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Scifi and Fantasy Forum: Books and Book Reviews: Who is the greatest fantasy writer?
Who is the greatest fantasy writer?
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Posted By:  Hyperion May 21, 2004 - 11:52 am |       | Hello Bmat
I read Eddings when I was younger, all of it now makes me cringe. Especially the thought of Eddings dry humour. Now he has two new books out, yes they look the same to me.
Now for good fantasy I would say Stephen Donaldson, Le Guin for 'Earthsea Quartet' and Guy Gavriel Kay for 'Tigana'. Even George R.R. Martin. Not same-plot-same-character's-Eddings, sorry.
| Posted By: MerleZ Aug 09, 2004 - 09:52 am | | Igneouscarl, I'm with you on Donaldson. His Gap series was about the best thing I've read. And I'm anxiously awaiting his next Covenant novel, which I believe is titled Runes of the Earth, or something like that.
LeGuin is also very good, though I've only read the first four Earthsea novels. I read A Wizard of Earthsea in College, in a children's literature class of all things.
| Posted By: Aldan Aug 09, 2004 - 09:53 pm | | ShadowStar, I, too, have read some of Tad Williams' Thorne series. However, I'm having some difficulty finding the second novel in the series. Currently, I only own the first and the last of them (though I've not read the last book, yet).
I found the Thomas Covenant series by Donaldson to be VERY difficult for me to get through, as I couldn't connect with the MC at ALL. I bored my way through them, though, since I don't like to put down a series or come to hate one unless I've read it all.
I know, it's weak of me, but HEY!
MerleZ,
The next Stephen Donaldson is indeed called 'Runes of the Earth' as I am holding a proof copy in my hands at this moment (well looking at it). It's an advantage of working in a bookshop and knowing the Orion rep. I tell you, it's about the same size as the first chronicles together. Excellent.
As for not connecting with Thomas Covenant, Shadowstar I think that is what Donaldson intended, after all he isn't the nicest of characters.
| Posted By: PaT4107 Aug 11, 2004 - 07:54 pm | | Maybe because it's one of the only fantasy books I have read besides LOTR, and R.A salvatore but Jordan's books are amazing compared to those to others. Maybe it's because ive only read one of salvatore's books and it was way into the series about drizzt(or w.e his name his) but salvatore didnt seem to explain anything! What is a druid? drow? frost giant? moon elvs? ect... Jordan has me believeing his world could be real! so IMO Robert Jordan
| Posted By: Pat0214 Aug 24, 2004 - 05:31 am | | hard question but my favorites are in order :
1.Tolkien
2.Robert Jordan
3.David Eddings
4.John Marco (he is often overlook)
5.Tad Williams
Well that is my opinion anyway
| Posted By: Kevin Sep 09, 2004 - 05:40 pm | | #1 Garth Nix
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An up-and-coming authour who writes the best fantasy. Each and every series is creative and unique, using great imagry that paints a crystal clear image of what is happening. Check out his new series The Keys to the Kingdom. A book that's a combination of Harry Potter and The Matrix. His most popular book, Sabriel, will only get more popular, especially if the movie rumours are true.
Runner Ups(In no order)(Included is a brief description of why they aren't the best):
Tolkien
He's great, but he's not a good writer. He doesn't write novels, he writes poems, and while poems are great, they can get very cumbersome. Great movie though.
J.K. Rowling
While the plot of Harry Potter is digging deeper and deeper, I find that J.K. Rowling is getting confused as to who she is aiming the books at. It is too wide an audience that she is aiming at and it shows. I've never read a children's book that has as many adult topics as this one.
Kenneth Oppel
Another great Authour. His Silverwing Trilogy was great, but it didn't seem to conclude. How can you end a series with the Bad Guy coming back??? However, Kenneth Oppel is more Science fiction than Fantasy, so I don't know if he qualifies.
Lloyd Alexander
One of the greatest fantasy authours without a doubt. He was one of fantasy's shapers as far as I'm concerned. Of course his most famous book is The Black Cauldron, the second book of his series, which was made into a Disney Movie.
| Posted By: Hyperion Sep 10, 2004 - 08:39 am | | As far as Fantasy Writers go, there is only one choice as far as I am concerned  an that chocie would be, William Horwood.
Writer of the Duncton Wood books, and Author of the recent addition to the, 'Wind in the Willows tails',
'The Willows in Winter'.
Hyperion
| Posted By: Magus Oct 28, 2004 - 02:19 pm | | Greatest Fantasy Writer Ever: Professor J.R.R. Tolkien
Followed By: Stephen King
Followed By: J.K. Rowling
I judge the author by the works they did in fantasy. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and other fantasy as well. In my mind he not only wrote the greatest fantasy novel of time, but THE greatest work of literature ever written.
Following him is Stephen King with his works. Not all of his works of fantastical, but all are surreal. His fantasy credits include The Dark Tower (A seven Volume Series just completed), The Talisman, Black house and, I think, maybe a few more. And, while I haven't finished The Dark Tower yet, just the last two left, say thankya, it is still second only to The Lord of the Rings.
And then in third place comes J.K. Rowling with the yet unfinished Harry Potter series.
After that I would have a few minor authors, but I'm sure that many surpass them. I have much yet tyo read, especially in fantasy. I still have more to say, but will wait to bone up on a lot more fantasy works and authors.
For those who say there is a definite "best author" in modern literature (probably starting from around the 18th century), you sound very childish to me. I used to be like "Eddings is the best" and thought anyone who disagreed was an idiot. Yes, I was an idiot (still am in some ways). I hadn't read much. Now, I think you can't just clump a bunch of different books into the category of fantasy and pick one... However, Eddings is indeed a wonderful author for introducing young people to fantasy. I am forever grateful to the Eddingses for that.
Tolkien has other reasons for being a great fantasy author. But he doesn't sit on a throne... at least not alone.
Personally, I don't have a favorite fantasy author. I need to read more.
My favorite fantasy books aside from LOTR are the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy (it's four books in paperback though because the last one was loooong).
Tad Williams is one of the best living character developers, and even the generic or stereotypical characters in his books are more interesting than other people's non-generic ones. I can't believe the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn books didn't get more readership. They gripped me from beginning to end, which is quite an accomplishment considering that they are all 650+ pages in hardback.
| Posted By: Magus Jan 13, 2005 - 01:18 pm | | I'll have to give Tad Williams a look at then. I know that, if a list was made, Stephen King would be among the greatest living developers of characters. I'll have to read Mr. Williams, though, if he's as good as you say.
I'm not surprised that my favorite fantasy writer is not in this list. Ian Irvine is not very well known.
There are a number of reasons that I like him.
1. He is the only person out there who has created a world that can compare to, and possibly surpass, those of Tolkien and Jordan.
2. No super-characters. You know, the kind of character where you think "oh boy, they're in a fight and they're going to win just like they did against the 3,942 other people they fought." In his stories, you actually expect the main characters to lose fights because they are the underdogs and they fight like the underdogs.
3. The characters are realistic. So many characters are unrealistic in the way that they are too good or too evil. In Irivine's books, there are very characters who are actually good, even if you think they are, and very few who are actually bad, even if you think they are. This leads me to my next point.
4. I don't know if it is possible to predict the outcome of his stories because you never expect the twists that are thrown in. The evil characters end up being better than some of the good characters and visa versa.
5. The characters actually get hurt, maimed, clobbered, beat up, ect. Not just minor wounds that heal over time but life threatening wounds that come back to plague the hero for the rest of the series. The heros are capable of cowardice, betrayal, dishonesty, and stupidity. Very few story heros ever do such things.
His first series, The View from the Mirror, is an excellent quartet. It wraps up nicely but it also leads into the next quartet, of which the fourth is being published later this year. It rather nicely picks up the story several hundred years later.
One last thing. He has some truly original ideas and a system of magic unlike, and way cooler than any others I've seen.
I recommend his work highly.
| Posted By: Odrade Jan 19, 2005 - 08:16 pm | | Magus, I love Stephen King more than almost anyone i know. And i adore the dark tower series, even though i have held off on reading the last one. I mean, after that, it is over. So i am waiting for some cosmic event i guess.
But Tad Williams is great, even though i haven't read any of his newest series. Plot, Character, seeting, etc, they all fit and are just fabulous. Just watch out with the Otherland series, it is rather high power sci-fi. you have to make some jumps in it, and really use your imagination to get it. I find the first one was the toughest though. But i still love him 
I liked the first Otherland book. I found it hard to get into the third one. I don't know why. IT had a lot more action than the others, and you understood a lot more about what was going on.
Oh yeah, Odrade, go to www.secondlife.com and be scared.
| Posted By: Hyperion Jan 21, 2005 - 05:50 am | | I have said it before and I will say it again
William Horwood for the Duncton Moles books, is my favourite FANTASY author by far.
Hyperion
| Posted By: Magnus Jan 26, 2005 - 07:42 am | | It's pretty sad that nobody even mentioned Robin Hobb. The Farseer Trilogy is one of the best every written. It's also written in first person narrative which is a nice change from all the other fantasy books. Course George RR Martin was only mentioned once in this forum, and he deserves so much respect. I personally think he is the best author out there. He does a tremendous amount of research on the middle ages and makes his series so realistic and believable. I love his subtle touch of fantasy to his books as well. I mean, the whole series isn't just about dragons and wizards and shtuff like that. Anyways, there's my two cents.
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