Best fantasy author

LenaClaire

I really like David Weber's War God series along with Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarion series.

Fluorescence

I'd have to say Feist. Every book of his that I've read I've loved - I'm still working on getting the rest of them to read! The characters are all believable and real, and the plot lines are great.

I wouldn't say Tolkien at all. I read the Hobbit and loved it, but struggled to get through FotR and never started the other two. Too many songs

pljudge321

GisforGrenade wrote: »

Steven Erickson is extremely prolific but the end is in sight, the tenth book which out in the next few months is the last book in the Malazan series, the Malazan world was created by Steven Erickson and Ian Esslemont as a setting for their rpg campaign so there are also five novels by Ian Esslemont in the same setting, so 15 books in total but that is it. A massive long running series is only worthwhile if there is actually an end. To be honest every Steven Erickson book is brilliant in its own right, there is of course the massive overarching plot and characters that crop up again and again, but every novel has new points of view and different locations so they can be taken on its own merits. It's a very long series but it most definitely worth it.

Apart from those fifteen books Erikson has also signed up to write The Toblakai Trilogy as well as a Khakanas trilogy which deals with the Tiste Andii. Adding on the four Bauchelain & Korbal Broach novellas when it's finally complete there will be 21 Novels and 4 Novellas. Good times

lordgoat

fluorescence wrote: »

I'd have to say Feist. Every book of his that I've read I've loved - I'm still working on getting the rest of them to read! The characters are all believable and real, and the plot lines are great.

I wouldn't say Tolkien at all. I read the Hobbit and loved it, but struggled to get through FotR and never started the other two. Too many songs

It's like i'm become soneone else and written that post! I agree with everything!

me-skywalker

Daenerys nom nom

Denerick

J.R.R. Tolkien is easily the best. By comparison, every other fantasy writer is a charlatan. Lord of the Rings is the only fantasy novel that will be read in a hundred years time by anyone.

/audacious and unfair statements

me-skywalker

Denerick wrote: »

J.R.R. Tolkien is easily the best. By comparison, every other fantasy writer is a charlatan. Lord of the Rings is the only fantasy novel that will be read in a hundred years time by anyone.

/audacious and unfair statements

Dont be silly sure we've only got 2 more years left tut tut

rockmongrel

Denerick wrote: »

J.R.R. Tolkien is easily the best. By comparison, every other fantasy writer is a charlatan. Lord of the Rings is the only fantasy novel that will be read in a hundred years time by anyone.

/audacious and unfair statements

His Dark Materials! I can't see that ever falling out of popularity.

lordgoat

Denerick wrote: »

J.R.R. Tolkien is easily the best. By comparison, every other fantasy writer is a charlatan. Lord of the Rings is the only fantasy novel that will be read in a hundred years time by anyone.

/audacious and unfair statements

over rated in my eyes i enjoyed the hobbit but LOTR is a teenagers book.

Just because he got their first doesn't make it the best ever.

I don't enjoy them but Harry Potter books will easily out shine tolkien over time, the reason - it's a more simple easier to read story.

Dades

lordgoat wrote: »

I don't enjoy them but Harry Potter books will easily out shine tolkien over time, the reason - it's a more simple easier to read story.

That's crazy talk, right there.

GreeBo

I remember trying to read the lord of the rings while on my J1, after the first hundred or so pages they were still setting up the fricken Bilbo Baggins party!

Yawn.
Pratchett for me Im afraid, the Good Omens book co-authored with Neil Gaimen was pretty good.

Denerick

lordgoat wrote: »

over rated in my eyes i enjoyed the hobbit but LOTR is a teenagers book.

LOTR is not a teenagers book, it is flooded with literary depth you simply don't get off also rans like Robert Jordan or David Gemmel.

Tolkien was not the first fantasy writer, but in my opinion he was certainly the best.

John

lordgoat wrote: »

over rated in my eyes i enjoyed the hobbit but LOTR is a teenagers book.

Just because he got their first doesn't make it the best ever.

I don't enjoy them but Harry Potter books will easily out shine tolkien over time, the reason - it's a more simple easier to read story.

*head implodes*

Have you actually read LOTR or have you only seen the movies? I loved the Harry Potter books but LOTR is a literary masterpiece alongside any great mainstream or "literary" novel. The sheer depth of the book easily sets it apart from any other fantasy author I've read, again a lot of fantasy I enjoy but they pale in comparison to Tolkien. Aside from Joyce, I can't think of anyone that comes close in terms of scale, detail or writing. To dismiss it as a teenager's book is a bit like calling The Odyssey a bedtime story or Wagner's Ring Cycle a few tunes.

Nody

John wrote: »

*head implodes*

Have you actually read LOTR or have you only seen the movies?

I honestly think the LOTR movies hurt the book because people watch it and then try to read the book and complain the book is boring (or my favourite complaint that the books did not match the movie and ergo the books were wrong...).

lordgoat

Denerick wrote: »

LOTR is not a teenagers book, it is flooded with literary depth you simply don't get off also rans like Robert Jordan or David Gemmel.

Tolkien was not the first fantasy writer, but in my opinion he was certainly the best.

Apologies for calling it a teenagers book, no idea how that happened, i think i was reffering to the hobbit. It is most definitely not a teenagers book.

John wrote: »

*head implodes*

Have you actually read LOTR or have you only seen the movies? I loved the Harry Potter books but LOTR is a literary masterpiece alongside any great mainstream or "literary" novel. The sheer depth of the book easily sets it apart from any other fantasy author I've read, again a lot of fantasy I enjoy but they pale in comparison to Tolkien. Aside from Joyce, I can't think of anyone that comes close in terms of scale, detail or writing. To dismiss it as a teenager's book is a bit like calling The Odyssey a bedtime story or Wagner's Ring Cycle a few tunes.

I've suffered through the books twice at this stage and i won't be back. While you might argue that it has depth i saw that a good story is drowned in unnecessary waffle. He would have benefited no end from a good editor. It's not that it's too long, i have no problem with long books just so much of it is filler for me. Cut it. Cut it.


There is no need to describe every single time our little heroes stop for some dried bread and cheese. I think Tom the really annoying and totally unnecessary wandering singer is nearly as annoying as jar jar binks. It all just got really tiresome for me after a while. I think the movies made the books more accessible but tbh honest i didn't really care for them either.

I've read countless books since the LOTR, the Odyessey is imo infinitely better than LOTR. If George RR Martin manages to finish the fire and ice series it will easily surpass tolkien in my eyes. Here's a story as riddled with intrigue and has continually gotten better with each volume. Substance over ramble for me please.

david75

Tolkien owns the crown. The depth and scope from Silmarillion, Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and then he fills it all out with other writings like the tale of years. Incredible. Not very accessible in some places (i'm looking at you Silmarillion&Bombadil)

But if you ever only read ONE thing of his, it's a short story called Smith Of Wooten Major. Nothing to do with Middle earth or its inhabitants but the MOST beautiful thing of his i've ever read. it's in a book called The book of lost tales, which you can get for like a tenner in easons.


Robin Hobb- JRRT was always my favourite but then i read Hobb. The farseer trilogy is the most addictive unputdownable set of books ever and the 2 follow up trilogys are amazing in that she winds the whole set of seemingly disparate storylines together beautifully in the Tawny man trilogy.

Neil gaiman..the mans just a genius. read Neverwhere. it's incredible.

H. Flashman

me-skywalker wrote: »

Daenerys nom nom

is this from the HBO series thats in the works?

lordgoat

H. Flashman wrote: »

is this from the HBO series thats in the works?

Yep it sure is, scheduled for spring 2011

Kaikias

If we speak of Tolkien we must mention his contemporary Mervyn Peake; far more accessible and far superior, a master of gothic atmosphere.

Grievous

Tolkien.

Or/and

Ray Bradbury.

coffee_cake

Kate Elliot & Katharine Kerr
also a big Hobb fan

HATE goodkind :mad:

Loved tad williams' otherland series but that's probably scifi

whywonder

Robin Hobb deserves a mention on the list of contenders for the Farseer books (all 9 set in that world, and I believe there's a new one though I haven't read it yet) BUT she could/should never win the crown because of that godawful Soldier Son trilogy.

Tolkien's books were the first of the kind, so it's hard to judge them against everything that has come after. I've read them, and I enjoyed them- but I admit I skipped some of the description passages and some of the songs. The history/context information was never as interesting to me as the actual plot.

Robert Jordan- yes, he rambles, but I still love 'em. Not sure he deserves the title though as he has a tendency to invent a magical solution to any logistical problem that arises and that irritates me in it's convenience. If the one Ring was found in the Borderlands in the morning, Rand would have it in the volcano by afternoon.

George RR Martin, if he could be bothered to finish, should win out I think- his are the only books I've ever read where I've been so completely enthralled- and emotionally invested. I couldn't recommend them highly enough. But again, he has to finish first. That said, I'm looking forward to the TV adaptation and I hope they do it justice.

AntiMatter

He's not strictly 'fantasy', but I'll plump for H.P. Lovecraft.

I think his writing is simply gorgeous.

Apolloyon

It's all down to personal choice I suppose. For me though it's a toss up between Jack Vance or Gene Wolfe. Or I could be completely old school and upset the apple cart by saying Michael Moorcock who I really enjoyed reading in my teenaged years.

Tolkien is a classic of course. I used to read the LOTR over Christmas every year. CS Lewis is also rather good even though I only read his Narnia series for the first time a few years ago.

Also it depends on the mood you're in as to what author appeals. David Gemmell's books are always a good read. I was fortunate enough to meet him at a book signing many years ago and he was very pleasant. Alas I was young, shy and in awe of meeting a famous author so unfortunately made the most of the meeting.

Eramen

AntiMatter wrote: »

He's not strictly 'fantasy', but I'll plump for H.P. Lovecraft.

I think his writing is simply gorgeous.

I absolutely agree! Certainly some body of his work could be called 'fantasy'. I'm surprised that people are mostly mentioning fantasy writers who have been penning within the last 30 to 40 years or so. There are a hell of a lot of great writers in this genre from early last century and before, and IMO created some of the best fantasy ever written, period.

Personally, Lord Dunsany (he's Irish too!), Lovecraft, A. Blackwood, Edward Bulwer Lytton, and Tolkien does it for me.

Gneez

AntiMatter wrote: »

He's not strictly 'fantasy', but I'll plump for H.P. Lovecraft.

I think his writing is simply gorgeous.

It is quite good but I think a little over-rated, also for the lol factor he says queer every third sentance.

p to the e

I quite enjoy reading Iain M Banks. Also his stuff under just Iain Banks is great. However i think the best fantasy series I've read have been the CS Lewis books.

iguana

bluewolf wrote: »

Katharine Kerr

Maybe not the best but I really enjoy Kerr. The Deverry series were my first favourite fantasy books. I read them when I was 16 and followed up with the Westlands cycle the following year but wasn't so crazy on a lot of it. Especially the first book that focussed on Dallandra's initial relationship with Evander. The Dragon Mage saga was better but I was much more interested in the past life story, rather than the present one.

I recently picked up of the Sliver Wyrm books and was reluctant to start it as I find that a lot of stuff I loved nearly half my life ago is kind of crappy to my current self. But I was hooked on it. I finished it yesterday and I'm aching to read the last three. I'm debating as to whether I should plough into them or go back and read the first 11 books over again. I've forgotten quite a few of the past life strands. Although weirdly I remember the parts I read over 15 years ago better than the ones I read 8-10 years ago.

marienbad

I always thought LOTR was overated and like a lot of long books overpraised for just have got to the end of it . Give me Mervyn Peake and the Gormenghast trilogy anytime ,particularly the first two books.