Some people ask “Ian, what are some books that you’d recommend sci-fi/fantasy fans?” Actually, no one has asked me this, however, I’m going to tell you anyway, because I can. This list isn’t exhaustive, and it doesn’t cover ALL the books I’d recommend, but these are some of the books that ave most influenced me as a writer and reader. On some other occasion, I’ll publish a list of books I’d recommend to the comic/graphic novel audience, and then some for budding artists. The Black CauldronThe Chronicles of Prydain were a high fantasy series by Lloyd Alexander. I refer to them as “The Lord of the Rings for people with short attention spans” which is by no means an insult. All of them are good, but the best in my personal opinion is The Black Cauldron. I have never seen the animated Disney version, but from what I’ve heard, it’s nothing like the book. The book is actually good. But don’t take my word for it; read it yourself. A Wrinkle In TimeThis Scifi-fantasy novel was pretty influential on me as a teen. It had a certain “something” that resonated with me. I don’t have a name for it. It was very eye-opening and enlightening. I very much enjoyed it. I don’t know about the movie, I haven’t seen it yet, but the book is good. L’Engle wrote several other novels in the series, but none were as good as the first. That Hideous StrengthThe third book in C.S. Lewis’ Space trilogy happens to be my personal favorite. It was a huge influence on the development of the Sword Bearer. It’s a seminal work of Cosmic Fantasy. The Worm OuroborosThis is an early pre-Tolkien high fantasy book about a war between two nations on a fantasy version of the planet Mercury. Written in 1922, this book was praised by C.S. Lewis and Tolkien as a great work. It’s a bit of a challenging read, given that it’s written almost entirely in 16th century English. If you’re familiar with the King James Bible or the works of Shakespeare, you’ll pick it pretty quickly. I’m still reading through it, but so far I’m really enjoying it. The Children of HurinThis underappreciated work of Tolkien’s tells the story of Turin, a warrior exiled from his homeland by the Dark Lord Morgoth, and sent to wander Middle Earth. Arthur C. ClarkeI’ve been a fan of Clarke for years. He was one of the first science fiction writers that I really enjoyed, particularly his short stories. I tried one of his novels once; he took too long to get to the point, but I have a regrettably short attention span. If you’re into scifi, or want to get into scifi, look no further.
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AuthorI'm Ian Wilson; an eccentric comic artist, just telling a story.
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