I read your post about what you can and can't read Yucale and from my perspective it's not too terribly bad.
I have never read a nancy drew book so I can't comment but the Little house series is actually quite good from a historical perspective. Look at it this way you can get a feel for the medieval world by reading the little house series, which will please your parents, and think on how tough it was back then and imagine how much tougher it was hundreds of years before that.
I remember in one chapter reading about lauras best christmas ever she got her very own drinking cup so she wouldn't have to share with her sister anymore. Things like that can help put you in a less modern mindset when you are in a fantasy world.
I had a very similar experience as well, my teacher in elementary school was worried about my lack of church so she screened all books I wanted to check out of the library and if she didn't approve I couldn't get them. I started reading the classic greek and roman myths because at least they had some magic and monsters. She was totally unaware of the other stuff, then I read bullfinches mythology and finally when I was 18 I read my first fantasy novel ever called Darkwalker on the Moonsheas. I know it's tough but hang in there and pick and choose your readng battles carefully.
My personal recommendations would be the Mercedes Lackey Valdemar series because of the strong (some say feminist but I don't see it) female charecters. However be warned it does contain some refrences to male and male relationships so if your parents object to that content then forget it. You have to live with their rules so don't make waves because they are trying to do their best for you.
My other suggestion is a great SCI-FI series called honor harrington. It's a space opera but still a good read and the violence is between ship to ship. The telepachic familiar she has is cool too.
I hope this helps relieve some of your book boredom.
Thanks, everyone, for all the book suggestions. I was needing something else to read. The only problem is my parents are concerned by my going over to "the dark side" and I'm worried that they'll try an exorcism on me before long. If they deprive me of everything but Little House on the Prairie, I'll die of sheer boredom. So, when you give suggestions, keep that in mind. Or suggest how I can read awesome books while avoiding said exorcism.
You might want to give some of the old classics a try. Specifically, read 'Swiss Family Robinson'. Its theme is heroically overcoming the world by being smart and courageous- just like some of the best games.
Also, my wife and I have been looking at the local school's summer reading list- there's some good stuff on it. If you can show your parents what you want to read is on that list, even if not for your school, you may be able to get their permission.
David Eddings may pass their inspections.
Hey Yucale, check out the Sword and Sorceress series, as well as Thieves World. GREAT stuff, and I don't think you mom will mind them much. Mine didn't, and she thought I was worshipping the devil for a while there.
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listed some drizzt stats
I took Yucale's statement as meaning that Salvatore himself never stated him out in a published item. I knew Drizzt was statted out at least in the 2nd edition Heroes Lorebook and the 3rd FR campaign setting. I'd say his build in the campaign setting is probably more accurate class/level wise but that's mainly cause Multiclassing worked differently in 2nd edition than it did in 3rd. I googled that module I mentioned earlier. It's "The Accursed Tower," a second edition module by Salvatore and the Seven Swords, his real life gaming group.
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At least you are not homeschooled!
Massive sorry if that is your situation! ;)
I suggest that in a few years you read
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the unbeliever
Stephen R. Donaldson....
And keep reading salvatore!
Another must read
Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card
Wizards first rule
Terry Goodkind
Wizards First Rule (Sword of Truth series)is another one your parents wouldn't approve of from what I've read so far, but definitely keep it in mind for later.
You might want to give some of the old classics a try. Specifically, read 'Swiss Family Robinson'. Its theme is heroically overcoming the world by being smart and courageous- just like some of the best games.
Indeed! There are a lot of good books that can fly under the radar (or even get strong approval)by virtue of being older. In addition to Swiss Family Robinson there's Poe, Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, Arthur Conan Doyle, Lewis Carroll, Bram Stoker...
Do your parents trust your local library? If so, and esp. if you can request from other libraries, that's a great resource—a librarian may be able to give you some more good recommendations on YA/adult fantasy that won't unduly alarm your parents (they should be aware of adult themes in books from the library's selection process).
On the ebook front, Project Gutenburg has a ton of free material, the vast majority of which should pass parental muster.
The one gripe I've got with the latter Drizzt books (Hunter's Blade series was the last I read) is that he's essentially unbeatable. Sure, hes had a couple close fights with Zak and Artemis, but... even though the combat scenes are well written, I feel zero dramatic tension because I know he's just going to dominate.
I thought this was the case somewhat in the Hunter's Blade Trilogy - not that Drizzt was unbeatable, but rather that the novels shied away from any real tension.
The series should have wound up messing with Drizzt's mind big time - he was making life-altering choices based on the assumption that his friends were dead. That should have come back to bite him later, but it never did. He never took that one step too far, always backing away from the abyss before he fell in. As a result, there was no character development through three books. The first two books were being built up as a shake-up in the status quo, but then a happy ending got forced on the readers.
That said, it's worth noting that the later Drizzt stuff isn't necessarily a reflection of Salvatore as a writer. The character of Drizzt is one of the WotC's cash cows, and the line between literary being with tension and development gets pushed around in favor of Drizzt as a recognizable icon and franchise face. It would be very interesting to see what the later Drizzt novels would look like if WotC stepped back and gave Salvatore free reign with the character.
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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I'm surprised that nobody has yet mentioned Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain. They're classics of young adult fantasy. They'll pass the parental inspection, too.
The Book of Three is the first one.
Elizabeth Boyer's novels of Scandanavian mythos are enjoyable. "The Sword and the Satchel", The Thrall and the Dragon's Heart", "The Dragon's Carbuncle".
If silly fun is your style you could try the Mythadventures series by Robert Asprin. Any of the Terry Pratchet "Discworld" series are also hilarious.
Dennis McKiernan's Iron Tower trilogy, or Silver Call duology are also fantasy books that I'm sure your parents wouldn't object to.
Have you read any of the Sword of Shannara series, or Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold, by Terry Brooks.
Just a few I can think of.
- Senator
Do NOT read the Song of Ice and Fire series.
Mr. Martin has singlehandedly ruined fantasy for me. His books were so good, that every other fantasy book I have read since Feast for Crows pales in comparison. He has weaved a world so compelling and conjured forth characters that are so three dimensional, that I cannot seem to empathize with any others. When I read his first three books, I was left reeling; a fantasy story never hit me in so many raw nerves at once. Though I consider myself a well-read individual, no other author has managed to captivate me with his characters as thoroughly as Mr. Martin has. I too used to be a huge Drizzt fan, but I could not even read through the first chapter of Salvatore's latest Dark Elf book before putting it down in boredom.
You mentioned that your mother is worried that you might go to the "dark side" after reading the Song of Ice and Fire series. She is absolutely right. The only fantasy that seems to catch my increasingly jaded attention span is "dark fantasy." Today I managed to finish a novel by Joe Abercrombie, whom many have compared favorably to the Dark Lord of Fantasy himself. It was the first fantasy book that I read from beginning to end in the last two years. While Abercrombie is certainly in no position to overthrow the master, as an apprentice, he shows a great deal of promise. To further support the genre, I have ordered the rest of his books on Amazon.
If the above is not ample warning enough, here is another reason why you should avoid G.R.R. Martin's works like the plague:
You will become a ZOMBIE.
Yes, that's right. A zombie. Not a week goes by that I do not mindlessly check for the latest updates on the upcoming Game of Thrones HBO series (on these very boards no less!), or visit his website in the faint hope that Dance with Dragons will come out soon.
If you do not wish to become a jaded G.R.R. Martin fan zombie, please listen to your parents and steer clear of Song of Ice and Fire!
Do not let others judge you by your age or what you read.
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The best advice a gamer can give another is, "Play as you will."If anyone gives you lip come tell Mr. Fishy, because he knows the poodles. Or yell "Tier Fishy!" that really gets em riled.
This man is wise and has very large teeth.
I suppose I can toss out a fantasy recommendation... Codex Alera by Jim Butcher. Six books, beginning with Furies of Calderon. Less gritty than his much longer Dresden Files modern-magic series, so probably better as a starter especially given your limitations on what's allowed.
:)
I'm surprised that nobody has yet mentioned Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain. They're classics of young adult fantasy. They'll pass the parental inspection, too.
The Book of Three is the first one.
The Chronicles of Prydain are the best fantasy novels I've ever read, hands down.
Hi Yucale,
I have to say I liked narnia when I was young, but when I started to understand the subtext, I found myself unable to love them any more. I know find C.S. Lewis very heavy handed. I guess I miss the innocence somewhat.
If your ever looking for stuff to read, i can heartilly recommend Neverwhere by neil gaiman, along with the Sandman comics. And if you want to branch out into science fiction, William Gibson's neuromancer is well worth a read, and comics like the invisibles and global frequency are also very worthy.
Wait... you're 13? Frak, I thought you were older, you sound (read?) more mature than most adults I know, myself included.
I've read some Drizzt... not as good as some say, not nearly as bad as the hatedom wants to think it is. Same thing for earthsea.
Loved Tolkien, liked Lewis, got bored by GRR Martin, haven't read Mistborn.
Really, really, disliked Twilight, but can't muster the energy to hate it, more useful thigs to do, you know?
And I second the recommendations on the Sword of Truth series and on anything Jim Butcher writes. But keep in mind that Sword of Truth gets as much hate as Drizzt, and your parents would not let you read it, you can be sure of it.
Out of Topic:
(Tolkien) no other speculative fiction author has changed the frame of reference so much
If you had said fantasy author I wold've agreed in a heartbeat, but speculative fiction includes science fiction, so I have to say R.A. Heinlein. takes that title.
At least you are not homeschooled!
Massive sorry if that is your situation! ;)
I suggest that in a few years you read
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the unbeliever
Stephen R. Donaldson....And keep reading salvatore!
Another must read
Ender's Game
Orson Scott CardWizards first rule
Terry Goodkind
These in bold are very good recommendations IMHO (and I'm an English teacher). You seem mature for your age so Thomas Covenant is probably a go (I started it when I was 14). Don't tell your mom about the rape scene at the beginning though. It's not gratuitous, in fact you spend the rest of the book trying to get over it.
And Christian parents sometimes don't handle the "Unbeliever" epithet... Don't let it frighten you (or your mom), it's not actually about believing in God. It's more about believing in where he is and what he's seeing, it's an existential thing (about existence) and is belief friendly. There's a lot in there about handling expectation (like the kind parents have) and abstractions and common sense.
All in all a very good book for a young man to read, I'd say, with a lot to teach about the hearts and minds in the world.
I've never read Salvatore (maybe one day I will). By and large I avoid branded literature although now and then I do wade into the shallows.
Yucale,
Unless I'm missing it, I don't see you give a discussion of what it is that your mom would find objectionable. Knowing more about that might help with the making of recommendations. I'm sure we can keep you buried in great reading until you pass over into the next phase of your reading life!
Charlie Bell, I award you the Mairkurion Poster Prize, will all rights and privileges appertaining thereto.
As far as the Planets trilogy goes, the third is my favorite.
Hi Yucale,
I have to say I liked narnia when I was young, but when I started to understand the subtext, I found myself unable to love them any more. I know find C.S. Lewis very heavy handed. I guess I miss the innocence somewhat....
For my part, I never liked it anyway. C.S. Lewis over-moralizes everything. It dates his work terribly. Personally I think good literature should show you the way, yet still leave judgment open to you.
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Lots of good suggestions here, I'm a fan of Wheel of Time, and the Magic Kingdom of Landover, and the Discworld series, and grew up reading the Chronicles of Narnia. Also really enjoying reading the John Carter of Mars books, though that's more sword-and-planet type stuff. I've got a Conan collection on my shelf that I need to crack open here soon.
You might give Dream Park a try; it's a murder mystery set in a theme park with VR tech that lets guests LARP with real-time calculations of hits and damage, holograms, etc. Someone kills a security guard in the park and escapes into one of the games, so the park's security chief goes undercover in one of the games to find the killer. The story is split between his investigation and the game they're all playing. Fun stuff.
It's probably on the high end of PG-13ish, though I haven't read it in a while so check it out first - more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Park
I also remember liking the Apprentice Adept series by Piers Anthony; it takes place in parallel worlds, one magic-based and one technology-based. Also probably PG-13ish, though IIRC not quite so much as the Dream Park books - check it out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apprentice_Adept
Two other quick recommendations I don't think have been mentioned here: Philip José Farmer's World of Tiers and Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber. They run a long similar lines, but differ in many details, and I thought both were good reads. Both may be a little adult, but I remember reading them both in high school so YMMV.
Well, and one more: Tad Williams' Otherland series. It's a lot more toward cyberpunk, but the story skips around through various VR worlds inside a computer net, so some of it is fantasy-ish. It's dense like Wheel of Time, but only four books!
Oh, and +1 on the Elric books.
Hope that helps :)
...Thieves World...
+1
Yes, Theives World. Awesome short stories for the Fantasy RPG lover. That's something I was reading at Yucale's age. And Robert E Howard.
Also I was reading Fafrhd and the Grey Mouser.
and...
Moorcock... I'm torn. Most of his Elric stuff was excellent, the guy can really build a creepy hero--but there is some embarrassing writing in there (for him). Anyway, it was great at the time. I also read his Corum books and Eternal Champion.
... Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber...
+1
And I also read a bunch of Piers Anthony Xanth novels in around 11 to 13 years old. Bet nobody is gonna "+1" that... hehe. They're great for young readers.
I vividly remember reading about Irene's breasts when I was 13 and well... just rereading that part obsessively.
Joe Abercrombie and George R R Martin are both refreshing breaks from the hokey 'prophecied hero' fantasy standard. They're gritty and rough if you have delicate views of violence and abuse, though. Like, really gritty.
R. Scott Bakker is interesting, but isn't for everyone.
Sanderson is great. I loved Mistborn, and when I found that it would become a trilogy I was excited. He wrote a one-shot novel before that, Elantris, and what's great about that one is that you can see him 'stretching his writing muscles' as he gets started with his literary career.
If you're looking for books, a lot of people have already suggested to keep reading, and that's the best advice I can give as well. Don't discount the value of grabbing something random off the shelf. One of the reasons I hate these e-readers I keep seeing is the limited libraries and the lack of 'new book smell'.
...Thieves World...+1
Yes, Theives World. Awesome short stories for the Fantasy RPG lover. That's something I was reading at Yucale's age. And Robert E Howard.
Also I was reading Fafrhd and the Grey Mouser.
Based on my memory, I'm not sure Yucale is going to get away with Thieves' World, even though I agree with you. He just might sneak F&tGM by her, though...
I'll also dog-pile on the John Carter of Mars books by ERB rec.
And I also read a bunch of Piers Anthony Xanth novels in around 11 to 13 years old. Bet nobody is gonna "+1" that... hehe.+1 ;)
I did like the first several Xanth novels, but over time they got too silly for my taste. The first one (A Spell for Chameleon) is, of course, the best.
Exactly. Your read a few and they're awesome, but gradually the literary gag that girds the whole thing wears a little thin.
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If you're looking for books, a lot of people have already suggested to keep reading, and that's the best advice I can give as well. Don't discount the value of grabbing something random off the shelf. One of the reasons I hate these e-readers I keep seeing is the limited libraries and the lack of 'new book smell'.
Definitely look for a used book store near you; they're bound to have a very eclectic collection to browse through.
Joe Abercrombie and George R R Martin are both refreshing breaks from the hokey 'prophecied hero' fantasy standard...
Hehe. Like Covenant.
But then the good thing about being Yucale's age is that the cliches haven't become cliches yet.
...Thieves World...+1
Yes, Theives World. Awesome short stories for the Fantasy RPG lover. That's something I was reading at Yucale's age. And Robert E Howard.
Also I was reading Fafrhd and the Grey Mouser.
Based on my memory, I'm not sure Yucale is going to get away with Thieves' World, even though I agree with you. He just might sneak F&tGM by her, though...
I'll also dog-pile on the John Carter of Mars books by ERB rec.
Are we so sure Yucale is a he? Little House & Nancy Drew are prototypical "girl" books, after all.
Fafrhd and the Grey Mouser? REH? That might not make the parental OK list. Some of that stuff is a little... it ain't Little House or Nancy Drew. Thieves World might be questionable too. The D&D game world books had a few good ones the DragonLance trilogy was pretty good and mostly kid friend. No worse than great evil eats world.
Are we so sure Yucale is a he? Little House & Nancy Drew are prototypical "girl" books, after all....Thieves World...+1
Yes, Theives World. Awesome short stories for the Fantasy RPG lover. That's something I was reading at Yucale's age. And Robert E Howard.
Also I was reading Fafrhd and the Grey Mouser.
Based on my memory, I'm not sure Yucale is going to get away with Thieves' World, even though I agree with you. He just might sneak F&tGM by her, though...
I'll also dog-pile on the John Carter of Mars books by ERB rec.
You got me. When I posted in this thread before, I had she/he, I want the record to show.
Oh wait, you're the one being gender-stereotypic. :)
Thanks! Next it'll be a fan club thread. :) P.S. What are my privileges?Charlie Bell, I award you the Mairkurion Poster Prize, will all rights and privileges appertaining thereto.
As far as the Planets trilogy goes, the third is my favorite.
1. Bragging rights.
2. Appearance in my profile (scroll to the bottom). The previous holder of your position was 0gre. I don't remember who was before that. I hope someone other than the Mairkurion Foundation keeps such records.
Can I give a shout out for Diana Wynne Jones?
She's theoretically a children's author, but is intelligent, plot twisty and writes fine fantasy. It's possible you've encountered her via the Studio Ghibli version of "Howl's Moving Castle". Much as I love Ghibli, the film is not representative of the Wynne Jones style - she's a good bit funnier and her characters are more flawed and intelligent than that.
She's been reprinted in the UK fairly recently, but I don't know how easily a library would get hold of them. Your parents are most unlikely to object to the Chrestomanci series.
EDIT: Not in the Chrestomanci series, but very, very good indeed are the following:
Hexwood
The Homeward Bounders
I'm taking both recommendations from my 14 year old son who's read all of them and suggested these for your benefit.
I'm guessing from some of your comments that Neil Gaiman is out of the question.