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| Viking funerals are high fantasy, right? No? Well, at least the image is off copyright. |
It's time for May's poll. Specifically, it's time for the write in nominations for May's poll.
Best fantasy series.
So please nominate the series that you would like to see go on to our poll to compete for the chance to live forever in the fame and glory of being voted best on a second rate blog.
Unfortunately, the nominations on Science Fiction series were a little lukewarm, and I think that's because I tried to separate it by contemporary vs. classics. So we're going to throw fantasy all in together and let things get a little hot and sloppy around here.
The Rules-
1) You may nominate any two (2) series. It ought to only be one (your favorite) but I find this makes book lovers get awfully uncomfortable. There have been some problems with people nominating too many entries, so if you nominate three or more, I'll take your first two.
2) You may second (or third or fourth etc...) as many series as you want. In fact you should do that or they may not make the poll. Check back and see what others have nominated so you can give them secondings and they will make the poll.
Third and fourth "seconds" may even be necessary.
I have to stress that nothing is going on to the poll unless someone seconds it. There are going to be a lot of nominations and fierce competition, and the actual poll gets unruly beyond twelve (12) entries. If somehow we have over twenty (20) entries with the same number of "seconds" I will do a run off poll, but otherwise I'll have to pick the entries with the most seconds.
You definitely want to nominate series HERE, not on the social media pages of anywhere I share this link. Because otherwise they may not get the second they need.
3) The umbrella of fantasy is very wide (going all the way from the medieval high fantasy of Lord of the Rings to urban fantasy of Dresden to modern set fantasy of Harry Potter), so I will, as usual, err on the side of what you readers think it is without fussing too much about what "counts."
I love scores of fantasy series, so I'm going to nominate some hard-to-find ones and leave Potter, Tolkein, Dresden, and the rest to others.
ReplyDeleteThe Crossroads books, by Nick O'Donohue ("The Magic and the Healing" is first). These are about a vet student who discovers an alternate world where all the fantasy creatures have gone after being exiled from earth.
Miranty and the Alchemist, by Vera Chapman. Might be part of a series - I've never had the opportunity to read the rest of her books. But even if it isn't part of a series, it's fantastic and people should read it. :)
The Magic of Recluse for using magic as an exploration of privilege.
ReplyDeleteThe Bartimeus Trilogy for showing how redemption can sneak up on you.
The Magic of Recluse sounds very interesting. I'll have to check that out.
DeleteMy nominations are:
ReplyDeleteRaymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga (which began in Magician/Silverthorn/Darkness at Sethenon) and
Lois McMaster Bujold's Chalion Trilogy (Curse of Chalion/Paladin of Souls/Hallowed Hunt)
Second Chalion
DeleteCan't get the name thing to work right now.
DeleteThird Chalion.
My Nomination is :
ReplyDeleteThe Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett ...
no other series even compares ....
Hmm. I ... yes. You know what? Yes. I think The Discworld gets my vote. Seconded. With Octarine Gusto.
DeleteI'd like to second this
DeleteDiscworld series gets my vote too!
DeleteBy a long way
Deleteabsolutely seconded!
DeleteI also nominate The Discworld.
DeleteDitto. Discworld by far.
DeleteI also second this :)
DeleteTerry Pratchett's Discworld series by a mile.
ReplyDeleteThis Tracy cat seems to know what's up. Seconded.
Deletesecond this whole heartedly
Delete~rolls eyes~ Okay, but if you enrage the Harry Potter Reddit, you'll have only yourselves to blame.
DeleteHas to be Sir Terry Pratchetts Discworld, nothing else even comes close
ReplyDeleteI'm another Discworld fan.
ReplyDeleteLove terry pratchetts discworld for one followed by terry pratchett & Stephen Baxter 's long earth series.
ReplyDeleteI second Discworld by Terry Pratchett
ReplyDeleteBest for the variety, thought provoking, pathos and believability of the characters and storylines is by far Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Second choice more difficult. Either Graeme Tallboys' Janiche of Antur or Jasper FForde's Tuesday Next
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if Jasper Fforde is nominated, but I second it.
DeleteI second Discworld by Sir Terry Pratchett. Fantasmagorically Fantastic Fantasy...and a damned good read to boot :D
ReplyDeletesince my absolute favourite has already been nominated.... The Darwath Trilogy by Barbra Hambly... and Guy Gavriel Kay's The Summer Tree trilogy
ReplyDeleteSecond for Darwath Trilogy!
Deletesecond Discworld, no doubt about it. If Earthsea is in already, I second that too. If it's not, I'd like to submit it.
ReplyDeleteSecond for Earthsea
DeleteThird for Earthsea
DeleteThe Darwath Trilogy by Barbara Hambly
ReplyDeleteThe Belgariad by David Eddings
These were nominated by someone who couldn't seem to leave a comment here.
Second Belgariad
DeleteThird Belgariad.
Delete...Can I fourth and fifth it, too?
I'll Fourth Belgariad for you
DeletePratchett's Discworld series is the most sustained not just in terms of humour (though he is incomparable on that score) but also for its insight, its humanity and its wisdom.
ReplyDeleteMichael Moorcock's Eternal Champion cycle; if I had to pin it down to a sub-series, the Elric of Melniboné series
Second The Eternal Champion
DeleteThe Troy Series by David/ David and Stella Gemmell and Joe Abercrombies First Law books.
ReplyDeleteWas tempted to go with Cornwells Warrior Chronicles but feel it's more historical fiction
Dragonriders of Pern, Ann McCaffrey.
ReplyDeleteI'll give this one a second!
DeleteSecond Again!
DeleteThe Lord of the Rings.
ReplyDeleteChronicles of Narnia.
Without Tolkien and Lewis there wouldn't be any modern fantasy.
Seconded!
DeleteThirded (both)!
DeleteAgreed. Fourthing both
DeleteDiscworld
ReplyDeleteThe Inheritance Trilogy - N.K. Jemisin
ReplyDeleteSecond for the Inheritance Trilogy
DeleteI nominate 1st Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and 2nd Ursula le Guin's Earthsea Trilogy
ReplyDeleteMy current favorite has already been mentioned a few times, so I would like to nominate a couple of series that my brother introduced me too as a young teen, that got me turned on to the fantasy genre when the rest of my peers started going the romance route (yelch!).
ReplyDeleteThe Xanth series - Piers Anthony
The Amber series - Roger Zelazny. I remember having some pretty serious arguments/discussion with my brother as we read these... good times. :)
Second Amber
DeleteSecond Zelazny's Amber
DeleteI can't see my original comment, so I'm guessing it didn't go through. If it did, sorry for the double post.
ReplyDeleteThe Codex Alera, by Jim Butcher
The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson
I was reminded today of the wonderful weirdness that is Frank L. Baum's Oz series, so I nominate that. And I'm waiting to see what the rest of you guys nominate before suggesting another series. . . .
ReplyDeleteL. Frank Baum, I mean.
DeleteOhh, yes, second Oz. Loved that as a kid.
DeleteI'l Second Oz as well. Maybe its because of the original movie, but I rarely think of this as "Fantasy" ... and I read the first 4-5 books.
DeleteThe Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey
ReplyDeleteThe Jhereg series by Steven Brust
Second the Brust!
DeleteSecond Brust
DeleteI'll give Carey's Kushiel Series a second. I'm not finished with it yet but it's taken me in. :)
DeleteI'm not sure I agree that having someone who fits a stereotype automatically makes it a racist action, but regardless I'll second HP now that it's been nominated. On the other hand, regardless of how much I enjoy Narnia, I have to agree that many of its themes are heavy-handed.
ReplyDeleteDitto. This list would feel incomplete without Harry Potter.
ReplyDeleteSome excellent nominations already.
ReplyDeleteI'll nominate Katherine Kurtz' Deryni series and CJ Cherryh's "Fortress" series (Fortress at the eye of time etc)
Dang it... I forgot Robin Hobb. Somebody nominate Robin Hobb!
DeleteRacist is a very strong word, and one that I don't see as being applicable to either author. And Lewis has female characters as strong and capable, if not more that his males.
ReplyDelete