Never really read much in this vein, so i’ll put it out there to you good people for a great book to start me off with.
P.S. no need to mention the Lord of the ring because I’ve already read them
Dragon Riders of Pern.
(Although technically they’re sci-fi, they read like fantasy.)
Definitely Dragonriders, they’re classic. Especially the ones written earlier (arguably they didn’t veer into sci-fi category until Dragonsdawn and All the Weyrs of Pern, with the whole colonization and AVIS bits). It’s funny to go back though, because there are things I didn’t notice as a child that really piss me off now (the start of Lessa and F’lar’s relationship as a prime example). Author: Anne McCaffrey
I actually started out reading fantasy and slid my way into sci-fi (I forbid IYKWIM’s!), how typically gendered is that? :eek: But some of my favorites:
Melanie Rawn, particularly the Dragon Prince trilogy and it’s follow-up Trilogy.
The Golden Key, a collaboration between Jennifer Roberson, Melanie Rawn and Kate Elliott.
I love any and everything by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The Mists of Avalon, and subsequent novels (though Mists is the best in my view), and Darkover! Though be prepared if you haven’t read them, there’s a lot out there. Some of it also veers into sci-fi (see how genre boundaries are flexible?) in certain novels. If you want to start out I’d recommend with “The Spell Sword” and read those arcs. Or if you want a stand-alone, you can try “Stormqueen,” or you could read the Free Amazon trilogy starting with “The shattered chain.” Or you could just read through chronologically in the Darkover universe, starting with “Darkover Landfall.” Or you could read them in the order they were written… not like I’ve done all of those different things. 
I enjoyed Eragon (Christopher Paolini) and it’s sequel, Eldest (the last of the trilogy comes out next month), but it was very unoriginal in my mind - It really felt like a combination between the Lord of the Rings and the Dragonrider of Pern series in the bildungsroman tradition… but that didn’t make it any less fun.
Harry Potter, if you haven’t done it.
I’ve also really enjoyed the Artemis Fowl novels (they’re in the kid section, but they’re still hella fun) by Eoin Colfer.
And if you haven’t read it yet, also The Golden Compass trilogy.
I know the last 3 or 4 on the list are “kid books” and pretty heavily marketed, but they’re still pretty fun.
CJ Cherryh has some more fantasy oriented novels as well as her really excellent universe creation sci-fi.
Oh! And Andre Norton. I love the Witchworld books, too.
(and I’ll end the post here before I keep thinking of more… hehehe)
Ah. and in my excitement during the last post I forgot to add…
I would start with The Golden Key. It’s mostly a standalone, very complete in and of itself. If you want to get into the series later, then dive on in, but this one is a keeper. Either start with this, or with Mists of Avalon (MZB).
If you haven’t read Potter, do that just for the cultural references you’ll get in the future. If you have, read Octvia Butler (anything.)
See how the lines blur? 
Because I usually think of Butler (Octavia, not Judith) as Sci-Fi rather than fantasy… and everyone should read her, because she’s amazing. Particularly Kindred.
(which I guess is more fantasy-like than some of her other stuff…)
Of course, there’s always the George RR Martin stuff, the Song of Ice and Fire stuff. Really my favorites. They have it all: sex, murder, intrigues, epic battles, love, drama, eunichs and midgets. (Probably not appropriate for children or really young readers)
Definitely Martin’s books, but save them for last or they’ll spoil all other fantasy works you read afterwards (They’re that good.)
Try Raymond Feist’s (Riftwar Saga) but stop after a Darkness at Sethanon.
Terry Brooks earlier Shannara works are pretty good too. (Sword, Elfstones, Wishsong)
Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy & Liveship Traders trilogy.
I enjoyed David Eddings’ Belgariad and Mallorean pentalogies. Later books in the series were mostly just filler material. They were also more collaborative with his wife and were IMO a little too “cutesy” in a lot of the dialogue.
Somewhat more controversial are Stephen R. Donaldson’s three Thomas Covenant trilogies. Everyone I know who’s read them either loves them or hates them. They’ve also been compared dismissively to the LotR, and while I’ll grant that there are broad similarities in the stories, to me that’s like saying that candles plagiarize the sun. 
I also recommend SRD’s unrelated Mordant’s Need, a two-book series comprised of The Mirror of Her Dreams and A Man Rides Through. It has a rather unique magical world and the classic rise of the downtrodden and all the stuff that great fantasy is built upon. And they’re quick reads…
Definatly. Awesome books. Very graphic though
The Pern books are also awesome. But there’s a lot of them. I’ve read through the series twice. The first time in publication order (except for switching The White Dragon and Dragon Drums) the next in chronological order.
As for the Inhertitance cylce (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr and ???), they are very unoriginal. It is essentially Star Wars set in Middle Earth. Enjoyable enough, but not the best books ever
A little general summary, quite a few spoilers I’m afraid
[spoiler]
A princess carrying an object of great importance to the rebellion against the evil empire is ambushed and attacked by a high ranked servant of the leader of the empire.
She manages to send the object away to one of the few remaining members of an old order who fought with coloured swords and had skill with “magic”
The object doesn’t reach it’s target and instead falls into the possession of a farm boy of questionable parentage who lives with his uncle.
Farm boy goes to wise old master for advice and is given details of the old order.
The Empire attacks the farm boys home, killing his uncle. Boy forced to flee with wise old master.
Wise old master begins to train the young farm boy in the ways of the old order. Young farm boy given sword that once belonged to the evil emporer/king’s second in command (there’s a little bit more that I could add to this, re end of Eldest, but I’m not convinced yet)
I’ve had enough for now, I think the similarties are apparent but i suppose I could add more later. Needless to say it involes the wise old man sacrficing himself, the resuce of said princess that sent the object and the young farm boy becoming friends with a roguish type. That’s just the first book, the second has a few more similarites.
[/spoiler]
By the way, I’m sure you know this but the “Golden Compass trilogy” is more properly known as His Dark Materials (with the first book being called Northern Lights 
, Actually I have no problem with the name Golden Compass, just can’t resist a dig)
LOL I couldn’t remember Pullman’s name to save my life when I was originally posting, much less the trilogy’s title
pendragon pendragon pendragon PENDRAGON!
I do hope Brisingr changes up the status qou on the eragon trilogy. Hopefully send it off the star wars path. I like the first book but the second book had pacing problems(for me at least).
Oh my sweet pineapples, nobody has suggested Dragonlance.
For those of you who don’t know, Dragonlance is a pretty run of the mill Forgotten Realms knock off. It has a few (neat) differences but it’s basically a D&D campaign.
It’s a universe, but I’d just recommend the two trilogies that started it… Dragonlance Chronicles and Dragonlance Legends. They’re excellent, excellent series (especially Legends), leagues ahead of anything RA Salvatore’s written.
His Dark Materials is pretty good too, just be prepared for lots of… Strangeness. Does HDM even count as fantasy, especially considering the final two books?
EDIT: In my fanboy outburst, I forgot to mention that DL was written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis.
Uuu I hadn’t heard of Dragonlance… I picked up a random novel by Margaret Weis during the summer but had to return it to the library before I got a chance to read it.
My best buddy lend me his Forgotten realms books, well 3 of them, maybe 4? (Definitely the Dark Elf trilogy), I really liked Homeland because at the time I read it I was also reading a lot about theories of violence and pain and it all just kind of clicked like, yeah, this is right. Good times.
I vaguely remember a Hickman-Weis novel (series?) I read in college. The only things I remember were that the world was an icosahedron and that there were 20 gods. Obviously, it made an impression. Sound familiar? Anyone?
I haven’t read them myself, but I have a lot of friends who love the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. I kind of sort of know her (we have friends in common and have said hi a few times) but I love her fanfiction in just about every fandom she writes in. The only reason I haven’t read the Temeraire books is - well, they’re about dragons. I don’t care about dragons. Heh. Anyway, they were optioned by Peter Jackson, so perhaps a movie eventually.
Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series- It’s essentially a more modern version of Milton’s Paradise Lost but it’s one of the best series I’ve ever read.
James A. Owen’s The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series- Only two books so far but I really enjoyed them. The premise is that everything you see in fantasy series is real but only certain people from our world can ever see them. Two of the three main characters will be very familiar to fantasy fans (as they are actual fantasy writers) and lots of other famous people are mentioned or make appearances. The series makes reference to just about every famous fantasy work imaginable in some way.
George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series- The absolute best fantasy series I’ve ever read, period (even better than LOTR IMO). I can’t praise these books enough. Every fantasy fan should give these books a try. The first time I read them I got the same feeling I got the first time I watched BSG, simply blew me away. They have the same gritty, realistic feel that BSG pulls off so well and expertly mixes sharp political intrigue with low magic fantasy. The dialogue is great, the characters are memorable, the fights are awesome and there are moments that will shock you enough to make you have to walk away from the book for a minute. Plus, GRRM is a BSG fan.
Christopher Paolini’s The Inheritance Cycle- It’s not the best written series out there but neither is Harry Potter. I like to think of it as a Star Wars in Middle Earth with dragons. Not the most original of stories but I like it and I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
Now I remember the element I was missing in describing it - it’s not just Dragonriders of Pern + LOTR, it’s Dragonriders of Pern + LOTR + Harry Potter
Not to belittle it, I enjoy reading them, too. But I do have to stick my neck out there to state that I think HP is the must better written series of the two. Well, of the four, really.
Are you referring to the Death Gate Cycle books? There were 7 of them, and I read them YEAAAAARRRRRS ago. I remember I enjoyed them, but I don’t remember much detail except that there were worlds in four realms that were each dominated by a different element.
Also, I like Tad Williams. The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Trilogy was probably my first true introduction to Tolkein-esque “Epic Fantasy”. His stand alone novels are also pretty good.
And did I miss it or did no one mention the Dresden Files novels by Jim Butcher? I LOVE those books!
I also like the Anita Blake novels by Laurell K Hamilton and the Hollows series by Kim Harrison. And I’ve just started the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris.
I’ve seen him mention BSG on his site. However do you think RDM is a ASoIaF fan (I’m using way too many acronyms). There are a couple of charachters that have very similiar names. ASoIaF has Night Watch brother Ser Alliser Thorne, while BSG has the torturer Allister Thorne. Coincidence maybe, however I understand that in the new Caprica series there’ll be a charachter called Ben Stark (That’s not a spoiler I hope), quite similar to Benjen Stark I think. I believe that Ser Alliser Throne was introduced way back in A Game of Thrones, and that was long before season 2 of BSG
Or it could just be a coincidence.