Looking for Epic Fantasy with Lots of Action

[doubleshuffle]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Another really good recommendation is the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis.

Chronicles of Narnia
1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. The Silver Chair
5. The Horse and his Boy
6. The Magician's Nephew
7. The Last Battle

Yes, but one should point out that it is essential to start with vol 3.

[Pizza_Cant_Read]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

Yes, but one should point out that it is essential to start with vol 3.

Also, while OP wasn't very clear about what was wanted, they were clear about no Narnia. I initially thought JSWolf was trolling in jest since OP never again responded to his own thread

[Dazrin]

6, 1, 5, 2, 3, 4, 7

Of course the OP specifically said don't recommend Narnia, so not sure why it is here.

[Pizza_Cant_Read]

Sorry Dazrin *mouth still full of cookie*

[Dazrin]

We were both posting at the same time, it happens.



And I was assuming doubleshuffle was trolling too. Who starts with Voyage of the Dawn Treader? Good book but bad starting point.

[WillAdams]

First off, second the recommendations of Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock.

Suggestions which haven't been made here AFAICT:

- Jack Vance --- the Lyonesse Trilogy --- it's one of my favourites of high fantasy in the purest sense of the term (more on that below)

- Steven Brust --- the Taltos/Dragaera books --- if you enjoy Dumas, then you'll love _The Phoenix Guards_ and _Five-hundred Years After_

- C. J Cherryh --- _The Tree of Swords and Jewels _ and its sequel are just heartbreaking, the Morgain trilogy and its sequels are very cool.

- Robin McKinley --- if you like short stories _The Door in the Hedge_ is amazing. _The Hero and the Crown_ is a lot of fun.

High fantasy can't be about quantity of magic --- that would be a different axis --- it's more about the quality of the writing, and the story adhering to the traditions of the genre.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by WillAdams

High fantasy can't be about quantity of magic --- that would be a different axis --- it's more about the quality of the writing, and the story adhering to the traditions of the genre.

It does my heart good to see someone admit that it's based on entirely upon subjective opinion. Quality and tradition: nothing could be more cut and dried than that!

[Apache]

Originally Posted by WillAdams

First off, second the recommendations of Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock.

Suggestions which haven't been made here AFAICT:

- Jack Vance --- the Lyonesse Trilogy --- it's one of my favourites of high fantasy in the purest sense of the term (more on that below)

- Steven Brust --- the Taltos/Dragaera books --- if you enjoy Dumas, then you'll love _The Phoenix Guards_ and _Five-hundred Years After_

- C. J Cherryh --- _The Tree of Swords and Jewels _ and its sequel are just heartbreaking, the Morgain trilogy and its sequels are very cool.

- Robin McKinley --- if you like short stories _The Door in the Hedge_ is amazing. _The Hero and the Crown_ is a lot of fun.

High fantasy can't be about quantity of magic --- that would be a different axis --- it's more about the quality of the writing, and the story adhering to the traditions of the genre.

I second Stephen Brust. The Khaavren Romances are a wonderful series.
Apache

[DiapDealer]

I'm going to throw Butcher's "Codex Alera" series into the mix. I guess I'll second this since @Penforhire clearly got there first.

And just because I can ... an epic* fantasy stand-alone novel: Michael A. Stackpole's Once A Hero.


* it should be noted that my use of the word "epic" is based purely on the scope of the story.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Read, or seen/heard? If the latter, I'll assume that it's because you just don't get out much any more. The fans I run into still love to beat each other soundly about the head and shoulders over sub-classification squabbles.

I'm not really as connected with the SF&F scene as I once was. Way back in the late 80's and early 90's, I even went to the WorldCon when it was in Atlanta. This board is really the only place that I talk SF&F anymore. Some of that is the demise of the walk in bookstores ( my introduction to David Weber was meeting his sister or sister-in-law at the old SF&Mystery bookstore in Atlanta way back when), some is moving on from the old Baen webboard (really became a Clique (capitalized on purpose) when Jim Baen and most of the authors stopped posting right around the time that Arnold Bailey died).

Personally, I think that when you have to argue about if a book is high or low fantasy, then the distinctions have become too blurred to matter.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

When I think of High Fantasy, the one thing that immediately comes to mind is the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series, edited by Lin Carter, although I would not now classify them all in that category.

This is where I encountered - for the first time - many classic Fantasy authors.

I got my start on the old Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series. That was my introduction to some of the older classics (Lord Dunsany and William Morris) as well as newer works such as Pratt and De Camp, Poul Anderson, Evangeline Walton and Katherine Kurtz. I still have a lot of those books. There are a few that I would really like as ebooks.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Personally, I think that when you have to argue about if a book is high or low fantasy, then the distinctions have become too blurred to matter.

I agree. And I think they've been too blurred to matter for a very long time. But there sure are plenty of people left who will be more than happy to tell us we're wrong.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Perhaps this person could explore the revised Chung Kuo Series, by David Wingrove.

(I really dislike those new covers. They're so vanilla; but that's another thread.)

Has he finished the Chung Kuo rewrite? I was collecting the paperbacks until I learned how ungodly expensive the final book was, so I gave up and never read the books.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

Yes, but one should point out that it is essential to start with vol 3.

No, it's not essential to start with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Even if you read in chronological order, that would not be the first book.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I got my start on the old Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series. That was my introduction to some of the older classics (Lord Dunsany and William Morris) as well as newer works such as Pratt and De Camp, Poul Anderson, Evangeline Walton and Katherine Kurtz. I still have a lot of those books. There are a few that I would really like as ebooks.

I have an almost complete set, and my collecting sensibilities dictate that they all be in M-NM condition.

In fact, I would say they're in 'like-new' condition.

Although I encountered a couple of those authors (Clarke Aston Smith, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft for example) in Lowndes' "Magazine of Horror" and "Startling Mystery Stories." (In fact, I remember reading the very first story by some northern hick named Stephen King!)