# Favorite Fantasy authors **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 2, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416 "2003-12-02T03:44:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/1 "2003-12-02T03:44:10Z")
Rather than continue to hijack the Lovecraft thread, who are good fantasy authors? I favor Robert E. Howard of Conan and Kull fame and lately Lord Dunsany, “The King of Elfland’s Daughter” and Sylvia Townsend Warner. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/2 "2003-12-02T03:52:46Z")
Robert E. Howard, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Ray Bradbury, hands down. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/3 "2003-12-02T04:02:50Z")
My top ten: 1.) J. R. R. Tolkien 2.) George R. R. Martin 3.) Robin Hobb 4.) Stephen R. Donaldson 5.) James Stoddard 6.) David Eddings 7.) Martha Wells 8.) Ursula K. LeGuin 9.) Lynn Flewelling 10.) Neil Barrett, Jr. Being a relative newcomer to fantasy, I’ve read very little pre-1970 stuff. I try to improve my collection whenever I visit an old dusty used book store, but any other than the most popular authors are quite difficult to find. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/4 "2003-12-02T04:25:46Z")
I’ll hazard a guess that I won’t have read 99% of the authors mentioned in this thread because I just don’t browse in the Fantasy books section. However two authors I have read and absolutely adore are fantasy authors. Jonathon Carroll writes absolutely unique stuff - part fantasy, part horror, part thriller. Christopher Fowler writes really unsettling stories rooted in everyday reality. [Fantasticfiction](http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/authors/Christopher_Fowler.htm) is a great browsing source if you know one author you like. It has great bibliographies, recommendations and lists similar authors. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/5 "2003-12-02T04:29:55Z")
Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman. Dragonlance kicks ass! ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/6 "2003-12-02T04:46:14Z")
Piers Anthony and the Xanth series has me hooked!! ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/7 "2003-12-02T05:00:23Z")
Terry Goodkind. Robert Jordan…well he used to be good. Just read Eye of the World through Shadow Rising. Then just read the last three chapters of every book. Then stop at Crown of Swords. Elizabeth Haydon. Her books are weird for me. 20% suck 80% goodness. Fred Saberhagen, I like his (as I call them) ‘shit happens’ moments. George RR Martin, erm make yourself a chart though. A big one. Or you’ll never be able to follow who’s doing what where and why. He has about 10,000 characters he follows. David Gemmel, well only read about 4 of his books. They all are kinda the same after awhile. Still a good read though. Tad Williams. I have a soft spot for JV Jones. Sure the story usually sucks but the characters are so interesting. Villains with redeeming qualities ‘good guys’ that are total bastards. Nobody ever does things the way you expect. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/8 "2003-12-02T05:05:07Z")
A couple more that haven’t been mentioned yet are Steven Brust and Michelle West. And, of course, Terry Pratchett. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/9 "2003-12-02T05:12:10Z")
Tim Powers ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/10 "2003-12-02T06:08:02Z")
Robert E. Howard is one of the best in the swords-against-magic vein, for both Conan and King Kull. John Jakes’ Brak the Barbarian series is the same sort of stuff, and might be better. The best I’ve seen in that genre has to be Fritz Leiber’s series about Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Dunsany has a more lyrical style, even poetic at times, and sounds like traditional myths. Strange and beautiful. Then there’s the great Peter S. Beagle. _The Last Unicorn_ and _A Fine and Private Place_ are my favourites. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/11 "2003-12-02T06:12:16Z")
Barbara Hambly, though I prefer her novels which are set in her own worlds. That is, I’m not a huge fan of the Benjamin January series (though apparently many people ARE) which is set in Louisiana back during the slavery years, nor am I too fond of her Star Trek novels. I wish that she could go back to the Untaught Mage series, though because she’s changed publishers it’s rather problematic. Terry Pratchett. Neil Gaiman. Generally I don’t read comic books/graphic novels, but his are spectacular. David Eddings had ONE good series in him. He’s written it at least three times now. Diane Duane. ---
**Author:** ![Sm\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sm\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sm_e)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/12 "2003-12-02T06:21:37Z")
Steven Brust is really good. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/13 "2003-12-02T06:24:32Z")
I’m just brainstorming here–some of these have already been mentioned. Anything ever published in Lin Carter’s “Ballantine Adult Fantasy” series back in the late 60s-early 70s. Most anything published by Gollancz in their “Fantasy Masterworks” series. James Branch Cabell William Morris (yes, the pre-Raphaelite guy) Kenneth Morris Clark Ashton Smith Lord Dunsany Ernest Bramah Fritz Leiber Arthur Machen William Hope Hodgson Phillip Pullman Jeffrey Ford Thorne Smith Tim Powers James P. Blaylock L. Sprague de Camp & Fletcher Pratt C. L. Moore Hope Mirrlees Robert E. Howard A. Merritt H. Rider Haggard Gene Wolfe Jack Vance E. R. Eddison Charles G. Finney George MacDonald Jorge Luis Borges Italo Calvino Michael Shea ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/14 "2003-12-02T06:25:00Z")
> [@](#): > > David Eddings had ONE good series in him. He’s written it at least three times now. The Elenium was different enough in the begining to be a different series. There certainly wasn’t any character like Sparhawk in the Belgariad. It’s just utterly bizzare how he decended (as the series and even worse the sequel series) slowly started to clone the Belgariad. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/15 "2003-12-02T06:33:07Z")
Raymond E. Feist. Read Silverthorn for the first time when I was about eight… the first real book I read, and from then on I was hooked. Robert Salvatore, even if his stuff is a bit derivative. Robin Hobb I suppose Iain M. Banks’ non-Culture novels are more fantasy than sci-fi; they’re excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/16 "2003-12-02T06:37:59Z")
Oh how could I forget Greg Keyes. His “Briar King” is one of the best fantasy books I’ve read in awhile. Well minus the stupid first chapter which is totally misleading I almost put it down. I’m very glad I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Sinek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Sinek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinek)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/17 "2003-12-02T06:52:22Z")
I love Michael Moorcock. He’s the one that got me started on fantasy. Just about anything in his Eternal Champion series is classic (and not all fantasy either). You’ll probably want to start off with the Elric saga as it’s his most famed work. Really you can pick up any book in the cycle almost at random. They’re each self contained stories. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/18 "2003-12-02T08:30:28Z")
David Gemmell. The man is a god. His characters are THE best. Druss, Ravenheart, Bane, Skilgannon, Jon Shannow, Waylander the Slayer. His _Echoes of the Great Song_ is one of my Favorite All-Time books. I’m sad when each book is finished and want more. I can’t believe more people haven’t heard of this guy. R.A. Salvatore-His prose is workmanlike, but this is a “favorite” thread, not a “best” thread. I thought the Cleric Quintet was amazing and yes, I’m a sucker for a killer yo-yo. Bite me. I also liked the Icewind Dale trilogy, the Dark Elf trilogy, and the one after that. But I haven’t gotten into all the later Drizzt books. Michael Moorcock-Look, if you ignore the later Elric books, they’re great. The first five or so are great. The few I’ve read beyond that suck. Stephen King-Yea, yea, yea. Dark Tower owns me. And I loved Talisman and Black House. Terry Pratchett-He is a god of teh funny, but _Night Watch_ was fairly serious and a damn fine book. And _Good Omens_ with Neil Gaiman rules. Neil Gaiman-Does he count? I’ll count _Stardust_ as fantasy and stick with the “Neil Gaiman Kicks Ass” line. George R.R. Martin-If he’d finish his frickin’ books…Bloody books where, like Type O Negative says, “Everything dies.” Weis and Hickman-Their Annotated Chronicles and Legends alone are worth reading. I think it’s the back of Legends that has a pretty nice breakdown of Joesph Campbell, too. John Marco-Another one of my “Why the hell isn’t this guy famous?” picks. Read the Tyrants and Kings series. Even the bad guys are well-drawn and interesting. And he does nice military stuff, too. Ann Marston-She has a trilogy of trilogies. I’ve read the first (The Rune Blade trilogy) and it was great, depressing Celtic fantasy. A very nice change. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for Celts. C.S. Friedman-Coldfire trilogy. This does not concern a certain be-wooden-shoed mod. It does concern one of the coolest bad guys in fantasy, Mr. Gerrald Terrant. And the Fey is a pretty cool concept. Also, some of her semi-sci-fi is pretty good. I enjoyed the Faded Sun trilogy and From Conquest Born was great for reasons I can’t explain. Mary Gentle-Grunts!. Your classic fantasy orcs find a stash of Marine machine guns and adopt the Marine attitude. You can imagine how it turns out. Not the best-written work, but I give points for High Concepts. Mickey Zucker Reichert-I’ve just read BiFrost Guardians and it RAWKED MY WORLD! Even the time-travelling human caught in another time is nicely handled. Gods walk the earth. NORSE gods! William Goldman-The Princess Bride! Stephen Brust-A wise-cracking assassain and his familiar have numerous adventures while he complains the whole time in humorous ways. Also stars vampires, necromancers, and nasty-mc-badasses. I blame my girlfriend for making me read it. And LOVE it! Robin Hobb-Liveship Traders is one of the few series without a particularly likable protagonist, but it’s really good. I just found the concept interesting. And then there’s the assassain series, which I loved. I haven’t read the latest extensions. Spider Robinson-Is he fantasy or is he just weird? Nevertheless, the Callahan Chronicles is pretty good overall, some outstanding, some just crap. A special thanks to the Dope for mentions of _Lady Slings the Booze_, which I loved. He’s weird and he likes puns. You have been warned. Anne McCaffrey-I like Pern. If you don’t, join the “Bite Me” line. Joel Rosenberg-I’ve only read “Not Exactly the Three Musketeers” and “Not Quite Scaramouche”, but I must suggest them as quality. I have Guardians of the Flame lurking around here unread. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/19 "2003-12-02T10:52:35Z")
Guy Gavriel Kay is the greatest fantasy writer alive.\* Forget _Fionavar_ - that’s only for fantasy geeks with a high tolerance for cliches. _Tigana_, _Arbonne_ and _Al-Rassan_ are as gook as they come. True, he’s been veering close to historical fiction lately, but he still produces are some of the best written genre books out there. \*Disclamer: poster’s username is from a Kay novel. Roger Zelazny has also written some great fantasy, as well as lots of work that blur the line with science fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Galanthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Galanthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galanthus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416/20 "2003-12-02T11:55:09Z")
R. A. MacAvoy … “Tea With The Black Dragon” is one of my all time favourate novels. Shame I think it is now out of print. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fantasy-authors/216416.md?page=2)