I want to recreate the way it felt to sit in the sun and read Eragon for the first time. I have a list of books I've read that evoke that same sense of joy, but a lot of them are from my childhood or are very childish. Some of these books I barely remember, but I remember loving them and feeling like the pages were a portal into their universe. In no particular order;
Eragon, and the Inheritance Cycle – Christpher Paolini
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
Dune, and Dune Messiah – Frank Herbert
The Gift, and the rest of the Pellinor Series – Alison Croggon
Magyk, and the rest of the Septimus Heap Series – Angie Sage
The Hunger Games Series – Suzanne Collins
Dragonflight – Anne McCaffrey
Every single book in the Narnia Chronicles – C.S. Lewis
The Golden Compass – Phillip Pullman
I like large detailed worlds and flawed characters. I love it when an author gives you fantastical descriptions of improbable worlds and their magic, and then in the middle of it all is this dude Josh who accidentally touched the wrong rock and now has to overcome his naivety and arrogance or die.
I'd like to avoid any of the books where an obvious self insert with no personality gets stolen by magical sexy man and becomes The One. Books that contain magical sexy man are fine, as long as getting nasty with him isn't the point of it all. The main character can even be The One, but there has to be real internal conflict/growth (think Hunger Games and Katniss struggling with being the Mockingjay).
Any one have suggestions based on this?
by monateru