# Your favorite fantasy novel of all time?



## chrisw

Hey, everyone! I'm new, so forgive me if this has been discussed ad nauseum. I figured what better way to make an impression than by starting a stimulating conversation.

Well, hopefully it's stimulating. 

I'm gonna go with R.A. Salvatore's Homeland. The character development of Drizzt DoUrden--a character I can't stand nowadays--is too good to miss.


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## Steerpike

Hard to choose, because there are so many options.

Peake's Gormenghast, I suppose. The first two books, which tell a complete story and are "fantasy" despite the absence of magic.


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## Graham Irwin

It's not traditional, but the story of Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa is just fantastic and mystical enough to qualify as fantasy for me, and it's scope and depth staggers me every time I read it.

I realize it's a biography of sorts, but it's treated like a historical fantasy, and the journey Musashi goes through is heightened reality.


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## Ravana

Steerpike said:


> Peake's Gormenghast, I suppose.



And I say again, "No, really?" 

Dang, that's a hard one to answer. In terms of what I've re-read the most–which I think has to be a major consideration in identifying a "favorite"–it would have to be _LotR_. Glen Cook's _Black Company_ has closed the gap substantially, however; keeping in mind that it started out with a two-decade disadvantage in my ability to re-read it, I'd have to say that one's probably my favorite. 

Other contenders would be Steven Brust's _Jhereg_ and _Yendi_, and Roger Zelazny's _Chronicles of Amber_ (and _Lord of Light_, to the extent that it resembles fantasy–which is considerable–even though it's SF).


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## Steerpike

Ravana said:


> And I say again, "No, really?"
> 
> Dang, that's a hard one to answer. In terms of what I've re-read the most–which I think has to be a major consideration in identifying a "favorite"–it would have to be _LotR_. Glen Cook's _Black Company_ has closed the gap substantially, however; keeping in mind that it started out with a two-decade disadvantage in my ability to re-read it, I'd have to say that one's probably my favorite.
> 
> Other contenders would be Steven Brust's _Jhereg_ and _Yendi_, and Roger Zelazny's _Chronicles of Amber_ (and _Lord of Light_, to the extent that it resembles fantasy–which is considerable–even though it's SF).



Ravana - I love every single book/series you've mentioned. I'm curious what you think of Brust's Dragaeran "romances." Phoenix Guard, 500 Years After, and so on. As much as I love the Vlad Taltos books, those other have become my favorites. I particularly like Tazendra as a character.


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## Ravana

Steerpike said:


> Ravana - I love every single book/series you've mentioned. I'm curious what you think of Brust's Dragaeran "romances." Phoenix Guard, 500 Years After, and so on. As much as I love the Vlad Taltos books, those other have become my favorites. I particularly like Tazendra as a character.



Oh, they're a lot of fun, too. I just like the Taltos ones more. There isn't a one of the Dragaeran novels I haven't read at least twice… and the only one I've only read twice is _Tiassa_, and that's because I just got it at Christmas. 

Yeah, Tazendra's a hoot. For some reason, I really like Aerich… not quite sure why. Pel's good—would probably be my favorite, except that he's a bit too "mysterious": appropriate for the character and his function, but unfortunately leaving what you _know_ are the most interesting parts of him off-camera. (I think his "conversation" with Sethra, and subsequent report of it to KÃ¢na, is one of the best bits in the whole series.) In either series, I'd have to say Sethra's my overall favorite, though.


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## Mike Carmel

Terry Goodkind - Sword of Truth series.


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## karriezai

Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn.


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## Arkius

Inheritance from the inheritance cycle (Eragon) I really love how in depth paolini goes about well... Everything the characters the landscape and I really like the magic system In his books


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## Azza

Hmmm, I have many favourites but let's say Trudi Canavan's  Black Magician Series ... awesome, imaginative magic system and interesting characters =)


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## Klee Shay

Hard to list an all-time favorite. At the moment I'd have to go with Kristen Britain's 'Green Rider' series. I don't have 'Blackveil' yet but will soon.


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## Reaver

*Of ALL time?*

*"The Cat in the Hat"* by Dr.Suess.​It was the first book I ever read and to this day I still enjoy it.  Talking bipedal cats with magic powers? Talking fish with the morals of a Puritan?  It doesn't get much more fantastic than that.


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## Queen Medb

I think for me it would have to be Enchantress from the Stars. It was more of a mix between sci-fi and fantasy than just fantasy. It was really memorable even though it's been at least 5 or 6 years since I've read it.


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## dragonangel517

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. I read it in Jr High, and it got me hooked on series fantasy. From there it was Terry Brooks, and Katherine Kurtz, and so on ans so on. Series is just about all I read now days.


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## Acra of the Wind

As cliche as this might sound, possibly the Hobbit.  Bilbo Baggins is my favorite character in fiction of all time.  I suppose maybe because I love to watch how inventive he is and how much promise he has in the eyes of Gandalf and the dwarves.  Although i love Wizard's First Rule, and the Immortal Nicholas Flammel series, but there will always be a special place in my heart for The Hobbit.


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## Neurosis

Without an doubt, I can say "Viriconium" By M John Harrison. Its somewhat like if T.S. Eliot wrote a Fantasy/Sci-Fi amalgamation, with a flash of fertile and frightening imagination in the milieu of pulp dying earth novels.


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## Xanados

Elantris. I haven't even finished it, but Elantris. I am emotionally attached to the book.


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## Drakhov

Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion books - particularly the Elric / Stormbringer novels and the Chronicles of Corum - the Warhound & The World's Pain also.

Robert Adams Horseclans - they've been out of print for a long time now, but i still come across them in second had bookstores occasionally, and i think if you look on Amazon they can be got for pennies.

If you like comic fanstasy, I would recommend Mary Gentle's _Grunts_ (And anything by Terry Pratchett


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## rachelwrites527

My favorite has to be straight up Lord of the Rings.  I saw the first movie at the age of eight and fell in love.  I started reading them when I was eleven and haven't stopped since.  I re-read them quite often.


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## San Cidolfus

You know, I'm going to go against the grain here and say _Watership Down_.  I read Adams as a young, impressionable sprat and absorbed the essential lesson then that even the most unlikely of characters can have the most memorable adventures.

It also qualifies as one of the finest finales I've ever read.  The last hundred pages couldn't be turned fast enough.


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## trix

I would have to say my favorite is the Kushiel Trilogy by Jacqueline Carey. I love all her characters and the way she set up her world parallel to ours. Oh, and thanks everyone, I now have a longer "To Read" list


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## Privid

Abaolutely the professor's Lord of the Rings. I've read other interesting numbers, but none have sucked me in and obsessed as much as that. Martin came close with Game, but then it slowly faded.


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## Androxine Vortex

My favorite (dark) fantasy novel of all time would be the Chronicles of Malus Darkblade. The book is very addicting and I can never put it down. It's about a Dark Elf (they are called Druchii) named Malus who becomes possesed by an ancient daemon called Tz'arkan and the daemon threatens Malus to recover 5 items of legend to set him free or he will take his soul. The plot is never set in one direction. Almost every few pages something happens that changes the cource of the plot. There is jsut so much detail put into the characters. I really liked how much detail was put into the druchii culture. My favorite fantasy novel hands down!


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## kadenaz

The Silmarillion, I'm still reading it


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## TWErvin2

It's a toss up between: 
The Illearth War by Donaldson
Dragon by Brust 
and The Guns of Avalon by Zelazny 

Of those three, I think the Illearth War wins by a small margin.


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## Digital_Fey

_The Moon of Gomrath_ by Alan Garner and _Lord of the Rings_. I really can't choose between those two - they were the foundation for my passionate love of fantasy, and their magic has never faded.


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## Rikilamaro

Favorite of all time? Geesh, how to narrow the list down?
I'll have to go with a series: The Codex Alera by Jim Butcher which includes:
_Furies of Calderon
Academ's Fury
Cursor's Fury
Captain's Fury
Princep's Fury
First Lord's Fury_
I wish he would write more in this series. although I also love his other storyline in the Dresden Files.


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## The Blue Lotus

The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure


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## BWFoster78

Robert Jordan's Eye of the World, though I must say the Name of the Wind impressed me greatly.


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## myrddin173

I'm going to cheat.  My favorite "novel" of all time is not actually a novel, its just a book.  It's _Tales from the Perilous Realm_ by JRR Tolkien.  Now I say its not a novel because its actually a collection of several shorter works: the novella "Roverandom", which is about a dog who gets shrunk and has adventures; "The Smith of Wootton Major", which is really good (and hard to explain); "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil", which is a collection of poetry including my favorite poem  "The Mewlips";  "Farmer Giles of Ham"  which is amazing and is about a fat farmer, a dragon, and magic sword and other stuff, "Leaf by Niggle" which is my alltime favorite short story; and an essay called "On Fairy Stories" which is really thought-provoking.

I seriously love this book, it would definitely be one of my seven horcruxes...


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## Elder the Dwarf

myrddin173 said:


> I seriously love this book, it would definitely be one of my seven horcruxes...




Aha!  One down six to go...


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## myrddin173

Elder the Dwarf said:


> Aha!  One down six to go...



Hehe, who said it was my first?...


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## Elder the Dwarf

myrddin173 said:


> Hehe, who said it was my first?...



I assumed you have made seven.  If you haven't made them yet it is going to make my finding them much more difficult


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## Alex Croyle

I would have to say faith of the fallen by terry goodkind. I must have read that book almost a dozen times


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## charleshudgen

I would say that "The Chronicles of Narnia"  by: C.S Lewis s is my current favorite because I like the plot of the story and I like it because it is a place where animals talk, magic is common, and good battles evil, the series narrates the adventures of various children who play central roles in the unfolding history of that world. 


____________________________
Buy Science Fiction Book Online


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## Penpilot

It's always so hard to choose just one. So I'm going to cheat a little and split myself in two, a young me, and old rocking chair me. 

Young me would say Dragon Lance Chronicles. It's the series that got me kick-started into all the yummy goodness of Fantasy. I've never gone back to reread it because I know it won't be as good as in my memories. Even the author admits it's not his best work.

Old me would say Death of an Ancient King by Laurent Gaude. It's on the literature side of things, but I really admire how the story is told so simply, with clean prose, and many layers.


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## Steerpike

Penpilot said:


> Old me would say Death of an Ancient King by Laurent Gaude. It's on the literature side of things, but I really admire how the story is told so simply, with clean prose, and many layers.



Looks interesting. I'm going to take a look at this one.


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## shangrila

Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie


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## Steerpike

shangrila said:


> Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie



That's the end of the First Law trilogy, right?


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## shangrila

Steerpike said:


> That's the end of the First Law trilogy, right?


Yeah. I don't know if it would stack up on its own, but I couldn't put it down after reading the first two.


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## Steerpike

shangrila said:


> Yeah. I don't know if it would stack up on its own, but I couldn't put it down after reading the first two.



I don't know. I think the reader would be a bit lost, but it is a great book. Personally, _Best Served Cold_ is my favorite by Abercrombie.


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## Leif GS Notae

It changes too often while I age and fall apart.

In my early years, it was the Dragonlance Chronicles
In my late teens/early 20's, it was ASoFaI
In my late 20's, it was anything with Marco's name on it.

Now, I don't read them any longer. Every time I do, my mind always processes it in two layers: one for "enjoyment" and one for "analysis". Guess which one wins out?

I've been sticking to non-fiction and reference books at this point. No writer in this modern era has tickled my fancy to garner a favorite book in my 30's.


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## shangrila

Steerpike said:


> I don't know. I think the reader would be a bit lost, but it is a great book. Personally, _Best Served Cold_ is my favorite by Abercrombie.


Definitely another great book, but I liked the Bloody Nine and Glokta more than Monza and Shivers.


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## Aravelle

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. No shame. :B


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## King Raven Stark

A Song of Ice and Fire


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## gavintonks

Cloven Hooves
Arabatt - barker
Gap series - donaldson
weaveworld - barker


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## Ronald T.

This question is difficult to answer because there are so many variables involved in coming to an accurate conclusion. 

"Why?"...you might ask.  And I would respond..."Funny you should ask."

The reason I hesitate to give a quick and definite answer is that I've had many "favourite" novels over the years.  It all depended on my state of mind at the time I read them, how skilled a reader I was, how widely-read I was, and how expansive my vocabulary was at that point in my life.

But what makes the question most difficult to answer for me is, what might my answer be if I re-read those novels today?  As we grow and expand as readers and writers, our tolerances become more focused, more refined. 

Because of that, I would think that one's point of view on this issue could vary dramatically based on the parameters established. 

But what do I know?  I'm just a hermit in the woods.


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## Jerseydevil

A Song of Ice and Fire and The Dresden Files are tied for first. Runner up is the Wheel of Time series.


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## Lunaairis

I was going to say A song of ice and fire, or 'my sword hand is singing' but really 'City of stairs'  is the book I wish I wrote. So its definitely my favorite.


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## Adalind

My favourite fantasy novel ever is probably "The Lies of Locke Lamora" by Scott Lynch. When I first read it earlier this year I was literally speechless. It was that good!

It's the one novel I wish I could have written. Its two (so far) sequels are good as well, but not as outstanding as Lies.

I also love "Elric of Melnibone" by Michael Moorcock and Karl Edward Wagner's Kane stories. And of course "A Song of Ice and Fire".

In fact "A Song of Ice and Fire" was what got me back into fantasy a couple of years ago after I had already given up on the genre.


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## tiggywinke

"Dog Wizard" by Barbara Hambly.  The characters are great fun and the plot is delightfully weird.


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## Bekka King

Katherine Kurtz' Adept series.


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## troynos

Faerie Tale by Raymond Feist
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series by Tad Williams
The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore
Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan


Yeah, couple series in there, but I count a series as a whole book.


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## S R Hollands

Hi all - new here so this is my first post.  I have to say that my favourite fantasy novel of all time has to be 'The Mists of Avalon' by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The way it retells the Arthurian legend is second to none.  I've read this book several times and will read it again....


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## Russ

S R Hollands said:


> Hi all - new here so this is my first post.  I have to say that my favourite fantasy novel of all time has to be 'The Mists of Avalon' by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The way it retells the Arthurian legend is second to none.  I've read this book several times and will read it again....



I was in a book store just yesterday and saw it there again, decades after I first read it.  I think I might choose it as my fav as well, even if it isn't by my favourite author.


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## Heliotrope

S R Hollands said:


> Hi all - new here so this is my first post.  I have to say that my favourite fantasy novel of all time has to be 'The Mists of Avalon' by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The way it retells the Arthurian legend is second to none.  I've read this book several times and will read it again....



I have to "third" this post. I loved it as well. Nothing has stuck with me quite like that book has, and no 'religion' has ever felt as real to me as Bradley's Mother Goddess pagan religion.

I find, for myself, I struggle to enjoy fantasy as an adult. I loved it as a youth, my favorites being A Wrinkle In Time, The Giver, Narnia, The Last Unicorn, The Hobbit and almost all Disney movies as a kid (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast all are fantasy, really)... 

But as an adult I struggle to find something that moves me the same way. I find it is all so violent, so sexual, so dark... It is not what I remember of my childhood fantasy favorites.


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## Chessie

Narnia. That's all I'm gonna say. <3


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## Garren Jacobsen

Words of Radiance by Sanderson takes the top spot for me right now but that is subject to change at any given moment. 

Helio, try reading some of Brandon Sanderson. His works are pretty light and accessible for many readers of various ages. Start with Way of Kings, Elantris, or The Final Empire, or Warbreaker. But if you like Way of Kings you should read Warbreaker before WOKs sequel Words of Radiance.


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## Chessie

I second for Helio reading Sanderson. His books are really good. Haven't been disappointed yet.


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## Phin Scardaw

_A Wizard of Earthsea _by Ursula LeGuin.

David Mitchell recently wrote a great piece about it for The Guardian:

David Mitchell on Earthsea Ã¢â‚¬“ a rival to Tolkien and George RR Martin | Books | The Guardian


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## La Volpe

I've only just started on Sanderson's books (having read the Mistborn trilogy, Alloy of Law, and the first two Reckoners novels), but I haven't been able to put a single one down. So I'll have to ditto what Brian and Chesterama said.



Phin Scardaw said:


> _A Wizard of Earthsea _by Ursula LeGuin.
> 
> David Mitchell recently wrote a great piece about it for The Guardian:
> 
> David Mitchell on Earthsea Ã¢â‚¬“ a rival to Tolkien and George RR Martin | Books | The Guardian


I read the article about a third in, and now I want to read that book. It sounds amazing. I'm going to go buy it as soon as I can manage.


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## Phin Scardaw

La Volpe said:


> I read the article about a third in, and now I want to read that book. It sounds amazing. I'm going to go buy it as soon as I can manage.



I had someone buy me a used copy when I was 17 and on the road. He said "If you like Fantasy, you gotta read this!" 

LeGuin is an amazing writer. I just finished reading a great essay she penned on writing, included in a collection entitled _The Wave in the Mind_. She compares the writer to a cowboy and the story to a horse: 

"To go back to my horse metaphor, a good cowboy on a good horse rides with a loose rein and doesn't keep telling the horse what to do, because the horse knows. The cowboy knows where they're going, but the horse knows how to get them there."

Happily I got a chance to see her when she came to the Writer's Festival in Ottawa a few years ago. She was the first person to read the first draft of my novel, _The Sylvan Song_, and provide feedback. It's written as an homage to her.


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## La Volpe

Phin Scardaw said:


> Happily I got a chance to see her when she came to the Writer's Festival in Ottawa a few years ago. She was the first person to read the first draft of my novel, _The Sylvan Song_, and provide feedback. It's written as an homage to her.



Wow, she read your draft? That is seriously cool. Tip of my hat to you.


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## Phantasy

Mistborn trilogy, LOTR, a few others I wish I could remember


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