Fantasy novel series that the poster read in their youth before moving on to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, contributing to their sense of adventure.
"I grew up in a small town in a Southern state. Was into reading, science and nature from an early age, and as a sort of escapism from the fact that I had little in common with my peers, I got really into fantasy novels (Redwall first, soon followed by The Hobbit/LoTR)."