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BoromirOfWinterfell
Rohan
Feb 23 2013, 12:13pm
Post #1 of 56
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Favourite fantasy series other than LotR
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Since we all read Tolkien (I hope), I've been wondering what everyone's other favourite fantasy series is. Sorry if there already has been a post like this.
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Vangalad
Lorien
Feb 23 2013, 1:01pm
Post #3 of 56
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Game of Thrones, because it's the series I currently read and watch. Though I'm also fond of the Riftwar Cycle, Harry Potter and the Fionavar Tapestry.
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Radagast-Aiwendil
Gondor
Feb 23 2013, 2:02pm
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I enjoyed the Inheritance books
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Although they had many elements derived from LOTR as many critics have pointed out. Narnia is well and good given that it's Lewis' work and not derived from Tolkien. The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series is quite enjoyable, but really most fantasy books don't hold me for long, simply because they can't compare to LOTR or open up anything particularly new and exciting, and therefore I often feel that I'm wasting my time reading them (only my opinion, mind).
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BoromirOfWinterfell
Rohan
Feb 23 2013, 2:41pm
Post #5 of 56
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That's the problem with the birth of a masterpiece
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Anything from the same genre that comes afterwards is just a shadow of its greatness.
Discworld is my favourite. It makes fun of everything in good humour.
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Bellerock
Rivendell
Feb 23 2013, 4:40pm
Post #6 of 56
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I really enjoyed the Amber series by Roger Zelazny. There are an endless number of new worlds to explore in his stories, and none of them seem familiar. He managed to create something truly imaginative (and not derivative of Tolkien.)
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Feb 23 2013, 5:04pm
Post #7 of 56
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The Chronicles of Narnia, hands down.
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I grew up with those, starting with the 1979 cartoon. Then I read the books and just have loved them ever since.
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macfalk
Valinor
Feb 23 2013, 5:12pm
Post #8 of 56
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That is why I like Martin's world so much
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Because it's so vastly different from LOTR, that is one of it's strengths that it can stand on it's own. The setting is the same and you can tell he's been inspired by Tolkien but the story is original.
I like Potter to an extent. Narnia... feels like a sugar-coated verision of Middle-earth to me - not my cup of tea.
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Magpie
Immortal
Feb 23 2013, 5:26pm
Post #9 of 56
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Of the three I might choose from:
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I've only read the first book in the Game of Thrones series. I liked that one a lot but I can't say anything about the series till I read more.
I enjoy the Harry Potter books for what they are. Not perfect but lots of good stuff to enjoy and satisfy.
So, I picked the Pern books. The first ones were really enjoyable. The series lingered too long and the later ones were not at all.
I enjoyed the Darkover novels by Marion Zimmer Bradley very much.
Are the Dresden Files book fantasy? I like them.. although I put them a little closer to 'pulp fiction' than 'good art.'
But, series, in general, don't fare well in terms of consistent quality. And, for that matter, LOTR is not a series. It's one tale broken into three books.
I'd much rather read a non-serial story that is creative and original and well told than follow a familiar and comfortable concept way past it's natural life span.
(This post was edited by Magpie on Feb 23 2013, 5:28pm)
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BoromirOfWinterfell
Rohan
Feb 23 2013, 5:41pm
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Despite being a fan of Tolkien, he managed to create something very unique. I adore his characters as much as Tolkien's.
Harry Potter is good for light reading. Narnia became a bit odd near the end - the last book seemed so out of place and forced.
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Bellerock
Rivendell
Feb 23 2013, 6:17pm
Post #12 of 56
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You would probably enjoy them, they are beautifully written with amazing visual descriptions. A stand-alone book by Zelazny that is one of my favorites is Jack of Shadows, or you might check out some of his short stories. The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth is an excellent collection. That said, it's a bit difficult to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Zelazny's stories don't have Tolkien's moral compass.
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Bellerock
Rivendell
Feb 23 2013, 6:21pm
Post #13 of 56
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Since Anne McCaffrey is very careful to given scientific explanations for all of her plots, I maintain that her Pern stories are science fiction, not fantasy. Although they do seem to be wearing some of Fantasy's clothes
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DanielLB
Immortal
Feb 23 2013, 8:54pm
Post #14 of 56
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And apologies if you have mentioned it before, but what is your opinion of the most recent movies?
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Feb 23 2013, 9:11pm
Post #15 of 56
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I voted for Harry Potter because I enjoyed those books, but I would give a close 2nd to the Earthsea series for originality. You don't read those books and think "oh, disguised Middle-earth again." They have some nice philosophy underlying them, but they're also brooding, and I get the sense reading them that no one in Earthsea is ever happy and never will be, or if they are enjoying life, they'll keep it a tight secret, so it's not a place I really want to visit. Middle-earth had plenty of tragedy and melancholy Elves, but there was plenty of joy to offset that, making it seem a place you'd want to revisit.
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Feb 23 2013, 10:36pm
Post #16 of 56
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Other: Michael Moorcock's original Elric Saga
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I still haven't read any of Martin's The Songs of Ice and Fire books.
I would leave the Dragonriders series on the list on the basis that science fiction is a sub-genre of fantasy and McCaffrey uses plenty of fantasy tropes in the series.
Other well-regarded fanatasy series:
- Fritz Leiber's The Adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser (other favorite of mine).
- Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain.
- David (and Leigh) Eddings' The Belgariad and The Elenium (as well as their respective sequels).
- The Thieves' World books (edited by Robert Asprin).
- Wendy and Richard Pini's ElfQuest series (to get a comics reference in here).
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Feb 23 2013, 10:51pm
Post #17 of 56
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The Galactic Milieu series, by Julian May.
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Cracking storytelling.
However the Pern series holds a special place in my heart as I devoured those books in my teen years.
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Feb 23 2013, 10:53pm
Post #18 of 56
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Even McCaffrey says her books are SF, not F.
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I bow to the author's opinion! :D
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macfalk
Valinor
Feb 23 2013, 11:03pm
Post #19 of 56
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You should give them a try! They're not for everyone of course but I'd give them a chance if I were you 
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Feb 23 2013, 11:10pm
Post #20 of 56
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There are some fantasy series that I have no interest in...
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I never warmed up to Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time books nor am I interested in Piers Anthony's Xanth series. However, I have enjoyed the Martin-edited Wild Cards series and will probably get around to GoT eventually! I am liking the HBO adaptation.
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elaen32
Gondor
Feb 23 2013, 11:12pm
Post #21 of 56
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Afraid I'm not being v original..
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But since I have not read a lot of fantasy, I voted for HP since I really enjoyed these. JKR and I are the exact same age and I recognise a lot of the same influences, esp humour wise, from being a teen in 1980s UK. I have loved the Narnia books from childhood, but reading them as an adult, I find the language somewhat stilted, even for its time. Having said that, I really enjoyed the first film, which was quite magical. I agree the end of the series is weird- The Last Battle seems to be a rewrite of the Book of Revelations by the end. I recall being really upset at the treatment of Susan in this one!
So, at the end of the day ,Tolkien is still king!!
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Feb 24 2013, 12:27am
Post #22 of 56
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Oh my gosh, I've mentioned it before!
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 not really! I think the first one was well done. There's not much about it that I think needs improvement, but somehow or other it just didn't give me the same fantastical feeling as I get when reading the book. I originally liked the second two movies, but now they're just 'meh'. I think they all have the potential to be extraordinary films, but they would have to stop trying to replicate other fantasy films and be their own thing. What do you think?
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Feb 24 2013, 1:51am
Post #23 of 56
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I didn't vote because I couldn't choose
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Narnia was a childhood favorite. Also The Dark is Rising. But more recently I've loved Discworld and Harry Potter.
But my lifetime favorite is the Oz series.
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ryouko
Lorien
Feb 24 2013, 2:02am
Post #24 of 56
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Harry Potter, Narnia, "Myth" series by Robert Asprin, and a series called "The Hero Series" by Moira Moore.
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BoromirOfWinterfell
Rohan
Feb 24 2013, 5:33am
Post #25 of 56
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I recall being really upset at the treatment of Susan in this one!
I honestly didn't understand the point of that at all. It meant that Susan was the only one still alive. Imagine how she must have felt when she heard that they had all died!
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