Fantasy Books > T Fantasy Books

Lord Of The Rings the first, book one

Advantages: once you get the boring stuff out of the way, the book is good
Disadvantages: too much description

...am going to talk about the very first lord of the rings book, The fellowship of the ring part one. This book, has a great deal of adventure in, and doesn't lack in description. If anyone has read this book, im sure they would agree that this book may have a bit tooo much description in. Description is good, but when you get too explaining every blade of grass to the last detail you may get bored. Even though i wanted to quit reading it so bad, i ...
...loads of interesting characters on the way including, Tom who is like the god of all land, sea and sky in the area were he lives. And tom one day stumbles across the poor hobbits in a spot of bother and helps them out. You also come across the great Gandalf the Grey. You don't see much of him in this book, but what you dont realise is that he has been very close all along. And finally you meet the enemy, the black riders. Lifeless riders who rule ...

cliffo2000 09.06.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Lord of the Rings (3 Book Box set) - J. R. R. Tolkien

Primary colour (of magic)

Advantages: Plenty of amusing scenes; Rincewind is a great character, as is the Luggage
Disadvantages: Less coherent than later books, and not as sharp in the satire

The Colour of Magic - which is really half of a complete story, along with its sequel, The Light Fantastic - is where Discworld, and the real celebrity of Terry Pratchett, all began. He'd written a few books before this, but the Discworld series is the true cause of his enduring fame. Why "Discworld"? Because the stories set on a world shaped like a disc, of course! (Mind you, one of the footnotes for which Pratchett is famed implies that it may ...
...a long-time fan of the series who has only recently returned to read this book again, one thing that stands out is just how long the story takes to get into gear. Much of the opening section is more concerned with poking fun at the stereotypes of fantasy fiction than in actually moving things along. The parody is well done and humorously accurate for the most part, but it's quite a different experience from the later books in which you're propelled ...

davidbuttery 10.11.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett

A Gothic epic of scheming and the macabre. Embrace the ugly!

Advantages: The wonderfully decriptive text unlike anything else, the brooding and plotting so complex.
Disadvantages: Cab be hard to read in terms of style. His command of the language puts you in awe.

...This story is about the comings and goings in the ruinous sprawl of stone, ivy, dust and rust that is Gormenghast - the old and decaying castle that neglects the poverty of the population outside the castle walls. For all castle inhabitants, including Lord Sepulchrave the 76th head of the blue-blooded dynasty, life is steeped in ritual. Each hour, minute and second is lived as per the rules of tradition and all must adhere, all lives which are stolen ...
...it. These characters are the young Lord Titus - the 77th inherent of the castle and young Steerpike, the kitchen slave. One pursues greatness through manipulation, scheming and murder. The other pursues escape, through single minded disobedience, lack of respect for ritual and law and a desire for the unknown wonders that must exist beyond the realm of Gormenghast. This becomes a conflict for both characters which may be likened to the lone wolf ...

TitusThunderwulf 28.05.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Gormenghast Trilogy - Mervyn Peake

The complete Chronicles of Conan

Advantages: A great introduction to Conan
Disadvantages: Can be hard to find the paperbeck editions

...this book. I thought the presentation was excellent i.e. the black cover with gold lettering. The size and weight of the book gives a value for money feel. Any fan/collector of Conan must count this book as a must have, if you are new to Conan then there cannot be any better starter book. The author adds a brilliant reality to the stories through his creation of a non historical time in which Conan bursts out of the pages. The author, Robert Ervin ...
...most enduring. There have been many fine authors take up the reins of Conan and to their credit do a fine job. The paperback series is quite old and can be hard to find but for a true fan the pleasure is in the hunt. Enjoy !!! ...

conan8445 01.10.2007 · Read full review
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Review of The complete chronicles of Conan: Centenary edition - Robert E. Howard

Review of The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

Advantages: OK as a singular stand alone story
Disadvantages: Not enough involvement of my favourite character, Death

...ex-work mate who lent me The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic and Equal Rites and I read the whole three in about one week flat. The Light Fantastic itself didnt, for me anyway, and still doesnt, stand out as one of the best in the Discworld series but then perhaps as I've read all the books as the Discworld itself evolved in time the author gets better at writing this parallel universe and that in itself can make the earlier books not look so ...

Simon68 17.04.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of The Light Fantastic - Terry Pratchett