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Wow, so many good suggestions... I'm crying on the inside a bit because I'm not in the US where I could probably find all these through the library so I don't have to buy them all -.-
Just to throw in my three cents (inflation these days, ugh):
1. As was said above -- the original Dune series by Frank Herbert (skip the ones written by his son unless you've read the first six are into them). They're fairly serious reads, as in they'll give you things to really think about, which is why I love them. I picked one of the books up when I was younger, like early high school I think, and didn't find it interesting, but I read the series in college and was thoroughly engrossed.
2. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. They apparently made this a movie, which I haven't seen and wouldn't recommend because the books were good and I doubt the movie did it justice. I liked the series because it felt really original -- not the same generic type of LotR fantasy that gets recycled a lot. It also dealt with some fairly deep / important ideas that everyone grapples with at some point. Think I read this in high school, so not sure if my opinion of it would change now, but at the time I found it really impactful (I don't know if that's a proper word, but Tastless uses it, so there).
3. Empire of the East and Book of Swords series by Fred Saberhagen. An interesting, original mix of fantasy and sci-fi. I don't think he's very popular anymore, but a friend's father recommended him to me and I really enjoyed it. Empire of the East sets the background for Book of Swords -- they're not directly related, but if you read Empire of the East you'll understand more about how the universe in the Book of Swords works.
And oh -- since no one has mentioned it, the Silmarillion by Tolkien. The Silmarillion is a collection of the tales, legends, history, etc. of Middle Earth that Christopher Tolkien published from his father's notes. It reads like a collection of Norse mythology or Icelandic sagas. Definitely not for everyone, but personally I love it for the epic scale and grandeur, as well as the way that it frames LotR and puts that all in context.
Have to bookmark this page, seriously... Great recommendations so far, thanks folks :-)
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On April 08 2011 19:36 sjh wrote:
I don't think anyone has mentioned The Rune Lords yet:
The Runelords is a fantasy series by author David Farland. In the universe of The Runelords, there exists a unique magical system which relies on the existence of distinct bodily attributes, such as brawn, grace, and wit. These attributes can be transferred from one individual (or animal) to another in a process known as "giving an endowment". Lords who have taken many endowments become extremely powerful, almost superhuman, and are known as Runelords.
The series can't compete with WoT or SoIaF, but the rune system is interesting and refreshing. I enjoyed it quite a bit 5 or 6 years ago when I first read it, not sure how it has stood the test of time.
Also..... A Dance with Dragons will be released on July 12, 2011 [hopefully!].
Runelords started very strong the first 4 or so are really awesome but after that I've slowly lost interest in it.. I'm I'm the last one that's out currently (Chaosbound) I haven't for some reason been able to pick it up yet, its sitting 2 feet away from me atm on my nightstand. They aren't just a little superhuman hell look at Raj Ahten with like what? 100,000 endowments or something insane like that? Catching arrows with his hands has a photographic memory, never sleeps.. he can force you to surrender with just his voice.. yeah he's a little op.
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It would be a crime against humanity not to mention Neil Gaimans series "Sandman".
"American Gods" is also possibly the best book ever written (same author).
Yeah, so i happen to like Neil Gaiman what about it..
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On April 08 2011 18:27 TieN.nS) wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2011 17:27 Aequos wrote:
I couldn't find anyone mentioning "The Name of the Wind" and its sequel "The Wise Man's Fear" so far, so I'm definitely going to mention that. They're by Patrick Rothfuss, and absolutely fantastic.
Mentioned in the first post, actually. But they are both absolutely fantastic!
God I fail at reading - I feel great shame.
I'll give a few other suggestions from my bookshelf then.
- Sabriel/Lireal/Abhorsen by Garth Nix
- Dhampir by Barb & J.C. Hendee
- The Spirit Lens by Carol Berg (the rest of hers weren't as good)
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman (I know it's a bit old, but the book itself is actually quite well written).
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The sword of truth series, faith of the fallen is one of my all-time favorite books.
The name of the wind - The best "low-key" fantasy book I've read, the sequel is due to come out soon (meaning now) I think its supposed to be a trilogy when its completed.
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I read "The left hand of god", basically bought the book on a whim because the cover was nice and the little plot description on the back seemed intresting.
The way this author uses words is annoying. He has a habit of making very long and twisting sentences wich might be correct in terms of grammar but are a pain to read.
The characters in the story are mostly cardboard cut outs, the few intresting characters actually get nearly no screentime.
In the end the worst thing this book did was not tell me what it was. This book is the first part in a trilogy, but nowhere does it say that, not on the cover, not on the back and not even on the inside of the book.
I hate going into a book, expecting a fully rounded story, and then being left without a proper conclusion. I began to realise it on the last 100-50 pages that there was no way he could end the story.
The story itself throws you for some loops but most of them due to you not having enough information to predict otherwise. I prefer a twist that can be deduced with all the information you have, but is so clever you didn't think of it yourself, but when you go back and read you think "aah yeah that makes sense".
A big chunk of the book deals with trivial stuff and there isn't much of a pace in it. Many of the mysteries that hook you in at the start are never explained, something i wouldn't mind if i knew it was going to be a trilogy. The plot on the back of the book actually tells you nothing about the first book, i am assuming the future books deal with that.
In the end it was the characters that left me most bored. Oke so the main guy is a dick and he's a smartass that is constantly breaking social rules...at what point do people with more power stop taking shit from a child with an attitude problem?
The friends of the main character are utterly without merit, i don't even remember their names or their personalities, if they even had any.
The love intrest is exactly that, the love intrest, that's it.
In the end it's the bad guy (wich gets nearly no page-time) that has more dimensions then any other character, but perhaps i made half of those up considering how little you learn of him.
The story itself basically starts out in a place callled the "Sanctuary of the Redeemers" a fortress in a wasteland where an order of clergy men called "The Redeemers" train children that are sent to them, most of wich are orhpans and the sorts.
In this sanctuary the redeemers brutally train these children and break their spirits so they can become soldiers to go in a perpetual war against "the antagonists" wich are a vaguely described group of people who fight the redeemers and supposedly worship a different god. The redeemers worship "the hanged redeemer" wich is essentially a Jeus Christ-esque figure that was hung rather then crucified.
My comparison to Jesus Christ might strike on as odd but more odd then that is how this world appears to be beyond peculiar in it's location.
The name of this world for example is never specified, yet in this world there exists Memphis, New York and Manhatten. Takes place in America you say? Doubtfull because all the empires in the world have names that one will never find in history books. So it doesn't take place in our world you say. Well no it has Jews, so it should take place in our world.
Perhaps something that gets explained in the future books but certainly not in the first. I didn't find it all that distracting but some people might be annoyed with how the book sometimes gives hints about it being our world and then swings back to declare it's nothing like our world.
In the end i will probably read the other books but only because i hate to leave stories unfinished. The book itself i would consider mediocre. It has 500 pages, small pages with a big font size so going through it would hardly take more then 5 hours of actuall reading. If you have money to spare and just want to read some fantasy you could do worse, if you only like reading if the material is really good then just avoid it.
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On April 08 2011 20:25 sc14s wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2011 19:36 sjh wrote:
I don't think anyone has mentioned The Rune Lords yet:
The Runelords is a fantasy series by author David Farland. In the universe of The Runelords, there exists a unique magical system which relies on the existence of distinct bodily attributes, such as brawn, grace, and wit. These attributes can be transferred from one individual (or animal) to another in a process known as "giving an endowment". Lords who have taken many endowments become extremely powerful, almost superhuman, and are known as Runelords.
The series can't compete with WoT or SoIaF, but the rune system is interesting and refreshing. I enjoyed it quite a bit 5 or 6 years ago when I first read it, not sure how it has stood the test of time.
Also..... A Dance with Dragons will be released on July 12, 2011 [hopefully!]. Runelords started very strong the first 4 or so are really awesome but after that I've slowly lost interest in it.. I'm I'm the last one that's out currently (Chaosbound) I haven't for some reason been able to pick it up yet, its sitting 2 feet away from me atm on my nightstand. They aren't just a little superhuman hell look at Raj Ahten with like what? 100,000 endowments or something insane like that? Catching arrows with his hands has a photographic memory, never sleeps.. he can force you to surrender with just his voice.. yeah he's a little op.
Good to know, I only read as far as Lair of Bones.
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On April 08 2011 13:30 BloodyC0bbler wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2011 13:25 Deekin[ wrote:On April 08 2011 13:18 BloodyC0bbler wrote:On April 08 2011 13:09 Deekin[ wrote:
I highly highly HIGHLY recommend the Saga about the Dark Elf Drizzt Do'Urden. Its based in the Forgotten Realms universe, the same as the games Newerwinter Nights and Baldurs Gate and some other books aswell.
And well all I have to say is that its the best fantasy series I've ever read. They are just... super good, they are the best I ever read!!! I still got about two left and theres one book coming out about every 1-2 years and I think its been about 13-14 books released now.. and Its all been great, even the 3-4 spinoff books thats not even about Drizzt are great, even superb! (its about side characters that are very well introduced and have a connection with Drizzt himself.)
R.A Salvatore is the one whos writing these books and I am such a fan of his style of his explanations about everything. When I read those books I see in my mind everything that happens as if I was there myself as a spectator.
Oh just because of this Im gonna go afk and read some!! If you enjoy the drizzt Do'Urden books I would highly suggest reading the clerics quintet written by Salvatore. They are by far his best 5 books in a continuing series for forgotten realm based books. Yeah I have thought about that, I think he wrote those before Drizzt ones right? I just randomly stumbled upon the Drizzt books and little did I know I stumbled upon a jewel so I dont know all about those but not the other stuff from Salvatore but I think he havent written Forgotten Realms based books? R.A Salvatore began his career (or at least got well known for) writing novels based in the forgotten realms. His most famous characters are the ones you are familiar with from the drizzt series, however he is also well known for his other novels as well. The cleric quintet ( 5 books) are most likely his best works in the forgotten realms. If you have read the drizzt books / artemis entreri's books you will have heard of the priest Cadderly. The quintet is all about him. They show real growth of character and really are amazing novels. If you haven't read them and you like Salvatore you really should pick up these books.
Ah yes ofcourse I know abt Cadderly, + Show Spoiler +He who helped them with destroying the Crenshinibon!
I think I will love those books because the books with Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle, The Sellswords... oh god how I loved em, might have loved them more than the original series about Drizzt. They were awesome. Thanks for the recommendation.
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The witcher series of books is pretty damn good (which explains how they got popular enough to inspire a game). Unfortunately only 2 have been translated from their native polish to english. I would recommend reading The Last Wish, its a collection of short stories. Its a very gritty and grey world, moral ambiguity is a common theme.
On April 08 2011 13:20 BisuDagger wrote:
The Shannara Series and anything else by Terry Brooks!
Other notables:
Legend of the Seeker aka sword of truth series
Ugh I remember I really got into the sword of truth series and then by the 4th book or so I completely lost interest in it.
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On April 08 2011 20:20 dormer wrote:
Wow, so many good suggestions... I'm crying on the inside a bit because I'm not in the US where I could probably find all these through the library so I don't have to buy them all -.-
Do what I did, buy an ebook reader and torrent ebooks. We don't have a english library either 
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I updated the original post and read thru all the threads. Some awesome suggestions, I got a nice list of books to read over the next couple of months  Keep 'em coming, eventually I will have a nice Initial post of everything when i get it all done :D
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The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson is amazing. I can really recommend anyone to check it out.
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Harshini by jennifer fallon was amazing when I read it in 10th grade, cover to cover all 3 books so good
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Hello all,
I've only ever read the Dragon Lance books (excluding LotR and Harry Potter  ). I found those books to be amazing when I first read them, and actually I still do they're amazing.
I've never heard of a single book in this thread, except for some very popular ones like Wheel of Time (I've never read them, just saw them when browsing around the library).
So as you can see, I don't have a lot of experience with Fantasy books at all.
Browsing through this thread, there are soooo many recommendations. I can't tell which is good, which is great, which I should start reading... I just wiki'd The Night Angel Trilogy and from the wiki blurb @ the top, it seems pretty interesting.
Can anyone recommend any good fantasy? I've read a lot of Brian Jacques stuff...but they're all so damn similar and I read them when I was in elementary/high school and I remember getting bored of the series (pages and pages of description on just food!). LotR was also a very boring read for me (great movies though!)...just way too much damn description about useless stuff like the trees and grass and a song/poem on every other page.
I'm not saying recommend something childish like Dragon Lance (is it even considered child/teenish?), but I also don't want something like LOTR either (don't want to fall asleep on my book every night ).
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Hmm. Since the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher were only mentioned once in passing in this thread I really need to hold up the flags for those books a bit more.
The Dresden Files are classified as Urban Fantasy, that is fantasy books that play in our present world with some differences, in this case the existance of magic and a whole lot of stuff resulting from it. The main character, Harry Dresden, is a wizard that makes his living as a PI. The books are written from his perspective in a case format, basically one case per book. Harry himself is basically a very genre-savvy nerd, only instead of fantasy, sci-fi and computers his passions are fantasy, sci-fi and magic. Which results in him quoting Star Wars regularly and making fun of ancient evils for nor getting pop culture references.
What makes this series stand out from many others is the fact that Butcher planned out the overarching storyline before he began writing the first book. As a result the story-universe is remarkably consistent and complex and the main-storyline is moving towards a well planned conclusion. It's not unusual after reading the newest book to recognize foreshadowing of things that happen in it as far back as in the first book.
At the moment 12 books out of a planned 24 are out and while the first one is pretty good I can honestly say it's the worst in the series. It was the first book Butcher ever published and since then his skills as a writer have continued to steadily grow.
I've read a good portion of the books recommended here until now and I have yet to find a series that is better than the Dresden Files.
Also: Day[9] reads it and has recommended it on stream numerous times, if that means something to you. :D
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Wtf where is Dragonlance? Seriously I just started Wheel of time Book 6 after finishing about 20 of the dragonlance books still not sure which one I like more but it should definitely be on the list.
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On April 09 2011 08:51 Sworn wrote:
Wtf where is Dragonlance? Seriously I just started Wheel of time Book 6 after finishing about 20 of the dragonlance books still not sure which one I like more but it should definitely be on the list.
chillout >.< i havent put the whole list of books up yet. I read dragonlance in highschool and it certainly isnt bad, just one of those early fantasy series' that i gravitated away from as I got older.
If you look at the bottom of my original post I've started a list of other fantasy / sci-fi to read other than my personal favorite picks.
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On April 08 2011 20:20 dormer wrote:
Wow, so many good suggestions... I'm crying on the inside a bit because I'm not in the US where I could probably find all these through the library so I don't have to buy them all -.-
Please... I don't even talk about myself spending 1/3rd of my monthly salary on books here.
Are you serious? There are things you don't want to get from the library, for instance books written by authors in the language you're semi-proficcient in:
Russian - Asimov, Strugacki brothers, Lukyanenko, Glukhovsky
Polish - Lem, Dukaj, Zajdel
English - Dick, Wells, Clarke, Herbert
I think it's really surprising that 90% of the world's finest S-F requires you to know but 3 languages to be able to read most of it in native language.
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On April 09 2011 09:38 Manit0u wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2011 20:20 dormer wrote:
Wow, so many good suggestions... I'm crying on the inside a bit because I'm not in the US where I could probably find all these through the library so I don't have to buy them all -.-
Please... I don't even talk about myself spending 1/3rd of my monthly salary on books here. Are you serious? There are things you don't want to get from the library, for instance books written by authors in the language you're semi-proficcient in: Russian - Asimov, Strugacki brothers, Lukyanenko, Glukhovsky Polish - Lem, Dukaj, Zajdel English - Dick, Wells, Clarke, Herbert I think it's really surprising that 90% of the world's finest S-F requires you to know but 3 languages to be able to read most of it in native language.
eh.. most translations are pretty good, or at least i thought they were good and hadnt heard they were bad translation (speaking mostly on Asimov)
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i read every post and no-one has mentioned raymond e feist??? magician is world-renound best-seller (atleast i thought) i've read alot of teh books and authors mentioned in this thread and feist shits on every single one, seriously the best fantasy author out there in my eyes.
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EPT
