Post by perryfan86 on Apr 3, 2010 8:15:45 GMT -5
Hi, just for conversation.
What is your favourite fantasy novel series?
I'm sure everyone is going to shout out "LORD OF THE RINGS" Or "Narnia"
all at once.
I have nothing against LOTR I find it interesting and pretty cool I mean it's pure fantasy that started a trend for most other fantasies afterwards!
Except the book to me the way it is written just seems boring and complex.
My personal fav. (I don't count that awful botched show)
Is the Redwall series.
And even though the first book was good it is completely different from the settings of all the others and not the true fantasy world it soon evolved into.
Redwall... I love it because it is beyond cool!
There are 21 books in the series.
Written by famed fantasy author Brian Jacques around autumn 1986.
(Right around when I was born)
If you don't know what this series is about I'll sum up for you.
-Take a medival setting.
-Have two sides of people constantly battling each-other since the beginning of time. One good one bad...
Lots of typical fantasy swordfights, quests, danger, as well as songs, poems, and mouthwatering feasts.
(I mean it! These meals are described so mouthwateringly delicious it's... I can't think of a word)
-But now get this, were you expecting if I told you these people aren't people at all. But woodland animals?
Yep! the characters in these stories are anthropomorphic woodland animals.
Most basic plots consist of the "Woodlanders" whose warriors or just defenders having to defend their home and land while protect the weak from all kinds of "Vermin" attackers or invaders while at the same time heroes are going on some quest or mission usually to rescue someone, get revenge on a murderous villian etc... or it centers on characters having nothing to do with them or their home. (Which I'll get to soon) and the quests even takes them over seas fighting vermin pirates, and going to all kinds of new lands. Most books have original storylines but some fall into repetitiveness sometimes. Even then they're still all unique in their own way.
Woodlanders consist of Mice (The most common) squirrels, otters, hedgehogs, shrews, hares, Badgers, Moles. And a few not as noticable races. They all have their own traits, beliefs, traditions, and fighting styles. There was even a hamster in one book, but Brian soon dropped that idea.
Not to mention that book was the most hated one in the series.
(Note: he only uses animals native to britian though there are a few exceptions)
While the Vermin consists of Rats (The most common, actually there are so many of them in armies as well as the fact they have certain similarites to Tolkiens Orcs that some fans of both the books I mentioned dubs them the "Orcs" of Redwall.)
foxes, ferrets, weasels, stoats, wildcats and many others some only appearing in one or two books. Such as "Ermine, pole cats, pine martens, monitor lizards."
But even though Brian openly denies it there are nice vermin and evil woodlanders that appear extremely rarely from time to time.
(But with woodlanders only voles and shrews though for some reason)
And there's also birds, some are evil some are good depending on what kind.
Example:
-Owls are always on the good side.
-Crows and Ravens are always on the bad.
Though many birds are neutral.
The same can be said with lizards, toads and snakes. They are jerks, thieves, liars and when it comes to large snakes pure evil! But never take sides in any battle or team. (I might be wrong with what I imagine neutral to mean. I always thought it just meant. "Doesn't take sides" but it doesn't sound right after posting this so if I am mistaken please correct me.)
(The vermin would probably love having a large adder on their team but the fact that adders are extremely violent and unpredictable not to mention most common vermin soldiers are generally idiotic cowards and would be scared to death of such a beast)
It's not all about wars... besides the violent battles they sometimes use stealth and cunning to avoid fights or sneak into enemy territory.
And it's not very dark there is alot of lightheartedness, fun, humour and good characters.
But the main location in this story is a building called
Redwall Abbey. (Don't get the wrong idea there is no religion in Redwall, Brian Jacques only titled it an abbey to make it sound safe and when they say grace they do it to thank nature for their harvest not any god, he always tries to avoid religious controversy which is why he never shows characters getting married.)
Which in this world -(No humans ever existed just for the record and the animals are not sized to comparison, an otter would be about two heads taller than a mouse)
-Redwall is the most famous place, built to be a haven for peace.
But being so famous, secure, and just a nice place to live makes it a aspiring trophy for countless villians as well as in later books "Idiots who don't learn from past events" to take for themselves.
It's a pretty cool series, but the first book "Redwall" was way way different than they actually are.
He never expected to get it published, thus never considered later books. So not until he actually started a series he made it what I described above.
But in the original:
-The animals WERE sized to comparison
-It hinted human religion
-Mentioning or even showing animals that should not have been there (Ex: Dogs, cows, pigs, stags.)
-It hinted that the main villian might have been from Portugal
-And has quite a few contridictions to other books. (Though not as contridictive as Outcast of Redwall)
Yet amazingly enough that book is still canon with the series.
(In later books they sometimes mention events in the first book descriping it as long ago in the past, not to mention certain events in that left a mark in the series that characters centuries later will never forget. Brian just says to ignore all the descripances.)
Since almost every book is a different generation, and a few (More common in the much later books) skip generations without explaining how far ahead.
There's also a mountain stronghold ruled by a badger with his/her army of hares who are allied with Redwall.
(Man... wikipedia has awesome information about the entire series, abbey, world itself, animal traits, characters. I've been reading the books for years and still find the articles interesting and honestly they can explain alot better and more accurately than I can.)
Alright, that's all I wanted to say. I found the books just awesome kind of violent for cutesy woodland animals but that just gives it it's edge, no other writer did what he did beforehand.
I am still not going to mention the show...
Though I give them credit for getting Tim Curry as one of the villians that is pretty cool!
It may not be as fantasyish as LOTR but it is original.
And I am not good at descriping things very well... so I made have given a different impression than what I was hoping.
This series is more for pre-teens+ than little kids.
But even though most people read the first book first, I would actually recommend people in order to get a real taste of the fantasy is to read the second one (Mossflower) first.
Since it takes place earlier and doesn't spoil the first book in any way.
I started this thread to discuss favourite fantasy novels but I changed my mind... you guys can talk about any book period.
I am curious what you guys like.
What is your favourite fantasy novel series?
I'm sure everyone is going to shout out "LORD OF THE RINGS" Or "Narnia"
all at once.
I have nothing against LOTR I find it interesting and pretty cool I mean it's pure fantasy that started a trend for most other fantasies afterwards!
Except the book to me the way it is written just seems boring and complex.
My personal fav. (I don't count that awful botched show)
Is the Redwall series.
And even though the first book was good it is completely different from the settings of all the others and not the true fantasy world it soon evolved into.
Redwall... I love it because it is beyond cool!
There are 21 books in the series.
Written by famed fantasy author Brian Jacques around autumn 1986.
(Right around when I was born)
If you don't know what this series is about I'll sum up for you.
-Take a medival setting.
-Have two sides of people constantly battling each-other since the beginning of time. One good one bad...
Lots of typical fantasy swordfights, quests, danger, as well as songs, poems, and mouthwatering feasts.
(I mean it! These meals are described so mouthwateringly delicious it's... I can't think of a word)
-But now get this, were you expecting if I told you these people aren't people at all. But woodland animals?
Yep! the characters in these stories are anthropomorphic woodland animals.
Most basic plots consist of the "Woodlanders" whose warriors or just defenders having to defend their home and land while protect the weak from all kinds of "Vermin" attackers or invaders while at the same time heroes are going on some quest or mission usually to rescue someone, get revenge on a murderous villian etc... or it centers on characters having nothing to do with them or their home. (Which I'll get to soon) and the quests even takes them over seas fighting vermin pirates, and going to all kinds of new lands. Most books have original storylines but some fall into repetitiveness sometimes. Even then they're still all unique in their own way.
Woodlanders consist of Mice (The most common) squirrels, otters, hedgehogs, shrews, hares, Badgers, Moles. And a few not as noticable races. They all have their own traits, beliefs, traditions, and fighting styles. There was even a hamster in one book, but Brian soon dropped that idea.
Not to mention that book was the most hated one in the series.
(Note: he only uses animals native to britian though there are a few exceptions)
While the Vermin consists of Rats (The most common, actually there are so many of them in armies as well as the fact they have certain similarites to Tolkiens Orcs that some fans of both the books I mentioned dubs them the "Orcs" of Redwall.)
foxes, ferrets, weasels, stoats, wildcats and many others some only appearing in one or two books. Such as "Ermine, pole cats, pine martens, monitor lizards."
But even though Brian openly denies it there are nice vermin and evil woodlanders that appear extremely rarely from time to time.
(But with woodlanders only voles and shrews though for some reason)
And there's also birds, some are evil some are good depending on what kind.
Example:
-Owls are always on the good side.
-Crows and Ravens are always on the bad.
Though many birds are neutral.
The same can be said with lizards, toads and snakes. They are jerks, thieves, liars and when it comes to large snakes pure evil! But never take sides in any battle or team. (I might be wrong with what I imagine neutral to mean. I always thought it just meant. "Doesn't take sides" but it doesn't sound right after posting this so if I am mistaken please correct me.)
(The vermin would probably love having a large adder on their team but the fact that adders are extremely violent and unpredictable not to mention most common vermin soldiers are generally idiotic cowards and would be scared to death of such a beast)
It's not all about wars... besides the violent battles they sometimes use stealth and cunning to avoid fights or sneak into enemy territory.
And it's not very dark there is alot of lightheartedness, fun, humour and good characters.
But the main location in this story is a building called
Redwall Abbey. (Don't get the wrong idea there is no religion in Redwall, Brian Jacques only titled it an abbey to make it sound safe and when they say grace they do it to thank nature for their harvest not any god, he always tries to avoid religious controversy which is why he never shows characters getting married.)
Which in this world -(No humans ever existed just for the record and the animals are not sized to comparison, an otter would be about two heads taller than a mouse)
-Redwall is the most famous place, built to be a haven for peace.
But being so famous, secure, and just a nice place to live makes it a aspiring trophy for countless villians as well as in later books "Idiots who don't learn from past events" to take for themselves.
It's a pretty cool series, but the first book "Redwall" was way way different than they actually are.
He never expected to get it published, thus never considered later books. So not until he actually started a series he made it what I described above.
But in the original:
-The animals WERE sized to comparison
-It hinted human religion
-Mentioning or even showing animals that should not have been there (Ex: Dogs, cows, pigs, stags.)
-It hinted that the main villian might have been from Portugal
-And has quite a few contridictions to other books. (Though not as contridictive as Outcast of Redwall)
Yet amazingly enough that book is still canon with the series.
(In later books they sometimes mention events in the first book descriping it as long ago in the past, not to mention certain events in that left a mark in the series that characters centuries later will never forget. Brian just says to ignore all the descripances.)
Since almost every book is a different generation, and a few (More common in the much later books) skip generations without explaining how far ahead.
There's also a mountain stronghold ruled by a badger with his/her army of hares who are allied with Redwall.
(Man... wikipedia has awesome information about the entire series, abbey, world itself, animal traits, characters. I've been reading the books for years and still find the articles interesting and honestly they can explain alot better and more accurately than I can.)
Alright, that's all I wanted to say. I found the books just awesome kind of violent for cutesy woodland animals but that just gives it it's edge, no other writer did what he did beforehand.
I am still not going to mention the show...
Though I give them credit for getting Tim Curry as one of the villians that is pretty cool!
It may not be as fantasyish as LOTR but it is original.
And I am not good at descriping things very well... so I made have given a different impression than what I was hoping.
This series is more for pre-teens+ than little kids.
But even though most people read the first book first, I would actually recommend people in order to get a real taste of the fantasy is to read the second one (Mossflower) first.
Since it takes place earlier and doesn't spoil the first book in any way.
I started this thread to discuss favourite fantasy novels but I changed my mind... you guys can talk about any book period.
I am curious what you guys like.