Though fantasy may be considered a pulpy shelf genre that serious readers should avoid, there are several books out there that have merits beyond most. This list takes almost a decade of reading fantasy and suggests 10 series' or books that stand out above the cut, making for a memorable read for anyone who loves to read.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
This should probably go without saying, but this series is the epitome of high fantasy. Without it, we probably would not even have it as a genre. It is a well-written series as well, so for those of us who only read books with literary merits, these are good ones. It is a story that defines good and evil fairly succinctly but what it truly shows us is the hardships of holding true to one's goals. Look at all the times Frodo almost gave up the One Ring, and yet he didn't. There's a lot we can learn from this series beyond imagination and good writing.
The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K. LeGuin
LeGuin has been writing speculative fiction for so long it's no wonder that her works have received so many literary merits she would need a separate apartment to store them all. Perhaps not her greatest work, but certainly a good one, the Earthsea Trilogy really shows what this writer can do. Not following the High Fantasy structure based around a talisman (jewel, sword, one ring etc.) it instead follows the personal journey of Ged, a young wizard who learns humility from his own mistakes. Many of LeGuin's books are based on personal discovery, and this series does it better than most. Definitely a must read on anybody's list.
The RiddleMaster Trilogy by Patricia A. McKillip
This series is my personal favorite. There is nothing more unique than a story written by McKillip but this one is just amazing. In a world based around answering riddles, one young prince could call himself a Riddle Master. This trilogy follows his journey to discover who he is, and where the high lord of the realm has disappeared. My description really cannot do the story justice, because everything about the story is different from the basic formula for a fantasy novel, which typically follows the structure that Tolkien laid out years before. Just believe me when I say that this is an incredible, thought-provoking, and unique experience that every reader should partake in.
The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
Though intended to be a science fiction novel, and certainly there are aspects in it, it really falls under the fantasy genre, delving into the realm of magic and high aristocracy. The idea behind the series is that there is only one true world, Amber, and every other world, including earth, is a shadow world of it, a parallel universe if you will. This is where the science fiction part comes into the play. The royal family of Amber has the ability to traverse these shadows, and even create shadows of their own. While many of the shadows that the main character, Corwin journeys through are entirely made up, some, like Earth and Avalon, will be familiar to the reader. The story is a roller coaster ride of intrigue, political battles, and right out war, a must read for any avid fantasy reader.
The Sword of Shannara Series by Terry Brooks
What would a fantasy book list be without some Terry Brooks on it? By many he is considered to be the prominent mythcrafter of our generation. I list the Sword of Shannara not because it is his best work, but because it is his first work. None of his other books based in the world he has created would make any sense without reading the first three. The first book, The Sword of Shannara, is really an obvious spin off of the Lord of the Rings, but as the series progresses the books get more and more unique, to the point where a magical song is all that is there to combat an ancient evil. A very cool series indeed, and if it hooks your interest, please read The Heritage of Shannara, which is, in my own opinion, a superior series.
Grendel by John Gardner
What an incredible book! Most of you are familiar with Beowulf, the heroic struggle against the monster Grendel, but we only hear it from the point of view of the people, not the monster. John Gardner decided that was hardly fair and wrote a book from the monster's point of view. You discover that Grendel was not nearly so mindless as we supposed, and that he is truly a philosophical being, trying to discover his place in the world. The book deals with some pretty heavy topics, chief of which asks the question “Do we live in a moral universe?” Not the easiest of reads but definitely a must for all readers of fiction, be it fantasy or not.
The First Three Books of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
I have a particular bias with these books. I loved the first three books, which were very unique and a veritable thrill ride of dark magic and prophecy. But the problem with the series is that there end up being so many characters that you can read 500 pages before you return to the main character. And the books keep getting longer and longer, going well over 1000 pages. I attend college full time and work as well, I don't have time to sit down and read a gigantic tome. But I put this series down because it is very good, at least while there are only 10 notable characters or so. If you like that sort of thing then by all means read the entire series, you won't be disappointed.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Children's literature and Christian undertones be damned, this is a fine series for any age. Most of you are familiar with the movies, but the books are quite fantastic. A simple read for anyone of nine years or so, but a heavy series, full of good life lessons and good stories. I cannot say much more about the series, I think everyone should read it and that's really all there is to it.
The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Another series that is considered to be a child's series but definitely a must for any reader of any age. You don't see many books nowadays that ignore the existentialist movement and make you glad to be a decent human being. The characters are well developed and some are very cute, having a particular catch phrase that makes you smile every time you read it. A journey of self discovery for Taran, who after several journeys with a princess, hopes to discover royalty in his blood. Each book has an unpredictable plot twist that will leave you thinking. A fantastic read.
The Redemption of Althalus by David Eddings
Eddings has written so many books it's hard to pick just one to put on the list, but when push comes to shove, The Redemption of Althalus is an incredible book, with some really cool twists on magic and comradery. You follow Althalus, a thief and a rogue who makes his living robbing people blind. He considers himself incredibly lucky and for awhile it seems to be true. One day his luck runs sour and in the end he is forced to take a job from a mysterious stranger, just to make ends meet. He is asked to retrieve a book. Little does Althalus know that this retrieval is the catalyst for a journey that will last thousands of years. A witty and overall pleasant piece of adult literature.
Hi nice piece. But of course whenever anybody gives a list of the best of anything there are just loads of people who will disagree. For me, you could take out terry brooks and Jordan as well. For me both of these fellas dragged their stories out longer than a giraffe's neck that had been really streatched a very, very long way indeed and then perhaps streatched a little bit longer still. And where is David Gemmell, gasp...
All told it's a good list and i hope you get a lot of arguments debate, after all that's the best thing about lists, isn't it?
#2 by Lauren Axelrod, Aug 17, 2008
Well done for one of your fist articles. Just remember that is the coming weeks if you happen to make it on the hot content list sooner than expected, you will start getting some jealous trolls.
I've ran into this problem already but, because of the most wonderful community we have on Triond it will just make your articles that much more appealing.
Read my troll article for a low down.
Good Luck and welcome to Triond!
#3 by Sean Michael Muir, Aug 17, 2008
Well Aaron, I definently want to see some opinions on there, and I will agree with the Robert Jordan stretching out his stories, which is why I put only the first three books. David Gemmell, I will admit I have not read his books...looks like I\'ve got some reading to do. If anyone else has any books to recommend, I am always expanding my library.
And for the record, I don\'t actually care for Robert Jordan but I\'m a firm believing in experiencing "what everybody is talking about". :)
#4 by Sharon, Aug 17, 2008
Nice article. I'm not fond of Robert Jordon, haven't read David Edding-too many books in hiss series,like Jordon. I think I'd like to read Grendal though. I do agree on the rest of your list though
#5 by Karen N, Aug 17, 2008
Very nice article, I agree with of your opinions:)
#6 by Talia, Aug 28, 2008
Thanks for the list, I'm constantly on the look out for new series and having recommendations makes it that much easier to weed through some of the "how did this get published?"s and "last time I buy based on cover art"s!
thanks!
#7 by acecampillo, Sep 3, 2008
Great article! I do like your number 1 choice. I love "The Lord Of The Rings"! God Bless You!
#8 by Kaulus7, Oct 4, 2008
The great thing about lists is that everyone has not heard of something but know something that somebody else doesn\'t. As for the few series on there that I have read, great choice!
Keep on writing!
#9 by Hehaw !, Nov 14, 2008
your mom
#10 by colin, Nov 15, 2008
lord of the rings at top of list makes your list valid cs lewis man should be rated higher prob just underneath lord of the rings
and as for brooks and jordan couple of jokers ,i am reading a book at the moment magicians law tales of the bard by m scott not bad ok not a patch on j r tolkien but than what is ?
All told it's a good list and i hope you get a lot of arguments debate, after all that's the best thing about lists, isn't it?