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

**xvart** · August 19th, 2008, 03:55 PM

In Junior High I was on a field trip sitting next to a guy that I was somewhat friends with, and I just said, rather jokingly that "reading sucks." He then began to tell me how awesome reading is, and how great the books are that he reads, etc. etc. I wasn't really serious, but he then started telling me about this fantasy series that was several books long, and about the world, and the characters, etc. etc.

I finally conceded (even though I wasn't serious to begin with) and read The Wheel of Time and the rest, they say, is history.

xvart.

**PeterWilliam** · October 3rd, 2008, 02:55 PM

Somewhere around third grade I read The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Prydain.

**Althax** · October 3rd, 2008, 05:01 PM

I read the CS Lewis' Narnia series as a young kid in elementary school, as well as a wrinkle in time. But didn't really read much again till Jr. High where I started reading LOTR, I read that series every summer for 2 or 3 years in a row. Then stumbled upon some Piers Anthony in my high school library, from there to Donaldson and just on and on after that.

**Sadie1787** · October 20th, 2008, 06:44 PM

The book that got me crazy on fantasy and just reading in general in Inkheart

**slyon32** · October 20th, 2008, 09:08 PM

Like many in this thread for me it was dragonlance. I remember checking a couple of the books out from the school library and just being memorized by them. I have since tried to figure out what books it was that I read and haven't been able to. But since then, if it doesn't have dragons or wizardry in it, I don't read it.

**Watcher** · October 22nd, 2008, 07:00 PM

I read Terry Brooks in 7th grade and was hooked from day one.

I would later learn how much I loathe Terry Brooks...lol

**Thor** · October 22nd, 2008, 08:36 PM

Everything I could lay my hands on by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman: Dragonlance, Darksword, Rose of the Prophet, Death Gate Cycle.

Younger still I read "Creatures of Light and Darkness," by Roger Zelazny, and The Tripods trilogy by John Christopher. Very good kids books, worth reading.

Oh yes, and Troy Denning's Dark Sun Prism Pentad.

**abeebaby** · November 1st, 2008, 10:00 PM

I saw this thread and just had to tell my story.

When I was a little girl (5 or 6) my dad would read me "The Hobbit" before bed. I think I fell in love with the way the book looked; he has a big, green version with illustrations every so often. Pretty soon I was begging him to read me it, and then I was trying to read it on my own. It was on to LotR and the Silmarillion, Anne McCaffrey, etc, from there.
I'm now 19 and still in love with fantasy. I read it all these days from cheesy Twilight to dark ASoiaF, and everything inbetween. Its my escape.

**obanta** · November 2nd, 2008, 07:02 PM

I read the Hobbit when I was around 10 at my father's recommendation. I tried reading LoTR a few times after I finished the Hobbit but could never get past page 75, if I recall correctly. Then I didn't read anything that I recall in the genre until a friend in highschool introduced me to Drizzt Do'Urden in the Dark Elf Trilogy. So while I really enjoyed the Hobbit, Drizzt is what got me hooked.

I've reread the Dark Elf Trilogy a few times and still love them. Definitely something nostalgic about it.

**WyrvenGuard** · November 5th, 2008, 11:46 AM

There's two books that I can possibly attest to pulling me into the world of Fantasy... I read both of them in 7th grade

1. Cormyr - I read it for an english report (I grabbed it because it had a cool cover, and at the time, I was an impressionable 11 year old haha)

2. The Subtle Knife by Pullman... I know, I read it before I read the Golden Compass, and it kind of ruined the first book for me, I still think it's the best of the three (and the Amber Spyglass could be one of those "Jump The Shark" Books I was reading in another post haha).

After that I was hooked.

**WyrvenGuard** · November 5th, 2008, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by slyon32

Like many in this thread for me it was dragonlance. I remember checking a couple of the books out from the school library and just being memorized by them. I have since tried to figure out what books it was that I read and haven't been able to. But since then, if it doesn't have dragons or wizardry in it, I don't read it.

The first "Dragon Lance" Book I read was Legend of Huma. a friend told me to pick up the Dragon's of Autumn or whatever that book was called, but I accidently grabbed that one instead. There were some really incredible stories in that Dragon Lance series, especially for someone who was 13 or so at the time haha.

**Trinuviel** · November 5th, 2008, 03:23 PM

The Narnia books.
The Hobbit
Lord of the Rings
Meredith Ann Pierce's Darkangel trilogy
Anne McCaffrey's Pern books

**anthonyjohn** · November 7th, 2008, 08:44 AM

The Tarzan books then the Mars series. E.R. Burroughs

**Bad Heartburn** · November 7th, 2008, 11:19 AM

Greek mythology. I couldn't get enough of that when I was young. It was a small leap from that to fantasy fiction.

**woodge** · November 7th, 2008, 07:46 PM

First came Ray Bradbury (especially Something Wicked This Way Comes), then came Keith Laumer (read everything the local library had), then I read through all 7 of the Narnia books one after the other (didn't care for the latter two, though), then came Robert E Howard's Conan tales, quickly followed by Michael Moorcock's Elric tales, then some Roger Zelazny, and Alfred Bester (especially The Stars My Destination), then came Tolkien, then the Dune trilogy (it was just a trilogy back then), and so forth. There were many detours along the way.