Comments on: MIND MELD: What Book Introduced You to Fantasy?

By: Ruth

Ruth — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:23:27 +0000

What about the Dark Elf Trilogy by R. A. Salvatore? That wasn't exactly my first fantasy book, but it certainly introduced me to the darker slant that could be spun on characters such as elves, that you previously thought of as good (Though, that may have been my Tolkien prejudices affecting me, as I read it first).

Have to say that LOTR was one of the biggest influences for me... I remember liking it so much I swapped a massive egyptian book I got given for a nice hardback copy of the whole trilogy one of my friends had but didn't want. I've still got that... it's a little scruffy, with ink spilt on it, but it's been well loved over the years - the sheer scope, detail, the history and full background put into those books - it was a world that I wholeheartedly lost myself in as a young teenager. Breathtaking. After that, I read The Hobbit, and I'm trying to read The Silmarillion, although uni is distracting me a little. I also loved the Dragons of Pern saga by Anne McAffrey - luckily, my dad had basically all the books in paperback. Got into sci-fi that way, reading books by Elizabeth Moon, Isaac Asimov and many others.

More fantasy authors I can think of that fostered my love of the genre... Raymond E. Feist, certainly... Terry Pratchett (any/all of the Discworld series), Neil Gaiman (I got introduced to him first through his Sandman graphic novels [which is a complete masterpiece], then got into his writing), Douglas Adams - I like L. E. Modisitt Jnr, but the books seem to be hard to come across in British bookstores. Got directed to this article from Patrick Rothfuss's blog, who's an author I enjoy too... looking forward to his 2nd book!

Given more time I could probably think of more, but that's what I can come up with off the top of the head!

Peace. ^.^

By: atterratt

atterratt — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:21:23 +0000

I agree with Marion Zimmer Bradley's "Avalon" being an influence. It was a great twist on the legend - also loved Anne Mccafrey's dragon books (Pern) - but later on she seemed to be compelled to back justify the scenario and got hung up in it - Why? Her later writing went downhill.

Ursula Lequin's "a Wizard of EarthSea" also as some have mentioned.Great author.

Hobbit was good, and I read the Lord of the Rings triology - but must say it was very strange as it was full of males who all camped together for weeks, and no mention of any romance except the one elf who was, lets face it, there just for that purpose (the bland and weak love interest), and then it's on to more boys' adventures that seem very unreal not because there was magic in it, but because it was so blind to human character's needs. As a child I loved it, but as an adult it leaves me cold.

- atterratt

By: jason

jason — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 01:15:32 +0000

the first book that realy hooked me was called the haven. about talkin animals and human taking a stand against evil in the last haven. problem is i cant remember who wrote it so i cant find it now or anyone who knows anything about it. would love to find it tho

By: Rick

Rick — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:11:05 +0000

I know he re-hashes the same story, but c'mon guys, what about David Gemmell??

His Quest for Lost Heroes sucked me in and by the time I was finishes, I was raiding my uncle's fantasy collection for anything else by him.

That was closely followed by David Eddings Elenium and Tamuli (Sparhawk IS a God) then Feist's Riftwar saga

Being a bit OCD about books myself, I now own all Gemmel, Eddings, Feist books, including a hand signed copy of Wolf in Shadow (ebay anyone!!)

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:05:14 +0000

First books were probably Enid Blyton can’t remember which one but had something to do with running away to an island. Stopped reading for a long time then when I was 15 I was given a copy of Ender’s Game got a sunburn reading it in the garden. After that I struggled to find something else that interested me and bought a cop of The Eye of the World by Robert Jordon which promptly disappeared into a box in the closet. Three years later I was bored and found it again. Read the entire series and didn’t look back. Then came Eddings, Tad Williams, Kate Elliot and Jim Butcher I now have a personal library of almost 700 books. The Amazon delivery guy just laughs and says back again.

By: Alessa

Alessa — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:14:31 +0000

Throughout primary school I was really addicted to crime stories, and the first fantasy novels I read were probably the "Neverending Story" and "Momo" by Michael Ende. What really hooked me on the genre, though, was a YA Fantasy triology by a German author who still hasn't been translated into English as far as I know, even though he has written countless books and been translated into roughly every other language I can think of: Ralf Isau and his Neschan Triology.

By: Diana Bennett

Diana Bennett — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:55:05 +0000

The First book that ever go me interested was HG Wells The Time Machine I have probably read this book more times than any other until I read Patrick Rothfuss Name of the Wind This by far is my favorite I look forward to his feature endevours.

By: Chad

Chad — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:47:47 +0000

I must say I am disappointed, I have seen the classics mentioned, Tolkien, Weis, Eddings...etc, but perhaps its not a book..hmmm, Elfquest anyone? Anyone? It was a huge graphic novel in 4 very expensive editions! I still have them, the drawings were fantastic. And yes, nothing was as fun as the Dragonlance series...wow...

By: jim

jim — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:50:36 +0000

Jack Vance.come on.the eyes of the overworld

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:25:37 +0000

Lloyd Alexander's The High King was the one that really drew me into fantasy. I had the read-along Hobbit when i was little and loved it, but Alexander really brought me into the realm of fantasy. I followed it up with The Lord of the Rings five times in 4 years and then started tearing through anything I could get my hands on. Eventually I finished the rest of The Chronicles of Prydain which is the series that The High King is the finish of.

By: Alex

Alex — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:51:47 +0000

wow this is one of the hardest questions... But like many others it all started when my dad read me lord of the rings, and we watched the hobbit cartoon movie. After that it was pretty much everything, usrala le guin (spelling?) Roger Zelazney whom ive fade a point of trying to read every book written by him, dragon lance, i still think these are amazing) The red wall books, also read to me, loved them especially the descriptions of food, with my imagination it was like eating a grand feast. lets see X-men/batman cartoons to me these fit into the same genre, evoked the same love. Then the wheel of time by Robert Jordan, these were like a re-awakening to me at the age 0f 16 or so, then kathrin kerr, oh and also ealier david eddings in a big way) I had a bad disease as a kid and these books were they onlly real medicine i needed, giving me the strength i needed to push on. So to all the authors i mentioned, and all the ones still writing, carry on, I need you.

By: Akumis

Akumis — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:17:53 +0000

Not a book, but a game: The Legend of Zelda for nintendo, which I would play at my mother's friends' house while she smoked pot with them in the other room (no joke). This was followed up with The Legend of Zleda: A Link to the Past, which I got from my older brother. I know this is about books, but since a Link to the Past was the reason I learned to read I think it's relevant.

The first fantasy book that really pulled me in though was Outcast of Redwall by Brian Jacques. All of my money from birthdays and chores during my elementary school years went into buying those books. How wonderfully racist those books were too :/

And I suppose the first true non gimmicky fantasy book I read, the one that really set me on my path would have been The Sword of Shannara. I read the shit out of that book when I was eleven and have been reading fantasy ever since.

By: chris upton

chris upton — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:19:42 +0000

Hal Duncan: Totally agree on Narnia!

Started off when my dad read The Hobbit to me when I was six. Started reading Lord of The Rings when I was 8 and finished it when I was 10! Fighting Fantasy gamebooks by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson were in the mix as well.

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:44:14 +0000

JEREMY THATCHER DRAGON HATCHER! wonderfully delightful.

Though A Wizard of Earthsea soon followed, and it remains, in my opinion, one of the purest narratives of the fantastic ever written.

By: Craig Martin

Craig Martin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:05:26 +0000

Most of mine have been listed.

The first 'grown-up' novel was Raymond Feist's Riftwar saga, in ...3rd grade? Followed closely by the original Dragonlance (Weis and Hickman), Myth Adventures of Ahz and Skeeve (Asprin), and the Sword, Ring, Chalice (Chester). All in Elementary school.

I sorta slacked off in Middle, just contented myself to those authors and didn't really expand much other than to bring in some Sci-Fi.

But nowadays I spend so much time in the bookstore (I work there- win XD) that I've expanded my repitiore to include the Black Company novels (Cook), Nightangel (Weeks), the Codex Alera (Butcher), and a smattering of Forgotten Realms. But probably my current favorite is The Name of the Wind (Rothfuss).

I'm also keeping up with all the stuff I started on and am still trying to find new stuff.