Young Writers Society

JK Rowling's the best, obviously!! The way she's got most of the world waiting for the last book means she must be doing something right! Once you've started reading her books, it's very difficult to stop! Can't wait for 'Deathly Hallows' to come out!

CS Lewis was good, and nice to read on a rainy day, but I've re-read them so many times that they've become a bit boring lately, especially the first three.

Eoin Colfer is good, but I've only read 'The Supernaturalist,' which was very good, but I don't know about Artemis Fowl books.

Terry Pratchett, good blend of fantasy and comedy, read 'The Carpet People' and 'The Colour of Magic,' both very good.

Roald Dahl I used to like a lot, but I only usually read his books now when I'm searching for fragments of my lost childhood... (lol)

Phillip Pullman is great, but he does tend to get a bit too 'Tolkeiny' at some times, like in the main story of 'The Amber Spyglass' (but I love the bit with Mary Malone and the Mulefa - so cool!).

JRR Tolkein, very good writer, although the plot is sort of average. Well, it is now, it was probably very original then! WAY too much description sometimes (we don't need to read ten pages of describing a face - ok, slight exaggeration, but you get the idea)! Extremely clever, the way he invented two completely new languages!

Douglas Adams - wrote 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,' a bit too weird for me to read every day, but very amusing and interesting if I'm in the mood!

Garth Nix, although again I've only read 'Shade's Children,' and not the 'old Kingdom' trilogy.

Christopher Paolini is an insult to fantasy. It's SO obvious that he's taken the plot of Star Wars and placed it in a LOTR setting: Dragon Riders - Jedi, Galbatorix - the Emperor, Brom - Obi Wan Kenobi, Oromis - Yoda (granted I haven't read 'Eldest,' but all the same...), the comparisons are endless. His style - trying to copy Tolkein, and sometimes you want to give Eragon a good slap; he's way too 'good!'

Chris Wooding - By far my favourite. I love his style, and his plots are totally original. My two favourite books by him are called The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray and Storm Theif. I would highly reccomend them.

J. R. R. Tolkein - The Lord of the Rings. Enough said.

J. K. Rowling - Without her I never would've gotten into reading. I first picked up a copy of The Sorcerors Stone at my school library in the first grade. I hated reading at the time, but it looked interesting, so I gave it a shot. I've been in love with reading ever since.

Tamora Peirce - Again, she really got me into reading as a kid. Love her style. There's just something about it that really draws me in. I can go through one of her books in an hour or two.

Johnathan Stroud - The Bartimaeus Trilogy is brilliant, funny, original, well written etc.

Alison Croggon - Amazingly well though out Pellinor series, also very original.

H G Wells - The most influential writer in the fantasy/sci-fi area.

Eoin Colfer - Already been said.

Catherine Webb - Timekeepers and Waywalkers are a very interesting, slightly crazy idea.

I'm reading Stroud now. Just read the first book, I liked it, trying to get my hands on the the other books.

-elein

I don't read much fantasy (then how can I be called a fantasy writer??)
But my favs are:

JK Rowling
CS Lewis
JRR Tolkien

I need to read more..

Piers Anthony!

David gemmel for sure.

Terry pratchett. Hilarious

Raymon E Feist

David Eddings (if you havent read the Belgariad then your missing ou)

All of them are my favourite authors. My book shelf is overflowing with their books

JRR Tolkien
JK Rowling
Philip Pullman
Terry Pratchett
Susan Cooper
Libba Bray
Diana Wynne Jones
CS Lewis
Garth Nix

Edit: and Ursula LeGuin! How do I keep forgetting her.

Robin Hobb

Indefinitely, the writer who has inspired me most. The first book of her Farseer Trilogy was the best, if you ask me, and I simply adore her writing style. Her books may seem a little slow at times, but it is definitely worth the read.

Alison Croggon

I don't usually like Young Adult fantasy, but I really liked Croggon's writing. She has such a beautiful style which seems so poetic at times, and her characters (though a little cliche at times) are engaging.

And lastly...

Stephen Lawhead

His Song of Albion trilogy is amazing. It starts a little slow, but quickly picks up speed. He uses a lot of Celtic lore in his stories, and writes in a very straightforward, but descriptive way. Very good.

As others have said, I could bleat for hours about my favs, but here are some of the major ones.

Tolkein. LOTR and The Hobbit! !!! !!!! Have you noticed how LOTR is rarely called the sequel to The Hobbit, but how The Hobbit is always called the prequel to LOTR?

Catherine Webb. Soooo good! Timekeepers and Waywalkers are not good, but Mirror Dreams and Mirror Wakes were fab! And the new Horatio Lyle series she's writing now is just as great - possibly better.

David Clement Davies. I suppose his books can count as fantasy. I didn't think Fire-Bringer was that good - the ending wasn't as shocking as I thought it was going to be, but The Sight just blew me away. Its so powerfully written, and when I first read it (I think I was about 10-11) it was the best book I had EVER read. The only down-side to it is that the whole plot relies on the theory of evolution being true.

Robin Hobb. She gave me a lot of inspiration and good ideas, but I don't read her books anymore, there's too many things I don't like in them: slash, sex and so forth.

Stephen Lawhead. Another great writer and source of inspiration.

Richard Adams. I haven't finished The Plague Dogs yet, but doesn't seem as good as Watership Down. THAT is one seriously great book, and the old film of it is a good adaption, even if they rushed over some points.

Anne & Todd McCaffrey. I've read one of the Pern books, but that was enough. I'm going to read the whole series now.

Douglas Adams. Weird, confusing, but hilarious. Or should I say froody?

Michael Crichton. The first time I got Jurrasic Park, I was up the whole night reading it. Fortunately the next day was a Saturday.

I think that's all I can suggest for now - if I continue I'll never stop.

Books not to read: Do not touch Raymond E Feist with ten foot long poles. Avoid Christopher Paolini as his books are a reworking of Star Wars with choice LOTR elements thrown in. You would have thought publishers would have had the sense to reject Eldest because of its ending, but no. Admittedly both Eragon and Eldest are on my bookshelf, but that doesn't mean I read them. I'm sure there are many others that everyone should be warned against, but I think those are the main ones.

Fantasy is my first choice in reading, then it's historical and then it's crime (AKA Sherlock Holmes and no one else).

-ShadowTwit

I am dreadfully old-fashioned. I love classics.

Tolkien, as practically EVERYONE else has already said.
C.S. Lewis (Narnia)
Gail Carson Levine (Ella Enchanted, Fairest, The Two Princesses of Bamarre,)
J.M. Barrie (Peter Pan)
Lewis Carrol (Alice in Wonderland, Through the looking glass)
E. Nesbit (5 children and It, The Enchanted Castle)
Kate DiCamillo (The Tale of Despereaux)

Well... perhaps the last one is not strictly fantasy, but I love the story.

Let's see now...

J. K. Rowling (ok, so you all knew this was coming)

Jonathan Stroud (I really love his style)

Chistopher Paolini (to all those who hate hime *sticks out tongue*)

C.S.Lewis (simple yet enchanting )

Straight Fant:
J.R.R. Tolkien- Lord of the Rings
Robert Jordan- Eye of the World
Terry Brooks- Sword of Shannara
Anne McCaffrey (But not Todd)- Dragon Riders of Pern & more
Elizabeth Hayden- Rhapsody
Kristen Britain- Green Rider
Caitlin Brennan- Song of Unmaking
Tamora Pierce- In the Hand of the Goddess

Parts in our world Fant:
J.K. Rowling- Harry Potter
C.S. Lewis- Narina
Anne Rice- Interview with a Vampire
Laurell K. Hamiton- Micah
Stephanie Meyer- Twilight
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes- Shattered Mirror
Libba Bray

Fant With Roots in our History:
Alice Borchardt- Dragon Queen
Marion Zimmer Bradly- Mists of Avalon

These are just my favorites. Most of the authers writes series, but I wasn't putting down all the books, I just put down the first title that popped into my head.

J.K. Rowling for Harry Potter, of course

Diana Wynne Jones is a brilliant young adult fantasy authoress. "Eight Days of Luke", "Aunt Maria" and "Howl's Moving Castle" I'd particularly recommend.

Vivian Vande-Velde (I just love that name, lohl) she wrote "Heir Apparent" which I own and love...it's like scifi/fantasy, being in the future, but it's good. XD

Anne McCaffery for the Dragonriders of Pern series. She's great. XD

Gerald Morris writes on the King Arthur times, inflicting his wonderful sense of humor on everybody within...READ IT!!!!!! "The Squire, His Knight and His Lady" is excellent XD

Okay. I have to add this:

Frank Baum for his Oz series. Yes. Some may say it is for the children, but I say to them: SCREW THAT! Oz is for everyone! I'm thirteen and I still enjoy those books!
And no. The books are almost nothing like the MGM musical (: u(

Laurence Yep writes on Chinese mythology and beasts in his "The Tiger's Apprentice" trilogy. I found that trilogy quite enjoyable

Fuyumi Ono, of course, for the newly released-in-English book "The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow".

It being released...Oh, last month or so...it's rare. Here's the link to the site where I read it...http://www.eugenewoodbury.com/shadow/shadow_bk1.htm

Yes. I am biased because I luuuuurv the TV show. But it's awesome anyway! XD

Let's see...

Orson Scott Card, for his Hart's Hope. It was brilliantly dark.

Terry Pratchett and his humor. Amazing stuff, that.

Robert Jordan, Wheel of Time

Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel books. Slow pace, but beautiful first-person narration. XD

Anne Bishop - liked her for the idea of the world of BJT. Her plots are a bit lacking, though.

Jane Yolen NO ONE can write good fairytale-like fantasy like Jane Yolen can!

Robin Hobb is cool. I loved the Farseer trilogy, and the Golden Fool trilogy.

Tamora Pierce invented the wheel. No, just joking. But this is the woman who first got me into the whole fantasy thing. Before that, I was a strict sci-fic person. XD