2 April 1934: birth of the great Robert Holmes, script editor from Robot (1974-75) to Image of the Fendahl (1977), and author of The Krotons (1968-69), The Space Pirates (1969), Spearhead from Space (1970), Terror of the Autons (1971), Carnival of Monsters (1973), The Time Warrior (1973-74), The Ark in Space (1975), Pyramids of Mars (1975), The Brain of Morbius (co-author, 1976), The Deadly Assassin (1976), The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977), The Sun Makers (1977), The Ribos Operation (1978), The Power of Kroll (1978-79), The Caves of Androzani (1984), The Two Doctors (1985), The Mysterious Planet (1986), and the first episode of The Ultimate Foe (1986).
2 April 1940: birth of Peter Haining, who wrote reference books Doctor Who: A Celebration (1983), The Key to Time (1984), The Doctor Who File (1986), The Time-Travellers’ Guide (1987) and Doctor Who: 25 Glorious Years (1988)
ii) broadcast anniversaries
2 April 1966: broadcast of “The Celestial Toyroom”, first episode of the story we now call The Celestial Toymaker. The (invisible) Doctor, Steven and Dodo arrive in the realm of the sinister Toymaker, who forces them to play a deadly form of Blind Man’s Bluff.
2 April 1977: broadcast of sixth episode of The Talons of Weng-Chiang, ending Season 14. The Doctor and Leela, with allies Jago and Litefoot, destroy Weng-Chiang and Mr Sin in a massive fire-fight in the laundry.
2 April 2005: broadcast of The End of the World. The Doctor and Rose arrive on Platform One to watch the Sun expanding to destroy the Earth, and are embroiled in a murder plot.
2 April 2007: broadcast of first show of Totally Doctor Who including first epsiode of The Infinite Quest.
Lord Valentine’s Castle is SF, though it does superficially look like fantasy, in the same way as Lord of Light. I loved it to pieces when I was a teenager and haven’t re-read it for ages. There’s a mysterious stranger with no memory and a fascinating world and a missing prince who looked nothing like the mysterious stranger and a long wander through a fascinating world. I see no reason why you wouldn’t enjoy it.
I’m surprised you haven’t read The Iron Dragon’s Daughter which is a genre-forming work of steampunk fantasy. I think you’d find it interesting even if you didn’t like it.
I like The Name of the Wind a lot, it’s about stories and lies and it’s playing clever games with what knowledge you have and from where — there’s a frame story and there’s a process of filling in what’s in the frame. It’s an intelligent book that’s interested in what it is that fantasy does, while also being a fast absorbing story.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of those American horror carnival stories that clearly appeal to people who aren’t me.