Guilty Pleasures: Fantasy Fiction
Moderator: I'm Murrin
Guilty Pleasures: Fantasy Fiction
We all know SRD's TCTC is the pinnacle of Fantasy Literature, right? The only other author I can think of that is comparable to him is George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. (IMHO) Then of course there's Tolkien, who's LOTR paved the way for the modern Fantasy genre.
And there are certain authors who's works aren't considered the best: Piers Anthony's Xanth series is one that comes to mind.
But there are other Fantasy series out there that I know don't compare to TCTC but I love them anyway. One is Weis & Hickman's Dragonlance novels. To me, it is a guilty pleasure to read; I know it's from a gaming world, a shared world; and it's kind of juvenile and "dumbed down", but there's something appealing about it. But in my mind its the epitome of a guilty pleasure!
For those of you who read quite a bit of Fantasy, what guilty pleasure series do you like? Or, at least if they seem guilty pleasures to you... I mean, who am I to judge what's good? I'm certainly not an expert of the genre. I don't want to come across as a Fantasy snob or anything!
And there are certain authors who's works aren't considered the best: Piers Anthony's Xanth series is one that comes to mind.
But there are other Fantasy series out there that I know don't compare to TCTC but I love them anyway. One is Weis & Hickman's Dragonlance novels. To me, it is a guilty pleasure to read; I know it's from a gaming world, a shared world; and it's kind of juvenile and "dumbed down", but there's something appealing about it. But in my mind its the epitome of a guilty pleasure!
For those of you who read quite a bit of Fantasy, what guilty pleasure series do you like? Or, at least if they seem guilty pleasures to you... I mean, who am I to judge what's good? I'm certainly not an expert of the genre. I don't want to come across as a Fantasy snob or anything!
"Ah, my daughter, do not fear. You will not fail, however he may assail you. There is also love in the world. Be true."
- [Syl]
- Unfettered One
- Posts: 13020
- Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2002 12:36 am
- Has thanked: 1 time
- Been thanked: 1 time
I read through the Belgariad again a few years ago just for the fun of it. I'm not above the occasional Weiss & Hickman book, either. Recently, James Clemens' Godslayer Chronicles have provided some amusement. Once upon a time I would've said The Wheel of Time, but I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to bring myself to do another reread because of current events, the amount of work required, and the state of the books after the 4th one.
Saberhagen's sword books are pretty fun reading, but I don't think I feel any guilt about it. Same for Pratchett.
Hmm, Alan Dean Foster's spellsinger books might be fun to pick up again one of these days.
Saberhagen's sword books are pretty fun reading, but I don't think I feel any guilt about it. Same for Pratchett.
Hmm, Alan Dean Foster's spellsinger books might be fun to pick up again one of these days.
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
-George Steiner
Yeah, old Elric... a friend of mine really loves those; couldn't get into them. Haven't read Kull but have read Howard's Conan books. Actually, "The Hour of the Dragon" is pretty good.danlo wrote:When in doubt pick up the Elric or King Kull books
"Ah, my daughter, do not fear. You will not fail, however he may assail you. There is also love in the world. Be true."
- Avatar
- Immanentizing The Eschaton
- Posts: 61791
- Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:17 am
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Has thanked: 15 times
- Been thanked: 22 times
I never feel guilty about reading anything. And I'm still a fan of the many Weiss/Hickman books. (Except the DeathGate Cycle.) DL was good, but others, notably Darksword and Rose of the Prophet were much better.
Hell, right now I'm re-reading Robert Adams Horseclans books. (Well, the ones I've got anyway...hard to find nowadays. Out of print and all that.) Probably have no redeeming literary quality whatsoever. But I still enjoy them.
--A
Hell, right now I'm re-reading Robert Adams Horseclans books. (Well, the ones I've got anyway...hard to find nowadays. Out of print and all that.) Probably have no redeeming literary quality whatsoever. But I still enjoy them.
--A
- emotional leper
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 4787
- Joined: Tue May 29, 2007 4:54 am
- Location: Hell. I'm Living in Hell.
Dragonlance is only dumbed down (for the books by the main authors) until Dragons of the Summer Flame. After that, they take a hiatus and let others play with it, and come back with the recently done War of Souls Trilogy, where it is incredibly dark and morbid compared to What Has Gone Before. It's also extremely depressing.
B&
- Cameraman Jenn
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 13280
- Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:33 pm
- Location: Albuquerque NM (The Land of Enchantment)
Eric VanLustbader. He writes some good sex scenes.
Now if I could just find a way to wear live bees as jewelry all the time.....
www.fantasybedtimehour.com
www.fantasybedtimehour.com
- aliantha
- blueberries on steroids
- Posts: 17865
- Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2002 7:50 pm
- Location: NOT opening up a restaurant in Santa Fe
Jasper Fforde's Tuesday Next novels.
EZ Board Survivor
"Dreaming isn't good for you unless you do the things it tells you to." -- Three Dog Night (via the GI)
https://www.hearth-myth.com/
- Fist and Faith
- Magister Vitae
- Posts: 23743
- Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 8:14 pm
- Has thanked: 7 times
- Been thanked: 34 times
Yes he does!!!!Cameraman Jenn wrote:Eric VanLustbader. He writes some good sex scenes.
I love The Ninja! I've mentioned it a couple times:
kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=31674#31674
kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=108779#108779
All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest -Paul Simon
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest -Paul Simon
I started Elisabeth Moon's Serrano Legacy books during a busy exam period as I wanted something nice and easy to unwind with, I ended up reading all seven! They're kind of lightweight (although they do bare their teeth every now and then) but the characters are likeable.
I'm currently reading Bill King's Gotrek and Felix books, based in Games Workshop's Warhammer world. I remember reading some of them when I was about 14 and they aren't the most sophisticated or original books around. They are a lot of fun though, especially the titular heroes. Gotrek the Dwarf is a trollslayer and has sworn to seek out death against the most powerful being he can find and Felix is a disgraced young noble who drunkenly swore an oath of his own to record Gotrek's Doom in an epic poem. As it happens, Gotrek is really rather good at staying alive and poor Felix has been dragged around the Empire, in mortal danger, for years!
I'm currently reading Bill King's Gotrek and Felix books, based in Games Workshop's Warhammer world. I remember reading some of them when I was about 14 and they aren't the most sophisticated or original books around. They are a lot of fun though, especially the titular heroes. Gotrek the Dwarf is a trollslayer and has sworn to seek out death against the most powerful being he can find and Felix is a disgraced young noble who drunkenly swore an oath of his own to record Gotrek's Doom in an epic poem. As it happens, Gotrek is really rather good at staying alive and poor Felix has been dragged around the Empire, in mortal danger, for years!
Q. Why do Communists drink herbal tea?
A. Because proper tea is theft.
A. Because proper tea is theft.
- Cameraman Jenn
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 13280
- Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:33 pm
- Location: Albuquerque NM (The Land of Enchantment)
Fist, my love of Eric Van Lustbader is a fine example of how important cover art is. I was browsing in my favorite used book store to find something to read on an airplane when the cover of "The Sunset Warrior" jumped out of me. I found I love his style and storylines. They are a really fun read. I've read the "Sunset Warrior" series and also his series with "Ring of Five Dragons." I'll have to give the Ninja a try.
Now if I could just find a way to wear live bees as jewelry all the time.....
www.fantasybedtimehour.com
www.fantasybedtimehour.com
- Fist and Faith
- Magister Vitae
- Posts: 23743
- Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 8:14 pm
- Has thanked: 7 times
- Been thanked: 34 times
I read the orignial Sunset Warrior trilogy years ago. Didn't go on to Beneath an Opal Moon (I think that's the title), or the book that comes after that. But the trilogy was very cool!
The Ninja is sort of the "real world" version of that. Set in the real world, anyway. I just love it, and the next two books are almost as good. I don't remember the sex scenes in Sunset Warrior, but I believe they are a little bit more explicit in Ninja. Not exactly porn. No dirty words. But tons of fun!
The Ninja is sort of the "real world" version of that. Set in the real world, anyway. I just love it, and the next two books are almost as good. I don't remember the sex scenes in Sunset Warrior, but I believe they are a little bit more explicit in Ninja. Not exactly porn. No dirty words. But tons of fun!
All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest -Paul Simon
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest -Paul Simon
- Fist and Faith
- Magister Vitae
- Posts: 23743
- Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 8:14 pm
- Has thanked: 7 times
- Been thanked: 34 times
On the outside chance that your view of things is different now than it was when you were 16, I'd recommend you try again. Heh, that's ok, I know how tough it is to try something again when you have such negative memories of it. Still, I'll quote myself:Prebe wrote:I read Ninja when I was 16 and my hormones were raging. It STILL rates among the worst five books I ever read! Even the sex is dumbed down. It's a sad excuse for second rate violence/pornography. Sorry Fist and Jenn
It's not a book about violence. Yeah, there's ninja. But the best of martial arts movies and books are about the philosophy of martial arts, not the violence. And the characters' discussions of things like bushido, and learning a character's attitudes on life by watching his fighting style clearly put the book into the former category for me.Although I think going past three was unnecessary, The Ninja, The Miko, and White Ninja are great! The first goes pretty deep into bushido, and the Japanese view in general. The way he weaves Musashi's Book of Five Rings throughout it is amazing. And I think Saigo's magic, the kobudera, is maybe the best I've seen anyone put magic into the "real world." (As opposed to things like Buffy and Charmed, where every street corner has a hugely powerful witch, demon, vampire, or god performing acts of great power.)
The second is a very good sequel. The third deals a lot with his mother's father, and the magic of China. Great depth to the characters too.
And just because it's so much fun , here's the quote I posted in that other link I gave above:
"But you're just using woden practice swords," Croaker said. "You can't hurt anybody-"
"On the contrary, these bokken are every bit as deadly as the katana is. They-"
But in that instant he had whirled, somehow sensing the dual attack from both the student at his side and the sensi directly behind him. The student had already been disarmed with one cut and Nicholas was deep within battle with Fukashigi by the time Croaker had time to react to the situation. That would be about a tenth of a second, he calculated dazedly. My God, I saw the attack coming before he did!
The clash of bokken filled the room but the contestants' movements were so swift that they were a mere blur. Croaker stared carefully but, try as he might, he could not distinguish one movement from the next, so fluid were they. He recalled Nicholas's analogy of this movement to the sea and he understood.
Then there came a momentous crashing as Fukashigi landed a ferocious overhead blow against Nicholas's upraised sword. Nicholas was not moved backwards, however, and as he stood immobile, the sensi sprang backwards as lightly as a current of air, preparing himself for a second attack. But as the sword moved backwards to gain momentum for the forward thrust, Nicholas was there, extending himself outwards like a river, his own sword following precisely the path of the other's and, beating down the "point", stabbing inwards at the sensei's head. It touched the tip of the nose but, at the same instant, Fukashigi's left fist was at Nicholas's face in a blow that might have broken his nose and stunned him.
Both stepped back, bowed to each other. Neither of them seemed to be breathing hard.
All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest -Paul Simon
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest -Paul Simon