A.R.S.E.

So how many you guys read fantasy? Personally I can read a fair range of different genres but I tend to always come back to fantasy. Guess it's cause it's the genre I started reading as a kid. Lot of people hate the genre too I've noticed... I know people that hate it generally think it's childish. I disagree. There's some great stuff out there aimed purely at adults... Goerge R.R.Martin's series of books as a good example... plenty of violence, sex and betrayal involved. I've just read The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss. I really enjoyed that and I recommend it.
I'm currently reading The Way of Shadows trilogy and I'm enjoying that aswell.

Anyone else read these type of books? Got any recommendations?

I have read LOTR and The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. Thats plenty of fanatsy for me.

I've barely read any fantasy. LoTR, a few of the Magician books and that's about it really. Oh, and a bunch of Pratchett but I don't really count that as fantasy.

I went through an Eddings phase, and a Robin Hobb phase.

David Eddings is the master of the pop-fantasy novel (or novella, really). Most of them a pretty lightweight and easy to read, and they'd be a good introduction to the genre. Everything is pretty much as per the formula for fantasy.

Robin Hobb becomes a bit depressing because she seems to really hate her characters and enjoys seeing them suffer for 500 pages. But the stories and lands are well-conceived. I've read the Farseer, Liveship & Tawny Man trilogies.

And Terry Pratchett rocks!

I actually tend to go more for Sci-Fi novels, though there is a bit of crossover in the two genres (like the Dune series which is a fantasy novel set in a Sci-Fi universe).

I forgot about Robin Hobb - I did read Farseer but, like you, found it frustrating how much the main character gets pummeled.

I'd say Star Wars has that fantasy set in a sci-fi universe thing going for it too.

yay another person that has read them,

Author: Robbin Hobb
A 9 Book series, broken up into 3 book trilogy's
The Farseer Trilogy
The Liveship Traders
The Tawny Man

In short an Epic Saga like Lord of the Rings But I found it better.

and Exar if you liked the first Tril you will like the follow up, 2nd one is set to the south and more about the boats, 3rd picks up from the 1st

yep, fantasy is always good with me.
I used to be a big scifi reader in my younger years, not that much anymore.

Read a few of Hobb's books, and I think that'll be all from him

Jennifer Fallon is my latest favourite. She's an oz writer too, from the Alice.

I have read nearly al the Rob Salvatore Dark Elf books. Started in about 1989 with The Crystal Shard. Must have been 15 or more books over the last 20 years. Also enjoyed the Magician series.

At the moment reading the Rangers Apprentice series. Written by an Aussie John Flanagan. I found book 1 in the kids section at kmart for 3 or 4 dolllars. Up to book 5 now. Being a kids book there isnt any raging nordic rooting but given that I read in bed I at least go to sleep soft.

Bauer, I have also read the all the Dark Elf books so far, another good one is the Red Wall series by Brian Jacques, a single book called the Nine gates another great read

ooh and all the J.R.Tolken books, Star Wars side story books and Wheel of Time

David Gemmell books are a good read. Legend is well worth the read.

wobblysauce wrote:Wheel of Time

Ah yeah, that was another one I read. Woops - guess I have read some fantasy. Still, they mostly get lost in the 100+ Star Wars novels i've read - we've got a separate bookcase (in a separate room - too nerdy apparently) for all of those.

Exar, yep them Fantasy books can sneak up on you

ysu wrote: Read a few of Hobb's books, and I think that'll be all from him

I can't decide whether you're being serious or not - but Robin Hobb is female (her real name is Margaret and she also writes under the name Megan Lindholm)

VTRacing wrote:

ysu wrote: Read a few of Hobb's books, and I think that'll be all from him

I can't decide whether you're being serious or not - but Robin Hobb is female (her real name is Margaret and she also writes under the name Megan Lindholm)

It's my usual problem with the gender differentiation in the English language. As I said a few times already, there's no he/she in my mother tongue and I still make this mistake quite often ( it's best when I refer to my fiancee as 'him' - I usually get a few heads up )

Otherwise I was serious, did not like those books.

another great book I just remembered about in my collection is Godwhale

Being he SF geek that I am, you would think most of collection would be SF. But its about 40 - 40 with 20% crime for me in terms of SF and Fantasy.

I am probably around the same Nigel, but with the crime books I would only read them once and pass it along.. they don't hold a re-read value for myself

Whats with the magician series? I loved Magician, all about pug and all, then the 2nd one silverthorne introduces all new characters! i didnt finish silverthorne because i really just wanted to read about pug....

The orig 2 Magician books were fantastic and maybe another two or three were good. Then it became the neverending, and very sad saga of struggling monarchs. Not fun anymore.

The guy has burned his fuel just did not realise it, IMHO.