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Stepping into the fantasy genre can be intimidating. Your local chain bookstore likely has walls upon walls of fantasy books, most of which covet cover art that looks cloned. Dragons, sorcerers, princesses, knights, talking animals. How is a beginner to tell them apart, or better yet, tell which ones are outstanding, which are mediocre, and which are better suited to one's tastes?

The best thing to do is find out what the experts say. Those who have been following the genre for years are the most likely camp to be able to help you direct your search.

For starters, check out the Fantasy Book Review. Featuring a Top 100 list and indexed by author and by title, this website's reviews feature message board replies and a ten star rating system. The author biographies, with interviews and articles, can give you a good idea of what a particular series expects. The site also features a "latest news" section, so you can keep up on what's new in the genre.
(http://fantasybookrevie w.co.uk)

Another Book is a very well-organized fantasy review site with a five star rating system and a convenient google powered site search. On top of reviewing books, outlining authors, and linking to articles, the site's "World" section gets in-depth about the environments and inhabitants of famous fantasy settings.
(http://anotherbook.n et/)

If you figure your best bet is to start out with the most popular fantasy stories, as recommended by many review websites, you may as well check out their sites directly before buying or borrowing.

J. K. Rowling, author of the world famous Harry Potter series, has a cute, interactive homepage. The interface features the messy desk of an endearingly eccentric creator, complete with candy wrappers, stray pencils and a notepad to help you guide your way to site news, Rowling's blog, biography, links, rumors, and more.
(http://www.jkrowling.com /)

The Children of Hurin is Tolkien's oldest Middle-Earth story, and its official website includes an art gallery, a collection of desktop backgrounds, all of Tolkien's books for sale (via amazon) with sample chapters in text and audio, a biography of the author, and a message board. Register with the site to explore more features and learn more about the famous Lord of the Rings series.
(http://tolkien.hcp-uk. co.uk/)

Terry Pratchett is my favorite fantasy author, namely because his books are both very intelligent and very humorous, with lovable characters and a devoted fan base. His official website allows you to quickly select

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