Favorite fantasy author - Page 3

Jasper · #21 January 22nd, 2004, 07:36 PM

I like Guy Kay's historical fantasy best, but definitely agree about The Black Company books -- like the game Myth, only better.

I'd somehow forgot Ursula LeGuin (Earthsea) and Michael Moorcock (Elric), two more of my Favorites! A quick scan over my books also finds Lord Dunsany (King of Elfland's Daughter), Robert Holdstock (Mythago Wood), and Barry Hughart (Bridge of Birds).

I've also a shine for several "graphic novel" authors, notably Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Stardust), Jim Fitzpatrick (Book of Conquests), and Mark Smylie (Artesia).

Arryn · #22 January 22nd, 2004, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jasper:
I like Guy Kay's historical fantasy best

A quick scan over my books also finds Lord Dunsany (King of Elfland's Daughter), Robert Holdstock (Mythago Wood), and Barry Hughart (Bridge of Birds).

Are these UK authors? Because I've never seen/heard of them before and I'm pretty darn well read.

Teraswaerto · #23 January 22nd, 2004, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Arryn:

quote:
Originally posted by Jasper:
I like Guy Kay's historical fantasy best

A quick scan over my books also finds Lord Dunsany (King of Elfland's Daughter), Robert Holdstock (Mythago Wood), and Barry Hughart (Bridge of Birds).

Are these UK authors? Because I've never seen/heard of them before and I'm pretty darn well read.

If you've never heard of Dunsany, Kay or Holdstock, perhaps you're not quite as well read as you thougth.

Jasper · #24 January 22nd, 2004, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Arryn:
Are these UK authors? Because I've never seen/heard of them before and I'm pretty darn well read.

They might be a bit hard to find... I suggest you try Powell's, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or perhaps the library.

Seriously though, they're well known mainstream authors who's books you'll find in any reasonable sized bookstore, at least as far as I've seen in the US.

[soapbox]
They're just not the standard run of the mill formula fantasy retread that is so common amongst the most "popular" fantasy authors. Jordan? Feist? Eddings? Better fiction exists.
[/soapbox]

Arryn · #25 January 22nd, 2004, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Teraswaerto:
If you've never heard of Dunsany, Kay or Holdstock, perhaps you're not quite as well read as you thougth.

How about a somewhat more useful reply?

Of course I could blame it on the fact that Barnes and Noble's storefront outlets only seem to carry popular authors ...

A quick check of Dunsany with B&N Online shows that his works do not seem to be available in mass-market editions. That's one problem right there. I cannot afford large-format volumes.

Holdstock's Mythago Wood came out in August of Last year and I must have just overlooked it. His other works are long out of print it seems. As are about half of Kay's. Kay's stuff that is still in print does not appear to be normal stock items in the B&N stores. And I don't buy books I cannot thumb through and get a feel for.

By the way, as a personal note, you might want to think twice about recommending books that are hard to get. It's one reason (besides simply forgetting about him) that I didn't recommend a good author like Michael Moorcock. Most of his stuff is out of print. And worse, hard to find used. (Luckily for me, I got his books many years ago when they could still be found, new and/or used.) Ditto for Andre Norton.

Teraswaerto · #26 January 22nd, 2004, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Arryn:

Of course I could blame it on the fact that Barnes and Noble's storefront outlets only seem to carry popular authors ...
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I don't buy books I cannot thumb through and get a feel for.

Totally different from me then. I look at recommendations in different places, and perhaps try to get something by the author from the library, and then order Online based on that. I never buy from bookstores.

Quote:

By the way, as a personal note, you might want to think twice about recommending books that are hard to get. It's one reason (besides simply forgetting about him) that I didn't recommend a good author like Michael Moorcock.

Why? A good book is a good book even if it's hard to get your hands on. All the more reason to recommend it, since it's less likely that one would pick up the book by accident.

LordArioch · #27 January 22nd, 2004, 09:17 PM

I found Robert Jordan's earlier books to be rather good, but they quickly degraded in quality, probably around the third book or so. Honestly, Eye of the World itself was a very good book however.

And although I didn't find Eddings to be too impressive an author, he is by no means the worst.

Reading L.E. Modesitt's (sp) books (the Recluse ones) which my brother had read, I realized that every book involves an absolutely identical plot in which some powerful order mage that is simple at heart and works as a carpender or something must fight off chaos in the Last chapter, beating the odds and going temporarily blind by overuse of order magic. From what I've read he gets my worst author prize.

By the way, would anyone advise reading any of Fred Saberhagen's stuff? I have some of his books that I bought used sitting around in my line of books to read.

But I'm really more of a SF person anyway. As such I give you Greg Egan's webpage for those who dare read his short stories Online...or try to play quantum soccer.

http://gregegan.customer.netspace.net.au/

Wendigo · #28 January 22nd, 2004, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Arryn:
A quick check of Dunsany with B&N Online shows that his works do not seem to be available in mass-market editions. That's one problem right there. I cannot afford large-format volumes.
[/QB]

'The King of Elfland's daughter' has been reprint as part of the Fantasy Masterworks compilation, I bought it in London a year or two ago (look for 'Murder One' or somesuch store in Tottenham Cour Rd, has an excellent offer in Fantasy, SciFi & Crime literature).

Jasper · #29 January 23rd, 2004, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Arryn:
Of course I could blame it on the fact that Barnes and Noble's storefront outlets only seem to carry popular authors ...

I've had no trouble finding the books I mentioned at the two Barnes and Noble storefronts I've visited recently.

Quote:

A quick check of Dunsany with B&N Online shows that his works do not seem to be available in mass-market editions. That's one problem right there. I cannot afford large-format volumes.

I bought my Dunsany books at a B&N several months ago.

Quote:

Holdstock's Mythago Wood came out in August of Last year and I must have just overlooked it. His other works are long out of print it seems. As are about half of Kay's. Kay's stuff that is still in print does not appear to be normal stock items in the B&N stores. And I don't buy books I cannot thumb through and get a feel for.

Mythago Wood I believe is Robert Holdstocks first book published, and I've been seeing it in stores for years. Most of Guy Kay's books are still in print as well.

Quote:

By the way, as a personal note, you might want to think twice about recommending books that are hard to get. It's one reason (besides simply forgetting about him) that I didn't recommend a good author like Michael Moorcock. Most of his stuff is out of print. And worse, hard to find used. (Luckily for me, I got his books many years ago when they could still be found, new and/or used.) Ditto for Andre Norton.

Try the library. If you have trouble getting any of these authors, you simply haven't tried.

alexti · #30 January 23rd, 2004, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LordArioch:
By the way, would anyone advise reading any of Fred Saberhagen's stuff? I have some of his books that I bought used sitting around in my line of books to read.

I've picked up his "The Lost Swords" in the library about a week ago and now I'm at page 100 something. I guess I can not recommend him. So far we've got a set of god-forged swords with specific characteristics (like in Dominions), but nothing other of interest has happened.