Elders Of The Scroll Forum Favs

What is your favorite fantasy book and why? Although my fav changes often it would have to be harry potter right now. I am rereading it for the fourth time and still find it to be a great series. There is just something about it that makes it seem so real and, well, magical. It is such a great world to escape into and I seem to always be thinking that I want to read more. But what's you favorite book, or one of them at least? 

As for you this changes, but in long run J.R.R. Tolkiens books win. The world he created is something that makes it seem so real and I'm hoping to do something similar with my Struggle for Balance series.

Yah, Tolkien was an undoubtably great writer.  I loved the series and The Hobbit too. I went to Oxford last summer and actually got to tour the same college as he went to. It was great and I was really able to see where Tolkien got all his inspiration. I know the Lord of the Rings started out as one book but between them as a trilogy what was your fav? Have you read the new book edited or something by Tolkien's son? 

I've read, Silmarilion, Hobit and the LOTR series and few other short stories. Sadly I haven't found time for the new ones, but it's on my long list.
It's really hard for me to decide which one I liked the most. I like all of them for various reasons. I love Silmarilion as it gives you the feeling of a great world that is moving on it's own and not as you walk (which is one of the topics I want to explore).
Then the Hobit is... well... It's really hard to describe it with words. I think that which makes it good is the feeling of reality which is created by the depth of Middle Earth and everything else comes from that. I think that is what I'm missing by most of modern fiction.
Most today's fictions create the world as they go along and as they need to. He had it all set-up ahead and was building on what was already done. That probably shaped my opinions on writing fiction.

You create one world and you build it up till it can move by itself, then you start writing your story into it. Sometimes you do that by starting at the very beginning (like Tolkien) and you continue to build that world.
By this process you can create only one world in your life. If you keep writing more and more worlds all of them will be unfinished and the story will suffer as you do it only to get published and for the money. I don't think that is what writing should be about. Yes it's nice to ger published and recognized, but most important is to write the novel inside you as best as you can.

I think that this is actually quiet true as once author writes a book and gets recognized with it then he/she continues to explore that world and finish it. Following or previous works will then be hardly find and will always include some copies from that world as that is in most cases the author's true novel.

Well back to the question (I'm terrible at changing topics as my thoughs go...)! I really can't choose which one I like the most, but first I would reach for Silmarilion and Return of the King.