Lets say, youre stuck on a desert island...

[Jeroen]

hard question!

probably The Lord of the Rings
or Titus Groan + Gormenghast

 

[owlcroft]

and in a liferaft . . . .

I felt like, given the thread title, it should go on with "and a life raft washes up holding a priest and a rabbi with bananas in their ears."

Anyway: Lord of the Rings is not a series: it is one novel in six books often published in three physical volumes.

One choice might be "Viriconium" (Harrison), because it is well and beautifully written and has enough depth to bear many re-readings.

Another might be the "Discworld" (Pratchett), in part because it is so long (desert islands get boring).

Yet another might be "Time and the Gods" (Dunsany), because it is charming and delightful (and, overall, cheerful).

 

[LaMattie]

Dragonlance would be a wise choice, since it's such a long series that you're likely to get rescued by the time you read half of it. Though doesn't offer much when it comes to gripping, thrilling stories that might take your mind off of being stuck on a deserted island.

ASOIAF would be great for a first time reading but I'm not sure how enjpyable it mught be for constant repetitive reading.

Harry Potter is another option. I would take that, I think, despite how cheesy it sounds.

 

[Seegee]

I think I'd just have to go mad, because being stuck with only one series, I don't care how good or big it was with nothing else to read, would drive me insane. If I had to choose I'd probably take Dave Duncan's A Man of His Word.

 

[Jeroen]

and why is the rum gone?

 

[metalprof]

I'm not far enought into it to pick Malazan, although it does seem like a logical choice due to its length and complexity.

I might pick Moorcock's Eternal Champion books due to the variety of characters and settings.

I might pick Wolfe's New / Long / Short Sun saga - if all 12 books count as the same series.

But I think what I'd really do is bring the Twilight series, so when a sailboat full of hot babes goes by, I can lure them to the island to rescue me!

(Apologies for the gender objectification contained in this post.)

Ken

 

[AuntiePam]

"Completed" fantasy series? It'd be Malazan or Ice and Fire, but they're not finished.

I'll go with Hyperion/Endymion. It's well worth a second read.

 

[Randy M.]

Taking the stance that I will call it a single-book when it suits me, or a series when it suits me, I would want LOTR + The Hobbit + Silmarillion. (Not that I'm arbitrary or anything.)

I'd choose LOTR, et al because they contain action, adventure, romance, love, honor, pity, pride, compassion, sacrifice, fear, betrayal, characters who are truly evil, characters who are warped and struggle against being evil, characters who are good but flawed and struggle on anyway, poetry and song, grand scenes and quiet scenes, reflective scenes and expressive scenes, landscapes that dial my sensawonda to 10, a world-threatening plot played out in the small actions of a group of characters who understand the consequences of their actions and still can't help acting like people (even some of the non-humans), and these books do all this with a prose that, while it occasionally falters, often enough sings.

Randy M.

 

[Thelonious]

Malazan Book Of The Fallen, no doubt.

Oh and i'll loophole Esselmont's stuff in there too.

 

[owlcroft]

Bravo!

I'd choose LOTR, et al because they contains action, adventure, romance, love, honor, pity, pride, compassion, sacrifice, fear, betrayal, characters who are truly evil, characters who are warped and struggle against being evil, characters who are good but flawed and struggle on anyway, poetry and song, grand scenes and quiet scenes, reflective scenes and expressive scenes, landscapes that dial my sensawonda to 10, a world-threatening plot played out in the small actions of a group of characters who understand the consequences of their actions and still can't help acting like people (even some of the non-humans), and these books do all this with a prose that, while it occasionally falters, often enough sings.

It's amazing how very many more words how many people have used to say far less about the matter.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I'd take the Helliconia Trilogy by Brian Aldiss. It's probably my equal favourite Sf/Fantasy ever, alongside TBOTNS. Helliconia never fails to amaze me...

 

[Alex]

I'd go with David Gemmells books=) If I was limited to a single series I'd choose his Troy trilogy.

Eriksson would be a good contender but his books are just to "epic" for me to reread if that makes any sense to you.

 

[Jeroen]

I'd take the Helliconia Trilogy by Brian Aldiss. It's probably my equal favourite Sf/Fantasy ever, alongside TBOTNS. Helliconia never fails to amaze me...

Do you think the Helliconia trilogy and The Book of the New Sun have things in common? You see, I am a big fan of TBOTNS, while I have never read Helliconia. You think if I like the one that I will like the other or it doesn't work that way?

 

[jbooks]

Not sure if SF counts

But if it does i would bring the Foundation series by Isac Asimov. I have read it several times and every time i learn something about the series.

 

[KatG]

But they hardly ever can be definitely said to have finished a series until they die, and sometimes, not even then. So I'd take Pratchett's Discworld, which isn't complete yet either, but that's about 30 books right there and all good.

 

[PeterWilliam]

I'd take the Helliconia Trilogy by Brian Aldiss. It's probably my equal favourite Sf/Fantasy ever, alongside TBOTNS. Helliconia never fails to amaze me...

I'm currently reading TBOTNS for the first time (in omnibus format, of course). I'm most of the way through The Claw of the Conciliator. Like Jeroen, I find myself liking TBOTNS, although it feels like what I have heard a "bad trip" described as. Would you mind offering your brief take on Aldiss' Helliconia trilogy?

 

[Seak]

Malazan Book Of The Fallen, no doubt.

Oh and i'll loophole Esselmont's stuff in there too.

Nice use of the loophole.

This is a tough one. I think it'd be either LotR (with a loophole of all the other stories, books, etc. like Unfinished tales, Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin)

But Malazan is also hard to pass up. Even in its unfinished state it'll take me forever to figure out what's going on before the end anyway.

 

[courtney]

Malazan Book Of The Fallen, no doubt.

Oh and i'll loophole Esselmont's stuff in there too.

+1!
and the short stories (blood follows etc)
for sheer breadth of imagination and depth of world building on offer, erikson has no peer (for me).

 

[txshusker]

I'd take Thomas Covenant. Unless he ruins it with the last two volumes of the final chronicles.

You mean the first two didn't ruin it for you? Argh, for me they've been disappointing... thought the first two series on on my island short list.

But I'd have to go with the Belgariad, by Eddings. Critique it how you want, but if I'm stuck on an island, I'd want something light and fluffy to ease the pain.

 

[NickeeCoco]

Actually. now that I've thought of it. . . Anyone know of a series that has a lot of info dumps on such things as how to make low-tech tools, how to catch fish with a handmade net, how to make nets etc? That's the series I'd want if I were stuck on an island.