Fantasy Aficionados discussion

Now taking suggestions for Stand-alone fantasy! Suggestions will be open until about March 7th, then polls will open for about a week. That will give us lead time--I hope--to procure the book before April.

To me, "stand-alone" means a book that has a clear arc, one book, no cliff-hanger endings or "To Be Continued" at the end. We prefer formats to be in as many as possible (some people don't have ereaders), and as always, please don't nominate your own book.

Also, PLEASE include a link to your suggestion--if you've noticed, GR keeps track of all books/authors "mentioned in this topic," which makes setting up the final poll much easier. Thanks!

Remember-- If your nomination wins, you get to help lead discussion! Hurrah!

Keeping in mind that monthly readers are usually a small group, rules may be adjusted to accommodate the majority.

Ok, Carol, I have 2 . . . both have been listed as "stand-alone" but each is the start of a series. I have not read either, but each is on my to-read list. It seems every single book is part of a series. If either does not work, you will not offend me. :)

I considered The War of the Flowers since you and MrsJ gave it such wonderful reviews . . . but that meant you had already read it. ;)

Legend or

The Phoenix Guards

Hmm, I have two I wanted to nominate, but I know that many ppl here seem to like Sharon Shinn so I will nominate Summers at Castle Auburn .

(I don't know how to do the link with only the thumbnail)



Wooo! Works =]

When you click to add the book title, there's an option below the search space to put it in as a book link or book cover.

Ah! Thanks :)

Sonja wrote: "Ok, Carol, I have 2 . . . both have been listed as "stand-alone" but each is the start of a series. I have not read either, but each is on my to-read list. It seems every single book is part of a ..."

lol @ War of the Flowers!

a double eyeroll at that one :P

I'm wondering does stand along also could mean that the book cannot be part of a series?

How many nominations may we make?

I have 3 in mind... Make that 4.

Kevin wrote: "I'm wondering does stand along also could mean that the book cannot be part of a series?"

It depends on the series.

The book needs to be able to stand alone. So, books in the Harry Dresden or Kate Daniels series would be eligible as they stand alone. A book like A Game of Thrones or Pawn of Prophesy would not be eligible.

lol@Nyssa. How about your top two to three?

That works! Thanks. :)

I would like to nominate: Neverwhere, American Gods and Stardust, all by Neil Gaiman.

Confession: I'm nominating these for very selfish reasons. I've never read Neil Gaiman. In fact, I'd never heard of him before last year, which is apparently sacrilege for Fantasy fans. There - I said it! :)

I have not read Guy Gavriel Kay before and would be curious to try. I know he did several series but believe Ysabel is a stand-alone so I'd like to nominate it.

Ysabel is stand alone, although it involves characters from his Finovar tapestry. I'd be open to any of his stand alones-A Song for Arbonne or Tigana especially, as I first read them a decade ago and haven't revisited. I believe the group has read Tigana, but again, our monthly read crew is so small, I'll go with current majority.

I'd like to nominate The Alchemist's Apprentice. It's the first in a series but I think it's a stand-alone novel. Not sure though: I haven't read it. It's been sitting on my TBR shelf for a while, and the story sounds interesting: Nostradamus, Venice, murder.

Not sure if you've done this one yet, but I'll nominate The Gift, by Patrick O'Leary. It's one of my favorites & would enjoy reading it again & finding out if others love it as much as I do!

Audra wrote: "Not sure if you've done this one yet, but I'll nominate The Gift, by Patrick O'Leary. It's one of my favorites & would enjoy reading it again & finding out if others love it as much as I do!"

Audra, could you link the book/author? It makes it easier for us to locate the correct book when its time to create the poll.

Audra, I can't find the book in the GR database (which is really huge) nor the author. What is it about and when was it published?

Ha! Funny--I've read the gift and thought it was powerful. One of the ones i would have suggested. Perhaps a little dark. I'll try and add it when I get home from work.

The Gift

Carol wrote: "Ysabel is stand alone, although it involves characters from his Finovar tapestry. I'd be open to any of his stand alones-A Song for Arbonne or Tigana especially, as I first read them a decade ago a..."

Carol, every time I look up a Guy Gavriel Kay book I see that you have read it already!
Because of the facts that Tigana has already been a group read and Ysabel is in a way part of The Fionavar Tapestry, I would suggest either The Lions of al-Rassan or A Song for Arbonne , however if the majority of the people who participate in these group reads have already read them, I’ll think of something else. I don’t want to bother suggesting a book that everyone has read already. Just let me know!

Don't worry about me, Jalilah. :) I'm often open to re-reading a book I've read--some I haven't read for years, and I am a re-reader if I like the book (obviously, Sonja's very naughty suggestion doesn't count).

Half the enjoyment for me is in discussing books with everyone. I listed my Kay books because I love the ones I have and missed them on my favorites shelves (I didn't get into his Roman series as much).

Carol wrote: "(obviously, Sonja's very naughty suggestion doesn't count)."

Aw - you know ya wanna. ;)

Actually, I am so glad that I saw the reviews. I have never read Tad Williams due to the length of his novels and the reviews that *all* suggest they take forEVER to get going. But *once* they do . . . I am simply not that patient. But, this book intrigued. I've added to my "don't bother" list. :)

Thanks for providing that link to the Gift, Carol! I'll watch for the polls!

I'll nominate Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner - beautifully written, based on an ancient ballad - far too little known for the quality, and past question stands completely alone/not any part of a series.

I am adding one more: A Turn of Light by Julie E. Czerneda. I have read and enjoyed her science fiction books and this is her first foray into fantasy. This will actually be released in the states on Tuesday. So, I am happily anticipating a stand alone release. (At least I think it is stand alone - it does not appear to be related to any series.)

I love killing 2 birds with one stone. =D

Hi

Two to nominate:

The Telling Ursula K. Leguin
The Last Light of the Sun Guy Gavriel Kay

Restating for you, jessica:
The Telling
The Last Light of the Sun

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59...

The links

Thanks you, I tried and fail to make the links. I think I see the add book/author options I will try again next time :)

No problems, Jessica. I don't use the mobile app but I understand that it's very hard to link with it (if it works at all?) so I just assumed that was the issue.

It is hard to link with mobile...but I did finally figure out how, by going to web...
It sometimes seems like everything is over with by the time I get it all posted right. If it is. LOL

After some thought, I think...


I'd like to nominate Tatham Mound.

On his first raid the boy Hotfoot's arrow ripped through the Cale warrior's neck, unleashing his inflamed soul into the night. Thus the boy Hotfoot, maimed by a returning arrow, would begin his life's adventure as "Throat Shot." For along with a crippling deformity, the raid would also endow him with a link to the spirits, a gift for languages, and a mission.

In an Indian burial mound near the Florida home of noted fantasy author Piers Anthony, archaeologists unearthed the remains and artifacts if Indians dating back to the time of the Spanish Conquest. This discovery served as inspiration for Piers Anthony's most ambitious novel yet in an extraordinary career, a monumental saga of the Native Americans, Tatham Mound.

Apprenticed to an Indian trader, the young Throat Shot travels throughout the known world, meeting other tribes, learning their languages, encountering the women who would be his wives, and conversing with the spirits of the dead, the ancestors who would instruct him on the purpose of his wanderings. For Throat Shot was born in a fateful time. In his later years, renamed Tale Teller, he would be repository of Indian lore and the interpreter who accompanies the Conquistador de Soto on the march through the Southeast that would ultimately spell doom for his people.

Tatham Mound is a poignant vision of the Spanish Conquest for the Indian viewpoint, a chronicle of a lost culture, brimming with the lore, the achievements, and the courage of an utterly vanished American tribe.

Poll is up!

http://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/35...

Question? When can we start nominations for May? I have a very good suggestion for the Urban Fantasy Choice that I think everyone will love. I loved it so much that I ordered the second book and will start reading it.

We usually wait a little longer... like after the April polls are done. :)

I thought that they were.

Tomorrow, then brief run-off. Then we can set up threads :D

Chris wrote: "I thought that they were."

Nope, not yet. You still have time to vote :-)

MrsJoseph wrote: "Chris wrote: "I thought that they were."

Nope, not yet. You still have time to vote :-)"

Already have.

Good!

Chris wrote: "Question? When can we start nominations for May? I have a very good suggestion for the Urban Fantasy Choice that I think everyone will love. I loved it so much that I ordered the second book and wi..."

I wanna know! I wanna know. :(

Snarktastic Sonja wrote: ..."

You want to know what? What my suggestion is?

I suggest, for the Urban Fantasy Choice for May, we should read "Hold Me Closer, Necromancer" by Lish McBride.

Final polls:

http://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/35...