What did you read as a kid that got you started in this genre? / into fantasy?

[Azurehero]

Hey everyone. Joel Rosenberg is my favorite author. He hooked me on reading when I was young. "The Sleeping Dragon" was the first fantasy book that I read, and the first book that had me caring about the characters for that matter.
I highly recomend.

What was the book that turned all of you on to fantasy? Why do you think it hooked you?

[Paul_Ashaman]

Pawn of Prophecy, Book 1 of the Belgariad by David Eddings was my first fantasy book.

I have no idea why I like fantasy so much, possibly its because I like to think about a different world for a time.

PA

[Eventine]

Victor Kelleher. Australian author doing young adult books, some of which were fantasy. Still an interesting read to go back to.

[Lady Fox]

My first book in the scifi/fantasy world was Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey. I loved it and immediately began to scour the library for similar works. I discovered Andre Norton, Susan Cooper, Heinlein, Asimov, Lloyd Alexander, and C.S. Lewis just to name a few that I remember. I was ten years old when I first began reading this genre, and I've been an avid fan ever since. I think I like this genre so much because it transcends all rules and restrictions. With sicifi/fantasy you can lose yourself in the "what if" world of magic and future science.

[Azurehero]

Wow! Some great responces there. I liked "The Sleeping Dragon" because it was so different from everything else I'd read. See, I hadn't found anything that I liked to read and my mom refused to give up. She was thrilled to see me spend the day working from one end of the paper back to the next.

Aaaah, books are great.

[Shadowen]

Well, The Hobbit was read to me by a relative when I was about 6 years old, then The Lord of the Rings, and I just took off from there. Went on to Anne Mc Caffrey and David Eddings (used to love him, but then I grew up)! and just carried on from there!

[Lani]

As my first book I remember Roger Zelazny's Amber Series. They hooked me on fantasy and It is still one of my most facourite authors.

[wastra]

I started on C.S. Lewis. Then on to Tolkien, Brooks, Eddings, Etc.

Have to say this: George Martin is the best fantasy writer of our time.

[Giarc]

I started with CS Lewis (Narnia), Tolkien (Hobbit) and Lloyd Alexander (Prydain) when I was just knee-high to a grasshopper. Wonderful stuff *happy sigh*
And no argument from me regarding G.Martin, Wastra. Though I've yet to read his 3rd.

[Charles]

I started with Tolkien. I read The Hobbit in my 6th grade class, and I enjoyed it. I eventually read LOTR and The Silmarillian, and some of his short stories. I then got into Dragonlance and D&D books. I have been reading other authors more recently though.

[Liselle]

The first I read was the Narnia series or 'Märchenmond' by Hohlbein, I do not remember exactly. Then Hohlbein again for a long time, Eddings, Kelleher, Pulman, some DSA...

[Eventine]

Wow! Another Kelleher reader.
Now that I think of it, the Narnia books may have come first. There have been a lot of books over the years though, and my memory isn't the best on the planet...

[Cellandros]

My early fantasy adventures were with Lloyd Alexander, then Alan Dean Foster (Spellsinger), and then Stephen Donaldson.

[Rob B]

I read some choose your own adventure books when I was younger. Ace had a series of young adult books under the "Magic Quest" imprint that I remember reading--Tanith Lee, Patricia C. Wrede this was when I was like 8 or 9.

What really started me on fantasy was the DragonLance Chronicles by Weis/Hickman when I was in Middle School.

[Misty]

I got started on fantasy books about 5 years ago. The first fantasy books I ever read were the Heralds Of Valdemar triligoy by Mercedes Lackey. Since then I have been devouring her books as fast as I can find them. I think she is an amazing writer. If you would like to recomend another writer to me fell free to e-mail me at Amandamaynard18@hotmail.com Thanks