Let’s roll back the mists of time.
My formative “reading” years were predominantly in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Back then there was no internet. No Amazon and such. Books were purchased in bookstores.
Here in New Jersey we had Walden Books, B. Dalton, and The Book End (Add to that the numerous mom-and-pop used book stores, and you were all set).
These three stores were all under one roof in the Moorestown Mall where my parents would take my brother and I every Friday night to eat, shop, and wander.
This was also when Horror had its own title/category shelf space alongside science Fiction and Fantasy. Quite easy to find and navigate because there was maybe, maybe, 3 or 4 shelving bays of all of those books. Not like today where half of Barnes & Noble is given up to fantasy (with a leaning toward YA) and the other half to self help books.
So there I was, a young Vincent, devouring fantasy books like there was no tomorrow. Those books were like friends. I still have most of them to this day and will go back to them on occasion to read again.
What began as a suggested reading list sent to TJ & Rollo via email, is now an official MG post for you all.
Below is a list, and by no means complete, of a few of the authors and their works that I enjoy(ed) and like. Many of these, depending on how fast you can read, can be finished over a weekend.
- Read Fritz Leiber's, "Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser" books.
- John Norman's (John Lange) "Gor" series of books. Illuminates what a real patriarchal society would be like.
- Dan Abnett & MC.L. Werner’s Malus Darkblade books (set in the Warhammer world and these are not that old. Still good, though).
- Michael Moorcock's "Eric of Melnibone".
- Piers Anthony - anything really, although the Xanth series is very good. "On a Pale Horse", too.
- Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E Howard.
- "The Belgariad" series by David Eddings. I bought these when they first came out in the 80's from B.Dalton Book shop in the Cherry Hill Mall near me. I cut school and walked to the mall to purchase them and then play video games in the arcade room.
- Glen Cook's "The Black Company" series.
- Lyndon Hardy "Master of the Five Magics"
- Joel Rosenburg's "Guardian of the Flame" series (I like this as it has modern day Earth students being transported into a fantasy realm).
- Although not fantasy, read the Doc Savage books by 'Kenneth Robeson' (house name).
- Fred Saberhagen's "The Book of Swords" series.
- Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" series. Very good.
- Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s “Dragonlance Chronicles” books.
- All of R.A. Salvatore’s books. His Forgotten Realms/D&D books are fantastic, especially for the martial art/melee scenes.
Many more but this is a good start.
Yes, I know. I do not have links to these books. I trust you gentlemen are intelligent enough to know how to conduct an online search for a book.
Now, go read a book.
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