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

**BlakeHyde** · November 20th, 2000, 12:37 PM

I got started in fantasy when I was eight, with the Hobbit. It's been a long and bumpy ride...

**drakon** · November 21st, 2000, 08:00 AM

the first book i read in english , if my memory serves me right is Legacy of Heorot by
Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes. that got me into sci-fi and i think i read Footfall and Ringworld after that.
i loved it because i really liked the characters and the fact that it really took me into a whole different world.
i then read lots and lots of Stephen king book which in a way turned me into fantasy bacause of all the supernatural stuff they involved.
i think my first "official" fantasy book was Zelazny's Amber series. i still think it is one of the best.

all this happened about eight years ago, and for some reson which i can't put a finger on i then didn't read that much anymore. until i re-read the Hobbit and LOTR which i had trouble with at a younger age(due to the language) and totally fell inlove again with fantasy. which is one of the resons i hold Tolkein as the best ever.
after reading the posts above i believe i'll pick up this Martin guy, he seems to be getting alot of praise in this forum.
have a good day everybody

[This message has been edited by drakon (edited November 21, 2000).]

**shadowfire** · November 21st, 2000, 08:27 AM

Greensmoke(about R dragon)can't remember the author I was about 7

**trask5** · November 24th, 2000, 10:59 AM

I got turned on to Fantasy by my best friend in High School oh so many years ago. Rightfully so, he started me off with the Hobbit. He also introduced me to a series of books that I have not been able to remember the names or author of. One of them was about Rapheal I think and he played the lute(is that right, the stringed instrument?). If anyone knows what I'm talking about I would love to get my hands on those books again.

**Maya** · November 25th, 2000, 03:21 AM

Hello!
I'm new and this is my first message so I'm sorry if i say something stupid (which i probably will). I got into fantasy by reading Pawn of Prophecy recommended by my older brother and it captivated me straight away. I don't think i would have got into fantasy otherwise because David Eddings has a beautiful way of combining a decent story with an atmosphere that isn't too serious which can be intimidating to beginners to fantasy. Recommend Pawn of Prophecy to any beginners and I can virtually guarantee they will be hooked. And i would also like to ask why don't many people like David Eddings anyway?

**Charles** · November 25th, 2000, 05:41 AM

I came into fantasy first through tolkein, but I only read his books, then my brother introduced me to fantasy nintendo games, and then I read dragonlance from there, and now I read all kinds of fantasy...

**Macros** · November 25th, 2000, 08:10 AM

I started with C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. Then Lloyd Alexander, David Eddings, Terry Brooks, David Gemmel, Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, Tad Williams and then finally Raymond Feist.

In response to Maya's question. Eddings is a very good author and has many strengths but they are all overshadowed by his main weakness, the lovey dovey atmosphere. He's a very good author for beginners but after a while, when you've experienced other works, his just tend to seem inferior.

**Badger** · November 25th, 2000, 11:42 PM

Hello,

I would have to say the Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks was the first influential fantasy book that hooked me. From there it led to the Fafhrd & Grey Mouser stories by Fritz Leiber, The Eternal Champion books by Michael Moorcock, Gary Gygax's Gord the Rogue, Dragonlance and its sequels, and the Icewind Dale books by R.A. Salvatore.

Steve

[This message has been edited by Badger (edited November 26, 2000).]

**Ravenlock** · December 1st, 2000, 09:35 AM

Like a lot of others the first fantasy stuff I read was Chronicles of Narnia and then later I read the Hobbit and LOtR. I liked those, but they didn't get me into fantasy.
I was sitting on my brothers bed one day waiting for him to get off his computer and since I had nothing better to do I picked up his copy of the Sword of Shannara and started reading. As I started it I thought it was kind of dumb why would you name a character Flick? I was actually kind of making fun of it, but as I got further into it I was hooked. Since it was my first trip into what I thought of at the time as fantasy, Terry Brooks and especially the Shannara books are still my favorite.

**sleepyelf** · December 1st, 2000, 03:12 PM

My sister's best friend, she's my friend to introduced us to Tamora Pierce. I'd read the Chronicles of Narnia before then, but they didn't really seem like fantasy to me

**Thoughtcriminal84** · December 6th, 2000, 01:58 AM

I think the first fantasy book I read was one of those evil Dragonlance books. They were pretty entertaining when I was eleven or twelve. But the thing that actually "got" me was the old Dungeons & Dragons cartoon show. Not that it was particularly good or anything, but at the time my mother was going through one of her periodic christian revival frenzies, and some televangelist proclaimed D&D to be evil...I was strictly forbidden to watch it on saturday mornings, lest I lose my soul the way the characters in the show were lost in that weird fantasy world. So of course I watched it. And I dug every stolen second of it. (Sidenote: recently watched a bootleg tape of it with mom, who isn't so hardcore anymore...she was embarassed she had been so adamant over such gibberish)
In any case, that's what hooked me.

Cadfael · December 20th, 2000, 05:28 PM

It was a teacher when I was at school... she read out the whole of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis. I then nagged my parents to get me the other books, apart from brief forays into Brother Cadfael and Inspector Morse, I have been hooked on Fantasy ever since

**Drewids** · December 20th, 2000, 07:23 PM

Narnia was the first fantasy I read, but later on it was Magician by Feist that turned me onto the genre. So, as one who stciks with tradition, I have kept up with all Feists' books and probably will until he stops writing fantasy.

**Rob B** · December 21st, 2000, 01:45 AM

I am in the middle of Magician: Master right now. My only problem with the book is that it took me so long to finally read Mr. Feist.

**KATS** · December 21st, 2000, 04:34 AM

When I was young (a long, long time ago) my uncle told my cousin and I the story of Bilbo Baggins (sp?), “The Hobbit”. He did a very detailed job, which I still find amazing. I had to read the actual book and couldn’t believe he didn’t leave anything out. Also, any one hear of the book, “The Girl with the Silver Eyes.”? I guess the rest is history.