I will agree that Feist is awesome. Magician and Riftwar both. Have any of you read the Conclave of Shadows books? I picked up the first one some years ago, but never did get around to reading it. How does it compare?
As to Eddings being a one-hit wonder: yes, but I'd say that "one hit" encompasses both the Belgariad and Mallorean, which is a total of 10 books (13 if you count the spin-offs, which I haven't read). I was a big fan of those books, but I can't say I'd put him above Feist or Tolkein. And after careful consideration, I have to agree with caleb72 that Feist is at the top of that list by a nose.
Re: Piers Anthony - I loved the Xanth and Phaze/Proton books back in high school, but I can't read his stuff anymore. He just doesn't seem as good a writer to me at 30 as he did to me at 16. I tried Incarnations a while back, and couldn't get through the first book as the characters just felt too cardboard and indistinct. Bio of a Space Tyrant (whichever the first book was) didn't do it for me either; it wasn't compelling enough to make me want to read beyond the rape of the main character's sister in the very first chapter. I'm not particularly squeamish, but I don't approve of shock tactics not accompanied by substance. It's the same icky feeling I get when I try to watch Law & Order: SVU. I reluctantly gave up on him eventually.
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