What Novels or Authors Started your Love with the Fantasy?

[Vallend]

Like most people I read J.R.R. Tolkien and his novels about Middle-earth as a kid and enjoyed his books but he was not the one who made me love fantasy worlds. No that honor went to Raymond E. Feist who wrapped me in his world of Midkemia with his tale of the Riftwar. I couldn't put the first book I read "Magician Apprentice" down as I found out about Pugs adventures and the world he lived in became very real to me. I think I finished that first book in two days and rushed out to get the second as soon as I was done. I was hooked and wanted to know what happened. Still to this day I find Mr Feist to be one of the best writers and buy his latest novels as soon as they hit the shelfs.

There are two other writers I find that do the same thing to me. R.A. Salvatore (who writes many fine novels in the Forgotten Realms in which he created the popular character Drizzt Do'Urden) and Michael Stackpole. (He is mostly known for his Star Wars and Battletech books, and being a designer of computer games..ex: Bard's Tale III, Wasteland, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary and Star Trek: Judgment Rites. He also created the role-playing game Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes so he has been a busy man.) Both these men are very well known writers and if you have never read any of their novels run out and purchase one. I recommend "Warrior: En Garde" an Battletech Novel from Stackpole and "The Crystal Shard" an AD&D Forgotten Realms Novel by Salvatore as good books to start off with. Just be warned that you may be purchasing others novels from these authors soon after you finish these first ones.

The thing is these three writers all can drag me into a fantasy world and make it real to me like no others. When I get one of their novels I don't put them down till I have lovingly pour over every last word they wrote. They write such great books that I find myself wanting to visit these lands that they have made up and adventure there myself.

Matter of fact before reading the Riftwars books I played some AD&D but it was mostly hit the dungeon kill everything, grab the loot and level up. After reading his book I found myself wanting to develop my groups gaming world more. His books made me a much better player as I started to Role play more in game and wanted a true storyline and history for my characters. I went from just being Vallend a high level warrior with lots of magic items. To being Vallend, Lord of the keep on Neggit Pass. A man with a mission to hold and protect a pass through the mountains that an evil army of orcs wanted to swarm through. My entire gaming group changed and got much better because we all grew to care about our characters they no longer were stats on a piece of paper, but living breathing heroes of the lands we played in. That is what a great writer can do change the way you look at things.

I know that was one of the reasons I started playing UO was to help make a living world and to enjoy adventures with friends who shared the same dream. (Though these days the game to many players is just about items and gold and less about the adventure. It has become more about your characters stats and skills and less about your characters story. To me that is a shame because those players are missing out on so much more.)

So what writer has dragged you into the world they wrote about? If you don't mind tell me what books and what hooked you, and also tell me why?

 

[CatLord]

Jules Verne... found the entire collection when I was 8 at the local library...

 

[They Call Me Al]

Robert Jordan. "Wheel of Time" series.


My uo smith's name is Perrin, and has carried an axe since inception.

 

[kinney42]

My first books were from Dragonlance, written by Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman but the books that I fould were my favorite and most influential are the Black Company books by Glen Cook. Those guys were some sneaky SOB's. Completely changed my outlook on good and evil.....mainly that the grey area in between is the most fun place to live!

 

[kelmo]

The Oz series...

 

[Marcus Blackwell]

Lets see what really got me into Fantasy would have to be R. A. Salvatores books about Drizzt Do'Urden. Then from there it was the Lord of the Rings Books, then Dragonlance, then Wheel of Time Series along with The Song of Ice and Fire series, and the Sword of Truth Series. Ive also read alot of books by Terry Brooks. Ive even read the Eragon Cycle and Harry Potter.. oh and cant forget the books on EarthSea. Ive even read books on the Expanded Universe of Starwars but those got old afterawhile guess cause of the futuristic aspect of them.

 

[Farsight]

I read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at an absurdly young age and quite enjoyed it back then.

I also read the Lord of the Rings trilogy and didn't quite get it.

It wasn't until I read the Sword of Shanarra, by Terry Brooks, that I really became a fan of the genre.

When I was in my 20's, I re-read the LotR series and understood why it was so good. I suppose it wasn't meant for a 9 year old to really get into.

Now if we're talking about Science Fiction, the Robert Heinlein was THE MAN to me by the time I could read. I must have read all of his books before I was a teenager (my parents have an extensive collection). (and a special shout-out to Star Wars, though not a book, it really influenced my taste in entertainment)

The horror honors go to Edgar Allen Poe (Tell Tale Heart specifically) and Stephen King (The Stand).

I could never get into any military science books which weren't written by Tom Clancy.

I could never get into any courtroom drama books which weren't written by John Grisham (and even those got old after the first couple).

 

[Lynk]

R.L. Stine

 

[Podolak]

I really enjoyed Anne Rice's Vampire and Witch chronicles. I know this is a different genre but I really did enjoy the world she created. Choose your own adventure books were where I spent most of my time in Elementary school, I might have just tried out every one the library had available. I also enjoyed the series "The Lost years of Merlin" by T.A. Barron. I actually got to those books when I was in my early 20's not when I was a young teen which is the audience I think the author had intended. Hmm...I should read those books to my son.

 

[Phaen Grey]

A swiftly tilting planet by Madeline L'Engel

 

[Ankanna]

The first fantasy series I read was Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern followed by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance series. Dragonlance is my fave so far.

 

[Norrar]

The Hobbit and...Salvatore's work *nods*

 

[LyraDarkstar]

First Fantasy book I ever read was Stephen King's "Eye of The Dragon" published in 1987... I am an avid reader and he was always one of my favorites but when this book came out... I was caught.

 

[Firedutch]

Carl Edward Wagner is my favorite fantasy author that got me started...with his short stories of "Kane" the immortal. Some of the book names are "Death Angels Shadow", "Nightwinds", and "Dark Crusade".

The author wrote these books back in the 1970's and has since passed on. He was a brain surgeon in England I believe who wrote stories for a hobby.

They are great reads.

 

[Beleg Megil]

Nothing surprising here. I read The Hobbit about 30 years ago, then Lord of the Rings a couple years later. In highschool, I read The Silmarillion. Its very dense and reads like a combination of an Elven Bible and a history book. It took a while to get through but I have read it cover to cover, appendicies, indexes, glossaries and all six times since then. I then read all of the smaller Tolkien collections and short stories. I admit they weren't flowing, enjoyable reads, they are more like text books and first drafts full of discarded ideas, but they are very informative and provide a huge bit of detail and background into LOTR.

What may surprise people is, I'm not really a Fantasy fan. I like some High Fantasy, but I am a snob and an elitest. I make no excuses or apologies about it .

I'm also influenced by comic books, but only characters with no powers. Batman, Green Arrow...characters whose "powers" come through training, intelligence, wit and skill. Superman can kiss my arse. And don't get me started on Green Lantern! Any twerp can put on a ring created through advanced alien master-race technology.

I played "Basic" then "Advanced" D&D since I was in third grade, moved into Greyhawk, Dragon's Lance and finally Forgotten Realms. Naturally, I read a few of the novels in the Dragon Lance and Forgotten Realms series...es... But I never stayed with a whole series. Mainly in fantasy novels, I find that I can't stick with something if magic is too common place. I'll eat up sourcebooks and such, but too many authors seem to want to cram every single item or spell from the sourcebooks into their stories.

I never really enjoyed much R.A. Salvatore for that reason. I like some of the characters like Artemis Enteri and Drizzt, but I wish there were a little more "realism" to the tale. LOTR spoiled me, I guess. Even Gandalf only used a handfull of "spells" through the whole thing and you could count the magical items on your fingers.

I'll get hatemail for saying the only R.A. Salvatore novel I actually really enjoyed was The Highwayman, but there it is.

In my early 20s, I got into the Pendragon Cycle by Stephen Lawhead which is full of Celtic and Briton legend and history on King Arthur and Merlin.

About the same time, I started the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. It is the book series Legend of the Seeker is based on, but the books are much more intense and gritty than the TV show. Absolutely not meant for kids!

I liked some of the concepts of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and I read it religiously up to the fifth book. Then it started to seem a little repetetive to me. I may have to give it a chance again one day.

I'm a huge Edgar Allen Poe fan. More gothic horror, but some tales had a High Fantasy feel.

Katherine Kerr's Deverry series is something I got into in 1988 when I got Daggerspell as a graduation present. I have stayed with the series until this day. I actually had a UO character named Nevynn because of that series. Combined with my love of Poe, he was actually named Nevynn Nevermore, a vampire wizard.

I like the Vampire Chronicles and the Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice, which I consider to be pretty High Fantasy too. I wish she would sell the rights to that so another author could atleast give the series some closure.

Anyway, those are my "Fantastical" influences.

 

[Cutter]

Elfquest was the first, when I was in 4th or 5th grade if not younger. I was infatuated and obsessed with it for many years. That's even where my old Character's name Cutter had come from.

Then I at some point (still pretty young) read David Eddings' "Belgariad" series which was rather enthralling as well. As years went by I read all the main series. My favorite was Dragonlance stuff by Weiss and Hickman and I had several old characters in UO with names from there as well. My first character in UO was actually named Tanis. Other series' I enjoyed have already been mentioned as well like the Wheel of Time series. I also used to like the Shannara Series (Terry Brooks I think?). Also all the dungeons and dragons ones by Salvatore (Drizzt, etc) and the other Forgotten Realms series'. THen there were the old gygax novels like Gord the Rogue... still have them lying around in a box somewhere, that and the entire "Thieves World" series. Can't forget C.S. Lewis either, and Tolkien of course.

Sadly it's now been some years since I have read any Fantasy.

 

[laurlo]

L.J. Smith
Christopher Pike
R.L. Stine

they were who I read while in middle/high school.

 

[They Call Me Al]

Anyone read "Castle in the Attic"? That was another (albeit juvenile) book that sparked my interest.

 

[Uthar Pendragon]

Having followed this thread for a bit, I would like to add my Author to the list. Piers Anthony and his Xanth novels are what got me started in reading in general. I know they are not the best written but as a young kid, it was what I needed to push me to pick up other books to read just for fun and enjoyment. On a side note his Incarnations of Imortality series is a good read.
I will agree with Beleg about the Stephen Lawhead series, The Pendragon Cycle. I enjoyed them alot. I have also read and enjoyed many of the authors others have listed.

 

[Lil' Lucien]

I read "The Once and Future King" when I was 11. Of course I've gone back and re-read it since then. Was easier to read the second time. I was born with a love for medieval fantasy especially stories relating to the legendary King Arturius and and his Knights.

 

[Lissa Eldi]

Like most of us, I read Tolkien as a teen, starting with The Hobbit and then the whole series. Found Piers Anthony and Allen Dean Foster as a young adult, I like some humor in my Fantasy Adventure.

But actually I'll go all the way back to discovering Mythology very early, through the last module of a "Learn to Read" series in about 3rd or 4th grade. Went on to read as much as I could find at the neighborhood library about Greek, Roman and Norse mythology.

After that it was some Sci-fi anthologies my Dad had around the house, and a copy of The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury; all before reading Tolkien and more traditional fantasy genre books.

I was fortunate that both my parents enjoyed reading, and still do, well into their 70's.