Comments on: What are good fantasy books to read for fun?

By: Gretchen Leadbetter

Gretchen Leadbetter — Thu, 04 May 2006 03:30:50 +0000

* Kage Baker, The Anvil of the World
* John Barnes, One for the Morning Glory
* Peter Beagle
o I See by My Outfit [Not fantasy, and I have no idea what the title means, but lovely]
o The Last Unicorn
* K. J. Bishop, The Etched City
* Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes
* Steven Brust
o The Vlad Taltos books [Enjoyable so far --- there're a good many more in the series, which hasn't ended, and will probably amount to seventeen books in all. Brust is probably the last writer of real talent to be a follower of Trotsky.]
+ Jhereg
+ Yendi
+ Teckla
o To Reign in Hell [Making sense of Milton; see under Demonology]
o The Khaavren books [Faithful pastiches of Dumas, consistently fit into a world Brust had already made up for the Vlad Taltos books --- and more fun than I remember Dumas being.]
+ The Phoenix Guards
+ Five Hundred Years After
* Steven Brust and Megan Lindholm, The Gypsy
* Lois McMaster Bujold
o The Curse of Chalion
o The Paladin of Souls
o The Spirit Ring
o The Hallowed Hunt
o The Sharing Knife:
1. Beguilement
2. Legacy
* Emma Bull, War for the Oaks
* Robert W. Chambers, The King in Yellow [online]
* Suzy McKee Charnas, The Vampire Tapestry [A superb vampire novel; also science fiction]
* C. J. Cherryh
o The Dreaming Tree [=The Dreamstone, plus The Tree of Swords and Jewels, plus Cherryh's corrections and ending]
o Fortress in the Eye of Time [I think the story ends best here, with the first book; certainly the sequels go downhill, and the last, Fortress of Dragons, had me wondering whether my copy was defectively printed and missing about, oh, two hundred pages. Sadly, no.]
o The Gate of Ivrel
o The Paladin
* Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
* B. W. Clough, The Dragon of Mishbil
* Avram Davidson [General Review: Avram Davidson's Afterlife]
o Vergil Magus (unfinished):
+ The Phoenix and the Mirror
+ Vergil in Averno [Anyone have a copy they'd be willing to sell?]
o Peregrine: Primus and Secundus
o The Enquiries of Dr. Estzerhazy
o Adventures in Unhistory [Essays on legendary subjects]
o The Avram Davidson Treasury [The best of his numerous short-story collections]
* Avram Davidson and Grania Davis, The Boss in the Wall: A Treatise on the House Devil
* Pamela Dean, Tam Lin
* L. Sprague de Camp
* Stephen R. Donaldson [I read all his Thomas Covenant books, and cannot know imagine why, except for adolescent masochism; these are utterly different, and, to my mind, infinitely better]
o The Mirror of Her Dreams
o A Man Rides Through
* Doyle and MacDonald, Literature of the Fantastic [Electronic texts of classic fantastic stories]
* Lord Dunsany
o The King of Elfland’s Daughter
o The Pegana books:
+ The Book of Wonder
+ The Sword of Welleran
o The Shadow Valley books:
+ Don Rodriguez
+ The Charwoman’s Shadow
* Rosemary Edghill (a.k.a. eluki bes shahar)
o The Sword of Maidens’ Tears
o The Cup of Morning Shadows
o The Cloak of Night and Daggers
* Harlan Ellison, see under science fiction
* Charles Finney, The Circus of Dr. Lao
* John M. Ford
o Casting Fortune
o The Dragon Waiting [Almost an alternate history of Renaissance Europe, except that magic works.]
o The Last Hot Time
* Esther Friesner, Yesterday We Saw Mermaids
* Neil Gaiman
o American Gods
o The Sandman [Yes, I mean the ten-volume graphic novel cycle]
* Randall Garrett
o Murder and Magic
o Too Many Magicians
o Lord Darcy Investigates
* Mary Gentle
o Rats and Gargoyles
o The Book of Ash [Owing to the manifold crimes and wickedness of American publishers, I've only seen the first half of this]
1. A Secret History: The Book of Ash, #1 [Review: Vera Historia Fraxini]
2. Carthage Ascendant: The Book of Ash, #2
* Charlaine Harris, Dead Until Dark
* P. C. Hodgell
1. God Stalk
2. Dark of the Moon
3. Seeker’s Mask
* Barry Hughart
1. Bridge of Birds
2. The Story of the Stone
3. Eight Skilled Gentlemen
* Diana Wynne Jones
o Dark Lord of Derkholm
o Deep Secret
o Hexwood
o The Tough Guide to Fantasyland [Review]
* Guy Gavriel Kay, The Lions of Al-Rassan
* Caitlín R. Kiernan, Threshold [Southern Gothic L

By: Theodore Waterman

Theodore Waterman — Tue, 02 May 2006 07:40:14 +0000

the Twilight Saga. its about vampires only not regular vampires. i know it seems weird its a love story between a vampire and a teenage girl. Its the BEST! i thought it sounded weird too. everyone who’s reading this should read the book. i know guys that have read it, my grandma, my mom, my cousin, my best friend, my 17 year old sister.its really a great book. the first one is “twilight” the second is “new Moon” the third is “eclipse” the fourth is “breaking dawn” oh yeah and the author is Stephenie Meyer. the movie is coming out november 21st.

By: Jazlyn Strickland

Jazlyn Strickland — Mon, 01 May 2006 00:45:49 +0000

Hi, you might want to try my own recently published book, entitled “The Tales of Tanglewood: The Lon Dubh Whistle”.

You can download the first three chapters for free, at

Within the pages of the book, readers will discover Colin, a child who is fully aware of the hidden world of myth and wonder hiding within the woods just beyond his home, long kept secret by old magic. Only the fey magic which runs through his veins has enabled Colin to find what others cannot; the Tanglewood, the ‘wood within the woods.

Full of odd characters and creatures of the fey, the Tanglewood is a world of magnificent folklore come to life. As Colin begins to explore the Tanglewood, he will find friendship with the ferrish Ailfrid, the elfin girl Deidre, and Doc Muffingrow, a wise druid.

Colin will also find that there is much magic in himself, as well as dangerous enemies who will not let him find solace in the wood so easily. Ailil, King of the Sprites and ruler of The Below, has laid claim to his spirit, and Colin will need the help of his friends and quite a bit of magic to save himself.

The Tanglewood is a place like no other, and Colin is a boy like no other. Throughout his adventures, he will uncover the secret of the fey blood within him, and help dispel the poisonous corruption and hidden dangers that threaten the inhabitants of the wood and the Tanglewood itself.

For more details and to download the first three chapters for free, go to

or you can check out the reviews at Amazon.com

By: William Bland

William Bland — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 22:12:46 +0000

Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

By: Triston Plant

Triston Plant — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 20:57:53 +0000

I know what you mean about Twilight, and the way it was written. That’s why I recommend to JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL. This book is written ala Jane Austen and is highly acclaimed. It’s also Susanna Clarke’s best novel, which took her over 10 years to write. It’s light and fun like Alice in Wonderland yet it is very engaging and fascinatingly well researched (fae lore) as well.

Check it out:

By: Declan 48

Declan 48 — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 16:48:14 +0000

If you don’t mind children’s lit (which I think Phantom Tollbooth and Alice could be considered in a way), I recommend Half Magic by Edward Eager. It’s about four children that find an ancient talisman that grants wishes but half of its power is gone. It’s a fun book that made me fall in love with reading as a kid.
If you’ve never read The Hobbit, it too can be a fun read (its sequel Lord of the Rings is much more serious in tone, though I love it).

By: Cristobal Vine

Cristobal Vine — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 22:29:15 +0000

The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

The Princess Tales by Gail Carson Levine(hilarious!!)

I’d tell you I love you, but then I’d have to kill you by Ally Carter

The Beginning of the End by AVI

The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

The Wedding Planner’s Daughter by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl

Once on a time by A. A. Milne

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

hope this helps!

By: Shyanne Bray

Shyanne Bray — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 07:04:36 +0000

Discworld series by Terry Pratchett is always a nice read~ have funnn

By: Alejandro Watson

Alejandro Watson — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 07:25:05 +0000

The Harry Potter series is definitely a fun and though provoking read, and the Narnia books are amazing. LOTR is great, though not if you don’t want something long. bernard cornwall and his arthur series are great if you like history mixed in with the fantsy.

By: Derick Duffy

Derick Duffy — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 20:45:51 +0000

The Princess Bride
The Silent Gondoliers (both by William Goldman)

The Chrysalids
Day of the Triffids (both by John Wyndham)

The Tripods by John Christopher

The Futurological Congress
Tales of Pirx the Pilot (both by Stanislaw Lem)

Anything by Lord Dunsany