[Mithfânion]

Highly acclaimed, supposedly very different from a lot of modern day Fantasy.

Who here shall vouch for its quality, or lack thereof? http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Hobbit]

Very good, IMO but a bit slow for some. Word of warning for the unitiated - it involves fairies, ogres and elves and names like Smoky Barnable. Neil Gaiman's Stardust owes a lot here, I think.

This is much better. Is in David Pringle's list of 100 Best Modern Fantasy Novels, and I quote....

'Little, Big beggars the words of criticism...It is a long, slow, pastoral tale that moves from past to future and involves a host of vivid characters. The more it ensnares our eager imaginations, the bigger it seems to become.'

According to Ursula K LeGuin (no mean writer of speculative fiction herself! http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif ) (Little, Big is a) 'book that all by itself calls for a redefinition of fantasy.'

I'll be honest and say that it took me two goes - I read it but didn't get it first time round, as it seemed a little too whimsical for my tastes. Second time.....wow - I got it (I think!)

And they said TV/Hollywood scriptwriters couldn't write!

Hobbit

[This message has been edited by Hobbit (edited March 15, 2002).]

[Kamakhya]

I just finished Little, Big. However, I am not a big fantasy reader, so I cannot compare it to the fantasy genre at large, though I gather it is unique. The thing that made this book a classic for me was the writing. There were passages (or even just sentences) that completely took my breath away.

I will say that it is a dense book. It took me twice as long to read as anything else. I got bored by parts of it and only kept at it because the writing was so amazing anf the story good enough that I really did want to see how things turned out. It is not an action packed novel, rather a close look at a very unusual family in very unusual times.

I would (and have) recommend this book to others. Yet, always with the warning that it is not your usual page-turning story. I read a couple of other books while I read Little, Big. In other words, because it is dense and at times a difficult read, I supplemented my cravings for action and intrigue with other books.

It is a beautiful book and worth the time and effort to read.

[Llama]

A fabulous book and a classic work of fantasy. Read it.