From: blang@VNET.IBM.COM
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 95 16:20:58 EST
Subject: Recommendations

Doug,

First of all, like so many others who've sent letters to you,
I'd like to thank you for putting together such a wonderful
set of reviews.  I'd also like to thank you for pointing out
the personality test;  I, too, am an INFJ, and I found myself
agreeing with you on several of your reviews.  Of course, human
nature being what it is, when I disagreed with you, it was a
doozie.  While I liked Donaldson's Mordant's Need, I couldn't
even finish the first of the Covenant books.  I thought Connie
Willis' Doomsday Book was very good, especially because it
paints a more realistic picture of the middle ages than does
other books (i.e. historical fiction genre).  Thirdly, and maybe this is
because I took a Chaucer class in college, I found Hyperion good
but overall nothing but The Canterbury Tales in Space.
I'm still debating whether to read The Fall of Hyperion.

On the other hand, Guy Gavriel Kay is my favorite author, and I
whole-heartedly recommend Lions of Al-Rassan to you.  It's more in
line with Song for Arbonne than Tigana (Tigana having elements
of magic in it that Song and Lions do not contain).  I also agree
with you on Greg Bear;  The Infinity Concerto and The Serpent Mage
were the first two books of his I had read and I believe they
are extremely powerful.  I'm currently finishing Anvil of Stars and I
think this duology (The Forge of God is the first book) is also
well-written and a superb story.  Thanks for the review of Ken
Grimwood's Replay; one of the best books I've ever read, with some
imaginative ideas and a surprising ending.

Just to let you know this isn't all chaff, here's some other recommendations:

Charles DeLint -- Of all his works, I think The Little Country stands out.
Others will argue that Moonheart and Spiritwalk are better, but something
about those two rang false.  The Little Country makes you believe in magic.

Peter Beagle -- The Last Unicorn is delightful in the same way that
Disney movies are delightful.  Also, Beagle is one of the best at
handling the English language; his analogies brighten the story and open
the mind.

CJ Cherryh -- Fortress in the Eye of Time.  This probably isn't out in
paperback yet, and it is the first book by Cherryh that I've read.  It
is a fantasy along the lines of Crowley's The Deep, in which an unknown
entity is thrust into the gap between two warring nations.  Very
well constructed and a tense read.  I'll be picking up more of
Cherryh's writings because of this one.

John Crowley -- Little, Big and Aegypt.  Crowley can be difficult
to read at times, but his manipulation of everyday life into an
alternate reality full of elves and such works on your mind as you read.
These books are not fast reads;  they are almost like literature in
their structure.  I haven't read Love & Sleep yet, the sequel to
Aegypt, but it's on the list.

Stephen Lawhead - His Arthurian series was a breath of fresh air
from all the rehashes of the Arthurian legends.  Lawhead, who
lives in England, has apparently paid a lot of attention to the
histories written by Norma Goodrich.  Many of her ideas regarding the
true nature of King Arthur, the round table, of who Gwenhyfar truly
was are reflected here.  And he throws in some truly remarkable
fantasy ideas regarding Atlantis and the Fisher King.  Unfortunately, I
found the latest installment, Pendragon, a far cry from the
original trilogy.  Also, his other Celtic series (The Paradise War,
The Silver Hand, and The Endless Knot) are recommended.  Lawhead has
a deft way of bringing Celtic life to the fore without
any of the trappings of medieval thought.

Jane Yolen -- Briar Rose.  My wife convinced me to read this short novel,
one of the Fairy Tale books.  This tells the story of Sleeping Beauty,
combining the traditional tale with the tragedy of the
Holocaust.  I wasn't too sure
I'd like it, but I found myself entranced from the beginning.  Yolen takes
a wonderful angle at the story and her writing makes me want to search
out her other books.  This one is highly recommended.

Paula Volsky -- Illusion.  A tense political fantasy describing a
French/Russian type of revolution, the rise of a
despotic ruler who uses magic to subvert
the populace, and the love story between a proletarian and a former
rich bitch (pardon the French).  The book moves swiftly, the action is
tense and meaningful, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The magic is described
very well, and the characters (and their emotions) are real.  You're a
part of the revolution, caught up in the events along with the characters.
Again, highly recommended.

Hope you get a chance to check some of these out. If you respond to this,
please e-mail me at Raenar @ aol.com.  I'm only sending this from
here 'cause I'm bored today.

Thanks,
Brian

P.S. A couple books I recommend avoiding: Tepper's A Plague of Angels
(Grass was great, but this was too odd), John Barnes' Mother of Storms (too
unbelievable), and Hans Bemman's The Sword and the Flute (DULL!).