SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I don't mind voting for you but are these supposed to be urban fantasy or paranormal romance fantasy?

Definitely Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, the most epic, realistic, brutal series I've ever encountered. More depth and breadth than I've ever thought possible in fiction.

Also Joe Abercrombie.

From my mis-spent youth: THE CHRONICLES OF CORUM by Michael Moorcock.
For all time: FAFHRD & THE GREY MOUSER by Fritz Leiber

Okay, OP disappeared. Lol.

Favorite all time fantasy without restrictions is the Malazan series as well. And the Mistborn trilogy, mostly as a whole.

* Jaime, I love Leiber!

Too many :)

George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon seriesBrandon Sanderson's Mistborn
Jim Butcher's Dresden Files

I love Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series!

Caron wrote: "I love Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series!"

I keep meaning to start that! Too many books, so little time. :)

I have so many that could qualify...but if I had to play favorites:

The Wheel of Time series (can't wait for the last book ^_^)By Robert Jordan.
A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin.
The Hobbit and The Lord of Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The Dark Tower Series By Stephen King.

and I think that's enough for now.

There are many good fantasy series and unfortunately much dreck as well. Here are some of my favourites:

Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set
The Lord of the Rings
A Song of Ice and Fire
The Chronicles of Amber
The Kingkiller Chronicles
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever
The Codex of Alera - Jim Butcher
Dragon Prince

And yes, I did purposely leave out the Wheel of Time. After the first two books, I never understood the popularity. Each book was more of the same, characters never grew (though the number of characters continued to expand exponentially) and the story never really progressed over thousands of pages. Other than Perrin, not a likeable character in the bunch, and nearly all of the character interactions result in the inability of people to talk things out or to live by stereo types (out of the hundred or so characters in the book, there is not a single that can see past the stereo-types?). The only reason I have recently continued to read these books again is to get to the novels written by Brandon Sanderson - one of the most promising fantasy authors I have read in some time. But boy is it painful.

Also, the only book that I just could not finish, and thus the series, is the Cold Fire series by CS Friedman. Talk about unbelievable. Yes there was character growth, in fact a person cahnged completely in less than a third of the book. Quite unbelievable.

If it's not either R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing or Aspect Emperor series, it would almost certainly have to be Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series (Go Tyrion). What can I say? I'm one for the darker end of the fantasy spectrum.

Jaime wrote: "From my mis-spent youth: THE CHRONICLES OF CORUM by Michael Moorcock.
For all time: FAFHRD & THE GREY MOUSER by Fritz Leiber"

I loved both of these (above others) as a young thing; but do you mean it's safe to re-visit Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, twenty years on? I'm afraid to. I'd like to do a nostalgia trip, though.

- do you mean it's safe to re-visit Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, twenty years on? -

I personally think so. I've re-read them more frequently than Tolkien's work - it sure helps that the series consists of short stories and novellas plus one short (by today's standards - take THAT Robert Jordan!) novel. The sex and ultra-violence are more discreetly limned than by today's standards, but Fafhrd and the Mouser are easily the equal of, say, Joe Abercrombie's characters in the cynical, sardonic snark department.

It seems like I have a disclaimer for everything!

I was loving aSoIaF, before they just were taking wayyyyy too long to write, so I had to quit.
WoT was good, but the over-description was ttoo crazy

So I have to say my faves are LotR, for getting me into fantasy in the first place, and of course Malazan-whose scope is just unparalleled....

Everything else is a distance second (or third, etc.) to Tolkien.

This is hard. I don't have only one. I would have to say Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, David Eddings's Elemium and Tamuli, R.A. Salvatore's Forgotten Realms, and L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s Recluce series.

There are many more too.

Jaime wrote: "- do you mean it's safe to re-visit Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, twenty years on? -

I personally think so. I've re-read them more frequently than Tolkien's work - it sure helps that the series cons..."

Thanks for the answer. I believe you, and I'm going to dig them out. Lovely.

It just occurs to me that M. John Harrison's Viriconium set (short novels, short stories) might count in this thread, in which case, they are definitely mine. Viriconium

The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
The Dark Tower by Stephen King
Chronicles of an Age of Darkness by Hugh Cook
Fafhrd & The Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber

The Chronicles of Amber (Zelazny was my first stop after discovering fantasy via Tolkien).

The Dark Tower

The Dresden Files

and of course, The Thieves' World series, which makes me happy just thinking about it.

I enjoyed Tad Williams' 'Otherland' series, among many others!

The Xanth series by Anthony. Let the puns begin.

Harry Potter.

Porter wrote: "Everything else is a distance second (or third, etc.) to Tolkien."

ditto

Mistborn trilogy
The Dark Tower series

Everything by Julian May - her books are my idea of as near fantasy perfection as possible.

Al wrote: "The Xanth series by Anthony. Let the puns begin."

They are punishment enough.

Xanth was probably my favorite Fantasy series when I was a kid, alongside the Deryni Chronicles by Katherine Kurtz.

Currently there are two series I'm following avidly:

Peter V. Brett's "Demon Cycle" series -- which so far only has two books The Warded Man & The Desert Spear, with a third one, The Daylight War, coming out in February 2013.

Joe McKinney's "Dead World" series, which might turn out to be science fiction but currently I consider to be fantasy. Dead City, Apocalypse of the Dead & Flesh Eaters.

Trike wrote: "Al wrote: "The Xanth series by Anthony. Let the puns begin."

They are punishment enough.

Xanth was probably my favorite Fantasy series when I was a kid, alongside the Deryni Chronicles by Katheri..."

I'm a great-grandfather, but I'm still a kid. Still enjoy Xanth. Haven't read the others you mention. Not sure I want to go there (not into monsters, zombies, and such, the news scares me enough already).

The Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter
The Dresden Files

Jonathan Poku I love George R R Martins: A Song of Ice and Fire and I'm also a fan of harry potter.

Gotta be Mistborn. I thought I was done with fantasy entirely as a genre, but Mistborn stayed its execution long enough for a few other series to get their hooks in me (notably Wheel of Time).

I also like the Dresden books, but when I think of "fantasy", I don't tend to include paranormal stuff. Don't know why.

I'm going with Mistborn too, just got engulfed in it

The Wheel Of Time ( The scale is staggering)
Mistborn Series (Brandon Sanderson makes the best magical systems)
Harry Potter ( Everyone loves this)
Inheritance cycle.
These are my favourites. There cannot be only one.

All of mine have been listed, but Brent Week's Night Angel.

Completed Works;
The Dark Tower-Stephen King
Mistborn Trilogy-Brandon Sanderson
Demonata-Darren Shan

Incomplete Works;
The Stormlight Archive-Brandon Sanderson
The KingKiller Chronicles-Patrick Rothfuss
The Demon Cycle-Peter V.Brett

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever- Stephen Donaldson.

I'd say The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. Absolutely a masterpiece with one of the biggest universes I've encountered with the most nuances even.

I've still only read Prince of Thorns, but it looks very promising!

I have a new one that I am enjoying: the Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne. It's fairly lightweight stuff, but loads of fun.

Trike wrote: "I have a new one that I am enjoying: the Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne. It's fairly lightweight stuff, but loads of fun."

Seconded! I've read the first 3 so far. Really fun reads.

I'm gonna have to say Malazan Book of the Fallen. Also Glen Cook's Black Company is up there also

I think that really changes depending on the decade you're in.

In middle school I was all about The IceWind Dale Trilogy.

In my 20s it was Song of Fire and Ice.

And the last one that really blew me away was the Dark Tower Series.

Memory, Sorrow & Thorn by Tad Williams

Oh yeah Lisa I really liked Night Angel. His Lighntbringer series seems promising also but I've only read The Black Prism so far.

I really enjoyed loads umm Fallen Star Series (for younger/teen readers) Jessica Sorensen, a single book by Rowan Starsmith The Little Dragons - very original idea, really I like loads!

Garth Nix's trilogy is probably my favorite.

Did you read Across the Wall as well and how about his Keys to the Kingdom series?

Lord of the Rings, of course.
The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen r Lawhead
The Death Gate Cycle... And Star of the Guardians by Weis and Hickman
Loved Harry Potter...
Song of Albion
Enchanted Forest Chronicles
Tales of Goldstone Wood are a new favourite...
Really liked the Belgariad and Mallorean
Wheel of Time is good... But it's lower on the list...

Pretty much all I read is fantasy... So I have lots of favs

Michelle wrote: "Garth Nix's trilogy is probably my favorite."

I can't wait for Clariel to finally come out.

Jodie wrote: "Did you read Across the Wall as well and how about his Keys to the Kingdom series?"

I read the Keys to the Kindom --they definitely feel like children's books and aren't as strong as the Sabriel books, but I thought they were cute and creative and fun.

I read that too, I loved it growing up, but I never finished the series.

Wow, I can see from everyone else's lists that I'm just not that well-read when it comes to fantasy. I really like the concept of fantasy books, but most of them don't appeal to me for one reason or another.

Part of it is that I read the Lord of the Rings first and after that everything else just seemed watered down to me.

I also like the Chronicles of Narnia, but they are a lighter shade of fantasy and not really in the same category in my mind.

I did enjoy the Shannara books, but it's been so long ago since I read them, I'm not sure if I would enjoy them as much now.

OK. I'll admit it. It's probably not my favorite but I really enjoyed Robert Aspirin's Myth Series . It is not what we would call high brow but it is fun going by. (Let's start with the two main characters are Skeeve and Aahz; it only goes down from there....)

A whole lot of fun.