Wattpad brings you a guest post from Dan DeBono, author of fantasy adventure “A Book of The Lands: The One Who Would Be King,” on his favorite fantasy novels:
Note: I am not a fan of “top” lists … of all kinds. I find them to be ultra subjective and this list is no different, so at the very least I left the word “top” out of it. And why seven? Well, five was too short and everyone does a top ten!
1) A Spell For Chameleon by Piers Anthony (First of the Xanth Series - 1977).
I LOVE this book (and the following Xanth novels). I was very young when I read it and it left a big impression (I’d say similar to what the Potter series did for more recent younger readers). The concept was so different from the books I had read up to that point – and not just different, but great and different! I love Bink – he’ll always be one of my favorite characters. He is the most powerful un-powerful character around (you’ll have to read it to discover why).
There is also a personal reason it is one of my favorites. Several years after reading the Xanth novels, I was a feature writer at the daily newspaper where Piers Anthony’s daughter also worked in Central Florida. A few years before, my wife and I moved from Michigan to Florida, and purely by coincidence, we landed very near Piers’ residence. Being such a fan of the Xanth series, I thought I had an “in” (in terms of getting a response), so I decided to write him. We started a many-year, occasional letter-writing relationship. At the time, my fiction writing was mainly comics and short stories, but then I took a job writing investment-education features that took me in a different direction (and location) for years. I stopped writing fiction altogether and made a good living “on the dark side.”
Years later, I decided to write fiction again and wrote Piers several more letters. He always responded (I still find that a big deal - I’m sure he received truckloads of letters over the years). He read my manuscript, and sent me back his thoughts and a few notes and gave me a pretty good quote (Piers is the type who “doesn’t like to give quotes to just anyone” - his words, so I was happy). So, I will always be thankful for that in addition to the many hours of enjoyment from his Xanth series – the first two in particular.
I heard Warner Brothers bought the rights for a film (to be directed by Chris Palmer), but it is on hold now … bad economy strikes again!
I wholeheartedly recommend these books to any and all fans of fantasy…
Publisher Synopsis: Xanth was the enchanted land where magic ruled—where every citizen had a special spell only he could cast. That is, except for Bink of North Village. He was sure he possessed no magic, and knew that if he didn’t find some soon, he would be exiled. According to the Good Magician Humpfrey, the charts said that Bink was as powerful as the King or even the Evil Magician Trent. Unfortunately, no one could determine its form. Meanwhile, Bink was in despair. If he didn’t find his magic soon, he would be forced to leave…
2) The Fabulous Riverboat by the late, great Philip José Farmer. (Second book of the Riverworld Series - 1971)
I like to read historical fiction and Farmer expertly mixed historical fiction with fantasy – two great birds with one fantastic stone!
How clever for Farmer to give us a tale with a resurrected Mark Twain (Sam Clemens) travel with the crew of a Viking ship along with his new friend, Joe Miller, a polite but fearsome prehistoric Hominid. Riverworld is a strange place where Earth’s dead wake up – they are resurrected – but for what purpose?
This is one of those books that sounds like it could be a bit too strange, but it is totally engrossing; I could not put it down! I love the way he utilizes real historical characters and does a great job at creating a verisimilitude – you do believe these people are the real deal …
Note: I did not like the TV adaptations of this series – and to anyone who liked them that did not read the books, you will LOVE them if you like that stuff!
I enjoyed the entire Pern series – some more than others – but Dragondrums will always hold a special place. My mom bought it for me as a stocking stuffer for Christmas in 1979 and I had no idea what it was. I found it to be so much different than other fantasies and science fiction stories I was gobbling up at the time.
It also is a book with a more personal aspect. I was so taken with Pern (despite reading it out of sequence), I wrote Ann and, to my surprise, she wrote me a wonderful letter. I had included a short story – which was not that great – and she wrote back that she enjoyed it and for me to keep writing. I was very young and very impressionable and this did leave quite the impression! Ann is an example of another great person undoubtedly inundated with fan letters who took the time to be kind to some kid … we could use a lot more like her.
4) LOTR by J.R.R. Tolkien (Entire series, but my favorite to read was The Two Towers - 1954).
What else can be said about LOTR? It is FANTASTIC. Buy it, borrow it or ste – no, don’t steal it, it’s easy enough to pick up at any library!
Brooks began writing this epic in 1967 and didn’t finish until 1975 - a long time but well worth it! His world is akin to Tolkien’s, but “lighter” – more accessible for younger readers for sure. I have read all the Shannara books, and found some to be much better than others and I think the first two to be far and away the best. My One Who Would Be King novel most resembles the world of Shannara and those books certainly were a huge influence. When I set out to write that one, I didn’t want “something different,” “unique,” etc. I wanted to continue what I think is a fantastic tradition (if I find something I LOVE to eat, I don’t try it once then always look for something different – eventually I’ll come back because I want MORE!).
Being somewhat adventurous and outdoorsy, I love Menion Leah – I find I associate with him closer than virtually any other character in fantasy. I should also note that I love The Brothers Hildebrandt covers – THAT is the embodiment of fantasy for me!
I won’t pick a single favorite with this series – so many are so good. With characters like: Skeeve, Ahz, Gleep, Massha, Guido, Nunzio, Don Bruce, Chumley, Tananda, and Bunny, how can you miss … er … Mys?
I think this is the most humorous fantasy series of all time – by a wide margin. READ THEM!
NOTE: After reading his first few books, I figured Asprin to be the funniest guy you’d meet at a party and happy-go-lucky, but he was plagued by writer’s block and took FOREVER (so it seemed to me) to put out his book. I would impatiently await a new novel, then see this skinny, little book and groan – I wanted more! But, they were always worth the wait – so well done …
The Amber stories take place in two “true” worlds: Amber, and the Courts of Chaos. Other worlds, including our Earth, are “shadows” between the two worlds. Royals of Amber can travel through these shadows.
This is such an excellent series – Corwin is one of the all-time-great fantasy anti-heroes. Read ALL of these!
Note To Harry The Potter Fans I’ve Certainly Offended (By Excluding These Hugely Popular Titles): While I found the first and second Potter books to be great, I would not include them in even a “Top 10 List.” Why? Go read ANY 40 popular fantasy books form the past 50 years and tell me Potter is still your favorite. In my own experience, I find that most people who say the Potter books are “the best ever” are young and/or have read fewer than 5 other fantasy novels – just too small of a “universe” to make that determination! Obviously, it’s all subjective, but that is like saying Butter Pecan is the best ice cream in the world, when you’ve only sampled Butter Pecan and vanilla – it very well may be your fav, but you need to try more!
Read “A Book of The Lands: The One Who Would Be King” on Wattpad!
The goblin horde has arrived! Djar’s parents have been murdered, his city is occupied and things look worse every day. But there is one small hope: If only he can reach the sorceress Dymorla. The only trouble is, she already has a plan of her own, and it includes snatching a boy from an alternate plane (Earth), and animating an army of zombies to pose as a group of un-dead heroes to fool a powerful group of warrior priests into helping.
Now what could go wrong with that?
Dan’s first novel - in paperback and eBook - and now FREE in entirety only for Wattpad Readers!
NOTE: Glossary at end of story.