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A Fantasy book for a psychopath girl...


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Hello everybody!

 

Since I started reading Harry Potter (I was 7 years old back then), I stopped immediately reading Fantasy stories, even though there were a looot of books like these for my age at the moment. Vampires were not the current fashion at this epoch... :P

 

So I was like "oh no, I don't read it, I'm not a little girl" (I was 10 :)) and I started reading a lot of creepy books because I loved the idea of being someone scary. :)

 

BUT. Last week I found that I really wanted to read a Fantasy book, a story with elves, creatures, giants, bow fights etc. Things I should have read before. So I'd really like to find a reaaally good Fantasy book, if possible not too long (the book can be long, but I wouldn't want a thousand books series, because I see that it's the way Fantasy is often written! Not that it's a wrong thing, but I won't have the right to buy 5 books in a row, you don't know my mother :lol:).

 

Aaand, last condition, if it could not be the most unknown author of the world, that could help me! (I will try to find it in a big library in France, but still there won't be all the books in the world so...) And since I haven't read a single Fantasy book, all the possibilities can exist! [oh my god, my English is terrible tonight]

 

I will also say that I have in my bedroom Lord of the Rings, and I really think I'm going to start it. Because Merry is cool. :)

 

I think I should just write a Fantasy novel, I'm gifted to make you waste your time by reading my everlasting post! :lol:

 

Thanks!

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Hello :) off the top of my head, my recommendations to you are (both are standalone books, you'll be happy to hear!):

 

- Neil Gaiman, Stardust (about a young man who crosses into the world of Faerie to catch the falling star he's promised to the girl he loves)

- Keith Miller, The Book of Fire (about a librarian of books only he reads on a quest for a pair of wings so that he may win the heart of a winged girl)

 

The Book of Fire is a bit mature in places - I thought I'd mention this as I don't know how old you are :) - but it's one of the most beautiful, moving, meaningful books I've ever read so I couldn't not suggest it.

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I'm 17, I have read one of the... most special French guy, the Marquis de Sade, and I wouldn't say he's the pride of my country :) I wasn't really shocked, only curious of something: did he REALLY think he could be published? There are things that should not be written. :)

 

So thanks, I'm noting these two books, I hope I will find them!

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I have read three Philip Pullman books, but I'd like books more like Lord of the Rings (I'll start with... Lord of the Rings xD). But I have have only read Northern Lights (in French it's more like Northern Kingdoms, if I remember the translation), maybe the others will please me... And they are easy to find, even in France. I'll check this out!

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If you're looking for something akin to Lord of The Rings, have you tried David Eddings, Raymond E Feist or Tad Williams?

 

For David Eddings: Pawn of Prophecy is the first book of 'The Belgariad', which is five books long (sorry!!). Or there is The Diamond Throne, which is the first book in a trilogy called 'The Elenium'. See here (but beware of spoilers!):

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawn_of_Prophecy#Pawn_of_Prophecy

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elenium

 

 

For Raymond E. Feist there's Magician, which is the first book in his 'Riftwar' trilogy.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magician_%28novel%29

 

 

For Tad Williams, The Dragonbone Chair, which is the first of his trilogy (in the UK it's actually published in four volumes) called 'Memory, Sorrow & Thorn'.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dragonbone_Chair

 

You might also like to check out Robin Hobb, starting with her 'Farseer' trilogy.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_Apprentice

 

 

I highly recommend all of them :)

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I recommend reading Terry Brooks's Shannara books if "Classical" fantasy is what you're looking for. It's a bit cliched for someone who's been in the area but since you're new to it, it'll set you in just fine.

 

 

Start with "The Sword of Shannara" by Terry Brooks.

And I second reading David Eddings's books as well, but first either read the Shannara books or the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. I think Tolkien's work might put you off the genre for a bit because of the hugeness of it all, and the language itself isn't that comfortable.

How old are you by the way?

Some fantasy books require a lot more maturity. But for a beginner, Brooks and Tolkien are the way to go. Especially if Rowling's the only fantasy writer you've tried. And would Redwall fans say that the books are slightly fantastic as well?

 

But if it's Elves, Dwarfs, Dragons and the like that you're looking for, start with The Hobbit. Read LOTR and then slide right into Brooks. I swear, the next twelve years of your life will be fraught with the genre. I'm just getting out of it.

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You could try the David Eddings books, I read them when I was young and they follow the classic Sci Fantasy formula, quest etc.. they are a group of 5 followed by a second group of 5 but well worth it. Others which I loved was Stephen Donaldsons Mordants Need which was only two books, and a little darker but good.

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The moment you mention elves, I start thinking of the Inheritance cycle (i.e. Eragon) - have you tried that?

 

Perhaps you're looking for something more "adult" and if so, I have to say A Song of Ice and Fire... unfortunately, they're like 800-1000 pages EACH. There have only been 4(5?) books published so far though, and if you're interested in dragons, old kingdoms, royalty and general awesome fantasy, you won't regret checking it out! :)

 

I saw you talking about His Dark Materials before as well and I just wanted to say that the second and the third book in these series are much better than the first (in my opinion). It may have spoiled the first one a bit that I saw the movie beforehand but anyway, you should check out the next two if you've only read the Northern Lights, like you said. :)

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Wooh I leave one day and when I come back I have a whole library before my eyes!

 

Karsa Orlong => I have never heard about these three authors, because I never have read any Fantasy book, I didn't care before... a week. xD So I recapitulate to see it easily:

David Eddings: Pawn of Prophecy of 'The Belgariad', which is five books long.

The Diamond Throne, first book in a trilogy called 'The Elenium'.

 

Raymond E. Feist there's Magician, which is the first book in his 'Riftwar' trilogy.

 

Tad Williams, The Dragonbone Chair, which is the first of his trilogy called 'Memory, Sorrow & Thorn'.

 

Robin Hobb, starting with her 'Farseer' trilogy.

 

vinay87 => "The Sword of Shannara" by Terry Brooks, noted! I'm 17 years old, and never really afraid of what I read. What scares me is what I hear, so I'm uneasily shocked by books... Maybe at the end of some creepy book I can have a thought about it like "oh my god, poor little boy", but two days after I don't think of it. If the problem is blood or sickening battle or torture scenes, I can think of something else, like I did with Battle Royale. I have LOTR in French at home, so for the language I will be able to understand it more easily than I do with English books... Even though I'm not disturbed by reading in English, but I don't want to read a book with a dictionnary in hand all the time! :lol: LOTR in English would be hard I think, because I have never seen the specific vocabulary of it. Crime novels, now historic novels, it's okay, but Fantasy isn't yet in my head! :)

 

pickle => David Eddings and Stephen Donaldson's Mordants Need, noted! Maybe I'll try first Mordants Need, I have checked the summary on Wikipedia and it may interest me... The last choice will be made at the library with the books that will be there!

 

Ski[sorry for the accent ><]rnir => A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin interests me a lot! I'm gonna check this one as soon as possible, even if they're huge. I love huge books, that's why I don't read them fast and ends up with 4 books read in five months. :) Which makes me think that I'm trying for a whole year to learn your language, and I find it the most difficult one ever, you're lucky to know it by birth! :lol:

For Eragon, I have read the first two and borrowed it to a friend who suffered from leukemia (she never took them back, but I'm not gonna rush at her house to claim two books I'll never ever reread. :) Then I bought the third, but I couldn't continue it, it was like the magic was gone. ToT I have to say that I was lining up to have an autograph of my favourite author when I got the book, so I wasn't really enjoying it at the moment... Maybe I'll continue it someday. Even though I've spotted an awful spelling mistake in it, what a shame. :P

 

Chrissy => I have read the first two and maybe the beginning of the third (Le Miroir d'Ambre), and even if I can't remember at all the story (it was too long ago!) I remember that I loved the second. And there was a leopard, I believe. But at this time of my life I started being a strange girl. xD

 

 

Oh my God, THAT was a novel. I think I've understood why I want to read Fantasy books: I find this genre esthetic, and I'm in my drawing period.

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I'd recommend reading GRR Martin's books at the last.

A reading order for a fantasy novice would be:

1. The Hobbit and LOTR

2. Harry Potter

3. The Chronicles of Narnia

4. Terry Brooks

5. David Eddings

6. Philip Pullman

7. Ursula K LeGain

 

Then move on to the biggies. Feist, Jordan, Martin, Donaldson, Williams and Hobb.

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'A Song of Ice & Fire' is awesome - as Skirnir mentioned we're still waiting for three more books to be published in the series, and it looks like being a looooong wait :) :). It's highly original and wonderfully written, with a cast of absolutely fantastic characters.

 

Another one to throw into the mix: David Gemmell - his Drenai books, starting with Legend - you can read an excerpt here: http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Drenai-Tales-Book-1/dp/0345379063/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273650908&sr=8-4#reader_0345379063

 

It would be remiss of me not to mention my favourite, Steven Erikson, who has a very different and original take on the fantasy genre. I suspect he's not quite what you're looking for, but you can read a bit about him here if you're interested: http://bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=12415

 

:)

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'A Song of Ice & Fire' is awesome - as Skirnir mentioned we're still waiting for three more books to be published in the series, and it looks like being a looooong wait :) :). It's highly original and wonderfully written, with a cast of absolutely fantastic characters.

 

I was going to suggest this. I haven't actually read it myself but have heard very good things about it! Karsa: where did you get your copy? I noticed that it's a series but I'm a bit confused because everyone refers to the book by the title A Song of Ice & Fire, but I've only seen A Game of Thrones really. Unconfuse me! :)

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I was going to suggest this. I haven't actually read it myself but have heard very good things about it! Karsa: where did you get your copy? I noticed that it's a series but I'm a bit confused because everyone refers to the book by the title A Song of Ice & Fire, but I've only seen A Game of Thrones really. Unconfuse me! :)

:)

 

'A Song of Ice & Fire' is actually the title of the series, as opposed to a single book. There are currently four volumes in the series and they're called:

 

A Game of Thrones

A Clash of Kings

A Storm of Swords (this is published in two parts in the UK)

A Feast For Crows

 

The fifth book, A Dance With Dragons, is supposedly going to be published in September, although Martin himself hasn't confirmed this and I suspect it's a bit hopeful.

 

Hope that helps with the confuzzlement :)

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