I would say Lord of the Rings and DragonLance are two of the must reads for fantasy.

Okay,

Dragon Riders of Pern series
and
Salems Lot (S King)

I forgot Elric! In fact all the Eternal Champion series, though the Elric stories are probably the best.

Although Howard only wrote one Conan novel - as opposed to short stories, his Hyborian Age tales represent, I think, the first fantasy world that had its own history and races mapped out in advance (as Tolkien later did in much greater, some might say obsessive, depth).

Brust's TO REIGN IN HELL and of course his VLAD TALTOS series.

Hey Susan, you might like the Vlad series, it's really funny.

How could I have forgotten the Dark Tower Series? All of them great and I think it was called THE DRAWING OF THE THREE was one of the best books I've ever read.

I would put Frankenstein by Shelley and The Stand by SK into this as well.

Dresden Files are a recent favorite of mine. Eragon was also good.

For Classic, hmmm...

Must I default to Lord of the Rings? It is THE fantasy epic of all time.


Rian

arianna cordelle sofer wrote:

Dresden Files are a recent favorite of mine. Eragon was also good.

For Classic, hmmm...

Must I default to Lord of the Rings? It is THE fantasy epic of all time.


Rian

Yes, you must default to LOTR

And...you get a big buzz and no kiss, for Eragon.

So says Mr Dawson!

knighthawk wrote:

I will risk the fury  .  .  .

I didn't read LOTR until just before the movies came out.

Though the world-building is of course mind-bogglingly good, but after having read fantasy with more complex characters and themes, it only struck me as  . . . dare I say it?! Fair to middling.

            :::Dons his raptor-shaped armor and huddles in a corner awaiting the onslaught:::

Knighthawk has just volunteered to go to the 'Cage Match" in the Battered Writers Forum.  There he will await to receive his punishment.

LOTR defined the sword and sorcery genere and laid the groundwork for all Mideval 'type' fantasy.
just as Dracula did for Vampires.

I will concede there are quite a few novels that used  the setting and charcter types much better than Tolkien, but...he instantly gets 'Classic Status' for his all encompassing and groundbreaking work.

I can also readily admit after about 30 minutes into the second movie, I wished Sam and Frodo would die, so I didn't have to listen to them whine. And the battle of 'Helms deep' defined the classic moment of 'Unrealistic and Contrived Battles' (They were so beat).

However, while we as fantasy writers can look at Tolkien's work and critique it in our minds,  we must never utter one ill word (or type one) against it. Tis, blaspheme, my friend, and you shall be smited...

(I would send the raptors, but I'm afraid you win them over with you formula for conflict, since I treat them so unfairly...LOL)

I loved LOTR at the time I read it.  "The Hobbit" began my own journey into the world of books.  In the decade after I read LOTR I would read through them once a year and then right before the movies came out I read through them once more.  I have not touched them since and am afraid to do so.  In my last reading I found I didn't enjoy them as much.  I skipped pages and pages of unnecessary descriptions.  I found his battle descriptions unfulfilling.  I put the last book down hating the Frodo and Sam parts.  I would be afraid to read them now from my current perspective.  All of that said, I thank Tolkien for nurturing my love for reading.  Without him, I may not be here.

Apatos asked me to move my new title delma here so each of you can vote on three of your fav's.  And anyone wanting to add another to the list is surely welcome to.

Here are the ones we have so far:


You're so Vein
Never Die without a plan
Unsuccessfully undead
Sing a little Song. Suck a little Blood. Get dead tonight.
Vampirism and Vanity:  It doesn't have to suck
Die, Suck, Enjoy, Repeat
Vanity Sucks

Thanks, Susan

Last edited by Susan Stec (03-13-2009 07:36:01)

Venator wrote:

Tolkien's characters are neither angst/guilt ridden (except Gollum, to an extent) nor do they have shady pasts (well except Galadriel perhaps...) or terrible secrets and hence not complex enough for many modern readers who prefer anti-heros (or even 'unheros'), they do have their failings: Gandalf is brusque and in many ways arrogant, Aragorn is moved by sentiment when he's be better using reason etc. Both make bad decisions because of their flaws.

Stoker's characters are pretty bland by comparison, probably a consequence of his journal/letter approach.

I'm not a real huge fan of Tolkien, personally, but...I am in awe of what he set out to accomplish. he wanted to create a mythology for his country and did so. And George Lucas turns around and does the same with Starwars. While their charcters do lack complexity, i would argue that would only get in the way of their story.

Who is the last Author or Filmaker to accomplish what they did? I know it's my dream to do the same and I can only appreciate how hard it is to even try.

I think Harry Potter is the last, but there's a huge void inbetween.
Is anyone even attempying this?

Well I know I shouldn't vote for my own but I can't help it.  I love You're So Vein.