Fantasy Book Recommendation

[--Pete]

Hi,

That's where you come in. What books would you recommend to a fantasy newbie to get her excited about the genre? Perhaps a top three would be most effective. Suggestions? Thanks!

It depends on the type of reading she likes to do in general. Two selections from Poul Anderson come to mind. If she likes a light, easy read, try Three Hearts and Three Lions. If she prefers epic stories with more depth, try The King of YS. Both are excellently written unlike most of fantasy (Sturgeon's Law applies squared to fantasy;))

And I'll second the suggestion for Nine Princes in Amber which is an excellent work by Roger Zelazny. But be warned, it is the first book (of an excellent series), as I found out at about 1 AM the night I finished it and realized that I'd have to wait until the bookstores opened the next day to find out what happens next. Perhaps you'd be better off to get the whole series (I've seen it as a two (three?) volume set). The sequel series is, IMHO, not as good, but still excellent.

Perhaps my favorite (non-Tolkien) fantasy of all time comes from an unusual source. Robert A. Heinlein was very much a hard sf author, but his Glory Road is a perfect fantasy novel. Or perhaps it is sf based on math -- but either way, say 'hello' to Igli for me:)

Good luck,

--Pete