Great Works of Fantasy
I was discussing with silburygirl the works of fantasy we've read and loved, she was wondering what she'd missed out, and that caused me to pull out my (literally) falling apart copy of A Reader's Guide to Fantasy, Searles, Meachem and Franklin, eds (1982) long out of print and thus out of date. Nevertheless, I thought I'd share with you, and her, it's "Seven-League Shelf" of indispensable classics in the genre in hopes you'll share with me what would be on your must-read list. I later added the titles from The Ultimate Reading List by Mosley, et. al. I've put in bold those I've actually read and loved and put in underline those I've read and loathed or couldn't finish. Might make a good meme :-)
Richard Adams, Watership Down (1972)
Catherine Asaro, The Charmed Sphere (2004)
Poul Anderson, The Broken Sword
L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz
Peter Beagle, The Last Unicorn (1968)
Ray Bradbury, Dark Carnival
Terry Brooks, The Sword of Shannara (2002)
Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon (1982)
Lois McMaster Bujold, The Curse of Chalion (2001)
Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Gail Dayton, The Compass Rose (2005)
David Drake, Lord of the Isles (1988)
Lord Dunsany, The King of Elfland's Daughter
David Eddings, Pawn of Prophecy (1982)
Raymond E. Feist, Talon of the Silver Hawk (2003)
Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair (2002)
Charles G. Finney, The Circus of Dr. Lao
Neil Gaiman, Neverworld (1996)
Alan Garner, The Wierdstone of Brinsingamen; The Moon of Gomrath
Jane Gaskell, The Atlan Saga
William Goldman, The Princess Bride (1973)
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
H. Rider Haggard, She
William Hope Hodgson, The House on the Borderland
Robert E. Howard, Conan
Brian Jacques, Redwall (1987)
M. R. James, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
Robert Jordan, The Eye of the World (1990)
Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Books
Mercedes Lackey, Joust (2003)
Stephen Lawhead, Byzantium (1996)
Tanith Lee, Biting the Sun (1999)
Ursula LeGuin, Earthsea Chronicles (1968)
Fritz Leiber, The Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Series
C. S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces; Narnia (1950)
H.P. Lovecraft, The Shadow over Innsmouth
George MacDonald, Gifts of the Christ Child
G. R. R. Martin, A Game of Throwns: Song of Fire and Ice (1996)
Anne McCaffrey, Dragonrider Series (1976)
Gregory McGuire, Wicked (1995)
Patricia McKillip, The Riddle-Master Trilogy
A. Merritt, The Ship of Ishtar
Naomi Mitchison, To the Chapel Perilous
Michael Moorcock, The Elric Series (1976)
C.L. Moore, The Black God's Shadow (the Jirel of Joiry stories)
Edith Nesbit, The Five Children and It
Andre Norton, Wizard's Worlds (1989)
Naomi Novik, His Majesty's Dragon (2006)
Mervyn Peake, The Gormenghast Trilogy
Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher
Terry Prachett, Small Gods (1994)
Mary Jo Putney, Stolen Magic (2005)
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter series (1997)
Robert Silverberg, Lord Valentine's Castle (1980)
Linnea Sinclair, Wintertide (2004)
Win Spencer, Wolf Who Rules (2006)
Mary Stewart, Arturian Saga (begins with The Crystal Cave) (1971)
Bram Stoker, Dracula
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Chronicles of Middle Earth (1966)
T.H. White, The Once and Future King (1939)
Charles Williams, War in Heaven
Tad Willians, The Dragonbone Chair (1988)
Herbert A Wise and Phyllis Fraser, Eds., Great Tales of Terror and Supernatural
Austin Tappan Wright, Islandia
Addendum: Fantasies I've loved not on the list:
Piers Anthony, Incarnations of Immortality (begins with On a Pale Horse)
I liked Anthony's blend of the contemporary and fantastical focusing on one of seven supernatural “offices” (Death, Time, Fate, War, Nature, Evil and Good)
Kelley Armstrong, Dime Store Magic; Industrial Magic
Part of the Women of the Otherworld series, urban fantasy with demons, witches, sorcerers, werewolves and vampires, I like these two as an introduction because for me they're focused on her most likable characters.
Marion Zimmer Bradley, Darkover Series
Like McCaffrey's Pern, supposedly sci-fi but with a fantasy feel with its quasi medieval setting and psychic talents.
Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel Series
One of my most moving reads in fantasy with a heroine and prose I found winning and moved me more than once to tears. Set in a quasi Renaissance setting in a France (Terre D'Ange) that never was.
Dave Duncan, King's Blades Series
Quasi-medieval setting and thrilling action-adventure.
Tanya Huff, Blood Price Series
Contemporary Urban setting (Toronto)--vampires.
Phyllis Ann Karr, The Idylls of the Queen: A Tale of Queen Guenevere
I liked the blend of Arthurian legend and mystery and how she made a intriguing character of the bitter and snarky Sir Kay.
Katherine Kurtz, Lammas Night; Deryni Series
Lammas Night is set during WWII; the Deryni Series in a quasi-Medieval setting reminiscent of Wales.
Mercedes Lackey, Valdemar Series (Arrows of the Queen and Magic's Pawn Trilogies (the earliest, I think the later books in the series suffer from tired blood); Diana Tregarde Series (Jinx High and Children of the Night I liked these more than the Valdemar series)
Tanith Lee, Birthgrave
Exotic feel to the prose and landscape. Not easily describable.
Fritz Leiber, Conjure Wife
Contemporary campus setting, deals with witchcraft.
Robin McKinley, The Hero and the Crown; The Blue Sword
High fantasy with a kick-ass heroine in a quasi-medieval setting.
Elizabeth Moon, The Deed of Paksenarrion
Kick ass heroine in a high fantasy setting. Author is wonderful in writing of leadership and a military setting.
Jennifer Roberson, Sword Series (Tiger and Del)
Sword and sorcery with a very appealing hero and heroine.
Addendum: Fantasies I Disliked:
If you don't know it already I think Stephenie Meyer's Twilight "Saga" is only worth reading for the mocking with the most appallingly idiotic TSTL heroine, controlling stalker hero and awkward prose style ever published. I rather liked LK Hamilton's style and world-building--at first--in the Anita Blake novels. I didn't care for Guilty Pleasures, the first one in the series, and Hamilton was a bit squicky from the beginning. I pushed past that because someone I respect thought highly of the series and just when I was really finding Anita's arc interesting we hit WTF worthy of the worst of fanfic. You read those, be prepared to stop after Obsidian Butterfly unless you're curious just how bad and ridiculous a story can be yet still be published (and bestselling). Ditto on Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series which I found engaging in the beginning (I loved the first book, Wizard's First Rule) but more and more preachy polemic as its hero became more and more a Marty Sue. Robin Hobb just kills me because she's a good writer, makes me care for her characters, then disappoints every time. The woman does NOT believe in happy endings. The Jim Butcher Dresden Files I found pretty badly written and worst--dull.
Richard Adams, Watership Down (1972)
Catherine Asaro, The Charmed Sphere (2004)
Poul Anderson, The Broken Sword
L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz
Peter Beagle, The Last Unicorn (1968)
Ray Bradbury, Dark Carnival
Terry Brooks, The Sword of Shannara (2002)
Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon (1982)
Lois McMaster Bujold, The Curse of Chalion (2001)
Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Gail Dayton, The Compass Rose (2005)
David Drake, Lord of the Isles (1988)
Lord Dunsany, The King of Elfland's Daughter
David Eddings, Pawn of Prophecy (1982)
Raymond E. Feist, Talon of the Silver Hawk (2003)
Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair (2002)
Charles G. Finney, The Circus of Dr. Lao
Neil Gaiman, Neverworld (1996)
Alan Garner, The Wierdstone of Brinsingamen; The Moon of Gomrath
Jane Gaskell, The Atlan Saga
William Goldman, The Princess Bride (1973)
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
H. Rider Haggard, She
William Hope Hodgson, The House on the Borderland
Robert E. Howard, Conan
Brian Jacques, Redwall (1987)
M. R. James, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
Robert Jordan, The Eye of the World (1990)
Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Books
Mercedes Lackey, Joust (2003)
Stephen Lawhead, Byzantium (1996)
Tanith Lee, Biting the Sun (1999)
Ursula LeGuin, Earthsea Chronicles (1968)
Fritz Leiber, The Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Series
C. S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces; Narnia (1950)
H.P. Lovecraft, The Shadow over Innsmouth
George MacDonald, Gifts of the Christ Child
G. R. R. Martin, A Game of Throwns: Song of Fire and Ice (1996)
Anne McCaffrey, Dragonrider Series (1976)
Gregory McGuire, Wicked (1995)
Patricia McKillip, The Riddle-Master Trilogy
A. Merritt, The Ship of Ishtar
Naomi Mitchison, To the Chapel Perilous
Michael Moorcock, The Elric Series (1976)
C.L. Moore, The Black God's Shadow (the Jirel of Joiry stories)
Edith Nesbit, The Five Children and It
Andre Norton, Wizard's Worlds (1989)
Naomi Novik, His Majesty's Dragon (2006)
Mervyn Peake, The Gormenghast Trilogy
Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher
Terry Prachett, Small Gods (1994)
Mary Jo Putney, Stolen Magic (2005)
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter series (1997)
Robert Silverberg, Lord Valentine's Castle (1980)
Linnea Sinclair, Wintertide (2004)
Win Spencer, Wolf Who Rules (2006)
Mary Stewart, Arturian Saga (begins with The Crystal Cave) (1971)
Bram Stoker, Dracula
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Chronicles of Middle Earth (1966)
T.H. White, The Once and Future King (1939)
Charles Williams, War in Heaven
Tad Willians, The Dragonbone Chair (1988)
Herbert A Wise and Phyllis Fraser, Eds., Great Tales of Terror and Supernatural
Austin Tappan Wright, Islandia
Addendum: Fantasies I've loved not on the list:
Piers Anthony, Incarnations of Immortality (begins with On a Pale Horse)
I liked Anthony's blend of the contemporary and fantastical focusing on one of seven supernatural “offices” (Death, Time, Fate, War, Nature, Evil and Good)
Kelley Armstrong, Dime Store Magic; Industrial Magic
Part of the Women of the Otherworld series, urban fantasy with demons, witches, sorcerers, werewolves and vampires, I like these two as an introduction because for me they're focused on her most likable characters.
Marion Zimmer Bradley, Darkover Series
Like McCaffrey's Pern, supposedly sci-fi but with a fantasy feel with its quasi medieval setting and psychic talents.
Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel Series
One of my most moving reads in fantasy with a heroine and prose I found winning and moved me more than once to tears. Set in a quasi Renaissance setting in a France (Terre D'Ange) that never was.
Dave Duncan, King's Blades Series
Quasi-medieval setting and thrilling action-adventure.
Tanya Huff, Blood Price Series
Contemporary Urban setting (Toronto)--vampires.
Phyllis Ann Karr, The Idylls of the Queen: A Tale of Queen Guenevere
I liked the blend of Arthurian legend and mystery and how she made a intriguing character of the bitter and snarky Sir Kay.
Katherine Kurtz, Lammas Night; Deryni Series
Lammas Night is set during WWII; the Deryni Series in a quasi-Medieval setting reminiscent of Wales.
Mercedes Lackey, Valdemar Series (Arrows of the Queen and Magic's Pawn Trilogies (the earliest, I think the later books in the series suffer from tired blood); Diana Tregarde Series (Jinx High and Children of the Night I liked these more than the Valdemar series)
Tanith Lee, Birthgrave
Exotic feel to the prose and landscape. Not easily describable.
Fritz Leiber, Conjure Wife
Contemporary campus setting, deals with witchcraft.
Robin McKinley, The Hero and the Crown; The Blue Sword
High fantasy with a kick-ass heroine in a quasi-medieval setting.
Elizabeth Moon, The Deed of Paksenarrion
Kick ass heroine in a high fantasy setting. Author is wonderful in writing of leadership and a military setting.
Jennifer Roberson, Sword Series (Tiger and Del)
Sword and sorcery with a very appealing hero and heroine.
Addendum: Fantasies I Disliked:
If you don't know it already I think Stephenie Meyer's Twilight "Saga" is only worth reading for the mocking with the most appallingly idiotic TSTL heroine, controlling stalker hero and awkward prose style ever published. I rather liked LK Hamilton's style and world-building--at first--in the Anita Blake novels. I didn't care for Guilty Pleasures, the first one in the series, and Hamilton was a bit squicky from the beginning. I pushed past that because someone I respect thought highly of the series and just when I was really finding Anita's arc interesting we hit WTF worthy of the worst of fanfic. You read those, be prepared to stop after Obsidian Butterfly unless you're curious just how bad and ridiculous a story can be yet still be published (and bestselling). Ditto on Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series which I found engaging in the beginning (I loved the first book, Wizard's First Rule) but more and more preachy polemic as its hero became more and more a Marty Sue. Robin Hobb just kills me because she's a good writer, makes me care for her characters, then disappoints every time. The woman does NOT believe in happy endings. The Jim Butcher Dresden Files I found pretty badly written and worst--dull.