Well, in honor of the excitement, Jack has asked us to post about our favorite fantasy book. Because I like reading so much, I don't have just one. Just as you'd expect. So, to keep this short, I've decided to compile a list of my top ten favorite fantasy books. And by "fantasy" I mean a made-up land in which there exists a conglomeration of interesting characters. I have to be specific about books otherwise, I'd never get just 10 books onto this list. Also, if you ask me in a week or two, this list will probably change. Probably... no, most likely. And I'm *cough* adapting the list to fit mostly series. What? Don't judge me. I'm sure plenty of you would do the same.
Ready?
10. Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain.
Very epic tales. There are five books in all, but I think the last one, The High King, is my favorite. Lloyd Alexander is considered a genius in the fantasy field, and I find his books quite enjoyable. His Westmark trilogy is also very fun (with the exception of a few unprintable words).
9. Wayne Thomas Batson's The Door Within trilogy
Truth be told, my favorite books from Wayne Thomas Batson are his Pirate Adventures, and I highly recommend them. However, The Door Within trilogy is also very good. I love the allegory Mr. Batson weaves into the story.
8. Jeri Massi's Bracken Trilogy
Yet another trilogy: The Bridge, Crown and Jewel, and Two Collars. I can't really say how long these have been some of my favorite books. I must have read The Bridge fifteen times since I was nine.
7. Andrew Peterson's Wingfeather Saga
Who's familiar with these books? I simply can't wait for the fourth book, The Warden and the Wolf King. Seriously, this guy has a way with words. "Adventure. Peril. Lost Jewels. And the Fearsome Toothy Cows of Skree." *grins*
6. Jack Lewis Baillot's Loyalty Trilogy
Well, well, well... how in the world did *this* trilogy get onto my list? Hmm... *winks* The more I read of Jack's work, the more I love it. Yes, I'm super excited to be able to show you the cover for the second book tomorrow, and you really need to read these. NOW.
5. Rick Barry's Kiriath's Quest
Hey look! I'm capable of having a favorite fantasy book that isn't a series! Too bad, though, because I'd love to see where Rick Barry would take Kiriath after the finish of this novel. You could say that I'm a little biased toward this book because Kiriath and I almost share the same name. Well, the first four letters are the same. But if you want an epic quest chock full of friendship and adventure (and no magic) then this is the book for you.
4. Chuck Black's Knights of Arrethtrae
Technically, this should include the prequel/sequel/whatever series The Kingdom Series. Short, but powerful, you can't help but love all twelve books. Personally, Sir Dalton and Lady Carliss are my favorite of the twelve, but they're all really good.
3. Donita K. Paul's DragonKeeper Chronicles
My sisters and I found this series in a Christian book catalog, and as we were just getting into fantasy stories, we thought we'd give this a go. The result? We LOVED it! Dragons, quests, humor... what's not to like?
2. C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia
What fantasy list could be complete without the awesome tales from C.S. Lewis? I absobloominglutley love this series in every way. I have great chunks of passages memorized, even though technically I've only read through the series twice. Yeah, twice. I know; it's kinda embarrassing. But I've listened to the audio drama by Focus on the Family's Radio Theatre a dozen gazillion times. And seen the movies. And... yada, yada, yada. Narnia fan all the way.
1. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
And what comes in at Numero Uno? Tolkien's epic world of elves, hobbits, dragons, kings, and dwarves. And with The Lord of the Rings comes The Hobbit and The Silmarillion, for no trek through Middle-Earth would be complete without visiting those tales. I'm not an expert on all things Tolkien, but I do consider myself an avid fan nonetheless.
Be sure to drop by tomorrow to see the cover reveal!
God bless!
I really need to try Chuck Black's series again. They really didn't catch me the first time. Also the Dragon Quest looks cool! Of course Chronicles of Narnia is in the top 3 ;) I also need to read LOTR (like soon!!)
ReplyDeleteHowever DID I know which ones would be #1 and #2?;) This was quite informative as I haven't heard of most of these. I'll check them out!:) Out of curiosity, what is your opinion on the newer movie adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia? (Well, technically they're not new, but since I was raised with the old, OLD versions, I call them new.) I was wondering if you liked them or not, as they differ a good deal from the books. Just curious:D Anyway, have a great day!
ReplyDeleteOh-ho, Arwen! Did you open a can of worms! Technically, my thoughts on the (new) movie adaptations would take up about a dozen and a half blog posts, but I'll see if I can squish it down to one paragraph. On the whole... I love them. The characters were so perfectly cast, the music is amazing, and everything is just Narnia all around. I simply can't wait for the fourth movie - The Silver Chair. :D However, there are a few things I have to glare at Hollywood for... Caspian and Susan's romance, in particular. UGH. Please do not get me started. I can accept some differences from the books (for example, I really like the castle raid in PC), but one can go a little *too* far with deviations.
DeleteI am completely ashamed of how few of these I've read, or even heard of! I must go add some things to my to-read shelf on GoodReads now!
ReplyDeleteI NEED to get more of Lloyd Alexander. I've only read the first book of the Prydain chronicles and I'm dying to read the rest.
I read most of Chuck Black's series but I never really got to into it so didn't finish it. That was so long ago though, I really need to try them again. I think I might like them better now.
And Batson's Door Within trilogy is EPIC. I haven't read his other stuff yet! Been meaning to for years and still haven't. I need to remedy this situation!
And what would this list be without Narnia and LotR? (And of course the DragonKeeper Chronicles! :D)
Loved this list! Now I have more books to keep an eye out for.
Lauriloth - Same here. I've read Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles and his Westmark Trilogy, but I really want to read more. He's s'posed to be the king of fantasy right behind Tolkien and Lewis, right? How could we *not* want more?! :D
DeleteChuck Black's first series (Kingdom Series) was rather short and on-the-surface, but if you like the allegorical tales, it's definitely a plus. His second series (Knights of Arrethtrae) I like better because there's more depth in the stories. I guess I'm just kinda lucky I found them when I was still young and not yet interested in BIG books, so I really enjoyed them.
YES! If you're any kind of fan of pirates, Lauri, YOU MUST READ BATSON'S PIRATE ADVENTURES! Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire. You won't regret it.
Thank you for reading my books! If you're on Goodreads, please friend me. I have a SF/fantasy book scheduled for release this summer and am looking for reviewers. If you are interested, please let me know. - Jeri
ReplyDeleteHey, Jeri! No problem -- I love your books! :)
DeleteSure, I'm very interested in reviewing for you! If you need to contact me for anything, you can reach me at liannetaimenlore(at)gmail(dot)com. Thanks so much for your comment!