Which is better?

[Green Elephant]

[Avendin]

Anyone who reads Wheel of Time first and then Sword of Shannara is bound to see the dozens of ripoffs. Jordan reportedly just said "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" but some of that shit is so blatant. I also don't get people's problem with WoT. Sure, it slowed down, but we're approaching the climax, right? Winter's Heart was 11 days long compared to several months (or maybe a year?) for Eye of the World. I still find it excellent reading myself. Then again, I once read 500 (!) pages of the Lord of the Rings in one sitting, and I've managed to read MULTIPLE books in a series in one sitting too. Just like with AR, I forget to eat and sleep when I'm reading a good book.

[Crystan]

LoTR was the first Fantasy Epic I ever read, and I dont think its the best at all. Dont get me wrong, Tolkien set the stage for all other fantasy books to come, but just because it is the first, does not mean it is the best. :shrug: Just my personal opinion though.

Robert Jordan's world is much more detailed and intertwining with all his 175+ fully described characters. And yes, I agee the 10th book sucked comparatively, but he he just trying to make sure everything is set for the next two/last books.

How are the Sword of Shannara books? I have heard good things, but have yet to get to them, are they worth reading?

[Talisman]

If your looking for a detailed world try reading the silmarillion. One of the reasons Tolkiens work is so compelling is that he spent years developing the world's backstory in advance. His world feels authentic and believable because he wrote it's history starting with it's conception. When he mentions some ruins it's not just for dramatic effect, you can find out exactly what used to be there and its signifigance in the silmarillion.

[Crystan]

I read that, unfortunetly I read it AFTER I read LoTR, I should pick up the series again since reading the silmarillion. Dont get me wrong, I thought Tolkien's epic was good, and detailed, but when reading WoT I 'feel' as if I am there and I can picture it all. Maybe Tolkien's way of writing is just to confusing to me. (Mind you I read LoTR in Junior high, of which I am 21 now, so a another time reading it may be in order).

[Phostan]

I just sorta gave up Dragonlance when the fifth age came around and dragons started getting the size of small mountain ranges by killing other dragons and absorbing their essence or some such bullshit. And to cast a spell you had to sacrifice an item of power? Yeah, that shit was lame. I heard they fixed it up with the return of the gods and shit, but I didnt have the time and patience to sit around the 4 years it took. Shannara was a good series, at least the first two books were. Wishsong was sorta lame, and then the scion books were around the time Terry Brooks got into a demon fad and wrote a lot of crap about that into his books. Mercedes Lackey does some okay stuff with the Elvenbane series. 120 books of Forgotten realms would be around 40000 or 50000 pages, which is a lot thicker combined then 10 WoT books. And Robert Jordan has done a lot of LoTR influenced ideas. Like Myrddraals are obviously made in china versions of ringwraiths. And Shadar Logoth is like the Dunharrow or Dead Marshes. And Padan Fain is like Gollum. And Moiraine is like Gandalf. Aragorn is Lan. And so on and so forth. In the 10th book Loial and the Asha'man he was with, they even went under the alias "Underhill" There was an Inn they stayed at early on in the series called "The Nine Ring Inn". Treants and Huorns are the equivalent of Nym and Ogier. I could go on and on.

[Avendin]

[Crystan]

Avendin just simply explained what I like about WoT that i could not explain a post or two beforehand. For all the books I have read I have not gained the ability to put into words what I think, so sad.

Oh, and an edit on my last posts, there are 1750+ repeating charatcers in WoT, not 175+, forgot the zero.

[Green Elephant]

One could argue forever whether WoT is better than LoTR. But then again, someone could argue that Green Eggs and Ham is better than Romeo and Juliet. Its all a matter of taste I suppose, what you like to read, what entertains you. I will say this though. Lord of the Rings is an infinitely more deep and satisfying world than that of the Wheel of Time. Yes, perhaps Robert Jordan's books are an "easier read" and therefore have a larger base to appeal to, but that doesn't mean they're better. Anyway, just my two cents.

[Avendin]

I agree entirely with that analysis, Green Elephant. It's tough to compare those two, but I have to say that LoTR is on the entirety more satisfying. However, the Wheel of Time is among the most commendable modern fantasy epics BECAUSE of its approachability and its wide appeal.

[Allie]

White bread is definitely better than wheat... oh yeah..

[Avendin]

Well said.

[Mendek]

Forgotten Realms has a lot of great stuff, other than Ed Greenwood. That man just writes to read his own books and he needs to remember that he is not Elminster. Elminster is a fictional character. I saw him speak at GenCon the other year... Yeah, I hate him.

[Green Elephant]

Gotta love the hairdoo though

[heret]

Forgotten Realms is the best!!!! GO DRIZZT GO DRIZZT GO DRIZZT
________
HONDA CB175

[divsky]

They all suck

[Hamp]

I happen to totally agree with Matthais I read alot but nothing has ever came close to LoTR in my eyes. The Shannara series was very good though.

[Brains]

LoTR (plus The Hobbit) is the best in the genre, IMHO.

The original Dragonlance books all the way up until they have Caramon die are very good.

Just about every other series lacks either direction or punch. Shannara(?) had a good story, but a LOT of foot-dragging and dry sections. Individual stories in the other "series" can be great, but overall, the top two are LoTR and DL. I'm having a hard time finding anything that compares in the genre.

Stay *away* from C.J. Cherryh's Fortress of Owls series (or whatever series has that book in it) - dry as a decade-old bone in the Sahara. Interestingly enough, her sci-fi stuff is loads of pure reading joy, especially the Chanur saga. Utter reading satisfaction.

Another series to beware of: who is that guy that has about 25 phone books out, but the story has actually progressed to chapter three or something? Wheel of Time or something? Unless you have a LOT of patience (cash, time, etc.), might want to give them a pass, too.

[Louis]

i've read david eddings, terry brooks, raymond e. feist, and a few others. i have robert jordan's The Eye of the World on my desk that i haven't been able to read for like 3 years. I think raymond e. feist's serpentwar saga and his riftwar title "Magician" were the best fantasy books i've ever read.

[Hrash]

Sword of Truth came out around the same time as WoT. I remember when I bought the first WoT book, it was still only on the third book. That was when Sword of Truth was on the fourth or so.