Hah! Imitators. Perhaps some of them still are imitating Tolkien. We
certainly have our share of elves and dwarves and things in the stories
of
today, even if they are metaphorical now. They still all lead back to
the
same thing, the works of Tolkien. Sad to say, I don't read most
conventional fantasy of today, as it is highly derivative.
On the other hand, I think fantasy has grown and changed somewhat since
Tolkien wrote The Hobbit. The antiheros of Moorcock's books, the
introspective nature of some of de Lint's works, and the strange,
somewhat
disquieting tone of Phillip Pullman's books are all examples.
Tolkien's works are still excellent stories. And I love his linguistic
skill; but for many nowadays, the books seem to be an unwelcome slog
through
the English language. As with so many things, people would prefer to
just
watch the movies and call it done.
-----Original Message-----
From: EVAN REESE [mailto:mentat3@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2008 8:00 PM
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: about favorite books of 2008
No missiles, but when I read your words about not starting with Tolkien,
my
first thought was that, "Yeah, you can start with the immitators and work
your way up to Tolkien." Hahahahaha!
But seriously, I really hope that all you participating in this
discussion
of fantasy books would consider coming to our Fantasy club meetings. I
can
see by the posts here that you all would contribute a lot to the
meetings.
It would be fun to talk about all these books and a raft of others with
you,
Kelby, Courtney, Dave Elaine and any others I may have overlooked.
Evan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nancy Feldman" <nancy_feldman@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2008 4:04 PM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: about favorite books of 2008
Hi, Elaine,
Well, I'd recommend A Song of Ice and Fire before A Wheel of Time. The
page
count is significantly less, but if Martin publishes the seven books
he'd
originally promised, it could easily reach those numbers.
For something a little less daunting, I'd recommend A Wizard of Earthsea
and
its first two sequels. They're good stuff, and certainly considered
classics.
If you might enjoy fantasy with telepathic dragons, I'd recommend Anne
McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern books. I'm not enamored of the books
co-written with her son, but there's lots of good books to read before
you
get to that point.
I know there are many that would recommend J. R. R. Tolkien's books.
I've
certainly read them, but Tolkien was engaging in a linguistic adventure
as
much as he was in storytelling, and at times the prose is a bit much.
(I
can already sense the missiles headed in my direction. Please
understand
that I believe Tolkien made incredible contributions to the fantasy
genre;
I
just wouldn't recommend him as a starting point nowadays.)
-----Original Message-----
From: Elaine Alger [mailto:elaine.alger@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2008 1:56 PM
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: about favorite books of 2008
Wow, I donloaded Water for Elephants but have not read it yet. So I
think
I
will put it on my bookport.
I have never really read any fantasy series so my question would be if
I
were to read one which one would I start with?? Honestly, 9000 pages is
a
lot and I am old. Not sure I have enough time for 9000 pages. LOL.
Elaine Alger
----- Original Message -----
From: <talmage@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2008 3:24 PM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: about favorite books of 2008
I have to agree with Courtney here, I loved the 'Wheel of Time' series.
So much in fact, I've read them numerous times, usually when I'm
looking for an old favorite to relax with and not have to think too
much. By the end of the series I gravitated towards Matt as my
favorite character, perceiving Rand as a bit too much the reluctant
hero.
Another series in the fantasy genre I'm in the middle of and finding
enjoyable are the 'Codex Alera' books by Jim Butcher.
Switching gears a bit, 2 books I thought were great and not something
I would have typically read if not for recommendations, were:
'Water for Elephants'
and
'Change of Heart'
both of which are on Bookshare.
Dave
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