Oh, that’s a great one!
Yeats’ (circa 1920) take on the old Celtic stories in his plays and poems are really excellent - he took many of the simple tales and added a number of modern themes, occasionally weaving in the Irish Nationalism that was he was involved in at the time.
All three authors most influential fantasy work predates LOTR. The first Fafhrd & The Gray Mouser story was written in 1936. The Broken Sowrd was released in 1954, Three Hearts and Three Lions in 1953. The Dying Earth was released in 1950. It’s silly to exclude them in a discussion of fantasy stories that predate Tolkien’s influence.
Great suggestions, guys. I’ll add E. Nesbit to the pile. Read about half a dozen of these to my kid when she was little and we both enjoyed them. Also Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books, of which we read about 95% I think. And of course there’s Edward Eager’s magic series which was actually contemporary but probably not influenced by Tolkien. All great for adults and children alike.
Is there a best version to read?
Unfortunately I’m not sure what would be the best version. This is the book I read, which does a decent job of compiling the legends with some historical and cultural analysis. More of a scholarly read than an entertainment one though, so if you are looking to read them as a fantasy story this isn’t one you could read cover to cover as such. However I am certain there are books that do contain them as a more story based form, I just don’t know them very well.
Most of the Ulster Cycle of Irish myth contains what I consider the best parts. It’s kind of the mid section. The earlier Mythological cycle is much more fairy (in the original meaning) based. It is definitely worth reading, but suffers much like stories about the Olympians suffer in comparison to stories about Odysseus, Hercules and such. A god did it is just inherently less interesting than the more human stories IMO.
Hmm. I read 3Hearts and 3 Lions as a kid, but had no idea it was considered anything like a classic.
Well, it’s not. Just a perfectly serviceable fantasy novel. But I think his SF is generally superior, though I liked those werewolf-and-witch alternate-history stories.
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.
The Wizard of Oz.
Dracula.
The King of Elfland’s Daughter.
tork made the point I was trying for.
Incidentally, if you don’t mind veering into no-fantasy historical adventure, I’d recommend “The Long Ships” (aka “Red Orm”) by Frans G. Bengtsson. It follows the adventures of the titular character, Orm, against the backdrop of the Viking power struggles and Christianization of Scandinavia. Still the best Viking-era story written in modern times, though it loses a little in translation. A two film/4 TV episode adaption is in development. There is an older film, but it bears no resemblance to the book.
A. Merritt wrote some pretty cool stuff…
I was really into Greek mythology in the early-to-mid 70’s during grade school before I’d ever heard of Tolkien. REALLY into it. Read them over and over, mainly the compilations by Edith Hamilton. I’m embarrassed to say I even made a couple of (silent) movies with some friends with us acting out various myths, all of us wearing white robes and wandering around a graveyard that had mausoleums with Greek-like facades.
Maybe not fantasy, but more early sci-fi… I was into Jules Verne, in particular Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I think I read each 3 times.
And I read C.S. Lewis before I read the Hobbit or LOTR, and even if they were contemporary I was into that before I read the Hobbit. Truth be told, when I read the Hobbit it didn’t capture me like Lion/Witch/Wardrobe had. It took Fellowship of the Ring to do that.
H. G. Wells might have been more profound than Jules Verne, but Verne was a lot more fun to read.
Both more SF than fantasy, IMO. I was going to mention Burroughs, but did not for that reason.
I think Verne was mostly writing science-fantasy. I think there was very little pretense that most of the stuff he wrote about was really possible. But not much magic, I suppose, if that’s your criterion. Wells certainly had more a of a SFnal attitude.
I’m the opposite. The Hobbit was the first novel I read that pulled me in that much. I read The Chronicles of Narnia before, and the LotR after. I should probably go back and read The Chronicles of Narnia again. I haven’t read them as an adult.
Tough call – I’d hate for the thread to devolve into a science-fantasy vs. science-fiction debate, but for me it’s tough to look at the Barsoom novels as anything other than fantasy. It’s just the presence of ray-guns (as opposed to magic wands) that tips the balance, I suppose.
Yeah, I do think that magic is the defining point.
There is some reference to a witch doctor’s magical treatment making Tarzan immortal in one of the novels, so we can count ERB if we like…
T. H. White with The Once And Future King (adaptation of Malorys Morte d’Arthur)… I loved those books.