Here’s a good site to start:
http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/fantasy100/lists_books.html
If you click on the linkies you get a short synopsis.
hey, did you guys know that CSI has won awards in the sci-fi category for the computer technologies that you would think should exist but does not really? Like that centralized fingerprint database.
…in case you haven’t read my thread on BIMP, here’s a link :
http://www.booksinmyphone.com/?tag=fantasy
you can download full length fantasy books into your book. It’s all legit cos the copyright has expired. btw, they’re all classics from the last century.
Oh right, that list reminded me - Terry Prachett does excellent, excellent fantasy parody books collectively known as “Diskworld”. He’s the Doug Adams of fantasy writing - if you haven’t read anything by him, pick one up next time you see one. It’s very British humor, but excellent in it’s writing and execution.
That last bit makes my head hurt, but I know what you mean. And yeah, it’s must-read stuff.
I might agree with you if it wasn’t for the horrible epilogue. I’ve read better fan fiction than that piece of crap. She only got away with it because her name is J.K. Rowling. I haven’t come across anything in the Inheritance series that was that crappy yet (though I will admit that it could still happen). I probably would have overlooked some of the crappy writing that pops up now and again in the series if it wasn’t for the epilogue. The only thing truly positive that I can say about the HP series and JKR is she is a fantastic world builder but she’s no where near the caliber of GRRM or Tolkien in either writing ability or world building IMO.
I’ve never thought of that but it is cool to think that RDM could be a fan of ASoIaF, especially since the two are my favorite series in the sci-fi/fantasy genre.
My problem with Terry Pratchett is the lack of chapters. I tried to read Guards, Guards! and it bothered the crap out of me.
I like to pretend the epilogue doesn’t exist. lalalalala I can’t hear you
I haven’t read George RR Martin, so I can’t say but Tolkien’s prose tends to the tortuous… which isn’t to say that it isn’t of a style, but I prefer Rowlings.
(again, I’m referring to form rather than content… ;))
Tolkien can be tortuous at times but so can Dickens and since I’m a big fan of Dickens it doesn’t bother me. The early books of the HP series were okay and I even liked the writing but the last few books weren’t IMO. HBP and DH were like reading fan fiction and I expected better of her. When reading them I felt like JKR was simply tired of writing HP. OotP wasn’t quite as bad as the last two but it wasn’t the same as PoA or GoF (which I think were the best books in the series).
I think GRRM’s writing is better than Tolkien’s. His series is even longer than Tolkien’s but it doesn’t drag like Tolkien’s does from time to time.
what about the dark elf trilogy from R.A. Salvatore?(forgotten realms)?? great set of books… and they started with a trilogy and continued on to like 12 books… a few dif. trilogies… so u can stop with 3, or continue on if u wish… the 1st 3 are great… check em out
I haven’t read any of his other stuff, but I loved the book he wrote with Neil Gaiman, Good Omens: the nice and accurate prophesies of Agnes Nutter, witch.. Just the title makes me giggle!
Speaking of which, Neil Gaiman needs to be mentioned in regards to fantasy. His stuff isn’t classic fantasy, but it’s still amazing.
People here have had some excellent suggestions, but I thought I’d throw out that haven’t been mentioned, since I read lots of trashy fantasy.
Katharine Kerr. Her Deverry series is GREAT. Well, the first 10 books are. The recent ones are less great, but still worth reading.
Ellen Kushner. Swordspoint. Also, in The Fall of the Kings, her coauthor mentions in her acknowledgements this great little lesbian-owned/catering coffee shop where I used to study on weekends in college, which was cool.
Lynn Flewelling. Both the Tamir Triad and the Nightrunner series (the fifth is to be published next year). Started me off on my gay fantasy kick.
Marian Zimmer Bradley. Mists of Avalon (Arthurian legend).
Mary Stewart. More Arthurian legend.
Peter S. Beagle. The Last Unicorn.
Jacqueline Carey. The Kushiel Series (ok, these are really just fantasy-set sex and politics books, but I like both of those things).
Jane Yolen. Her YA fantasy is what got me reading such things so it’s worth listing.
Thanks for reminding me. I recommend Neverwhere. I loved the book, but somehow I just couldn’t get into the BBC miniseries it was based on.
This thread (even though I’ve read a lot of it) makes me wish I didn’t have my exams this year but that I could actually, like, choose fun things to read. Sigh…
Only because I’ve been reading them, I would suggest the “His Dark Materials” trilogy by Phillip Pullman. Much better than the movie that was created.
So Nickname Boomer, have you picked anything? if so, what’re you reading? A curious public would like to know. 
I didn’t see David Eddings mentioned very good stuff too.
I’m currently reading Butcher’s Codex Alera series and I highly recommend it. One of the better series I’ve read, I’m having a hard time putting it down.