Top 10 Worst Fantasy Books
This list contains the books you should, in my opinion, avoid. Some of the authors who published this crap should never have been published, while the others should be ashamed for writing such drivel. The point is that if you see one of these books in the wild, don’t touch it with a 10 foot pole!
To make this list, the book must REALLY be a steaming pile of donkey defecation. Think of this book list as those books you shouldn't read, not even if someone holds a gun to your head.
I fully expect a number of people to be outraged to see their favorite author/book slandered by this list. I have not just randomly tossed a bunch of books onto this list -- there are some very compelling reasons why books end up here. However, feel free to express all your outrage (or agreement) in the comment section. And if you have any of your own particular stinker reads, please share them -- they may be fodder for the next worst fantasy book update.
For you angry folks out there, keep in mind this is MY opinion. It's subjective and I'm sure not everyone will agree. If you love a book on the list, fair's fair -- different strokes for different folks. However, I want to establish a "baseline" for what's good and what's not in the fantasy genre. And this, folks, is my baseline whether you agree or not. But the books on this list are open for discourse in the comment section.
#1: Robert Stanek (ANY OF HIS BOOKS)
One word: avoid!
There's a saying "don't judge a book by the cover, but in the case of a Robert Stanek novel, you should judge by the cover." My blind niece could do a better job making book covers than that.
There is a suspicious amount of positive reviews posted at Amazon.com concerning this author’s Rune Mist saga. They either range from five to one star. Rumor has it that Rob has been padding Amazon.com with fake reviews in an effort to hawk his own books. After reading book one, it was immediately apparent (after the first page) the rumor is true. Stanek is, quite simply, the worst author I have had the misfortune of reading. He possesses not a single atom of writing ability. I’ll put it like this: Keeper Martin’s Tale evinces all the skill of an adolescent girl, writing her first creative piece on a prancing pony. Keep away from his books if you value your sanity. His prose is so bad your eyes will bleed. I even dedicated some time a few years ago to write a post about how Robert Stanek is gaming Amazon with hordes of fake reviews.
Not ONLY is Stanek a bad author, he's also a nasty character. Fake reviews, aggressive behavior towards people who call out his practices, and his penchant for outright lying (a photoshopped picture of him at a panel with legitimate authors like Brian Jacques? Puhleeezzz!).
Because of all this, Stanek wins The Best Fantasy Books award for being the worst fantasy author and writing the worst fantasy novels. In fact, I'll go one further. Stanek is not just a bad fantasy writer, he's the nemesis of the fantasy world, the Dark Lord of fantasy authors. Please, if you see a Robert Stanek novel, run like hell because you're risking you're literary soul.
#2: The Fifth Sorceress (Robert Newcomb) -- and any other piece of paper cursed by his pen
Oh man, what can I say about this what's probably one of the worst written novels in the history of publishing, let alone fantasy.
What happens when you blatantly copy a bad fantasy writer? Simply, you write a really bad fantasy book. The only books Newcomb ever read was Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth and a few badly written bondage novels. At least Goodkind can write ONE novel half decently—which is more than Newcomb can claim by a few miles. The blurb on The Fifth Sorceress claims it is the “epic fantasy of the year”. Uh...
While Newcomb certainly has a fertile imagination, it's fertile in the way of a sexually frustrated, disturbed teenage boy. We get sultry sorceress after sorceress who's only role in the story is to satisfy the author's fantasies about bad bad bad women in leather tights.
With page after page of painful exposition, Newcomb attempts to translate his pornographic fantasies into credible plot devices. I'm not going to even describe the insult to both women and the English language THAT attempt has birthed into the world.
His books are so riddled with cliches it’s no surprise Newcomb sinks to the bottom of the quality barrel. I can't tell you how offensive to your eyes it is to just look at a page written by this man. This is one man I'd gladly help support by PAYING HIM to stop writing.
#3: Sword of Truth Novels (Terry Goodkind)
Some people might be wondering why bestselling author Terry Goodkind is missing from the top 25 best fantasy books. This is one of the most "asked" questions emailed to me and left in the comments.
Well, I have been saving a special spot in the ‘Worst Fantasy’ section for him. Wait, you tell me. “He is a best seller.” Yea, so is Snooky from Jersey Shore.
Seriously people, if you think Goodkind is the Second Coming of Christ to the fantasy genre, you haven't read any real fantasy books yet. Don't ask me to add his name to any of the Best Book Lists because I'm not going to.
Goodkind.Does.Not.Deserve.To.Be.Added.Because.He's.Not.Good.Enough.
I admit, Goodkind’s first few novel was kind of entertaining, but the entertainment was lost behind the sheer awfulness of the man's writing. The idea was good, but the problem is that Goodkind lacked the actual writing skills to translate ideas to paper. He broke just about every 'don't do this when you're writing a novel' rule in that book. Heck, he probably even broke a few writing rules that haven't been invented yet!
NoGoodKind's books are a "College English 101: Fiction Class" case study for what not to do when writing a novel.
Let's sum it up a bit (avoid this paragraph is you don't want to read spoilers):
Farm boy finds a super sword and becomes the Seeker of Truth, basically a badass with the sword. Actually, he's also a Prince too. No but wait, he's also a Wizard. No, actually, he's really a War Wizard. Wait a minute, he's really the ruler of an entire continent.
Did I miss anything? Oh yes, I forgot: Richard also has a harem of attractive women who want to rip his clothes off. Forgetting anything else? Opps one more: one of the SOT villains is an evil chicken. Yeaaaaa.....
Richard Rahl is pretty much the fantasy version of Goku from Dragon Ball Z -- always just one step away from powering up to some new super ability to save the day.
Goodkind also has a disturbing fascination with the domination and rape of women. I mean you have to wonder about the guy when pretty much every page involves some sadistic torture and rape of yet another innocent and lovely woman. Man we get it guy: lovely women need to be humiliated over and over in as many different ways as possible. Now stop writing about the same damn thing for 10,000 pages! I'm beginning to suspect that John Norman from the Gor series help co-write the SOT novels or maybe Goodkind drew inspirations from Gor. Either way, enough please!
Now, I wouldn't toss Goodkind on this list only because of A Wizard's First Rule. No, it took a string of absolute trash to land him on the worst fantasy book list. His recent book titles can be used as a euphemism for crap, puke or other less than wholesome words.
Goodkind's book quality go like this:
first book -- readable
books 2 - 3 -- less readable
books 4 - 6 -- even less readable
books 7 - 9 -- oh my god, my eyes are bleeding
books 10 - 12 -- thank god the series is done. Oh but wait, he's signed up for MORE novels
I fully expect putting Goodkind on this section will rile up some of his fans (and feel free to express yourself in the comment section), but before posting anything nasty or libeling my character and tastes, please read the top 5 books on my Top 25 Best Fantasy Book list THEN come tell me why NoGoodkind should be taken off this list.
#4: Iron Tower trilogy (Dennis McKiernan)
A shameless rip from Tolkien. And I mean a really really really shameless rip. If Terry Brooks 'borrows' ideas from Tolkien, McKiernan straight out copies them word for word, changing a couple syllables here and there. Shame on the man for lacking even the creativity to change the characters to something NOT directly copied from Tolkien. Frankly, if Tolkien was still alive, McKiernan would have been sued.
For starters:
Tuck = Frodo Baggins in ALL but name.
Galen = Aragorn
Fildor = Legolas
Rael = Galadriel
And it gets worse as you read. I almost hope a copyright theft lawsuit from the Tolkien estate stops this crime of a series from doing any more damage to tender young fantasy minds.
#5: Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, et. all
There was a witty line I put in here that fans of D&D and Manga found insulting, so gone it is. But the fact that I've removed that line still doesn't save the atrocity that is D&D/Dragonlance.
This is the kinda stuff that gives the fantasy genre a bad name. Avoid these novels! It’s that cheap type of bread you pick up for fifty-cents in the discounted section at Safeway. You might think you got a good deal—till you find it crumbles to pieces on the way home. Pick up a real author like George Martin and enjoy a real feast.
#6: Sword of Shannara (Terry Brooks)
I'm not a big fan of the Shannara series at all. I've been getting email after email wondering Brooks is not on the Top 25 Fantasy list. Let me state it right here: he's not on the list because he hasn't written any books that are good enough to be there.
Shannara was Brook's attempt to milk the whole Tolkien craze during the 80's. He "generously borrowed" Tolkien's mythology (which isn't a bad thing, as quite a few other people did as well), but committed the cardinal sin of not doing anything new at all over his 20+ years writing fantasy books. Brooks is the literary version of the band Nickleback: both have sold out all creativity and churn the same sort of crap out over and over.
One Shannara book is the same as the rest of them. I beg you Terry Brooks, stop writing new Shanara books. If someone points a gun to your head and forces you to read a Shannara novel,
I'm not insulting Terry Brooks as an author. Ok, well I kinda am. But the man's not a bad writer -- Brooks did write a few NON-Shannara books that I found entertaining: Magic Kingdom For Sale was a light entertaining series and his Void series is pretty good, even though he ends up tying it to the whole Shanara universe (big mistake).
So yes, Brooks writes some decent books (And God knows he's had enough practice over the years with the dozens of books he's churned out), but just avoid anything with the word Shanara in the title and you'll be OK.
#7: The Icewind Dale Trilogy (R.A. Salvatore)
Every time I think about this series, a horrible taste comes to my mouth. What is that taste? I think it's puke. The series is the poster boy for fantasy banality -- there is not a single speck of creativity to this series. The same can be said to pretty much the rest of R.A. Salvatore's works. This author has the (dubious) distinction of getting TWO of his series tossed onto this list.
One of the more popular comments people leave on this blog (especially on the Top 25 list) is "WHERE IS R.A. Salvatore." And my response is the same one given when people ask why I've left Terry Goodkind of the best lists: "Because R.A. Salvatore has not yet written any fantasy book worth being on the top lists people." If he ever writes something worthy of being read, I'll consider adding him. Until then, NO.
R.A. Salvatore is one of those authors that does a disservice to the rest of the real writers out there. He writes popcorn fantasy over and over. If you want to read shallow fantasy that offers about as much nutrition as a McDonald's cheeseburger, then R.A. Salvatore's works are exactly what you need. For the rest of you who value your time, read something else.
#8: The Wayfarer Redemption (et. all) by Sara Douglass
An awful waste of time this book is. The number of stupid characters present in the novel is ridiculous. There is suppose to be a plot and all, but frankly, it gets lost in the sappy ham-fisted romance. This book really belongs on the Harlequin romance shelves and NOT the fantasy shelf.
#9: Lord of the Isles (David Drake)
Oh boy, where do I start with this one. The main character is an utter dolt, the supporting cast cookie cut out, and the plot...what plot? There were holes in the plot the size of Australia and characters appear from nowhere only to wander out of the plot just as fast as they were introduced. This series competes with Ice Wind Dale for the "most unoriginality award". David Drake should stick to writing Science Fiction -- he had a better knack for that, sorta.
#10: The Redemption of Althalus (David Eddings)
I was thinking of tossing in The Belgariad for good measure, but then I remembered that book was written for kids, so I guess it's not fair to skewer it (unless it was actually written for adults, then we CAN skewer it). But if I get enough comments on this page, we may put The Belgariad on the chopping block.
We'll save the Bel gar aid for another time.
The Redemption of Althalus had nothing redeemable about it. The characters were cookie cutouts of bad stereotypes and the plot was boring. The only thing I wanted redeemed after reading it was my wasted time. God forgive the author for the slaughter of trees involved in producing that crap. I would say that Eddings has his own vanilla style of prose, but then again, vanilla actually has some flavor.
Eddings does write some entertaining fantasy for kids, but he's pretty much rewritten his original series four or five times over. The fantasy world has long since evolved. Eddings has not.
Well that's the top 10 worst fantasy books ever written. But there's always room for much more...Here are some other books/series to avoid:
SOME of Mercedes Lackey’s books
Ok, I might take a lot of flak for this, but I think she is, in general, a horrific author. Her plots tend to muddle around in never-never-land and characters are flat as a cookie. The only time she manages to crawl her way out of the bowels of mediocrity is on the contrails of more talented coauthors. Not all her books are bad; several books she coauthors (with more talented co-authors I might add) are actually quite good (The Shadow of a Lion). I wish I could say the same about the rest of her books.
A Shadow on the Glass (Ian Irvine)
A terribly written book series. I bought this, only to give it away a few days later. I think I even paid the guy to take the books, fancy that! Really, the actual prose was offensive to any who reads English. The potential might have been there with the plot, but the execution killed it.
Battlefield Earth (L Ron Hubbard)
Supposedly the novel that started Scientology right there. Too bad Scientology got off to a bad start -- there couldn't be a worse novel to found your faith on. Unless it's a Goodkind novel...
Xanth (Peirs Anthony)
One word: porn for adolescents. I mean, when one of the Xanth books is called "The Color of Her Panties" what more do I need to say about it.
Goodspeaker Trilogy (Karin Miller)
Here's the bestfantasybooks.com blurb for the publisher of this fiction.: Fantasy taken to new hights...of banality.
Betrayal of Krondor (Raymond E. Feist)
My God, terrible, terrible books. I do like some of Feist's other work, namely his Magician series and his Empire trilogy. When reading this, I had the feeling Feist just gave up halfway through writing the novel, opting to finish it in a couple nights just to get er' done. I'm not quite sure about the reason for such an insult to the written word to have been produced by a man who should know better; maybe he suffered a crisis. Regardless of the reason, the Betrayal of Krondor was a betrayal to the fantasy genre. One can argue that Krondor was the low point Feist never quite recovered from. All his novels since then have been pretty bad and they are getting worse and worse. Yes, I know he still has oodles of fans, but that doesn't excuse the man for giving up. He actually had some talent. Pity.
Eragon (Christopher Paolini)
What do you get when you combine Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and a 15 year old's writing skills? A heap of trash called Eragon and its sequels. I admire the kid for writing something, but Eragon was a work best left in the hands of a smiling Grade 7 teacher who would have patted the little Paolini on the head, taken the manuscript home, then quietly burned it. How the heck this unholy mess was picked up by publishers, sold to millions of readers, and made into a terrible movie, is surely one of the great questions of the universe. I guess that goes to tell you the power of the marketing industry -- if they can sell Eragon to the masses, they can sell anything.
Yes, I know these books are for a younger audience. Yes I know I recommended them in the best fantasy books for kids. But enough "adults" have read these books to land them on this list. While they may be a good read for kids, they are NOT a good read for adults, not like the Chronicles of Narnia, His Dark Materials, Sabriel, or The Spook's Apprentice.
Twilight (Stephenie Meyer)
Let me tell you a story. Once upon there was this vampire with bad hair. There was this awkward girl that didn't fit in. For some absurd reason, this vampire fell in love with the girl. But because of some artificial plot device, they couldn't be together. Both vampire and girl are unhappy. The end.
Yea, that about describes the level of complexity present in Twilight. I'll acknowledge that Twilight fills a romantic need in young adolescents, but how anyone over the age of 14 can think this series is actually "the best books ever" is perhaps the most indicative of just how illiterate our society has become. For some this is a good book, yes, but for the discerning readers, it's an atrocity to the written word. Please, please, read a real vampire book such as George Martin's Fevre Dream.
More Books to be Added To The Worst Fantasy Books List Soon!
Do you have a hated fantasy book/author? Do you disagree with the Top 10 Worst Fantasy Books list? Share your opinion below!
Let us not forget the Amber ripoffs perpetrated by Betancourt after Zelazny's death.
Omg... I totally agree with you about Terry Goodkind. He's not a real fantasy writer. It's like, he wrote one book and was like OH HEY! I CAN MAKE MONEY OFF THIS and then raped the fantasy world with his novels. Not only are they poorly written with WAY too much sex (particularly disturbing sex) but he does not map out anything that happens... ever. Like... the places that the characters go to in the second book are not even on the map he made, which I think is a sin against fantasy novels. Plus, he adds in all these stupid details that had nothing to do with the previous book, like all of the sudden Kahlan (or whatever) is the most important bitch in the whole world. Two of my friends are obsessed with these books and SCOFF at young adult fantasy, but I gotta say, most YA fantasy is better mapped out that those crappy books.
Also, good job noting that David Eddings book. I gave that book away because i couldn't even stand having it on my bookshelf, it was so bad.
I read this recently and found it very difficult to finish. Almost everything in the first book was predictable (having read LOTR). Far too may words for too few thoughts/actions.
Then I went on to try Book 2 (Elfstones). Soon, I was glancing at every third page. I then checked with a Shannara fan - I hadnt missed anything.
Now I had to finish the series. Wishsong took all of two hours to finish.
Overall a letdown, because the world was interesting. But the plots were repetitive and dull.
I read all of Sword of Truth, and i sort of agree that Goodkind's Writing is generally fairly poor. I'd disagree on the subject of the last few books. The last 2 were quite decent, and the sixth book, Faith of the Fallen, is just a good book. The fact is he should have ended with Wizard's First Rule.
The Dark Elf Trilogy of Salvatore's was very good. Those are the novels preceding Icewind Dale.
In fairness, Salvatore was just discovering the characters while writing the Icewind Dale trilogy, and the man's writing succeeds in some places and fails in others. He's created several deservedly endearing characters, and with his last few trilogies, succeeded in maturing his writing style quite a bit. The Hunter's Blades trilogy introduce the character of Obould Many-Arrows, who was a fascinating and well-written character, and addressed drizzt's fear of losing the people he cares about fairly poignantly.
I'd go so far as to say Salvatore's writing in the last 5 or 6 years is some of the best of his career. My only real problem with him is that his fight scenes are greatly overdeveloped and break the narrative.
Firstly, this list should be called books that I do not like.
Secondly you have no right to criticize any book based on your taste.
Third If I see you on the streets I would have smashed your head. People who comment others work really pisses me off. And what have you done to deserve any comment.
awhhh don't get upset 
it's ok if you had learning difficulties and could only manage the most basic and derivative books
keep working on it and believe in yourself 
I really have to disagree with the inclusion of Salvatore on this list. I've read all of his drizzt books, and I think the characters and fight scenes are superb. In my opinion, the ghost king was his best book. How can you argue against a guy who's books consistently become best sellers? I understand this is your list, but just bc you don't like the books, doesn't mean they are bad.
I found this site by accident and have found it really useful, both with the "best" and "worst" lists. I have to admit a guilty pleasure with the Twilight series - although I agree they're not well written, they are still a quick enjoyable read of an afternoon
. I preferred Meyer's other book (more for adults) called The Host, but it's not really fantasy.
I knew I had been avoiding certain authors (ALL here on the worst list) and never really thought about why. THANK YOU for articulating my thoughts!
Dare I ask, what your opinion of the J Carey Kushiel's Dart/Chosen/Avatar first trilogy would be?
J Carey Kushiel's stuff is the real deal -- wonderfully written and well plotted. Can't go wrong reading it. The books may not appeal to some but you won't be shorting yourself by giving her series a try (especially her first one -- Chosen).
You are absolutely spot on. My whole family are voracious fantasy readers and were so betrayed by Terry Goodkind's progressively ridiculous plot lines...and Betrayal at Krondor? Don't get me started. I recently went back to Mercedes Lackey and also found the world much too safe and the characters too flat.
I've read about 35 of your top 45 at this point and agree relatively close with most of your opinions. I do think Brent Weeks is underratted and disagree with you about Salvatore. I guess occasionally I have a soft spot for ninja hero types.
Salvatore has written some awful books. Wulfgar is too much. But the beginning of the Drizzt series I really liked. Perhaps because I'm a vegan, socialist, etc, so I can identify with Drizzt feeling like he's stuck in such an incredibly evil society. I suppose this isn't something everyone can identify with. The 2D nature of the characters is humorous, but ultimately I came to love the first 8 books of the Drizzt series and laughed to read your opinion of him.
Of the authors above that I have unfortunately read, I agree almost completely with all of the above. EXCEPT for the Twilight series. A lot of people come into these novels with a pre-conceived notion that they are going to suck, perhaps because the movies were so horrible and were aimed at pre-teens. I wouldn't recommend these novels for the most testosterone-driven readers, but I hope the rest of you to try them with an open mind. I found them quite funny and I thought that the characters were very appealing.
I totally agree that Myers (Twilight Saga) has a way with words... but wouldn't you agree that after the first book the whole plot kind of stopped moving forward. And I am not talking in terms of action or new characters but in terms of emotion and characterization. In the very first book we knew about the love triangle(which became obvious in the second book only). And Bela was fighting with the same internal conflict till the fourth book(A conflict which in the end was resolved by a gross twist- that of her daughter, who wasn't even in her womb when the kiss etc happened, bonding). From a regular boys point of view it seemed like It was a fantasy of a teenage girl who wanted it all(A suave and sensitive Edward, Dirty, wild, rough n tough jake and if that wasn't enough make her all powerful too 
)
Maybe I am as biased as the author of these lists but I truly agree with all of them...I started reading fantasy with Harry Potter and thought there can't be anything better...then unfortunately went to Twilight and literally vomit by the end of the fourth book...I also read some other stuffs like Goodkind(rather Bad Kind)... then I came upon this site and I have never been happier....now that I have exhausted almost all the books in top 25 I think apart from the positioning of WoT everything is quite as I would have done myself... Thanks a lot for the guidance and please keep updating with new series
I tend to agree with the list. There are some books here I have read and enjoyed, but still think they belong the lost (R A is amongst them). Totally agree with the prognosis on David Drake, book 1 OK, book 2, I struggled, book 3 I bailed. Good list, though sometimes terrible can be fun.
Agree with almost everything except Empress by Karin Miller which although not the best thing I've read, I found to be quite different and refreshing (if weirdly obsessed with people being bitten by scorpions) and not quite deserving of the worst list. Haven't read the sequels though so it might get worse.
Sword of Shannara I gave up on in disgust about halfway through, but almost everyone I've spoken to says it gets much, much better after that book, so I would still be willing to try a few of his.
Wholeheartly agree about David Eddings and think every book he ever wrote (except possibly the Belgariad, when the ideas were semi-new) should be on this list. All the same book, and all awful.
I don't really consider myself an incredibly well versed fantasy "nut", I can say that have read every one of Brooks Shannara novels with the exception of Indomitable. I completely agree with the statement that the original Sword of Shannara nearly plagiarized LoTR. I am so glad that it didn't turn me off to the rest of the series because it did allow him to come into his own as an author and pen some amazing trilogies that all fit into the overarching Shannara timeline. When I finished reading the Genesis series I was in complete awe at how he tied the W&V trilogy into the main line so smoothly and without massive gaps in continuity. I respect the opinions you present here and I wish I could forfeit the time to read half of the series that you recommend, I just had to disagree with you on this point.
It almost seems that you culled some of the authors that didn't make it onto your "best" list into the "worst" list. I can promise to find you PLENTY of fantasy series that stink it up way worse than half of the ones listed.
I'm disgusted with this list. Surely Goodkinds best book was book 1.. But the twilight series was pure crap. At the end of book 4 I swore I thought fantasy writing was dead if this author could make billion on it. It was the most unworthy story ever made. Meyer writing skills are below Poalini's (eragon) I at least enjoyed a bit of that book. Twilight was just a massive facepalm. I think it gave me Cancer. Has to be in the top 10 surely. REDO THE LIST I TELL YA.
Why I feel I must interject here, I don't really know, but I have read most of the books on this list. # 1, 3, 5, 6,7, 8. Im also familar with Piers, Miller, Paolini, Meyer.
Stanek is pretty horrible. Even at 12 I realized this. He has terrible prose and pacing. and the fact that he writing fake reviews is pathetic.
Goodkind....hmmmm. I agree that his later novels were disappointing. but I think your complaints on the overtly bdsm are a bias. Personally, I found the issues he wrote about to be moving, and made me think much more deeply on the topic of women, abuse, and power struggles that exist between men and women. as for the jump from farm boy to leader of a continent, the use of prophecy as a major plot devise was a great idea, and helped lend a ton of credibility.
Dragon Lance, well the first few are actually quite good I think. after that they switch authors and then it devolves into crap. but the season themed ones were quite good and had some of the most lovable damn characters ever! The kender! the majoram twins! katara!
Terry Brooks. Overly harsh sir! I admit, I absolutely cannot reread the sword of Shannara, but everything after the first book is excellent! He has fairly good prose, and his concepts are SO original. The wishsong is very cool! and the fact that all the characters are part of the same family is so satisfying. we follow that damn family for, like, 7 generations! and airships...how many series have airships?
Salvator. okay, I agree with your popcorn assessment. Drizzt isnt all that deep really. but, hey, not every novel has to be some philosophical wonder. They are a fun read, and he writes the action soooo freakin well. especially in his later novels.
sarah douglass...yeah well he prose wasn't awful but she did fall kinda flat. her ideas were a bit...bad. She had a good start, but the more you learn about the plot, the more you really dont give a shit.
Piers...aw come on man. hes a classic legend! sure it was mostly trashy fantasy, but it was good for the industry. And a young man needs something to stimulation his...imagination. There worth a reread, of only for a laugh
yeah Miller is crap. I agree. Its seems like shes part of the trashy fantasy revival movement, which is really better of not existing.
Paolini...well I have mixed feelings. on one hand I think Eragon was quite good. But were the hell were his editors for the other three books? serious? I feel a bit betrayed. I had such high hopes after the first book and I was so very disappointed.
Meyer...okay. okay, ooookay. wow I hate her so very much. Her prose is decent. Her ideas arnt to to awfull (the Host), but her characters are so very bad. the worst I have ever read. They are so racked with indecision, stupidity, and small mindedness it makes me sick.
well there is my two cents sir.
I was surprised to see the Dragonlance books on the list of worst fantasy ever. I loved the first 3, but then I was around 13 at the time. And that's the point, they really are for kids/young adults. You could not recommend them to grow-ups.
Terry Brooks absolutely deserves to be on the list as does Anne McCaffrey, they put me off reading fantasy for 10 whole years.
And here's my bias ; Robin Hobb's Farseer series is totally over-rated. No. 9 on the best ever list ? How many actual assassinations did the Assassin actually carry out ? Maudlin dross for the most part.
Wait so Farseer is overrated because there was not enough assassinations? smh
David,
I should have elaborated. My point is that the titles are misleading, they imply books themed on a one-man assassin using stealth and skill to take out characters with increasingly ingenious methods. They imply action. Someone like the character of Jimmy the Hand in the Magician trilogy. Instead you get clumsy wars, telepathic battles and tedious political intrigues involving the most simplistic and one-dimensional characters ; Regal springs to mind, when Fitz gets inside his head his discovers the same conceited, immature, spoilt brat the Prince had been as a six-year-old, wracked by the same childish jealousies of his older brothers. Ridiculous, and totally unrealistic. Awful. Just awful characterisation.
I found the lack of action disappointing and mostly, frustrating. There were countless opportunities to indulge in sword-play (in case I’m mistaken, a fundamental component of fantasy) but the narrative usually consisted of ‘They had a vicious sword-fight. The good guys won’. Well, you know what I mean. Personally, I like a bit of blood ‘n guts but Robin Hobb just won’t or can’t do any fighting. I’m not asking for the action-packed novels of Stan Nicholls but please, what genre are you writing, again ?
The Fool is an intriguing character, there’s no doubt about that, a very good creation and I’ve heard good things about a later trilogy he features in, The Tawny Man, but I won’t ever know because I won’t ever be reading anything else by Robin Hobb.
Fair enough, I can see how Robin Hobb's style would not appeal to everybody. It is definitely much slower than a lot of fantasy. I would disagree with the poor characterization. Tastes are absolutely subjective but I feel like Farseer does a very good job for the type of book it is.
Also, I don't know if you've read it yet, but it sounds like you might like Brent Weeks Night Angel trilogy.