[Asha'man]

Which book or book series did you read with an alterior motive and end up enjoying the book/series? Also, someone sell me on why i should buy a tad williams book.

[Cadfael]

I bought Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion series, (well... four of them) because there was nothing better on offer in my bookclub, and I am astonished that I have never read him before... these books are awesome, a bit surreal in places, but not so whacky that you need to be an 'intellectual' to enjoy them.

Tad Williams, his fantasy books are in the classic mould, elves, dwarves etc... but with different names. Williams can REALLY write, he conveys his images very well. He has also written a sci/fi'ish series called 'Otherland', and it has restored my faith in the genre, the subject matter... worlds existing only in Virtual Reality, yet with the power to effect the real world... is really well put across. This series of books would make an awsome movie series... The Matrix would seem like a fairy story.

Ya know... I am finding it really hard to put across how good Tad Williams is, watch this space... someone will do it better.

[Metosblat]

The first time I picked up A game of thrones I laughed at Martin's arrogance putting a double R in his name(anyone actually know if that is his real name?). I thought he was just another tolkien wannabe. But....then I actually read it, like alot of people here will be able to identify with, I was blown away.
After reading A Clash Of Kings I was almost certain that Martin could not possibly make it better than the other too books. How can you out do a masterpiece? I asked myself.
I was wrong again. Storm of Swords kicked so much ass I had to take three days off school to read it.

[Charles]

I picked up Good Omens because Neil Gaiman helped to write it. I was expecting more of his influence rather than Terry Pratchett's influence, so that book was quite unexpected.

[Shadowen]

JV Jones 'The Book of Words' trilogy was just ok, IMO (hated Bodger and Grift) so I wasn't expecting much when I picked 'A Cavern of Black ice' - it was awesome! Descriptive, exciting, well written - can't wait for the next one!

[Cannon Fodder]

The original Dark Elf trilogy by R. A. Salvatore. They were a lot better than the usual Forgotten Realms stuff which I had expected.

[Cellandros]

I'll name a few that exceeded my expectations:

1) Tad William's Otherland. When I first bought the book, I bought it only because Tad's name was on the cover. When it came time to read it, in the begining I didn't think I'd make it through it. I kept thinking....this isn't going to work. Tad can't write this. A couple of chapters in, I was hooked. At the end of the book I was almost in tears because I knew it would be a year before the next volume. Needless to say, thousands of pages later, as I finish up Sea of Silver light, this series not only exceeded my expectation; it has raised the bar for everyone else.

2) Runelords by Dave Farland (aka Wolverton, etc). I've read a few other books by Dave and although they were good I wouldn't have put him on my list as a ground-breaker. Seeing a new book by him, and it being published by TOR; I thought---here's the latest fat-fantasy series from TOR...let me see if its worth anything. Lo and behold, Dave had written nothing short of one of the more original fantasy novels I had ever read with great characters, a wonderful system of magic---which was very well thought out with advantages/disadvantages. Again, this series raised the bar for what I expect in good fantasy.

3) Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg. I bought this one because everyone I knew raved about how it was a 'classic'. Usually I'm horribly let-down when I buy a book because someone thinks its a classic. It was unreal how this novel drew me in....words can't describe how great it was.

I could go on for a bit, but these are the ones that I really went into expecting something different; or the ones that just blew me away.

[This message has been edited by Cellandros (edited April 21, 2001).]

[Rupert Avery]

G.R.R.M
why ?
everything that Metosblat said
but not the shool stuff.

[Rob B]

Here are some from me:

Wizard's First Rule I read it not really expecting to like it after seeing so much negativity in various places such as this. I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it.

I will have to second Cellandros' POV about David Farland's amazing Runelords series. I thought it was just another TOR doorstopper, too. Picked up the paperback for 1/2 price at a bookstore that was closing and liked it a lot. The series is getting better with each book.

Magician by Feist was better than I thought it would be as well.

Dennizm, I think the only person that can do justice to Tad Williams storytelling capabilities is Tad himself. Though I do remember seeing in an online chat/interview with GRRM that Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn was a partial inspiration for him to write A Song of Ice and Fire.

Oh yeah, ASOI&F is gets better with each book too, so I guess fits the definition of this topic.

[Aleya]

To take the flipside of this topic, for those of you, like me, for whom Lord of the Rings wasn't your first fantasy novel:

Was I the only one who was a little dissappointed with it after all the hype I had heard?

The sheer scope still amazes me, and I played on a Middle Earth mush for years, so I really got deeply interested in the whole world Tolkien created, but I really expected the book to move me more than it did after all that I had heard.

Aleya - http://silver-oak.com