Damien Broderick wrote:
>
> At 03:28 PM 25/02/00 PST, JG wrote:
>
> >occassionally I can find a good fantasy novel and
> >really enjoy myself.
> >
> >I believe Terry Brooks(Sword of Shannara) [snip]
>
> A by-word in derivative. Knock-off. Bloat. (I've never read him, but those
> I respect report that this is so.) Consumer fantasy is comfort food, hence
> each bite is the same as the last and it has to be bland to reach the max
> market. Barf.
>
> Damien
Yes, the Shannara series is not the most original. I would recommend
from Fantasy:
1. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (Trilogy) by Stephen
R. Donaldson
2. The Nine Princes of Amber (Five book set) by Roger Zelazny
3. The Black Company (Eight book set, and counting) by Glen Cook
4. The Riddle Master of Hed (Trilogy) by Patricia A. McKillip
5. The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy) by J. R. R. Tolkein
6. The Dark Tower (Four book set, and counting) by Stephen King
7. The Dragon Prince (Trilogy) by Melanie Rawn
There is something to be gained in Fantasy literature, but the signal to
noise ratio is often worse than in SciFi. I agree with EvMick; the two
should be conveniently separated. Although, SciFi-Fantasy hybrids are
often an amusing read. Overall, I prefer SciFi as I see it being more
relevant to ideas about possible, real futures.
-Dana
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