memes

Yeah, reading Tolkien growing up kind of set me an unrealistic standard for fantasy serieses. After I finished the LotR I became hungry for something as good, and nothing came close. People who only watched the movies don't understand what a masterpiece those books really are.

On a positive note, it saved me from potentially countenancing some absolutely garbage fantasy works, but on the other hand it left me on some search that could never truly be satisfied. Because lets be honest, nothing else holds a candle.

Now decades later, I just finished the Wheel of Time, and even though I ended up really liking it, I had trouble enjoying it at first because I kept comparing it in my mind to Tolkien. It wasn't until I finally convinced myself to stop doing that that I really began to appreciate it for what it is.

I'm reading the prequel now, but mostly just because I'm interested in Moiraine's backstory. (The characters are what really make WoT in my opinion. Without Jordan's skill at writing people, the plot alone would just be meh. Something I felt Sanderson really dropped the ball on in the last three books, where the characters and dialogue get really awkward and bland except for the chapters that were clearly written before Jordan died).

I also read one of the Earthsea books a few years ago and thought it was really good. I've been meaning to read the rest of those, which are probably next on my list.

And I have some of the Ring World books waiting for some more lighthearted fantasy. Howl's Moving Castle was another fun lighthearted one, but I haven't read either of the sequels.

Other than that, I'm not sure if there are any other fantasy series that interest me. I don't think I can get into Narnia. I'm not interested in Song of Ice and Fire or the Witcher. Maybe there's a gem tucked away somewhere I haven't heard of yet, but I don't intend to do much digging to look for it. I recently read about Piers Anthony, so maybe I'll pull that string a little more. But overall I think Ring World will keep me occupied for a while (after I finish Earthsea, of course). Then maybe I'll move on to some scifi.