Old Favorites (ones held close)

As this blog is starting relatively late in my life, I thought I would begin with a list of a few of my favorites up until now - though I read most of them long ago. Methinks you'll sense a theme pretty quick....

The Wheel of Time series - by Robert Jordan
I'm not sure why I love this series so. I have managed to read 9 of it's books about 3 times, though I decided to stop and never do it again until he finished the damned thing. It's a fantastic series full of characters you identify and fall in love with, all in a world that comes to life in your mind. It is quite original, and it is my opinion that since the great J.R.R. Tolkien, it is hard to find a truly original fantasy series. However as mentioned earlier, I recommend NOT reading these until he is done with the series. I started over a decade ago, and he has yet to finish. On top of it all, he decided to go back and write a prequel! Oh how I hate him (and yet love him).


The Shannara Series - by Terry Brooks
This was one of the very first large series I ever read in my youth, and it was the spark that lit a great passion for fantasy epics. Terry Brooks is a fantastic author with amazing talent for the written word, a fantastic imagination, and a gripping storytelling ability. I remember even crying when one of the integral characters died in one of the books...I was that attached. He has received criticism for being too like Tolkien (with Elves, Dwarves, etc.) But I find it to be still quite different, imaginative, and more than entertaining. I have yet to read all of the later Shannara series books he has written, but it is only a matter of time.


Ender's Game (and series) - by Orson Scott Card
Ohhhh Enders game. There are almost no words to describe how much I love this book and all subsequent books in the saga. You can't help but fall in love with Ender and Bean - the children that are not children, and all that goes after. A fantastic book with a twist, and an insight into humanity through a very unique view. I must thank my brother for introducing it to me early on - it is truly a favorite.



The Lord of the Rings - by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Alpha and Omega of fantasy. For some reason I didn't read these until about 5 years ago. For a true fan of fantasy this is almost unforgivable (though I did read The Hobbit). However I deemed it quite necessary to read them before seeing the films, as it would have been a travesty to let Peter Jackson tell me the story instead of Tolkien himself. I was not disappointed - they are breathtaking. He created a world unlike any other, complete with full created languages. I once heard that he and his friend C.S. Lewis wrote their books because they finally wanted something worth reading. Well....it worked. I recommend these books even to the non-fantasy minded (just skip the songs) - there is much worth to be found there, at all levels.



Fairy Tales
What can I say - I'm a sucker for the classic fairy tales. I especially love ones adapted by Marianna Mayer and illustrated by her brother Mercer Mayer (famous artist of children's books). East of the Sun and West of the Moon is one of my all time favorites.