• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

Any Highly-Outlandish Fantasy suggestions?

Ban

Troglodytic Trouvère
Article Team
Hello folks, folklings and folkettes.

I'm thinking about finally getting back to reading some Fantasy soonish after a rather long hiatus. Does anyone have any suggestions for some outlandish fiction? I'm looking for something that's as far removed from LotR, urban fantasy, DnD and all similar fics as possible, with a comprehensive world willing to smack me in the face with pure daring originality. I don't mind the book being a bit of a slog if necessary, I'm used to it, but it has to be dripping with uniqueness and soul and be willing to rip me out of my comfort zone without mercy.

So essentially I'd like an acid trip in written form. Can anyone hook me up? Open to any suggestions!
 

Sheilawisz

Queen of Titania
Moderator
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende!

A very unique and wonderful novel, you are going to like it. The original book is far better than those silly movies that were vaguely based on the real deal, and it's a style of Fantasy totally different to Tolkien and others.

It remains as one of my favorite books, and also a great influence on my style of imagination and Fantasy.
 

Futhark

Inkling
John C. Wright wrote a sci-fi trilogy called The Golden Oecumene which absolutely blew my mind. He has also done some fantasy but I haven’t read those, but if you looking for an acid trip than the sci-fi trilogy is a must.
 
Maybe these aren’t that out of the way, but...

Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente. Her writing will make you feel illiterate.

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett. Not exactly on acid trip type levels, but unusual enough and very creative and also very good.

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer. Annihilation was kinda meh but this one was great and EVEN WEIRDER.

The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells is again not exactly an acid trip but it’s s very original fantasy, not like D&D kind of thing at all.
 

Svrtnsse

Staff
Article Team
I think the most outlandish thing I've read that's classified as fantasy is probably Vellum, by Hal Duncan. I'm not sure it holds very well to the solid world building you asked for, but it sure is trippy.

It's several years since I read it, and one of the things I remember from it is that even as I read it, I wasn't quite sure what it was about, or who, or why...
 

Ban

Troglodytic Trouvère
Article Team
Thank you for the suggestions everyone! I'll make sure to read through them to see if I can find one that sounds appealing to me.
 

Azeroth

Dreamer
Hello folks, folklings and folkettes.

I'm thinking about finally getting back to reading some Fantasy soonish after a rather long hiatus. Does anyone have any suggestions for some outlandish fiction? I'm looking for something that's as far removed from LotR, urban fantasy, DnD and all similar fics as possible, with a comprehensive world willing to smack me in the face with pure daring originality. I don't mind the book being a bit of a slog if necessary, I'm used to it, but it has to be dripping with uniqueness and soul and be willing to rip me out of my comfort zone without mercy.

So essentially I'd like an acid trip in written form. Can anyone hook me up? Open to any suggestions!
The series that comes to mind for me is the Dark Tower by Stephen King.

I also recommend Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn.
 

Ban

Troglodytic Trouvère
Article Team
Thank you for the suggestions but I'm afraid I already know Sanderson, King, Rothfuss and Discworld well enough. I'm not THAT underexposed to fantasy ;)
 

Futhark

Inkling
Finally found it! Probably the strangest Merlín story I have ever read.

The Dragon and the Unicorn, 1st in the ‘Perilous Order of Camelot’ quartet by A.A. Attanasio.

The Dragon and the Unicorn (Arthor, #1) by A.A. Attanasio

Also known as:
Arthur Series
  • The Dragon and the Unicorn (1994)
  • The Eagle and the Sword (1997), published in the UK as Arthor (1995)
  • The Wolf and the Crown, published in the UK as The Perilous Order: Warriors of the Round Table (1998)
  • The Serpent and the Grail (1999)
 
Top