Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast is, perhaps, my favorite of all time. Certainly my favorite of the "fantasy" genre. I'm also Very partial to the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan although, to be fair, I'm midway through it as I write this.
For lighter fare, I've always enjoyed the original DragonLance Chronicles trilogy, which was the series that introduced me to the fantasy genre. I still give it another read every now and then. It's always a pleasure to revisit that story, and I regard it as a true modern classic. Since you enjoy the Forgotten Realms books, you might find these refreshingly familiar as it, too, was a Dungeons & Dragons setting originally. However, the mythos differs from FR's enough for it to feel remarkably different.
A Song of Ice and Fire (the series on which the Game of Thrones TV series is based) is another great series. I will warn that the time between books is often PAINFUL, though. I enjoy the HBO series, but to be honest, it pales in comparison to the source material.
Edit: Because of the game we play, I focused too much on the fantasy genre! You've got to read Hemingway. The Sun Also Rises, The Old Man and the Sea, and A Farewell to Arms are absolute musts. J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye is probably my favorite non-fantasy book of all time, along with Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Don't watch the film; read the book.
For lighter fare, I've always enjoyed the original DragonLance Chronicles trilogy, which was the series that introduced me to the fantasy genre. I still give it another read every now and then. It's always a pleasure to revisit that story, and I regard it as a true modern classic. Since you enjoy the Forgotten Realms books, you might find these refreshingly familiar as it, too, was a Dungeons & Dragons setting originally. However, the mythos differs from FR's enough for it to feel remarkably different.
A Song of Ice and Fire (the series on which the Game of Thrones TV series is based) is another great series. I will warn that the time between books is often PAINFUL, though. I enjoy the HBO series, but to be honest, it pales in comparison to the source material.
Edit: Because of the game we play, I focused too much on the fantasy genre! You've got to read Hemingway. The Sun Also Rises, The Old Man and the Sea, and A Farewell to Arms are absolute musts. J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye is probably my favorite non-fantasy book of all time, along with Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Don't watch the film; read the book.
Yvelont Navarre
Parn Paparn
IC Blog for Yvelont: http://never-your-pawn.tumblr.com
OOC Blog: http://navarre-again.tumblr.com
Parn Paparn
IC Blog for Yvelont: http://never-your-pawn.tumblr.com
OOC Blog: http://navarre-again.tumblr.com
