(Excuse me if there is another thread like this. I searched and didn't see anything that directly matched.)
I like lists. Particularly countdown lists. You see them everywhere. I would be interested in doing a number of these lists (top 5 settings, series, characters, dragons, ninjas, blah blah) because I think you can learn a lot about a writer by what kind of books they like. My list is a countdown with a brief explanation of WHY this book is on my list.
Let's keep it to books only (not series).
5. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie: My introduction to Abercrombie's great style. His visceral, gritty, pulls-no-punches, basically the anti-Tolkien (in every good way). If you like dirty, mud in your mouth fantasy, this is at the top of my list.
4. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville: Inventive world. Strange characters. Bizarre plot. Mieville takes fantasy and as I've said in other threads "dumps it on his its head." If you want something new, fresh, and weird in your fantasy, it can't hurt checking out Mieville. His writing can be dense, but if you hang with it, it's really awesome.
3. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: Seems weird to place this in the middle of these other books. Because this book used to be one I wanted to avoid like the plague. However, I would gladly rank it in my top 3 now that I've read it. It's a story that really lets you enter a world and just ride it out (except the lengthy intros of the dwarves, ugh). Tolkien is a divisive figure in fantasy, that's for sure, but the man knows how to write. And pretty much everything you're reading now in fantasy comes from someone inspired by Tolkien.
2. The Legend of Huma by Richard A. Knaak: This is a really strange choice. Simply because the book probably doesn't read as it good as it did when 15 years ago. Yet this book means a lot to me. It was my first intro into fantasy, birthed years of D&D playing, and basically set the course for my entire life. Big enough impact? It's a rather simple tale, but it lured me in all those years ago. I dare to say this book probably wouldn't crack most people's Top 5, let alone Top 100. But I love it, for nostalgic reasons. That's good enough for me.
1. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin: Go read it if you haven't. If you haven't heard of it, geez...
That's my personal fav 5!
I like lists. Particularly countdown lists. You see them everywhere. I would be interested in doing a number of these lists (top 5 settings, series, characters, dragons, ninjas, blah blah) because I think you can learn a lot about a writer by what kind of books they like. My list is a countdown with a brief explanation of WHY this book is on my list.
Let's keep it to books only (not series).
5. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie: My introduction to Abercrombie's great style. His visceral, gritty, pulls-no-punches, basically the anti-Tolkien (in every good way). If you like dirty, mud in your mouth fantasy, this is at the top of my list.
4. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville: Inventive world. Strange characters. Bizarre plot. Mieville takes fantasy and as I've said in other threads "dumps it on his its head." If you want something new, fresh, and weird in your fantasy, it can't hurt checking out Mieville. His writing can be dense, but if you hang with it, it's really awesome.
3. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: Seems weird to place this in the middle of these other books. Because this book used to be one I wanted to avoid like the plague. However, I would gladly rank it in my top 3 now that I've read it. It's a story that really lets you enter a world and just ride it out (except the lengthy intros of the dwarves, ugh). Tolkien is a divisive figure in fantasy, that's for sure, but the man knows how to write. And pretty much everything you're reading now in fantasy comes from someone inspired by Tolkien.
2. The Legend of Huma by Richard A. Knaak: This is a really strange choice. Simply because the book probably doesn't read as it good as it did when 15 years ago. Yet this book means a lot to me. It was my first intro into fantasy, birthed years of D&D playing, and basically set the course for my entire life. Big enough impact? It's a rather simple tale, but it lured me in all those years ago. I dare to say this book probably wouldn't crack most people's Top 5, let alone Top 100. But I love it, for nostalgic reasons. That's good enough for me.
1. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin: Go read it if you haven't. If you haven't heard of it, geez...
That's my personal fav 5!