What are your favorite authors, series or trilogy?

My favorites are The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop I just love all her work and this is probably not only my favorite of her work but my favorite fantasy books of all. I love Jaenelle and Daemon's story and of course the Kindred. This book is so interesting and complex and I'm doing a poor job of describing it. But I absolutely love it and just re-read it.

Kim Harrison is my second favorite as Rachel Morgan is one fun feisty witch and I love seeing what kind of trouble she will get into next.

Kelley Armstrong's Women of Otherworld Series is fantastic. But Elena and her pack are my fav.

So those are my top three picks.
Who do you like?

Well, I'll be the first to say J.R.R. Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. These are the storied that got me into reading in the first place. I know they are very well known and many have read them, but for me it is the trilogy that I am constantly holding others up too and non seem to compare. however, there is a lot out there I have yet to read.

My favorite trilogy has to be The Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juilet Marillier: Daughter of the Forest, Son of the Shadows, and Child of the Prophecy. It's a trilogy of ancient Ireland historical fiction which delves into pagan rituals and faery folk. Very good books. The First (Daughter of the Forest) plays of the myth about the seven brothers turned into swans and (as I understand it) Marillier then takes the story further in the second and third books.

My two favorite series are The Keepers Chronicles by Tanya Huff:
Summon the Keeper
the Second Summoning
a Long, Hot Summoning

And the Joe Grey series by Shirley Rousseau Murphy. Both are funny, with plenty of feline humor!

Michael Moorcock,Robert E. Howard,Steven Burst,David Gemmell,Sean Williams

Tad Williams's Otherland series (which, though others may disagree, I consider fantasy with a significant sf component) is one of my favorites. Clive Barker's Abarat series is also very good (not sure when the third book is coming out, though). And, in the "younger audience" fantasy category, Diane Duane's Young Wizards series is a great read. And, of course, can't forget the Redwall series by Brian Jacques.

Favourite fantasy series and authors ... there are so many *feels a bit daunted*

But unquestionably I must tap Robin Hobb as my favourite. Her writing enchants me everytime and her worlds draw me in, currently I am re-reading the second book of her Liveship Traders trilogy, and I just can't put it down!

Anne Bishop definitely merits a mention too, for the same reasons as #1. I rather enjoy the supplimentary books around the original trilogy too, like Dreams Made Flesh and the Invisible Ring.

For a third (though by no means lower) choice, I would have to go with Ursula K. Le Guin and the Earthsea cycle. I read 1-4 for the first time recently with great delight, and have 5 and 6 waiting on my shelf when I finish my current Robin Hobb Binge, I can hardly wait :).

Others, many, many others, but these three spring to mind most readily and promenently.

Cherryh's morgaine saga although the fortress in the eye books by here come very close.

Donaldson's thomas Covenant probably just pips le Guin's Earthsea to a very hardfought third place.

OK, if we're talking fantasy I'd say Le Guin. I don't like all of her works, but the wast majority. I rate the Hain sequence especially high, but it was through Earthsea I got my eyes on her and I like it well enough to reread it now and then.

Then... I'd have to say Pratchett. I really like to smile and laugh, and in my opinion real life isn't abundant with sources for joy (war, famine, poverty... you name it). Reading a book can sometimes help :-)

Tolkien get a high rating but only because of LoTR, which had a huge impact on me when I read them in the 70's. But it's more a place of honour than anything else. I still like those books, but the rest of his work... no.

I also liked G G Kay's Tigana but have yet to read more from him and can't put him on the list even if I wanted to - it is a "author/series" list, after all!

I mostly read what you may call modern sf, and those works can get a bit dark sometimes. Every now and then I need something to read that don't have their protagonists brainsurfing on drugs through rundown parts of forgotten cities, and then I turn to fantasy. I think that could explain at least my craving for books from the pen of Pratchett!

At last I'd like to mention J C Grimwood who writes a kind of modern sf (as above) but with fantastic streaks in it. "Urban Fantasy", maybe? But some of his books is too much sf to ever rate as fantasy...

Piers Anthony's early Xanth writings, like ogre, ogre and castle roogna. Depending on your opinion of the series, some might even categorize the Incarnations of Immortality series in this grouping too.

Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series

Anne McCaffrey's Pern series

David Eddings (and Leigh) for the Belgariad and Mallorian series

Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series

Also, I agree with the Piers Incarnation series, the Anne Bishop Black Jewel series and the Harrison Dead Witch series.

I adore Guy Gavriel Kay - every book of his I read just gets better! I think my favorite is The Lions of al-Rassan.

I'm also a huge fan of Jacqueline Carey, especially her Kushiel trilogy; George R.R. Martin, who I believe is brilliant; Robin Hobb, like SemilahMeriwae; and Sara Douglass, though I've been remiss in reading the last three books of the Tencendor series, as I'm waiting for Crusader to come out in paperback.

Anne Bishop and her Black Jewels trilogy is also a very good read!

This is just too hard...

The answers change depending on my mood, what I've read recently and so forth. Many of the things that have been mentioned make it into my lists sometimes.

The ones that aren't there yet" Steven Brust's Drageara books, Steven Erikson's books in the Malazan series and Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover books. The Illuminatus! triology should be in there too. I've not read it in a while, but I must have read it 23 times.

I also loved Piers Anthony's early Xanth books. I think my faves were Ogre, Ogre and the one about the Nightmare, which I thought was called Nightmare, but can't find the touchstone. I also loved the first three books of his adept trilogy, Split Infinity, Blue Adept and Juxtaposition.

Currently my tastes run more towards urban fantasy. I recently read Moon Called by Patricia Briggs and loved it. Also, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is my favorite story. Both of these are the beginnings of series.

I also am a fan of The Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier. If you're read it you'll recongize my screen name ;)
I'm also a huge fan of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice.
And, how can I not mention Lord of the Rings? The one that started it all...

The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix are the best ever!
I don't know why their not overwhelmingly popular :(

love earthsea, too

ok ill admit it, I like Redwall too.

Supershineygirl: I have to concur The Black Jewels trilogy is the best! However, I am surprised you did not mention Laurell K. Hamilton.

I would also have to recommend Dawn Cook and Terry Goodkind. But there are so many series that I love I wish they never ended. It brings to mind my confusion when I was younger about why The NeverEnding Story actually did end.

I'm with jaguar1712. I've read the Abhorsen Trilogy a couple times, and then had my wife and friends read them, too. I got several people hooked on Garth Nix, including his Keys to the Kingdom series (Mister Monday, Grim Tuesday, Drowned Wednesday, Sir Thursday ...).
I don't think two books count as a series, but I also love Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Anansi Boys, as well as much of his other stuff.
And, since the original post asked for favorite authors in general, I have to say that my all-time favorite is Ray Bradbury, though, to my knowledge he's never written a series per se...

Gene Wolfe.

The Book of the New Sun (5).

Also the Latro novels (3).

I really enjoyed The black jewels trilogy, some other favourite authors are c j cherryh, andre norton, marion zimmer bradley, lois mcmaster bujold and mercedes lackey; they've all had off days though!

#21 what would you call Cherryh's off day? I haven't read all of her work, but I've loved every single one that I have read.

My favorite is the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin.

#22, Cherryh's Gene Wars books were boring and not her usual standard.

I'm not so well-read compared to most of the people here, given my couple of years where I neglected reading a lot (blame online roleplaying), but I'm a little surprised no one mentioned the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. That was a milestone series for me, it made me cry at the end. I sort of see those as my model for the feel I wish my own writing could have.

The Abarat books are fantastic. Gotta check them out. I am patiently awaiting the third book. Anyone have any info on when it comes out?

Hopefully it's a book that I still have to read, but until this date I'd either say The Lions of Al-Rassan, or Left Hand of Darkness, or the Arabesque Cycle (Pashazade, Effendi and Felaheen). These last is not fantasy but sf, but... sometimes I've a hard time making a clear distinction between the two :-)

*touchstones.... what could you say?*

I too loved His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.

Favourite series include the Discworld, Conan the Barbarian (old series by Robert E. Howard and Sprague de Camp) and Lensman-series although that is SF.

My favourite are:
R.A. Salvatore , Dark Elf Trilogy - from Forgotten realms settings,
a single book about the necessity of evil characters by Eve Forward called Villains by necessity,
The dragonriders of pern by Anne McCaffrey - great epic reminded me of early Robert Heinlein's orphans of the sky, only fanatsy wise

My favorite fantasy author has to be George R. R. Martin. A Song of Ice and Fire is an incredible series!! GRRM is an amazing epic fantasy writer, I just get so sucked into his books.

I recently got into John Marco and read both his trilogies but I have to say that Tyrants and Kings was my favorite of his trilogies. The eyes of god trilogy was great too, but Tyrants and Kings was just on its own planet of coolness.

The fantasy series I am most exited about is Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards series. There is only one book out so far, The Lies of Locke Lamora, but it was stunningly brilliant. It reads like a stand alone novel, but it is the first of seven. I'd have to say that Locke Lamora was the best book I read in 2006, and I read A LOT of books... :)

I am a huge Pullman fan to.

I think that my favorite fantasy author has to be J.R.R. Tolkein. I purchase Guy Gavriel Kay in hardcover, and am fond particularly Tigana of which I actually keep a lending copy. I like Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel books and Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Beyond that, favorites include Sean Russell's asian duology, The Initiate Brother and A Gatherer of Clouds (I have more Sean Russell, but haven't read them), Robin Hobb, particularly her Mad Ship books (though I haven't read the current series). I thing The Last Herald Mage is the strongest trilogy of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books though I have and revisit most of them. I also revisit Pern, and Darkover.

Oh, I'll also try any book for which Thomas Canty has done the cover. He's my favorite fantasy artist.

This thread has named a number of series that I was not familiar with and will have to check out. Thanks!

My favorites also include J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Ursula LeGuin's A Wizard at Earthsea series. Other series I'm quite fond of and have read multiple times:

L.E. Modesitt, Jr's Magic of Recluce series
Elizabeth Moon's Deed of Paksenarrion (a series compiled into a single volume)
Tad Williams' The Dragonbone Chair series

Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice series was very good. I will read it again some day when I am once again ready to endure what her main character goes through. :)

Here are a few relatively new series that have promising beginnings:

Tad Williams's Shadowmarch
Maria V. Snyder's Poison Study
Michelle Sagara's Cast in Shadow

The Deed of Paksenarrion was originally published as Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Alleigance and Oath of Gold, if one is looking for used copies of the individual books.

And the official name for the Tad Williams series starting with The Dragonbone Chair is Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.

Magic of Recluce is fun, in moderation. He's written a lot of books about Recluce and I'm starting to feel the quality is dropping a bit.

in addition to many of the above;

Katharine Kerr's Deverry series, Barry Hughart's Master Li trilogy, Sheri S. Tepper's True Game series, Roger Zelazny's Amber series , Raymond Feist's Riftwar series (before it jumped the shark), and the linked collaboration between Feist and Janny Wurtz for the Daughter of the Empire trilogy.
Also P.C. Hodgell's revived Jame series. (So glad to see new books there).

I'd also rank Neil Gaiman's Sandman series very high on the list for strong compelling fantasy.

Zoink! hooqa13 I didn't mean to forget Hamilton. But I probably forgot to mention her because I was trying to limit the number I put up and the fact is that I am not an Anita fan. I really only like the Meredith Gentry books. So that leaves her out of my top three. But good call she is fun to read.

My favorite authors are George R. R. Martin, J.R.R Tolkien, J.K Rowling, Jim Butcher, Paul Kearney, Nina Kirki Hoffman, John Moore, Graham Joyce.

PS: None of the touchstones added have ANYTHING to do with the authors I mentioned - haha!

Jim Butcher, The Harry Dresden series,
Simon R. Green has two series I like: The Nightside, and the Swords of Haven. The tales of Hawk and Fisher are actually rooted in Blue Moon Rising.
Mercedes Lackey starting with Valdemar. You can't go wrong with her works.
Patricia McKillip is the author who began my love of fantasy with her Riddle of Three Stars trilogy. It was, and is, one of my all time favorites.
Raymond Feist: I picked up Magician: Apprentice when I was sick and stopped noticing how rotten I felt. I devoured each book in the Riftwar saga, and pretty much everything else he has written.
Sharon Shinn has a series that begins with Mystic and Rider. It is amazing. She also has her Samaria series, and I love her stand alone books as well.
Anne Bishop, I don't know if I love The black Jewels trilogy best or her just finished Ephemera duology.
Lorna Freeman began a series with the book Covenants, and followed it up with The King's Own. I hope for more soon.
Wen Spencer has two series. Tinker and Wolf Who Rules is one set that can easily be expanded; and the Ukiah Oregon series is a fast, enjoyable read.
Lynn Flewelling has the Nightrunner series.
Barbara Hambly has at least three (just in Fantasy) Starting with Dragonsbane and its sequels, The adventures of Sun Wolf in the Unschooled Wizard series, and my favorite series, the Chronicles of Antryg Windrose.

There are so many. Charles de Lint, Laurell Hamilton, Holly Lisle, Tanya Huff.

There is no such thing as too many books.

Katherine Kurtz's Deryni series is one of my favorites, especially the first three books about Kelson, and the first three about Camber. Some of the more recent ones have felt a little forced.

I also really enjoy Sheri S. Tepper's work, both the science fiction and the fantasy.

i'm relatively new to the genre (only been reading fantasy for maybe 2-3 years), but easily my favorite series is steven erikson's malazan series - its extremely frustrating to me that i can't get the more recent additions to this series (as it has been since i first read deadhouse gates and fell in love with it) in the states - i'm way back on book 5, and apparently the next (2? 3?) are already out in europe/UK.

was into robert jordan for a while, but found that the more of the wheel of time series i read, the less interest i had as things seemed to get pretty repetitive and less action-packed. also, i tend to favor something a bit more challenging, usually.

also... j.k. rowling and j.r.r. tolkein, but those seem to go without saying in this crowd.

an aside - i love this thread... lots of authors mentioned whom i've enjoyed in the past, but wouldn't have known where to start in terms of their better series... so thanks :)

Number 6 in the Malazan series has JUST been published in the UK - my copy showed up from Amazon yesterday. You're not that far behind, and you ought to be able to order via amazon.co.uk.

seriously? i thought it had come out last year - ~april, 2006!! in my wanderings around LT, i actually found a post in one group by someone who was talking about the 7th, 8th, and even 9th books (???) seems i've misunderstood something there.

as far as ordering from amazon.uk, you're right, i can do that (and have, with another book from the same series if i remember correctly) - the problem with that is... whereas a paperback might range from US $6-10, they seem to range about £6-10, which loosely translated, plus tax & overseas shipping, means a book ends up costing ~$25... a lot to a broke student.

what is strange is that the books should come out there before here anyway... why is that? i've asked that question before, and was told that british books have to be "re-written" to some extent for american audiences (something of an insult in itself, frankly - why should i get a dumbed down version of a good book just because the typical american can't be assed to actually think while they read?!?)... but i actually checked my (british) copy of deadhouse gates against an american copy in a bookstore here, and found them to be exactly the same... so that's not even it.

bah... i'm rambling. either way, thanks for the heads up... now i can be impatient for the next book without also being bitter that you brits get to enjoy it while we're still waiting ;)

EDIT: perhaps this is what gets me: what i get when i search on amazon... notice some editions claim to have been released as long ago as 2004, but used copies are selling for as much as $100+... kinda makes ordering from the uk sound like a good deal!

The Malazan books are getting the covers changed for the new MMP releases, which is why there may be confusion, damn the publishers thrice to hell for spoiling my collection.

lewispike said

"Number 6 in the Malazan series has JUST been published in the UK - my copy showed up from Amazon yesterday. You're not that far behind, and you ought to be able to order via amazon.co.uk."

..

o-O How have you got it so soon, Amazon lists it as the 2nd of May, unless its in shops already, i've not checked.

Anyway, favourite booooooks, in no order or importance, just what comes to mind.

Favourite series would be A Song of Ice and Fire by GRRM

Favourite authors: Vandermeer, Gaiman, Mieville, Bakker, Wolfe, Kay

The Lyonesse Trilogy by Jack Vance is gorgeous, I just love, though i'd have to go for the Prince of Nothing Trilogy by R Scott Bakker ... this is Genius!

I don't know of this would be considered more science fiction or not, but I've been enjoying the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.

#42 "is that the books should come out there before here "

Happens equally if not more often in reverse. We over here have to wait ages for books (and films and consoles and..) that were initially released over there. Just makes life easier for the companies I guess.

Only really really big things like deathly hallows get simultaineous release dates.

if you are lucky you might find a big bookshop with an 'import' section. I can get hold of my C J Cherryh months before anywhere else thanks to Waterstones in Manchester.

My favourite authors would be :

- George R. R. Martin : not only for Asoiaf, his short stories and stand-alonenovels are very good too.

- Jeff VanderMeer : because this guy can write better than most author I've read, he is incredibly imaginative and has a delicious sense of humour.

- R. Scott Baker : he has only written a trilogy so far but the end was just "wow !" New trilogy starting in 2008.

- Charles de Lint : he has a unique voice and I love his short stories.

Obviously, there are many more that could have made my list : Miéville, Bujold, Tolkien, Mirrlees, Zelazny, Gaiman, etc.

#42, #45 etc. - This often has to do with translation... Here the common thing to do is to go with the english language/original version, be it US or UK or any other variation of english.
Of course, now I'm talking software, but the same applies for books - we read/buy the imported editions available, and now with online bookstores they only have to list it - to actually get it they order it from the publisher.

My favourite authors would be:

Terry Goodkind - he just doesn't write fast enough

Kristen Britain - Green Riders

Katherine Kerr - Deverry series and the Fey series (although I ended up not being able to buy the books over here anymore)

David Farland

David Drake - to name but a few

There are so many amazing series. I would recommend:

The Dark Elf Trilogy, by R.A. Salvatore, and all of the follow up books (The Icewind Dale Trilogy, etc).The Cleric Quintet is also worth a read.

The Chronicles Trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, which begins with Dragons of Autumn Twilight. It's been a long time since I read this one but I remember feeling that I had experienced some great, life changing journey by the time I was done with the series (there are actually some follow up trilogies as well).

A Walk on the Nightside by Simon R. Green is good (and slightly disturbing). Although, the series starts to get really good with the fourth book, Hex and the City, because we finally start to get some clues about who John's incredibly powerful mother is (it's pretty unexpected and pretty cool).

I am surprised that no one mentioned The Shannara Series. The Elfstones of Shannara (the second book in this part of the Shannara series) is an incredible book.

One of my absolute favorites is Melanie Rawn's The Dragon Prince Trilogy, which begins with The Dragon Prince (I wonder where the series gets its name). This series is a great mix of action, romance, and political intrigue. Rawn actually makes politics interesting and leaves you longing for a soul deep romance. If you aren't a romantic this probably isn't a good series for you. This series is followed up by the equally great Dragon Star Trilogy.

If anyone wants to try a science fiction twist I would strongly recommend The Soul Drinkers Omnibus by Ben Counter. This book is filled with totally over the top, bizarre action (and not a bad plot). If you would like a really thought provoking read (also sci-fi, sorry) you should check out Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler. Oh, and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game quartet is also a great read. I know that these last few recommendations are sci-fi and this is a fantasy group but good books are good books and I know that there are many people who like to read both genres.

Anne Bishop and Jacqueline Carey tend to be my favorites.

i'm surprised nobody's mentioned The Many-Colored Land series (The Many-Colored Land, The golden torc, The nonborn king) by Julian May -- epic fantasy about human time travel back to the pliocene ere and what the humans find there (rather surprising) -- a truly enjoyable read!

Just to agree with Native roses , the Pilocene series
by Julian May stands out a mile for me in terms of epic fantasy as does the Galactic mileu series Jack the Bodiless, Diamond mask and Magnificat that goes along with it. My favourite however is called Intervention which kind of links the two.
also anything by David Gemmell relating to the Drenai
i.e Waylanderor especially Legend, truely FANTAStic..

Well,than my favorite author is Erin Hunter who writes the Warriors series about the cats.I do enjoy her books indeed!I,myself,am writing a fantasy/sci-fi/sports story.Its acculey a series I started in 2005.I stopped 4 a while after the first but then got up again and nowI luv them.the longest was 122 pages. :) Anyway,I do enjoy fantasy books now and than.Some r fantastic like Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause who is a fab author!

My favourite authors are probably Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett and, Charles de Lint.

I enjoy R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt books, they're a lot of fun, and also the Dragonlance books. Anne McCaffrey's Pern series is another I have enjoyed.

Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of The Rings are old, enduring favourites.

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is another favourite.

I'm just getting into George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series and I'm really enjoying that after avoiding it for years!

The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven

The Faerie War Chronicles by Herbie Brennan

Awesome books expecially if you liked LOTR

I'm another fan of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books, Anne Bishop's Black Jewels, and Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series. I liked Anne McCaffrey's early Pern books, but after the first half dozen or so, I got to where I couldn't tell them apart. I also enjoyed Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover books, but I find that, to my mind at least, they don't hold up to re-reading.

And, of course, J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings and Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain.

I'm actually kind of sad to see that no one has mentioned either Fritz Leiber or John Crowley

How come no one on this site likes David Eddings? Sure, his books are repetitive and derivative, and his later works are too schmaltzy and cutsie-pie, but the Belgariad and the Mallorean rocked. Eddings was my idol when I was ten. I virtually grew up with Garion. Admittedly, the appeal's fading as I get older, but it's still my favourite book/series of all time.

Favorite serial authors:

Terry Goodkind
Robin Hobb
Robert Jordan
J.V. Jones
Terry Brooks
Diana Gabaldon - if you count hers as fantasy
Mary Stewart - counting her Merlin books as fantasy

Not a hard question to answer!

J.R.R Tolkien (Lord of the Rings), J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter), and Tad Williams (Memory, Sorrow and Thorn) !!!

My favorites include The Fionavar Tapestry by Kay and The Lord of the Rings. I also like The Dark is Rising Sequence (series) by Susan Cooper. It has Arthurian and other Celtic elements. My favorite books in that series are The Dark is Rising, Greenwitch, The Grey King and The Silver Tree.
Also I like some of the books by Sheri S. Tepper and parts of Zelanzy's Amber series.

Bilbo and lord of the rings and other works by Tolkien with regard to the Middle-Earth
The swan's war by Sean Russel
Avalon by Marion Bradley Zimmer

I'm fond of Dave Duncan's Blade novels.

My favorite author is Terry Brooks. I've been reading the Shanara novels for years, though I also like his other works.

My second favorite would have to be Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time series.

VictoriaPL: I love the Blade novels too. Have you read any of the Daggers? They're just as good, I think.

I'm also fond of Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series: Furies of Calderon, Academ's Fury and Cursor's Fury.

sarad: I have read one of the Dagger novels but wasn't that impressed. I may have to revisit them.

The Lord of the Rings hands down. Plus all the other books about Middle-earth that Tolkien wrote (The Silmarillion, The Hobbit...) after that, hmm. Right now Garth Nix's 'The Keys to the Kingdom' series. Amazing. Also the Redwall series by Brian Jacques.

Wow...everyone has already mentioned all of the books that I think are so good! There are SO many wonderful fantasy authors and novels out there, it's hard to pick just a few. Having said that though...has anyone ever read any of the Tom Deitz books, like Windmaster's Bane, Fireshaper's Doom, etc.? I found his characters to be almost as real as next door neighbors, and I love the way that he combined Irish and Welsh mythology with Native American (Cherokee) in the contemporary setting of north Georgia. Also, I have exchanged letters with him in the past, and he even used my name for one of his characters in a later novel....Ok, so I have a biased opinion of him! *GRIN* Anyway, his earlier books may be hard to locate now, but definitely worth the effort!

My favorite author is Tamora Pierce and my favorite series The Belgariad

Anne McCaffrey is one of my favorite authors. I liked her Pern series and Talent series.

Piers Anthony's Xanth series is priceless. I love his puns! His Immortal series is very well written too and no, not a single pun in that one.

Mercedes Lackey is a wonderful writer. Her works are very easy to read and enjoy. There is depth without having to decipher or read between lines. I lover her Valdemar Series and am currently reading her Obsidian trilogy.

My favorite series are Jim Butcher's the Dresden Files. Harry is so funny!
Terry Pratchett's Discworld serious.
Not really a fantasy but does have a vampire as the main character is the Lee Nez series by David and Amiee Thurlo

i am suprised no one has said Harry Potter. THey are my absolut favorite books and my school absolutely hates witches and magic and wizards.

A Song of Ice and Fire: Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings, Storm of Swords, Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

My top would definitely be Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, with J.R.R. Tolkien probably second. But Libba Bray's "Gemma Doyle" trilogy is definitely way up there, and Jonathan Stroud's "Bartimaeus" trilogy would probably come in a little behind that.

david gemmell is definately top for me. i read his first book, legend, after being recomended by someone and since then ive read every book he has written.

#13 yes the Illuminatus! trilogy, and the Schrodinger's Cat Trilogy and just about anything that Robert Anton Wilson was involved with.

My favorites are Janny Wurts, Guy Gavriel Kay, and Michelle West. (Weird touchstones, what can I say?)

I'm running the risk of sounding like a broken record, but I absolutely adore Wurts's Wars of Light and Shadow and GGK's Lions of Al-Rassan.

And West's Sun Sword series is great, though I liked her Hunter duology a little better.

Judith Tarr - especially her crusade-inspired books.
Sean Russell - The Swans' War trilogy
Anne Bishop - her Ephemera books
Keri Arthur - Riley books

I am supremely passionate about Guy Gavriel Kay. The Fionavar Tapestry: The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road, are my favorite set. They are the first fantasy series I read and have firmly ensconced GGK as my all time favorite author. Another of his books in a series is The Sarantine Mosaic, absolutely fantastic. I belong to a really great fan community at brightweavings.com that other fans of Guy Gavriel Kay should check out if you have not yet.
I also love Mercedes Lackey and her Valdemar Series, her Elvenbane series and the Elemental Mages series. I like Anne McCaffrey and The Dragonriders of Pern series. Of course I love The Lord of the Rings. And The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is now fast becoming a favorite.

I really love Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. I also like the Halfblood series (Elvenbane, Elvenblood, Elvenborn). I haven't read so thoroughly in the fantasy genre as others so this thread is very helpful in terms of what to check out.

I like just about everything I've read by Patricia A. McKillip, Robin McKinley, C. J. Cherryh, Peter S. Beagle, and Tad Williams.

Terry Pratchett, McCaffrey Anne NOT Todd, Jonathan Carroll -The Land of Laughs is a must for all urban fantasy fans, Charles de Lint....many, many others, but those four are constant loves.

#81 Thank goodness somebody mentioned Peter S. Beagle! I was beginning to feel disheartened.

Anyway, my favorite fantasists are:
Peter S. Beagle
Philip Pullman
Neil Gaiman
J.R.R. Tolkien

It is impossible to beat Stephen King's Darktower series. A seven book epic and each one of them really had their own story line. My favorite out of all seven was Wizard and Glass the fourth one.

Favorite Authors:

Neil Gaiman
China Mieville
Jeff Vandermeer
Jim Butcher
Glen Cook
Steven Erikson
Terry Pratchett
Charles de Lint

Favorite Series:
Malazan Book of the Fallen
Discworld
Black Company
Dresden Files

Favourite series would be:

Liveship Traders - Robin Hobb
A Song of Fire and Ice - George R.R. Martin
Lord of The Rings (although technically one book)
Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
Otherland - Tad Williams
Twelve Houses by Sharon Shinn
Green Riders - Kristen Britain

J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (trilogy, but really one book, as has been noted)
Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry trilogy.
Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel trilogies.
Anne Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy.
C. J. Cherryh's Fortress in the Eye of Time series
Storm Constantine's Wraeththu trilogy
Robin Hobb's Assassin and Fool trilogies
Naomi Novik's Temeraire series
Katherine Kurtz's Deryni trilogy
Patricia A. McKillip's Riddlemaster trilogy

Raymond E.Feists Riftwar is on topp for me.

Eddings Belgariad and Deeds of Paksenarion by Elizabet Moon will have fo fight for second place.

4th is Olav Hanvnes "den sistenattkirger" (in english: The last nightwarior) A fantastic thriology, to bad it wil probably remain untrancelated...

Terry Pratchett's Discworld series,
Terry Brooks' Dragonbone Chair series,
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan,
Tanya Huff's Blood series and
Lois McMaster Bujold's Chalion books

Tad Williams: Memory, Sorrow and Thorn
George Martin: A Song of Ice and Fire
J.R.R. Tolkien: Lord of the Rings
Fred Saberhagen: Empire of the East
Mitchell Graham: The Fifth Ring Series (try it, you'll like it)
Terry Brooks: Shannara

By the way, ariom, Tad Williams wrote the Dragonbone Chair books, called Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.

I love all of those!! They would have to be in my top five. I really enjoyed the later books of Sebastion and Belladonna by Anne Bishop too. But I would add two authors to your list -

Maria V. Snyder - Her book Poison Study and the sequel Magic Study are amazing. It took me seeing the first several times before I actually bought it but I read it in less than 48 hours!

Karen Marie Moning - Her books Dark Fever and Bloodfever are two of the best books I've read recently.

Let me know what you think!

David and Leigh Eddings are my favorite and have been for a while.

Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman are others I really enjoy as well.

I can't think of one favorite author overall, although I think the greatest book ever written was The Master and Margarita.

My favorite series by far is the Amber books by Roger Zelazny. Other series I like are The Deathgate Cycle, Songs of Fire and Ice, The Last Herald Mage Trilogy, All the Wraeththu books, and the Wars of Light and Shadow books by Janny Wurts. There might be some others, but those are the main ones I have read more than twice.

Charles de Lint contemporary fantasy.... Newford series and others....

Can't go wrong with de Lint

my touchstones won't work :(

http://www.librarything.com/author/lintcharlesde

My favorites are
Anne Bishop's Black Jewels Trilogy including the books Dreams Made Flesh and I'm sure the soon-to-be-released Tangled Webs
Storm Constantine's Wraeththu trilogy and her Wraeththu Histories trilogy
Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series
Octavia E. Butler's Lilith's Brood
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series (though, like Lilith's Brood, that may be more scifi...)
Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series ... I'm rereading this series right now, actually, for something like, the 5th time.

I feel pretty unoriginal here--McCaffrey's original Dragonriders of Pern trilogy; Lackey's Valdemar series (with a special love for the Winds trilogy); Herbert's Dune trilogy (though the first book on its own outclasses everything else he wrote, I think); Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy; and pretty much anything by C.J. Cherryh--the Foreigner series, the Chanur series, etc.

What I love about threads like this is that it makes me want to go read all the books I haven't read yet!

I love these books too! I haven't met anyone else who has read them!

What about The Plieocene Exile by Julian May? Magic couched in Sci Fi language. I have come back and re-read these many times.

My favorites include Mercedes Lackey's Elemental series starting with The Fire Rose, I enjoy the real world setting of Victorian England and America as a grounding of her works.

I also love Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier trilogy, although I had trouble getting through the third volume.

Up there for me... for the sheer fun factor... although I haven't read tons of fantasy yet... but I love Robert Asprin and his Myth-Adventures of Aahz and Skeeve.

Over the last week and a half I've torn through Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner books, Luck in the Shadows, Stalking Darkness and Traitor's Moon and absolutely loved them. So much so that I went back and immediately did a bunch of re-reading of the books. Now I'm anxiously waiting on the fourth book, Shadow's Return which is due out in June.

I can't believe no one has mentioned Lilith Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series, starting with Working for the Devil, Dead Man Rising, The Devil's Right Hand, Saint City Sinners, and To Hell and Back. I love Saintcrow's vibe throughout the series and Dante's strong, yet vulnerable heroine.

My first favorite is of course Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein.
And the second The Belgariad and The Malloreon by David Eddings :Reading a different world that does not involve elves or dragons, and world with different type of magic, is the main reason for being my favorite.
This month a third has been added to my favorite list Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan

#104 - Couldn't agree more with Black Magician Trilogy, I'd have to add Trudi Canavan's Age of the Five as well :D

{Lord of the Rings} by J.R.R. Tolkein is absolutely my favorite by which I measure the others. Second favorite is the {Fire and Ice} series by George R. R. Martin and the {Avalon} series by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

i've skimmed through, and maybe i missed a reference, but i really like the "Borderlands" shared modern urban fantasy suite started by Terri Windling. Emma Bull's Finder is my favorite book in the set.
Certainly agree w/ many of the above:
Nix, Tolkien, Gaiman, McKillip (probably the best writer of them all), Lisa Goldstein, Tim Powers.....I don't know how to class His Dark Materials - probably closer to sci-fi than fantasy???

Is that Andre Norton?

Yup. Good stuff. They were some of my first intros into fantasy, back in the day.

It's good to see so many Guy Gavriel Kay fans! Fionavar Tapestry is a winner. Also recommend very highly the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher, and have just been convinced to read the Black Jewels Trilogy.

#110 My first too in '65

There's a long running fantasy series about a Roman soldier who spears Jesus on the cross and is cursed to immortality. It was created by Barry Sadler of 'Ballad of the Green Berets' fame and he wrote 22 of the Casca series before dying in suspicious circumstances in Guatemala. After a decade Paul Dengelegi picked up the torch and wrote two more (see casca: The Liberator). Then after another break Tony Roberts continued the series in 2006 and has written two more including casca 26: johnny Reb and more are due out this year. The series may become movies shortly and details of this and all other related facts are found on http://www.casca.net

So many of my favourites are already mentioned, but there are so many that will now be on my TBR list!

My ALL TIME favourite is The Fionavar Tapestry by Kay. Hands down.

There are two new authors that I'm really enjoying.
Scott Lynch and R. Scott Bakker.

I also recently read Sara Douglass' Crucible series. Historical but with fantasy elements. Very good. Most of her writing falls strongly under the fantasy genre. Threshold is on of the most different works of fantasy that I have read.

I'm glad that Kay is so much liked here, The Fionavar Tapestry is also one of my favourites. I wish I have not read The Fionavar Tapestry for being able to read it again for the first time, it was so existing... I've got some others from Kay in my TBR, I'm really lucky.

Someone mentioned Orson Scott Card's Ender series, which are favorites of mine but would probably considered science fiction rather than fantasy. What about his Alvin Maker series: Seventh Son, Red Prophet, etc? They take place on the American frontier in an alternate history in which magic is very real.

Another series I really enjoyed was C.S. Friedman's Coldfire trilogy: Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls, and Crown of Shadows.

My favourite series are Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey, A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin, Doctrine of Labyrinths by Sarah Monette, and The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay (agree with all the people who have been praising it)

My favourite fantasy author is definitely Phillip Pullman, and His Dark Materials, of which my favourite is Northern Lights. He is also my favourite fantasy author. My favourite author generally speaking is Jill Marshall. But I don't think she writes fantasy!

I LOVE THE SEVENWATERS TRILOGY!
MY FAVORITE BOOK BESIDES LORD OF THE RINGS, IS MISTS OF AVALON!!

My favorite fantasists, in no particular order -- and most of them have written trilogies, or "connected" works at the very least -- Kay, McKillip, Tolkien, deLint, Cooper. The Thief and its sequels are also high on my list. I don't think anyone has mentioned the Damiano trilogy; any other MacAvoy fans out there?

Well, my very first entry into the fantasy genre was Terry Brooks's Sword of Shannara and the associated series, so it definitely still holds a place in my heart, as do David Eddings and the Belgariad!

Currently, however, my favorites include:

Neil Gaiman: all his books!
Robin Hobb: the Farseer Trilogy and the Tawny Man series
George RR Martin: Song of Ice and Fire
Terry Pratchett: Discworld series
Charles Delint: the Newford series
Tad Williams: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn

Favorite Authors:
Ilona Andrews
Kelley Armstrong
Lynn Flewelling
Jo Graham
Juliet Marillier
Sharon Shinn
L.J. Smith
Kit Whitfield

Favorite Series:
Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
Nightworld by L.J. Smith
Nightrunner by Lynn Flewelling
Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong

Favorite Trilogies:
The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith
The Hollow Kingdom by Clare Dunkle
The Secret Circle by L.J. Smith
Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier

At the top of my list are propably the most read (& possible the lenghtiest in pages...):

Tolkien (J.R.R.), Le Guin and even Rowling (J.K.)
, However I also likes Weiss-Hickman Dragonlance (especially the latter parts of the story) and R.A.Salvatore´s Black Elf -series (Also rich as metered by number of pages...though some may find them too much of examples of typical popularized fantasy)

My favourites:

Chronicles of the Cheysuli by Jennifer Roberson

Ender series by Orson Scott Card

Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Eight by Katherine Neville

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Eragon series by Christopher Paolini

I have to admit that my favorite author is Mercedes Lackey and her Last Herald-Mage Trilogy my favorite fantasy read thus far.
Magic's Pawn, Magic's Promise, and Magic's Price.
Having read all of the Valdemar books, I also think that these are the best of her works.

My second favorite is the Empire Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts.
Daughter of the Empire, Servant of the Empire, and Mistress of the Empire
I don't think that Wurts gets enough credit for the trilogy. Her influence is very strong within these books ... The writing is not quite similar to Feist's other books, although the story line does link to his Riftwar Saga / Magician trilogy.

** Touchstone Authors aren't working??

I'm completely new to fantasy but I'm slowly catching up on the genre. My favourite fantasy authors are J.K. Rowling and Philip Pullman. As much as I adore His Dark Materials, I think all of his stuff is just as excellent, especially the Sally Lockhart series (which contains elements of fantasy but isn't a fantasy book). It's a wonder he isn't more appreciated, his books are so life-changing. I have yet to come across fantasy authors of such a scale besides those two, I like my fantasy to say something about the world and have a deep meaning. It seems to me that fantasy authors and writers who write for children are not brave enough to do that.
I will edit this post with more names as I read more books :)

>127 GT-M: I'm set to be starting Magic's Promise as my next book. I've enjoyed the first two of the Last Herald Mage books and have been considering picking up some of the other Valdemar stories, but if those are the best ones maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea.

Favorite fantasy series:

Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
Acts of Caine by Matthew Stover
Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook
Mordant's Need and Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson

Other favorite fantasy authors:

Orson Scott Card
Richard Adams

>129 Jenson_AKA_DL:

"Best" is pretty subjective; I've read a lot of Lackey, including most or all of the Valdemar books, and I think my favorites are the "Mage Winds" series--Winds of Fate, Winds of Change, and Winds of Fury. I also liked the Oathbound series, By the Sword, and the first ones I read, Arrows of the Queen, Arrow's Flight, and Arrow's Fall. Reading them in some roughly chronological order (the stories' chronology, not the order in which they were written) does make sense, I think.

I also liked the Diana Tregarde books. Based on the first book in the Dragon-Jousters series, Joust, I'm not as keen on that, though. Not enough action, for one thing.

This is a tough one. I really love His Dark Materials and is probably the first fantasy I ever read several years ago when the Golden Compass first came out. After that I got into Terry Goodkind and The Sword of Truth Series. I seen someone had the Abhorsen Trilogy and I really liked that but my top two favorites are Terry Goodkind and Jim Butcher and the Codex Alera series. Christopher Paolini and Philip Pullman are right up there.

Favourite Authors: Janny Wurts, C. J. Cherryh and Steven Erikson

Favourite Series: Wars of Light and Shadow by Wurts, Foreigner by Cherryh and Malazan Empire by Erikson.

Current favourite book: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

A lot of my favorite series have been mentioned above by different people:

Lord of the Rings by Tolkien
Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
Abhorsen by Garth Nix
His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
and
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Karen Traviss with Republic Commando series!!!! It rocks! Along with Transformers series I have in my library!

I really like The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

My absolute favorite for many years has been Robert E. Howard.
I recently read through The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian.
Stories like "Black Colossus" or "Tower of the Elephant" never get old for me.
Also see "People of the Black Circle" and "A Witch Shall be Born" in The Bloody Crown of Conan.
These tales are fast paces and very exciting.

An easy, but interesting read is the Black Company - series...

Wowsa. Hrm...to be honest, I don't know that I have particularly beloved favorites amongst fantasy. There's a lot of good reading in the genre, after all!

Over the last year, though, these in particular have really been memorable for me:

* The Night Angel Trilogy (The way of Shadows, Shadow's Edge, Beyond the Shadows)

* Shadows of the Apt (Empire in Black and Gold, and Dragonfly Falling was just released)

*Black Ships

*The Godspeaker trilogy (Empress, The Riven Kingdom and Hammer of God) as well as the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology (The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage)

* The Study trilogy (Poison Study, Magic Study and Fire Study)

I am a big fan of Sharon Shinn's work, especially her Samaria series. One of my favorite series still is the Chronicles of Narnia - there were things to love when I was young and I still find amazing things every time I read it.

A mere two years since Ui_Niall asked if there was anyone else here who read the fantasy books of Tom Deitz comes my reply, "Yes, sort of".

However, the only one of Deitz's books in my collection (also the only one I've ever seen) is the first of his David Sullivan series, Windmaster's Bane, which I am currently re-reading.

According to Wikipedia, Tom Dietz died earlier this year, at the relatively early age of 57.

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’

Julian May the Pliocene Exile Saga

Recent fiction, George RR Martin's Song of Fire and Ice

and Jim Butcher's Codex Alera

My fav is The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.

YA fantasy/sci-fi:

The Dark Is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper
All of Tamora Pierce's Tortall tales
Abhorsen series by Garth Nix
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
The Hero and the Crown, The Blue Sword, and Beauty by Robin McKinley
Harry Potter, of course
Mercedes Lackey's many and varied books are great as well (I particularly like her takes on fairy tales and the Elemental Masters books)

Adult:

The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier
King's Blades series by Dave Duncan
Lilith's Brood by Octavia E. Butler
The Cosmic Trilogy by C.S. Lewis

-Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix..I have a lending set and a keep at home set that doesn't leave the house.
-Keeper Chronicles by Tanya Huff
- Raven's Strike and Raven's shadow by Patricia Briggs
- Belgariad and Malloreon series by David Eddings
- Harry Potter

These are all series that I read over and over

-R.A. Salvatore Dark Elf books, all of them
-Marion Zimmer Bradley Avalon series
-all the Dragonlance books
-Deathgate Cycle my personal favorite
-Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series
-Redwall books
-C.S. Lewis Narnia books