Anyone reading any fantasy novels?

T. Foster · Post by **T. Foster** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 11:05 am

Ghul wrote:
T. Foster wrote:Just (well, last night) finished A. Merritt's Burn, Witch, Burn, which was <snip>.
I just picked up the commemorative edition of The Moon Pool with an introduction by Robert Silverberg. Is this one of Merritt's finer works in your opinion?

--Jeff T.

The Moon Pool is Merritt's first, and probably most famous (at least nowadays) novel, and is a very fair representation of his style and themes. Personally I prefer both The Ship of Ishtar and Dwellers in the Mirage, but I also very much like The Moon Pool and it's probably the best place to start. If you like it, you'll probably like all the other Merritt books as well (except perhaps The Metal Monster, which focuses too much on weird descriptions and not enough on plot), if you don't like it, you probably wouldn't have liked the others any better.

Ghul · Post by **Ghul** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:34 am

T. Foster wrote:<snip>
...but I also very much like The Moon Pool and it's probably the best place to start. If you like it, you'll probably like all the other Merritt books as well (except perhaps The Metal Monster, which focuses too much on weird descriptions and not enough on plot), if you don't like it, you probably wouldn't have liked the others any better.

Well, I certainly enjoyed Face in the Abyss, and I do enjoy the prose style of A. Merritt, so I'm thinking of bumping this book to #3 on my to-read list of books. I am presently reading Madouc, the third Lyonesse novel, and next I intend to continue my quest for the Dark Tower with book 5, Wolves of the Calla. So many books, so little reading time.

All the best,
--JEff T.

Post by **Philotomy Jurament** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:56 am

Gentlegamer wrote:
Mythmere wrote: I reiterate that the major downside of having North move to Houston has been that there's another old-schooler prowling the exact same Half Price Books. There's a load of the 2e spell compendiums and two Van Richtens Monster Hunter Guides there, BTW. $13 each.
I'm back in Houston, too.

I, too, am in Houston (Spring, actually -- way north).

Post by **Philotomy Jurament** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:12 am

I just finished Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword, which was very good. (I read the 1971 revision.)

I recently read The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, Bellair's Face in the Frost, and Merritt's Dwellers in the Mirage. I'm trying to decide what to read, next. My short-list is:

Gemmell's Legend
Merritt's Ship of Ishtar
Howard's Bloody Crown of Conan

I'm also going to cruise the Half-Price Books and see if I can find anything interesting (DAW yellow-spines, TSR or JG stuff, maybe some Clark Ashton Smith if I can find it).

Casey777 · Post by **Casey777** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 12:41 pm

grodog wrote:Oooh, how's that going Casey? I haven't read it yet, but picked up a copy a few years ago.

Got sidetracked by reading up on Innsmouth for a CoC based Torchwood type short and now Dark Ages works for a CoC/RQ based fantasy Groans of the Britons short.

Do want to get back though as it's been fun so far and not as difficult a read as I feared it might.

Mythmere · Post by **Mythmere** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 10:21 pm

Just re-read The Black Company by Glen Cook. Great read.

TRP · Post by **TRP** » Sun Aug 05, 2007 12:06 pm

Last night I read the story The Hound from the Lovecraft dream collection. I do not recall reading this one before, and what I have to say is .. Wowza! Well, I guess I can also say that this very, very short story is now one of my HPL favorites.

I understand that this short has been poo-poo'd by HPL himself, and others, but I don't know why. Sure, it's fairly conventional by the author's standards, but I still found it damned creepy enough.

JamesEightBitStar · Post by **JamesEightBitStar** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 12:35 am

Well, I finally read some actual FANTASY for once.

At a used bookstore I found hardcover editions of Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three (Chronicles of Prydain book 1) and Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions (SFBC 50th Anniversary Edition).

I'm already finished with Book of Three, kinda having on-and-off time with THaTL.

Gentlegamer · Post by **Gentlegamer** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:56 pm

Heh, Prydain is part of my campaign world.

JamesEightBitStar · Post by **JamesEightBitStar** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:33 pm

Prydain is SO campaign material-able.

Question... does Three Hearts and Three Lions ever get better? I'm about 1/3rd of the way into the book--Holger is about to be taken into the Elf Hill--and it is really losing my interest.

Mythmere · Post by **Mythmere** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:41 pm

JamesEightBitStar wrote:Prydain is SO campaign material-able.

Question... does Three Hearts and Three Lions ever get better? I'm about 1/3rd of the way into the book--Holger is about to be taken into the Elf Hill--and it is really losing my interest.

I get bored with it, too.
It's not that any one part of it isn't great imagery, it just doesn't hang together well enough for me to stay interested - there's no character I identify with or even sympathize with.

*gets ready to duck a universal hail of tomatoes*

Ancalagon · Post by **Ancalagon** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 10:20 pm

Just started reading Gotrek & Felix the first omnibus. A friend recommended it so I figured I'd check it out.

JamesEightBitStar · Post by **JamesEightBitStar** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 10:46 pm

Mythmere wrote:
JamesEightBitStar wrote:Prydain is SO campaign material-able.

Question... does Three Hearts and Three Lions ever get better? I'm about 1/3rd of the way into the book--Holger is about to be taken into the Elf Hill--and it is really losing my interest.
I get bored with it, too.
It's not that any one part of it isn't great imagery, it just doesn't hang together well enough for me to stay interested - there's no character I identify with or even sympathize with.

*gets ready to duck a universal hail of tomatoes*

Eh.

My issue is more along the lines of:
1. I can't stand the "accents."
2. Nor the plotting... the hero so far seems to just be having everything handed to him and finding people who are willing to help him for no apparent reason.
3. I dislike the constant references to real world history, religion, and mythology. I was about ready to put the book down the minute Anderson started dragging King Arthur into it.

Stonegiant · Post by **Stonegiant** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:20 am

Mythmere wrote:Just re-read The Black Company by Glen Cook. Great read.

I just reread that (again) a short while ago and went on with several of the sequels. Have you ever read Cooks Tower of Terror? It is a short novella but quite a good read IMHO. I have also read some of his Fantasy Detective series which aren't his best but have some pretty funny moments.

Mythmere · Post by **Mythmere** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:38 am

Stonegiant wrote:
Mythmere wrote:Just re-read The Black Company by Glen Cook. Great read.

I just reread that (again) a short while ago and went on with several of the sequels. Have you ever read Cooks Tower of Terror? It is a short novella but quite a good read IMHO. I have also read some of his Fantasy Detective series which aren't his best but have some pretty funny moments.

I've got to go and find the sequels. I used to have a couple, but I think by brother in law decamped with them after he stayed here for a while.