Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Check out their blog for more Top Ten Tuesday posts.
This week's TTT topic is: Books I'd recommend to someone who doesn't read [insert genre here]. I chose fantasy, my favorite genre.
This week's topic was a bit tricky for me, but I did it. Here are my recommendations, in order to be read by the person you're trying to get hooked on fantasy:
1. The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. I suggest this one first because it's such a good story, and it can be appreciated for the themes and messages as well as for the magic and creatures.
2. The Dark Mirror series by M. J. Putney. These are about teenage mages that time travel between 1803 and 1940. They're a bit lighter on the fantasy element, they could be called sci-fi, but they're adorable. And all the romance is pretty clean, always a bonus.
3. The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, which is about a camp of demigods. These are funny, and the characters are lovable. Based around Greek mythology.
4. The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. The continued adventures of some of the PJ+O characters. Based on both Greek and Roman mythology. I actually like this series better. Cinnamon good for harpies!
5. The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan. These are about two kids whose lives are messed up by members of Egyptian mythology.
6. The Paranormalcy series by Keirsten White. This series is about a paranormal creature containment agency. Well, actually it's about a girl who works for the paranormal containment agency. These have lots of weird creatures, including evil faeries.
7. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. This is written for middleschoolers, and it's pretty hardcore. Dragons, magic swords, witches, wizards, princesses, etc.
8. The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. This is true hardcore fantasy. Dragons, dragon riders, an evil king, a resistance force, more dragons, dwarves, elves, a witch, werecats, awesome battles, the works.
On my list I also include:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (about a boy raised by ghosts and a society of murderers out to kill him) and The Phantom Tollbooth (about a boy who goes to another land via a tollbooth that shows up in his room and his endeavor to save the Princesses Rhyme and Reason) by Norton Juster, but I'm not sure where I would put them. They're fantasy, but they don't really fit int with the other books I listed.
Good tips! Definitely start with HP. That's what made me appreciate fantasy.
ReplyDeleteI can't seem to comment regularly, so I hope it's okay that I comment here instead.
DeleteI like your list, but I think you're missing out on something: The Last Dragon Chronicles by Chris D'Lacey. If you think Inheritance Cycle is hard-core, you ain't seen nothin'. This series is amazingly complex, and brilliantly written; though you must take it all with a grain of salt, as with most fantasy. (But this isn't most fantasy; it's something more, so take it with more salt. My advice? Keep a salt shaker handy.)
I haven't read those yet, but you've mentioned them a couple of times and they sound like fun. As soon as I finish Les Mis and Leven Thumps I'll read them.
DeleteI'd give them to you to borrow, but unfortunately physical books don't travel well over the internet. :/
DeleteP.S. Don't tell anyone I used a smiley face.
My lips, er, fingers are sealed. But how could I tell anyone you used a smiley face when you used a slanty-mouth-supposed-to-be-a-half-frowny-thingy face?
DeleteWell, ya know, some people just lump them all into the smiley category.
DeleteBy the way, I apologize for throwing all these books at you like I am. I realize that you're reading Les Mis (a very honorable pursuit, I'm sure), and Leven Thumps (at my suggestion), and then I suggested at least eight more books for you. I'm sorry.
Don't worry about it. I'm planning on having a read-a-thon some time this summer, so I'll read them all then. Besides, my to-read list was sadly lacking in fantasy until you suggested some.
DeleteOoooo! What a good list. Especially Paranormacly! Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteHere's my TT: http://amandalynsbooks.blogspot.com/2012/01/top-ten-tuesdays-books-id-recommend-to.html