George R.R. Martin! I have read 5 (out of what will be 7 volumes) in the series: A Song of Ice and Fire. His writing is stunning! Finally some originality! No elves or orcs! Thank Heavens! I think Martin's work is as relevant to this generation as the works of the "other" RR to the past generation of readers. Anyone picked up his stuff? What do you think? (Those who have not read his stuff, Amazon up "A Game of Thrones" the first volume in the series. You WILL be hooked!

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~etexas~

Martin's work was to crude and banal for me. Robert Jordan any day.

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

Really? I find his writing to hold an elegance and a cohesiveness that is rather lacking with Jordan.

So send me your copy!

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-JD
1Thess5:21
Ordained Deacon, PCA
Serving in the SBC
MS

Team blog: ChristianSkepticism.org | Personal:...a Longmire rambles | facebook

Actually, I am rereading the first five! I am on "A Game of Thrones" now. Sorry man!

I am really liking Jordan right now. But I only started the Wheel of Time series recently (just finished volume 1). I liked Eddings's Belgariad quite a bit, although the later series were not as good. I have a really hard time with Brooks. He seems just a little ingrown to me. I think, despite all the negative hype about him, that Paolini will mature into a fine author as well, even though he needs to work on his originality.

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Rev. Lane Keister
Teaching Elder, PCA, North Dakota (working out of bounds in a CRC and an RCA church)
http://greenbaggins.wordpress.com
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Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins...

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John J.
Member Christ Prebyterian Church (OPC)
Salt Lake City, Utah
www.christpres.net

Score, John! Only their writing style is atrocious.

Give Martin a glance Brother! I prefer him to Jordan, his is both more polished and mature.

I will certainly give him a shot. Fantasy lit is one of my favorite genres. So much scope for imagination. Tolkien still rules the roost in terms of all-time writers, though. Wouldn't you agree?

Yup!

You guys are making me think about starting to read fantasy again - I have pretty much given it up...

I have a hard time with a lot of fantasy literature (I suppose with most contemporary literature) because it seems that a lot of people have no ear for words: if you try to read out loud it sounds childish and pathetic. I'll have to give Martin and Jordan a look (and has anyone read Erickson -Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen?), but honestly I will be more than astounded if anyone comes within several light-years of Stephen R. Donaldson.

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Ruben
Moderator

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Tolkien is still king! But he was "important" in that he was relevant to his generation, to be honest, I have been waiting for a writer to appear with creativity, imagination, and drop dead writing style for our times. I think this writer has come, George Martin.

I used to work at Borders, and he was very, very popular. He came with such a high recommendation, so I'm thinking that I might start up that series.

In fact, it's only that series of his that I keep hearing about. Does he have any other good stuff?

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Dan Pemberton
Vacaville, CA

Member, First Baptist Church San Luis Obispo
Formerly ABUSA (We left, so I guess that makes us American Baptists Unleashed!)

There is a two volume set of short stories (I forget the title) that is VERY well received by both readers and lit critics.

My favorite contemporary fantasy writer is L. B. Graham. He is the author of the "Binding of the Blade" series, of which the last book (#5) is coming out this summer. He is also reformed and I believe a graduate from Covenant Theological Seminary. His reformed world view, although not explicit, often shines through in the "Binding of the Blade" books. I would highly recommend his books to any fans of the fantasy genre. They would be good for younger kids too because there is nothing inappropriate in them, except for some violence, and they would be conductive to teaching a reformed world view.

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Dan Dorman
Member of Pilgrim OPC in my hometown-Bangor, Maine
Currently attending Christ the King OPC in Longview, Texas, where I am a college student

"All of history is moving toward one great goal, the white-hot worship of God and His Son among all the peoples of the earth. Missions is not that goal. It is the means. And for that reason it is the second greatest human activity in the world." — John Piper

I have not read Jordan but I had a similar impression of Martin when I tried to read him. I did not finish the book.

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Scott Roberts
Ruling Elder, Lakeside Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Southlake, Texas

BTW, some of you guys might be interested in Masterpieces of the Imaginative Mind: Literature’s Most Fantastic Works. You should be able to get it through your public library with interlibrary loan.

It has to be the writers of Spy vs Spy. I don't care who you are, that right there is some good stuff.

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For the sake of the Name,

John Hill
Faith Community - Woodstock, Ga
Adopted. Husband for 12 years. Father of 5 children.
http://faithcommunitychurch.org- My home church
Rocky Top, you'll always be, home sweet home to me.