in search of "one shot"/stand-alone fantasy novels

when I browse the (sadly limited) fantasy sections of my local booksellers it seems every book I pick up is part of a trilogy-or-longer series.

I have nothing against epic series, but I hate reading any series back-to-back so I'm looking for some fully-contained single-volume stories to space them out.. ideally books which are still in print and which have no sequels or "further tales in the land of...." volumes to tempt me.

any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Hm, I very much like The Last Dragonlord by Joanne Bertin, but she went and wrote one sequel afterwards...

Good Omens is a great book if you like fantasy contemporary and funny, too, and as far as I know there's no chance of a sequel because either Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett or both said they wouldn't do a collaboration again.

Hi,

You didn't mention any subgenres that you like, but I'll throw out a few suggestions.

Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia McKillip (Except for the Riddle Master, which can be gotten in one collected volume, her books are stand-alone novels.)
The Buried Pyramid by Jane Lindskold
Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton
Freedom and Necessity by Steve Brust and Emma Bull
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark (I haven't finished this one yet, but I've liked what I've read)

How are your local used bookstores stocked? There are some good out-of-print single-volume stories. I'll check at the bookstore tomorrow to see what I may have on the shelves there to recommend.

The Shape-changer's Wife by Sharon Shinn
Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones

come to mind.

Lions of Al-Rassan and A Song for Arbonne, by Guy Gavriel Kay
And I second Terry Pratchett. Most of his books can be read as stand-alones, I think (though you get more from them if you read the series). But he is very satirical and not exactly "epic" fantasy.

War for the Oaks is pretty close the first thing that springs to mind for me, too.

Throw in Perdido Street Station as well.

I recall two that stand on their own, and are pretty self-contained.

Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg. Although he wrote subsequent stories about Majipoor, the first one is really a stand-alone.

also try The War Hound and the World's Pain, a fable by Michael Moorcock.

Song of the Beast
Threshold
Faerie Tale
The Black Swan
The Rose Sea
The Changeling Sea
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
Ombria in Shadow
The Tower at Stony Wood
The Book of Atrix Wolfe
The Ragwitch
Illusion
Wheel of the Infinite
Caliban's Hour
The War of the Flowers
War for the Oaks
svaha
Jack of Kinrowan
Neverwhere
Good Omens
Briar Rose
Snow White and Rose Red

Now, if you want short story collections, that's a whole 'nother list.

Oh, and to trollsdotter: McKillip has one more book that has a sequel! Though I didn't know it until I'd read both. Winter Rose and Solstice Wood are set in the same world, though many generations apart. (It's not really a spoiler--this is revealed very early in the book).

The Redemption of Althalus by David Eddings is a stand alone and so is Beyond the Hanging Wall by Sara Douglass

Technically Beyond the Hanging Wall takes place in the same world as the Wayfarer series, just on the other side of the ocean.

Pamela Dean Tam Lin

The Sword and the lion by Roberta Cray

Wow! thanks to everyone who has responded - lots of books here I haven't heard of before :)

trollsdotter, my local used booksellers are OK I guess, but I face similar problems there in that most of the books I pick up seem to be parts of series, with the increased chance of a used book being part of an out-of-print series. I have some new titles to look for now though.

Should I read Winter Rose before I finish Summer Soltice? I keep bouncing off WR when I try to read it. Sometimes a book just drags me in and won't let me go, and others take a little more effort. When I have multiple books to read (the usual state) I get easily distracted from one to another. Lack of electricity due to Ernesto might help me to focus—no LT cataloging to distract me.

A few more:
The Barbed Coil by JV Jones
A Brother's Price by Wen Spencer
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (This is related to Doomsday Book but I've never felt the need to read it based on TSNotD. It's on the TBR list though.)
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Tithe by Holly Black

Older and may be at the used bookstore:
Lost in Translation by Margaret Ball
The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
The Interior Life by Katherine Blake (aka Dorothy Heydt)
The Practice Effect by David Brin
The Wizard's Shadow by Susan Dexter

Most authors seem to be committing trilogies if not outright series these days.

Happy browsing.

Reading Winter Rose before reading Solstice Wood is a good idea, yes. Not necessary, but it makes SW much more interesting.

And Tithe has another book "in the same world," AFAIK, in Valiant, which is why I didn't list it. ^^

I thought that Valiant was only tangentially related to Tithe; they don't have the same main characters (I can't speak for the secondary).

OK. Winter Rose is back near the top of the TBR pile. Thanks

Valiant is only tangentially related, but kerr_avon didn't want "further tales in the land of...." sorts of series, either. ^_^

Just wanted to note that The Practice Effect is actually science fiction, but still a very good stand-alone read.

Re Katissima's suggestion - Deep Secret is not a stand-alone. As with much of Diana Wynne Jones's work, there are recurrent characters and concepts everywhere, and Nick from DS makes a second and more significant appearance in The Merlin Conspiracy. There may be more in the Magid sequence in the future.

I couldn't help mentioning Deep Secret because I think it stands on its own perfectly well, and it is such a great book. I found it so entertaining that I actually reread it right after reading it the first time, and I never do that. It is actually pretty hard to think of books that are only children. I thought that The Merlin Conspiracy was only very loosely related even though it had Nick in it.

Firebird by Mercedes Lackey
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (while it takes place in the same universe as American Gods, there's really no cross-over)
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (not strictly fantasy, but certainly fantastical)

This is a tough one for me. I'm having a hard time coming up with a fantasy novel that hasn't turned into a series. A couple suggestions would be Blood and Chocolate and The Silver Kiss which are both by Annette Curtis Klause but they are both YA books and are a werewolf and vampire story respectively, if you are open to those types of stories.

My second suggestion is, What Do You Say To A Naked Elf by Cheryl Sterling. This is technically a fantasy/romance book and was really very good. There was a lot of emphasis on the storyline and wasn't simply all about the relationship (as with many romance novels).

I just remembered one other that I loved back in school. Watership Down was a wonderful fantasy/adventure even though all the characters were rabbits.

Technically, there's a "sequel" to Watership Down called Tales from Watership Down. It's a collection of rabbit legend and mythology.

It's cute enough, but not nearly as good as the actual book, and I don't think anyone is really missing out by skipping it. It certainly didn't satisfy the hunger for "more adventures in this world" - which the original poster is trying to avoid, anyways!

War of the Flowers by Tad Williams. Williams uses a fairy world to say some important things about our own.

Tinker by Wen Spencer. Tinker is an interesting heroine. She is working in her scrapyard in Pittsburgh when she saves an elf-lord from wargs and then gets drawn into elven intrigue and other worlds.

Odd I thought I posted to this still I will try again.

Tewo that I would reccomend are

Wen Spencer's A Brother's Price

Which pushed button I did not know i had on gender issues.

and

Barbara Hambly's Bride of the Rat God

A fun adventure from begining to end and the perfect antidote to Trilogies that take themselves to seriously.

Michael Swanwick is almost exclusive SF, but for fantasy, hunt down a copy of Iron Dragon's Daughter.. It's a dark, rough world, but the author's writing, aside from making me think - a lot - make me wonder after his mind, which is always entertaining. I've heard he's working on a somewhat sequal, but have only read some pieces in various issues of F&SF and Asimov's.. Phenomenal book, however..

Regarding message 27 by Iverner. I really enjoyed Tinker myself. I suppose it could be read as a standalone but it ends with the impression that there will be more. Indeed, there is a sequel, Wolf Who Rules. I'm a bit concerned with the sequel that Spencer is moving toward the Laurel K. Hamilton model where sex becomes the main feature.

I like Lethe by Tricia Sullivan. Its a great standalone but its also more Sci-fi

Hi, I'm new here and diving on in. In terms of great one shots, Tim Powers stands out to me. (Except for Earthquake Weather) In particular, The Anubis Gates seems to be one of his most popular works; it's a time-travel mystery romance genre with poets, murderers, secret societies, and werewolves. His latest, Three Days to Never pulls Einstein, Chaplin, astral travel, and the Mossad together.

The Fairy Godmother is more of a romance novel that I enjoyed, and wished their was more of.

Spindle's End is incredible, as is most of Robin Mckinley's work.

Howl's Moving Castle, while it does have a sequel, is completely competent standing alone, is one of the most effectively told stories I have ever read.

The Anubis Gates is wonderful! It's one of the few sci fi/fantasy books I have on my keeper shelf!

Stealing the Elf-king's Roses by Diane Duane

Anne McCaffrey and Ursula Le Guin both have a few stand alone books.

Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon can certainly be read as a stand alone. The prequels didn't come out for many years after the original book.

Hi, Quina ~ Actually, The Fairy Godmother does have a sequel of sorts ~ One Good Knight, which is also very good ~ although either book could be read as a standalone.

Edited to remove off topic info which I'll paste in the Epic Series thread.

I just finished Elantris and I would recommend it as a stand-alone fantasy story.

Has anyone read The Golden Key? I think it's a standalone collaboration, but as far as I know, it's three books published in one volume. It sounds really good, but I haven't read it yet.

37>
There are suposed to be three sequels. One writen by each of the authors. The first is titled either "The Diviner" of "the Diviner's Key" by Melanie Rawn. I think she hit a very bad case of writer's block and it's still pending.

Seconding A Song for Arbonne by Kay and Wheel of the Infinite by Wells. (Speaking of which, Wells' Death of the Necromancer is a must-read standalone, imo...although it goes against your criteria for no "further tales in the land of..." She's written other books in the same universe, but /Necromancer/ is completely self-contained, and a great read.)

Along similar lines to GGK's "sort of history, but not" approach, I've always enjoyed Paula Volsky. Any of her work that's still in print should be standalone.

Wurts has two A master of whitestorm and to ride Hell's chasm.

I also dislike trilogy+ series of new authors mostly because I don't know if they are any good, but if they are I hate being left hanging. Also, though, few authors can keep the original quality going...

lots for me to check out on this thread.

I'd hardly call Meiville Fantasy, and I thought Perdio had sequals, though its the only one of his I've read.

Cherryh although mostly SF does some fantasy, dreaming tree is standalone. (Her opinion is that its all one "class" anyway).

typo edited

China Mieville's Perdido Street Station etc. is most definitely fantasy, as far as I can see, just clearly and unashamedly urban, not high, as there is not an elf or a dragon to be seen. Just cactus men, magical monsters and the odd sorcerer and plenty of thaumaturgically altered convicts.

The other couple of books are set in the same universe, but are not sequels as such, as they are about different bunches of people.

Forgot an 'epic' series, plenty of elves and a few dragons of large importance.

James Barclay's Legends of the Raven and Chronicles of the Raven I think the two series are called.

If we're not going for "high" fantasy, I would definitely recommend Fool on the Hill by Matt Ruff.

It's set at Cornell University in the 1980s, but it's got sprites, a dragon, and evil rat-grub thing with the power of animation, a frat known as the Tolkien House that has its keggers in Lothlorien, talking dogs, and interference in mortal affairs by the greek gods. Good times.

I quite enjoyed Tinker, but it is the start of a series. The second book Wolf Who Rules came out this year.

The Reaver Road
The Hunter's Haunt
The Cursed
all by Dave Duncan

The Reaver Road and The Hunter's Haunt both have the same protagonist but the two novels are unrelated. I've read all of these at least 3 times each. They are really good.

I'm surprised that noone has mentioned Graham Joyce. Although he doesn't write "epic" fantasy, his novels almost always have a fantastical bent - I'd describe most as "contemporary/dark/urban fantasy" - and they are all completely standalone works. And they're very good, to boot!

I'd also recommend Little, Big and Engine Summer by John Crowley. Some people love "Little, Big," some people hate it, but all fantasy fans should try it.

I also rather enjoyed The Etched City by K.J. Bishop. Epic(ish) fantasy with a dark twist.

I agree with above poster about Brust and Bull's "Freedom and Necessity" and Bull's "War for the Oaks" and really agree about Tim Powers. I love all of his books and many of them stand alone. My favorite is probably On Stranger Tides which is about pirates, voodoo and the search for immortality.

I'd nominate Gloriana by Michael Moorcock but I know somehow he'll work it into his neverending Eternal Champion series.

I'll back the recommendation for John Crowley, along with the Gene Wolfe, the best prose writer in working in fantasy. Wolfe hasn't done many one-shots but two that deserve mention, and are different from his main works, are Peace and Free Live Free.

in my opinion Poison by Chris Wooding or Never the Bride by Paul Magrs.

oh yes Little,Big of course and A winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

I've looked in so many bookstores for On Stranger Tides and haven't found it yet! Of course, I could just order it from Amazon- but that takes the fun out! I want to read his novel The Stress of Her Regard as well, as it takes place in Regency England, with Lord Byron.

Has anyone read Death of the Necromancer? I have that on my TBR pile, and it looks really good! Somewhat Lies of Locke Lamora-esque.

Always thought Winter's Tale was a ripoff of Little, Big. Had some nice imagery, tho.

What about Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon?

Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge is a great book for book lovers. Also I think The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin has some promise, though I haven't read it all yet. I love Martin's other books, so I have faith this one will be as good. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly is one of my favorite all-time books, i've just read it for the first time this month. An excellent story and life lesson.

Mists of Avalon makes for a good standalone read, but it *is* technically the first in a series.

Neverwhere or American Gods by Neil Gaiman

City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff Vandermeer

Inversions by Iain M. Banks is much more fantasy than sci-fi and is standalone (not set in the Culture universe)

The Year of Our War by Steph Swainston is I believe standalone...

Looking through my fantasy-tagged books, this thread made me realise how few of them are truly standalone - but I guess for many that's part of the appeal ;)

City Of Saints And Madmen doesn't count because it isn't a novel and it isn't a "one shot" as Vandermeer has other books set in Ambergris. It is well worth reading though.

Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion probably should be mentioned. Technically, there are two other books in the "series" (Paladin of Souls and The Hallowed Hunt), but the one only reuses a few minor characters from Chalion, and the other uses an entirely different set of characters. Well, aside from the gods. So it is entirely possible to read only one of the books. (Well, except then you'll fall in love with Bujold's writing, and will religiously read everything she's ever written, even the space operas. But that's not Chalion's fault: it really is a stand-alone story.)

The spirit ring
by Lois McMaster Bujold does not get the mentions it should an excelent book.

If you're going to be ultra-picky some of Tim Powers books seem to form little series, Expiration Date and Last Call I think it is use a fair number of the same characters and the setting (it might be Earthquake Weather it's too long since I've read them to be sure I'm afraid).

That said, they all stand alone with no knowledge of the other books required and if you like your fantasy slightly twisting your expectations you'd do wonderfully with any of them.

The Book of the Malazan series by Steven Erikson is much more clearly a series with repeat characters and an on-going story line. It's hard to be sure, because I have read them all, but my memory is that the trampling or maybe that should be stamping all over your expectations is strong enough that you could read the books individually and be just as confused or enthralled as if you'd read the rest. (Personally I'm entralled, and they're on my reread pile, which is about to have Tim Powers added to it too.)

59> Tim Powers had to change publishers midway through or the the three books would have been more explicitly linked.

If you're looking for good stand-alone stories, you might try some anthologies. Series of anthologies like Magic in Ithkar, ____ Fantastic, and Sword and Sorceress have only the editor in common and you need not worry about following story lines over time. The "Best of the Year's Sci-Fi/Fantasy" anthologies are good bets, too.

Some other good one-shot recs:
When Demons Walk by Patricia Briggs
The Legend of Nightfall by Mickey Zucker Reichert
The Paladin by C.J. Cherryh

Just to be difficult what makes The Paladin, good book BTW, fantasy?

SimonW11,
The Paladin is not exactly historical fiction, although it does have elements of that genre. Every library and bookstore in which I've found it has stuck it in with fantasy. It's probably because C.J. Cherryh writes mostly sci-fi/fantasy. :)

Cherryh herself does not see a distinction between the two, though I don't think she does get as far as defining the genre she normally writes in.

By volume most of her work is pure science fiction, but she does write some outright fantasy and also a few crossover books.

I suspect the problem lies with the bookstores who generally have one shelf and all science fiction, fantasy and sometimes horror as well get lumped in together.

Godd theme for a thread, I would like more single volume fantasy works and less trilogy's. Among my favorites:

Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazney
Volhhaavar by Tanith Lee (her best single work IMHO).
Eric Brighteyes by H. Rider Haggard
The Worm Ouroborus by E.R.R. Eddisson

This is an **awesome** message board. Like the original poster, I get really tired of every fantasy book being part of a series (sometimes that makes it really hard to pick up a new book) and I plan on printing this list to take with me to the book store.

So I guess I should make a contribution (forgive the quotes, but I have a tough time with the Touchstones).
"Beauty" by Robin McKinley is a favorite and a nice little read (several other people have mentioned McKinley's other works, too)
"Looking Glass Wars" is a new one that I liked more than I thought I would.
"Un Lun Dun" by China Meiville is surprisingly awesome.
"A Night in the Lonesome October" by Zelazny is really cool, plus the fun of identifying classic figures from horror books & movies.
"Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls" by Jane Lindskold recently came back in print, and it is one of my all-time favorites.

-CD

I absolutely adore Nightseer by Laurell K. Hamilton. And sadly, it is stand alone. I would walk on glass if she would write a sequel to it.

I don't think anyone's mentioned Beauty by Sheri Tepper yet. It was the first Tepper I ever read, and I just about devoured it and then went on a quest to find everything else she'd written. I love her sci-fi, to, but this is such so amazing ~ a rather different retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story ~ and pure fantasy. Sadly, it too is a stand-alone.

Jane Lindskold has written some fine fantasy (and science fiction) - but The Buried Pyramid is not amongst them! If you want to read anything by her, try Child of a rainless year or changer (wich has a sequel legends walking but they are stand alone stories)

I agree with Graham Joyce, and add Sean Stewart (Mockingbird, Firecracker, Galveston) and Jonathan Carroll (The Marriage of Sticks) as similar writers with great stand-alone urban fantasy novels.
Martha Wells is an immensely talented writer, and apart from Wheel of the Infinite her City of Bones is also a great stand-alone.
Charles de Lint write most of his stories in the Newford universe, with recurring characters, but most of the stories are unrelated in terms of storyline. The Little Country, Greenmantle are completely stand-alones.
Almost everything by Robin McKinley is (sadly) stand-alone, but everything by her is fantastic.
Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones is part fantasy and part science fiction, and Fire and Hemlock a great retelling of Tam Lin. Someone mentioned Howls Moving Castle, and while it has a sequel, it isn't worth reading, so I'd recommend to just consider it a stand-alone.
Those Who Hunt The Night by barbara Hambly is a victorian vampire detective story.
Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light by Tanya Huff is a urban fantasy with angels and demons and plenty of humour.

and finally all the kaystones load...

Back at the top I listed The Shape-changer's Wife by Sharon Shinn, but now I am reading another stand alone by her--Summers at Castle Auburn. I think she is one of those rare authors these days that write a lot of stand alone books instead of series...although I think she has two series.

Personally I'm glad that Tinker is spinning to a series -- I loved it, and the follow up Wolf Who Rules althugh I'm with you, malundy, that I hope it doesn't become ALL about the sex. I prefer my smut to have some relevance to the plot. Even in romantic fantasy. :)

It's almost impossible to get now, but my fave standalone fantasy is Havenstar by Glenda Noramly. Some of the best world building I've ever read. The good news? Glenda is now published as Glenda Larke but all series stuff.

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Islandia by Austin Tappan Wright
Tam Lin by Pamela Dean

Sherri S. Tepper's Beauty is a lovely book. :)

-Kushana

I can't think of any single fantasy novels that haven't already been mentioned. But the reason why there seem to be more and more series is that its easier for new authors to get published if they write at minimum a triliogy. I have a friend who is writing a fantasy novel and whenever he sent it various book editors and publishers they all came back and said that he'd have better luck if it was a trilogy.

Someone has already mentioned The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly and I second it. It's the story of a boy whose mother dies, his father remarries, has a baby and the boy hates his stepmother and baby brother and wishes him gone. The baby is stolen by a Crooked Man and the boy magically follows to an enchanted land where he sets off an a quest to save the baby and maybe learn something about himself. It's a beautiful modern take on many classic fairy tales.

I'll also recommend The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue which is about changelings, those mythic children of the woods who steal human children and replace them with one of their own. The story is told from the points of view of the stolen human child and his changeling replacement, in alternating chapters.

How could I forget --
Several L. Frank Baum books, including most of his non-Oz books:
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
Queen Zixi of Ix
(I have not read Magical Monarch of Mo.)

And:
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Marvelous Land of Oz
(There are buckets of sequels, but the first two books each stand on their own.)

J.R. R. Tolkien The Hobbit (it has a very famous sequel that you need not read to enjoy it ;)

-Kushana

No one has mentioned Guy Gavriel Kay's Ysabel. Reading it started my current GGK kick, so while it's stand-alone, it does lead one down a long and wonderful road!

Ysabel is an exploration of what happens when the weight of history bleeds through into the present, in this case into the life of a 14 year old boy summering in Provence. The first 40 pages or so didn't grab, but then I couldn't put it down.

How about trying Imajica by Clive Barker? It's a stand alone book, rather lengthy, and most certainly takes you out of this world! I have a first edition printing that I re-read from time to time and somehow still find something new in it each time.

Go back to some older stuff

Lud in the Mist by Hope Mirrlees

A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay

Ah, I did love Ballantines.

I'm not sure if its listed on here, but Once and Future King probably one of the most famous novels based off the Arthurian legends.

Elantris is also quite excellent. Although its somewhere between fantasy and sci-fi. Doesn't really fit cleanly into either

Child_of_Light----yeah, you're quite right, it doesn't fit cleanly into either category, but I'm glad that you recommended it. I absolutely loved that book! I emailed the author when it first came out and he actually took the time to write back! He might eventually do a sequel---it was sort of left open for that, I believe, but haven't heard of any plans so far. Oh, and if someone is a lover of symbols, then they'll adore Elantris---gotta love those "aons"!

>81 Ui_Niall: Brandon is an LTer. You can find several of his posts from last month when we read Elantris as a group read.

> 33

Hear hear, to Howl's Moving Castle! Marvelous book, and the sequel (Castle in the Air) really didn't seem to have much to do with it so there's no pressure to read both.

And for the record, I was just realizing the other day how not just books, but many movies as well, seem to coming in trilogies or series anymore. It's like they have gone with the "one is good, three is better mentality," just EXPECTING all the fantasy authors to crank out a trilogy. Hmph.

I'll definately second #72's recommendation for Glenda Noramly (aka Glenda Larke)'s Havenstar (if you want to hunt down a copy try bookfinder.com, thats how i found mine).

& also definately second #73's recommendation for Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana.

Both are wonderful standalone fantasy novels :)

What about Swordspoint and Burying the Shadow. Not sure if they fit the initial criteria as far as genre.

(And yes I know about about the Fall of the Kings but I refuse to acknowledge its connection to Swordspoint.)

Surprised it took till #73 to mention Tigana: I loved this book, but having almost drowned in Robert Jordan's cycle, I was very relieved that I didn't have to go on and read more.

I guess it's a bit borderline as fantasy, but how about Till We Have Faces?

Definitely take a look at The Blue Girl by Charles De Lint. This is part of his long-running collection of "urban fantasy" set in the fictional town of Newford, but it's definitely stand-alone.

Also, Cathy's Book which is really intriguing because of its on-line tie-ins. But who knows if they'll try to come up with a "sequel" (though it's stand-alone up to now, as far as I know).

David Gemmell Morningstar is his best IMHO but there is also Dark Moon, Echoes of the Great Song, Hero in the Shadows and Knights of Dark Renown

An oldie but a goodie: The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything by John D. MacDonald. No sequel to this one, and as far as I know, MacDonald pretty much stuck to the hard-boiled detective type of book, with a very few exceptions.

Definatley read lud-in-the-mist by Hope Mirrlees can't recomend it enough. Out in Fantasy Masterworks Series.

A bit out there but Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin is very worth reading, more a collection of related short stories than a novel though.

Lord of Light, by Roger Zelazny.

Most people would classify it as SF, but it has such fantastical technology, and is based on Hindu mythology, so it seems to be more fantasy-related to me.

Following on from Thwdp's suggestion of Lud-In-The-Mist (which is in the Gollancz Fantasy Masterworks Series) how about some other books from that series? I have just read The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford and it was wonderful - a very real feeling alternate history. Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin remains one of my favourites as well.

I'll second The Redemption of Althalus. I really enjoyed that one -- it's probably my favorite Eddings book.

The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh is an really extraordinary blending of fantasy and mythology. It's one of those YA-but-adults-too kind of books, which I just got finished reading. My only concern is whether it might be inappropriate for certain ages, if the child isn't able to separate fantasy from reality.

SPOILER

SPOILER

SPOILER

SPOILER

SPOILER

SPOILER

It's a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, and the girl ghost (who goes by the name "Euri") is a suicide. Although it's in no way the author's intention, I'm a little concerned that suicide might be presented in a "less than final" way which might be problematic for some young readers.

Just remembered: The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson, if you can find it.

Can't remember title or author just the story line given by the author in preface. paraphrased here.
Since "World War Two" writers seem unable too
avoid, by default ,reflection or influence on or by
"the Holocaust" when creating fiction.The author in
a tongue in cheek attempt to foil this phenomenon
places his story in the 35th century earth.
The book was published 20 to 30 years ago .
Does any one out there remember this book? It was a facinating read.

Faerie tale by Raymond E. Feist

The Grey Horse by R.A. Macavoy

The War of the Flowers

Unicorns in the Rain by Barbara Cohen

The Land of the Laughs by Jonathan Carroll

Things Invisible to See and Sister Water both by Nancy Willard-it's my God given right to push these
two books on everyone I meet!

Yarrow and Someplace to be Flying by Charles de Lint

The Last Coin by James P. Blaylock

Carroll has a good book called Top Dog.

#55 Reading Inversions as a stand-alone "fantasy" story isn't such a good idea. It's a great book because the reader is supposed to be somewhat familiar with the Culture and can enjoy the story from that perspective.

As for a recommendation, it's been already mentioned several times but I also recommend Tigana.

Can I just second (or third, or fourth) Tigana?
I am reading Kay's Fionavar Tapestry right now, but I really loved Tigana.

It's been too long since I read Tigana (several years) and I do not really remember it. It'll have to put my "I want to read" tag on it.

Sunshine by Robin McKinley
It's amazing and as of yet she hasn't started to even think of a sequel and the book was published in '03.

I think she needs to DO a sequel, but that's not the object of this post...the object is a "stand alone"-er and that is totally what I have given you.

it's pretty much great

104 relinquishedworm

It's a nice thought, but she doesn't do sequels. She might write another book in the same universe (which would be fabulous), but it wouldn't be about Sunshine and it definitely wouldn't be a what-comes-after, because that's just not what she does.

#102, 103 I'm just finishing Tigana now and have found it brilliant so far! I love the characters, the world, the plot, the writing.

#104, 105 Too bad she won't do a sequel of Sunshine; it is such a great novel and simply begs to be continued. :)

105 and 106:

Yeah, I just discovered her and I'm beginning to realize that a sequel isn't something she does...and it does make me oh so sad.

Maybe Deerskin by Robin McKinley. Strongly written though a bit melodramatic at times imho. Still an intense, engaging story.

The Year of Our War by Steph Swainston is not a stand-alone, which is good news for those who liked it (I loved it). The two sequels are No Present Like Time and Dangerous Offspring.

Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana is a remarkable book, perhaps his best, and very much worth reading.

Brandon Sanderson's Elantris is a very nice first novel. Well-written with lots of good politics, a strong female lead, great magic and a good puzzle. Definitely an exceptional stand-alone, though Sanderson definitely leaves room for a sequel, should he decide one day to write one.

And I, too, think that Robin McKinley truly rocks. Deerskin is especially excellent, and her most adult book; you don't want the kiddies getting their hands on this one without you vetting it first.

Sunshine was pretty explicit too. I don't think I've read Deerskin.

#104, 105, 106: Regarding McKinley and sequels...if you poke around in her blog or website, you'll see that she responds to this question frequently. It isn't that she WON'T do sequels; it is that she feels she can only write the stories that the story gods (muses, whatever) choose to send her at any moment...she can't force herself to write a sequel if the story isn't there. So if the sequel to Sunshine (or Hero and the Crown, or Blue Sword, etc) were to appear, she'd certainly write it. So everyone....pray to the story gods to make them send the sequels! I know that I've been waiting for more Damar books for at least ten years now!

As far as Deerskin goes...it is an excellent, amazing book, but VERY dark and definitely not for everyone...and certainly NOT a children's book. It'll break your heart and then slowly piece it together again.

111 - I've been slowly reading all of McKinley's books.Except for some short stories I've really enjoyed them all. She writes beautifully. Haven't made it to Deerskin yet and had qualms about it because of comments here on LT, but I love your description of it and I'm looking forward to reading it.

I may have to pick up Deerskin again one of these days. I read as a preteen, I was 10 when it came out so I probably wasn't much older then 12 or so, and I definitely did not like it. But perhaps I wasn't really old enough to appreciate it. Now that I'm older I may be able to accept it and understand it better. And I do normally love her work.

The Goblin Mirror by C. J. Cherryh.

There's Villains by Necessity which is a fun fantasy read.

I also recommend Steal the Dragon. Patricia Briggs has written some other stand alone as well. Hob's Bargain is one that comes to mind.

>115 ggprof: is Steal The Dragon a stand-alone novel? the wikipedia entry for Patricia Briggs lists it as part of the "Sianim Series"

111 kmaziarz

Yes, I've read her website (and blog). Which is why I said "doesn't" and not "won't". I actually prefer things the way they are - related books, not sequels - but that could be because I've been reading her books since I was a child, so I'm well used to it.

Sunshine is actually much more explicit in the sense of actual details and description than Deerskin is. In terms of topic, Deerskin is definitely much darker and it bothers me whenever I see it in the YA section - even though I read it as a young adult, I don't think it's appropriate for everyone.

Whew - lots of recommendations to read. May I suggest or support the following...apologies that many of these might be out of print.

Dragonworld by Byron Preiss and Michael Reaves
Hart's Hope by Orson Scott Card
Illusions by Richard Bach
Just about anything by Charles deLint
Faerie Tale by Raymond Feist
Just about anything by Neil Gaiman
St Patrick's Gargoyle by Katherine Kurtz
Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters
Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood novels. They do not have to be read as a series or in order.
Giants of the Frost by Kim Wilkins
To the High Redoubt by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Lord Demon or A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
The Wandering Unicorn by Manuel Mujica Lainez

Anything by Peter Beagle. I especially enjoyed The Innkeeper's Song and Folk of the Air.

Ah...just reacquired Folk of the Air at a used bookstore this past weekend. Well worth two bucks. Especially being a past member of the SCA...

Although it is blatant self-promotion, I think I ought to add The Magic Lands to this list. As it is quite true that many fantasy novels are part of a series and my book is very much a stand alone piece of work (and I can absolutely guarantee there will no sequels!) I thought it was worth mentioning.

>121 MarkJH: a little blatant self-promotion can be a fine thing - I'll keep an eye out for your book :)

I'll second Elantris, Hart's Hope, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and Watership Down.

And I'll add:
Shardik by Richard Adams
Maia by Richard Adams - Set in the same world as Shardik, with some character crossover, but the stories are independent. Maia is fairly sexually explicit, though, so it's not recommended for younger readers. (It's also a massive book.)
Wyrms and Treason by Orson Scott Card - Though technically sci-fi, they both read like fantasy, especially Wyrms.
Heroes Die by Matthew Stover - Takes place on parallel sci-fi and fantasy worlds. Has a sequel, though both books stand alone perfectly fine. Not for the faint of stomach, though.
Legend by David Gemmell - Starts a series, but stands on its own. I'm only just starting this, though, so I can't recommend it per se.
The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown - Picked this up one day, but haven't read it yet, so no real recommendation; just tossing the name out there.

I don't know if it's been said but my stand-alone favorite is American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman are both topnotch and re-readable.

I'm quite seeing your point about almost all fantasy being part of a series.

There are a few though in my collection.

Lammas Night by Katherine Kurtz (will have to search used bookstores for this one, but it's well worth it.
St. Patrick's Gargoyle also by Katherine Kurtz. Again, it's a book that you'll end up searching the used bookstore for.

Two Crowns For America is my third Katherine Kurtz recommendation, and again it's a used bookstore find.

Judith Tarr has a number of books that I think are standalones. Not sure though as I haven't read too many of them. Kingdom of the Grail was the first of her books I read and it's good. Not sure if it's still in the bookstores though as it's been a couple of years.

Strong agreement with the nominations of Guy Kay's standalone fantasies. Be aware that in several there are pretty minimal fantasy elements; they're primarily historical novels. IMHO The Lions of Al-Rassan is the best written.

A couple of my other favorites:

LeGuin's The Beginning Place. excellent characterization, compelling drama.

Wolfe's Castleview, subtitled "An Arthurian epic of modern Illinois." Non-stop action, puzzles, and hilarity.

Two of my favorite fantasy novels (YA, although they still read wonderfully to me!) are McKinley's Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword. Although set in the same world, they are hundreds of years apart and read quite stand alone.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but one of my favourites is is Gillian Bradshaw's The Beacon at Alexandria. Also worth reading is Bradshaw's Island of Ghosts.

Must add my recommendation of Kay, especially Tigana and The Lions of Al-Rassan.

I don't think anyone's yet mentioned two of my favourites: Elidor by Alan Garner and The Blue Hawk by Peter Dickinson. Both are intended for younger readers, but they pack enough punch to be enjoyed by old and wrinkly people too.

...and Divide and Rule by Jan Mark.

Has Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees been mentioned? As far as I know that's a one-shot.

Try In Quest of Theta Magic by Enid Wilson, full of nice and cute surprises. There are humans and Thetas and the hero go on a quest to find a cure for his sister. I love it short, fast and sensual. Warning: adult only

Thanks paranormaladdict, I read the book and you are dead right! The magic of the Thetas make me laugh. They are so special and unique. My head is thinking about what other possibilities there are in this Theta world.

Silverlock by John Myers Myers is a stand-alone classic, and a feast of intertextual guessing to boot. (Every character our hero meets is plucked straight from the world of literature.)

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende is one of the all time fantasy classics, and a stand-alone masterpiece.

There are several examples of stand-alones in the aforementioned "Fantasy Masterworks"-series, which includes Little, Big, Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, Gloriana by Michael Moorcock, Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin and The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, to mention a few diverse examples.

I would also heartily recommend another book that has already been mentioned: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.

*awakens discussion*

Are there any recent additions to this list? Four years is quite long! :)

The first books that come to mind, are The night circus by Erin Morgenstern (steampunkish) and Among others (relaxed urban) by Jo Walton. I loved them both!

Here's a couple of more recent standalone threads:

FantasyFans >> Recommend stand-alone books from the last ten years.
TheGreenDragon >> Sooo tired of series -- want a stand-alone novel!

I really enjoyed Samhita Arni's The Missing Queen, a retelling of the Ramayana in a modern-ish urban setting. Ted Chiang's novella The Lifecycle of Software Objects was an interesting AI story, if you like science fiction, and Zoe Marriott's The Swan Kingdom is another retelling, this time of the fairy tale "The Wild Swans"- the writing is very pretty, and the YA romance subplot actually didn't make me want to throw the book at the wall for once.

On my to-read list, recent and standalone books that look promising, are another Jo Walton book, Lifelode, Patricia McKillip's The Bards of Bone Plain, Tanya Huff's The Silvered, Sarah Diemer's The Dark Wife, Austin Grossman's You, and Jane Fletcher's Wolfsbane Winter.

I loved Fever Dream.

Another good Steampunk fantasy is The Wake of the Dragon by Jaq D. Hawkins. It's an airship pirate story with a nice balance of humour and action.

Thanks, saltmanz!

I'm so frustrated that Jo Walton struggles to find a publisher here in the UK - it takes years for her work to reach us sometimes (I ended up managing to pick up her Small Change trilogy in the US on a business trip, but I haven't been able to get hold of Lifelode). At least Among Others found a publisher... perhaps its success will bring more of her over here!

I hope you can get Lifelode. It is amazing.

If all else fails, I shall ask a friend to bring it back from the US :)

When I hear "The Golden Key" I think of the classic by George Macdonald , which would fit your standalone request, like his others. Powerful stuff.

While I'm being classic, I love most of A. Merritt's stuff. It's pulpy and a bit creaky at times, but he has a color and vision that's very compelling to me. Everyone should at least try The Moon Pool, or maybe The Face in the Abyss.
And She can be read as a standalone -- in fact probably should be, as the rest go downhill.

The Flight of Michael McBride by Snyder -- a blend of Western & Celtic.

If you read dark fantasy at all:
Darker Than You Think by Jack Williamson (actually science fantasy)
Shadowdance by Robin Wayne Bailey

Sacrament or Weaveworld by Clive Barker

Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti is a recent fantasy read that I have enjoyed.

By Sean Stewart (who tends to write stand-alones):
Clouds End
The Night Watch

Tea with a Black Dragon

The Goblin Emperor (who knows, maybe this will start a series?)

Under Heaven and River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay. I would argue that these are two stand-alone novels, unlike Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors, which is a two-part story. Personally, I would recommend all of Kay's "historical" fantasies, almost all of which are stand-alone. (If you read really carefully there are sometimes crossover characters). I would also recommend Ysabel, which is slightly different.

The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber.

I'm not sure whether Jonathon Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach fits squarely in the fantasy realm. IIRC, he has other stand alone books.

Terre des Autres by Sylvie Bérard. There is an English translation whose name I have forgotten (Of Wind and Sand?). Perhaps slightly more science-fictiony than traditional fanstasy.

Try Hunter by Mercedes Lackey only one story and no sign she intends to do a sequel, Elizabeth Moon also has some nice story's as does S.M. Stirling and last but definitely not least Andre (Mary Alice)Norton the Grand Dame of Sci Fi and Fantasy Oh and try Alan Dean Foster

Tea with the Black Dragon has a direct sequel, Twisting the Rope, both are excellent.

Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley hasn't been mentioned. It is a stand alone dealing with the Fall of Troy.

The Crown's Game is a relatively recent standalone*. It reminds me somewhat of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern in theme but the setting is very different.

edited to add: I thought it was a standalone but I see people in LibraryThing are calling it the first in the series. As a reader, I believe it appears to have a very strong conclusion.

I didn't see anyone mention one of my all-time favorites - Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams. I WISH it was a series; I didn't want it to ever end.

I totally recommend Uprooted by Naomi Novik! It's stand-alone, but I really wish there were sequels. It's certainly in the realm of high fantasy - a medieval-type village, threatening woods, and an annual tribute paid to a mysterious magician. But it's so much more! The unusual way magic works in this world was enough to ensnare me and hold my attention through to the end.