[Runebreaker]

i am writing this to ask is it me or is fantasy writers basically just rehashing the same old species instead of creating some originally . i mean i can not even think of all the stories i have read with a dwarves and elves and worse of all humans . i mean must every tale come from their point of view couldnt writers come up with new races to write about . also whatabout all the races which havent been giving any glory . like trolls and ogres i mean i know they are suppose to be dumb but i bet it would be kewl to see from their prospective just once .

[Aylis]

good point...in the halfblood books tho, you sometimes see things from the point of view of the dragon, but the dragon thought just like a person immersed into a different culture, like if an australian went to japan or something...

[ChrisW]

umm stan Nicholls has a series of books written from a Orc pov. 3 books i tink.
Orcs first blood is the name of the series.

Then there is umm Feists Empire trilogy with the big ant type creatures(which play major role in book 3)

[James Barclay]

Don't see why they should. Fantasy is about the characters and the story like any other genre. The danger of inventing trendy new species is in falling into the SciFi trap of being so immersed in your cleverness you forget you have a story to tell and characters to populate it.

[azaz]

Runebreaker, you must then read Steven Erikson's A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. The books out so far:
1. Gardens of the Moon
2. Deadhouse Gates
3. Memories of Ice (3rd December)

There are many many different species/creatures in the books. Just to name a few, Jaghut, T'lan Imass, Tiste Andii, Trell, Soletaken, Forkrul Assail, K'chain Che'Malle, Moranth, Barghast, and more. And yes Human's as well.

[Lord Soth]

Um check out gemmel.... trying to rememeber the name of the book now...... thinking.... thinking..... um..... I think it was Darkmoon. It has a reasonable take on a different mind. Not a great book though.

[jbcohen]

To a large extent, I think, this depends on what sorts of novels you are reading. My Dragon Lance novels have all sorts of off creatures running around, and in some cases flying around. There is the Kyrie bird people, Kender, Kagnosenti, Dragnosenti and the mystical Irda.

[Rob B]

Runebreaker, check out David Farland's Runelords series of books. The Reavers, the monstrous creatures in those books, are pretty interesting. Aside from them, though, the series is overall a good set of books.

I did an interview with Farland a few months ago for SFFWORLD HERE (http://www.sffworld.com/authors/f/farland_david/interviews/200108.html). Mr. Farland goes into his research and how he came up with the Reavers.m

[This message has been edited by FitzFlagg (edited November 23, 2001).]

[neologik]

Runebreaker, if you can handle it, read China Miéville's PERDIDO STREET STATION and the upcoming THE SCAR. In my opinion, he is a master of creating strange and wonderous species.

Check it out.

--gabe chouinard
who really likes China Miéville... and his books!

[Shehzad]

Darn it, you beat me to it gabe!

Shehzad
--who still trembles at the Slake-Moths and marvels at the Weaver