I've just started reading fantasy. Much of it I still don't like but the following have given me a new-found respect for the  fantasy genre: "The Song of Fire and Ice" George R.R. Martin,  "The Warded Man" series by Peter V. Brett, and "The KingKiller" trilogy by Patrick Rothfuss. I've also enjoyed the first book of Brent Weeks' The Night Angel Trilogy and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander which wasn't that bad for chick lit.

As far as I can recall, the first fantasy book I read was a book called So You Want to Be a Wizard? I was probably about eight, and I distinctly remember that starting me on a whole obsession with the concept of magic. I also read (and loved) the Narnia books when I was around nine or so. I loved the Half Magic series. I also went through an obsession with The Neverending Story movie, though I couldn't get into the book at the time. Roald Dahl, too, particularly The BFG.

Then, at age eleven, I read the first Harry Potter book, and it was all over from there! I also remember reading a lot of Diana Wynne Jones around this time , she was a favorite. I read LOTR when I was in my early teens. 

My first fantasy book was the Shannara Series by Terry Brooks.  I do not like his Landover Series but I love all the Shannara and then his Word and Void Series.  I

The princess and the Goblin

Alice in Wonderland

The hobbit

I READ THE HOBBIT IN THE 9TH GRADE BUT NEVER REALLY GOT INTO FANTASY TILL ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO WHEN MY STEP DAD WANTED ME TO READ HIS "SHANNARRA SERIES" BY TERRY BROOKS....SINCE THEN I HAVE READ FANTASY AND LOVE IT

I grew up reading mysteries, but two books that have always stuck out in my mind as some of the best I ever read are Wrinkle in Time and also The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. I read those in middle school.

But, as an adult, I've stuck mostly with mysteries until the last few years. I finally read The Hobbit and LOTR and am hooked for all time. I followed up with Narnia and Harry Potter, but haven't read much fantasy other than that. Oh, Artemis Fowl I suppose counts. (Been reading quite a bit to make sure it's okay for my 12 year old to read! And enjoying it also.) Read The Host by Stephanie Meyer... wasn't super impressed and will probably not read the Twilight series. I'm enjoying the movies just for girl/down time with my sister and that's about as far as I can let myself get into it. LOL

So I'm looking at everyone else's choices (and I guess I should check out bookshelves and wish lists also...), and watching the challenge lists to get an idea of what else to read. Loving the fantasy genre, feeling very at home here. Christian fantasy is a favorite for sure - I learned a new term for my favorite genre today! Let's see if I can remember it.... Christian speculative fiction. Okay, I googled. LOL Apparently "speculative fiction" is a sub-genre of fantasy already, so the Christian-specific is just a take off of that. :D

But on my list are a classic book a month, a non-fic Christian book a month, a mystery a month... and essentially 2 fantasies a month. HA! Definitely looking forward to finding some new authors this year!

Nor can I really recall my first fantasy reads.  I do know that I became very involved in J.R.R. Tolkien's work when my girls were reading it and the movies came out but never read the books until this year when I decided it was time.  Just finished The Fellowship of the Ring.  Now on to Two Towers.  Some of my favorite authors were Ursula LeGuin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Anne McCaffrey, and who can forget the wonderful Dune series (more science fiction with lots of fantasy thrown in).

I've also always read for as long as I can remember.  But it was 4th grade when my teacher read us "The Book of Three" that I discovered fantasy. That book opened up a whole new genre and many, many worlds to me. 

I started late in life with fantasy.  The first series that got me hooked was Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy followed by her Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies.  Since then I've enjoyed many other authors including Anne Bishop, Carol Berg, Trudi Canavan, Dawn Cook, Teresa Edgerton, Lynn Flewelling, Kate Forsyth, Holly Lisle, Glenda Larke, Juliet Marillier, and Sean Russell  . . .  just to name a few.   I'm currently reading Allison Sinclair's Darkborn/Lightborn/Shadowborn trilogy and really enjoying it.   

My dad gave me a lot of science fiction books starting when I was 10 years old, then he gave me a boxed set of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but they couldn't hold my interest then. My cousin recommended The Earthsea Trilogy by Le Guin and McCaffrey's Pern books, so I borrowed them from the library. Then I started looking at other authors near Le Guin and McCaffrey and discovered Robin McKinley. I think I read The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, and Beauty all in the same week.

I have been reading a bit of everything since I was very young...I would say for Fantasy, it was Tolkien who set me off...I read The Hobbit and the LOTR books first at around age 10 (and many times since) and Jules Verne's books were also childhood favorites...it's just gone on from there.

Cheryl

P came to fanatasy late probably 35 which was about 30 yrs ago.  I got depressed about the quality and quantity of boos available for guys, for some reason i picked up the 1st book in David Eddings Mallorean series and it was a rope to a drowding man.  HOOKED

Wow, I guess I'm the only one who remembers reading Piers Anthony's Xanth series when I was a kid.  A Spell for Chamelion and The Source of Magic started it for me (and everyone else I guess).  I also remember the Belgariad series from David Eddings being one of the first I read.

I started out at age 13 with the Dune series.

Judye / maysied

I have always read but love the fantasy and parnormal the best:

My favs are

David Eddings

Jim Butcher

Kim Harrison

Piers Anthony

Robert Asprin

The High King series by Lloyd Alexander.