I used to read continuously. I wish I still did, but things always seem to get in the way... Of course, I suppose if I found a book I was really interested in, I wouldn't have that problem. This is a list of the books (whether novels or comic books) that I find myself coming back to over and over...
Comic Books
The Belgariad and The Mallorean, by David Eddings. If you don't know these books, you have been seriously missing out. They follow the travels of a young boy named Garion as he is drawn into an epic adventure, the culmination of thousands of years of prophecy and plotting. Intricate settings, wonderful characterization.The Belgariad: Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, Enchanter's End Game. The Mallorean: Guardians of the West, King of the Murgos, Demon Lord of Karanda, Sorceress of Darshiva, The Seeress of Kell. Belgarath the Sorceror, Polgara the Sorceress.
The Coldfire Trilogy, by C. S. Friedman. One thing I find myself constantly fascinated with in novels is really good bad guys, ones that you can root for more than the good guys. The secondary main character in this series is one such. This story has a science fiction premise--colonists from Earth settle on a strange planet--but a lot further in the future of one of those tales than usual, so that it is actually a very dark fantasy rather than sci-fi. One of my true favorites.Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls, Crown of Shadows.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson. Antiheroes are another of my favorite things. These books center around Thomas Covenant, a definite antihero and a leper who gets drawn into a fantasy world in desperate need of a savior.The First Chronicles: Lord Foul's Bane, The Illearth War, the Power That Preserves. The Second Chronicles: The Wounded Land, The One Tree, White Gold Wielder.
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, by Tad Williams. Another epic fantasy, this trilogy follows Simon, a simple castle scullion, in his quest to find the three swords of power and save his land from the undead Storm King.The Dragonbone Chair, Stone of Farewell, To Green Angel Tower.
The tales of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, by Fritz Leiber. Fritz Leiber started writing these fellows way back in 1947, so some of their attitudes are a little...dated. All right, so they can be chauvenist bastards. They're still absolutely hilarious. Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are a legendary pair of rogues, dedicating their lives to the thrill of danger and adventure...and boy, do they get it.Swords and Deviltry, Swords Against Death, Swords in the Mist, Swords Against Wizardry, The Swords of Lankhmar, Swords and Ice Magic, The Knight and Knave of Swords.
A recent addition to the adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, and quite as good, is Robin Wayne Bailey's Swords Against the Shadowland. Frizt Leiber died in 1992 I believe, but he gave Bailey permission to continue writing the adventures of the pair in the world of Nehwon, and so far it looks like Bailey will make the old master proud.
The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King. Everyone knows Stephen King's horror stories, but how many have read the amazing saga of Roland the Gunslinger? The story is part post-apocalyptic, part Arthurian legend, part Wizard of Oz, and all a strange mix of sci-fi/horror/fantasy that has me in awe. The series is not complete, and probably won't be for a while, but there is nothing I can recommend more highly.The Gunslinger, Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass. Short Story: The Little Sisters of Eluria in Legends 1 (edited by Robert Silverberg).
The tales of Vlad Taltos, by Steven Brust. These novels revolve around one Vlad Taltos, a human sorcerer-assassin, and his dragonlike Jhereg companion Loiosh. Trying to survive in a world where humans are most certainly not the dominant civilized species is difficult, but Vlad manages, and his adventures are very noteworthy.Jhereg, Yendi, Teckla, Taltos, Phoenix, Athyra, Orca, Dragon. Also: The Phoenix Guard, Five Hundred Years After.
Villains by Necessity, by Eve Forward. This is my hands-down favorite single novel. When Goodness and Light has finally triumphed utterly, what can the evil folk do? Beside get brainwashed into mindless happy minions of the Light... A small band of villains quest to restore balance to the world by bringing back Evil and Darkness, and find in the journeying that the lines between good and evil are a lot more blurred than they had thought.
The Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat, by Harry Harrison. "Slippery Jim" diGriz is an interstellar outlaw, a con man captured by the law and drafted forcibly into the Special Corps. It is the 30th century, and his new employers send him out on the most dangerous assignments they can find. If the Stainless Steel Rat can't do it, no one can! I love this guy.The Stainless Steel Rat, TSSR's Revenge, TSSR Saves the World, TSSR Wants You!, TSSR for President, A SSR is Born, TSSR Gets Drafted, TSSR Goes to Hell.
The Chronicles of Amber, by Roger Zelazny. Poor Corwin. He wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of anything and soon finds himself plungd into the magic and intruige of Amber, the one true world. All other worlds are shadows, manipulated by the royal family of Amber...but the royal family is falling apart due to internal strife. Corwin is one of them, and is quickly drawn into the web of mystery and interplanar war.Nine Princes in Amber, The Guns of Avalon, Sign of the Unicorn, The Hand of Oberon, The Courts of Chaos.
The Song of Naga Teot, by Heather Gladney. Naga Teot is a nightmare-haunted man, a bladesmaster and bard plagued by flashbacks to the terrible destruction of his home and clan. The only way to get revenge on those who killed his people is to get the attention and help of Tanman Caladrunan, the ruler of a nearby land. But compared to the hostility and intrigue he finds in the courts and lands of Tan, getting Caladrunan's help is easy...Teot's War, Bloodstorm.
I'm out of time for the moment, so I'll just list some others and expand them further later. I'm also missing a lot, which will be added when I remember...The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock.
The Dragonlance Trilogy, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
The Dragonlance Twins Trilogy, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
The Last Herald Mage of Valdemar Trilogy, by Mercedes Lackey.
The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper.
The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb.
Grunts, by Mary Gentle.
Talion: Revenant, by Michael A. Stackpole.
The Integral Trees, by Larry Niven.
Dreampark, by Larry Niven.
The Icewind Dale Trilogy, by R. A. Salvatore.
The Dark Elf Trilogy, by R. A. Salvatore.
Oath of Swords, by David Weber.
"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman, by Harlan Ellison (short story).
Psion, Catspaw, and Dreamfall, by Joan D. Vinge.
The Jackal of Nar, by John Marco.
Ecstasia, by Francesca Block (sp?).
Elfshadow, by Elaine Cunningham.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O'Brien.
The Castle in the Attic, by...?
Castle of Deception, by Mercedes Lackey and Josepha Sherman.
Only Begotten Daughter, by...?
The Wolf of Winter, by Paula Volsky.
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