Best stand-alone Fantasy novel?

VaporPunk · 05-17-2012, 04:18 AM

My pick - The Hobbit, Tolkien

If somebody says its not really stand-alone (which I would totally disagree with) then:

Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay

Any opinions on this?

Belfaborac · 05-17-2012, 05:38 AM

I'm totally with you, except that I would substitute Lord of the Rings for The Hobbit. For me, LotR will always remain the greatest fantasy book ever, even though I've read several which objectively are equally good. To my mind G. G. Kay is one of those whose books are just as good and Tigana is perhaps his best (although the competition is sharp).

Irish Lion · 05-17-2012, 05:46 AM

Going to toss in a vote for American Gods by Neil Gaiman!

HarryT · 05-17-2012, 06:13 AM

Moved to "Reading Recommendations".

Personally, I'd go for LOTR, too.

DiapDealer · 05-17-2012, 06:35 AM

Tigana ranks pretty high on my list, too (almost anything by GGK does).

HarryT · 05-17-2012, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Tigana ranks pretty high on my list, too (almost anything by GGK does).

I'm ashamed to admit that, even though I am a big fantasy fan, I've never heard of this book or this author. I'll have to investigate it!

DiapDealer · 05-17-2012, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm ashamed to admit that, even though I am a big fantasy fan, I've never heard of this book or this author. I'll have to investigate it!

You should definitely give him a shot, Harry. I consider Tigana and The Lions of Al-Rassan his best works (although Lions could arguably be considered Historical Fiction).

As I mentioned in another thread... Christopher Tolkien enlisted Guy Gavriel Kay's help in finishing The Silmarillion.

Belfaborac · 05-17-2012, 07:28 AM

You certainly should. I'd put The Fionavar Tapestry up there too and the remainder just slightly below. Haven't read Ysabel though and I've been told (here) that it's not really up to scratch. If I had to choose between Tigana and The Lions of Al-Rassan I'd find it really hard to pick one over the other.

HarryT · 05-17-2012, 07:31 AM

Thanks - I'll definitely check him out.

Bookpossum · 05-17-2012, 07:59 AM

Very hard to pick just one, but I have to put in a vote for Jasper Fforde's "The Eyre Affair" and the rest of the Thursday Next books.

DrNefario · 05-17-2012, 08:19 AM

Based on just Lions of Al-Rassan, I'm really not much of a GGK fan. He had a few stylistic quirks which really bugged me. In my head he's a bit like Spielberg, in that the emotional string-pulling can be way too heavy-handed.

Don't The Hobbit and LotR kind of rule each other out? (How stand-alone is stand-alone?)

Same applies to The Eyre Affair. It's a series if not a serial.

I'm going to provisionally go for Peace by Gene Wolfe, just so this post isn't entirely negative.

It is a great book, even though it took me two attempts to get started, but it's fantasy in the broad sense (like most Wolfe) not the narrow sense (epic/high fantasy). It's hard to think of standout stand-alone works that are actually epic fantasy. I guess it's not that epic if it ends that quickly.

Freeshadow · 05-17-2012, 08:32 AM

the redemption of althalus - david eddings

DiapDealer · 05-17-2012, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Don't The Hobbit and LotR kind of rule each other out? (How stand-alone is stand-alone?)

Same applies to The Eyre Affair. It's a series if not a serial.

I'm of the same opinion. A true stand-alone novel—to me—is one that has no prequels/sequels, not part of any series and not part of any shared universe/setting. The fact that a book CAN stand on it's own two feet (without NEEDING to read the rest of the books in the same series/shared environment) isn't quite enough. *shrugs*

But I've taken part in enough of these threads to know there's just no way to come up with a consensus on "the rules." Everybody comes up with their own twist (including myself at times) to get a book they love included. So I've given up acknowledging/suggesting/expecting any concrete "stand alone" rules—and life is easier because of it.

But for my own part (and I'm not expecting anybody else to comply with my personal rules, by any means)... I base my general opinion on the author's intention: "was that book written as part of a 'larger picture'?" If so, I don't consider it a stand-alone novel.

Case in point: Tim Powers' The Stress of Her Regard was always high on my list of stand-alone favorites for years. But the recently released Hide Me Among the Graves is acknowledged by the author as a "loose" sequel to Stress; so both have to be excluded from my list of Favorite Stand-alone Fantasy Novels now. Yeah... I'm weird like that.

VaporPunk · 05-17-2012, 09:57 AM

My apologies Harry T. I should have known better where to post this.

& You should absolutely read GGK if you get a chance. Add The Last Light of the Sun to the other recommendations. But for me, nothing tops Tigana.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Don't The Hobbit and LotR kind of rule each other out? (How stand-alone is stand-alone?)

Heh, here we go.

Let's define stand-alone as "you can enjoy it without reading anything else". It has a beginning and an ending with the main storyline complete. But whatever works for you. Its also why I included Tigana because that is hands-down, written in stone, stand-alone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I'm going to provisionally go for Peace by Gene Wolfe, just so this post isn't entirely negative.

It is a great book, even though it took me two attempts to get started, but it's fantasy in the broad sense (like most Wolfe) not the narrow sense (epic/high fantasy). It's hard to think of standout stand-alone works that are actually epic fantasy. I guess it's not that epic if it ends that quickly.

Gene Wolfe is indeed excellent and Peace is now on my TR list.

HomeInMyShoes · 05-17-2012, 10:12 AM

I'd say The Hobbit stands alone. I definitely need to check out GGK at some point.

From the past little while I really enjoyed:

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Are they best ever? No for Neverwhere, but Good Omens is up there for fantomedy (remember back in the late 80s when they started cross-labeling movies as thrillomedy.)

05-17-2012, 04:18 AM	#1
VaporPunk Evangelist Posts: 409 Karma: 49204386 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Belgium Device: Kindle 4 + Asus Transformer	Best stand-alone Fantasy novel? My pick - The Hobbit, Tolkien If somebody says its not really stand-alone (which I would totally disagree with) then: Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay Any opinions on this?

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05-17-2012, 05:38 AM	#2
Belfaborac Wizard Posts: 1,498 Karma: 5199835 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Norway Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-950	I'm totally with you, except that I would substitute Lord of the Rings for The Hobbit. For me, LotR will always remain the greatest fantasy book ever, even though I've read several which objectively are equally good. To my mind G. G. Kay is one of those whose books are just as good and Tigana is perhaps his best (although the competition is sharp).

05-17-2012, 05:46 AM	#3
Irish Lion Member Posts: 22 Karma: 56168 Join Date: May 2012 Device: Kindle DXG	Going to toss in a vote for American Gods by Neil Gaiman!

05-17-2012, 06:13 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Moved to "Reading Recommendations". Personally, I'd go for LOTR, too.

05-17-2012, 06:35 AM	#5
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,549 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	Tigana ranks pretty high on my list, too (almost anything by GGK does).

05-17-2012, 07:28 AM	#8
Belfaborac Wizard Posts: 1,498 Karma: 5199835 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Norway Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-950	You certainly should. I'd put The Fionavar Tapestry up there too and the remainder just slightly below. Haven't read Ysabel though and I've been told (here) that it's not really up to scratch. If I had to choose between Tigana and The Lions of Al-Rassan I'd find it really hard to pick one over the other.

05-17-2012, 07:31 AM	#9
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Thanks - I'll definitely check him out.

05-17-2012, 07:59 AM	#10
Bookpossum Snoozing in the sun Posts: 10,137 Karma: 115423645 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: iPad Mini, Kobo Touch	Very hard to pick just one, but I have to put in a vote for Jasper Fforde's "The Eyre Affair" and the rest of the Thursday Next books.

05-17-2012, 08:19 AM	#11
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,099 Karma: 11315768 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	Based on just Lions of Al-Rassan, I'm really not much of a GGK fan. He had a few stylistic quirks which really bugged me. In my head he's a bit like Spielberg, in that the emotional string-pulling can be way too heavy-handed. Don't The Hobbit and LotR kind of rule each other out? (How stand-alone is stand-alone?) Same applies to The Eyre Affair. It's a series if not a serial. I'm going to provisionally go for Peace by Gene Wolfe, just so this post isn't entirely negative. It is a great book, even though it took me two attempts to get started, but it's fantasy in the broad sense (like most Wolfe) not the narrow sense (epic/high fantasy). It's hard to think of standout stand-alone works that are actually epic fantasy. I guess it's not that epic if it ends that quickly.

05-17-2012, 08:32 AM	#12
Freeshadow temp. out of service Posts: 2,792 Karma: 24285242 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Duisburg (DE) Device: PB 623	the redemption of althalus - david eddings

05-17-2012, 10:12 AM	#15
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	I'd say The Hobbit stands alone. I definitely need to check out GGK at some point. From the past little while I really enjoyed: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Are they best ever? No for Neverwhere, but Good Omens is up there for fantomedy (remember back in the late 80s when they started cross-labeling movies as thrillomedy.)

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