mayo12
Posts: 724
Joined: 7/7/2007
From: LV426
|
I am an avid fantasy reader so if there are any fans of the genre here then hopefully these will help you out if you havn't already read them.
The Riftwar Trilogy
Magician/Silverthorn/Darkness at Sethanon Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist, the first of a few trilogies by him actually - a lot of them set in the same worlds, sometimes with the same characters, but this is easily the best of them. Following many different characters throoughout, the main attention grabber is Pug, a young boy taken as apprentice to a magician, you follow him from young boy to man through the times of the barbarian wars against the people from the alien world of Kelewan.
The Empire Trilogy
Servant of the Empire/Daughter of the Empire/Mistress of the Empire One of the above mentioned trilogies by Raymond E. Feist, again, awesome. Set this time on Kelewan, and following their people rather than those of the first world, you follow the trials of Mara, a girl soon to be taken on as aservant to a god but instead taken home to be the head of her prestigious family following the death of her father and brother in the barbarian wars. Read the Magician trilogy first if possible.
The Dark Tower Series (7 Books)
The Gunslinger/The Drawing of the Three/The Waste Lands/Wizard and Glass/Wolves of the Calla/Song of Susannah/The Dark Tower Occasionally tedious but overall astounding series by Stephen King and his only real crack at the fantasy epic. Following Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger of a lost world on his quest to the nexus of all existence. Passing through our world more than once at 3 different points in the 20th century and back to Mid-World again.
The Swans War Trilogy
The One Kingdom/The Isle of Battle/The Shadow Road Probably the least unheard of series posted anywhere in this thread, but very good. Written by a little known Canadian author called Sean Russell. Following three friends from a small village on their unintended adventure. Stumbled across the first book in Australia and was annoyed at having to wait for two and three.
The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings J.R.R Tolkein
No explanation neccesary. Slow going and hard reading on the odd occasion but Tolkein is the legend he is because of these books.
The Wheel of Time Series (11 books, book 12 due 2009)
Eye of the World/The Great Hunt/The Dragon Reborn/The Shadow Rising/The Fires of Heaven/Lord of Chaos/A Crown of Swords/The Path of Daggers/Winter's Heart/Crossroads of Twilight/Knife of Dreams
Due 2009 A Memory of Light
I loved Lord of the Rings. Without doubt, i love this more. It is purely amazing. The scope of imagination piled into the series is astounding.
I have to admit that for me to write a premise of the story it would take forever, and probably sound more than a little confusing, so i have pasted this over from the lovely Wikipedia;
"In the beginning, the Creator made the Wheel of Time, which spins the Pattern of the Ages using the lives of men and women as its threads. The Wheel has seven spokes, each representing an age, and it is rotated by the True Source from which the One Power, a source of energy, is drawn. The One Power is divided into male and female halves, saidin and saidar, which work in opposition and in unison to drive the Wheel; those who can use this power are known as channelers. One organization of channelers is the Aes Sedai, a name meaning "Servants of All" in the Old Tongue.
The Creator imprisoned Shai'tan, known as the Dark One, a powerful, evil being, at the moment of creation, sealing him away from the Wheel. At some point, however, the Dark One was given purchase in the world through the machinations of people who opened his prison, and began his efforts to conquer the world, creation, and even the Wheel itself. In response to this, the Wheel spun out the Dragon, a channeler of immense power, to be a champion for the Light. Due to the cyclical nature of the Wheel, there has been no definitive victory for the forces of the Light; the war has been fought innumerable times since the dawn of Creation. The Dragon would defeat Shai'tan and seal him from the Wheel, only to have him break out (or be released) several millennia later, forcing the Dragon to be reborn and repeat the entire process.
Robert Jordan's novels concern themselves with one particular incarnation of the Dragon. About 3000 years have passed since the last war between Shadow and Light. This war ended when the Dragon, then born as Lews Therin Telamon, led a daring raid to Shayol Ghul and sealed the breach in the Dark One's prison with the help of a group of other male channelers known as the Hundred Companions (female channelers, due to recent gender politics and the extreme risk of the strike, refused to assist). Though Lews Therin succeeded, the Dark One managed to spread a taint on saidin itself, bringing madness and a wasting sickness to any who channeled it. The taint quickly overcame nearly every male channeler in the world, including Lews Therin and his companions, with catastrophic results that radically changed the face of the earth. From then onwards, Lews Therin was also called the "Kinslayer", as one of the last results of his madness was to destroy everyone who carried his blood as well as everyone he loved.
For these reasons, the return of the Dragon is a cause for both hope and fear amongst the populace. On the one hand, the Dragon Reborn is the only person capable of defeating Shai'tan, who will inevitably begin to escape his prison. On the other, the Dragon Reborn will still be prey to the madness caused by the taint of evil in saidin, and is a harbinger of the horrifying fact that Shai'tan is once more breaking free. The only man who can save the world is also the man most likely to destroy it."
The Author of these books was a man called Robert Jordan, and i say was, bacause unfortunately in Sepember this year he passed away due to a rare blood disease. This obviously left the future of the final book in severe doubt, but it has been revealed that fantasy author Brandon Sanderson will take it on to complete from Jordans notes and tapes.
Anyone that does read or has read these books, feel free to PM me, i'd love to hear your views on what are easily my favourites.
_____________________________
If there was a day I could live. A single breath I could take. I'd trade all the others away...
"Fucking Chuck Norris."
|
Printable Version
RE: Your Favouritest Books: Reloaded (Updated 26/10) - 
Three very different books but I love them all.
.png/200px-Jarhead_(novel).png)
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread