RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

Sorivity · **12-30-2014, 01:36 AM**

Dat alliteration doe, right?

Anyhow, onto the point of this topic!

A small detail pertaining to my background, that I may or may not have mentioned in my introductory thread: I work at a gas station. Bear in mind however, that this is a gas station that's not on a major highway or four-lane. It's a small store on a road that's relatively far off the beaten path, so business on some days can be scarce.

What is a girl to do to entertain herself? Read, of course! It dawned on me earlier while I was reading though, that some people may not be familiar with the books I've been reading in order to pass the time. Because of this, I have decided to take it upon myself to recommend some of my personal favourite titles!

The Redwall Series

by Brian Jacques

It surprises me that not many people know about this marvelous series. On par with other novels such as Watership DownÂ and The Wind in the Willows, Brian Jacques' RedwallÂ series takes place mostly in a place called Mossflower Wood. There books do not particularly take part in any single timeframe, but rather at various intervals throughout the entirety of the series' history.

A character in a previous book may be a historical -- or even legendary-- figure in the books to follow it. Many of the characters in past installments are featured in future ones, and it is done in such a way that it permits just about any reader to jump into the series wherever s/he so chooses, and things will make enough sense to continue. Then, for future clarification the reader can, more times than not, go read the book used to describe the events in greater detail.

For another bit of clarification, yes, this series' history is very wonderfully pieced together and highly consistent.

The one thing that may dissuade readers from reading the series: yes, it is generally aimed at older children. They are technically considered children's fantasy novels, but I implore you: pleaseÂ do not let that stop you. Brian Jacques is an amazing writer. His books have kept me happy and entertained since I was in middle school, and they have the same effect on me now as they did back then.

Currently, there are twenty-two books in the series. If so desired, I can post them in chronological order for everyone.

The Keys to the KingdomÂ Series

by Garth Nix

The premise of the series is relatively simple: the books chronicle the adventures of a 12-year-old boy named Arthur Penhaligon. He is chosen to become the rightful heir of "The House," or the center of the universe. The Trustees of the various houses, one for each day of the week, are the main antagonists of each book (also named after each day of the week), and attempt to stop Arthur from assuming his place as heir.

While the core storyline can be relatively easy to follow, I would be remiss not to warn everyone that much of the magic and technology in the series can be difficult to comprehend at times.Â

Then, on the same note, the storyline is complex. There are a great many characters and events that the reader needs to know as they continue, so it is strongly suggestedÂ that you start at the beginning! There is far too much to try and explain here, so if you'd perhaps like to delve a little more into the aspect, do some research into it!

While certainly not as well written as the series above, it's still highly entertaining.

The Spellwright Trilogy

by Blake Charlton

I'll admit: back when I first read Spellwright, I'd originally heard nothing about it. I was simply flipping through my girlfriend's Kindle one day, found it, and started reading it. Let me start by saying that I was notÂ disappointed in any way, shape, or form.

The book's protagonist is Nicodemus Weal, a boy who lives in a fantastical world where spells are written into books, and then literally pulled out. As in they grab the words and pull them out of the book. How cool is that? Nicodemus was prophesized to be the Halycon, a powerful wizard predicted to stop an event called the War of Disjunction.

However, there's one problem... when crafting spells, runes must be carefully put together in order to correctly form a spell. Any deviations or changes in the order are called misspells. Some can be goofy, while others can be catastrophic and lethal. Nicodemus suffers from a disability called cacography, which causes perfectly good words and spells to become misspells simply by touchingÂ them.

All in all, a wonderful series that I would recommend to anyone and everyone.

12/30/14

The His Dark MaterialsÂ Trilogy

by Phillip Pullman

I can already hear the raucous boos and hisses of disapproval because of the total, complete failure of a movie. Hold your sneers, people! Remember the phrase about not judging a book by its cover? Well don't judge this book by its movie! ...And then there's the phrase about books always being better than their movie counterparts, and this is no exception!

This trilogy follows two protagonists, though the primary (and first mentioned) is a young girl named Lyra Belacqua. She's an orphaned girl who lives at Jordan College, living a carefree life until the visit of two of the most powerful individuals known in their universe: her uncle, Lord Asriel, and Mrs. Coulter, a woman whose usually kind disposition belies the sinister, evil motives behind her.

Every person has something called a dÃ¦mon, external manifestations of their souls, or their inner selves, that typically take on the form of an animal. They are fully cognizant beings, who are of human intelligence and capable of human speech. They are capable of changing shapes at will while the person they are bound to is still a child, and have a connection that allows one to feel what the other is feeling, whether it be sadness, happiness, and even physical pain.

Anyhow! I've droned on enough about this series! Honestly, His Dark MaterialsÂ is a wonderful trilogy, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone!

Parvacake · **12-30-2014, 04:03 AM**

Redwall <3

Faye · **12-30-2014, 04:06 AM**

I've never read any of the Keys to the Kingdom series, but I love the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. Smile

I'll have to check it out sometime.

Titor · **12-30-2014, 04:10 AM**

Ahhhh Redwall..

EULALIAAAA

Lillini · **12-30-2014, 04:45 AM**

I love Redwall! <3 <3 I would recommend the Dragonlance Series as well, for people who like fantasy.

Sorivity · **12-30-2014, 06:09 AM**

(12-30-2014, 04:06 AM)Faye Wrote: I've never read any of the Keys to the Kingdom series, but I love the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. I'll have to check it out sometime.

The first book by Garth Nix I ever read was Abhorsen. That was what got me into Nix, and I never regretted it once! I would definitely suggest looking into the KeysÂ series though. Very nice! I've been re-reading Drowned WednesdayÂ as of late.

Also, wow! I wasn't expecting so many replies in such a short timeframe! I'll definitely have to continue this list when I get home tomorrow! Thank you all for the replies! I'll try not to disappoint.~

Sailor July · **12-30-2014, 06:42 AM**

HOLY SHIT.

REDWALL.

LIKE.

YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

I was reading that when I was very little, don't think I even finished, but I remember that cover. I could never remember the name. SO EXCITE.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS THREAD.

***Maril*** · **12-30-2014, 08:27 AM**

The Magicians Guild by Trudi Canavan is one of my all-time favorites, it was so good it put me off books for a while because I just wanted more of the same and the new books I picked up didn't meet that need (obviously) the series have a prequel and there's a continuation of it going on as well, I didn't read the prequel though and I've gotten a bit stuck in the continuation, regardless though, read it!Â

The Edge Chronicles is what got me into fantasy when I was a kid and probably one of the series I secretly hope will maybe get a movie someday.. I never completed the series back then, but it's first up on my re-read list. I have some very fond memories of those books.Â

I might check out Spellwright, if I can get it anywhere around here.

Dogberry · **12-30-2014, 09:25 AM**

IF YOU LIKE REDWALL you owe it to yourself to check out a comic called Mouse Guard. It's an adventure comic about mice in a medieval society, and the guardsmice who protect the trade paths between mouse cities from predators.

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Steel Wolf · **12-30-2014, 09:33 AM**

Count me among the Redwall fans! Big Grin

Been reading the series for YEARS, from Martin the Warrior to Salamandastron and everything else in between and perhaps a bit beyond. It always baffled me that it never got made into some sort of animated series. It seems like it'd make a kick-ass anime....but if it were animated by the likes of Don Bluth.

But that's just me...

Also, I'll take up Dogberry's suggestion about that comic. Sounds like it's a thing I must have

Martiallais · **12-30-2014, 11:45 AM**

While I've not read any of the books listed, I'm always looking for more things to add to my current reading list so thanks for this! I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the thread! Big Grin

Sounsyy · **12-30-2014, 03:42 PM**

Redwall was my childhood! <3

Also, I'd like to add a few! These are a few of my favorites that I highly recommend.

One Bloody Thing After Another
by Joey Comeau

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I consider this horror-comedy novel the masterwork of Joey Comeau, author of Overqualified and the webcomic A Softer World. Normally, I'd describe the book in my own words, but I think the back of the book sells itself better than I ever could.

Quote:Jackie has a map of the city on the wall of her bedroom, with a green pin for each of her trees. She has a first-kiss tree and a broken-arm tree. She has a car-accident tree. There is a tree at the hospital where Jackieâ€™s mother passed away into the long good night. When one of them gets cut down, Jackie doesnâ€™t know what to do but she doesnâ€™t let that stop her. She picks up the biggest rock she can carry and puts it through the window of a car. Smash. She intends to leave before the police arrive, but theyâ€™re early.
Ann is Jackieâ€™s best friend, but sheâ€™s got problems of her own. Her mother is chained up in the basement. How do you bring that up in casual conversation? â€œOh, sorry Iâ€™ve been so distant, Jackie. My mother has more teeth than sheâ€™s supposed to, and she wonâ€™t eat anything thatâ€™s already dead.â€ Ann and her sister Margaret donâ€™t have much of a choice here. Their mother needs to be fed. It isnâ€™t easy but this is family. Itâ€™s not supposed to be easy. Itâ€™ll be okay as long as Margaret and Ann still have each other.
Add in a cantankerous old man, his powerfully stupid dog, a headless ghost, a lesbian crush and a few unsettling visits from Jackieâ€™s own dead mother, and youâ€™ll find that One Bloody Thing After Another is a different sort of horror novel from the ones youâ€™re used to. Itâ€™s as sad and funny as it is frightening, and it is as much about the way families rely on each other as it is about blood being drooled on the carpet. Though, to be honest, there is a lot of blood being drooled on the carpet.

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Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
by Haruki Murakami

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Haruki Murakami (author of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle) flawlessly combines something bold and fantastic into the ordinary everyday of real life. This is one of those novels that really took me by surprise and left a void behind when I was done with it. Hard-boiled Wonderland contains a wonderfully poignant vision of the evolution of our Information Age and one man's struggle to hang on to a simpler time, real or imagined. It's one of those books where you don't realize you're hooked until you try to put it down and your subconscious just starts screaming "Just one more chapter!"

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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
by Jonathan Safran Foer

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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a powerful novel following a child who has lost his father to the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center and his secret adventure across New York to find the lock that belongs to a mysterious key his father left behind. Oskar Schell's journey is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking and the novel as a whole speak volumes to our humanity and, for many readers, hits incredibly close to home. For those who haven't read the book, but have seen the movie, know that you've missed well over half the story. One of the wonderful things about reading Jonathan Safran Foer's work is that he never writes just a single linear storyline, but multiple, which blend together to truly cover the story from many perspectives.

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Peter Panzerfaust
by Kurtis J. Wiebe & Tyler Jenkins

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(For those who enjoy comic books! And maybe even those who don't.)
You guessed it! Peter Panzerfaust is an epic retelling of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan set in Nazi occupied France after the fall of Calais in 1940. Peter, a charismatic American boy, rescues a group of French orphans and leads them across Europe to safety from the approaching Nazi armies. I picked up this comic over Christmas and I have to say, it really makes you fall in love with Peter Pan all over again.

allgivenover · **12-30-2014, 06:32 PM**

Interview with the Vampire

by Anne Rice

Can't help but share the mother of all modern vampire fiction. I first read this at nine years old, and never have grown out of it.

You can read it as a metaphor for suppressed sexuality, or take it at its glorious face value as the vampire Louis de Point du Lac paints a vivid picture of 1800s New Orleans and the shares with you the story of how he became a vampire.

These are not the vampires of modern speculative fiction. They don't love boring human girls or sparkle, nor are they even capable of sex. Blood drives them to ecstasy (something something metaphor for sexuality something something). It's just awesome.

And no one does melancholic better than Anne Rice.

Parvacake · **12-30-2014, 06:53 PM**

I've always been a huge fan of the fantasy genre and fiction. I won't go into super huge detail of why I love the series I love, will just post the pictures and exclaim ahead of time all of them are amazing.

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Just a warning: Clockwork Princess made me bawl my eyes out. Still does every single time.
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There's more books to the series then what's shown here, and while it's technically a collection of romance novels there's a rich story underlying everything and each book ties it together. Love, love, LOVE this series!

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Aris · **12-30-2014, 07:34 PM**

Will definitely have to check out the books mentioned!Â Tongue

I can also vouch for The Black Magician Triology by Trudi Canavan - one of my favourite seriesÂ Smile

Â Another favourite I'd like to add is The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. I've not been as enchanted by a book series for a long time. ;u;

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Lilliana's List of Lovely Literature

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes