OT: Any reccomendations for good fanatasy books

[Fantomen]

Mervyn Peaks Ghormengast trilogy is absolutely amazing.

Other favourites:

• Stephen King - the gunslinger/dark tower series. Eye of the dragon.
• Ursula LeGuin - Earthsea series.
• Bertil Mårtensson - I don´t know the name in english, or if it has even been translated, but its called "Maktens Vägar" in swedish. I know he made some sf novel in english at least.
• Michael Ende - The Neverending Story.
• Robert E Howard - Conan series (come on, it´s too classic to skip!)
• Alan Aldridge - The gnole (now this is a real gem!)

Also strongly recommend Michail Bulgakovs "The Master and Margarita". Not a fantasy book exactly but I think it should appeal to the same audience. In science fiction I´m a big fan of Isaac Asimov.

[Mojo the Avenger]

A song of ice and fire puts all other serious fantasy to shame.

If you want something with a humorous bent Terry Pratchett is excellent. There's some good armchair philosophy woven into Small Gods if that's your bag.

[quantum_mechani]

Originally Posted by Mojo the Avenger

armchair philosophy

As opposed to the philosophy from people who actually get out there and DO philosophy.

[Fantomen]

Yeah, hardcore real get your-hands-dirty philosophers is da shit!

Armchair philosophy, pffft!

[happygeek]

The Song series by Martin is surely decent, but definately not literature. If you are looking for literature on the scale of Tolkein, forget it.

Otherwise, Zelazny is a great writer, and the first book of the Amber series is one of the best pieces of modern fantasy trivial literature around. The second and third books are also very worth reading. The fourth and fifth are not garbage, but not great. Then he needed money and wrote 5 additional sequels.

Going out on a limb, since it's actually "science fantasy", if that really means anything: Gene Wolfe's "Torturer" series. This work is truly outstanding, also in the sense that in some (weak) sense, it approaches the category of serious literature -- though not as well written as, well, fill in the author of your choice (Borges, for example) in that the events about which he writes represent symbolically something themes which transcend the mere immediate action. Ah whatever. It's 4 great books, check them out. (Warning: Wolfe is incapable of writing about women, I cringe whenever opposite-sex interplay rears its head; doesn't happen often; otherwise, the books are gems, really.)

Originally Posted by quantum_mechani

As opposed to the philosophy from people who actually get out there and DO philosophy.

Heheh. I am a professional philosopher, and I take ... no offence to that! But seriously, serious philosophy is a *science*, and hence requires getting up from your armchair long enough to get some books....

[chrispedersen]

Originally Posted by Mojo the Avenger

A song of ice and fire puts all other serious fantasy to shame.

Really?
Tolkien was voted the most important work of fiction of the 20th century by the people who rate those things. More or less popularized the genre - up until Piers Anthony's A spell for Chameleon.

There are several series I would put way ahead of "A song.."

Anyways sundry other
Erewhon
We all died at breakaway station
John Carter, War Lord of Mars.

Of course, the lovecrafts Cthulus books...