The greatest fantasy fiction of all time?
- Thread starter laszlo
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- Banbaria.
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I've just bought Phillip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy.
I'll let you know.
While I enjoyed JKR's HP books because of their ease of reading and you feel as if you become part of the school... there are people here who will argue that she's just a bit of a plagiarist. I don't read vast quantities of fantasy fiction (aside from an unhealthy dose of Pratchett) so I wouldn't know.
I'll let you know.
While I enjoyed JKR's HP books because of their ease of reading and you feel as if you become part of the school... there are people here who will argue that she's just a bit of a plagiarist. I don't read vast quantities of fantasy fiction (aside from an unhealthy dose of Pratchett) so I wouldn't know.
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Nice.
I think, for success, J.K. Rowling's works (Harry Potter). For enormity and quality, J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings and others). And yes, Philip Pullman, for most everything else (His Dark Materials trilogy).
Cornelia Funke is still an excellent writer, though. (Inkheart and Dragon Rider)
I think, for success, J.K. Rowling's works (Harry Potter). For enormity and quality, J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings and others). And yes, Philip Pullman, for most everything else (His Dark Materials trilogy).
Cornelia Funke is still an excellent writer, though. (Inkheart and Dragon Rider)
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- FoolKiller1979
Plagiarized or now I will say this: She is far from one of the greats. Sure her stories read quick and fun and can entice kids but her ability to tell the story is horrid.
And if every problem in your books can be solved by just talking to Dumbledore it seems a bit cheap that Harry, after six years couldn't do that. Every single plot could have been easily solved if Harry had just talked to Dumbledore when he first got to school.
I would rate Rowling as the Danielle Steel of the fantasy genre. It sucks you in with cheap gimmicks and reads quick and easy.
Now someone like Tolkien on the other hand, you have to study and think and realize the implications of the metaphors. Then you realize that the man basically created a couple of fake languages for his books and even created new terms that are common usage today. When a man's books can alter the lexicon then you can hold it up as great.
I also think that CS Lewis wrote some great fantasies (and sci-fi) and that can be recognized even if you do not get into the religious metaphors.
And if you all really like fantasy fiction I suggest checking out podcastle.org. It is a free weekly short audio fantasy fiction podcast.
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- Esoterik1
Absolutely. His Sci-fi trilogy is outstanding (and hard to find in hardcover).
Max Powers
(Banned)
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- MelBlount
I'm not sure if Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" series qualifies as fantasy fiction (and aren't sci fi and fantasy fiction pretty similar anyway?), but that would definitely rate up there for me.
Stranger in a Strange Land is another great one.
Also, FK I completely agree with you about Rowling, very well said as always.
Stranger in a Strange Land is another great one.
Also, FK I completely agree with you about Rowling, very well said as always.
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I read something on Cracked that made fun of how every single problem in books 1-7 could have been all solved by Dumbledore in the first 10 pages of the first book, then went into great detail on how easily he could have solved said problems. Quite a chuckle.
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- GTP_Kent
Indeed, I agree very strongly.
Further, I'll never forget reading the books as I happened to read all of LOTR during the two weeks after Katrina where I had no electricity and spent the nights camping in my front yard out of a tent.
It was one heck of an experience reading those books!
Btw, on a different series...
I was a big fan of the "Dune" story but I never took the time to read any of the books (only watch a few of the movies and learn some of the story from those as well as the net).
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- Gai-Gun
Of course, Tolkien is king. I really enjoyed R.A. Salvatore's 'Dark Elf' books, but that series went on too long.
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- Esoterik1
👍
Robert A. Heinlein.
I think it's probably his best work. At least it is in my eyes. You have to understand he was a socialist, and thus some of those ideals spill over into his writing. However, one tends to write about what one knows.
Ray Bradbury has always been a favorite author of mine. His work tends to be more "sci-fi", but there are a lot of fantasy elements as well.
"The Martian Chronicles" being one of my favorites.
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- Small_Fryz
I really enjoyed Raymond E faist (sp) magaician series.. (riftwar)
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- Whateversville
- Flerbizky
Stephen Kings Dark Tower series rate very very high on my list. And including all the other books that somewhat relates to the series, Atlantis, Black House etc. etc. makes the story even more interesting (in lack of better terms from the english dictionary)..
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- Hammerhead Garage
I can't believe this one hasn't been mentioned yet: Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time. Sure, some people say it's over-blown, too long and that the likes of Crossroads of Twilight were just as waste of space, but having just re-read the series from The Eye of the World to Knife of Dreams (I'm trying to puzzle out what Demandred is doing, if not who he is, and I think I have a pretty good idea) I think the series truly defines epic. What started as a seemingly-simple story about three ordinary teenagers has escalated into a collective work that is nothing short of the story of the end of an Age. Robert Jordan has truly managed to create a sense of impending doom that I found was lacking in The Lord of the Rings; the man has a talent for being able to capture each sub-plot from the perspectives of countless dfferent characters, as well as a hell of a gift for foreshadowing. It's a shame he died before he could finish A Memory of Light; I hope Brandon Sanderson is up to the task of completing it.
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- FoolKiller1979
I was avoiding sci-fi/fantasy cross genre titles as that could be arguable by some. But as others have said it I will throw in a few of my favorites.
I definitely love McCaffrey's Dragonriders saga, although I feel her continuation began to get a bit drawn out. I felt she had gotten it too drawn out and was losing touch with the stories. Then I read Masterharper and she brought it all back home for me. Either that or the fact that a book focused on my favorite character finally was written and managed to tug on my emotions with how it played out just hit me right.
And as already mentioned, Heinlein has some very good cross-genre stuff. And while I agree that early on he seemed to be drifting toward a very socialist bias he seems to have softened in his later years as it became more open minded. I know the message kind of went from a socialist point of view to a "who knows and does it matter" type attitude.
I think the sci-fi meets fantasy thing is definitely something that can't be ignored as there are numerous tales of knights and wizards fighting dragons, oh but we have hovercars and lasers too.
Currently I am listening to the second book of a podcast novel by Mercedes Lackey called "The Secret World Chronicles" that tells of an alternate universe where metahumans (superheroes) arose during World War II and because of it the modern day world has a few vast differences. For instance Tesla's broadcast power became a reality and power suits, created with nano-fiber, for weaker metahumans were built. But at the point I am at there has become a difference between true metahumans and those who have magical powers. Suddenly fantasy has drifted into the story and part of the problem arises when those with magical powers cannot always control it and sometimes lose control of even themselves. And then there is now the debate of whether or not a magician with natural abilities qualifies as a metahuman superhero.
It is definitely a unique twist of the sci-fi/fantasy crossover, especially the way it has crept into the story mid-way through the second book.
And that reminds me: do podcast novels, or "podiobooks," count in this discussion? I can think of a few that rank up there in quality. Also others that rank quite high in entertainment value.
I definitely love McCaffrey's Dragonriders saga, although I feel her continuation began to get a bit drawn out. I felt she had gotten it too drawn out and was losing touch with the stories. Then I read Masterharper and she brought it all back home for me. Either that or the fact that a book focused on my favorite character finally was written and managed to tug on my emotions with how it played out just hit me right.
And as already mentioned, Heinlein has some very good cross-genre stuff. And while I agree that early on he seemed to be drifting toward a very socialist bias he seems to have softened in his later years as it became more open minded. I know the message kind of went from a socialist point of view to a "who knows and does it matter" type attitude.
I think the sci-fi meets fantasy thing is definitely something that can't be ignored as there are numerous tales of knights and wizards fighting dragons, oh but we have hovercars and lasers too.
Currently I am listening to the second book of a podcast novel by Mercedes Lackey called "The Secret World Chronicles" that tells of an alternate universe where metahumans (superheroes) arose during World War II and because of it the modern day world has a few vast differences. For instance Tesla's broadcast power became a reality and power suits, created with nano-fiber, for weaker metahumans were built. But at the point I am at there has become a difference between true metahumans and those who have magical powers. Suddenly fantasy has drifted into the story and part of the problem arises when those with magical powers cannot always control it and sometimes lose control of even themselves. And then there is now the debate of whether or not a magician with natural abilities qualifies as a metahuman superhero.
It is definitely a unique twist of the sci-fi/fantasy crossover, especially the way it has crept into the story mid-way through the second book.
And that reminds me: do podcast novels, or "podiobooks," count in this discussion? I can think of a few that rank up there in quality. Also others that rank quite high in entertainment value.
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[/Thread]
Depends on the bookstore; but all arts have a genre, sub-genre, and quasi-sub-genre nowdays. I think Asimov stated he was not really a "fantasy writer" in the sense that he wouldn't allow "the advanced science/technology of the future" [to paraphrase] to solve problems, but that humans generally figured things out for themselves in his stories. (I recall him saying that in The Tyrannosourus Perscription or one of his essay-type books.)
Also, other than about 20 books of Asimov's, and a few others here and there, I've never read much of the sci-fi/fantasy genre.
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- FlyingAGasoline
The fanboys are an interesting lot. They're like youtube commentators, only worse. I find it preposterous that some of them believe that the main characters spoke English as a primary language...
The last few posts are GOLD.
I haven't read enough fantasy fiction to know. I like the Harry Potter series, not matter how easy and commercialized they seemed.
The last few posts are GOLD.
I haven't read enough fantasy fiction to know. I like the Harry Potter series, not matter how easy and commercialized they seemed.
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- FoolKiller1979
///M-Spec
Staff Emeritus
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Let me see:
Fantasy
Evil Empire - check
swordplay - check
knights - check
Princesses in distress - check
strange reptilian monsters - check
magical forces - check
ghosts/spirits - check
muppets - check
Sci-Fi
Swords made of light - check
spaceships - check
lasers - check
aliens - check
I think you're right!
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- FoolKiller1979
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Quite literally, every other movie has something in it that parallels the Bible. If anything, Star Wars had many more "Christian" themes and symbolism than The Chronicales of Narnia had; the media picked up on it (read: amplified it) because Disney put it to he big screen.
By the way, Danoff...
By the way, Danoff...
Everyone dies in the end of the last chapter.
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