Stuff like Tolkien or C.S. Lewis are obvious, but other authors, movies, music, or entertainment might not be as well known.
So, how about a thread that lists some recommendations for things untouched by modern insanity?
Stuff like Tolkien or C.S. Lewis are obvious, but other authors, movies, music, or entertainment might not be as well known.
So, how about a thread that lists some recommendations for things untouched by modern insanity?
If you dig fantasy with a comedy/satire bend, I would recommend the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett (RIP GNU TERRY - that'll make sense if you get into the books and his history). Basic upshot is the series starts out as a satire of fantasy tropes in general, but by the third book it starts to take on a life of its own.
It's a world where the land mass is a flat disc, resting on the back of four space-elephants, who are in turn standing on the back of a space sea-turtle that is called The Great A'Tuin. Magic exists (and is very volatile!), and the series opens with us following Rincewind, a middle-aged wizard that effectively failed out of the Unseen University (the wizard's school in Ankh-Morpork, the main city of the region and an analogue for London), inadvertently becoming a guide for the Disc's first tourist. Mayhem ensues.
Other books in the series focus on the guards of the city, the witches that live in the surrounding countryside, the anthropomorphic personification of DEATH (who is looking for an apprentice), and the usual assortment of dwarfs, trolls, vampires, werewolves, and other bits and bobs.
I can't recommend Pratchett's stuff strongly enough. The man had a way with words and a quick wit that will make even a hardened punster groan when they get the jokes.
The Sky Movie adaptations are surprisingly good as well. There's also a few older animations of Soul Music and Wyrd Sisters that might be worth a check, that opening animation is the most 90s thing ever. The Watch was in dev hell for years and came out last month, it's dogshit.
I loved the Sky adaptations, although to me David Jason felt a bit old to be playing Rincewind. Regardless, they were good viewing experiences.
The Watch, on the other hand, can die in a fire. PTerry would be spinning in his grave if he knew what they'd done. As soon as I saw that they were making Cheery non-binary, race-lifting and slimming down Sybil, and generally making a dog's lunch of it, I washed my hands of any interest I previously had in the show.
Seconded. The Discworld books are some of the few that survived various bookshelf cullings in my home. It's easily my favorite book series.
If you think about getting into the series, here's a timeline of books: https://www.discworldemporium.com/content/6-discworld-reading-order
The one-book-stand section for beginners recommends some good ones to get started. Personally I'm partial to Going Postal.
I love that page and the way it breaks down the suggestions! Depending on the person and their tolerance for fantasy tropes, I'll frequently suggest that they skip to Guards! Guards!, and if they like it then they should backtrack and start from The Colour of Magic (with the standard disclaimers of it being not-some-of-his-best-work). I feel that G!G! is early enough in the series that you won't be wondering "who the hell is that person?" when they turn up, but far enough in that they're out of the range of the "ehhhhh"-level writing of the first two books.
One of the things I love about Pratchett is that all his characters are flawed. From the peasants to the gods.It makes for a very relatable and realistic world despite the high fantasy setting.
Also if you like Pratchett you'll probably also like Douglas Adams.
I like the books but they are definitely not "untouched by modern insanity". Each one is full of SJW stuff.