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High Fantasy Reading Challenge 2016
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Sable Aradia
Posted 2016-06-03 12:03 AM (#13703)
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In the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the time of the daughters and sons of Tolkien, great and heroic deeds were dared by brave souls willing to risk life and limb. They faced the greatest of perils; dragons, magic, saddlesores, politics and war. They fought for Crowns, Gods, or their own profit or survival; all became legends. Thus the tales of the Great Bards come down to us and thus we take up the torch of High Fantasy!


Verily, the rules:

* Read up to twelve books of High Fantasy, Mythic Fiction, or Heroic Fantasy between June of 2016 and May of 2017. Use your discretion (A Song of Ice and Fire, for instance, has been entered as everything from Low Fantasy to High Fantasy. I'm reading it for the challenge so obviously I consider it applicable.)

* Sword and Sorcery may also apply; again use your discretion.

* Fantasy only; no science fiction (and therefore, as much as it looks like fantasy, the Dragonriders of Pern do not count.)

* Science fantasy might be allowable as long as it is more fantasy than sci-fi (so Star Wars before the midichlorians nonsense might be acceptable but Star Trek is out).
* Video game and RPG tie ins are perfectly fine as long as the "feel" of the story is of High Fantasy (so Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance yes; Dark Sun and Eberron no.)

* Romance and sex are perfectly fine, but if they're the focus of the plot, it's out (so I'm nixing anything that looks at all like Paranormal Romance and the Gor novels).

* No re-reads.

* In the spirit of the great bards of the past, try to do as many reviews as possible.



Sally forth! Remember, all men must die!

Link: https://www.worldswithoutend.com/rollyourown.asp?ryo_id=147
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Weesam
Posted 2016-06-03 1:14 AM (#13704 - in reply to #13703)
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Location: New Zealand		As I will probably be finishing up all the other challenges by July, now is probably a good time for a new one. And I can never resist a good book challenge!

Hmm, maybe this is the push I need to actually get me to read A Song of Ice and Fire. Been putting that off for far too long.
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Sable Aradia
Posted 2016-06-03 2:54 AM (#13705 - in reply to #13704)
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Weesam - 2016-06-02 11:14 PM

As I will probably be finishing up all the other challenges by July, now is probably a good time for a new one. And I can never resist a good book challenge!

Hmm, maybe this is the push I need to actually get me to read A Song of Ice and Fire. Been putting that off for far too long.


LOL; me too! One of the reasons I thought I would do this!

I see you're planning on reading the Kingkiller Chronicles. I thought they were amazing! But I am, like everyone else, waiting in a frustrated stew for book 3!
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Weesam
Posted 2016-06-03 4:41 AM (#13706 - in reply to #13705)
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Location: New Zealand		Yes, the Kingkiller Chronicles is another series I have had sitting on the shelf for far too long. I'm quite looking forward to digging into them, although maybe I should have waited until book 3 was out?
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piibald
Posted 2016-06-03 7:23 AM (#13707 - in reply to #13703)
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I've always been more fantasy than sci fi person, but lately I just want space battles! and explosions! and Juliet Marillier's "Daughter of the Forest" that I'm reading now, is going real slow. Great challenge to keep me reading.
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DrNefario
Posted 2016-06-03 7:25 AM (#13708 - in reply to #13703)
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Location: UK		This is one challenge where the placeholder 20-sided dice image would have been appropriate.

I expect this will be a gimme for me. I read plenty of fantasy. Weirdly that makes it less attractive as a challenge, since I don't expect to actually have to do anything to pursue it, but I guess I'm in.
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Sable Aradia
Posted 2016-06-05 5:14 PM (#13736 - in reply to #13706)
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Weesam - 2016-06-03 2:41 AM

Yes, the Kingkiller Chronicles is another series I have had sitting on the shelf for far too long. I'm quite looking forward to digging into them, although maybe I should have waited until book 3 was out?


He did write book 2.5 in the meantime, The Slow Regard of Silent Things, I think it's called. I'll be adding it to my own list because I bought a copy from Chapters, so I will let you all know!
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Sable Aradia
Posted 2016-06-05 5:16 PM (#13737 - in reply to #13707)
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piibald - 2016-06-03 5:23 AM

I've always been more fantasy than sci fi person, but lately I just want space battles! and explosions! and Juliet Marillier's "Daughter of the Forest" that I'm reading now, is going real slow. Great challenge to keep me reading.


I've been reading an awful lot of space opera lately myself. And the SF Masterworks challenge was how I joined the site, so that's still ongoing (and will be for years.) Let me know what you think about that one when you're done; I haven't read any Juliet Marillier yet but I have been meaning to check her out!
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Sable Aradia
Posted 2016-06-05 5:20 PM (#13738 - in reply to #13708)
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DrNefario - 2016-06-03 5:25 AM

This is one challenge where the placeholder 20-sided dice image would have been appropriate.

I expect this will be a gimme for me. I read plenty of fantasy. Weirdly that makes it less attractive as a challenge, since I don't expect to actually have to do anything to pursue it, but I guess I'm in.


I guess it would have, eh?

Maybe use the review requirement for incentive? You don't have to *only* review 6 of them, yanno . . .

Welcome aboard all!
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jontlaw
Posted 2016-06-06 12:18 PM (#13742 - in reply to #13703)
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Location: Alief, TX		I really like the sound of this challenge. I may pick it up after the new year. There's no way I can add it this year, as I already have seven challenges to finish. But I'll keep my eye on you. I'm a huge sword and sorcery fan.
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Weesam
Posted 2016-06-06 4:20 PM (#13744 - in reply to #13703)
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Location: New Zealand		Okay, the plan didn't last long. I have already ditched A Song of Ice and Fire series in favour of The Winter of the World series. I know that A Song of Ice and Fire is supposed to be a classic, and it is probably way better than The Winter of the World, but I started this challenge with Anvil in the Ice, and decided I wanted to continue and actually finish the series, not have yet another series started and not finished. Something had to go, and I really wasn't feeling it for Song of Ice and Fire. Maybe next year.
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piibald
Posted 2016-06-07 4:59 AM (#13745 - in reply to #13744)
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Unfortunately Marillier was a bit too elegiac for me. To put it in fantasy terms: too much elves wafting around and not enough Aragorn hacking orcs and making solemn vows.

@Weesam
I get not wanting to read A Song of Ice and Fire as GRRM keeps getting in his own way a bit, same as Rothfuss, but I read "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" this year and was surprised to be reminded what a good writer he is, really. Maybe these novellas are just the thing to pave the way for ASOIAF (next year)?
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Sable Aradia
Posted 2016-06-07 9:37 AM (#13746 - in reply to #13742)
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jontlaw - 2016-06-06 10:18 AM

I really like the sound of this challenge. I may pick it up after the new year. There's no way I can add it this year, as I already have seven challenges to finish. But I'll keep my eye on you. I'm a huge sword and sorcery fan.


That's great! Join in any time! (I've just about reached critical mass myself; I have six!)
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Sable Aradia
Posted 2016-06-07 9:40 AM (#13747 - in reply to #13744)
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Weesam - 2016-06-06 2:20 PM

Okay, the plan didn't last long. I have already ditched A Song of Ice and Fire series in favour of The Winter of the World series. I know that A Song of Ice and Fire is supposed to be a classic, and it is probably way better than The Winter of the World, but I started this challenge with Anvil in the Ice, and decided I wanted to continue and actually finish the series, not have yet another series started and not finished. Something had to go, and I really wasn't feeling it for Song of Ice and Fire. Maybe next year.


LOL! Yeah, I get that. I've tried to start it twice already and I figured this challenge was a way to poke myself in the butt. And I've changed my Space Opera challenge about six times, I think. Absolutely; why not keep reading the series you're enjoying? I'm still going to be here next year.
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Sable Aradia
Posted 2016-06-07 10:06 AM (#13748 - in reply to #13745)
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piibald - 2016-06-07 2:59 AM

Unfortunately Marillier was a bit too elegiac for me. To put it in fantasy terms: too much elves wafting around and not enough Aragorn hacking orcs and making solemn vows.

@Weesam
I get not wanting to read A Song of Ice and Fire as GRRM keeps getting in his own way a bit, same as Rothfuss, but I read "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" this year and was surprised to be reminded what a good writer he is, really. Maybe these novellas are just the thing to pave the way for ASOIAF (next year)?


LMAO! Okay, duly noted (and warned!)

I had to look up "elegiac" you know. I don't recall ever seeing the word in print before. I'll have to remember that one . . .

Speaking of ASOIAF, guys, here's a little inspiration for the challenge: https://youtu.be/XAAp_luluo0
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Administrator
Posted 2016-06-07 4:15 PM (#13751 - in reply to #13748)
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Sable Aradia - 2016-06-07 10:06 AM Speaking of ASOIAF, guys, here's a little inspiration for the challenge: https://youtu.be/XAAp_luluo0

Hilarious!  I posted that to the blog and put up a twitter poll too.  Who won?  You decide!

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Sable Aradia
Posted 2016-06-08 9:38 AM (#13757 - in reply to #13751)
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Administrator - 2016-06-07 2:15 PM

Sable Aradia - 2016-06-07 10:06 AM Speaking of ASOIAF, guys, here's a little inspiration for the challenge: https://youtu.be/XAAp_luluo0

Hilarious! I posted that to the blog and put up a twitter poll too. Who won? You decide!



Tee hee! You're welcome!
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juliael71
Posted 2016-06-10 11:23 AM (#13768 - in reply to #13703)
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Pondering joining yet another challenge -- high fantasy is smack in my wheelhouse.

Rule wise, I think Katherine Kurtz's Deryni would safely qualify, but would something like Patricia Kennealy's Keltiad? It's pretty evenly split between the magic and science fiction aspects.
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Sable Aradia
Posted 2016-06-12 11:57 AM (#13792 - in reply to #13768)
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juliael71 - 2016-06-10 9:23 AM

Pondering joining yet another challenge -- high fantasy is smack in my wheelhouse.

Rule wise, I think Katherine Kurtz's Deryni would safely qualify, but would something like Patricia Kennealy's Keltiad? It's pretty evenly split between the magic and science fiction aspects.


Having not read it I can only guess, but based on your description I would say yes. I disqualified Pern because everything in it can be explained scientifically; but when not everything can be explained scientifically (such as in Star Wars before this "midichlorian" idea was introduced) then it's good to go. I read the description in Wikipedia; sounds like a retelling of Celtic myth with spaceships to me. Sounds also like magic actually is a thing, since there was a note in the description about the use of unlawful magic, and so yes, those factors would certainly qualify it!
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Weesam
Posted 2016-06-29 3:57 PM (#13868 - in reply to #13703)
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Location: New Zealand		I kinda feel embarrassed that I have finished the challenge already. High Fantasy is easy for me to read, I just gobble it up. Another High Fantasy challenge next year? I still really need to get to Song of Ice and Fire, after all.
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Sable Aradia
Posted 2016-06-30 10:30 AM (#13869 - in reply to #13868)
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Weesam - 2016-06-29 1:57 PM

I kinda feel embarrassed that I have finished the challenge already. High Fantasy is easy for me to read, I just gobble it up. Another High Fantasy challenge next year? I still really need to get to Song of Ice and Fire, after all.


Oh Weesam! You make the rest of us look like rank amateurs! How was that Michael Scoot Rohan series? I noticed you didn't do any reviews though . . .

I like seeing what other people are reading because it gives you ideas. I see that Kabouter is going to town on some Terry Goodkind. Do you know, in all the years I've been reading the genre, I have yet to read Terry Goodkind? I'm not sure why I haven't gotten around to it yet; just haven't. How is he as a writer? Just because everyone's read him doesn't necessarily mean that he's really good; we sci-fi and fantasy geeks sometimes collect series for the sake of collecting series, you know? Forgotten Realms books are an occasional guilty pleasure of mine, but let's face it; most of their writers are not that good, I just like the world, probably because I'm a gaming geek.

On the other hand, I thought the Kingkiller Chronicles were spectacular! I'll be reading book 2.5, The Slow Regard of Silent Things, for one of the books in my challenge; it sounds more like this particular one would read as fairytale fantasy rather than High Fantasy, but I'm counting it anyway because the rest of the series is High Fantasy. I'm frothing at the mouth waiting for the final book; Rothfuss has been taking his sweet time with that one, eh? I try not to agitate because I'm aware of how long a book takes to write, and when they're complicated they can take more time than others, but still . . . arrrgggghhhhhh!

Yes, there will be another High Fantasy challenge next year, you bet.
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Weesam
Posted 2016-06-30 3:59 PM (#13872 - in reply to #13703)
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Location: New Zealand		I may be a good reader, but I am no writer, therefore I rarely do reviews. A book has to really move me before I do a review. I read other peoples reviews and wish I could put down on paper the thoughts I have like they do, but what seems to come out is "so, I really, really liked this book"!

Regarding Terry Goodkind. When it first came out I read the first 4 books quite quickly and loved them. Then book 5 came out and I couldn't get through it. I tried again a few years later but again abandoned the series at book 5. I tried a third time with the same result. I'm not going to bother trying anymore.

The Patrick Rothfuss series was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed them.
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kabouter
Posted 2016-07-06 8:17 AM (#13932 - in reply to #13703)
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Location: Belgium		I planned on reading those Goodkind books, but it's quite an effort as they are quite big books. I read the first 9 or so some 12 years ago, can't remember much of it now. It might come back while reading. Thought they were quite good, although there was a bit of repetitiveness in it. And the story still wasn't yet finished so I'm going to try again.
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Sable Aradia
Posted 2016-07-29 8:24 PM (#14095 - in reply to #13932)
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kabouter - 2016-07-06 6:17 AM

I planned on reading those Goodkind books, but it's quite an effort as they are quite big books. I read the first 9 or so some 12 years ago, can't remember much of it now. It might come back while reading. Thought they were quite good, although there was a bit of repetitiveness in it. And the story still wasn't yet finished so I'm going to try again.


Good luck! Let us know how it goes!
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kabouter
Posted 2016-09-06 8:09 AM (#14274 - in reply to #13703)
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Location: Belgium		Just finished part 5 of the series. And I must admit that it's going downhill after part 1. I still enjoy the main story line, but the books are filled with repetitions and rehashing of previously explained items. I guess with some good editing you could probably tell the same story in half the amount of pages. What I did like was the fact that it still feels like one big story, the seeds for the next book are always in the previous one. But on an emotional level the books are becoming rather bland. Most everyone become a caricature, the heroes are all good, the bad guys are plain evil. Counting the number of pages in total for the eleven books of the series I'm now halfway so I guess I still have a long way to go...
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