Favourite Fantasy Book

[Axis]

I felt it would be interesting to start a discussion about your favourite fantasy book.

[Hageltoast]

I guess my all time fave fantasy novel would be Weaveworld by Clive Barker if you count that as fantasy. I always think of it as more fantasy than horror and it's just that I go back to it every year or two and re read it, never getting tired of it after 17 years. I must have read it at least a dozen times now and it grabs me the same every time.
Good Omens is a close second and is my comfort read.

[Elena]

Like everyone here has said, it's really hard to pick a favorite fantasy novel. I'm going to say they're the ones I've had to replace multiple times:

I'm going to have to say that my two favorites are The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon.

The Deed of Paksenarrion is the omnibus version of Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance and Oath of Gold.

There's also The Blue Sword by Robin Mckinley, which I read back to back multiple times.

Elena
All Booked Up

[locke]

Hi all ! new to the site. Donaldsons 'Land' was amazing and still surprises me how upset I was with Lord Foul for spoiling it in the second series. Anyone know where I can buy hurtloam?
Weaveworld by Clive Barker is ace and enjoying the Abarat series.
Gemmell wise, obviously Legend with a close second to Quest for lost heroes.
Reading the name of the wind at the mo' and enjoying that.
I think Logan Ninefingers is Druss and Tarantio mixed together in Abercrombies books. Very great.

[Axis]

Tomasz said:

My favourite fantasy book? Let consider it... maybe I make a list of my favourite cycles. :) I love circles becouse I hate leave so interesting worlds and those great heroes...Yeah, I'm the bookworm, that's who I am. :D

1. Andrzej Sapkowski "The Witcher" (first book of this cycle, "Blood of Elves", is the nominee; look forward next books - you will see!)
2. Robin Hobb "The Farseer Trilogy"
3. J. R. R. Tolkien "Lord of the Ring"
4. Ursula K. Le Guin "Earthsea"
5. Terry Pratchett "Discworld" (especially books about witches from Lancre)

As you see - it's hard to choose one book and I'm not even trying to do that. ;)

Of those books I've only read the Earthsea series and I found it to be OK, but not great. I just didn't enjoy the books so much. Clearly (due to the popularity of the books) others do nopt feel the same way I do about it.

[Axis]

Justin said:

I usually have a couple of current favourites and a couple that have I have long term soft spots for:

All time favourites:

Dune - Frank Herbert
Lord of the Rings - J R R Tolkien
Magician- R.E.Feist
All Discworld novels - Terry Pratchett

Current favourites:
The name of the wind - Patrick Rothfuss
The Painted Man - Peter Brett

I just read Dune (the first novel so far) and I genuinely enjoyed it. Frank Herbert really created a great novel in Dune

[Johann Pollard]

All time favourites

1. Tolkien - Lord of the Rings (aswell as the Hobbit and all the rest)
2. Sir Terry Pratchett - Discworld
3.Frank Herbert - Dune
4. Douglas Adams - Hitchikers Guide
4. Feist - Magician


New favourites

Tom Lloyd - Twilight Reign series sofar
Adrain Tchaikovsky - Apt Series (I only read the first one - very Impressive)
The Watch Trilogy - Sergei Lukyanenko. Brilliant
The Gone Away World - Nick Harkaway
Anything by Robert Rankin - Totally weird but hilarious!

[Phil Keeton]

I've been re-reading tSoN&D. It has been a while since the first time.

I've come to the conclusion that in the absence of more of David's work, the next best thing for a Gemmellesque romp in my mind would be Janny Wurtz's books starting with The Curse of the Mistwraith.

Lysaer and Arithon provide those wonderfully flawed characters that struggle continuously to live up to their codes and ideals. I'm also a great fan of Davien the Betrayer.

Had she released a book in this series last year, I would have struggled between her continuation and Peter Brett's debut.

[ProzacKitteh]

I've come to the conclusion that in the absence of more of David's work, the next best thing for a Gemmellesque romp in my mind would be Janny Wurtz's books starting with The Curse of the Mistwraith.

*makes a note*. In David's absence I've barely read any fantasy :(
I feel ready to hit the genre again now though. I'm new to this site and am just about to have a rummage through the nominees list with Amazon & credit card on standby..

In answer to the original question, Sword in the Storm is my all-time favourite fantasy novel. Magican & Pawn of Prophecy come a close joint second.

[Captain Dangle]

Some absolute stonkers listed I have included some in my list and they will be re-read again in short order, so here goes:

Riftwar series - Raymond E Fiest
Sword of Truth series - Terry Goodkind
Weaveworld - Clive Barker
Good Omens - Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett (in fact most thing by these two)
Hitchikers Guide - Douglas Adams
Emperor and Plains series - Conn Igguldens
Orks - Stan Nicholls
Farseer - Robin Hobb

And of course anything by DG

I know I have missed some out ahhh..

I understand this might upset some of you but I have given them all a fair go and cant hack either finishin or re-reading ever again.

Wheel of Time series - Robert Jordan
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Thomas Covenant series - Stephen Donaldson
Liveship Traders -Robin Hobb

Now I know I have forgotten some, (and hopefully they will remain that way)

[Mike Halsall]

Yes, I started the Wheel of Time series and Steven Erikson (got up to Midnight Tides but I don’t seem to have the staying power, I like a bit of variety) and didn't finish.

Have to agree with most of your fav reads.

Fav re-reads:

Dune – Frank Herbert
Feet of Clay – Terry Pratchett
Lord of the Rings (Got a set in 6 short volumes – makes it much more practical).
Harold the King – Helen Hollick
Murder in Lamut/Riftwar – Raymond Feist


I will be re-reading Olympos, Ilium (Dan Simmons) and DG Troy series sometime this year.

Fav books I would like to re-read if I could ever find the time:

The Dark Tower series – Stephen King (how am I going to find time to read this again?)
Empire of Unreason – J Gregory Keyes (new discovery – stunning)
The Fencer Trilogy – K J Parker
A Song of Ice and Fire – George R R Martin

I have just finished Ian Irvine's Geomancer and started on book 2 with book 3 on the shelf and just found out there is a book 4 I haven't got yet - how about an award for members who actually finish reading a series beyond 5 books - I didn't think Dark Tower was ever going to end)..

[Mary]

Like others who have posted, I could not pick just one book.


When I was a young child growing up my favorites included:

Jane Langton's The Hall Family Chronicles, especially The Diamond in the Window.
Jules Feiffer's The Phantom Tollbooth.
Madeleine L'Engle's The Wrinkle in Time and all the Murry and Austin works


A few years later it would be

Tolkein's LOR, and of course the Hobbit.
C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia

As an adult, it is so very hard for me to limit my favorites but here goes:

Robin Hobb, I love anything by her, Farseer, Tawny Man, Soldier Son, I love them all
Jane Lindskold's Wolf series
Roger Zelazny's the Amber Chronicles

and most recently I have added to my list of favorite authors

Jeff Somer's Avery Cates series
Brian Ruckley's The Godless World series
Jo Graham's the Black Ships

and I picked up an advance readers copy of Stephanie Meyer's The Host and was so enchanted I had to read her vampire books.

Then of course the two Terrys, Goodkind and Brooks, and let me not forget Marion Zimmer Bradley.

In reality, I cannot pick just one author or work, I am addicted to reading and feel nervous and jittery if I am not reading at least one book. I know I will never have just ONE favorite work or author, there is just so much to enjoy for so many different reasons. One book will appeal to one aspect of me, and another will satisfy another aspect. And so it goes for me.

[Greyweather]

My favorite fantasy novel of any type would have to be The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll.

My favorite series would be Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy.

My favorite YA fantasy novel would be The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (AKA Northern Lights).

My favorite non-fiction fantasy book would be Things That Never Were: Fantasies, Lunacies & Entertaining Lies by Matthew Rossi.