Discworld Golems and Witches (not technically races). Also: Igors
China Mieville’s khepri. The scene where we discover their peculiar physiology is the scene where I knew I would love Perdido Street Station.
I don’t know about the bread. But they’re master craftspeople too, and I wouldn’t mind living underground or in caves all that much.
Discworld dwarf. Even if I would have to have a beard. I can already make a proper dwarven biscuit.
I’m fond of the Discworld trolls. Ever since they gave up that whole eating people thing, they became lovable in their own dimwitted way. Particularly Detritus, who is one of my favorite characters. I have a fondness for slow but good natured characters who through persistence and experience manage to become decently useful and clever.
Also, I have a soft spot for modrons. Nordom was my favorite character from Planescape: Torment. Something about a being of pure order who has gone rogue and is extremely curious and perplexed about everything even slightly irrational amuses me. That and the vestigial wings, crossbows, and the fact that they look like TV’s on stilts.
Love Tolkien elves. I loves me my effeminate men.
And since it’s been brought up for SF, I must say I have a strange attraction to Cardassians.
Goblins. Not Tolkien’s Orcs, not Warhammer’s Greenskins, not ADnD’s mooks.
These Goblins.
With some love left over forthese, too.
Wookiees.
Ach ! The drinkin’ and the fightin’ and the stealin’ and the drinkin’ and the fightin’ !
They were one of the first I thought of too.
I also admit a fondness for Shoggoths. I rather rooted for them in At the Mountains of Madness, in fact, when their battles against their creators the Elder Race were mentioned.
Anyone who sneers at Dwarf-women has never seen Mike Grell’s Warlord comic book.
I am rather fond of the Ishtarians, from Poul Anderson’s Fire Time.
Dragons! I have a childhood fantasy that I would fly around and incinerate people and cast spells of fear on lesser mortals. Also the hoarding of maidens and gold, that appealed to me too.
Same. Incidentally I read about Dwarf Fortress in a thread here about a week ago, and I don’t remember ever having as much fun with a computer.
I always liked the moredhel/dark elves/Brotherhood of the Dark Path from Raymond Feist’s novels, even if the “nice elves… eeeevil elves” thing is a bit overplayed.
I’m partial to the Finnish-Armenians myself. When I went to school in Michigan, I used to pretend to be one.
They are, however, entirely imaginary. Armenians and Finns have less than nothing in common; they don’t even make good opposites.