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After reading the Lord of the Rings books I decided to venture away from SF and try writing a bit of fantasy. As The Lord of the Rings was pretty much the only fantasy I'd read I decided to read as much fantasy as I could.
Maybe it's just me but it seemes that the fantasy market is saturated with Tolkien clones. Maybe I just haven't been reading the right books.
Does anyone know of any fantasy writers who invent original, interesting worlds and characters. Any advice on writers to avoid so I don't waster my time would also be appreciated.
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Well, there are a lot of Tolkien clones out there who've produced work I like...I wouldn't dismiss anybody on those grounds alone. They're just writing what comes naturally, having been so influenced by Tolkien that they write stories like Tolkien...but occasionally introducing other influential elements. (There are plenty of Tolkien clones out there that I'm not overly fond of, though.)
As for non-Tolkien works, well...how about sampling Mervyn Peake? His Gormenghast trilogy influenced fantasy almost as much as Tolkien, and it proved to be a great read besides.
Any horror work with ghosts or vampires or the undead could be classified as fantasy by some arguments. From Poe to Lovecraft to Stephen King, there are plenty of works to look at. If you've seen them you're thoroughly grounded in this matter.
For a more oddball choice, but staying in the "heroic fantasy" mode, try something by Thomas Burnett Swann, whose fantasy work takes place mostly in ancient Mediterranean settings. It might take some scrounging (most of his stuff is, I believe, long out of print) but I found it so interesting that I managed to find copies of all but one of his novels.
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IMHO Perdido Street Station by China Mieville is probably one of the best fantasy novels I've read, it's set in an industrial city as opposed to your standard Medieval type affair.
I think it coined the label 'steam punk', but I'm not too sure I like that term. Regardless, it's a great read.
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If you don't mind blunt storytelling, and a very long and twisted tale, I would highly recommend the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. First book is A Game of Thrones. Very very good read, though he is what I call a fearless writer. As in he writes whatever he wants (violence, sex, gore, the killing off of characters like they were red shirted ensign on Star Trek), and does it very well, but it turns off some readers.
As for the classics, look at the Earthsea books by Ursula LeGuin. The Belgariad series by David Eddings (though these are often considered classic Tolkien rips, they are good). The Dragonriders of Pern and associated books by Anne McCaffrey. The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, though you can pretty much skip books 6 or 7-10. And of coure the Shanara books by Terry Brooks.
Oh, and I can't forget A Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart. It's fantasy that takes place in a "feudal China that should have been." It is one of the best fantasy books ever written. It is very out-of-print though, so you'll need to hope your library has a copy or hunt online for a copy.
The list goes on and on, but those will keep you occupied for a while.
Jammrock
[This message has been edited by Jammrock (edited December 06, 2006).]
posted
If you want somehthing a bit more off beat with some great satire I'd recommend these authors:
Terry Pratchet Christopher Moore
I forced my husband to read them because he "didn't like fantasy" novels (he's much more a Tom Clancy kind of reader, but I forgive him). He really liked them because they aren't LOTR or "typical" fantasies. Just remember - nothing is sacred and just about everything will be turned into a pun. If you are inclined to be insulted by modification of Bible stories and/or Christian dogma, you probably want to avoid reading "Lamb" by Christopher Moore since he "fills in" the missing 30 years in Jesus's life.
Another excellent good v. evil fantasy is "Good Omens" by Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman in which an angel and a devil are trying to stop the rise of the anti-Christ. I will let you guess which author wrote which character.
[This message has been edited by kings_falcon (edited December 06, 2006).]
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A lot of the recommendations above are good. My favorites of the ones mentioned are Mervyn Peake and Stephen King, with his works The Eye of the Dragon and the Dark Tower series, or even the two books he wrote with Peter Straub, The Talisman and Black House, but I'd like to add Brandon Sanderson to the list. He's a new author, only a couple books out so far, but more under contract and I imagine he's here to stay. I just finished reading Elantris which has an unusual premise and three very strong protagonists. It's also good because it's stand alone. His next novel, Mistborn is the first of a trilogy, but it sounds nicely unique as well.
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As for George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, they're not only some of the best fantasy I've read, they're also some of the best books I've read, period.
None of these have resemblance to Tolkien or King Arthur:
1. Robin Hobb is awesome: Farseer Trilogy, The Tawney Man books, The Liveship Traders, The Soldier Son Trilogy 2. Fiona McIntosh: The Quickening Books 3. Juliet Marillier: The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Wolfskin and Foxmask, The Bridei Chronicles (all her books lean towards historical fantasy, centered in Newfoundland or Erin) 4. Stephen Lawhead: The Paradise Wars, and Hood (both based heavily on Welsh myths and Celtic traditions. He does have a King Arthur style trilogy called The Pendragon Cycle but I wasn't thrilled with it. Hood is far from your average Robin Hood tale, though. He puts the legend in a completely different place in history and gives it a whole new twist.) 5. George R.R. Martain: Song of Ice and Fire series (this guy knows how to drag a story on and on, and he kills off characters like nobodies business. But he's really good writer )
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Oh, and I forgot Robert McCammon! His book Sawn Song is the one of the best books ever writen IMO. People always talk about The Stand but that sucked compaired to this book.
And I second Rachel (autumnmuse) about Eye of the Dragon. That was a really cool book.
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I have the problem having a hard time reading books that aren't written by a very select group of authors. So, I'm going to list the ones I will heartily recommend.
Kristen Britian - Green Rider and First Rider's Call She has only written two books, the third is on the way, but I find her books to be very interesting. Though I didn't like the ending on First Rider's Call... Actually, her website directed me here!
Mercedes Lackey Very popular fantasy author... However, I really feel a connection with the Valdemar series. In particular, the Owlflight, Owlsight, and Owl's Knight books. The Magic's Pawn, Magic's Promise, and Magic's Price are quite good too, though some male's have problems reading them because the main character is gay. Burning Brightly is very good too, but it is a sad story, but in a good way. The Winds and then the Storm mini series are excellent too!
Laurell K. Hamilton (She's Vampires and supernatural stuff, but she's usually found in fantasy sections.) Awesome, wonderful writer! Her characters are beautifully done... However, I no longer will buy her books because she has, after Obsidian Butterfly, changed from focusing on the story and characters, to focusing on how the descriptions of when the main character is... promiscouis?
These books are ones I want to reread non-stop.
That was way too long, but I won't delete it.
[This message has been edited by weeboing (edited December 06, 2006).]
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For another writer of non-Tolkien fantasy pulled up out of the depths of my reading habits, how about Thorne Smith? Light, humorous, contemporary (for its day), influential, and nothing at all like Tolkien. Try The Night Life of the Gods or any of the Topper books...
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posted
We've actually had multiple discussions on good fantasy (and sci-fi) books that are a 'must read.' You might try running a search on the topic.
There is a tremendous amount of great stuff out there that is as good, or better than Tolkien... and I say this as a great admirer of the Grandfather of Modern Fantasy.
Marion Zimmer Bradley did a great job on the Darkover series, which delved into the psychic abilities set in a pseudo medieval Scotland sort of setting. Tad Williams has written some excellent fantasy, including the oft-humours "War of the Flowers" and the three part series "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" which start with volume 1: "The Dragonbone Chair." I have read book one in a 3-part series written by Naomi Novik that begins with "His Majesty's Dragon" which mingles Napoleonic wars with dragons. Director Peter Jackson purchased the movie rights to this series in Sept. 2006. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have coauthored several excellent fantasy books: The Death Gate Cycle, the Dragonlance series, the Darksword Trilogy. An obvious choice here on Hatrack would be the work of Orson Scott Card. Hope those suggestions help.
I for my part could never gag down the Thomas Covenant series or the Sword of Shannara. Shannara particularly is a rip-off of Tolkien.
[This message has been edited by Elan (edited December 06, 2006).]
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I'd like to add Brandon Sanderson to the list. His ELANTRIS (a stand-alone) and MISTBORN (the first of his Final Empire series, but it can be read alone) are both great reads. I strongly recommend that you all look into them.
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My all time favorite: the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. You could probably should drop everything your doing now and run to the bookstore and get The Great Book Of Amber (all ten novels in one).
There's the Runelords series by David Farland/Wolverton.
And someone mentioned Steven Donaldson--never read the Covenent series, but I really enjoyed The Mirror In Her Dreams and its sequel A Man Rides Through.
And how about the Alvin the Maker series by OSC? It starts of really good, though it meanders later on.
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How about Heinlein, who occasionally worked in fantasy? I liked both Glory Road and Job...curiously, I liked the ends of both books better than the beginnings. (One book might be classified as science fiction, and the other as alternate history...but I'll stick with my diagnosis. They're fantasies.)
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Thomas Burnett Swann is a great fantasy writer. Another one who didn't get mentioned, a minor writer but a good one is Mark Geston. His few novels are very strange indeed. Poetic in some ways like Swann. I have THE DAY STAR, THE LORDS OF THE STARSHIP and one other that I can't quite place.
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quote:I for my part could never gag down the Thomas Covenant series or the Sword of Shannara. Shannara particularly is a rip-off of Tolkien.
To each his own, of course. I loved Covenant. I also liked Donaldson's Gap series, and a while back I read a collection of his short stories that I liked.
I couldn't stand The Sword of Shannara because it was such a rip-off of Tolkein, but I'm told that the books that follow are much better. I was specifically told, "Blow through the first book so you know what's going on, and then actually read the next ones. It's worth it." But I never bothered to find out if that was true.
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I liked the first Shannara well enough...liked the second and third ones better...but somewhere along the way I dropped the ball and haven't read any Terry Brooks since.
How about Leigh Brackett? Ostensibly, Brackett's works are SF, with spaceships and all, set on worlds like Mars or Venus...but, both from their feel and from the remorseless advance of knowledge, they're fantasy in all but name.
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I recently discovered the Clare Dunkle goblin series. She is an excellent writer and creates an unusual and wholly believable world unlike any others I've read about Goblins and suchlike creatures.
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Lots of good Authors and books in there. My favorites are"
Dennis L McKeirnon, you could quite easily call his work a Tlokien rip off, but I think he has put a great spinon his work and done it better than a lot of othersl
Terry Goodkind and his Sword Of Truth series is very good, although as with Robert Jordan I think he has gone on a little bit too long.
Robert Jordan, although I have to agree with an earlier post about how long it has gone on. Never thought I would be looking at his work and going "When is it going to end".
David Weber is another good one. His books about Bahzell are a great read. A lot of his work is Sci Fi, but he doea Fantasy quite well.
Elizabeth H Boyer is also a good Author, with her stories heavily based on Norse Mithology.
There are a lot more good authors out there, but I will leave it at that for you.
posted
Per the original comment...I was casting about for non-Tolkien fantasy, stuff not essentially in his "mode" or showing his obvious influence. But there are several I could throw out, since the conversation seems to be heading that way...
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I guess it depends on what makes a Tolkien clone. Presence of elves/fairies/dwarves? Quest to save the world? Medieval-ish setting? A few authors that seemed to me to have non-Tolkien-like worlds are: Jasper Fforde and the Thursday Next series-1st one is The Eyre Affair Terry Pratchett-especially the ones about the Watch, all funny Nick O'Donohoe-series about vet students who treat mythical animals, 1st one is The Magic and the Healing Martha Wells-City of Bones & Element of Fire Caroline Stevermer-College of Magic Megan Turner-Thief, Queen of Attolia & King of Attolia Emma Bull-War for the Oaks & Finder Posts: 14 | Registered: Nov 2006
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I'm a huge fan of Robert E. Howard's work. Bran Mak Morn, Kull, Solomon Kane, his dabbling in Westerns and of course his original Conan stories - but NOT the pastiches! The Conan movies, comics and books by other authors pale in comparison. There have been several good collections released in the past few years.
One of my favorite non-Tolkien fantasy series is Harry Harrison's fantasy/alt-history "The Hammer and the Cross", "One King's Way" and "King and Emperor." It delves into the nature of gods and their relationship with us.
[This message has been edited by xardoz (edited December 28, 2006).]
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I picked up the recent reissue collections of Howard's work. I thoroughly enjoyed reacquainting myself with the stories---but some of the commentary that came with them was so damned pompous...I mean, I've seen commentary in the straightforward literary establishment that handled it better than that...
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Neil Gaiman it one of the most original authors I know, and he's pretty much fantasy. Try any of his books.
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In addition to some of the other wonderful suggestions, I would also recommend Jeff VanderMeer (E.g. City of Saints and Madmen), Tim Pratt (Little Gods and The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl), Paul Park (A Princess of Roumania, which I currently just finished and quite enjoyed), and Theodora Goss (In the Forest of Forgetting). And there's always the more classic writers like Ursula K. Le Guin (who, of course, also does SF) and Vonda N. McIntyre.
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posted
I'm reading a strange little fantasy right now. THE WATER MIRROR by Kai Meyer. It's translated from the german.
Weird. It seems a reincarnated Pharaoh has beseiged Venice, Italy for the past thirty years. Two orphans have been apprenticed to a maker of magical mirrors whose shop is feuding with the shop across the canal, a weaver of magic cloth. And, oh yes, they started off with a big regatta where mermaids were being forced to pull the competing boats along the Grand Canal. And our heroine has a magic mirror of her own from her parents. One that has a surface of water. She can plunge her hand into the water all the way until the the frame of the mirror stops her. The mirror water doesn't get anthing wet, even her hand.
Full of lots of imaginative stuff. The writing's a little stiff, maybe from being translated.
[This message has been edited by arriki (edited January 02, 2007).]
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Bump for George R.R. Martin. His books are diamonds in a field filled with a whole lot of roughage.
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1.) Song of Fire and Ice by George Martin 2.) Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind 3.) Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A Salvatore 4.) Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb 5.) Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelezny
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That was way too long, but I won't delete it.
