Fantasy literature... need a place to start

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So this summer I was planning on getting into reading. Basically right now I want to get into reading fantasy books - I like that theme in movies, video games, music, etc... but I want to try reading, as that's something I haven't done enough of.

I have no idea where to start, and I'd prefer not to start off right away with something as heavy as Lord of the Rings. xD

So... any suggestions for someone new to this genre? I know it sounds dorkish, but in terms of fantasy, I'd like something more along the lines of... dragons/medieval/magic that kind of stuff (i know, i know...). Anyone have something in mind? (Hopefully not anything exceeding 400 pages...)

I love Marion Zimmer Bradley's stuff--however, her stuff tends to be quite long.

THE MISTS OF AVALON (a retelling of the King Arthur story from the perspective of the women behind his eventual kingship) is 876 pages. THE FIREBRAND (a retelling of the Trojan War from the perspective of the prophetess Cassandra) is 605 pages. However, they're both excellent reads, and well worth their lengths.

Also by the same author: THE FALL OF ATLANTIS (which is Exactly What It Says On The Tin ) and THE FOREST HOUSE (a kind of "prequel" to THE MISTS OF AVALON, if I remember correctly). I don't remember how long they are.

I'm not sure if Jim Butcher's THE DRESDEN FILES series qualifies as "fantasy" or not (it's about a private detective who just happens to be a wizard), but they're entertaining and a bit shorter.

Hope that helps.

Read E. E. Knight's Age of Fire, they're literary cocaine. They're told from the point of view of three dragons as they grow from infancy to adulthood. The first three books can be read in any order, although I recommend reading the first. I've read the first and third books, and I'm on the second. The first and third books are some of my favorite books of all time. Actually, I think the first book is my favorite book of all time. It's sad that this author is relatively unknown. These books aren't too hard.

Short summaries for the first 5 books.
Dragon Champion: After escaping those who killed his siblings, Young Auron, a rare, defenseless gray dragon, fears he might be the last of his breed. Armed with nothing but his claws and a boundless determination to survive, he sets off in search of his kind. But to find other dragons-or, at least, find out who's killing them off-Auron will have to search a world of mercenary elves, vicious humans, and dangers of all kinds. Finding allies in the strangest places-and himself along the way-Auron is on the trek of a lifetime.

Dragon Avenger: Flung to freedom as their mother battles a group of slave-trading dwarves, young Wistala and her gray, scaleless brother, Auron, find themselves alone in the Upper World. And when Auron sacrifices himself so that she may live, Wistala must overcome her grief and fear to find others of her kind-and bring her wrath to bear on those who would destroy them.

Dragon Outcast: Abandoned by his parents in favor of Auron, the cripple hatchling known as the Copper(later known as Rugaard) plots to get back at his family. When his wish comes true with an outcome he didn't expect, Copper tries to commit suicide in his guilt. Instead, he falls into an underworld, where he learns of the last safe bastion of dragonkind, the Lavadome.

Dragon Strike:When scaleless AuRon the Gray hears rumors of his long-lost sister, Wistala, he leaves his family on the Isle of Ice to search for her. Their paths cross in Lavadome, where their outcast brother, RuGaard, now rules. Although some blame RuGaard for a recent food blight, the more likely source is Ghioz's masked Red Queen, who wants to make Lavadome part of her empire. Brought together by chance, the siblings must overcome their differences and persuade rival nations to stand together against the Red Queen's forces. Knight turns the familiar features of epic fantasy upside down in this unique world of medieval politics and ancient magic seen through the eyes of dragons.

Dragon Rule: Wistala, sister to RuGaard who is now Emperor of the Upper World, has long thought humans the equal of dragons. She leads the Firemaids, fierce female fighting dragons who support the Hominids of Hypatia. Which puts her at odds with both her brothers, for RuGaard has no use for the humans he now dominates and AuRon, the rare scale-less grey, would isolate himself and his family from both the world of men and the world of dragons. But as the Copper's empire roils with war, greed, and treachery, the time is fast approaching when Wistala will have to choose who to stand with- and fight for...

[b]




The first 5 books are on top, the lower books are from another series.
[img][800:768]http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss72/BaiShenLong/AOFandTemeraire.jpg[/img]

The 6th book


Also, I guess I should talk about the series in the first pic. Temeraire is a historical fantasy set in an alternate universe during the War with Napoleon. William Laurence is a British Captain who suddenly is put into the Draconic airforce when a dragon from a captured egg imprints upon him. Peter Jackson is going to make it into a miniseries eventually. These books are quite hard however.

Another good one, although one I've never read is A Song of Fire And Ice by George R.R. Martin. I've read some short stories by the man, and he's a great writer. An HBO show based on this series is coming out in December. This series is hard I think.

Last edited by ShenLong on 06 Aug 2010, 12:13 am, edited 3 times in total.

I don't think anyone can go wrong reading Robert E. Howard's short fiction, which of course includes Conan the Barbarian.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

i guess, if u want something introductory, i'd start with harry potter.

i do not like fantasy that much. But i love the wheel of time.

u might like dune too or maybe ender's game. Those are science fiction tho.

I cant really suggest "light" fantasy. Now as for some stuff you can read after your done easing yourself into it all, after you gain "confidence" in it all, I can suggest the following.

Lord of the rings (of course)

The Silmarillion (some may consider it LIGHT)

A song of Ice and Fire (This series IMO beats LotR to hell and back, although it may take some getting used to/your mileage may vary due to the fact LOTS of characters wind up dying/in really bad situations, the overall tone is dark and dreary, very much realistic, and quite a bit in the way of sexuality)



actually I can suggest 1 light fantasy work, and that would be THE HOBBIT.

By light, I was mostly referring to page length... I wouldn't mind dark fantasy. I plan to get into dark or horror literature one day (i guess i tend to like that stuff)

Thanks for some of the suggestions!

Just remembered: GOOD OMENS by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Humorous fantasy about the end of the world...sort of.

For horror, I'd suggest the Cthulhu Mythos series of short stories and novellas by H. P. Lovecraft. Some other writers like Robert Howard(the creator of Conan, mentioned above) and Robert Bloch(the writer of Psycho) have contributed to the Mythos. Also, Neil Gaiman, whom someone else has mentioned, has written a few Cthulhu stories as well.

Seconded.

The War of the Ancients trilogy is a great read about the beginnings of the Warcraft universe. The Well of Eternity, The Demon Soul and The Sundering are all written by Richard A. Knaak who's written many books in the Dragonlance and Dragonrealm series. As a trilogy it stands on its own merits as a great fantasy read, regardless of being connected with a video game. More so, if you like World of Warcraft your appreciation for the game's lore will increase.

The Eternal Champion Cycle, from Michael Moorcock.

They are four fantasy cycles from Michael Moorcock (I read three of them), each featuring an hero which is an Incarnation of the same being (the Eternal Champion). They are from different times and places, sometimes several incarnations meet (a part of The Sailor on the Seas of Fate is the same story as a part of The Quest for Tanelorn, each from the point of view of its hero ; there the reader saw not only Elric and Hawkmoon but also Erekosë and Corum).

The Elric Saga :
Elric of Melniboné
The Fortress of the Pearl
The Sailor on the Seas of Fate
The Weird of the White Wolf
The Vanishing Tower / The Sleeping Sorceress
The Revenge of the Rose
The Bane of the Black Sword
Stormbringer

Hawkmoon :
The Jewel In The Skull
The Mad God's Amulet
The Sword Of The Dawn
The Runestaff
Count Brass
The Champion of Garathorm
The Quest for Tanelorn

Erekosë :
The Eternal Champion
Phoenix in Obsidian / The Silver Warriors
The Dragon in the Sword

Moorcock also wrote an other cycle in the same hyper-cycle, called Corum ; I didn't read it.
If you start, read the Elric books first.

Captain Bluebear!

Bluebear, and the other books in the series (they're not really sequels in the conventional sense) are inventive, funny, and quite insane. And have good pictures.

The Song of Ice and Fire (first book is called a game of thrones),

Robin Hobb Assassin Apprentice

Dune (sci fi/fantasy mix really but the most gripping novel i have read)

Seconded.

Also, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin.

I second Michael Moorcock. The books are really fast and easy to read - no long descriptions like LOTR. The characters and dialouge are really cool and dry. They can get a bit trippy/psychedelic though. I read a bit of a book by Garth Nix and it seemed like he was very similar and influenced by moorcock tho i never finished his book.