Quite simply the oldest form of fiction in existence, these tales of warriors and magicians, good and evil, have at their best a naive charm that belies the lowbrow reputation that has attached to them.
 

Alan Garner

The Wierdstone of Brisingamen -
Garner's first children's book, a fast-moving fantasy adventure when two children move from suburbia to a farm in the country and discover the strange underground world in the copper mines of Alderly Edge. I've been down those mines - and you can understand where Garner got his inspiration. Though the cast is derivative of The Lord of the Rings, the approach is very different in the way the strange is laid alongside the normal. Wonderful cataclysmic ending. New 11 November 98

The Wierdstone of Brisingamen  New 11 November 98

The Moon of Gomrath -
Sequel to the Wierdstone of Brisingamen. Not quite as successful as a sheer children's adventure, but this tale of the wild hunt becoming intermingled with the lives of the children who have moved from suburbia to the (rather refined) wildness of Alderly Edge is still very readable.  New 11 November 98

Robert Jordan reader recommendation

The Eye of the World.
First volume of the epic Wheel of Time series (use the shelf buttons to get access to the full series). Often likened to Tolkein, but with enough of his own input to make a difference, Jordan a convincing world of high fantasy. Don't be put of by the fact that Jordan has written a number of Conan books, this is much more intriguing stuff, which manages to keep the interest ...

The Path of Daggers
. ... all the way to the latest volume, number 8 in the series. This one is arguably less easy to follow than some of the earlier books as the various plot lines intertwine somewhat confusingly - but it's still a Jordan.

Michael Moorcock

Elric of Melniboné.
Moorcock was originally best known as one of the iconoclaustic SF writers of the 60s, but he has written a string of S&S books to keep the money flowing in. Elric is quite a character, with a half-alive black sword that feeds his victim's vital forces into him. Half-hero, half-villain, h makes a change from goody-goodies and musclebound hulks.

J. R. R. Tolkien

  The Lord of the Rings -  
A unique work, this long book (around 200,000 words, usually split into three volumes) is THE definitive work of sword and sorcery fantasy and single-handedly dragged what had been something of a pulp fiction backwater into the light of intellectual acceptance. Whether you are a newcomer to Tolkien, meeting his work first through the film, or an old fantasy fan, this is the book that has to be on your shelf. I was stunned to hear someone on the radio refer to this is bad fiction - the characters may sometimes be heavily sketched, but Tolkien was only following an ancient tradition. The particular format of the book we've selected is our favourite, but there are many more options at the Amazon.co.uk Tolkien shop or the Amazon.com Tolkien store.  New 12 December 2001

  The Hobbit -
Written for children, this book introduced a new fantasy figure to the world - the hobbit. Although there are strong fairy tale elements, which Tolkien suppressed in later books, the Hobbit is still the essential precursor to the Lord of the Rings and ought to be on the shelf of any LotR fan.  New 12 December 2001

  The Silmarillion  

When the Lord of the Rings rocketed to huge success in the 60s and 70s, Tolkien was put under pressure to reveal more of the history of Middle Earth. He had many jottings and half formed documents and these were pieced together by Tolkien himself and later by his son Christopher to produce a whole host of Middle Earth extras. None of them were as readable as the Lord of the Rings, but the Silmarillion, which fills in the history of many of the characters of Middle Earth in the manner of a mythical history is the most accessible.   New 12 December 2001