03-28-2007, 09:51 AM
Not too much that hasn't already been mentioned, but I'd like to re-emphasize Dune as one of the greatest books ever written.
Other than that, I was surprised no one brought up CS Lewis' work, as it is considered classic by most, and definitely not dense.
If you want to get something with a definite pedigree, you could try something a little...older. Shakespeare's The Tempest probably qualifies for the genre (as well as a good bit of his other stuff).
But ultimately, you should know your friend better than any of us here. Does she read light stuff for fun, or quality stuff? Humorous? Dark? Fantasy comes in all flavors, last I checked, even some that never end (Jordan). I've been on a Sci-Fi kick of late, myself, and I find the older stuff that has survived to date is MUCH better than most of its modern analogues (with a couple of notable exceptions). Aside from Tolkien and Lewis, I don't know of too many older fantasy novels, but Sci-Fi author crossover is a pretty good place to start, Heinlein being perhaps foremost there.
Oh, and Dune.
--me
(PS, try Dune)
Other than that, I was surprised no one brought up CS Lewis' work, as it is considered classic by most, and definitely not dense.
If you want to get something with a definite pedigree, you could try something a little...older. Shakespeare's The Tempest probably qualifies for the genre (as well as a good bit of his other stuff).
But ultimately, you should know your friend better than any of us here. Does she read light stuff for fun, or quality stuff? Humorous? Dark? Fantasy comes in all flavors, last I checked, even some that never end (Jordan). I've been on a Sci-Fi kick of late, myself, and I find the older stuff that has survived to date is MUCH better than most of its modern analogues (with a couple of notable exceptions). Aside from Tolkien and Lewis, I don't know of too many older fantasy novels, but Sci-Fi author crossover is a pretty good place to start, Heinlein being perhaps foremost there.
Oh, and Dune.
--me
(PS, try Dune)