Your Favorite Fantasy Novels

[Psychonaut]

I'm sure quite a few of us here are interested in fantasy literature. Share some of your favorite books and authors.

Aside from Tolkien, my favorite fantasy author is Michael Moorcock. His Eternal Champion Saga, encompassing the Elric, Von Bek, Corum, and Hawkmoon books. Here's a blurb from wiki:


The Multiverse, which consists of several universes, many layered dimensions, spheres, and alternate worlds, is the place where the eternal struggle between Law and Chaos, the two main forces of Moorcock's worlds, takes place. In all these dimensions and worlds, these forces constantly war for supremacy. But the victory of either Law or Chaos would be disastrous for mankind, and therefore the Balance needs to work for a neutral balance.

The Eternal Champion, a Hero who exists in all dimensions, times and worlds, is the one who is chosen by fate to fight for the Balance; however, he often does not know of his role, or, even worse, he struggles against it, never to succeed.

All the incarnations of the Eternal Champion are facets of each other, and the Champion may also be aided by a companion, who, like himself, exists in various incarnations. Likewise the Champion is often associated with a romantic interest that is possibly an aspect of an eternal figure. Other characters in the various books have occasionally crossed over from one universe to another, although it is unclear what their status in the multiverse may be.

I'm also a really big fan of the Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman:


The Death Gate Cycle is a seven-part series of fantasy novels written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The main conflict is between two powerful races, the Sartan and the Patryns, which branched off from humans following a nuclear holocaust. Centuries prior to the events of the series, the Sartan attempted to end the conflict by sundering the earth into four elemental realms, and imprisoning the Patryn in a fifth prison world, the Labyrinth. The Sartan took up stewardship of the elemental realms, but soon mysteriously lost contact with each other and disappeared. Centuries later, a Patryn known as Xar escaped the Labyrinth, and started returning to the Labyrinth to rescue others. He learned how to access the other worlds and dreamed of freeing all his people from the Labyrinth and conquering the other worlds. The books follow the fiercely independent Haplo, a Patryn agent sent to scout the elemental worlds and throw them into chaos in preparation for his Lord's conquest of them. Weis and Hickman created five distinct fantasy worlds during the course of the series, along with developing the cultures of five major races, their unique Patryn and Sartan, and the common fantasy races of dwarves, elves, and humans.

Additionally I'm also a big fan of Neil Gaiman (especially American Gods) and Clive Barker (especially Imajica and Weaveworld). What are your favorites?

[Ulf]

The Eternal Champion Series is excellent especially Elric.

Unfortunately for Moorcock I feel Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun) is fairly superior.


The Book of the New Sun is a novel in four parts written (1980–83) by science fiction and fantasy author Gene Wolfe. It chronicles the journey and ascent to power of Severian, a disgraced journeyman torturer who rises to the position of Autarch, the one ruler of the free world. Severian, who claims that he has perfect memory, tells the story in first person; the books are presented by Wolfe as a translation of Severian's writings into contemporary English. The series takes place in the distant future, where the Sun has dimmed considerably and the Earth (referred to in the series as "Urth") is slowly cooling.

And Gene Wolfe's The Wizard Knight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wizard_Knight). I love the incorporation of Arthurian and Norse Mythologies and this book does them both.


The Wizard Knight is a series of epistolary novels written by fantasy and science fiction author Gene Wolfe. It chronicles the journey of Able of the High Heart, an American boy transported to a magical world and supernaturally aged to adulthood. Able (which is not his real name, but rather the name given to him) becomes a knight, and because of his connection with the magical and spiritual elements of the world around him is soon also dubbed a wizard.

Like many of Wolfe's writings, The Wizard Knight is characterized by an unreliable narrator -- in this case, someone who tells events in fragmentary ways, out of order, and with omissions and connections that must be puzzled out later.


The setting of the novel features elements from Norse, as well as Christian mythology and a smattering of European sources, such as Arthurian myth, and involves a seven-tiered world that is separate, but not completely detached from ours.

The kingdom that Able is taken to is called Celidon, and lies in the middle world, Mythgarthr. The world above it, Skai, is the domain of the Overcyns, who are roughly analogous to the Æsir of Norse mythology, and to whom the inhabitants of Mythgarthr properly owe fealty. Terrible giants called "The Giants of Winter and Old Night", also dwell there, and are their foes. Above Skai is Kleos, which, being far from Mythgarthr, is not much explained. Two of its inhabitants are introduced: Parka, a being much like one of the Norns, & Michael, who is much like the archangel Michael. The Overcyns of Skai owe their obedience to those who dwell in Kleos. The highest world is Elysion, and only The Most High God lives there.

Below Mythgarthr is the world Aelfrice, which is primarily peopled by small elemental beings called the Aelf. They belong to a number of clans such as the Fire Aelf and the Moss Aelf, and were themselves created by the collective creature Kulili, who lives in Aelfrice still. The Aelf properly owe their worship to the people of Mythgarthr, who they call the "old gods", but often stray in their faithfulness, sometimes even tricking humans into worshiping them. Below Aelfrice is Muspel, a world of fire and dragons. Last and lowest is Niflheim, the world of The Most Low God.

[Dreyrithoka]

Personally, I tend to prefer authors such as Eddings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Eddings) and Wurts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janny_Wurts) when it comes to fantasy. i prefer plot-driven character studies than war-driven unit studies. Barring that, I rarely read fantasy anymore as I am too busy researching to do so. Lamentable to deny one's self escapism, but unfortunately necessary at the current time.

I shouldst also mention Howard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Howard) at this point. I find his writings to be endearing in the fact that he tried so hard, managed to get a whole history and setting down rather admirably, then went on to ruin the whole thing by his lack of descriptive writing talent, IMFO at least. I tend to read Howard when I feel I am unable to write, and think "Hey, perhaps I do own an amount of talent, after all!". I like his attempts a poetry, though, as I feel they tended to come off a tad better than his novels! Still, I am an unabashed literary snob, ergo I tend to decimate any author given to me by mine own standards of writing, which art, admittedly, setting the bar far too high for most to traverse.

[SwordoftheVistula]

I read a lot of Weis & Hickman when I was younger. I also like Douglas Niles and R.A. Salvatore

Today my favorite by a mile is Harry Turtledove, he wrote one series which is a retelling of WWII in a fantasy world (which allows a more objective telling of the story of WWII)

[HawkR]

My aboslute favourite writer must ether be Joseph Staten (Halo: Contact Harvest) or Eric Nylund (Halo: Fall of Reach and Halo: First Strike).

Michael Critchton is also a great writer, he take inspiration in the things humans reserching like gene-manipulation and so on. He's the writer if the novel Jurrasic Park and the script to Jurrasic Park, these are two complete different stories.

[Maelstrom]

Growing up I was quite the fan of David Eddings and found his novels to be magnificent. The character development was great, as were the distinctive cultures in the books.

As a young lad I was especially drawn to Eddings' depiction of the white farmer-boy adventuring to bizarre lands of snake worshippers and so forth, defeating enemies that were most foreign to him :cool:

During this time I also read a lot of books written by David Gemmel, though I found these to be more adventure orientated as opposed to fantasy. I did, however, like the way that each book carried on to the next generation in the Rigante series. :)

[Skandi]

Growing up I was quite the fan of David Eddings and found his novels to be magnificent. The character development was great, as were the distinctive cultures in the books.

As a young lad I was especially drawn to Eddings' depiction of the white farmer-boy adventuring to bizarre lands of snake worshippers and so forth, defeating enemies that were most foreign to him :cool:

During this time I also read a lot of books written by David Gemmel, though I found these to be more adventure orientated as opposed to fantasy. I did, however, like the way that each book carried on to the next generation in the Rigante series. :)

Yes I have these although of eddings only the first two series are any good, that's the Belgariad and the malorian when he get's onto the Sparhawk lot I really lose him.

Gemmel is fine, quite samey though ( I have most of his too) pitty he died while finishing the Troy novels

My personal favourites;

L.E. Modesitt jr
Absolutely brilliant Recluse series very well written and all in the same world, they refer to eachother but only a couple have to be read in order. Also writes very good SF but tend to let religion creap in a bit too much (I think he's a mormon??)

J.V Jones
Book of Worlds trilogy and the more recent Sword of shadows set, still waiting for the end book there though.

Ian Irvine
The View from the Mirror. Three sets out all on the same story with the same charicters good but slightly strange and you do want to kick the hero's!

Robert Jordan The least said about his Conan books the better, but The Wheel of Time set are probably THE best fantisy set ever, again a pitty he dropped dead before writing the last book, although it is still on the way I believe.

[Absinthe]

I clicked on the thread and I was about to write, Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné, but I see others got to it first ;)

Also, the one I just finished:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/City%28Simak1stEd%29.jpg

The novel describes a legend consisting of eight tales the pastoral and pacifist Dogs recite as they pass down an oral legend of a creature known as Man. Each tale is preceded by doggish notes and learned discussion.

An editor's preface notes that after each telling of the legend the pups ask many questions:

"What is Man?" they'll ask.
Or perhaps: "What is a city?"
Or: "What is a war?
There is no positive answer to any of these questions."

More on Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_(Clifford_D._Simak_novel))

This is now among the top 5 fantasy novels I've ever read :)

[Vargtand]

http://www.bearinghiscross.com/ClosedBible.jpg

http://www.sunna.info/souwar/data/media/19/quran.jpg

You knew it would be coming..

[stormlord]

The Eternal Champion Series is excellent especially Elric.



I'm stunned anyone here is a fan of Moorcock, he represents the very worst strain of bigoted, pretentious leftist faux intellectuals. His hypocrisy in condemning Heinlein et a for political agendas in their work, and his arrogance in mocking the author of the second best selling book of the twentieth century is staggering. Quite possibly the most loathsome fellow to ever write fantasy.

[Thorum]

The Talisman (http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375507779) by Peter Straub & Stephen King is one of my all-time favorite books. It will really take you away.

[YggsVinr]

I quite enjoy Guy Gavriel Kay's novels though not all of them are fantasy. Tigana is a great read, probably my favourite fantasy novel and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy novel.

Description from wikipedia:


Tigana (1990) is a fantasy novel by Guy Gavriel Kay, set in a fictional country, the Peninsula of the Palm, that somewhat resembles medieval Italy as well as the Peloponnese in shape.

Though the Peninsula of the Palm shares a common culture and language, it is, like medieval Italy, not a unified nation, comprising instead nine provinces with a long history of internecine struggle (in alphabetical order, the provinces are: Asoli, Astibar, Certando, Chiara, Corte, Ferraut, Senzio, Tigana, and Tregea). This internal conflict facilitates the conquest of the region by two powerful sorcerers: Brandin, the King of Ygrath, is one; the other, Alberico, is an independent warlord from the empire of Barbadior. The two sorcerers have divided the peninsula in an uneasy balance of power.

The plot focuses on a group of rebels attempting to overthrow both tyrants and win back their homeland. Many of the rebels are natives of the province of Tigana, which was the province that most ably resisted Brandin: In a crucial battle, Brandin's son was killed. In retaliation for this, Brandin attacked Tigana and crushed it more savagely than any other part of the Palm; then, following this victory, he used his magic to remove the name and history of Tigana from the minds of the population. Brandin named it Lower Corte, making Corte, to their north, seem superior to a land that was all but forgotten.

Only those born in Tigana before the invasion can hear or speak its name, or remember it as it was; as far as everyone else is concerned, that area of the country has always been an insignificant part of a neighbouring province, hence the rebels are battling for the very soul of their country.

I also like Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series as well. Really hard to put those down, though I'm sure more here are familiar with those than Tigana. I also enjoy Weiss and Hickman's contributions to Dragonlance especially the Chronicles trilogy and the twins' trilogy. R.A. Salvatore is decent too.

[Psychonaut]

I'm stunned anyone here is a fan of Moorcock, he represents the very worst strain of bigoted, pretentious leftist faux intellectuals. His hypocrisy in condemning Heinlein et a for political agendas in their work, and his arrogance in mocking the author of the second best selling book of the twentieth century is staggering. Quite possibly the most loathsome fellow to ever write fantasy.

What do you find to be particularly left wing about his books?

[Ulf]

I'm stunned anyone here is a fan of Moorcock, he represents the very worst strain of bigoted, pretentious leftist faux intellectuals. His hypocrisy in condemning Heinlein et a for political agendas in their work, and his arrogance in mocking the author of the second best selling book of the twentieth century is staggering. Quite possibly the most loathsome fellow to ever write fantasy.

Wow, how'd I miss this post?

What stuns you about people here liking him?

I don't much give a damn about Moorcock's politics, nor who he "condemns". I like his writing and stories.

And I don't think it matters how many books someone sells, if that were the case no one would be allowed to criticize Oprah because she's got the one of the most watched TV shows in the US... :rolleyes:

Moorcock also criticizes Tolkien numerous times. :eek: Say it ain't so...


What do you find to be particularly left wing about his books?

Via Wiki:
Likewise, Moorcock has criticized writers for what he perceives as their political agendas. Among his targets are Robert A. Heinlein and H. P. Lovecraft, both of whom he attacked in a 1978 essay. In that essay, entitled "Starship Stormtroopers," [7] he criticised a range of canonical authors for their production of "authoritarian" fiction, citing Lovecraft for having anti-semitic, misogynistic and extremely racist viewpoints, which he included in his short stories. Moorcock makes no bones about his own anarchist political agenda in his own novels - for example, sympathetically portrayed monarchs in Moorcock's works frequently abdicate or impose exile upon themselves (eg. Elric). King of the City, the Cornelius stories and the Pyat novels all display strong, often explicit, political views.[citation needed]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Moorcock

[Birka]

Stehpen Lawhead wrote many novels and series of Celtic oriented fiction and a fantasy world Celtic alternative reality called the "Paradise Wars" that I could not put down.

Frank Herbert (Dune Trilogy and many others)

John Varley with his many fantasy/sci/fi novels.

Heinlein opened my eyes to sci/fi and fantasy.

Howard Fiest has a wonderful series of fantasy novels.

Stephen R. Donaldson and his "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever"

Carlos Casteneda and his Don Juan/Separate Reality novels were very popular in the 70's.

Kurt Vonnegut wrote many novels with fantasy/alternate realities.

I read about 2 books per week for about 35 years now. I probably have forgotten more books than I actually do remember. As I get older, that ratio will get worse I'm sure. I am more into historical fiction lately.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Michael Crichton is an excellent author, I would have included him except I didn't really think of him as fantasy, though I guess it really is. Robert Heinlein also I like.

I used to read every single Dragonlance novel I could find when I was growing up :)

[Psychonaut]

I used to read every single Dragonlance novel I could find when I was growing up :)

*looks over at his books and sees an entire shelf of Dragonlance books*

:icon_yes:

[stormlord]

What do you find to be particularly left wing about his books?

pretty much answered above, plus I just find his essays and attacks against Tolkien unpleasant;, he despises everything folkish, traditional and so on that people like us believe in, I admire people who can appraise an author for his art alone, but I really can't.


Wow, how'd I miss this post?

What stuns you about people here liking him?

I don't much give a damn about Moorcock's politics, nor who he "condemns". I like his writing and stories.



Fair enough, I wasn't having a go at anyone, I just meant what I said, I'm shocked; personally as long as politics isn't shoved in my face I can tolerate lefties, but when they get preachy I just can't watch/read what they come up with.

[Ulf]

Fair enough, I wasn't having a go at anyone, I just meant what I said, I'm shocked; personally as long as politics isn't shoved in my face I can tolerate lefties, but when they get preachy I just can't watch/read what they come up with.

I get the impression you've not read his novels then. I didn't ever get the feeling of political undertones in his novels, and it seems Psychonaut didn't either, as evidenced by his post.

If you have not read Elric, I would suggest it, you may be surprised. I feel Elric is on the level of Conan and Tolkien's work, although with less widespread acceptance because of his antihero (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antihero) qualities, which present to me a more real and flawed protagonist.

No hard feelings. :D :thumbs up

[Psychonaut]

he despises everything folkish, traditional and so on that people like us believe in

I don't think this is the case in all of his work. The Hawkmoon books especially seem to extol the virtues of small traditional monarchies who fight to maintain their independence against a vast degenerate empire. Hawkmoon and Count Brass are indeed archetypal folk heroes.

Additionally, I imagine that many folks here would enjoy the Germanic influences that shape the Elric books, the Celtic influences of the Corum books, or the Graal mythos present in the Von Bek books. :)

[Liffrea]

A few of my favourite novels:

The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke:

Men had built cities before, but never such a city as Diaspar; for millennia its protective dome shutout the creeping decay and danger of the world outside. Once, it held powers that rules the stars. But then, as legend had it, The invaders came, driving humanity into this last refuge. It takes one man, A Unique to break through Diaspar's stifling inertia, to smash the legend and discover the true nature of the Invaders.

Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon:

One moment a man sits on a suburban hill, gazing curiously at the stars. The next, he is whirling through the firmament, and perhaps the most remarkable of all science fiction journeys has begun. Even Stapledon's other great work, LAST AND FIRST MEN, pales in ambition next to STAR MAKER, which presents nothing less than an entire imagined history of life in the universe, encompassing billions of years.

Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock:

Deep within the wildwood lies a place of myth and mystery, from which few return, and none remain unchanged. Ryhope Wood may look like a three-mile-square fenced-in wood in rural Herefordshire on the outside, but inside, it is a primeval, intricate labyrinth of trees, impossibly huge, unforgettable . . . and stronger than time itself. Stephen Huxley has already lost his father to the mysteries of Ryhope Wood. On his return from the Second World War, he finds his brother, Christopher, is also in thrall to the mysterious wood, wherein lies a realm where mythic archetypes grow flesh and blood, where love and beauty haunt your dreams, and in promises of freedom lies the sanctuary of insanity . . .

[Murphy]

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, Tolkien's legendarium by J. R. R. Tolkien, The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. These are the few that jump straight to mind.

Regards,
Eóin.

[Germanicus]

The Survivalist by Jerry Ahern

[Frigga]

The Wheel of Time series, by Robert Jordan

The Dragon Riders of Pern series by Anne MacCaffrey

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede

Along with many others. :)

[Murphy]

Robert Jordan The least said about his Conan books the better, but The Wheel of Time set are probably THE best fantisy set ever, again a pitty he dropped dead before writing the last book, although it is still on the way I believe.

Yes, Brandon Sanderson will be completing the series. Part I The Gathering Storm of A Memory of Light should hopefully be out near the end of the year, probably close to Christmas.

Regards,
Eóin.

[Piparskeggr]

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, George and Ringo ,-)

[Cato]

I used to really enjoy the Dragonlance books when I was a kid.

[nisse]

"Lord of the Rings" and "Silmarillion" by Tolkien, William Gibson's books and "The Mind Parasites" by Colin Wilson.

[MarcvSS]

The Sword collection by Fritz Leiber and the Amber series by Roger Zelazny...

[Bard]

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin even if is low-fantasy.

[The Black Prince]

I have read quite some fantasy, high and low, and I really liked the serie of Weiss & Hickman. However neither should the Conan books of Howard be left unmentioned and the books about Druss and Waylander of David Gemmel.

But for me on number one: A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.

I only hope that Martin doesn't die while the serie is not completed, like Gemmel did.

[Humanophage]

Probably Terry Pratchett, but I can't say I'm exceptionally fond of any particular fantasy novels. What I do enjoy reading tremendously are books on settings. My favourite ones would be Planescape - Faces of Sigil and Planescape - The Factol's Manifesto, but practically anything will do. I just love the way such books are organised.

Still, I'm somewhat familiar with the genre. As far as pure fantasy goes, Elaine Cunningham is decent enough. I understand that the scope isn't as epic as with Tolkien, Jordan, et al., but I enjoyed her books on Forgotten Realms quite a bit - in fact, more so than most fantasy classics. In terms of authors working with their own settings, I'd like to mark down Steven Brust.

By the way, people keep mentioning sci-fi, horror, and classical literature instead of fantasy. What's the point of doing that? Separate threads on good books are enough to demonstrate one's erudition.

P.S. While Howard is a bit on the naked but for a loincloth side, many of the quotes pertaining to race are adorable:

If you were old and ugly as the devil's pet vulture, I'd take you away from Bajujh, simply because of the color of your hide.

"You said I was a barbarian," he said harshly, "and that is true, Crom be thanked. If you had had men of the outlands guarding you instead of soft-gutted civilized weaklings, you would not be the slave of a black pig this night. I am Conan, a Cimmerian, and I live by the sword's edge. But I am not such a dog as to leave a white woman in the clutches of a black man;

The ancient empires fall, the dark-skinned peoples fade and even the demons of antiquity gasp their last, but over all stands the Aryan barbarian, white-skinned, cold-eyed, dominant, the supreme fighting man of the earth.
Ya show 'em darkies, Conan/Solomon!

[Birka]

Tolkein, Stephen R. Donaldson, Howard Fiest, Frank Herbert, Robert Hienline, John Varley, Stephen Lawhead, Terry Brooks and Kirk Vonnegut are some I can name off the top of my head.

[Svarog]

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin even if is low-fantasy.

Best books in the 'genre' ever written imo.

[Germanicus]

Books by Jerry Ahern, "The Survivalist" i have read all of them.

[Svipdag]

Have you ever read "Against the Fall of Night" by Arthur C. Clarke ? It is an earlier version of "The City and the Stars", a different take on the same basic story. Though not quite as fine as "The City and the Stars", it is, nonetheless, a good yarn in its own right.

[Svipdag]

The boundaries between fantasy, horror, adventure, and science fiction stories are vague and shifting. Would the Burroughs Martian stories be considered science fiction ? If so, the science is preposterous. Much the same can be said of the works of Abraham Merritt. I would characterise them as pseudo-science fiction fantasy stories.

In the more nearly pure fantasy area, I am surprised to find no mention of
Lord Dunsany. His two best-known novels are "Don Rodriguez: The Chronicles of Shadow Valley" and, "The King of Elfland's Daughter". In addition, he wrote over a hundred fantasy short stories, as well as several successful plays.

It is hard to characterise H.P. Lovecraft's stories. None of them are what I would call science fiction, though they have been included in science fiction anthologies. Some are horror stories, e.g. "Cool Air", but, In my opinion, the major part of his output must be considered fantasy. "The Shadow out of Time" and "At the Mountains of Madness" are arguably his greatest fantasy tales, but many shorter stories are even eerier.

Of course, J.R.R. Tolkien cannot be omitted from any discussion of fantasy stories. "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Silmarillion" are his masterpieces.
They are too well-known to require further discussion.

Although Abraham Merritt's stories are often considered to be science fiction, his "science" is in itself, fantastic. I consider them to be fantasy stories. Among his best are "The Moon Pool", "Dwellers in the Mirage", "The Face in the Abyss", and "The Ship of Ishtar".

It is not generally known that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in addition to the Sherlock Holmes stories, wrote both adventure stories, such as "The White Company" and tales which occupy the grey area between science fiction and fantasy, such as "The Ring of Thoth", "The Great Keinplatz Experiment", and the tongue-in-cheek "The Secret of Goresthorpe Grange".

Terry Brooks' "The Sword of Shanarra" and "The Elfstones of Shanarra", though derivative, are enjoyable reading and I can recommend them , even, though I find the conclusion of "The Sword of Shanarra" weak and rather disappointing.

[Guapo]

Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei :thumb001:

[Cato]

The Bible. :P

[Klärchen]

This is an interesting website where one can download books, articles, or other documents for free:

http://www.scribd.com/explore

Here I also found some of my favourites, for example:

James Redfield: The Celestine Prophecy (http://www.scribd.com/doc/13369746/The-Celestine-Prophecy-by-James-Redfield)

Elisabeth Haich: Einweihung (http://www.scribd.com/doc/9591254/Elisabeth-Haich-Einweihung) (only in German)

Those who can understand German, may find something here:

http://gutenberg.spiegel.de

[Stefan]

I've been catching up on a series I started a few years ago, called "Ranger's Apprentice". It is more of a book for people my age I guess, but it is based heavily off of Europe and that is why I find it interesting. Some of the stuff is stereotypical though, but not totally off. For example though just look at the names of the kingdoms in the books.

Kingdoms and Regions
Arthedog
Araluen
Celtica
Eastern Steppes
Gallica
Hibernia
Iberion
Picta
Skandia
Sonderland
Teutlandt
Toscano
Clonmel
Otorohanga
Hallasholm

edit: It is also more realistic than most.

[Laudanum]

Anything by Tolkien.:)

[Cato]

I wouldn't call it a fantasy novel, but I enjoyed the English translation of Ring by Suzuki Koji.

[Brynhild]

Off the top of my head:

Tolkien's The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - you can't read LOTR without having read the Hobbit!
C S Lewis' Narnia Chronicles
J K Rowling's Harry Potter series
Terry Brooks' Shannara series - the first seven in particular
Christopher Paolini's Eragon series