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On March 05 2011 03:57 Yurie wrote:Show nested quote +On March 05 2011 02:52 TheAura wrote:
Currently im reading through dresden files, which i find are more fun and exciting books rather than an epic tale.
It does get more epic as it goes along. The latest released book is epic fantasy in a modern setting. ^^
Granted im only at the end of book 3, so i will take your word for it.
I've been reading the Malazan series since the second book came out. I think it's one of the best fantasy series at the moment, and the final book in the main series comes out in less than two weeks. Out of the nine books that are out in the series right now, I've enjoyed all of them, with some being better than others (book 8 being the only one that I didn't particularly like). I would argue that the Malazan series is better than the Song of Ice and Fire series but that's just personal preference.
And I'm not sure about the Shannara series as I've only read a couple of books. The ones that I've read just seem to be typical fantasy, but I've heard good things about some of the other books in that series.
I heard that the first shannara is not very good and more or less a huge rip off of LOTR, but it gets much better afterwards
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On March 05 2011 02:52 TheAura wrote:
I need your fella's opinion.
The first fantasy series i read was Sword of Truth. Loved it to death, even though there were many parts that werent the best, overall i found it to be quite an epic adventure.
Currently im reading through dresden files, which i find are more fun and exciting books rather than an epic tale.
I am also a huge fan of the dark tower series.
I have been doing research on which series to read next.
3 major contenders seems to be Wheel of Time, Shannara, and Malazan..
Can you guys give me your thoughts on these books? I have heard that wheel is time is very generic and cookie cutter-esque, albeit very good. I dont think im interested so much in this and im leaning towards Shannara and Malazan currently, both which seem to get mixed reviews.
As for a song of ice and fire, i have been told many times over that this series is the best that is on the shelves currently. While i plan on reading this eventually, i would rather wait till at least 6 books are out so i do not have to wait forever inbetween volumes.
The Shannara series is pretty cookie-cutter. Underwhelming and unsatisfying.
Wheel of Time or Malazan are better choices, but they're worlds apart. Malazan being much better.
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R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy. If you haven't read this you are truly missing out.
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The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie.
Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel.
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The Name of the Wind (and its sequel, Wise Man's Fear) are both excellent. (Edit: They're by Patrick Rothfuss, teaches me to read the entire thread before posting >.<)
If I remember the authors name I'll edit it in.
I'm also a fan of most of the books by Brandon Sanderson, with the exceptions being the Mistborn sequels (the first was good)
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On March 05 2011 05:17 TheAura wrote:Show nested quote +On March 05 2011 03:57 Yurie wrote:On March 05 2011 02:52 TheAura wrote:
Currently im reading through dresden files, which i find are more fun and exciting books rather than an epic tale.
It does get more epic as it goes along. The latest released book is epic fantasy in a modern setting. ^^ Granted im only at the end of book 3, so i will take your word for it.
I have read every single dresden book, and it is AMAZING. Like honestly, the constant character development intertwined between the tales, is really good, it only gets better and better.
As for the Shannara Series. I really liked the sword trilogy (up through wishsong), but i feel it just gets better and better. I am pretty positive you will really really enjoy the 3 sets of stories that come afterwards
(The heritage of Shannara, The Voyage of Jerle Shannara, The High Druid of Shannara)
All absolutely amazing books. HIGHLY recommended if you like the dresden files.
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I've got too many to mention so I'll just mention the latest one I absolutely adore:
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. The sequel just came out a few days ago so, do pick it up by ALL means.
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On March 05 2011 06:21 Enderbantoo wrote:Show nested quote +On March 05 2011 05:17 TheAura wrote:On March 05 2011 03:57 Yurie wrote:On March 05 2011 02:52 TheAura wrote:
Currently im reading through dresden files, which i find are more fun and exciting books rather than an epic tale.
It does get more epic as it goes along. The latest released book is epic fantasy in a modern setting. ^^ Granted im only at the end of book 3, so i will take your word for it. I have read every single dresden book, and it is AMAZING. Like honestly, the constant character development intertwined between the tales, is really good, it only gets better and better.
Are you reading the short stories as well? They add a lot of nice details and sweet stories. Things that wouldn't fit in the books without slowing the pace, but still worth telling.
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United States7166 Posts
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you should all just read steven erikson's malazan book of the fallen. it's phenomenal, all the depth of world, detail and character you ever wished <your previous favourite books> had.
not a light read, gritty to the point of making you hate the world and everything in it from time to time, but really powerful engrossing books that will never disappoint.
fun fact: i met steven erikson's son on a fencing social about a month ago, he fences at my uni.
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waiting for the sequel to this, pity he's had to write wheel of time in the meantime.
not as bad as patrick rothfuss though!
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On March 05 2011 06:31 Yurie wrote:
Are you reading the short stories as well? They add a lot of nice details and sweet stories. Things that wouldn't fit in the books without slowing the pace, but still worth telling.
Yeah, the short stories really added a lot of flavor to the characters, especially Luccio and Ms. Gard
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On March 05 2011 06:45 kerpal wrote:waiting for the sequel to this, pity he's had to write wheel of time in the meantime. not as bad as patrick rothfuss though!
Sanderson has had a pretty good writing pace. Above average for the fantasy crowd. 
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On March 05 2011 06:46 Yurie wrote:Show nested quote +On March 05 2011 06:45 kerpal wrote:waiting for the sequel to this, pity he's had to write wheel of time in the meantime. not as bad as patrick rothfuss though! Sanderson has had a pretty good writing pace. Above average for the fantasy crowd.
do you read erikson? he's a machine.
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Steven Erikson is the best fantasy writer in my opinion. Malazan Book of the Fallen is by far the greatest book series I have ever read
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I'm pretty sure this qualifies as Fantasy so I'll post them here.
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood - A novel about post-apocalyptic view of the world through the eyes of Snowman, the main character. It's a pretty damn good book and it switches between Snowman and Jimmy (Snowman's persona before the world came crashing down). It was probably the most engrossing book I've ever read. I had to read it for a Bioethics class. Our professor gave us 4 weeks to read it. I finished it in 2 days. I believe the book and the author Margaret was just trying to give everyone a view of what the world can come to with the advance of technology and such.
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood - This book compliments Oryx and Crake. It's basically the same book, but this time there's a different main character. Instead of focusing on the rich that live w/ all this great technology in compounds, it focuses on the people that live in the "pleeblands" and are in general poor or don't live that great of a life. This book wasn't anywhere near as good as Oryx and Crake, but it was still awesome. The only complaint I have is that after reading Oryx and Crake, you already know what caused everything in The Year of the Flood, so the suspense being built up was kind of null for me.
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On March 05 2011 05:52 Aequos wrote:
The Name of the Wind (and its sequel, Wise Man's Fear) are both excellent. (Edit: They're by Patrick Rothfuss, teaches me to read the entire thread before posting >.<)
If I remember the authors name I'll edit it in.
I'm also a fan of most of the books by Brandon Sanderson, with the exceptions being the Mistborn sequels (the first was good)
reading the name of the wind atm, damn excellent writing, especially for being a debut novel! Game of Thrones is the only other book that has hooked me so quickly and intensely.
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On March 06 2011 17:04 deth wrote:Show nested quote +On March 05 2011 05:52 Aequos wrote:
The Name of the Wind (and its sequel, Wise Man's Fear) are both excellent. (Edit: They're by Patrick Rothfuss, teaches me to read the entire thread before posting >.<)
If I remember the authors name I'll edit it in.
I'm also a fan of most of the books by Brandon Sanderson, with the exceptions being the Mistborn sequels (the first was good) reading the name of the wind atm, damn excellent writing, especially for being a debut novel! Game of Thrones is the only other book that has hooked me so quickly and intensely.
You're so lucky to read Name of the Wind now, the sequel just came out a week ago. I had to wait a couple years to get my greedy hands on that mofo. Just finished it, and it is fucking excellent.
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On March 05 2011 02:52 TheAura wrote:
I need your fella's opinion.
The first fantasy series i read was Sword of Truth. Loved it to death, even though there were many parts that werent the best, overall i found it to be quite an epic adventure.
Currently im reading through dresden files, which i find are more fun and exciting books rather than an epic tale.
I am also a huge fan of the dark tower series.
I have been doing research on which series to read next.
3 major contenders seems to be Wheel of Time, Shannara, and Malazan..
Can you guys give me your thoughts on these books? I have heard that wheel is time is very generic and cookie cutter-esque, albeit very good. I dont think im interested so much in this and im leaning towards Shannara and Malazan currently, both which seem to get mixed reviews.
As for a song of ice and fire, i have been told many times over that this series is the best that is on the shelves currently. While i plan on reading this eventually, i would rather wait till at least 6 books are out so i do not have to wait forever inbetween volumes.
The Wheel of Time is very similar to Tolkien, D&D, and every swords and sorcery RPG you've ever played, but it's still quite good. It's like a Blizzard game: it does nothing revolutionary, but it takes the familiar aspects of the genre and polishes them to excellence. Malazan, on the other hand, is the hip indie game that's experimental and quirky with lots of rough edges. It's different in a good way, and that is refreshing to a lot of people that are tired of generic fantasy.
A Song of Ice and Fire is seriously good, but I can't blame you for wanting to wait until it's finished before reading.
"Fun and exciting" is definitely the best way to describe the Dresden Files. I love that series so much. Changes, the latest full novel, is omgwtf good. If you like that style of storytelling, I'd also suggest Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos books (it's only been mentioned once in this thread). It's a traditional fantasy series that focuses on one character with short, mostly self-contained stories in a world where everyone can communicate telepathically and teleport anywhere. It's very fast-paced and funny with marvelous characters that the author doesn't need 1000 page books to develop.
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I'm gonna have to put another vote in for the Dresden Files... seriously amazing books. Can't wait till the next one is released.
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EPT
