Fantasy novels worth reading as an adult?

[eg1]

For an entirely different sort of fantasy, there is Frederick Rolfe's Hadrian VII and Max Beerbohm's Zuleika Dobson

 

[dfagdfsh]

Oh god whatever you do don't read Sword of Truth. Well, that is unless you enjoy castration and **** scenes...

 

[Flame]

R.Scott Bakker's Prince Of Nothing trilogy. Superb mixture of Tolkien-esque fiction and delvings into human nature.

 

[lefty]

Couple of more seldom thought of in this context:

Watership Down by Richard Adams. Who would have thought the adventures of a warren of bunnies could be so damn compelling?

And staying with animals, the 300 issue comic masterpiece Cerebus the Aardvark by Dave Sim. What started as a simple and crude sword and sorcery parody turned into a sophisticated social satire and a comic tour de force.

lefty

 

[orthofrancis]

Not sure if anyone mentioned any

Jonathan Strange and Mr Morrell (?) by Susanna Clarke

2nds/3rds on Gene Wolfe,Tad Williams, and anything by Neal Stevenson

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Originally Posted by Classically

In case someone hasn't mentioned it yet, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is always a good read. You don't even have to start at the first novel!

+1 ... I know someone mentioned Pratchett already, but I have read more than twenty of the Discworld novels and I can't put them down. After reading The Color Of Magic in 2005, he has become my favorite author.

There are three DVDs that are adaptations of Pratchett's Discworld series ... two are animated (Wyrd Sisters, Soul Music), while one is live action (Hogfather). IMO skip the cartoon ones and watch Hogfather. It's a fairly decent production, including a short appearance by Tony Robinson (Baldrick from The Black Adder BBC TV series).

My vote for favorite Discworld is Guards! Guards! Guards! ... although I am only up to Thief of Time so this may change!

Also seconded from items already listed: Weis/Hickman (Dragonlance) and Martin (Song of Fire and Ice). I like Goodkind's books although they really started to drag around Chainfire. I didn't really enjoy Card's Ender series although I thought Empire was okay. Moorcock's original Elric series kicked ass; his more recent offerings are not as good (e.g. The Dreamthief's Daughter). Leiber's Fafhrd and Mouser series also rules, although the last one (Swords and Ice Magic?) was not up to par as the rest.

I will also recommend the older Flinx & Pip books from Alan Dean Foster; his more recent efforts (starting around Phylogenesis, Running from the Deity) have been lower quality and have fallen to a level that I cannot describe other than reprehensible (Exceptions to Reality). By all means, try the Tar Aiym Krang (although it's better described as SF, not fantasy).

 

[Cary Grant]

Originally Posted by scwtlover

Heinlein is great, but, with the exception of Glory Road, he's a master of "hard" science fiction novels.

True. I do tend to lump all "escapism" together in threads such as this.

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

Farnham's Freehold.

Racism, reverse racism, alcoholism, misogyny, cannibalism, incest, religion, post apocalyptic world, time travel, ritual castration, alternate timelines, survivalist mentality, sluts...

It really doesn't get much better than that.

 

[RJmanbearpig]

I do like Harlan Ellison. One story I read by him contained a disquisition on leathergoods, including Atlas bags.

 

[Kohan]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

This is sci-fi, but Dune. IMO, one of the ten greatest pieces of fiction ever written.
+1000
How did it take 4 whole pages before someone mentioned Dune? That book is phenomenal, without a doubt one of the most page-turnerest things I've ever read. Yes, sci-fi. Worth a read? Absolutely.

As for regression-to-childhood reading (which Dune is not), I really enjoyed Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy back in high school. Nix takes an approach to magic that I really like, less "fanciful-focus-of-the-book" and more "essential-but-not-the-whole-thing"

Happy reading! I love winter reading, I plan on regressing to James Bond novels and Calvin & Hobbes myself.

 

[dusty]

Here's what I picked up from the library:

Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
The Man Who Was Thursday - GK Chesterton
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said - PK Dick
Count Zero - William Gibson
Gentlemen of the Road - Michael Chabon

 

[Kohan]

American Gods is intense.

Gaiman and Pratchet are brilliant together in God Omens, btw. Freakin' hilarious,

 

[bbaquiran]

Originally Posted by Ace Rimmer

There are three DVDs that are adaptations of Pratchett's Discworld series ... two are animated (Wyrd Sisters, Soul Music), while one is live action (Hogfather). IMO skip the cartoon ones and watch Hogfather. It's a fairly decent production, including a short appearance by Tony Robinson (Baldrick from The Black Adder BBC TV series).
I saw the Hogfather adaptation (looked like a 2-part TV miniseries) and enjoyed it. I'm not sure a non-Discworld reader would be able to "get" it, though. There's also the Color of Magic miniseries which I think you can watch in its entirety on Youtube.

 

[Tangfastic]

I'm currently re-reading Robert E. Howard's original Conan stories, available in a handsome faux leather binding, with maps and illustrations:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/complete-chr...2626463&sr=8-1

They're absolutely great! Incredibly racy for something published in the 1930's. Most fantasy fiction is a pale imitation of the vividness, strangeness and invention of these stories.

 

[dusty]

Update:
Gentlemen of the Road really sucked.
Shadow of the Torturer was like nothing I've ever read.

 

[NH_Clark]

Stephen R. Donaldson's Thomas Convenant series!