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Patrick’s Fantasy List

admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:20:41 +0000

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss	A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch	Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Shadowbred by Paul S. Kemp	Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
The Thousand Orcs by R.A. Salvatore	The Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny

Brian’s Fantasy List: Part III

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:41:22 +0000

Sandman by Neil Gaiman
A true epic in scope and story telling and possibly the greatest epic ever told. Simply devastated the conventions of what we imagine comics could be. The heights that it climbs to are stunning. In many ways the pinnacle. Must be read to be believed. Pick a cover any cover

Troika by Stepan Chapman
Never heard of it, not surprised. So utterly amazing that you need to do whatever it takes to get a copy. Go Now! If you send Vandermeer an e-mail you can probably still get a copy.

Veniss Underground by Jeff Vandermeer
Great story by a great writer. The change of narrative perspective could have been a gimmick but was handled flawlessly. In fact it could be a text book on perspective. Most readers choose City of Saints & Madmen as their favorite but Veniss is the one for me.

Viriconium by M John Harrison
Punches Tolkien & his ilk right in the eye, kicks him when he’s down, pees on him, & sets the corpse on fire. There have been other anti-Tolkien & anti-fantasies but this was the first and remains the best. Particularly astute of Harrison to recognize the pitfalls of the genre considering when the first Viriconium book was published.

Watchmen by Alan Moore
Don’t read comics, read this and have your opinion of them changed. A brilliant deconstruction of the super hero mythos. A perfect marriage of words and pictures.

White Apples by Jonathan Carroll
One of my absolute favorites. Profound treaties on big issues draped in the tropes of the fantasy genre. Carroll is the master. The scene at the zoo is one of the most haunting and tragic pieces ever written and is worth the price of admission alone. First book of a planned trilogy, 2nd book is Glass Soup.

Warhound and the Worlds Pain by Michael Moorcock
My personal Moorcock favorite. Elric may be the popular one but I like the Von Bek’s. Grab any of the Eternal Champion books if you see them. They all deserve to be read. A giant in the field of SF&F. The meeting with the sympathetic Miltonian Satan, the commonality of the grail, all brilliant stuff.

Set This House in Order by Matt Ruff

The People of Paper by Salvadore Placencia

Brian’s Fantasy List: Part IV

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:38:38 +0000

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe	Door Number Three by Patrick O’Leary
Last Call by Tim Powers	Lud In The Mist by Hope Mirrlees
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov	Sandman by Neil Gaiman
The Troika by Stepan Chapman	White Apples by Jonathan Carroll
Requiem by Graham Joyce	Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban

Brian’s Fantasy List: Part II

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:06:13 +0000

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny
A great, if sometimes forgotten SF novel. Zelazny’s strongest novel. Also contains what might just be the single worst pun in the history of the novel.

Last Call by Tim Powers
One of my favorite novels. Ever. Period. Tim Powers at his strongest. So complex, so masterfully executed that everything else just pales in comparison. Plus you’ve got Bugsy Seagal as The Fisher King. Followed by Expiration Date & Earthquake Weather

Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirlees
An unclassifiable book. The ending is so delightfully weird that it just takes the story right over the edge and into perfection. I like Catheryne Valiente’s assertion that it is the first slipstream novel.

Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban
The greatest “quest” novel. Don’t let the fact that it is a children’s book fool you, more happens here then in most books. The most allegorical book since Moby Dick.

Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Possibly the greatest fantasy novel of the 20th century. Brilliant. The story of how it came to see publication is interesting in its own right.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki
The classic movie is just the tip of the iceberg of the actual story. A grand epic and as Paul Harvey says “…and now you know the rest of the story.”

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
My favorite Gaiman novel. An exiting and well told adventure.

Riddly Walker by Russell Hoban
No other book does more to totally immerse the reader in a created world. The death of our language and the subsequent creation of a new language from its ashes is amazing. The power of language to direct how we view the world. Tolkien created a new world using language, Hoban does the same thing but vastly different. One of the most challenging books that I have ever read and also one of the most rewarding. Also the greatest post-apocalyptic tale ever written. John Leonard of the New York Times said ”… designed to prevent the modern reader from becoming stupid

Requiem by Graham Joyce
Parts of this book haunt me to this day. Joyce deserves a bigger audience. I don’t know if he has a best but this is my favorite.

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
The single greatest SFF group of books period. This is the high water mark for the genre. Infinitely re-readable with more and more being revealed with subsequent readings.

Greyweather’s List

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:36:02 +0000

The Curse of Chalion by Lois Mcmaster
Bujold
A wonderful story of political intrigue and subtle magics in a world modeled after pre-unified Spain.

The Land of Laughs: A Novel by Jonathan
Carroll
A man goes searching for the story behind his favorite children’s author, and finds a legacy he never expected.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
A hilarious, exciting, and flawless co-production where an angel and a demon both decide Armageddon is not a very good idea and join together to try and prevent it..

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le
Guin
Le Guin crafted a unique novel exploring the sociological ramifications of divergent evolution in humanity. In particular, a world where every person shares the same, neutral gender.

Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
A collection of weird and imaginative short stories that will redefine the word "fantasy" for you.

King Rat by China Mieville

An extraordinary re-imagining of a folk-tale mythos into an urban fantasy.

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M.
Miller Jr.
The post-nuclear holocaust science-fiction novel.

Watchmen by Alan Moore
What would costumed crime-fighters be like if they were real people, and how would they have changed the world?

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
One brave little girl and her familiar and the adventure that finds them caught up in a conspiracy that could rock the foundations of their world.

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny

Advanced technology with the appearance of magic, set in a world ruled by the Hindu pantheon.

Dave’s Fantasy List

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:22:48 +0000

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin	A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin	Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb
Split Infinity by Piers Anthony	Golden Fool by Robin Hobb
Eye of the World by Robert Jordan	The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings	The Magic of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt

If you like Harry Potter you will like …

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:17:52 +0000

A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony	A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Abarat by Clive Barker	Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Beauty by Robin Mckinley	Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Dragon’s Blood by Jane Yolen	Edge Chronicles 1: Beyond the Deepwoods by Paul Stewart
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine	Eragon and Eldest by Christopher Paolini
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull	Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit	Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Half Magic by Edward Eager	His Dark Materials Trilogy, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones	Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Sabriel by Garth Nix	The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
Magyk by Angie Sage	Redwall by Brian Jacques
Robert Asprin’s Myth Adventures by Robert Asprin	Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis	The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
The Annotated Alice by Lewis Carroll	The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau	Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper
The Fall by Garth Nix	The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick	Mister Monday by Garth Nix
The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany	The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
The Princess and the Goblin by George Macdonald	The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander	The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Field Guide by Holly Black	The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket	The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum	Wizard’s Hall by Jane Yolen
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle	The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

Brian’s Fantasy List

admin — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:37:44 +0000

Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
Greatest time-travel tale. Powers may have written a couple of journeyman books but never a weak one. If you have never read him then you should start now. Also read On Stranger Tides & The Stress of Her Regard. This is the book that most fans of Tim Powers read first.

Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock
An examination of the mythical Christ vs. the historical Christ using the Science Fiction tropes of time travel and the time machine.

Bones of the Moon by Jonathan Carroll
A quest novel unlike any others. A woman led through the fantastic landscape of her dream world by her aborted son and how it all crosses over into the “real” world. An influence on Gaiman’s Sandman

Door Number Three by Patrick O’Leary
A truly original SF novel by an underrated writer. If only his day job didn’t take so much of his time maybe he would produce more mind-bending fiction.

Dark Ladies by Fritz Leiber
Leiber was truly one of the century’s great writers and he deserves more recognition. Fafhred & The Grey Mouser are his most recognized characters and tales but these quietly powerful tales still resonate with me, a clear influence on Tim Powers.

Domu by Katsuhiro Otomo
Akira is the more widely known work and it is deserving of its praise but I always thought it played things a little fast and loose at times. This however is tight storytelling from start to finish. A psychic battle of good and evil as represented by a girl and an old man that all takes place in an apartment complex.

Dying Earth by Jack Vance
I’m familiar with and see the argument of calling Tolkien the greatest fantasist of the 20th century but I just don’t buy it. Now admittedly I’ve never toed the company line when it comes to fantasy (as I said once before I once watched my best friends head literally explode when I proclaimed that Jim Henson’s body of work was more important then Tolkien’s, but I digress) but I think that Jack Vance certainly could hold that top spot. His output and the quality that it maintained is just astonishing. I actually own the V.I.E.

The Gift by Patrick O’Leary
Great story that begs and deserves to be discovered ( a “re-“ doesn’t even apply here). Haunting and will stick with you.

Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons
One of the great SF epics. Contains the 1st 2 novels. Also read Endymion & Rise of Endymion. For me its consistency places it in higher regard then Dune which is all over the map quality wise after the admittedly great first book.

Jerusalem Poker by Edward Whittemore
Book 2 of the Jerusalem Quartet. The strongest of the group. All 5 of Whittemores books deserve to be read. They may be fantastic but I don’t think that they are fantasy, but what the hell it is my list right.

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny
A great, if sometimes forgotten SF novel. Zelazny’s strongest novel. Also contains what might just be the single worst pun in the history of the novel.

Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Possibly the greatest fantasy novel of the 20th century. Brilliant. The story of how it came to see publication is interesting in its own right.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
My favorite Gaiman novel. An exiting and well told adventure.

Requiem by Graham Joyce
Parts of this book haunt me to this day. Joyce deserves a bigger audience. I don’t know if he has a best but this is my favorite.

Watchmen by Alan Moore
Don’t read comics, read this and have your opinion of them changed. A brilliant deconstruction of the super hero mythos. A perfect marriage of words and pictures.

Set This House in Order by Matt Ruff

The People of Paper by Salvadore Placencia

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe	Door Number Three by Patrick O’Leary
Last Call by Tim Powers	Lud In The Mist by Hope Mirrlees
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov	Sandman by Neil Gaiman
The Troika by Stepan Chapman	White Apples by Jonathan Carroll
Requiem by Graham Joyce	Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban

Damon’s Fantasy Books List

admin — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:05:24 +0000

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
While I did not continue with the rest of the series, The Eye of the World still remains one of my favorite books. I remember reading this book in a single day, I just consumed it. It is damn good epic fantasy with a lot going on. The killer is in the later books there is just too much description and not enough really going on. That does not make this book any less brilliant though.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
This is epic fantasy. Martin’s books continue to impress. The only problem I have is sometimes I forget what is going on. Can I get a Cliff Notes for this series and I would be set.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
This book is probably my favorite book of all time. The whole series is probably my favorite series of all time. Fitz and Nighhteyes…ah I do not think fantasy gets any better then this. At least for me.

Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb
People that tell you, that you do not have to read this series to enjoy The Tawny Man trilogy are just wrong. This is another great series and should be read before The Tawny Man trilogy.

A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony
This book is a classic in my opinion. One of the first fantasy books that I really enjoyed. I think I enjoyed to like book 12 then it got a little repetative. This book though could be the best one in the series.

Split Infinity by Piers Anthony
Mixes Fantasy and Sci Fi worlds, where character cross over. I do not enjoy strict science fiction so this worked out great for me. More serious then the Xanth series still has the easy style that Piers Anthony writes in.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret
Weis and Tracy Hickman
The first book that made me a little teary eyed when a character died. Yes it has nostalgia factor and no I do not care I still think it is a classic. A world with a lot of magic and dragons. It is a shared world winner. Some of the later books in this world not written by Weis and Hickman do not hold up.

The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore
Drizzt. Could he be the most recognized fantasy character these
days? Could be. I liked the first Trilogy a lot. Salvatore can really write sword fights.

Children of Amarid by David B. Coe
Another magic and technology world exist together. A little better done then Split Infinity, but not much. I really enjoyed Coe’s work.

Grease Monkey by Tim Eldred
A graphic novel on the list? Are you crazy? Yup I enjoyed this so much I read it multiple times. I can not wait till the next book. Eldred told a story sort of like Battle Star Galactica and it worked.