what's the most imaginative fantasy you've read?

[satyesu]

I'd think it woud have to be non-traditional, but I'm asking you

[Jess Haines]

C.S. Freidman's Coldfire Trilogy.

[Kitty Pryde]

I'll go with China Mieville's Bas-Lag books. Oh yah! And "Palimpsest" by Catherynne Valente.

[Perks]

It's been ages, but the first thing that pops into my head is Clive Barker's, Imajica.

[maxmordon]

The Arrival by Shaun Tan. Showing me that you can write a touching heartwarming book without needing words.

[Smiling Ted]

I'd have to go with On Stranger Tides, by Tim Powers, followed closely by Zelazny's Lord of Light.

Both books were clearly the products of their authors' long-held obsessions. Their genius was to make those obsessions compelling to the rest of us.

[Giovanni_Spada]

The Eyes of the Overworld by Jack Vance.

There are more wildly imaginative ideas in a single chapter than most novels have in their entirety.

[Liosse de Velishaf]

I'd like to ditto Kitty Pride and Jess Haines. Except for Palimpsest which I haven't read, but it's been on my list a long time just on the concept.

[Death Wizard]

Steven Erikson, hands-down.

[defcon6000]

City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer; great world building and quite a disturbing look at what the individual will do given the circumstances.

[Liosse de Velishaf]

Steven Erikson, hands-down.


Hmm... Erikson is pretty imaginative, too.

[SPMiller]

Lundin cheats, abusing his excellent descriptive skills to make his settings seem more imaginative than they actually are.

[jennontheisland]

It's been ages, but the first thing that pops into my head is Clive Barker's, Imajica.
Oh hell yeah.

Weaveworld comes in second, not close, but second.

[Stellan]

I'm seconding (thirding?) Clive Barker's Imajica. It's not my favourite of his (that would be Abarat, actually) but there's some stuff in there that blew the top right off of my skull.

[Death Wizard]

I'm seconding (thirding?) Clive Barker's Imajica. It's not my favourite of his (that would be Abarat, actually) but there's some stuff in there that blew the top right off of my skull.

I've never read this, but I'm going to have to order it today.

[Kemp]

It depends upon what precise genre you'd call it, but The Dark Tower series by Stephen King.

[megan_d]

I'll throw another coin in the hat for China Meville. I'm willing to bet that guy's shopping list would read like a surreal glimpse into another world.

[JustinlDew]

Martian Chronicles by Bradbury, Hands down.

[Shadow_Ferret]

Most imaginative? Aren't they all imaginative?

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

[thothguard51]

Lets see, I think imagnative depends on era or decade as each had their big hitters.

I have been reading fantasy since the mid sixties, and it seems that each decade has its big hitters, but if I have to point to any work that got me hooked on fantasy, it would be Burroughs and Ms. Andre Norton.

In the seventies, John Norman's Gor series came close to Burroughs but with a much more adult feel to his work. He and his publisher even got death threats from the women libbers at the time, so much so, he stopped the series, or so it was reported at the time.

By the eighties there was Jerry Pournelle's Janissaries series, the Weiss and Hickmans's Dragonlance Series and of course, Donaldson's The Thomas Covenant Series, a LOTR like series with a more modern feel. And of course there was another grand dame, Ms Anne McCaffery and her Dragon's of Pern series.

By 2000, my reading taste had switched and I have not read a lot of fantasy lately, so I am unsure who the big hitters are today, though I have read a lot about a guy named Patterson.

As I said, if I have to narrow it down to what hooked me on fantasy, as in being very imagnative at the time I discovered fantasy, I think Burroughs and Ms Andre Norton hooked me.

Nick Anthony

[R.G. Alexander]

Terry Pratchett's anything really. Man I love those books.