Favourite Standalone Fantasy

[Twigleg]

Glad to hear someone mention this...I've been thinking of trying out her books. Are the others good, as well?

Well, I got about halfway through Inkheart, but there were about five times that I thought it was almost over... it just goes on so many tangents... so I didn't finish it, and I have yet to read The Thief Lord. But what I did read of Inkheart was enjoyable...

 

[Prolixic]

Most of the stand alones I've ever read were classics written before the age of the sequal and how much more cash can we squeeze out of this?

 

[Sell Sword]

I think i've only ever read 2

Dragon Doom by Dennis McKiernan - I enjoyed this story, an Dwarf male and a Human woman fall in love.

Eye of Night by Pauline Alama - not exactly my normal cup of tea (no brawny barabrians - the heroes are flawed), but a solid novel nonetheless that I enjoyed.

 

[Nosferatu Man]

Wow, inter-species (I want to write 'racial', but people will misunderstand my meaning) relationships! Sounds like fun. I've finally got my grubby paws on Peridio Street Station and am really enjoying that at the moment. The two main characters are also partaking in an inter-racial relationship. Oh, I've just suddenly remembered: Aragorn and Arwen in Lord of the Rings are different races. How exciting.

 

[Sell Sword]

Wow, inter-species (I want to write 'racial', but people will misunderstand my meaning) relationships! Sounds like fun. I've finally got my grubby paws on Peridio Street Station and am really enjoying that at the moment. The two main characters are also partaking in an inter-racial relationship. Oh, I've just suddenly remembered: Aragorn and Arwen in Lord of the Rings are different races. How exciting.

Wasn't Grimnebulin's (I think that was his name) love interest an insectoid alien? I read Perdido Street Station a while ago. It was out there but I liked it.

 

[Nosferatu Man]

Yeah, she sort of is, dude. She's a khepri. And yeah, Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin is my new best friend's full name. Well remembered - I had to just look it up myself and you were spot on. I can't bring anybody else's full name to mind right now, but fortunately I can remember that Isaac's lover is called Lin.

 

[Paul Bond]

A specific title that I enjoyed immensely (and wish I still had) is
EVIL BY NECESSITY by Eve Forward.

Quick summary: GOOD has won the battle against EVIL, and peace and light fill the world. One by one the last of their foes are being tracked down and 'converted'. But a bare few EVIL souls unite despite their base nature to bring EVIL back into the world. Why? Because they must!!!!!

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I've heard good and bad about David Gemell here, but most of his books can be read standalone. It can help to know what went before, but it doesn't really hurt to not. A couple of his that are definitely standalone are Morning Star and Knights of Dark Renown.

Bond. Paul Bond.

 

[Vorian]

stand alone fantasy novels

does anyone know any great stand alone sci-fi/ fantasy novels and could they recemend any good ones?

 

[Stewart]

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville is standalone, despite other novels being set in the same world. Personally, I thought it was tripe but the fantasy purists (their problem, not mine) seem to think that it's even better than sliced bread.

 

[Sell Sword]

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.

 

[Wabbit]

Hi, Vorian

I have merged your thread with an older longer thread with the same name and purpose.

You should find lots of nice recommendations reading through this thread!

 

[Wabbit]

Ah, I also have a recommendation: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke.

Two magicians shall appear in England. The first shall fear me; the second shall long to behold me…
Centuries ago, when magic still existed in England, the greatest magician of them all was the Raven King. A human child brought up by fairies, the Raven King blended fairy wisdom and human reason to create English magic. Now, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, he is barely more than a legend, and England, with its mad King and its dashing poets, no longer believes in practical magic.

Then the reclusive Mr Norrell of Hurtfew Abbey appears and causes the statues of York Cathedral to speak and move. News spreads of the return of magic to England and, persuaded that he must help the government in the war against Napoleon, Mr Norrell goes to London. There he meets a brilliant young magician and takes him as a pupil. Jonathan Strange is charming, rich and arrogant. Together, they dazzle the country with their feats.

But the partnership soon turns to rivalry. Mr Norrell has never conquered his lifelong habits of secrecy, while Strange will always be attracted to the wildest, most perilous magic. He becomes fascinated by the shadowy figure of the Raven King, and his heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens, not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he holds dear.

 

[Ainulindale]

does anyone know any great stand alone sci-fi/ fantasy novels and could they recemend any good ones?

This is completely based on personal taste, I saw you asking about Drizzt so our might not corelate, but here are a few I not only enjoyed but IMHo are first rate:


Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino
The Castle by Franz Kafka
The Tooth Fairy - Graham Joyce
Velllum - Hal Duncan
Signs of Life - M. John Harrison
100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Letter From Hades - Jeffrey Thomas
Move Underground - Nick Mamatas
The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
The Fourth Circle - Zoran Zivkovic
The Land of Laughs - Jonathan Carroll
Lords of Rainbow - Vera Nazarian
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch - Philip K. Dick
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville
The Course of the Heart - M John Harrison
Gloriana - Michael Moorcock
The Last Coin - James Blaylock
Paper Grail - Jame P. Blaylock
Behold the Man - Michael Moorcock
Little, Big - John Crowley
Woman In The Dunes - Kobe Abe
Blood Meridian - Cormac Mccarthy
The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick
Jontahan Strange and Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Lint - Steve Aylett
The Anubis Gates - Tim Powers
Lust - Geoff Ryman
Neuoromancer - William Gibson
The Last Call - Tim Powers
5th Head of Cerebus - Gene Wolfe
On Stranger Tides - Tim Powers
Worm Ouroboros - ER Eddison
City of Saints and Madmen. - Jeff VanderMeer
Veniss Underground - Jeff VanderMeer
Voice of Fire - Alan Moore
Dying Inside - Robert Silverberg
Replay - Ken Grimwood
Facts of Life - Graham Joyce
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
Iron Heel - Jack London
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Cocaine Nights - JG Ballrad
Watership Down - Richard Adams
Requiem - Graham Joyce
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula Leguin
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr.
The Stars my Destination - Alfred Bester
The Scar - China Mieville
From the Files of the Time Rangers - Richard Bowes
Night Life of Gods - Thorne Smith
Lord of the Light - Roger Zelazny
Earth Abides - George R. Stewart
Iron Council - China Mieville
Iron Dragon's Daughter - Michael Swanwick
Faust - Michael Swanwick
The Etched City - KJ Bishop
Grendel - John Gardner
House of Leaves - Mark Danielewski
The World Inside – Robert Silverberg
Lud-in-the-Mist - Hope Mirrlees
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon
The Languages of Pao by Jack Vance
Night at the Circus - Angela Carter
The Troika - Stephen Chapman
The Divinity Student - Michael Cisco
The Chess Garden - Brooks Hansen
Gun, with Occasional Music - Jonathan Lethemen
Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Leguin
Blades of Tyshalle - Matthew Stover
Rats and Gargoyles - Mary Gentle
The Broken Sword - Poul Anderson
The Dragon Waiting: A Masque of History - John M. Ford
Genizah at the House of Shepher - Tamar Yellin
Dhalgren - Samuel Delaney

Personally, I thought it was tripe but the fantasy purists (their problem, not mine) seem to think that it's even better than sliced bread.

Fantasy purists tend to be less likely to enjoy his work, or even know about Mieville. The literary fantasy community (a very small segment) does embrace his work however. I guess it would depend on one's working defintion of fantasy purist. Most people who call themselves that tend to be fans of Tolkien and his legacy - which is completely opposite and even belittled by Mieville and other writers of the same mold.

 

[PSYCO]

Stand Alone Fantasy...

I don't particularly care for series or trilogies. Was wondering if anyone could recommend some good stand alone fantasy?

 

[scooter13]

"Tigana", "A Song for Arbonne", and "The Lions of Al-Rassan" all by Guy Gavriel Kay. Those are all great to fantastic books.

 

[scooter13]

Nevermind .........

 

[Wabbit]

PSYCO: Merged your question into an already existing thread. You will find LOTS of recommendations here and also can discuss it more if you wish!

 

[KristoCat]

For sci-fi, I recommend both Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Both are set in the future and they're about time travel, but Doomsday is much more serious than Dog. Both are great reads though and they stand alone.

 

[PSYCO]

Sorry Wabbit! I searched for stand alone fantasy but didn't see this. I was at work though so maybe I was sleeping. More suggestions would still be appreciated. Thanks for the ones so far. I am currently reading Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman which so of goes along with American Gods but can still be read as a stand alone novel.

 

[Hugin]

This is completely based on personal taste, I saw you asking about Drizzt so our might not corelate, but here are a few I not only enjoyed but IMHo are first rate:

City of Saints and Madmen. - Jeff VanderMeer
Veniss Underground - Jeff VanderMeer

Hi

Im busy reading City of Saints and Madmen, and I'm loving it! It is one of the strangest books I've ever read, with such dry wit from the author.

I especially enjoyed the 'study of the King squid' that included a bibliogropy of 25 pages at the end of the 40 page essay by the estimeed 'squidologist'. As well as 'The strange case of X', I never saw it coming!

The author must be very warped or have way too much time on his hands, either way I am having great fun with this book.

I would like to know, what are his other books like?