[Lonehunter]

I actually have a very vague memory of some of the first books I ever read, they were primary school books set out to become progressively more difficult to read, but I lay my addiction to fantasy genre squarely at its feet. Of the actual story all I recall is another dimension type /dream world in which existed pegasus style creatures called Nightmares. Maybe someone else remembers them, but it was around 1982 and Iwas schooled in Germany although they were english books.

[Master Prudent]

Seems there's going to be a few more questions then answers in this thread.

I read a short story involving two girls; possibly twins, who were made into musical instruments for some despots advantage. Can't remember many details but the treatments made them really fragile and the girl who narrated hated her impotence but was perversely proud about her abilities.

I'm pretty sure I read it in a year's best anthology of some kind and I'd love to find the author.

[Bl1nder]

Erm right, the book(s) Im lookin for were something like Amtrack Wars, or Wars of Amtrack, I cant translate them properly, and I cant find em. I tried water stones whsmith and the lot, but none of them has any of the books.

basically what it was about, the Amtrack (possibly spelled without the "C" or the "K") Confederation which lives underground, after a holocaust of some sorts starts fighting with the people who live on the surface, they are deformed in a way compared to the Amtrack people. A young pilot of..well.. something got shot down I think, and he lived for a while with the people on the surface, thats as much as I remember, anyone know the name of the author or the proper name of the series?

[Imperial Historian]

The Amtrak Wars, by patrick tilley? http://en.wikipedia....The_Amtrak_Wars

[Bl1nder]

yes, thats it!

Cheers imperial, you are my new favorite person

[stone monkey]

@ Lonehunter - that sounds distressingly like Pier Anthony's Magic of Xanth series. There's probably thirty or forty of them by now and they get progressively worse (which, given they weren't that great to begin with, is not a good thing)

[moridin]

First, my apologies for not being able to supply the title to any of your queries. None of those books sound familiar, but having read so many I may have just forgotten, lol.

Anyway, I remember a book from when I was younger, maybe like 10-13 years ago, that I have always thought I would like to read again. It was a ratty little paperback I bought at a garage sale.

It went something like this:

There were five(I believe) types of magic in the world. Thamaturge(spelling?) that I remember as a healing magic. Alchemy. Summoning. Something to do with glass balls. One other one that I can't remember. A young apprentice had to become a jack of all trades and learn a small sampling of each one to do something(kinda vague on what he had to do). Anyway, there was an artifact or some such that he needed to learn each magic to retrieve(ie. had to learn how to use alchemy to mix a potion that would allow him to walk into a volcano).

Thats all I really remember, but I remember enjoying it while reading it.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

I don't recognize any of these. I wish I was more help. Isn't it funny the random details you remember about a book, even when you can't recall major plot points?

[spiralx]

Ok, I've got one that's been bugging me for years. It's a trilogy set on some fantasy world which is fairly dark as things go and there's some kind of "Inquisition" type group who I think hunt down people who use magic, and one of them, possibly their leader, is a guy who has a sort of blade thing (possibly like pincers and he may have appeared on the cover of one of the books).

I think he turns out to become a good guy at the end, and in the third book they travel westwards over seas to an unknown land where there's only a single inlet which allows them to land and then a vast forest at the centre of which is a ginormous tree miles high. To the west are vast, vast cliffs with the evil monster thingies living at the top, and the only way the heroes get to the top is by following one the giant tree's roots where it's worked its way into the cliff despite some kind of corrupting influence there.

The inquisitor guy might've been called Simon something? I would've read it in the library about 12 years ago roughly.

[Miar]

Lyndon Hardy.. I think there is at least one book in the series after it as well..
been a long time sense I've read these..

Matt

[blueworld]

Master Prudent;159900 said:

Seems there's going to be a few more questions then answers in this thread.

I read a short story involving two girls; possibly twins, who were made into musical instruments for some despots advantage. Can't remember many details but the treatments made them really fragile and the girl who narrated hated her impotence but was perversely proud about her abilities.

I'm pretty sure I read it in a year's best anthology of some kind and I'd love to find the author.

Sounds like "The Fluted Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi, published in The Year's Best Science Fiction, 21st Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois. You can see the beginning of the story here.

Am I right?

[Master Prudent]

Yes, yes it is!

Thanks lots (and I take back my ill-advised comment about the likelihood of answers).

[blueworld]

It immediately rung a bell for me, because I found that story very memorable also. I did have to do some looking to figure out the title and author, but I remembered it was from The Year's Best Science Fiction.

[Tif the Barber Boy]

moridin;165581 said:

There were five(I believe) types of magic in the world. Thamaturge(spelling?) that I remember as a healing magic. Alchemy. Summoning. Something to do with glass balls. One other one that I can't remember. A young apprentice had to become a jack of all trades and learn a small sampling of each one to do something(kinda vague on what he had to do). Anyway, there was an artifact or some such that he needed to learn each magic to retrieve(ie. had to learn how to use alchemy to mix a potion that would allow him to walk into a volcano).

@moridin, I believe you are referring to 'Master of Five Magics' by Lyndon Hardy which is a fine book. There were also two sequels, 'Secret of the Sixth Magic' and 'Riddle of the Seven Realms'. The first was actually very good - one of my favourite fantasy books from the 80s.

[GHOST PALADIN]

can u still buy the horselord series by peter morwood? loved them

Aldric Tavalin and Isilith the widowmaker r cool

[stone monkey]

I'd be hugely surprised if those were still in print, I can't recall seeing them anywhere since the mid 80s - The Dragon Lord BTW has a rather sweet cameo appearance by one Anne McCaffrey iirc.

[GHOST PALADIN]

Year that was a nice touch.

Late 90's saw some additons printed set b4 events in Horselords when the clans orig turned up. Was cool.

Will try and get them again as classically loaned them to random who lost them when he moved!!!!

here is link to wher ya can get em though it seems http://www.fantastic.../peter-morwood/

stone monkey;186569 said:

I'd be hugely surprised if those were still in print, I can't recall seeing them anywhere since the mid 80s - The Dragon Lord BTW has a rather sweet cameo appearance by one Anne McCaffrey iirc.

[Zanth13]

I’m trying to remember the name of a YA fantasy book/ and or series.

It was set in the near future I think after some kind of apocalyptic event.
The main Character is Merlin (yes The Merlin) who is awakened (and he has gotten allot younger to) and Merlin hooks up with a group of young people, helps them return King Arthur from Avalon or something.

The main thing that sticks out is Merlin was having trouble getting his magic to do what he wanted it to do, something with the changes in the magic field over time.

If I remember right it was a really entertaining book and wouldn’t mind reading it again.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Merlin Potter and the half Blood Prince?

[Zanth13]

ummm no :confused: lol

maybe my description sucks but its the best I can do... oh well I think I was like 12-13 when I read them... so about 10 years ago. I was really into authorian legends then and devoured every book in my school library that had anything to do with it and that just happened to be one of them...

Not to many things sadder then forgetting a good book