First book that got you hooked on Fantasy

[Galactus]

It's hard to say what is fantasy... I started out devouring myths (greek, arthurian, celtic, african, chinese, you name it) and I always liked children's books who were slightly fantasy-ish (Brothers Lionheart of course...)

I read both the Hobbit & LOTR relatively early on, but never really connected it with a genré, it wasn't until I read Pawn of Prophecy and it's sequels that I started to really read fantasy (had been reading a lot of SF before that though) I read Donaldson in what was it... 5th grade? Way to earyl at any rate, I had nightmares for weeks.

[Lady Snow]

It's got the standard princess, King, and Dragon in it. It all revolves around some magical forest with this sullen boy-king. He starts to get pissed because these evil wizards have completely turned huge swaths of his forest into ash to steal some of its magic. He has an enchanted sword of some kind too, it comes in real handy, especially when he uses it to blast the wizards towards the end of the book with streams of soapy water, which apparently kills them.

The princess is of course, headstrong, and she lives with this dragon-king (queen) who is captured by said (not soapy yet) wizards and imprisoned or some such. So the princess teams with the king, and they go all soap-tastic on the bad guys and win.

That would be "Searching for Dragons" by Patricia C. Wrede.

"Dealing with Dragons" by the same was my introduction to fantasy.

[Kalbear]

Stego, if you don't care what I say, why respond to it? Put me on your ignore list or explain to me what egregious actions I've undertaken that has condemned me so in your eyes, but this passive aggressive crap in random threads is stupid.

When fantasy can break away from its formulaic roots, it can be stellar work. That happens very rarely though, so I tend not to be particularly interested in much fantasy. Donaldson, Mieville, Stross, GRRM...

I like sci-fi because it makes me think about speculative futures and things. I don't like what ifs that could never, ever happen.

[Kat]

I was not a big fantasy reader until a few years ago. In middle and high school I preferred things that were closer to sci-fi. What got me hooked onto the SF genre, besides Madeleine L'Engle, is so embarrassing I hardly want to mention it in this thread. On the other hand, I still really like it. So whatever. My favorite books, around age 13, were the Myst novels. And even though they're not exceptionally well-written, and the third one's plot is kind of weak, I still like them enough that I use a character's name as my screen name. Plus, they're in tune with earth-science-y stuff on the same wavelength as I am, which is fairly rare in sci-fi.

I couldn't get through LOTR when I was younger. The Hobbit animated version scared me to death in fourth grade, and when I tried to read FOTR, my teacher told me I should try The Hobbit instead. I tried, but I kept thinking of the animation and it was awful. I finally read the books when I was 18 and the movies were about to come out and my father threatened to drag me to the movies whether or not I had read the books. I forced my way through the first few chapters and was hooked on Tolkien. But now I'm excessively picky about what SF and fantasy I read. I only started reading Martin a few months ago because I had this (unfounded) belief that he was a hack, but I needed a really long audiobook and I got hooked because I'm into the grittier, more real side of things. I still don't think I could force my way through a lot of fantasy novels, though, unless I had a lot of free time.

[Stego]

Kalbear....you came in here and said that even good fantasy is crap.

Now if you had said you don't like it, fine and dandy....but you said it was crap. Which of course was an ignorant and downright stupid statement.

Did you expect not to be called on it?

[Kalbear]

It's not a stupid statement; it's an opinion. Sorry if you disagree.

There are a lot of fantasy authors that I feel are utter crap who are considered to be great authors. Hobb is one. Others I feel have done massive damage to the idea of speculative fiction, like Tolkien, who I will never forgive for making the fantasy genre a giant qwest to stop TEH EVIL in the world.

There's a lot of fantasy in the Tolkien vein that sucks ass, and which is lauded as rocking because it apes Tolkien so closely. There's a lot of other fantasy that is bundled as some political message wrapped up in a dystopian suck. These are the things that I hate, and which get recommended to me on a regular basis as 'you should try this fantasy!' or whatever.

And it still sucks.

Perhaps I misspoke, and should have said that a lot of popular fantasy sucks ass. Which is true of sci-fi and genre books in general - populist fiction generally isn't that great literarily.

[Slyfinger]

Magician: Master by Raymond Feist. I found the book in my uncle's throwaway pile of books and I had to read the entire series. Apprentice was dissapointing, Silverthorn was ok, but, A Darkness at Sethanon was what did it for me. Something like a decade passed with me reading Kurt Vonnegut, Toni Morrison, Tom Clancy, Chuck Palinuik, Orson Scott Card, Donald Goines, etc., and a lot of other 'classics' before I picked up LOTR(seeing as how the movie was coming out).

Dissapointing doesn't begin to describe how I felt about the books. I'll just stop there to cut down on the death threats...

AGoT & ASOIAF was the saving grace for my interest in fantasy, my crackrock, & my re-introduction into fantasy's realm once again... and I've been here ever since.

[Larry.]

Tough to say, as I read both the Narnia books and a prose translation of the Iliad around the same time, followed by Tolkien when I was 12-13. From there, I rarely read any overt fantasies until my mid-20s.

[Analu]

Perhaps I misspoke, and should have said that a lot of popular fantasy sucks ass. Which is true of sci-fi and genre books in general - populist fiction generally isn't that great literarily.

Gotta agree with you there. I think that for those who are new to fantasy, almost any fantasy book will seem great the first time; kind of like getting high the first time

But the more fantasy I read, the more jaded I become, until I really can't stand anything that isn't very well-written and very well thought out (see GRRM)

[Stego]

Maybe you should have said YOU THINK it sucks. Perhaps you misunderstand the language, but when you use a declarative sentence, you are declaring something to be so. That is not an opinion.

If you had prefaced it with "I think," or "In my opinion" then it might be different.

That said, I simply don't think you're well read enough to be making any sorts of statements about a genre as a whole. Author A sucks! ok!! Romance sucks! Not ok!!

[The Marquis de Leech]

The first fantasy book I read was probably The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was not until I read LOTR, however, that I really became hooked on fantasy.

[blackwater]

I can't remember was it D&D or something from Ursula LeGuinn .It was some 20 years ago so it's no wonder I can't remember.

[Doppelganger]

The Hobbit, and also Rowan of Rin. Rowan of Rin was the first of a series written by an Aussie author. I loved it as a child.

[High Septon]

The Hobbit, and then Lord of the Rings.

It was The Wheel of Time, however, that really introduced me to the genre (and indirectly ASOIAF).

[Noontidal]

After the Chrinicles, the Hobbit made an excellent follow-up book.

Oh, and lay off Kal, honestly, I explained the deal. While it certainly isn't tactful to do as he said, given the realm in which we are discussing things one person saying "such and such sucks" is speaking in purely opinion based "facts" not facts on any sort of solid, nonpersonal evidence. Yup, you can explain "why" something sucks or does not suck in the realm of entertainment, but it's the rough equivilent of a Yankees or Red Sox fan saying the world series was not a true world series because neither of their teams were in it.

[werewolfv2]

The Hobbit animated version scared me to death in fourth grade,

LOL!!!

Im not sure how old I was when it came out, I know I was damn young though, maybe 1st grade? All I know is that it freaked me out badly and I had to be taken out of the theatre

[Kalbear]

Maybe you should have said YOU THINK it sucks. Perhaps you misunderstand the language, but when you use a declarative sentence, you are declaring something to be so. That is not an opinion.

If you had prefaced it with "I think," or "In my opinion" then it might be different.

That said, I simply don't think you're well read enough to be making any sorts of statements about a genre as a whole. Author A sucks! ok!! Romance sucks! Not ok!!

Stego, you telling me how to use declarative sentences is one of the funniest things I've read on the boards, given your penchant for declaring things as absolutely one way or another without the slightest backing of said declarations. I didn't think that you were so sensitive that one would have to state an obvious opinion as an opinion, but okay.

It is my opinion that fantasy generally sucks. It is lower quality than non-genre works, and the worst part is simply that the fans of fantasy _want_ this lower quality. They desire it. That's what sells books. Sci-fi is similar but not as extreme in this vein and thus does not get my general condemnation. That one has to explain to friends that such-and-such a fantasy novel 'isn't like fantasy novels' should speak to this; I don't have to do that about other books in other fiction categories.

I don't know how well-read I am; while you're certainly more well-read than I am, I don't think that makes my opinion of the fantasy genre invalid, and of the good authors you named I've read all of them. I've not made any claims to genres that I haven't read a fairly large amount of books in, and I feel reasonably capable in defending this argument.

But I'll keep your argument in mind - where you say that being specifically critical is okay, but being critical in general is not - the next time you state something like all religions are cults or all conscientious objectors are cowards.

[Falagar]

It's hard to say what is fantasy... I started out devouring myths (greek, arthurian, celtic, african, chinese, you name it) and I always liked children's books who were slightly fantasy-ish (Brothers Lionheart of course...)

Same here. Started with Lindgren, Roal Dal and other children's books with fantastical elements, as well as arthorian, greek, lots of norse and probably other myths; then moved on to the "heavy" stuff. Received great help from my father, who read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings as well as Narnia to me and my sister when we were 6-7 years old. But don't think I really startet to think of it as "fantasy" before I got to Harry Potter, and did't really get 'hooked' before having finished AGOT.

[Teri]

I guess the Oz books were my first fantasy series too. I read all 40 plus of them that were in our public library the year I was seven (1961-1962). Unless you count the Alice in Wonderland books, which I read when I was six.

So much of children's literature has large fantasy elements that it is hard to know where to draw the line.

[Stego]

Again, Kal.....firstly, you're a hypocrite.....you hang about a fantasy message board. GRRM did not create his work in a vacuum.

"It is lower quality than non-genre works"

Such as?

What is a non-genre work? Two of the five finalists for the Booker prize this year were fantasies. TWO of FIVE.

Fantasies have won Pulitzers and Bookers and NBA's, oh my. Basically all you're stating for the record is how ignorant you are of this genre.

"even good fantasy is crap"

Are you referring to Gene Wolfe? By what possible guidelines could you be using to make such remarks? How about Salman Rushdie? Kazuo Ishiguro? Jeffrey Ford? Graham Joyce? Michael Chabon?

I mean, this argument is for others to read, because I care not a whit what you personally think....but your ignorance should not be shared, if I can possibly help it.

I mean, firstly you make the vastly ignorant comment of seperating Science Fiction from Fantasy, when science fiction is OBVIOUSLY fantasy. (As is horror, btw) Regardless, the accepted term is Speculative Fiction. Sci-fi is inextricably linked to fantasy because of the themes. Because of the intention of wonder. Because the true fan can check reality at the door and live the pages and be open to fresh ideas.

Is there fantasy that is crap? of course.

There is sex that is bad, but that doesn't make sex itself bad. (and if the average person settles for bad sex, what of it? It's none of your fucking business. Have your good sex and leave it be)

Post Script:

All religions are cults. (This is like saying all water is wet) Simply because you are ignorant of a definition does not make you innocent. You're getting offended and you don't even fucking KNOW what the word cult means. If you use it for a different meaning in your own limited vocabulary, that's no ones fault but your own.

As for all conscientious objectors being cowards.....I think this is self-evident. However, I never made that comment in a bubble. I have made clear my own personal values time and again in such arguments. A citizen has a duty to his/her nation which houses, protects, and succors them. When one is called upon, one stands up, or they should be removed from the population.

However, speaking of values with a person like you.... I realize I'm pissing up a rope.