[fenixlt]

Can any one suggest my any good English book, becouse I have to write an essay about it (I prefere fantasy or somthing with mithologi) ((Sorry for so stupid tread))

[ICFabian]

Sorry for so stupid tread

No problem, we all have trouble walking every now and then.

And to stick to the topic... eh... Lord of the Rings is the first example that leapt to mind. If you can stomach the winding descriptions and dialogue lines that stretch into dozens of pages.


No, I don't very much like LotR, how did you know?

[fenixlt]

you impres my evry time. I Readed lotr in 3 languages about 5-6 times.

[Zeri0n]

well i liked harry poter when i was a kid so i read first 3 parts then, far better than movies...

[Hellbilly]

For something a bit less long-winded and lengthy, Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books might be worth checking out if fantasy's yer cup of tea. And if fast, easy and light is what you want, why not check out the "bulk assembly line" authors like David Eddings, R.A. Salvatore etc.? Their books aren't superb, they offer precious little new, but they write fluent, entertaining little stories.

[ICFabian]

For something a bit less long-winded and lengthy, Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books might be worth checking out if fantasy's yer cup of tea.

Definitely this. Le Guin's still my favourite author, at least when it comes to description. Her work is somewhat archetypal, but not in the (bad) sense a lot of the stuff we read today is.

[Hellbilly]

Then again, perhaps it's archetypal because others have taken after her? She did write the first Earthsea novels before the genre exploded into what it is today. The word I'd use of today's fantasy genre is "bloated".

Of course, you have to put her stuff in the right context and understand that when something's familiar-feeling, she probably wrote it before most of the other stuff. I'm not a huge fan of her stuff, except for the first Earthsea-novel, but still feel safe recommending it.

[ICFabian]

There are still some pretty all right fantasy books, though.

The Blade Itself, which I have finished some time ago, focuses not so much on the usual fantasy fare (like worldbuilding and fireballs and shit), but on the quirky cast. And then there's Rothfuss, but the page count of his Name of the Wind really alienated me from ever finishing it. And there's Red Seas under Red Skies, and its prequel, which was a decent read.

I'm sure those aren't the only ones. There is still good fantasy out there today.

[Hellbilly]

There are still some pretty all right fantasy books, though.

Certainly, but there's so much of the generic b-rate stuff it's hard to grab a new title without being fairly certain you'll get something thoroughly trivial. Sort of what seemed to happen with horror anthologies in the late 80's and early 90's, which is why the horror scene seems to be in a serious state of dormancy now. Luckily though, we in Finland had one active compiler of anthologies who sifted through the shite for us and published a string of great anthologies of contemporary horror back then.

It's sort of funny though that the one thing missing from a lot of modern fantasy is the actual fantasy, don't you think?

Oh yes, and one other book (series) I'd recommend to any fan of fantasy, for schools assignments or not, is Clive Barker's Abarat. Two books so far, and that is fantasy that has plenty of originality and good stuff in it. Especially the illustrated versions are a must IMO.

[Hav'caaren An'givare]

Dune, Frank Herbert
The Godfather, Mario Puzo
The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien

And if you would like something more mature, Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov (english translation)

[Zeri0n]

Jarold's diary will be a great book when finished, believe my words, just to wait hellbilly till he finishes it...

[ICFabian]

It's sort of funny though that the one thing missing from a lot of modern fantasy is the actual fantasy, don't you think?

Yeah, it's very ironic. But on the other hand, I understand why people become fascinated about trite and cliché things like evil magic lords and fireballs. At least in the beginning. It becomes weary after a while, though. But I'm glad to say that there is still mature, creative fantasy out there to cater to the more cultured tastes of some readers.

[fenixlt]

thx ppl I will try to read atleast 50% of thys books this year

[Eidolon]

If your english is above average,look for Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf.You CAN'T go wrong with that.(No seriously,go read it.)

Now,for old-school-vintage fantasy/mythology literature I suggest the following:

1)The Odyssey by Homer
2)1001 Arabian Nights by arabians
3)A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare
4)The Aeneid by Virgil
5)Divine Comedy by Dante

The above are a must-read if you're a fan of classic literature.

Enjoyable pulpy literature:
1)Necronomicon:The complete collection of H.P.Lovecraft
2)The complete chronicles of Conan
3)Dune

God-Tier fantasy:
1)A game of thrones by G.R.R Martin
2)Wiedzmin by Andrzej Sapkowski
3)The gunslinger (1-4) by Stephen King
4)LOTR and everything written by Tolkien.

Ok-Tier fantasy:
1)The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
2)anything by Salvatore (anything related to D&D,Dragonlance et cetera for that matter)
3)Bartimaeus by Jonathan Stroud

Shit-Tier/Guilty Pleasure-Tier:
1)Harry Potter-Rowling
2)Artemis Fowl-Eoin Colfer
3)The Eye Of The World-Robert Jordan

Diarrhea-Tier/Why-are-you-even-reading-this-Tier:
1)Eragon
2)Paranormal Romance (yes,the entire genre,this can be placed on God-Tier if you're a teenage,vampire-obsessed girl.)
3)Anything written by Neil Gaiman
4)The Gunslinger (4-7) by Stephen King
5)LOTR and everything written by Tolkien. (You either love him or hate him)

[fenixlt]

My english talking and reading is about AVG but reading is perfect =) So THX again

[ICFabian]

Oh, and, uhm, if you love really complex books that have certain fantasy influences but are otherwise great alternative histories, do try Guy Gavriel Kay's work, other than the Fionavar Tapestry.

Sailing to Sarantium was definitely one of the most mature books I've read up to now. Mature not in the sense of "half the world dies, deal with it," kind of way, but in that it provides characters who are wounded reaching out and changing, and dealing with their pasts.

And the setting is so vivid (aided immensely by the huge cast of viewpoint characters, though he does tend to switch viewpoints dizzyingly in the same scene), the descriptions so lyrical, you can actually feel the north wind touching your skin, and the Sarantine marble under your feet.

[fenixlt]

After reading of what you wrote to advice my in my head sparkled an idea what about a creating a book about Gothic (yeap this sound i when worse then creating thys tread at begining xD)

[ICFabian]

After reading of what you wrote to advice my in my head sparkled an idea what about a creating a book about Gothic (yeap this sound i when worse then creating thys tread at begining xD)

Yeah, I've harboured such ideas myself, and perhaps I still do. Maybe one day...

[Onisuzume]

you impres my evry time. I Readed lotr in 3 languages about 5-6 times.

Hm.. how about the Wraeththu Chronicles or Otherland?
Both are pretty interresting to read.

[ICFabian]

Hm.. how about the Wraeththu Chronicles

My god, have you any idea how much I looked for those books?
If you have any... ideas... where I might find them, please PM?