Books

[Robert Jordan - Terry Goodkind - Guy Gavriel Kay - George R. R. Martin - Fred Saberhagen - Anne McCaffrey - David Eddings - Stephen King - Maggie Furey]

The Wheel of Time:

New Spring (Prequel)
Eye of the World
Great Hunt
Dragon Reborn
Shadow Rising
Fires of Heaven
Lord of Chaos
Crown of Swords
Path of Daggers
Winter's Heart
Crossroads of Twilight


These books are the best Fantasy ever written. Tolkien may have made the genre, but Jordan takes it to the next level. His world is so vast and complex that you don't catch everything the first time through. On occassion, he foreshadows books in advance. Book ten was a little lacking compared to the rest, but the series is still one of the best ever written. Some people say he spends too much time on description, but that is what makes the world real in our minds. The series is ten books long at present (not counting New Spring) and will be twelve when finished. There will also be two more prequill books. Book eleven is tentatively scheduled for release in October 2005.

Sword of Truth:

Debt of Bones (Prequel)
Wizard's First Rule
Stone of Tears
Blood of the Fold
Temple of the Winds
Soul of the Fire
Faith of the Fallen
Pillars of Creation
Naked Empire


These books are great...for the most part. The first two books, I couldn't put down. I read them for twelve hours straight through the night when I first got them. The third book is still great. The fourth book wasn't as good as the others, but it could just be me. The fifth book was disappointing. It was still good, but Goodkind goes off for a hundred pages or so about a character that is not necessary for the story. The sixth book returns to the quality level of the first three. Book seven is mostly about a new character, which is annoying at first, but it is still a great book and character. Book eight picks up right where seven leaves off, and Chainfire is due out on January 4, 2005.

Fionavar Tapestry:

Summer Tree
Wandering Fire
Darkest Road


The Sarantine Mosaic:

Sailing to Serantium
Lord of Emperors


Other Books by Kay:

Tigana
A Song For Arbonne
The Lions of Al-Rassan
Last Light of the Sun
Beyond this Dark House (Poetry)


Guy Gavriel Kay is Canadian. Maybe not important to most people, but I am Canadian. His success gives me hope of becoming a famous author. The Fionavar Tapestry is a great series. It parallels Lord of the Rings in many places. The series just gets better and better, and more emotional as it progresses. Highly recommended. Especially for Canadians. For Kay's other books, he kind of invented a new genre. It is called Historical Fantasy. Kay will take a historical culture and then place it into a fantasy world. It is interesting and stimulating.

A Song of Ice and Fire:

A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords


These books are wonderful. Martin is not afraid to tell a story the way it should happen. Characters die, betray each other, extract revenge, all the things that make us human. The story and characters in this work are real. There is little magic in this series, but lots of battle.

Sword Series:

First Book of Swords
Second Book of Swords
Third Book of Swords
First Book of Lost Swords: Woundhealer's Story
Second Book of Lost Swords: Sightblinder's Story
Third Book of Lost Swords: Stonecutter's Story
Fourth Book of Lost Swords: Farslayer's Story
Fifth Book of Lost Swords: Coinspinner's Story
Sixth Book of Lost Swords: Mindsword's Story
Seventh Book of Lost Swords: Wayfinder's Story
Last Book of Swords: Shieldbreaker's Story


These books are one of the first fantasy series I have read. And they are great. Magic swords, Gods, Dragons, Princes, Love, all the things that make great fantasy. The books are around 200 - 250 pages, so it is not as long as Robert Jordan. Well worth a read.

Dragonriders of Pern:

Dragonflight
Dragonquest
The White Dragon
Dragonsong
Dragonsinger
Dragondrums
Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern
Nerilka's Story
Dragonsdawn
Renegades of Pern
All the Weyrs of Pern
Chronicles of Pern: Firstfall
Dolphins of Pern
Dragonseye
MasterHarper of Pern
Skies of Pern
Dragon's Kin


These books are wonderful. It took me a long time before I decided to sit down and read them, because I wasn't sure what to expect, but once I started reading them, I couldn't stop. The author suggest reading them in order of when they were written instead of chronologically. I have not read the three that happen when they first arrive on Pern (Firstfall, Dragonsdawn, Dragonseye), but the rest of the series is great. I wanted to continue reading about the characters I knew rather than meet new ones, and I haven't gone back to the others yet.

Belgariad:

Pawn of Prophecy
Queen of Sorcery
Magician's Gambit
Castle of Wizardry
Enchanter's Endgame


Malloreon:

Guardians of the West
King of the Murgos
Demon Lord of Karanda
Sorceress of Dashiva
Seeress of Kell


Related to Belgariad and Malloreon:

Belgarath the Sorcerer
Polgara the Sorceress
Rivan Codex


Elenium:

Diamond Throne
Ruby Knight
Sapphire Rose


Tamuli:

Domes of Fire
Shining Ones
Hidden City


The Dreamers:

The Elder Gods
The Treasured One


Other books:

Redemption of Althalus


The Belgariad and the Malloreon are good, but Eddings has become a better writer as his career has advanced. The Elenium is great and the Tamuli is even better. Redemption of Althalus was wonderful. I think Eddings has become a master of his craft over the years and I recommend him to anyone looking for a good read.

Dark Tower:

Gun Slinger
Drawing of the Three
Waste Lands
Wizard and Glass
Wolves of the Calla
Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower


Another Series:

Talisman
Black House


Steven King is considered the master of horror. He is much more than that. He is a master of writing. I watch the movies of most of his books, as I have not got around to reading them yet, but the stories are still great. He can write in any genre and make it excellent. In the genre of fantasy, he has done so. The Dark Tower series has been written over his entire career. The first book I found to be lacking. I didn't think it was written well, but it was written over twenty years ago. The second book was good, and the series gets better as it goes along. The fourth book was just amazing. Stephen King can write. As for the Talisman series, I have yet to read Black House, but I loved the Talisman. Parts were a little dry, but it was co-written, so that might be why. I look forward to reading the Black House.

Artefacts of Power:

Aurian
Harp of Winds
Sword of Flame
Dhiamarra


Shadowleague:

Heart of Myrial
Spirit of the Stone
The Eye of Eternity


The Artefacts of Power were excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed this series. It is a very interesting world, and some of the plot twists are great. I will warn you that the fourth book has a bit of a different feel than the first three. I feel that something changed in the writer's life that affected her writing, but it is still a good book, just a little darker. As for the Shadowleague, I was a little disappointed with The Heart of Myrial. It took me a while to get into it, and so when it did get better half way through, it was still clouded with the initial disappointment.