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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Enchanting novels

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Mastadge, Sep 22, 2001.

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  1. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 4, 1999
    There are great books and great books, but what about those that surpass goodness and greatness and are just, simply...enchanting. The childhood favorites that we can still love years later; the books that we read in a single sitting because we simply cannot put them down.

    My favorite book, for more than half of my life, has been Michael Ende's The Neverending Story. It is the most enchanting book I've ever read, by a fair margin.

    Anyone else ever been enchanted by a book?
     
  2. Darth Ludicrous

    Darth Ludicrous Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 25, 2000
    Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia
     
  3. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 4, 1999
    Neither of those quite did it for me, but The Thief of Always, Tailchaser's Song, Stardust and a few others came close.
     
  4. Darth Ludicrous

    Darth Ludicrous Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 25, 2000
    Stardust was good, but I always thought Neverwhere was more memorable.
     
  5. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 4, 1999
    I just read Stardust over the last 2-3 hours, so it's fresh in my mind. Time will tell if it holds up. It's the only Gaiman book I've read other than Good Omens.
     
  6. Jeremyguy

    Jeremyguy Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 11, 1998
    The Hardy Boys

    ;)
     
  7. Anakin SkySolo

    Anakin SkySolo Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 20, 1999
    DL--

    So you're rather fond of the Inklings, I take it?

    Anyway--

    In addition to Lord of the Rings and many Heinlein "juveniles," I was also fond of the Tripods Trilogy by John Christopher (The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, and The Pool of Fire; the prequel, When the Tripods Came, was only published much later).

    Which is kind of funny, in a way. I just learned that Christopher's No Blade of Grass, under its original title Death of Grass, was the runner-up to The Lord of the Rings for the International Fantasy Award in 1957.

    I suppose that the British do produce a few good authors now and again...
     
  8. NaboosPrincess

    NaboosPrincess Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    May 14, 2001
    All the books I have read that were written by Lloyd Alexander really enchanted me, especially the Prydain Chronicles.
     
  9. Lord_of_the_Socks

    Lord_of_the_Socks Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Sep 22, 2001
    Lord of the Rings series
     
  10. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 4, 1999
    Another good one that I remember fondly from childhood is Cooper's The Dark is Rising cycle.
     
  11. DesignSith

    DesignSith Jedi Master star 2

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    Feb 12, 2000
    Narnia is one of the best fantasy series ever, IMHO. My personal favorite is Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

    I believe Gaiman's best is his new novel, American Gods, and the last few storylines of Sandman.

    Another great series is the Tredana trilogy by Joyce Ballou Gregorian... They've been out of print since the late 80's, but if you ever see used copies, pick them up.
     
  12. RogueMonCalamari

    RogueMonCalamari Jedi Youngling star 2

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    Aug 18, 2001
    LotR (I have Lord of the Rings, each book in like 4 different editions. I'm helpless, i know), Dune (the first, the original, not the prequel rubbish or the other 5, just DUNE), Chroniciles of Prydain, Lord Brocktree (Part of Redwall series), Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and more soon.
     
  13. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 4, 1999
    I have my dad's copy of paperback Lord of the Rings from the sixties and a relatively new big leatherbound edition
     
  14. I-poodoo

    I-poodoo Jedi Padawan star 4

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    May 1, 2001
    Ender's game by Orson scott Card and The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

    Those are the two for me as a young adult.
    If you want the ones for back when I was a kid...

    Peter Pan, Treasure Island, and ofcourse the Star Wars movies, but i guess they don't count since they're not actually books.
     
  15. LoveisSuicideSP

    LoveisSuicideSP Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Apr 23, 2001
    Yeah, I have my dad's Lord of the Rings trilogy from the 1960's. It's all falling apart and yellow and stuff, but that didn't affect the magic of the story at all. It took many years of my dad urging me to read LOTR, but i read it this summer and it is one of the most incredible stories i have ever read.
     
  16. Balance_Point

    Balance_Point Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Jul 10, 2001
    The Chronicles of Narnia series is the first that comes to mind for me when I think of books that have "enchanted" me. Particularly The Horse and His Boy, which is still my favorite of the series.

    The Harry Potter series is awesome as well. And Roald Dahl's written a few books that come to mind... Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, to name a few.

    Hm... when I think about it, it's books that were intended for children that strike me now as the most enchanting. There are a few exceptions--Lord of the Rings, for example--but by and large, nothing beats a good old childhood classic. :)
     
  17. JWK

    JWK Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jul 18, 2000
    The Demon Wars Saga.
     
  18. Rogue_Solo

    Rogue_Solo Jedi Youngling star 3

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    Feb 21, 2001
    No one's mentioned mine yet. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. Love that book. Oh, and Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Wonderful take on Cinderella.
     
  19. Gandalf the Grey

    Gandalf the Grey Jedi Knight star 6

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    May 14, 2000
    The Silmarillion. It drew me into a world of Elves and Heroes like no other novel ever has. The valor of the Noldor against desperate odds. The sorrows of Hurin and Turin as Morgoth tried to break their spirit. The majesty of fallen Gondolin. The evils of Morgoth and Sauron and Glaurung. And most of all, the story of Beren and Luthien, the quest hopeless but not certain, their fates tragic but uplifting.


    Also, A Song of Ice and Fire. It?s such a dichotomy. There are Knights in Shinning armor. Those Knights have a tendency to rape, pillage and plunder. There are handsome and dashing Kings and graceful and stately queens. The Kings have a tendency to get killed, and the Queens have a tendency to sleep with just about anyone (including their own brothers). There are Courtiers and Fops who seem quite harmless at first glance, nice fellows who are happy to help. These are the really dangerous types, as their associates who outlive their usefulness tend to develop serious health problems (namely, they get poisoned or stabbed or thrown down cliffs or die in freak accidents). I love that series?
     
  20. Knight1192

    Knight1192 Jedi Knight star 6

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    Feb 5, 2000
    When I was a little kid, the Curious George books. Today, their just cute to me. But then times change, and I grew up. Still, I do like em.

    Anyway, on to more modern tastes in the terms of enchanting. The Time Machine. Washington Irving's Sketch Book (which includes his two best known works, Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow)and his Knickerbocker Tales (in other words, Knickerbocker's History of New York). The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. (Hey, don't flame me on that one. Yeah, he may well have wrote it for kids, but it's good for all ages.) A Visit from St. Nicholas. (Again, no flaming, it's a great poem.) The Odyssey. Le Morte de Arthur. A Christmas Carol. And from the works of my favorite poet, The Tell Tale Heart, The Black Cat, The Raven, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Masque of the Red Death.
     
  21. Jeremyguy

    Jeremyguy Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 11, 1998
    I was, of course, kidding about the Hardy Boys books in my previous post...but seriously: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, and Bob Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy and Icewind Dale Trilogy are books I've read countless times and never get tired of. Also MacBeth.
     
  22. Jedi_Cryix

    Jedi_Cryix Jedi Youngling

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    Jul 26, 2001
    I've always had a warm and fuzzy place in my heart for the Rama series by Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Wonderful look at what it is to be human i think.
     
  23. Charlemagne19

    Charlemagne19 Chosen One star 8

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    Jul 30, 2000
    The Following books "The Road to Oz", "Ozma of Oz", and "The Emerald City of Oz" are the "Ozma Trilogy" of the Wizard of Oz books which I think best bring out the character whose been the love of my life....all the Oz books truly have served as a inspiration to me no matter what time, place, or feeling in my life.

    God bless all of L. Frank Baum, Ruth Plumly Thompson, and Neil's works.

    For a contempory set the Moorchild is an excellent novel on fairies and the recent work "Paradox in Oz" which is Ozma's first stand alone.

    I'm an addict I need help, I know
     
  24. Fluke_Groundwalker

    Fluke_Groundwalker Jedi Youngling star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 11, 2001
    As this is a STAR WARS forum, why aren't we talking about STAR WARS??

    Anyway, here's my list:

    All Quiet on the Western Front
    The Red Badge of Courage
    Catcher in the Rye
    2001: A Space Odyssey
    Iron Fist *Phanan's death scene was very moving. It shows how talented Allston really is.*
     
  25. Knight1192

    Knight1192 Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2000
    This is a Star Was Literature forum. We talk mostly about Star Wars lit here, but we also talk about lit other than Star Wars. Especially if that lit was written by a Star Wars author. We also discuss history as well. Most often, we do so by comparing Star Wars to our own history.
     
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