Who do you HAVE to read?

As a wannabe fantasy author, I have my personal inspirations, those authors whose work is so good I feel I have to learn from it. Does anyone else have their list of "must read" authors? Who towers over the genre? If we all list our influences, we can learn from each other's inspirations as well as from each other's work.

For me the tops of the list are:

JRR Tolkien (obviously) - the unequalled master of world building and a first class exponent of evocative prose.

Michael Moorcock - mold breaker par excellence.

Robert E Howard - a truly literate author, a touch formulaic perhaps but with an impressive grasp of our language

Mary Gentle - no one writes with greater scope and patience.

Brian Aldiss - who proves that world builders need not follow Tolkien slavishly.

Elizabeth Moon - a conventional author who has effectively processed the impact of rpg's on the genre without being controlled by the rules of games.

There are others, but these are always with me when I write. How about you [/b]

Hmm, a potential writer's reading list? Well, there are several must reads I would think that I have heard about, but never got around to. They are on my "to read" list... call it my New Year's resolution.

Writing Fiction: A Guide to the Narrative Craft (5th Edition)

by Janet Burroway

I actually have read some parts of this book. It offers useful advice and it is fun to read for pleasure. It is not dull or dry like a textbook.

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

I have not read this book, but a book on writing from a classic science fiction author should be interesting to read.

How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card

That's it non-fiction wise. I know there's more, but these are my top three.

I do not know what fiction to recommend personally. I think it depends on what appeals to you. I know what I find inspirational. I like Roger Zelazny's work such as his Amber series which mixes modern day thinking with fantasy. I like folk and fairy tales. I also like reading anything the Critter's workshop puts out (although I procrastinate at sending reviews). I suggest a mix of genres in your reading list. Sure there's all the superstars of fantasy and science fiction, but what about other authors?

Just my thoughts,
-- Two-Socks

Matthew Woodring Stover's books are extremely intelligent, and I can't think of anyone who writes better action.

Laurell K. Hamilton- does great 1st person writing and is just kick ass with her imagation. A must read for anyone who like the supernatural or faeries.

Zane- If your a girl you probably know who she is. Very naughty writings but good for research

Yea, Tolkien, obviously... I was also very impressed by George Martin's A SOng of Ice and Fire series. Not regular fantasy.
Oh and don't forget to read the BG novels, or at least one. Then you know what is absolute crap.

Oh and don't forget to read the BG novels, or at least one. Then you know what is absolute crap.

*snicker* Yeah. Made the mistake of reading one of them. *shudder*

I think Tolkien is a definite must-read, and I also really recommend Chronicles of Narnia.

Laurell K. Hamilton- does great 1st person writing and is just kick ass with her imagation. A must read for anyone who like the supernatural or faeries.

The first nine books of the Anita Blake series, yes, I'll agree. I'm rather careful who I recommend the later AB books and the Meredith Gentry series to. (Woman who founded a small press specializing in SF porn, without hesitation. Anyone underage, uh, no.)

LKH is superb at writing in first person. Even if you don't care for her brand of vampire romance/murder mystery, she's worth studying for that.

I also have to toss in a recommendation for Lois Bujold. She is one of the finest writers I've ever read at writing transparently, and therefore one of the few whose books I can still get lost in the way I used to as a kid.

Eric Flint for his abillity to work historical details into a narrative without seeming to lecture. (And visit one of his forums on Baen's website, 1632 Tech, for lengthy discussions (and debates) on how things really worked during the early 1600s.)

Non-fiction, I'd like to add Ann Hood's Creating Character Emotions for exercises in showing instead of telling.

Definitely agree with Tolkien and Moorcock (good to see I’m not the only Elric fan here. )


A few of my faves:


Ursula K. LeGuinn -The Wizard of Earthsea Trilogy

Definitely recommend this one for any writer. LeGuinn excels in creating distinctive cultures and histories for the nations and peoples of Earthsea. IMO, one of the most common problems with fantasy writing (amateur and professional) is an over reliance on the generic pseudo-medieval fantasy world. She is also very good at developing internal struggle and enlightenment. Earthsea, especially the first novel, is very contemplative in nature. It has very little to do with casting fireballs and a lot to do with coming of age, learning that great power carries great responsibility, and that wisdom often comes at a high price. And *no one* writes as concisely as LeGuinn – none of the Earthsea novels are more than 200 pages.

In short, I think she rocks.


BTW, there was a tv adaptation of WoE by the Sci-Fi Channel. Don’t waste your time – it was wretched.



H.P. Lovecraft


Lovecraft is arguably more horror (and maybe a bit of sci-fi) than true fantasy genre. But IMO, it’s unparalleled in its creativity and well, creepiness. Definitely a good source of inspiration for darker-themed fics. I used some of his influences in my take on the Umar Hills quest.




Thieves’ World/Tales From The Vulgar Unicorn


There’s about a bazillion books in the series, and IMO most of them stink. But the original Thieves’ World, and its sequel, Tales... are pretty good reads. Nothing especially original or groundbreaking, but the concept – basically a round-robin collection of short stories loosely tied together – strikes me a good primer on collaborative writing efforts.

I’m pretty sure the basis of the Blade kit for Bards in SoA came from Thieves’ World, too.

I have just gotten into reading Lovecraft, and yeah. I'd define more as horror then Sci-fi, but still a good read.

How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card

I have that. It's quite good. It does a lot of references to Tolkien, but one of the things that is stressed is not following Tolkien slavishly. It also stresses the ideas of internal consistancy and internal logic, which I really like.

Anything by Marageret Weis is something I'd read. She is the only one who has driven me so far into her storyline that I actually cried at the passing of a character.(Flint in Dragonlance if you must know) Terry Goodkind is also a very good author. R A Salvatore is also good but I never got quite as immersed in his storylines.

Tolkien, of course, for sheer world-building-ness. And The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis like Serena suggested. And Ursula K. LeGuin, not just Earthsea.

For science-fiction, I'd recommend some of the older, but well-known authors: Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, etc. Ray Bradbury is really good at writing stories to make you think.

I'd also suggest Stephen King for his realistic descriptions of people and things.

Terry Goodkind is also a very good author.

Well, the first few books in Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series were quite good, I should warn you, they go downhill.

[rant]And he is one of those authors that have to learn that not all languages have English grammar. 'Tis the most annoying thing about the snippets of High D'haran given in the Sword of Truth series. (Tolkien's Elvish languages, on the other hand, are very good.) [/rant]

(Sorry. I make a hobby of inventing languages and such things annoy me. )

---Etak

I did actually notice that. I am now on Chainfire and just can't get the motivation to read it. Then again I've been having that problem with most books lately. It's all too sad.

[rant]And he is one of those authors that have to learn that not all languages have English grammar. 'Tis the most annoying thing about the snippets of High D'haran given in the Sword of Truth series. (Tolkien's Elvish languages, on the other hand, are very good.) [/rant]

(Sorry. I make a hobby of inventing languages and such things annoy me. )

*snicker*

Actually I never thought about that, but it's true.

And I personally never got into the Sword of Truth series. *shrug*