Favourite fantasy authors?

I'll second the recommendation of Neil Gaiman - American Gods is superb, as are his other books. His style is dry and dark, but there is a lot of warmth there too. He is also not afraid to take his characters to the limit (eg: he's not afraid to kill off a good character - like Iain M Banks).

A new author I've discovered is a Scottish writer named Hal Duncan - his work is challenging but definitely worth it.

I prefer sci-fi and what I would call cyberpunk (eg: William Gibson) to true fantasy, but I think these two authors are in a 'crossover' range.

Isobelle Carmody would have to be my fave... being my introduction to fantasy at age 12 or 13... though I am still waiting patiently (9 years later!) for her to publish her latest in the Farseeker and Darkfall series.... they just keep pushing the dates back... year after year!

I really like Eddings. Started reading the Belgariad at age 15, and was so hooked that I sat there for 6 weeks straight and read the Belgariad, and Mallorean series twice through. I never got into his newer series that he wrote with his wife (the Treasured one?) in fact, I started reading it and was so bored I couldn't continue!
I actually liked the Redemption of Althalus... although I don't usually go for single books by fantasy authors, I thought he did alright with it, and liked how how maintained his humour throughout the book.

Raymond Feist I love, but am till to read all of his!

Christopher Paolini is pretty good- I am waiting on his 3rd book to come out.

Tad Williams is also good, though I have only read one of his!

Sara Douglas isn't too bad either...

The older Eddings is good, not so much the newer stuff. I enjoyed the Magician series, also the Icewind Dale books by Salvatore. Song of Ice and Fire is fantastic but as others have said the wait for the new book is getting painful.

I am a Stephen King fan, I love The Talisman and his Dark Tower series.

Oh bugger! There's nothing I hate more than to have to wait for ages for the next book in a series to come out! I guess that no matter how much I enjoyed it, she's going back on the shelf until that 5th book comes out. Grrrr!

Oh well, I'm sure I'll find plenty of other stuff to read while I wait.

Am I the only one who tends to avoid stand alone books and insist on trilogies or series? I guess I just like to completely immerse myself in a world, and one book is often never enough.

BW

I quite like a stand-alone -although if you're lucky the author will sometimes publish a sequel (which has to be interesting enough to stand on its own when it's not in a trilogy) - Diana Wynne Jones has a few that have been written this way. I'm sometimes disappointed by trilogies, when I get the feeling that the ending's been written in a rush - does that make sense, the story builds and builds and then the ending's so quick.

I'm definately going to be checking out some of these authors you ladies are suggesting.
I am always on the hunt for something new to read.

I read that Eddings series Treasured one and honestly DON'T waste your time with it. I only finished it as once I start reading a series I can't stop. Totally boring and the ending makes the whole series moot anyway. Very Disappointing I thought. So i stay right away from anything with Eddings on it.

Butterfly I am the same. I love reading series and always feel sad at the end when there is nothing left to read. Most recently I read the Farseer and Liveship series by Robin Hobb and was very sad to say goodbye to Fitz. Bit sad really lol.
I am going to start the Soldier Series next I think.

I also want to read the new Thomas Covenant book thats out in the last chronicles of Thomas Covenant but its been about 5 years since the first one came out so I think I will need to to re read it but all my books are in storage atm as I am in the middle of moving states. Its a real buggar.

ll80, don't base your judgement of Eddings on his most recent stuff - the Belgariad is really good he has just gone downhill recently.

Stand alones are good for a quick read, but with fantasy I do like to really get stuck into a story... so the trilogys are great for that.

I started out my fantasy passion with Eddings - read through the Belgariad in High school, then the Mallorean and the Elenium when it came out.
Then I moved on to Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern, which was a brilliant series.
I detested Stephen Donaldson's Covenant books - they were waaaayyy too overdescriptive and just frustrated the hell out of me (but of course, I had to read them all, just to see how it all panned out ;))
Fiest's Riftwar saga was great, and I would recommend them to anyone.
David Gemmel seems to follow a fixed pattern, as does Brook's Shannara series, so I have only read a couple of each of theirs.
I started Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, but they also frustrated me - too many characters and too long between books, so I gave that series up after the third book.
I agree that Robin Hobb's books are fantastic - I would happily re-read them, but I found the first Sara Douglas trilogy too bittersweet to attempt the second one.
Terry Pratchet books are great for their humour - I haven't read all of his books, but the half-dozen or so that I have read have all been good. I've even listened to a few audio books from his series, and they are all enjoyable
I've read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings a couple of times each. I had The Hobbit sitting around at home when I was younger and I tried to start reading it about 4 or 5 times before I finally got stuck into, then it was a natural progression to churn through the rest.
A fantasy series I would recommend for younger readers would be the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix - I haven't read the last book, but the first two have been really good.
The last 'fantasy' series I read was Stephen King's The Dark Tower, and I found that it was a great read.
I'll have to go and look through my book cupboard to refresh my memory - I'm sure there are more than a few that I have missed out, but that all I remember for now.

Cheers,
Marc.

I like reading Maggie Furey the Aurian series

Mercedes Lackey is my all-time favourite author. Her Valdemar series is awesome, and all her other books are fantastic. Next is Raymond E Feist & Terry Pratchett depending on who has the latest new release. L.E. Modesitt Jr has a series of books called The Spellsong Cycle which I loved, and J.V. Jones has a trilogy called the Book of Words which I enjoyed as well.

I also have half of all the Dragonlance books, and almost all of the Forgotten Realms books. I don't have a bookcase, I've got a library!

Another series is The Rangers Apprentice by John Flanagan. It's primarily for younger readers, but they are really good!

That's all I can think of for now, but I'll go through them later & find any that I've missed.

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ll80, don't base your judgement of Eddings on his most recent stuff - the Belgariad is really good he has just gone downhill recently

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Thanks for the advice, I'll check it out!

I recognise the name now that I see it listed here - Maggie Furey... Must be ages since I've read them, I simply must dig them out of the bookshelf as I can't even think what they are about now!

I'm absolutely loving the suggestions and comments about authors I've not encountered before. It's great to be able to see what others with similar tastes have enjoyed so you can get an idea of what's going to be good. I guess I was burned badly by CDT, and I'm not brave enough to just grab any old book now.

BW

BW, let us know when you read a new author, what you think of them!

Ooh I remember Mercedes Lackey from when I was in my teens... I might have to read hers again!

I agree that Eddings is definitely worth the read, but just not his latest books! The Belgariad is just brilliant! (IMO anyway ;) )

I also have a trilogy by Fiona McIntosh which is pretty good.

I have a trilogy by Elizabeth Haydon, but I really wasn't impressed with it at all - very slow moving, and not that much depth...
(sorry I am not at my bookshelf, so can't remember the exact names!)

I think I might try Robin Hobb next....
thanks for the suggestions everyone!

Hi, what a great thread!

Yep echoing the nods for George R R Martin (will the final book EVER come out?!), Terry Pratchett (love love love), Neil Gaiman & Diane Wynn Jones. I keep hearing there's going to be a Good Omens movie staring Robin Williams (Azaraphael) and Johnny Depp (Crowley), to be directed by Terry Gilliam, no less. But I think that rumour was only invented to tease me :(

Marion Zimmer Bradely is good too if you're into celtic type folklore. Oh and I am a die hard Harry Potter fan and um, i write harry potter fanfic too *dies of embarrasment*)

neuri

Oh man! I would love to see that Good Omens movie eventuate!!! Robin Williams would make an awesome Aziraphael! Not so sure on Depp, though - I keep trying to picture Captain Jack Sparrow as Crowley, and it's just not working for me right now!

Neuri, I've got another friend who writes Harry Potter fanfic, so I don't think you're that strange! Sadly for me, Harry is relegated to the "too much hype" pile, and I probably won't ever read it. The excuse I used to use before was that I refused to even start a series until it was completed because I read so much faster than the authors can write... but I do believe it's finished now?

BW

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse was really good. Its a fairly big book though. 525 pages and its taller and wider than most novels.