| Author | Message | ||
| Helm Filipowitsch
Valued Member Username: flitz Post Number: 157 Registered: 06-2009 |
and how does it affect your writing of poetry? I realize that this is a bit off the radar for a poetry site, but as poets, we deal with a careful blend of the real and the imagined. I've always thought that my greatest gift as a writer, and also the greatest bane of my existence, is that I can take anything that I hear or imagine and make it real. That ability, I believe, drives my potential as a writer and my disability to often deal effectively with the world around me. That said, my favorite work of fantasy is: Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay. This is closely followed by the Darkover series by Marion Zimmer Bradley. With poetry, I often look for the morphing of the real into the surreal, as though the distance between the two is the act of opening or closing a door. Helm. Blog: http://cancan-nono.blogspot.com/ | ||
| Gary Blankenship
Moderator Username: garydawg Post Number: 29399 Registered: 07-2001 |
A tough question because there is so many that might be: Rings, Watership, Rabbit Hill, Pooh, Wind in the Willows, Fforde's Tuesday books, Dark Tower. The list is endless, but #1 has to be Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Cobenant books. Smiles. Gary Celebrate Walt with Gary: http://www.poetrykit.org/pkl/tw10/tw4conte.htm | ||
| Fred Longworth
Senior Member Username: sandiegopoet Post Number: 6787 Registered: 05-2006 |
I have come to the conclusion that the entire world as I experience it is a total fantasy. In answer to the question "What is the world really like behind the veil of fantasy?" I answer as follows -- | ||
| Helm Filipowitsch
Valued Member Username: flitz Post Number: 158 Registered: 06-2009 |
Gary, I've also read the series and enjoyed it. I wasn't quite sure what it was about when I began, especially with the title of the first book. Speaking with someone one day about the Donaldson series, she pointed out that the language was straight from Homer. Some things never change. Ah Fred, so you didn't look behind the curtain.  Helm. Blog: http://cancan-nono.blogspot.com/ | ||
| LJ Cohen
Moderator Username: ljc Post Number: 11385 Registered: 07-2002 |
The Riddle Master Trilogy by Patricia McKillip. Her language is lush and poetic, her characters fully drawn. I have read this series multiple times over the past 20+ years and find more to like about it as time passes. Once in a Blue Muse Blog "Chop Wood, Carry Water" | ||
| S. Thomas Summers
Advanced Member Username: s_thomas_summers Post Number: 1833 Registered: 10-2006 |
The Hobbit captured me as a youth - convinced me an imagintaion is a gift. Later, Frakenstein compelled me to become a literature teacher. visit me at http://www.freewebs.com/sthomassummers/ author of "Death settled well" and "Rather, It Should Shine" | ||
| Judy Thompson
Advanced Member Username: judyt54 Post Number: 1827 Registered: 11-2007 |
There is so much in the Discworld books that lends itself to deeper thought, a great deal of rumination, and just plain philosophy wrapped around a certain amount of humor and anger, I seriously doubt if I could find anything that matches it. I read--and loved--Ray Bradbury as a kid and a young adult, if for nothing else than the poetry he put in his writing. Much of the early 50s Science fiction was geared toward short stories, some of them downright eloquent both in structure and language. I think all of this is as important as reading books of poetry or how-to-write-a-poem stuff... (I'll look up the Riddle Master, LJ. I like to have things that are worth the reread. ) Not to mention fairy tales, the ultimate fantasy stories... Afraid of the Dark | ||
| Sherry Pelley
Valued Member Username: spell Post Number: 167 Registered: 10-2007 |
I had a Grade 7 teacher with a wonderful Scottish brogue who read my class The Hobbit by Tolkien and it's been a favorite ever since. This book in particular shifted my focus from 'reading a great book' to 'being swept up in the words of a great writer'. | ||
| steve williams
Board Administrator Username: twobyfour Post Number: 2383 Registered: 01-2003 |
On my short list: (some of these are not pure fantasy) The complete works of Harlan Ellison The 4 books of Hyperion by Dan Simmons Lord of Light by Roger Zelazney (I think this one's out of print) also Zelazney's Amber series Have to agree with Thomas Covenant As for hard Sci Fi, don't get me started warmly s | ||
| Anna Brown
Intermediate Member Username: tissuetoyou Post Number: 694 Registered: 11-2007 |
Amber series is good, but my fav by far, and my brother who is a master critique (in our eyes) is A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. 100% the best of the best. It is Class A of books. Whether it's your favorite or not, they are without a doubt wonderful and everyone who likes fantasy should read them. _________________________________________________ If you're not a good person, try to be one; if you are a good person, try to be a better one. No one is perfect, but we choose how close to it we will be. | ||
| Cornelius Vanvig
Intermediate Member Username: corneliusvanvig Post Number: 521 Registered: 08-2005 |
Political speeches by _________________ (fill in the blank). They are all marvelous works of fantasy, absurdity, and self-delusion. mini Shakespearian tragedies and comedies. I also like short stories by Bradbury and Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner & Minority Report). | ||
| Dan Tompsett
Intermediate Member Username: db_tompsett Post Number: 827 Registered: 07-2007 |
Richard Brautigan "People who believe a lot of crap are better off." Charles Bukowski | ||
| Emusing
Senior Member Username: emusing Post Number: 8017 Registered: 08-2003 |
I with steve...my absolute favorite: Zelazney's Amber series Word Walker Press; Moonday Poetry; Kyoto Journal "Knowledge is the new currency." Lester Brown | ||
| Dan Tompsett
Intermediate Member Username: db_tompsett Post Number: 828 Registered: 07-2007 |
One of my favorite fantasies is a dream I had the other night/morning: I dreamt I had met some a people somewhere. They were a family. Mom, dad, a few kids. Their youngest son, about 5 or 6 yrs. old had his room in a nice shack separate from the house. He came outside to meet me as the rest of the family exited the dream. He was a chubby kid with a slight smile on his face. He had a crewcut. He never spoke. As we were standing near his shack, which had a lot of trees around it, all of a sudden through a wide clearing that faced the horizon a huge planet appeared. It looked as though it was almost touching Earth. It was sort of silvery-gray in color, and had several dark lines criss-crossing it. Debris, most of which looked like sheets of paper constantly crossed in front of the planet. What looked somewhat like a greenhouse also passed by. This planet had two moons, which looked to be about 4 or 5 times the size of Earth's moon. They were on the side of the planet facing us. It looked as though they were about 100 yards apart from each other. One of them looked a lot like Earth's moon in color. The other one looked blood-reddish, sort of like Earth's moon looks during an eclipse. I kept looking around to see if anyone else was looking at this, but saw no one but the little boy, who was still smiling. "People who believe a lot of crap are better off." Charles Bukowski | ||
| Fred Longworth
Senior Member Username: sandiegopoet Post Number: 6796 Registered: 05-2006 |
Dune is wonderful. The movie sucks. Fred | ||
| Emusing
Senior Member Username: emusing Post Number: 8019 Registered: 08-2003 |
Loved the movie, but have you read PRUNE? Word Walker Press; Moonday Poetry; Kyoto Journal "Knowledge is the new currency." Lester Brown | ||
| Judy Thompson
Advanced Member Username: judyt54 Post Number: 1836 Registered: 11-2007 |
and you know, fantasy literature isnt that far removed from poetry. It's probably closer to our mindset (as it would appear from the responses here) than anything else in literature--which when you think about it is all fantasy at one level or another... Afraid of the Dark | ||
| Dan Tompsett
Intermediate Member Username: db_tompsett Post Number: 833 Registered: 07-2007 |
and some of us are in such a perpetual state of fantasy so much of the time we don't need to read about somebody else's... "People who believe a lot of crap are better off." Charles Bukowski | ||
| Hugh W Walthall
Member Username: xenophon Post Number: 59 Registered: 11-2008 |
The Well at the World's End by William Morris tho disc world is fun; best of those is Night Watch Jacques Lacan, Jacques Lacan you really turn me on.... | ||
| Dale McLain
Senior Member Username: sparklingseas Post Number: 3729 Registered: 11-2004 |
I adore "Children of God" and "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell and "The Last Unicorn" by Peter S. Beagle. | ||
| Judy Thompson
Advanced Member Username: judyt54 Post Number: 1838 Registered: 11-2007 |
Hugh, my first love is the luggage, and Sam Vimes. and his wife. I read The Last Unicorn years ago, Dale, and just fell into it. Neil Gaiman is another favorite, but he gets a tad too dark for me sometimes, and no matter how well he writes the body of the book, he simply cannot end them decently. Afraid of the Dark | ||
| Helm Filipowitsch
Valued Member Username: flitz Post Number: 164 Registered: 06-2009 |
I'd like to thank everyone for their responses. Some of the writers I know and enjoy, such as Pratchett and others I'm not at all familiar with, so I will have to read them. For those interested, here's a poll of what others think about fantasy novels: http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/fantasy100/lists_books.html Helm. Blog: http://cancan-nono.blogspot.com/ | ||
| Judy Thompson
Advanced Member Username: judyt54 Post Number: 1840 Registered: 11-2007 |
that's an incredible list. I was startled to see how many of them I've read. and how many werent even listed--The Time Machine, nothing by Asimov, A Canticle for Leibowitz...(which I now have to reread, since apparently I have utterly forgotten the entire book) Afraid of the Dark | ||
| Jane Røken
Senior Member Username: magpie Post Number: 4002 Registered: 03-2007 |
Wow. What a fantas(y)tic thread this is. Great idea, Helm! I'd like to mention ... "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman (in fact, anything by Neil Gaiman) "The Diamond Age" by Neal Stephenson "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" by Haruki Murakami "The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear" by Walter Moers ... and so many of the others that you people mentioned, are favourites of mine too. I was so glad to see that. Jane | ||
| Zefuyn
Advanced Member Username: zefuyn Post Number: 1510 Registered: 12-2006 |
Thomas Covenant Series The Never Ending Story 'Mistress of the Acoma' series and Enid Blyton's 'The Faraway Tree & Other Tales' Melanie Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats. ~H.L. Mencken | ||
| Catherine Edmunds
Valued Member Username: delph_ambi Post Number: 149 Registered: 04-2009 |
Guy Gavriel Kay's 'Tigana', without question, and Stephen Donaldson's 'Thomas Covenant' series (especially parts 4, 5 & 6) as a close second, but if we can stretch 'fantasy' to include sci-fi here, then the major influence on ALL my writing, poetry and prose, is Donaldson's 'Gap' series. Catherine Edmunds, writer and illustrator | ||
| Gary Blankenship
Moderator Username: garydawg Post Number: 29432 Registered: 07-2001 |
I never got into Gap, but I'm going to have to check them out again. I think SF deserves a list of its own. Smiles. Gary Celebrate Walt with Gary: http://www.poetrykit.org/pkl/tw10/tw4conte.htm | ||
| Catherine Edmunds
Valued Member Username: delph_ambi Post Number: 155 Registered: 04-2009 |
The thing with the first Gap book is that if you read it straight after the Covenant books and expect a similar style, you think: 'Crikey, this is SO dry!' and most likely give up. But you know Donaldson. He ratchets up the tension further and further and further. Persevere. Get into the second book. Start finding out what's really going on. See if you can stomach the cyber-horror of it all. If you can, you're in for a treat. And it strikes me that even though the Gap series is pure sci-fi, it's closely based on Wagner's Ring Cycle which is most certainly myth/fantasy, so can be 'allowed' in this thread.  (Message edited by delph_ambi on September 27, 2009) Catherine Edmunds, writer and illustrator | ||
| Judy Thompson
Advanced Member Username: judyt54 Post Number: 1848 Registered: 11-2007 |
I think anything that takes us out of the realm of our own reality, whether it's fantasy, fairytales, Science Fiction/fantasy or any other genre, should be considered fantasy. I mean, what is Pratchett? He tinkers with fantasy, with science fiction, with Other Worlds, with dragons and demons... Most Science Fiction IS fantasy, after all, only now and then it becomes reality. Afraid of the Dark | ||
| Judy Thompson
Advanced Member Username: judyt54 Post Number: 1852 Registered: 11-2007 |
well that was a disappointment. I thought I had read A Canticle for Leibowitz but apparently it was a "stash" book. I got about one chapter in and realized I had never read it and was apparently never going to. There is nothing quite like starting "A classic" and finding out it's not for you. Damn disappointing. Afraid of the Dark | ||
| Helm Filipowitsch
Valued Member Username: flitz Post Number: 166 Registered: 06-2009 |
Thanks everyone for the great replies. I've got a reading list to go through, although I've read what I thought was quite a bit of fantasy. For me, fantasy was always the stranger who entered the story when the writer could no longer accomplish his goals by using science, or science fiction to progress the plot, or to make his point. Helm. Blog: http://cancan-nono.blogspot.com/ |
