Best Fantasy Authors (Vanity)

5/15/03 | bondserv

[bondserv]

Who are some of your favorite Fantasy authors, and their best books. I am looking for authors that might write in a similar style as some on my list.

My list:

Tolkien - Rings Series

Stephen Donaldson - Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Series

Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time Series

Terry Brooks - Shanara Series

Terry Goodkind - Sword of truth Series

Joel Rosenberg - Guardians of the Flame Series

David Eddings - Belgariad/Malloreon/Elenium/Tamuli

L.E. Modesitt, Jr. - The Saga of Recluce Series

Robin Hobb - Farseer Series

Tad Williams - Dragonbone Chair

[Wings-n-Wind]

Tim LaHaye & company LEFT BEHIND series

[The Grammarian]

Gotta have Tolkien in there. What about the Dragonriders of Pern books? They'd be on my list.

[The Grammarian]

Please tell me you were emphasizing the "fantasy" part and not the "best" part.

[HairOfTheDog]

Ping....

[bondserv]

I agree they are good books and I am reading them as they come out, but I think of them as reiteration of the book of Revelation, which is not fantasy.

Not that I thought you implied that.

Any others?

[Hegemony Cricket]

Try out some Ursula K. LeGuin. She somewhat bridges the gap between fantasy and sci-fi, but I've always enjoyed her stuff.

[bondserv]

Preferably your favorite authors in the fantasy genre.

I have read many bad fantasy books over the years.

[ModelBreaker]

Stephen Donaldson - Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Series

I don't know about this one. I wanted to slap Thomas about a quarter of the way thru each book. Get over it, dude. Lighten up, you know . . .

[InvisibleChurch]

new york times staff - all the grits thats fits to prints

[dts32041]

Hillary klintoon Living HIstory, can't get more fantasy than that.

[bondserv]

Yeah, the consummate anti-hero.

The world Donaldson created was one of my favorite.

[bondserv]

Jayson Blair - Duping the Gray Lady Series

[Tax-chick]

Steven Brust, "Dragaera"

Roger Zelazny, everything

Is it fantasy? Is it SF? Who cares?

[kcar]

I nominate Poul Anderson, to whom I swear fealty, for something. How about for his Future History series, or the Tales of the Time Patrol. Either Anson Guthrie or Manse Everard has gotta walk away with something I figure. I love Poul like I love JRR, brilliant imagination, wonderful story-telling abilitiy, and awesome command of the language.

[Hegemony Cricket]

Also check out Robert J. Silverberg, particularly "Lord Valentine's Castle".

[shempy]

Gene Wolfe - The Book of the New Sun series.

[ozzie]

Gene Wolfe's Shadow and Claw as well as the follow-up books. Not as widely known as those mentioned above, but much headier and darker stuff.
Also, George Martin's stuff is pretty good. To be frank, I get bored by fantasys that I've read that leave you with a cliff hanger trying to get you to buy the next one, and the next, and the next. No finality in any of those.

[Maigrey]

I'vve been told that George R.R. Martin is good also. (I'vve not read him yet, since I'm re-reading WOT for the second time through...)

What about all of Hicks/Weis? I'm reading Weis in her Star of the Guardians once again, just to refresh myself on my namesake.)

[InvisibleChurch]

asimov - early foundation series