[Liselle]

I liked the Battle of the Five Armies from the Hobbit, mainly because Thorin gets killed. Not that I didn't like him, but I think it simply unrealistic that from the 'good' party shouldn't have died anybody, or if so, only people who were unimportant to the whole story.

[Metosblat]

I'd have to say Dumai's well in LOC or the battle at King's landing from tyrion's POV, Green fire would look cool.

[Thoughtcriminal84]

it wasn't really a battle, but in Wizard's first rule, when Richard is in the torture chamber and princess violet starts mocking and torturing him...and he totally caves her fat little face in with a mule kick...good god, i giggled like a school boy. something about that scene made life worth living for a few days. (what would Freud say?)
BTW...just wanted you folks to know how much i'm enjoying this "favorite battle" post...I feared I was the only one who actually thought about things like this.

[Deschain]

shrike, shrike, shrike. need i say more?

[wynterfel]

R. Jordan might be a li'l long-winded but his descriptive battle scenes in the Wot series are great!

The Battle scenes in SoT series especially the ones in Blood of the Fold. And that battle Kahlan led wearing nothing but white paint http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif I'm not sure but I think it was in Stone of Tears.

As for duels though I just love the descriptions of Del and Tiger's swordfights in the Sword Dancer series - hoolies bascha! http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Rob B]

I will have to agree w/FitzChivalry above:
R.A. Salvatore has some great battles and fights in The Icewind Dale trilogy. Drizzt's Scimitars and Wulfgar's Hammers.

[Cannon Fodder]

The Seige of Dros Delnoch in Legend, taking up most of the book. Most of the fights and battles in any David Gemmell book are pretty good come to think of it.

Fiest has done some good battle stuff as well, such as the Seige of Crydee in Magician (I love seige stuff) and the battles in Rage of a Demon King.

Robert Jordan's battles in TWOT involving magic are generally good, but those not aren't so great, a lot seems skipped over.

The battle in book 2 of The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is pretty good as well, the names and places escape me now.

[Zsinj16]

I haven't read very many fantasy books so far, besides the LOTR Trilogy and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The battles that I liked the best in those books were The Battle of the Five Armies and the fight between Samwise
Gamgee and Shelob. Whoo boy, that fight with Sam was awesome, it changed my opinion of Sam from then on!! After that,he all of the sudden became a no-nonsense, kick butt, Obi-Wan Kenobi-like figure in fantasy to me!!

[Barbarossa]

A few of my favorites:

Epic battles:
Pelenor fields (SP?) in LOTR
Kings Landing in SoIaF


Duelling Dervel vs the Saxon champion in Excalibur by Bernar Cornwell


Least favories (really bad examples of the genre imho):

Elfes vs Demons in Elfstones of Shanarra
Anything by Salvatore
the battles in "Rage of a demon king" by Feist

[Pluvious]

Although I agree Salavatore is not great writer by any stretch, I generally like his fast-paced action scenes.