitting a character. Booouuhhhhaaahhhhaaaa. * evil smirk *
So, any recommendations?
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A good series to start out on in the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
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I highly recommend DragonLance! They are great reads and are just fun to read. The Chronicles (the first trilogy) and then War of the Twins (the second trilogy)....After that pick up what you want.
There are a lot of good Forgotten Realms books as well. I like Clerics Quintet...but there are so many to choose from.
I also love Feist!!
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The Belgariad by David Eddings. *nods*
Real easy reading, great humor and a very nice story. It is a 5 book series followed by the Mallorean, another 5 book series.
Dragonlance is also a very good suggestion as well.
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Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (11 books thus far one more to come)
Magician, SilverThorn and Darkness at Sethanon - Raymond E Feist (his first trilogy, but he has written other books that is well worth it as well)
And as noted before you have to read Dragonlance, I lost count but there is at least 4 trilogies I think.
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I believe one of the best series for her to read would be the "Guardians of the Flame" series by Joel Rosenberg. Start at the beginning of course with:
The Sleeping Dragon
The Sword and the Chain
The Silver Crown
The series goes on from there, but that is a good place to start and she can continue if she enjoys them. They contain fantasy but also bridge to our world. There is romance as well as adventure.
If she likes those and Joel Rosenberg's style, I recommend another series he wrote called "Keepers of the Hidden Ways" and is comprised of:
"The Fire Duke"
"The Silver Stone"
"The Crimson Sky"
I do recommend the Guardians of the Flame first though and if she likes it then move on to more in that series and/or the Keepers of the Hidden Ways series.
I think these are lighter, while still being serious as opposed to comic fantasy. I personally think that while series like the LotR are good, they are heavy fantasy and likely too much for someone being introduced to fantasy.
I also second L's recommendation of the Dragon Lance books, specifically the first trilogy.
Also I recommend Terry Brooks for his strong mass appeal. His Shannara books are quite good, though they tend towards heavier fantasy, though not as heavy as LotR. On the other hand he has two other series that I think would make good starters for your wife. The Magic Kingdom of Landover and the rest of that series are great for a first time fantasy read. They are on the lighter side, but not horribly so. Also his Word and the Void series which starts with Running With the Demon is a great read. One thing about both of these series is like the Rosenberg recommendations above, they bridge our world with fantasy worlds. In my experience having a concrete base of "reality" helps in the introduction to fantasy.
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I agree with Dragonlance too.
War of the Spider Queen by R. A. Salvatore and another author for each one of the six books.
There's also a great series in Portuguese, but I don't know if it's already translated. I'll write it here just in case: "Crónica de Allaryia"(Chronicles of Allaryia in english) by Filipe Faria.
I also enjoyed Eragon and Eldest, especially the second, both by Christopher Paolini.
"Sabriel" by Garth Nix.
I didn't like LotR all the much, but that's just me.
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Forgotten Realms are good to start with. Try books by R.A. Salvatore and Ed Greenwood they have some realy good books.
Try The Cleric Quintet as L said its good or The Dark Elf Trilogy By R.A.
Or The Elminster books by Ed Greenwood
The Cleric Quintet
"Canticle"
"In Sylvan Shadows"
"Night Masks"
"The Fallen Fortress"
The Dark Elf Trilogy
"Homeland"
"Exile"
"Sojurn"
(First book may be a little slow)
Elminster
"Elminster The Making of a Mage"
"Elminster in Myth Drannor"
"The Temptation of Elminster"
and if you want to get a good scope of the world of Forgottne Relms I personly would read "Once Around the Realms" this book should alow you to get to know a good number of places in the realms and of the people and items in them.
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IN TIME THE STUDENT BECOMES THE MASTER
"a hero is no braver then an ordinary man he is just brave 5 minutes longer"
"courage is fear holding on a minute longer"
"he who fears being conqured is sure of defeat"
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Just the Hobbit if she likes it she'll grab LotR on her own ;)
Light and funny, Brooks but not the Shanara series, those come a bit later to get her really hooked ;)
She's got a wicked sense of humor then go Pierce Anthony.
Else for a nice mix of personal stories and fantasy, Eddings as well as Kernn, the series by them :)
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Agree with KageKeeper. The Edding's books (at least those two series) are excellent for beginners.
Dragonlance, LotR and Wheel of Time are great too, but especially the later two are "heavier" to read than the Edding's books...
Aah... Hehe... And romantic part... It exists in the Edding's books too. :)
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"Mists of Avalon" she might enjoy.
Its King Authur.Through the eyes of the women who lived the times.
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DragonsBane series by Barbara Hambly. Her writing is like eating a 7 course meal in a lush garden of flowers....full of sensations so wonderfully written you feel like you are there. It's fantasy but character-driven, not fight fight fight.
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as a GIRL
ok, she likes romance type novels, etc etc. Get her onto Mercades Lackey. The first ones, and best ones IMO for her to read will be the arrows trilogy (arrows flight, arrows fall, arrows of the queen) its a little romantic, and it takes a 'orphan' into the highest courts of a queen. Heck, I loved the book so much, and fell in love with the character, if my babies a girl, her name is going to be after the main character in the series.
for the romance in her, the next book out of Lackey's to get her would be the 'The last herald-mage' trilogy, which is oddly THE FIRST BOOK WRITTEN IN FANTASY about a gay boy and his relations... she'll BAWL at the end of each book, and in the middle of them all too. Same with the book 'Brightly Burning'
AND THATS looking at her liking romance novels: yes, the other books listed are good, and my first were dragonlance... but she may be more open to Mercedes Lackey than the others...
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*points up to Varnart* Yup, Chronicles of Allaryia is a great series and it's not even all done yet. :)
Haven't read any of R.A. Salvatore's books, though i did read the LoTR triology and recommend it, it's a nice one.
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The Icewind Dale trilogy is really good, as are a lot of the other Salvatore books.
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The best books I have ever read, and I've read alot, are George RR Martins. They encompass everything, combat, romance, intrigue, magic, wars, and politics, with some really powerful female figures to boot! They are long but it doesn't seen that way when your reading them...
A Game of Thrones
A clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords
and the newest: A feast of Crows
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- Dragonlance -
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you might wanna let her look into Terry Goodkind's sword of truth series *grins* but let her start with dragonlance it is the best fantacy book out there ;)
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Fantasy novels are what got me involved in roleplaying....29 years later and I still enjoy the reading.
All the above are excellent books and authors. Eddings 10 book story of a boy that becomes a Scorcerer King is one of my favorites as well as Feist's Magician Series.
For a little twist on magic...Kurtz's Deryni stories are a great mix of magic and religion, I would also recommenrd the Death Gate Series.
You might also look at Donaldson's books..The Covenant Chronicles and The Mirror of Her Dreams.
To tie roamnce and fantasy, you might check out The Sunrunners Fire series by Melanie Rawn or if you can find it in print still...the Falcon and the Hound or Arabel's Saga.
I could go on with the library but the best is to pick a book and start and she will soon learn which authors she likes best.
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Amending to my list....L was right with the DragonLance series, simply excellent.
Any of RA Salvatore's Forgoteen Realms books, all of these are excellent IMO.
For the more obscure, they are out of print but in collections at the store are the Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion series. Not exactly great books for someone new to fantasy but excellent fantasy as well as Fritz Lieber's Fafrhd and the Gray Mouser series.
I didn't like the Dave Eddings books but they would be good for someone new to fantasy I think.
And if you like funny fantasy then get the MythAdventures series from Robert Lynn Asprin, funny stuff!
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I'm a David Eddings freak so I wholeheartedly reccomend him (Except for the Redemption of Athalus, not bad, but not what I was expecting).
And, if she's of a comic turn of mind, she could try any one of Terry Pratchett's books on Discworld (The Hogfather being one of my favorites). Although they are more like humor in a fantasy setting, it's a refreshing change from all the other "serious" books.
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Thanks to everyone who's responded so far. This gives me a lot to go on. I've only read about 1/3 of the books people have mentioned, so your ideas are moving me in directions I wouldn't have gone on my own. I just got back from the library, so we'll see how it goes.
Thanks again.
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no one has mentioned yet Ursula Le Guinn's Earth Sea Trilogy. A literary classic that has stood the test of time. Short thoughtful books that bring many readers into the fantasy genre gently.
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Earthsea is great for newcomers to fantasy, it's a quick read and it's not "techie" (as in requiring prior knowledge of what sterotyped classes are).
Mists of Avalon is a chick-book, and that's not a bad thing - epic story from the female point of view written by a woman. A very nice tale - I read it for an ex-girlfriend of mine, I finally grokked her after reading the book.
Belgariad is awsome and I love Silk - Freldo's inspired on him in some ways.
Hobbit, Lord of the Rings is great in terms of scope and the epic storytelling side of things. The Silmarillion is a must if she likes the world but isn't that easy a read.
Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms are good but require a little bit of prior knowledge of the concept of RPG races and classes.
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I liked the "Shanara" series personaly
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we I'm going to upset you all, I would say don't read moden fantasie its all mind roting pap,
I hate the 5 books of (funny made up name) where some farmer/mage kid etc saves any thing at all ever.
I say go back to the start pre-tolkin, try tresher iland, or the count of monticristo, there are classic grate works.
Which just put 99.9999% of moden fantasie to shame go back to the start in with the ok fantasie,
A kaneticat yanky in the caurt of king arthuer, the lion which and wardrobe there ae so meny.
Then (not tolkin keeps her away from elfs dwarfs etc)try the earth sea books, or lord valintines castle.
The princess bride was a book befor a grate film. Then Micky Morrcock or the books of amber
(not an elf in sight)
well that's my take, keep her away from the graduate - fantasie -word prosesing writers who's distation is an out line of there 12 book fantasie epic.
ps
you could use harry potter as well,
rats elfs got in ..
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Author - Brian Jacques..... >.>
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From a woman's perspective and an avid reader.
If she's into simple ploted romance books then she might have a hard time with the complexity of some of the modern fantasy plot lines. For simplicity of read, and yet a decent story I liked Deborah Chester's Sword, Ring and Chalice series or Jennifer Fallon's Hythrun Chronicles. A step up in complexity would be Terry Goodkind's Series, though IMHO only the first 4 books are good, with the series opener Wizard's First Rule on my all time favorite list of reads in any genre.Sara Douglass has a nice series, The Wayfarer's Redemption and for really complex twisting plots, George R Martin is good. I loved his Song of Ice and Fire Series. The Dragonlance books are great as well.
For interest sake, The Hobbit ismy least favorite of the LoTR books
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minerva - 3/18/2006 11:50 PM
A step up in complexity would be Terry Goodkind's Series, though IMHO only the first 4 books are good, with the series opener Wizard's First Rule on my all time favorite list of reads in any genre.
i like his lates 2 as well Chainfire, Naked Empire. but agreed that everything between temple of the wind and Naked Empire are only good as toilet paper ;)
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Salvatore!
I loved him, even his Star Wars stuff is great!
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Varnart - 3/18/2006 7:57 AM
I agree with Dragonlance too.
War of the Spider Queen by R. A. Salvatore and another author for each one of the six books.
There's also a great series in Portuguese, but I don't know if it's already translated. I'll write it here just in case: "Crónica de Allaryia"(Chronicles of Allaryia in english) by Filipe Faria.
I also enjoyed Eragon and Eldest, especially the second, both by Christopher Paolini.
"Sabriel" by Garth Nix.
I didn't like LotR all the much, but that's just me.
i agree eragon is a decent book and eldest to
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Anything By Margaret Wiess and Tracy Hickman (Dragon lance authors) is good also Robin Hobb, George RR Martin, R A Salvatore, Ed Greenwood etc etc as everyone else has previous;y said are all gret reads. But as an Introduction to fantasy as Nyralotep said couldn't go past LOTR or the Hobbit. The chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis are also good starter books and written in really simple language as they were targeted at a younger audience. If your wife is an avid reader and likes a good plot that twists and turns try Kate Forsythes series the witches of Elian. Really good but a little hard to get into at first is all, because the writing style is all in ye auld wytch type speak lioke thet laddee see heh here is the url http://members.ozemail.com.au/~kforsyth/
Hope whatever she decides upon she enjoys anyways, speaking from experience it's better if ya wife is on side and not like mine and wards herself with gralic and a cross everytime she meets one of my "D&D geek" friends.
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I dont know if anyone else likes them , but any of the Disk world series ... ive read most of them even though it takes me rather a long time to get through them , but i thought they were good. there by Terri Pratchet i believe (excuse the spelling).
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If brick-books don't scare you away on sight take a look at Steven Erikson's series: Malazan Book of the Fallen.
Lord of the Rings was my favourite until I read those books, and the series is still evolving. It is darker than most other series. Expect cruelty, not many happy endings, very realistic personas and tough choices... but also heroism and courage beyond belief, new and amazing races and a world and magic system that are just awesome.
Harlas
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I have to second Harlas. These are some of the best books I've ever read and this is someone who's always been put off by fantasy books, as so many are..... erm well you get my meaning :)
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I'll second the Earthsea books, especially the first two, as good intro books. But for someone who reads "romance" type novels, something like Mary Stewart's "The Crystal Cave", "The Hollow Hills" and "The Last Enchantment", which are the story of Merlin in the Arthurian legend, and "The Wicked Day", which is Mordred's story, might be the best place to start.
As for things like Jordan's "wheel of time" series, I gave up after three chapters into Book #1. I prefer Feist's Riftwar novels (Magician, Silverthorne, Darkness at Sethanon) -- and I'm not surprised to see Feist influence here in Layonara (especially in place names).
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Just thought I'd ressurect this thread with a book I read recently... "Epic" by Conor Kostick. It's about a VR game world. The story itself could be better, though it isn't bad, but it certainly isn't nearly one of the best. But it's worth reading just for the idea itself, and for some funny things inside (don't want to spoil it).
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Hrm..*goes out and buys all these books*
Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen, and the His Dark Materials series
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Harlas Ravelkione - 3/20/2006 11:18 AM If brick-books don't scare you away on sight take a look at Steven Erikson's series: Malazan Book of the Fallen. Lord of the Rings was my favourite until I read those books, and the series is still evolving. It is darker than most other series. Expect cruelty, not many happy endings, very realistic personas and tough choices... but also heroism and courage beyond belief, new and amazing races and a world and magic system that are just awesome. Harlas
gonna have to look into these :D
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I can't believe it took 20+ messages on this thread to get to Terry Pratchett. But best not to start her on that, or Salvatore's writing will seem juvenile by comparison. Pratchett's writing is tremendously mature, and VERY funny.
I agree totally on the Earthsea front - that starts a lot of kids on fantasy ,though I'd tout FR over Dragonlance in terms of how many good writers they have on their side.
And although it's about 5 months too late, I'll make a small snarky comment on NEXUS7's contribution. As much as the Count of Monte Cristo is a good book, you've clearly never read the original Princess Bride, or you wouldn't be expousing its genius quite so much. The Goldman edit, from the mid-50s, I believe (well after Tolkien) is the version that eventually got made into the film, because it edited out the long, boring chapters that were essentially extended analogies for political struggles that Morgenstern had experienced.
Furthermore, I suspect that you've not read any GOOD authors of modern fantasy, (though your dismissal of Tolkien makes me doubt your taste in general), or you wouldn't be so dismissive of an entire genre. Regardless, I'd recommend a return to "modern" fantasy, no matter how dismissive you may be of it. You might be surprised at what they've come up with.
Addendum: To expose myself as flamebait (if I'm going to flame, it's only fair that I take what I dish out) as much as the Narnia series is an entertaining set of childrens' books, it's essentially a heavy-handed set of analogies to Christianity. I would never consider it serious fantasy - nor did Lewis. And Lewis was a good friend of Tolkien - so once again, we come around to your dismissal of the grandfather of modern fantasy... and the origin of the D&D mythos.
Also, while Harry Potter is a great story, the writing, while solid, is simple. Pratchett, Tolkien, Goodkind, Lackey or Le Guin are all writers with a mature narrative voice. (There. Now I've made myself a target. *laughs*)
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An introduction into fantasy?
There is no better than the Incarnations of Immortality series by Piers Anthony. It starts with On A Pale Horse.
Even Anthony haters love this series.
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Earthsea turned the tide for me. Lord of the Rings I had read before, but didn't get it all until I'd read a good bit more and grown up a bit. I read a lot of Piers Anthony as a kid, probably didn't get most of it, then read a lot of Brian Jacques... very easy to understand, but the stories that stick out are the Earthsea trilogy. I honestly don't know what it was, I need to read them again now that I'm reminded.
Thinking a little less symmetrically... I'm thinking that the idea is to get a person's brain thinking in less realistic terms, and generally sparking a creative thought process that has you a lot less inhibited about things in this subject area. For this, I have, and always will support all moderately intelligent people reading Dune. All of them. It's a step in that direction and is without competition in that realm of literature. Which is not so much fantasy... but it sure gets your brain going that way.
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Well, Id say Most of the early Weis and Hickmans "DarkSword Triliogy", "DragonLance ( both trilogys ),"Rose of the Prophet", "DragonGate cycle"
....there was also an intresting series regarding "Planeswalkers", something to do with Mirza the Planeswalker....was intresting read, but dont remember the name.
Not much fantasy, but if you want a good adventure story " King Solomons Mines "......classic.
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Terry pratchett does some halarious books, really good at lightening you mood.
Ian Irvine - The view from the mirrior is a great series of books.
Hope this helps!
Edd.
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its not very good for an "Introduction" but there a fun read. War of the Spider Queen books 1-6. I have read 1-4 i think, they took to long to get out so i moved on to something else in tell there all out, which i think they are now, so I'm reading them again. If you know nothing of Drow and all that it might be a bit much to read, but its a page turner for me.
All 20 or so Drizzt books by R.A. Salvatore are a good read as well. So is his series about the Cleric.. i cant recall the name, but the chars are very interesting and colorful, there is a dwarvish druid and his brother and.. oh man, there endless laughs. At one point there trying to get a big rock up into a tree to drop on some ones head but the one ends up dropping it on the other head and they go at it.. its just really funny.
Terry Brooks makes some very good books as well, the Shannara series.. alot of books based around the same world, it reminds me of LoTR, but it isn't i asure you a rip off. The time it takes place though is interesting, often in the books you will see hints that this is in fact the future, not some fantasy swords and shields age. But its far into the future after human blow themselves up... or at least thats what i came to see, others might have seen differently. Either way its alot of fun.
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My favorite books:
Magician (I enjoy any books by RE Feist)
Thinking about it, the Empire Series he writes with Janny Wurts may be a great series to start off with. Strong female character, based roughly on a Asian type culture, lots on intrigue. A co-series with Magician (some of the same characters are present).
Terry Pratchett, has to be one of the best comic/fantasy authors (Mort is one of his best)
The Winter of the World - Michael Scott Rohan, 3 books The Anvil of Ice, The Forge in the Forest and The Hammer of the Sun. They are well worth reading. In fact I may go out and look for a copy now. The series is at my parents place....
The Cchronicles of Narnia, easy/childrens series to read but still very good.
Dragonlance, still liked the first series best.
The Plum Rain Scrolls, Japanese folklore but a great series. (I have not been able to find a copy since reading them in high school).
David Eddings, Salvatore and Robert Jordan are good as well. Took me about 3 books before I enjoyed Robert Jordans work.
The author of Pride and Preduce (forget her name). Great use of language.
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, again a younger readers series (loved it as a child)
Spellsinger (Alan Dean Foster) was also a good book.. Didn’t read the rest of the series.
Janny Wurts writes some really good books as well.
Lastly, the Misplaced Legion - Harry Turtledove. The first book is the best, but they are all good reads.
And yes, I hate to read....
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Robin McKinly
the blue sword and hero amd the crown
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I agree with the series by David Eddings, that's what got me started.
I wouldn't give her any D&D books, as most take at least some basic knowledge of the D&D rules and universe for granted.
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Diana Gabaldon (http://www.its.caltech.edu/%7Egatti/gabaldon/) Outlander (also titled Cross Stitch) Dragonfly in Amber Voyager Drums of Autumn The Fiery Cross A Breath of Snow and Ashes
Also Try Elisabeth Moon (http://www.sff.net/people/Elizabeth.Moon/biblio-fantasy.htm), Piers Anthony's Xanth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanth) Series for funny romantic. Highly reccomend Mists of Avalon and most Marion Zimmer Bradley (http://mzbworks.home.att.net/works.htm) books (The Fire Brand, an awesome retelling of the Trojan war, again with a woman's perspective.). Mercedes Lackey (http://www.mercedeslackey.com/text/1indexpage.shtml) is one of my favorites, she does lots of work with retelling of fairy tales lately that are very nice. Fire Rose is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast for example, very well done, very mature. Ursula Kroeber Le Guin's Earthsea is a great read as many have mentioned, only a little bit of romance in that series, but she has awesome stuff. I actually do not Reccomend Tolkien as a starter for a romance feed into fantasy, though Tolkien's works are wonderful after she's decided if she likes it or not. I have a couple of other suggestions haunting the back of my mind, but i will have to go raid the library and wade through to recall authors i should know off the top of my head.
As an asside, Ann McCaffery (http://www.annemccaffrey.net/books/index.html) and Andre Norton (http://www.andre-norton.org/books/index.html) are a must for later.
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let's see, if you want to go the Forgotten Realms route, start with SpellFire. Then move into some of the other earlier TSR books, like Azure Bonds, or Pool of Radiance. These were written back when TSR was developing its novel publishing as a means to keep the RPG side afloat, well before they decided everyone who was going to read them had slung 20 siders. With Dragonlance, the Chronicles and Legends are both good series, but beyond those, you need to pick and choose, some are good and others are not. for other DL books, I would reccomend Weasel's Luck and Galen Beknighted. Whenever I read them I get a young Mathew Broderick in my head as Galen.
Moving on, again Piers Anthony's earlier stuff tends to be darker and heavier than his later stuff, it is almost like he realized that much of his audience was younger guys, say around 13 or so, and started to put waaaay to much emphasis on budding sexuality. However if she wants to avoid the heavy stuff, Xanth is fun, as long as you can handle the puns.
I cannot reccomend Steven Brust enough. My wife had been trying to get me to read his stuff for a while, but I didn't pick his stuff up until after meeting him at a con. His novels have the feel of reading short stories, not that there isn't broader plot or anything, but in that easily digestible way, yet with the heartiness of a good novel. I'd start with the Taltos books and note his detail to food, its incredible.
The problem with Tolkein as a romance is that it is implied more than shown. Peter Jackson decided that women viewers of his movies needed it brought more to the front to stay interested in the films, take from that what you will. The true romance stuff is in the Silmarillion, which I would not reccomend unless she has read the Hobbit and the LoTR first, and perhaps some of the other books that Chris Tolkein has put out as well. The Silmarillion has some beautiful work in it, but is dry at times and can be a bit of a turn off if you aren't willing to work at it.
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Woman or not, you need to start with what I consider the bread and butter of fantasy novels.
"In a hole, in the ground, there lived a hobbit."
You should start with The Hobbit. It has it's slow bits and it's fast confusing bits, but all in all, it is the grand-daddy of all fantasy genres coming after it's release. It is an easy, light read, deemed 'children's literature' or 'young adult's literature' although all people dearly love the book.
After reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein, it is safe to move on to the Lord of the Rings, if you have a good long time to read. The story is told as if in Ent-speak. :P
After the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you can go in any one of several directions. I have never read a DragonLance book, and it's very likely that it'll be a long, long time before I do, so I can't really recommend reading them or not.
What I read directly following the Lord of the Rings trilogy was the Elminster saga. The first one, "Elminster: The Making of a Mage" is, in my opinion, one of the absolutely best D&D-based books ever written. Ed Greenwood is a talented and wonderful author whom does not get nearly enough credit for his amazing works these days, as R.A. Salvatore seems to be stealing the show. :P
I would not recommend the Dark Elf trilogies until you've got yourself acquainted with the Elminster saga. I'd at least read the first three books were I a newcomer to the fantasy realm, since, well, that's exactly what I did. Once you have read the saga, if you follow the road I have taken, move on to the Cleric Quintet. It is a wonderfully charged set of books that keeps moving at a good pace. Salvatore wrote them in what I consider to be 'his prime', after his first several books, when his style had become fairly founded.
After the Quintet, I would advise reading the Drizzt books; prepare yourself for stomach-cramping goody-goody drowness. :P The Drizzt books gave major birth to a huge following that is even evident upon Layonara: Good Drow Renegades, Turned Away From Their Homeland's Wicked, Vile Ways.
After the whole goody goody drow book, it's perfectly safe to move on to whatever's next. Y'know. I hear Terry Goodkind is good, although I couldn't force myself to read through her novel. I believe I read somethin by Harry Turtledove when I was younger, something of a parody of World War II if it had taken place in a fantasy-like realm. A dark series of books, but very inventive. No sword swinging, unfortunately, but rather, sticks charged with magical energy which I assume could be compared to rifles. :P
Beyond what I have listed lies a vast, vast realm of books for your enjoyment. These are only a few that I have 'put forth' for your leisure.
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Diamondedge - 8/7/2006 12:57 PM Woman or not, you need to start with what I consider the bread and butter of fantasy novels. "In a hole, in the ground, there lived a hobbit." You should start with The Hobbit. It has it's slow bits and it's fast confusing bits, but all in all, it is the grand-daddy of all fantasy genres coming after it's release. It is an easy, light read, deemed 'children's literature' or 'young adult's literature' although all people dearly love the book. After reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein, it is safe to move on to the Lord of the Rings, if you have a good long time to read. The story is told as if in Ent-speak. :P After the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you can go in any one of several directions. I have never read a DragonLance book, and it's very likely that it'll be a long, long time before I do, so I can't really recommend reading them or not. What I read directly following the Lord of the Rings trilogy was the Elminster saga. The first one, "Elminster: The Making of a Mage" is, in my opinion, one of the absolutely best D&D-based books ever written. Ed Greenwood is a talented and wonderful author whom does not get nearly enough credit for his amazing works these days, as R.A. Salvatore seems to be stealing the show. :P I would not recommend the Dark Elf trilogies until you've got yourself acquainted with the Elminster saga. I'd at least read the first three books were I a newcomer to the fantasy realm, since, well, that's exactly what I did. Once you have read the saga, if you follow the road I have taken, move on to the Cleric Quintet. It is a wonderfully charged set of books that keeps moving at a good pace. Salvatore wrote them in what I consider to be 'his prime', after his first several books, when his style had become fairly founded. After the Quintet, I would advise reading the Drizzt books; prepare yourself for stomach-cramping goody-goody drowness. :P The Drizzt books gave major birth to a huge following that is even evident upon Layonara: Good Drow Renegades, Turned Away From Their Homeland's Wicked, Vile Ways. After the whole goody goody drow book, it's perfectly safe to move on to whatever's next. Y'know. I hear Terry Goodkind is good, although I couldn't force myself to read through her novel. I believe I read somethin by Harry Turtledove when I was younger, something of a parody of World War II if it had taken place in a fantasy-like realm. A dark series of books, but very inventive. No sword swinging, unfortunately, but rather, sticks charged with magical energy which I assume could be compared to rifles. :P Beyond what I have listed lies a vast, vast realm of books for your enjoyment. These are only a few that I have 'put forth' for your leisure.
i agree, the hobbit is a very good book to start with ive read it many times myself
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i agree with the aformentioned riftwar saga (magician,silverthorn,a darkness at sethanon) written by Raymond E Feist, a great read.
also for the reader who prefers darker, more grown up literature; i recommend song of ice and fire by George RR Martin, allthough some people may not like it (no real magic/wizards etc.) but worth a look at the sinopsis before forming an opinion :)
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oh i just remembered.
any Raymond E Feist fans in the uk; he's doing a book signing at Forbidden planet in september, here's more info http://www.forbiddenplanet.com/Event.shtml
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if considering forgotten realms books..go for the very first trilogy..the moonshae trilogy, which are darkwalker on moonshae, black wizards, darkwell.
also another series would be the pools series, but my favorites other than R.A salvatores dark elf adventures would be the maztica trilogy.
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not sure if it's been said, but the Terry Goodkind "Sword of Truth" series... I just finished the whole series several months ago.
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Definitely Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series... but Robert Jordan passed away before the 13th book was finished (I'm not sure if he had it written and just needed to be edited or revised, or just didn't finish it), so if you want to read 12, 600+ page books and not know the ending (even though you never know the ending, it's a really good story through out), it's something to read.
Once you get started, it sucks you in so you're right there and you won't want to put them down! also, it switches points of view so often such as it being Rand's view, and then switches to Mat's view and then Moiraine's, Lan's, Egwene's, Nynaeve's, Perrin's... so it's difficult to follow along sometimes, but I still recommend them! :)
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This is some serious necroposting, 2006? by all that is holy!
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Definitely Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series... but Robert Jordan passed away before the 13th book was finished (I'm not sure if he had it written and just needed to be edited or revised, or just didn't finish it), so if you want to read 12, 600+ page books and not know the ending (even though you never know the ending, it's a really good story through out), it's something to read.
Once you get started, it sucks you in so you're right there and you won't want to put them down! also, it switches points of view so often such as it being Rand's view, and then switches to Mat's view and then Moiraine's, Lan's, Egwene's, Nynaeve's, Perrin's... so it's difficult to follow along sometimes, but I still recommend them! :)
As introduction to fantasy, it's a bit too wide in scope I think.
This is some serious necroposting, 2006?
:)
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For a mature fantasy read try any of these by Lois Mcmaster Bujold. Amazon.com: Lois Mcmaster Bujold: Books (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Lois%20Mcmaster%20Bujold)
Nehetsrev put me onto her and I was very surprised. Paladin of Souls and Curse of Chalion will really make your head spin regarding dieties and how they work through mortals.
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And Bujold is from Minnesota too, so that makes her doubly awesome as an author! *grins cheesilly*
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Wow, you will be swamped by the options, and here are even more:
Philip Jose Farme - World of the Tiers series: fantastic, original, and really, really readable. Brilliant stuff and fantasy at it's best.
Talbot Mundy - Tros series: Not so much fantasy, more the adventures of an warrior set in Roman times, but brilliantly written from a barabrian's point of view in an ancient setting. I couldn't put it doww.
ER Eddisson - The Worm Ouroborous and other titles by this author: traditional fantasy in the Lord of the Rings genre but written with a very gothic style and language of it's own. Hard to get into but well worth persevering with as in my opinion, makes Lord of the Rings look like a story for kids.
RE Howard - Conan the Barbarian: not the orginal fantasy, but certainly the archetypal and really, really engrossing and easy to read. His stories bowl you along and are easy to read.
Michael Moorcock - almost anything my Moorcock is certain to set you on the road, but his best, in my opinion are his stories on the Books of Corum, History of the Runestaff and anything about Elric, Prince of Melnibone, oh, and anything about the Eternal Hero - what a concept!
Have fun soaking all of this in.
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no one has mentioned yet Ursula Le Guinn's Earth Sea Trilogy. A literary classic that has stood the test of time. Short thoughtful books that bring many readers into the fantasy genre gently.
What I was going to say before i found that someone already did ... :)
Gotta love Earthsea... then there's the obvious ones like LOTR, Dragonlance...(especially the 'twins' trilogy and 'dragons of spring dawning/autumn twilight/winter ... err whatever it was called) as well as Shannara, Wheel of Time, Discworld, Arthurian Legends if you want ancient stuff :P There's also a russian series -Night watch, Daywatch etc...
Emm... read some David Eddings awhile ago, quite good stuff, and Orson Scott Card is a great writer. There's probly more but I can't think of them all right now...
Filmwise, theres a 'Studio Ghibli' which is anime, they have some good stuff, which I'm mentioning because they've done Earthsea, and I like Spirited Away too.
Yep... I've probly missed out something really good but... hope this helps :D
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63 posts over 3 plus years and only Ro mentioned the easiest vaccum into fantasy there has ever been written
dragonriders of pern by mccaffrey sucks you in from the prologue
for the sci fi your there
for the fantasy your there and they are so effortlessly intertwined
dragon prince and dragons fire trilogies by melanie rawn pull you right in as well and dont need background behind the reads
dragonlance chronicles are an easy step from these and the realms books from salvatore fill the deal
by that time any of those mentioned would not be considered to hard or to heavy but just more worlds to fill your hungry brain
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Personally, I could never get into McCaffrey's Pern, or any of the Dragonlance stuff.
I started with authors like Piers Anthony, Andre Norton, and Larry Niven predominantly in my first few months of sci-fi/fantasy reading. But that was waaaaaay back when.
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I started with the collector's addition of the R.A. Salvatore series.... then sort went this way and that, reading Ann Rynd, Tamora Peirce, and a slew of other short novels I found in the library. Ann Rynd and R.A. Salvatore had to revisited, because I was only 10 or so at the time, and I either missed the whole plot, or didn't know what was happening. (Ann Rynd confused the heck out of me at ten....).
Now, I can say I've finished all of R.A. Salvatore's works, as well as Terry Goodkind (good series, if you like objectivism themes...), J.K. Rowlings works, just because everyone else was doing it. ;P, and about 23 other novels of which I can't think off right now... I had to stop reading once I jumped into early college... I'm putting off recreational reading until I'm about 25.... *looks at Beowulf, The Iliad, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Canturbury Tales, and Shakespeare.... and wretches*
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Hands down the most intricate and character rich "fantasy" I've ever read is the "Song of Fire and Ice" series by George R.R. Martin. Currently 4 books, his is working on the final fith. If she likes romances and stories that revolve around character development, it does not get much better in any genre. It is also not over the top as far as "fantasy" goes.
HBO has bought the rights to do a series as well. No firm date yet though.
George R. R. Martin's Official Website (http://www.georgerrmartin.com/)
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Here's one I'm enjoying at the moment:
"Dies The Fire" by S.M. Stirling.
Not fantasy, so much, but good sci-fi if you like post-apocolypse sort of stories.
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Here's one I'm enjoying at the moment:
"Dies The Fire" by S.M. Stirling.
Not fantasy, so much, but good sci-fi if you like post-apocolypse sort of stories.
That is an AWESOME book! I finished a while back.... but I'm still trying to think of what would cause all of those things to happen simultaneously......
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I haven't read the full post, however, my suggestion for your wife would definitely be the david eddings series (belgariad & malorean)
Most women love this series. Eddings does a fantastic job capturing all the traits women love...romance, children, parenthood, family, women power (Go Polgara)..etc.
My personal favorite is Magician and all other Feist's books. It's easy reading with a lot of substance.
I think dragonlance is great, however, more suited towards males as with most DnD related genre.
Robert Jordan's 'wheel of time' is good, however, it really does get long in the tooth by book nine...er....actually more like book 5.
There are many other cool books such as Stephen Donaldson's 'Mirror of her dreams' & 'A man rides through it". These I place in league with Eddings and these also have a modern twist to them which may make the transition a little easier to fantasy.
Once she's into them, you may want to try Cecilia Dart Thornton's books beginning from the "Ill made Mute". This is fantasy in its purest form and I place her alongside Tolkien for difficult but beautifully written fantasy.
Thats my two bobs worth chosen based on your requirements.
Cheers,
Polak
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@Polak, i'd almost agree with you on Cecilia Dart Thornton but she lost me when she, admittedly with quite lovely prose, described the hero's flowing, cardamon-hued tresses before she detailed his martial prowess or rippling thews. A big no-no in my book of what makes good fantasy.
:)