Fantasy novelists, who rocks your world ?

[Ol^ Marbles]

As a companion piece to the SF debate, out of all the current Fantasy Novelists, who is writing the coolest, most cutting edge(?) stuff?

My vote is for a guy called George RR Martin and his 'Song Of Fire and Ice' series. Superbly written with a fiendishly complicated yet engrossing plot modelled to a large extent on the political machinations during the 'War Of The Roses'.
A really terrific read. Best thing since sliced bread tbh.

[Art]

Horrible to say, but I actually really liked "American Gods" and am looking forwards to more by up-and-coming young novelist Neil Gaiman.

[Wood]

Obvious perhaps, but... Moorcock. Only fantasy author I read who's still alive.

Dead fantasy authors, well... there's Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs... the list goes on.

[The Amstor Computer]

---Obvious perhaps, but... Moorcock. Only fantasy author I read who's still alive---

Ditto - and that in itself could be a fairly damning critique of modern fantasy...

...Or it could be that I can't be arsed trawling through all the shite to find a handful of diamonds ;-)

[Mudcrab]

Double Ditto! Moorcock's the man! Eagerly awaiting the sequel to The Dreamthief's Daughter!

Apart from that, I've just finished the majority of Raymond E Feist books (Magician etc, Serpentwar). Excellent stuff, fairly similar to David Eddings really. Not a patch on Moorcock, but worth reading. I'm thinking I need to read some Lovecraft, I've only ever read a comic adaptation of The Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath (is that right?). I'd imagined The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan) books are pretty good. Anyone read them?

[Mudcrab]

While writing in the SF thread I just remembered my favourite fantasy series EVER, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, by Stephen R Donalsdon. Also the second Chronicles, which are just as good. This is part of the great thrillpower overload of 1977, when 2000ad started, the Sex Pistols were at No.1, Star Wars hit the cinema and Thomas Covenant was released. The 2nd trilogy was published in the late 80's I think, with plans for a third as far as I know. He's released nothing since the end of the Gap series (see SF author thread :-)

[Ol^ Marbles]

Yeh I read Tommy 'the Leper' Covenant many moons ago. Cracking stuff - The Blood Guard, Lore Lords etc. What was the giants name ? 'Stoutheart Foamfollower' or sommat ?
I'm rather ashamed to say I've also read the 'Wheel Of Time' books. They are really formulaic cheesy fantasy, but page-turners all the same. Wouldnt recommend really - they are the literature equivalent of a Big Mac.
The 'Black Company' novels by Glen Cook are worth picking up.

[Mudcrab]

Close, it was Saltheart Foamfollower. Splendid character!

Hmm, formulaic was a word that came to mind while reading Feist/Eddings stuff. Reads well as long as you haven't read too many other fantasy sagas.

[Ol^ Marbles]

The only other thing that was halfway good I read recently was a trilogy called 'Memory, Sorrow and Thorn'.
Can't remember who wrote it tho'. But at least it tried to break out of the fantasy epic formuala in some small way.

[O Lucky Stevie!]

i've always lent more towards sf than fantasy, but those who've i have read & enjoyed are

mervyn peake (i rate gormenghast far higher than lord of the rings)
angela carter
jeanette winterson
ursula le guin's fantasy
sheri s. tepper's fantasy
robert silverberg's fantasy
kim stanley robinson's 'short, sharp shock'

does magic-realism count? )if so, massive props to banana yoshimoto!!!!!!! she rocks, & i mean that most emphatically)

i've wet my knickers!
steven l'enfant terrible

[Ol^ Marbles]

Banana Yoshimoto ?? Is that a joke name ?

You mean 'magical realism' in the GG Marquez floating way with the laundry sense? - that's not fantasy.

Fantasy is a minimum 7 book epic about a young orphan stablelad who's growing awareness of his magical powers is only matched by his growing unease at his feelings for girls.
Anyway, 7 books and hundreds of turgid pages of prose later he kills the dragon, overcomes Lord Fouls dastardly machinations, recovers his ancestors mighty sword and shags the girl, finally becoming the 'Once And Future King' long prophicised since the start of the book.
Wouldnt have it any other way. Great stuff.

[O Lucky Stevie!]

>You mean 'magical realism' in the GG Marquez floating way with the laundry sense? - that's not fantasy.

fair enough.

>Banana Yoshimoto ?? Is that a joke name ?

absolutely not, colonel. stunningly  brilliant japanese magic realist, perhaps the best place to start is her short story anthology 'lizard'.

if you can't be arsed getting down to your local library or nearest bookshop, slide across the information super snakes & ladders board to the link below.

i promise that you'll won't be able to believe how empty your life was before you knew she existed.

i've wet my knickers!
steven l'enfant terrible

Link: http://abyss.hubbe.net/banana/index.html" target="_blank">bananamania

[Mudcrab]

I've read erm, Shadow's End I think it was called by Sheri S Tepper. One of the best books I've ever read I think. Utterly bizarre in places, but really amazing stuff.

[Mudcrab]

Ah, you missed the gathering of his band of merry followers. The obligatory sorcerous mentor, the thief (who's really a prince), the best archer since time began, the big muscle-bound one and of course, one who's really good with horses :o)

[O Lucky Stevie!]

oh, thanks for reminding me, strontium doug. the actual tales of the stone monkey, which was the basis for both the tv series monkey & dragon ball z.

i've wet my knickers!
steven l'enfant terrible