BOOKS 1. Spock's World by Diane Duane Because this story had such great world-building, characterization, sprawling history and biology and astronomy, and was so influential that it became canon for the Trek universe.
2. The Tough Guide To Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones Because it mocks sword-and-sorcery tropes (gently) and has real humour and satire and genuine love for the fantasy genre.
3. The Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones A favourite of mine as a child. Loved it so much. Loved the way there were flawed characters and unreliable narrators. Loved the way it uses brains rather than brawn to outwit the enemy.
4. Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones An excellent brain-bender, with detailed world-building and a rather excellent study of teenagerhood and young female sexuality, and interstellar empires , politics, and corruption of power. Yum.
5. The Dark Lord of Derkholm series by Diana Wynne Jones Another funny, loving play on Fantasyworld tropes. Loved the family dynamics of siblings from different species.
6. The Power of Three by Diana Wynne Jones I read this at a young age and have re-read it repeatedly over the years. Young teens face evil, but with a twist: ordinary humans are the aliens here. Again, enemies who have reasons for what they do, rather than simply being evil. Victory through negotiation and compromise rather than main force. Understanding your enemy and forming an alliance with them to 'defeat' them, and avoiding a war as the way to 'win'. Great stuff.
7. The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper Do I even need to explain this one? The things Cooper does with british mythology are great. And the time-twisting. Mmmm, yeah.
8. The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander I have such a soft spot for this series, even though it's fairly bog-standard boy-on-a-quest stuff.
9. The Godbond trilogy by Nancy Springer Quite dark, quite twisted. I'm not entirely happy with the resolution, but I like that the heroine is damaged and still the heroine -- and she still gets her man, who loves her despite her being damaged and trying to nobly give him up.
10. The Dark Horse series by Mary H. Herbert Another influential series, quite cliched in places, but I like the female heroine, who definitely has a mind of her own. I also like that it follows several generations through the series, and does history and politics, and... yeah. I have a thing for world-building.
Quite a few young-adult books there, but I hate the way male authors and/or boy-on-a-quest stories are classed as 'real' SFF, whereas female authors and/or girl-on-a-quest stories are classed as children's books, young adult or fantasy romance. I mean, I loved Eddings' Belgariad, but really...
ETA: Oooh, thinking of the Belgariad -- can someone else list "David and Leigh Eddings"? Apparently they co-wrote *ALL* the Eddings' books, but the publishers said the books would sell better if they were listed under *his* name only! It's unjust that Leigh Eddings doesn't get any credit for the books she wrote with her husband.
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Date: 2011-08-13 09:46 pm (UTC)1. Spock's World by Diane Duane
Because this story had such great world-building, characterization, sprawling history and biology and astronomy, and was so influential that it became canon for the Trek universe.
2. The Tough Guide To Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
Because it mocks sword-and-sorcery tropes (gently) and has real humour and satire and genuine love for the fantasy genre.
3. The Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones
A favourite of mine as a child. Loved it so much. Loved the way there were flawed characters and unreliable narrators. Loved the way it uses brains rather than brawn to outwit the enemy.
4. Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones
An excellent brain-bender, with detailed world-building and a rather excellent study of teenagerhood and young female sexuality, and interstellar empires , politics, and corruption of power. Yum.
5. The Dark Lord of Derkholm series by Diana Wynne Jones
Another funny, loving play on Fantasyworld tropes. Loved the family dynamics of siblings from different species.
6. The Power of Three by Diana Wynne Jones
I read this at a young age and have re-read it repeatedly over the years. Young teens face evil, but with a twist: ordinary humans are the aliens here. Again, enemies who have reasons for what they do, rather than simply being evil. Victory through negotiation and compromise rather than main force. Understanding your enemy and forming an alliance with them to 'defeat' them, and avoiding a war as the way to 'win'. Great stuff.
7. The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper
Do I even need to explain this one? The things Cooper does with british mythology are great. And the time-twisting. Mmmm, yeah.
8. The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
I have such a soft spot for this series, even though it's fairly bog-standard boy-on-a-quest stuff.
9. The Godbond trilogy by Nancy Springer
Quite dark, quite twisted. I'm not entirely happy with the resolution, but I like that the heroine is damaged and still the heroine -- and she still gets her man, who loves her despite her being damaged and trying to nobly give him up.
10. The Dark Horse series by Mary H. Herbert
Another influential series, quite cliched in places, but I like the female heroine, who definitely has a mind of her own. I also like that it follows several generations through the series, and does history and politics, and... yeah. I have a thing for world-building.
Quite a few young-adult books there, but I hate the way male authors and/or boy-on-a-quest stories are classed as 'real' SFF, whereas female authors and/or girl-on-a-quest stories are classed as children's books, young adult or fantasy romance. I mean, I loved Eddings' Belgariad, but really...
ETA: Oooh, thinking of the Belgariad -- can someone else list "David and Leigh Eddings"? Apparently they co-wrote *ALL* the Eddings' books, but the publishers said the books would sell better if they were listed under *his* name only! It's unjust that Leigh Eddings doesn't get any credit for the books she wrote with her husband.