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I did a search and all the threads are way old / not exactly relevant. I wanted to make a thread for people to discuss good(yes this is relative to the reader, thats why its a discussion) fantasy / sci-fi reads as well as different types of sub genres. Please make sure to post the reasoning behind your favorite reads too.
I'll start:
I am a huge reader of fantasy and sci-fi and have been for years. Around the 2nd-3rd grade i got into all the traditional old school fantasy/sci-fi (Tolkien, Brooks, Asimov ect..)
and have pretty much devoured them ever since.
As i've read more and more fantasy in particular and as I grew up "true high fantasy" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fantasy started catching my eye and of late has been my favorite type of fanasy to delve into (particularly Dark high fantasy, which I will point out later, and which im sure most of you have read some of before but just didnt know how to quantify it- I sure as hell didn't before I looked it up).
So I'll start with what I consider to be great reads of current fantasy
1)Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_wheel_of_time
I would consider this the cornerstone of modern high fantasy where they concentrate on a larger storyline and dont just follow 1-2 main characters like older high fantasy. Its extremely long, and still isnt finished (Why did you die on me Robert Jordan?  ) The last book is in the works and my reasoning behind enjoying this series is i would say primarily how Jordan (and subsequently Sanderson who is finishing it for him since R.J died) is very descriptive, yet at the same time doesnt bore you with too much (take Titus Groan as an example of TOO much description). I also enjoy "Logical fiction" now i dont know if there is another word for this but what I mean is that the fiction makes complete sense in the world that it is in. In alot of fantasy its "mystical" magic that is rarely well explained and the protagonist is good "just because" so it doesnt feel like there are true human emotions behind the words but in the wheel of time you see all the reasoning behind everyone's actions and the world makes sense if it was placed in our own world.
If you havent read this and consider yourself a fantasy reader i HIGHLY recommend reading this as it really is the quinticential modern high fantasy series.
2) The King Killer Chronicle (Patrick Rothfuss) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingkiller_Chronicle
Another series that I am highly looking forward to continue reading (yay 2nd book is coming out) this series is essentially based on the protagonists point of view who is in his story a modern day legend and is telling his side of the story. It is much less welll known than WoT but really it is a series that I identified well with, its this mans crazy life and he wasnt planning on becoming a legend he just happened to have the right abilities and is in the right place at the right time.
3) A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_song_of_ice_and_fire
Right now this is tied for favorite series. Its got everything you could want in it : tons of fast paced action, hints at things to come and great twists left and right. What is there not to love? If you have read it I think you will know what I mean. It currently is becoming an HBO series (I am on the fence here, usually transports to different media forms suck terribly with a few exceptions but its HBO, which can if done right i think do it justice.. so I dont really have an opinion yet untill i see it) This is a Dark epic fantasy series, which i was pointing out earlier. It is one of the newest types of fantasy (truly gritty, graphic and engaging which I love)
4) The Stormlight Archive (Brandon Sanderson) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stormlight_Archive
If you dont know who this guy is, you should really aquaint yourself with him especially considering hes finishing The WoT series in R.J absence. Hes got a knack for making everything EPIC. In the first monster book of this series (its over 1000pages) He somehow made me get some crazy nerdchills in the epic battles that happen in the book. I havent figured out exactly how he does it but if you read the book i think you will know what i mean (Kaladin when hes not being emo and Dallinar in particular) this along with aSoIaF are my two most looked forward to books to read and i highly recommend you read both of them.
5) The Prince of Nothing trilogy (R. Scott Bakker) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince_of_Nothing
This is certainly an interesting trilogy to delve into. It has no holds barred when it comes to being explicit (even more so than George R.R Martin's books, which is quite impressive in itself). My big pull was that the whole story is pretty damn epic between the main Protagonist (Kellhus) who is pretty much the biggest badass ever, think of him as smarter than Ender Wiggin and a better fighter than Rand al'thor (pfft heron marked blade, w/e..) as well as the story line. The whole idea of the NO-GOD and the dreams that introduce the reader to the backstory made this story seem so epic in scope as well as gave it a deepness that you dont often see in books. This is a prime example of Dark epic fantasy, which sidenote, I would love if anyone else knows more of this type of writing as a) I like it alot and b) it is the style of writing that I as a writer am trying to emulate eventually so any info on new writers in this style would be appreciated 
6) On the comedy side of it there is nothing better than: Douglass Adams, but also of note certainly is Terry Pratchett who are the only two authors to actually get me to literally Rofl from reading them at points.
7) Coldfire Trilogy (C.S Friedman) My big pull to this series was I liked the conflicted realistic characters as well as the whole idea of fae, Which is essentially magic in this series, is an extention of peoples unconcious. So fears, beliefs and feelings become real based on how much and how many people think. It was a great read and I would even recommend any of her books (she does a mix of sci-fi and fantasy) but certainly coldfire is my favorite of all of her books.
Edit: I was going to list "Classics" for people who are interested in perhaps getting into reading Sci-fi/Fantasy for me the "sci-fi/fantasy 101" would most definately be something like:
1)Enders Game (SF)
2)Lord of the Rings (ofc) (Fantasy)
3)R.A Salvatore's Drizzt series (yes its still "current" but it really is a classic fantasy storyline)
4)Dune (yes i know some people dont like it.. but still its a good read and original plus a classic) (SF)
5)Sword of Shannara (cant really comment on his newer stuff but this was another of my introductions to fantasy)
Do note I wouldnt mind if someone disagreed about the "classics" that are must reads for new readers kinda just a list of stuff i read when I was young getting into fantasy.
Following is some recommended reads from other people, I either haven't read them, am not the hugest fan or it's just my cup of tea, but I would like to keep a large list for everyone to come back to later and since my recommendations arent the only reads that people like. Especially since the thread is starting to get bigger, it would be easier to have it all on the front page IMO. Anyway heres the basic list of books that other people have recommended in no particular order:
-Night Angel Trilogy (Brent Weeks)
-The Black Prism (Brent Weeks)
-A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen (Steven Erikson) - this comes highly recommended by more than one person in the thread so far as well as my next planned series to read (thx TL )
-Iain M. Banks - Various works, not really in a series like the other authors stated (as I stated ive only read about 3 or so of his books, very deep and though provoking, i do like him)
-Robin Hobb - I sort of spaced on her when writing up my initial list shes a very good writer and is worth reading some of her trilogies (she seems to always write trilogies)
-Gene Wolfe - check out "Bwenjarin Raffrack" comments on him on page two. My point of view is that I usually like reads with lots of everything going on (action, intrigue, questions raised and answered ect) but if you like the more cerebral slow paced books it certainly sounds like a good read.
-The Dresden Files (Jim Butcher)
-Sword of Truth (Terry Goodkind) I used to be a fan but his later books sort of lost their steam for me but some people like him alot, also in the end.. I got really annoyed.
-The First Law (Joe Ambercrombie) I personally haven't read any of his books however he certainly is on my list of books to read after the numberous recommendations.
-Best Served Cold (Joe Ambercrombie) See above.
-The Heroes (Joe Ambercrombie) See above.
-Neil Gaiman- i've read his Sandman Chronicles (comicbook series) which i really liked but i havent really read too many of his books but he certainly is a good writer and many people in the thread have recommended it.
-Katherine Kerr - A couple recommendations, havent read myself so i cannot comment on it.
-Raymond E. Feist- some people rave about him, I like him, but i just like certain other series' over his, all of his books iirc are in one large well thought out universe.
-Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (Stephen Donaldson) - Some people seem to like his writing, for some reason it irritated me after awhile (The whole negative disblieving anti-hero thing) and i couldn't get through the whole thing.
-Chronicles of Amber series (Roger Zelazny)
-The Black Company novels (Glen Cook)
-The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich (Phillip K Dick)
-Breakfast of Champions (Kurt Vonnegut)
-Cat's Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut)
-Out of the Silent Planet (C.S Lewis)
-VALIS (Phillip K. Dick)
-Tales of a Dying Earth (Jack Vance)
-Black Magician Trilogy (Trudi Caravan)
-Vlad Taltos Novels (Stephen Brust) I have actually read a good amount of his books. Pretty amusing at times but in my opinion not usually as funny as Douglass Adams nor Terry Pratchett.
I know this list is starting to look long and sort of unwieldy but I am collecting the whole list before i seperate it into general genres (sci-fi, hard sci-fi, Dark fantasy, High Fantasy ect.)
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I'll have to agree with all of your suggestions. I also highly enjoyed the Night Angel Trilogy from Brent weeks.
From Wikipedia "The Night Angel Trilogy is a fantasy series written by Brent Weeks. The story follows the life of Azoth (later Kylar Stern) as he struggles as a guild rat to become the ultimate wetboy (an assassin with slight magical talent, such as the ability to muffle sound, or to block an attack with your mind), then tries to leave it all behind and finally becomes the avatar of retribution: the Night Angel."
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On April 08 2011 10:17 IronFenix wrote:
I'll have to agree with all of your suggestions. I also highly enjoyed the Night Angel Trilogy from Brent weeks.
From Wikipedia "The Night Angel Trilogy is a fantasy series written by Brent Weeks. The story follows the life of Azoth (later Kylar Stern) as he struggles as a guild rat to become the ultimate wetboy (an assassin with slight magical talent, such as the ability to muffle sound, or to block an attack with your mind), then tries to leave it all behind and finally becomes the avatar of retribution: the Night Angel."
Hmm i havent read that series yet. (in fact ive never seen it in any of the mainstream bookstores ive been to before) but it sounds interesting I definately will take a gander on it.
I have more recommendations I just dont feel like finishing it this second hehe, I'll put more later, also likely organize my list into sub genres.
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On April 08 2011 10:17 IronFenix wrote:
I'll have to agree with all of your suggestions. I also highly enjoyed the Night Angel Trilogy from Brent weeks.
From Wikipedia "The Night Angel Trilogy is a fantasy series written by Brent Weeks. The story follows the life of Azoth (later Kylar Stern) as he struggles as a guild rat to become the ultimate wetboy (an assassin with slight magical talent, such as the ability to muffle sound, or to block an attack with your mind), then tries to leave it all behind and finally becomes the avatar of retribution: the Night Angel."
I'll add onto this by putting forth The Black Prism. Same author and writing style but a different kind of story. Many, many twists in the story and it kept me up many nights.
A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen (Steven Erikson)
Yes, this is a long series. Yes, it is amazing. Yes, go buy it. 5 books in at the moment and every book follows multiple story lines from different characters, ultimately converging near the end of the books. The scope of these books is almost unimaginable and the style was a little daunting at first, but after getting over the unease I loved them - particularly Memories of Ice. The books are also fairly stand alone, however reading them in order lets you delve deeper into the story (I've had many moments of OH SHIT, THAT'S why that happened, or finding out the stories behind characters in previous books)
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On April 08 2011 10:37 TheYukoner wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2011 10:17 IronFenix wrote:
I'll have to agree with all of your suggestions. I also highly enjoyed the Night Angel Trilogy from Brent weeks.
From Wikipedia "The Night Angel Trilogy is a fantasy series written by Brent Weeks. The story follows the life of Azoth (later Kylar Stern) as he struggles as a guild rat to become the ultimate wetboy (an assassin with slight magical talent, such as the ability to muffle sound, or to block an attack with your mind), then tries to leave it all behind and finally becomes the avatar of retribution: the Night Angel." I'll add onto this by putting forth The Black Prism. Same author and writing style but a different kind of story. Many, many twists in the story and it kept me up many nights. A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen (Steven Erikson) Yes, this is a long series. Yes, it is amazing. Yes, go buy it. 5 books in at the moment and every book follows multiple story lines from different characters, ultimately converging near the end of the books. The scope of these books is almost unimaginable and the style was a little daunting at first, but after getting over the unease I loved them - particularly Memories of Ice. The books are also fairly stand alone, however reading them in order lets you delve deeper into the story (I've had many moments of OH SHIT, THAT'S why that happened, or finding out the stories behind characters in previous books)
Thats actually the next series I was planning on reading when I get a stable paycheck to buy some more books (for some reason i always have to own the book, i guess thats a good thing for people who want me to buy their book  )
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God I love TL community, there is a thread for everything. <3 Fantasy (no, not you  Fantasy, fantasy).
One of my favourite fantasy authors who as far as I can see is not that well known is Robin Hobb. She has written several trilogies, all set in the same world but in very different settings, though some are connected. They also kind of reference each other within the book, and personally I love it when books do that.
Anyway onwards. As I have said, she has written several trilogies, the one I would most highly recommend is called the Liveship Trilogy. I feel like it's the most balanced of the two trilogies of hers I've read, with so much character development and an awful lot of ups and downs.
Each book is pretty long, and it is a trilogy so the whole thing really has so much time and space to become an absolutely epic storyline. And I think we all know it doesn't feel like fantasy unless it's an absolutely humongous book
Robin Hobb is also continuing to write more books, so she has one trilogy which is 2/3rds done which is actually a sort of follow on from the Liveship Trilogy.
Also, the covers of the book are absolutely epic.
I'd also like to recommend Iain M. Banks (also known as Iain Banks, it's the same guy, the M. used to distinguish his 'normal' fiction from his sci-fi fiction - the fiction stuff is excellent, but a bit grim, whereas the sci-fi is just... mind-blowing). I know this is a fantasy thread, but you mentioned Asimov in the title so I couldn't help but recommend Banks, he is one of my absolute favourite authors.
Although what he writes is technically sci-fi, I fail to see how anyone who appreciates fantasy could not enjoy the scale and comprehensive awesomeness that his books are. Moreover, the plot is unfailingly brilliant, and I can pretty much guarantee you that he will put in a twist at the end of every book that will just... explode your brain.
Crikey, that's alot of hyperbole in one paragraph. But the man is just so good. Thoroughly recommended, even though y'all have probably heard of him. I'm reading one of his books atm, but when I finish it I will check back on this thread for inspiration ^^
<3 fantasiers
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+ Show Spoiler +On April 08 2011 10:57 wristuzi wrote:God I love TL community, there is a thread for everything. <3 Fantasy (no, not you Fantasy, fantasy). One of my favourite fantasy authors who as far as I can see is not that well known is Robin Hobb. She has written several trilogies, all set in the same world but in very different settings, though some are connected. They also kind of reference each other within the book, and personally I love it when books do that. Anyway onwards. As I have said, she has written several trilogies, the one I would most highly recommend is called the Liveship Trilogy. I feel like it's the most balanced of the two trilogies of hers I've read, with so much character development and an awful lot of ups and downs. Each book is pretty long, and it is a trilogy so the whole thing really has so much time and space to become an absolutely epic storyline. And I think we all know it doesn't feel like fantasy unless it's an absolutely humongous book Robin Hobb is also continuing to write more books, so she has one trilogy which is 2/3rds done which is actually a sort of follow on from the Liveship Trilogy. Also, the covers of the book are absolutely epic. I'd also like to recommend Iain M. Banks (also known as Iain Banks, it's the same guy, the M. used to distinguish his 'normal' fiction from his sci-fi fiction - the fiction stuff is excellent, but a bit grim, whereas the sci-fi is just... mind-blowing). I know this is a fantasy thread, but you mentioned Asimov in the title so I couldn't help but recommend Banks, he is one of my absolute favourite authors. Although what he writes is technically sci-fi, I fail to see how anyone who appreciates fantasy could not enjoy the scale and comprehensive awesomeness that his books are. Moreover, the plot is unfailingly brilliant, and I can pretty much guarantee you that he will put in a twist at the end of every book that will just... explode your brain. Crikey, that's alot of hyperbole in one paragraph. But the man is just so good. Thoroughly recommended, even though y'all have probably heard of him. I'm reading one of his books atm, but when I finish it I will check back on this thread for inspiration ^^ <3 fantasiers
I've read almost all of Robin Hobb's work (and own all the books almost, gf has one or two that i dont have) Shes pretty good, my favorite series actually was her earlier trilogy The Farseer trilogy, I think i liked reading Fitz's coming of age story and his fight against the odds primarily.
So yes, she is a good writer, I was actually going to add her in a bit later when I make the initial list more comprehensive. I could perhaps make a large list of what (fairly unanimously) is good fantasy reads taking other people recommendations and just have it be the big list of things for everyone to read. That is if that's alright with everyone.
I've started reading his works, what i've read (of his sci-fi anyways) have been pretty awesome - The Algebraist and Matter thus far. I definately plan on reading more of him too.
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On April 08 2011 11:19 sc14s wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On April 08 2011 10:57 wristuzi wrote:God I love TL community, there is a thread for everything. <3 Fantasy (no, not you Fantasy, fantasy). One of my favourite fantasy authors who as far as I can see is not that well known is Robin Hobb. She has written several trilogies, all set in the same world but in very different settings, though some are connected. They also kind of reference each other within the book, and personally I love it when books do that. Anyway onwards. As I have said, she has written several trilogies, the one I would most highly recommend is called the Liveship Trilogy. I feel like it's the most balanced of the two trilogies of hers I've read, with so much character development and an awful lot of ups and downs. Each book is pretty long, and it is a trilogy so the whole thing really has so much time and space to become an absolutely epic storyline. And I think we all know it doesn't feel like fantasy unless it's an absolutely humongous book Robin Hobb is also continuing to write more books, so she has one trilogy which is 2/3rds done which is actually a sort of follow on from the Liveship Trilogy. Also, the covers of the book are absolutely epic. I'd also like to recommend Iain M. Banks (also known as Iain Banks, it's the same guy, the M. used to distinguish his 'normal' fiction from his sci-fi fiction - the fiction stuff is excellent, but a bit grim, whereas the sci-fi is just... mind-blowing). I know this is a fantasy thread, but you mentioned Asimov in the title so I couldn't help but recommend Banks, he is one of my absolute favourite authors. Although what he writes is technically sci-fi, I fail to see how anyone who appreciates fantasy could not enjoy the scale and comprehensive awesomeness that his books are. Moreover, the plot is unfailingly brilliant, and I can pretty much guarantee you that he will put in a twist at the end of every book that will just... explode your brain. Crikey, that's alot of hyperbole in one paragraph. But the man is just so good. Thoroughly recommended, even though y'all have probably heard of him. I'm reading one of his books atm, but when I finish it I will check back on this thread for inspiration ^^ <3 fantasiers I've read almost all of Robin Hobb's work (and own all the books almost, gf has one or two that i dont have) Shes pretty good, my favorite series actually was her earlier trilogy The Farseer trilogy, I think i liked reading Fitz's coming of age story and his fight against the odds primarily. So yes, she is a good writer, I was actually going to add her in a bit later when I make the initial list more comprehensive. I could perhaps make a large list of what (fairly unanimously) is good fantasy reads taking other people recommendations and just have it be the big list of things for everyone to read. That is if that's alright with everyone.
Yeah the Farseer trilogy was the one I found a bit too heavy and depressing. It might just have been a timing kinda thing, as I read that and the Liveship trilogy one after the other. Both are very much coming of age stories though, so good reads as a young teenager ^^
I also feel like the Liveship trilogy was a more complete-feeling trilogy, with so much more of the lore introduced actually being tied up at the end, whereas I felt like the Farseer trilogy just ended up petering out and becoming almost relentlessly oppressive/depressing/can't think of the damn word.
I know there is the Fool's trilogy and another about a tribe (or something?) - are they good? How would you compare them to the ones I've read (read more, fool!)?
I've read the first book of the latest Dragon trilogy, Dragon Keeper I think, was kinda waiting for the whole thing to come out before I got too into it and got upset about not being able to finish it
Opinions on Banks? And your favourite Asimov? The last book of his I read was End of Eternity, was pretty great (and an interesting comparison to Banks).
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Sydney2287 Posts
On April 08 2011 10:17 IronFenix wrote:
I'll have to agree with all of your suggestions. I also highly enjoyed the Night Angel Trilogy from Brent weeks.
From Wikipedia "The Night Angel Trilogy is a fantasy series written by Brent Weeks. The story follows the life of Azoth (later Kylar Stern) as he struggles as a guild rat to become the ultimate wetboy (an assassin with slight magical talent, such as the ability to muffle sound, or to block an attack with your mind), then tries to leave it all behind and finally becomes the avatar of retribution: the Night Angel."
Just adding my support for this series, it was amazing. Unfortunately my copy of book 1 is currently at a friend's place and I have to wait a while before I can read it again . Unique world, with a non-cliche storyline.
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Series:
Wheel of Time
Colors of Chaos
A Game of Thrones
I'll edit this with opinions about WoT later, the others I've been recommended by my friend who reads a shit load, so I recommend them as well.
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Anyone who liked the "Malazan Book of the Fallen" novels should read "The Black Company" novels by Glen Cook ^^
As someone who has read every novel mentioned in this thread as well as probably all novels which will be mentioned later, I have to say that my favorite fantasy series of all time is "A Song of Ice and Fire". It is simply the most well written, very dramatic and many other good things
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On April 08 2011 11:31 wristuzi wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2011 11:19 sc14s wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On April 08 2011 10:57 wristuzi wrote:God I love TL community, there is a thread for everything. <3 Fantasy (no, not you Fantasy, fantasy). One of my favourite fantasy authors who as far as I can see is not that well known is Robin Hobb. She has written several trilogies, all set in the same world but in very different settings, though some are connected. They also kind of reference each other within the book, and personally I love it when books do that. Anyway onwards. As I have said, she has written several trilogies, the one I would most highly recommend is called the Liveship Trilogy. I feel like it's the most balanced of the two trilogies of hers I've read, with so much character development and an awful lot of ups and downs. Each book is pretty long, and it is a trilogy so the whole thing really has so much time and space to become an absolutely epic storyline. And I think we all know it doesn't feel like fantasy unless it's an absolutely humongous book Robin Hobb is also continuing to write more books, so she has one trilogy which is 2/3rds done which is actually a sort of follow on from the Liveship Trilogy. Also, the covers of the book are absolutely epic. I'd also like to recommend Iain M. Banks (also known as Iain Banks, it's the same guy, the M. used to distinguish his 'normal' fiction from his sci-fi fiction - the fiction stuff is excellent, but a bit grim, whereas the sci-fi is just... mind-blowing). I know this is a fantasy thread, but you mentioned Asimov in the title so I couldn't help but recommend Banks, he is one of my absolute favourite authors. Although what he writes is technically sci-fi, I fail to see how anyone who appreciates fantasy could not enjoy the scale and comprehensive awesomeness that his books are. Moreover, the plot is unfailingly brilliant, and I can pretty much guarantee you that he will put in a twist at the end of every book that will just... explode your brain. Crikey, that's alot of hyperbole in one paragraph. But the man is just so good. Thoroughly recommended, even though y'all have probably heard of him. I'm reading one of his books atm, but when I finish it I will check back on this thread for inspiration ^^ <3 fantasiers I've read almost all of Robin Hobb's work (and own all the books almost, gf has one or two that i dont have) Shes pretty good, my favorite series actually was her earlier trilogy The Farseer trilogy, I think i liked reading Fitz's coming of age story and his fight against the odds primarily. So yes, she is a good writer, I was actually going to add her in a bit later when I make the initial list more comprehensive. I could perhaps make a large list of what (fairly unanimously) is good fantasy reads taking other people recommendations and just have it be the big list of things for everyone to read. That is if that's alright with everyone. Yeah the Farseer trilogy was the one I found a bit too heavy and depressing. It might just have been a timing kinda thing, as I read that and the Liveship trilogy one after the other. Both are very much coming of age stories though, so good reads as a young teenager ^^ I also feel like the Liveship trilogy was a more complete-feeling trilogy, with so much more of the lore introduced actually being tied up at the end, whereas I felt like the Farseer trilogy just ended up petering out and becoming almost relentlessly oppressive/depressing/can't think of the damn word. I know there is the Fool's trilogy and another about a tribe (or something?) - are they good? How would you compare them to the ones I've read (read more, fool!)? I've read the first book of the latest Dragon trilogy, Dragon Keeper I think, was kinda waiting for the whole thing to come out before I got too into it and got upset about not being able to finish it Opinions on Banks? And your favourite Asimov? The last book of his I read was End of Eternity, was pretty great (and an interesting comparison to Banks).
Woah there cowboy thats alot of questions.
I've read a ton of fantasy thats pretty much primarily not as dark in the fact that it always has the "And they lived happily every after." blah blah kind of thing. So for me I tend to gravitate towards darker fantasy i think for a couple of reasons: a) its refreshing to be less able to predict the outcome (thus making it more gripping, wanting to know what happens next) and b)It is to some extent more realistic because the real world really is pretty damn dark. So I think thats why i preferred the Farseer Trilogy over the rest of her books thus far.
Are you talking about Soldier's son trilogy? It was... Interesting but I would say actually so far it's my least liked of any of her books that i've read I think the problem is it really is like too depressing and the whole magic system is weird.. even if it makes sense. I don't know its hard to say the exact reasons why but its my least liked of her books, not to say that its bad persay but..yeah just my least liked (havent gotten the chance to read her latest - Rain Wild Chronicles yet just btw)
If you want my exact ranking of all her books thus far that ive read it goes:
1)Farseer
2)Liveship Traders
3)Tawny man
4)Soldier's son
again note i haven't read her newest two books yet so i wont comment either.
Bank's I really do like alot and I have read a few of his books, Reasoning behind me liking him so much is linked to how massive a world he has created, thats one of my main premise's for books, there really has to be a huge base to make the world really feel real when im reading it. As you know real life is always complicated.. so therfore without the books feeling complicated they dont feel like they are real.. and no i'm not saying i am mistaking my reality or anything silly like that, but i really like to be totally engrossed in the story and when the story is really complicated it makes it feel more realistic thus more entertaining to read.. if any of that makes any sense let me know.)
My favorite Asimov is easily The Foundation Trilogy. He has tons of good ones but I loved the idea behind it about how Harry seldon (iirc thats his name.. been years) could predict the future through science, when I was like 13 it was totally mindblowing and made me really start reading some sci-fi (I started looking for sci-fi books in particular for awhile and stumbled upon Enders game.. another great modern classic book)
I would say Asimov set the stage for authors like Banks just as Tolkien did for fantasy.
Anyways.. long post I think i got everything.
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My roommate got me into "The Lost Fleet" series. It's a sci-fi military story about a space armada and their reluctant new leader.
I've only read the first book so far, but I really appreciate the fresh and interesting take on space combat and also the very human protagonist.
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On April 08 2011 12:08 Paper117 wrote:
My roommate got me into "The Lost Fleet" series. It's a sci-fi military story about a space armada and their reluctant new leader.
I've only read the first book so far, but I really appreciate the fresh and interesting take on space combat and also the very human protagonist.
sounds vaguely Battlestar Galactica'ish.
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I'm reading the Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson right now. If you like that book, I absolutely recommending reading his Mistborn Trilogy. One of the best series I've ever read.
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Sci-fi/fantasy fans should really, really check out Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. Amazing series of five books, easily some of the smartest and strangest fiction of any genre. It might not be for everyone, since it's pretty demanding and you need to read it very closely to get the most out of it, but it's very worth it. It's so deep that there are 2 or 3 published books of nothing but analysis of the series, and an active mailing list discussing the series that dates back to 1997.
I don't wanna overhype it too much but I really think sci-fi/fantasy people owe it to themselves to check it out.
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Book 2 of Rothfuss' is already out man, go and read it NOWISH. All in all not as good as the first but still a must read. I feel like it didn't answer questions, it just continued the narrative, which is OK but it makes me hunger for book 3.
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned The Dresden Files series. I'd definitely recommend them they're always really interesting I've only read the first 2 books and that was awhile ago but I know a lot of people who are huge fans.
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On April 08 2011 12:21 Zim23 wrote:
Book 2 of Rothfuss' is already out man, go and read it NOWISH. All in all not as good as the first but still a must read. I feel like it didn't answer questions, it just continued the narrative, which is OK but it makes me hunger for book 3.
I knew it was coming out nowish <.< just hadn't looked at the exact date.
Isn't that how 2nd book in a trilogy usually go? basically its always the quiet before the storm because 1st book starts with being really interesting to hook the reader as well as introduce everyone where the 2nd just continues the basic story along to line it up for the climatic ending no?
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Sword of Truth series, I didn't see it mentioned.
I've read just about everything. Might have to start writing books for something to do. lol
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On April 08 2011 12:38 ThaZenith wrote:
Sword of Truth series, I didn't see it mentioned.
I've read just about everything. Might have to start writing books for something to do. lol
My opinion on that series... well it started pretty good, to be honest if he removed like 2 books from the series it would have been improved drastically.. plus the ending killed it for me, i was still an avid reader of the series when it was coming out but it was one of the first times when I got to the end and was like... REALLY?
+ Show Spoiler +everyone lives happily ever after in seperate universes...
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On April 08 2011 12:13 sc14s wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2011 12:08 Paper117 wrote:
My roommate got me into "The Lost Fleet" series. It's a sci-fi military story about a space armada and their reluctant new leader.
I've only read the first book so far, but I really appreciate the fresh and interesting take on space combat and also the very human protagonist. sounds vaguely Battlestar Galactica'ish.
Yeah, it kinda is. The premise is nothing extraordinary.
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Probably one of my favorite authors next to George R. R. Martin is Joe Abercrombie.
The First Law Trilogy, Best Served Cold, and The Heroes are all set in the same world, the last two are stand-alone novels with some minor characters stepping into larger roles, and several other characters from the past returning. The fight scenes and humor are very well written, and the humor despite being somewhat dark itself contrasts nicely with the otherwise gritty and cynical approach of the books.
Don't know if other people would like him as much as I do, since it is a matter of taste, but definitely one of my top fantasy authors.
I didn't really like most of Sanderson's stuff until The Way of Kings, and for some reason I ended up really enjoying that book. And despite its length and introductory nature, I never felt it dragged. (At least for me, doubtless there were people who thought differently.) One thing I have to say about Sanderson is how amazingly visual some of his stuff is in this book. The wildly imaginative setting and magic, with some scenes that were just instantly iconic. Something very hard to do in a book. (He had some bits in the Mistborn books as well. I can’t think of any from Warbreaker though. And I haven’t read Elantris.)
Than of course there's A Song of Ice and Fire, which is like the best fantasy series of all time, if I may be so bold as to say. But you've already mentioned these, so really don't have much more to add.
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On April 08 2011 10:17 IronFenix wrote:
I'll have to agree with all of your suggestions. I also highly enjoyed the Night Angel Trilogy from Brent weeks.
From Wikipedia "The Night Angel Trilogy is a fantasy series written by Brent Weeks. The story follows the life of Azoth (later Kylar Stern) as he struggles as a guild rat to become the ultimate wetboy (an assassin with slight magical talent, such as the ability to muffle sound, or to block an attack with your mind), then tries to leave it all behind and finally becomes the avatar of retribution: the Night Angel."
Yeah agreed, The Night Angel Series was awesome.
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I recommend anything by Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman. Or get both in one book and read Good Omens.
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On April 08 2011 12:50 Inkblood wrote:
Probably one of my favorite authors next to George R. R. Martin is Joe Abercrombie.
The First Law Trilogy, Best Served Cold, and The Heroes are all set in the same world, the last two are stand-alone novels with some minor characters stepping into larger roles, and several other characters from the past returning. The fight scenes and humor are very well written, and the humor despite being somewhat dark itself contrasts nicely with the otherwise gritty and cynical approach of the books.
Don't know if other people would like him as much as I do, since it is a matter of taste, but definitely one of my top fantasy authors.
I didn't really like most of Sanderson's stuff until The Way of Kings, and for some reason I ended up really enjoying that book. And despite its length and introductory nature, I never felt it dragged. (At least for me, doubtless there were people who thought differently.) One thing I have to say about Sanderson is how amazingly visual some of his stuff is in this book. The wildly imaginative setting and magic, with some scenes that were just instantly iconic. Something very hard to do in a book. (He had some bits in the Mistborn books as well. I can’t think of any from Warbreaker though. And I haven’t read Elantris.)
Than of course there's A Song of Ice and Fire, which is like the best fantasy series of all time, if I may be so bold as to say. But you've already mentioned these, so really don't have much more to add.
I am with you there on The Way of Kings. i wasnt rabid for him until that book.. + Show Spoiler +when Kaladin "awoke" his powers on the plateau to save his bridgecrew.. i had goosebumps all over and read that portion like 3x because it was so epic
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Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is great. Don't think of it as omgloljapanesemanga. It's not a typical...overexpressive piece. It's very beautiful, richly detailed, and the story is deeper than 'lets fight a big bad guy.' There really are no true villains. It's not black and white. Just shades of grey and beautiful storytelling that only a master like Miyazaki could weave into a story. Best fantasy piece of literature ever, IMO.
Also, Tales from Earthsea. AWESOME series.
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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!!
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On April 08 2011 13:02 Deadlyhazard wrote:
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is great. Don't think of it as omgloljapanesemanga. It's not a typical...overexpressive piece. It's very beautiful, richly detailed, and the story is deeper than 'lets fight a big bad guy.' There really are no true villains. It's not black and white. Just shades of grey and beautiful storytelling that only a master like Miyazaki could weave into a story. Best fantasy piece of literature ever, IMO.
Also, Tales from Earthsea. AWESOME series.
I will say before I start that I do like manga (and anime for that matter) but books are too different to truly compare, just like it is hard to truly make a good movie from a well made book.
The thing that I like about books it that really it uses your own imagination (and mine goes crazy when I read) with anything that is illustrated (or acted or what have you) is that you dont use your imagination, so somehow making up the story in your head always feels much more epic, awesome and cool compared to however its illustrated.
Again i'm not saying Nausicaa is bad in fact I've watched the movie.. which was okay but as with movies - books im sure it wasnt translated the same. But from what i've seen it is a good story afaik.
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Katherine Kerr, anyone? By far the best fantasy I've ever read.
Act one: Deverry
Daggerspell (1986)
Darkspell (1987)
The Bristling Wood (1989)
The Dragon Revenant (1990)
Act two: The Westlands
A Time of Exile (1991)
A Time of Omens (1992)
Days of Blood and Fire (1993)
Days of Air and Darkness (1994)
Act three: The Dragon Mage
The Red Wyvern (1997)
The Black Raven (1998)
The Fire Dragon (2000)
Act four: The Silver Wyrm
The Gold Falcon (2006)
The Spirit Stone (2007)
The Shadow Isle (2008)
The Silver Mage (2009)
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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!!
That's another one I plan on adding to my must read list at the start of the thread, as it is modern classic fiction, i own most of the books, my only issue is I think there have been too many books made about Drizzt (I will admit i like him as a character) and its usually a similar storyline in everybook after you get out of his early years in underdark- he and his band of friends defeat an evil force X ect ect. but yeah that was one of my staple authors to read in high school (R.A salvator)
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On April 08 2011 12:50 Inkblood wrote:
The First Law Trilogy, Best Served Cold, and The Heroes are all set in the same world, the last two are stand-alone novels with some minor characters stepping into larger roles, and several other characters from the past returning. The fight scenes and humor are very well written, and the humor despite being somewhat dark itself contrasts nicely with the otherwise gritty and cynical approach of the books.
The First Law is one of my recent favorites, simply because it's all about subverting how fantasy usually goes. Each and every character gets a chance to redeem themselves and change for the better, and they either choose to keep being horrible people, or in some cases are forced to keep being complete dicks. I highly reccomend reading it if you can stomach a cast of characters you are likely to hate most of the time, with very few redeeming traits between them.
+ Show Spoiler +It's somewhat refreshing to get away from the happy ending everafter so completely, especially with what happens in the last part of the final book.
I love how it turns out Bayaz is essentially just using everyone as puppets, and how he turns more and more from a kindly old man in the first book to a manipulative psycho, simply obsessed with revenge.
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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.
As for some series I would greatly suggest reading.
The chronicles of the necromancer and the Fallen Kings Cycle series by Gail Z martin.
Information on the series can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronicles_of_the_Necromancer
The green rider series by Kristin Britain follows the character of Karigan G'ladheon. It follows a girl who goes from being a wealthy merchants daughter to green rider. Green riders are messengers in the service to their kingdom yet all possess some "ability". It is a tale showing the growth of a core group of people as they perform their duty for king and country. The books get progressively more and more dark the more you read them. The author has the uncanny ability to make you feel for characters.
I will agree with all positive reviews of Joe Abercrombies books thus far. The man is an exceptional writer. The first law series as well as his stand alone books are on par with the song of ice and fire series easily.
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Bisutopia19231 Posts
The Shannara Series and anything else by Terry Brooks!
Other notables:
Legend of the Seeker aka sword of truth series
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On April 08 2011 13:18 BloodyC0bbler wrote:Show nested quote +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?
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I'm always amazed in threads like these I never see the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, by Stephen Donaldson. The most moving, enthralling fantasy series I've come across.
Not really "true, high fantasy," in the richest sense, as the protagonist is an all-around terrible guy, the quintessential anti-hero. What I liked the most about it was how intimately the characters are intertwined with the plot. No occurrence is something that just "happens," each one has some far-reaching influence, at times as distant as three or four books. Part of Donaldson's belief that the fantasy genre's worlds reflect the protagonist.
And this is certainly true here: the plot is about a leper from our modern world, who's thrust into this rich, vibrant land, where he's got a power he isn't able to use because he's convinced himself so well that he's powerless, by fault of his leprosy. The whole of the series hinges on different paradoxes surrounding him, as he's relied on (despite his incapability and unwillingness) to protect the land from some brooding evil
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The covenant books are so damn depressing.
So incredibly depressing. I've been planning on rereading them since forever, at least the original two trilogies, but each time I remember how down it got me to get trough them the first time.
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On April 08 2011 12:20 strang wrote:
Sci-fi/fantasy fans should really, really check out Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. Amazing series of five books, easily some of the smartest and strangest fiction of any genre. It might not be for everyone, since it's pretty demanding and you need to read it very closely to get the most out of it, but it's very worth it. It's so deep that there are 2 or 3 published books of nothing but analysis of the series, and an active mailing list discussing the series that dates back to 1997.
I don't wanna overhype it too much but I really think sci-fi/fantasy people owe it to themselves to check it out.
Thank you, sir. In the last few recommendations threads I've seen, I've been the only one to ever mention Gene Wolfe, so seeing this only warms my heart. However, I will try to overhype it.
To quote Wikipedia:
Although not a best-selling author, Wolfe is highly regarded by critics and fellow writers, and considered by many to be one of the best living science fiction authors. Indeed, he has sometimes been called the best living American writer regardless of genre. Award-winning science fiction author Michael Swanwick has said: "Gene Wolfe is the greatest writer in the English language alive today. Let me repeat that: Gene Wolfe is the greatest writer in the English language alive today! I mean it. Shakespeare was a better stylist, Melville was more important to American letters, and Charles Dickens had a defter hand at creating characters. But among living writers, there is nobody who can even approach Gene Wolfe for brilliance of prose, clarity of thought, and depth in meaning."
Among others, writers Neil Gaiman and Patrick O'Leary have credited Wolfe for inspiration. O'Leary has said: "Forget 'Speculative Fiction'. Gene Wolfe is the best writer alive. Period. And as Wolfe once said (in reference to Gaiman), 'All novels are fantasies. Some are more honest about it.' No comparison. Nobody – I mean nobody – comes close to what this artist does."
Wolfe is so vastly under-appreciated that someone like Asimov is overrated in comparison. His books are not just good sci-fi/fantasy, but important literature that requires diligence and multiple readings for full enjoyment.
But again, Wolfe isn't for everyone. It's not easy and fast-paced entertainment, and there is little direct action. You have to think hard and pay attention to every little detail in order to figure out what is going on. The narrators are usually not entirely reliable, and some of the most important events in the books often happen off-screen, forcing the reader to figure out what has happened based on little fragments of information given in dialog from characters who may or may not be truthful. The books are best suited for people who enjoy solving puzzles, and who don't mind reading a book two or three times.
If someone wants to give Wolfe a try, read The Best of Gene Wolfe if you like short stories, Peace if you want something close to mainstream literature, the Soldier series (Soldier of the Mist, Soldier of Arete and Soldier of Sidon) if you're interested in ancient history and mythology, The Book of the New Sun if you're a science fiction fan, and The Fifth Head of Cerberus if you're a science fiction fan without the time or patience to attack something as big as TBotNS. The Book of the New Sun is widely regarded as the best of them all, but it can also be very dense, confusing and frustrating for new readers.
To reiterate, in Neil Gaiman's advice on how to read Gene Wolfe, "Reread. It's better the second time. It will be even better the third time. And anyway, the books will subtly reshape themselves while you are away from them. Peace really was a gentle Midwestern memoir the first time I read it. It only became a horror novel on the second or the third reading."
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On April 08 2011 13:25 Deekin[ wrote:Show nested quote +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.
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I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. I don't really know how to sell it; it's Zelazny. He's probably a major inspiration to every fantasy writer today and the Amber series is one of his greatest works. If you like fantasy and you haven't read him you're missing out.
The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson is a little hard to get into at first because the universe is so vast and complex and he kind of throws you in there without explaining anything. You need to get about halfway through the first book before you really get how awesome it is and by the time you're 3 books in you'll be convinced it's the best series ever. Best part is that he finally finished it so you don't have to wait before finding out what happens; there are also some books by Esslemont (the guy he created the universe with) that expand even further on the universe and give more detail on some of the other factions/characters in the "main" series.
A Song of Ice and Fire is really good, but I don't know if I'd recommend it to anybody before the series finishes because Martin doesn't look like he's ever going to finish it before he dies and it'll end up with a Jordan-esque scenario where they have to bring another writer in. I don't know how long the series is supposed to be but he's taking 4+ years between books at the moment and he's not a young guy.
The Sword of Truth series is alright if you're a younger reader, but when you read those books you realize that virtually half of every book is a summary of what happened in the previous books. It started pretty strong and dramatically dropped off by book 3 or 4.
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On April 08 2011 11:46 keithioapc wrote:Anyone who liked the "Malazan Book of the Fallen" novels should read "The Black Company" novels by Glen Cook ^^ As someone who has read every novel mentioned in this thread as well as probably all novels which will be mentioned later, I have to say that my favorite fantasy series of all time is "A Song of Ice and Fire". It is simply the most well written, very dramatic and many other good things
I actually convinced my friend to buy the first Black Company after seeing it in another thread, he said it was somewhat weird, but then again he's not entirely into the hardcore fantasy.
Song of Ice and fire is actually next on my list to read after I finish Erikson's work =D
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For humerous fantasy in comic form, Looking For Group is quite excellent imo.
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On April 08 2011 13:20 BisuDagger wrote:
The Shannara Series and anything else by Terry Brooks!
Having read all of the Shannara books up to an including the one after Tanequil (forget the name) I have to say they're incredibly cliche. I enjoyed them back in the day but they're somewhat lost their appeal now. There are a few gems in the series but at the moment I find it unappealing.
+ Show Spoiler +All of the books pretty much revolve around the main character embarking on an epic quest and in the end, he prevails and gets the girl.
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On April 08 2011 13:33 TheYukoner wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2011 11:46 keithioapc wrote:Anyone who liked the "Malazan Book of the Fallen" novels should read "The Black Company" novels by Glen Cook ^^ As someone who has read every novel mentioned in this thread as well as probably all novels which will be mentioned later, I have to say that my favorite fantasy series of all time is "A Song of Ice and Fire". It is simply the most well written, very dramatic and many other good things I actually convinced my friend to buy the first Black Company after seeing it in another thread, he said it was somewhat weird, but then again he's not entirely into the hardcore fantasy. Song of Ice and fire is actually next on my list to read after I finish Erikson's work =D
DO IT!
Just as a side note anyone who really likes Song of Ice and Fire you are required to think about reading Prince of Nothing trilogy by R. Scott Bakker.
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I'm not 100% sure what the series is called, but I think it's called The Gentleman Bastards or something along those lines. The author is Scott Lynch and the first two books are The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies. The stories have a really interesting chronological structure, bouncing between flashbacks, the present, and you get really attached to the main characters as their friendship is developed. The characters get into really absurd situations and end up on fast-paced adventures. Lynch also tries for the most part to make his fiction a "logical fiction" as the OP put it, doing his best to explain most of the aspects of the world in a more realistic sense.
Also George R Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series is incredible.
And Harry Potter too. 
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Fave Sci- Fi:
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich - Phillip K Dick
Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
Out of the Silent Planet - C.S Lewis
VALIS - Phillip K Dick
Enjoy!!! I think I'm gonna re-read them now!
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On April 08 2011 13:09 sc14s wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2011 13:02 Deadlyhazard wrote:
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is great. Don't think of it as omgloljapanesemanga. It's not a typical...overexpressive piece. It's very beautiful, richly detailed, and the story is deeper than 'lets fight a big bad guy.' There really are no true villains. It's not black and white. Just shades of grey and beautiful storytelling that only a master like Miyazaki could weave into a story. Best fantasy piece of literature ever, IMO.
Also, Tales from Earthsea. AWESOME series. I will say before I start that I do like manga (and anime for that matter) but books are too different to truly compare, just like it is hard to truly make a good movie from a well made book. The thing that I like about books it that really it uses your own imagination (and mine goes crazy when I read) with anything that is illustrated (or acted or what have you) is that you dont use your imagination, so somehow making up the story in your head always feels much more epic, awesome and cool compared to however its illustrated. Again i'm not saying Nausicaa is bad in fact I've watched the movie.. which was okay but as with movies - books im sure it wasnt translated the same. But from what i've seen it is a good story afaik.
The movie is crap compared to the manga. Srsly.
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I haven't really read all too much fantasy, barely started on the Wheel of Time and hadn't heard much about the majority of the books mentioned before. However I really want to recommend all of the fantasy series that David Eddings has written.
The Belgarion and The Malloreon are two five book series that primarily focus on the adventures of Garion. The first series is what I'd consider to be a fairly standard fantasy setting. That is to say: A young boy leaves his farm and takes an epic journey which ends in an entertaining clash between good and evil. The second series isn't all that unorthodox either, but that one starts when he is a grown man which must take a second stab at evil.
The Ellenium and The Tamuli are two three book series that focus on Sparhawk. In the first series Sparhawk is a a fairly war hardened soldier but after coming home from exile takes on a truly legendary quest to save his queen and exact vengeance upon his various enemies. I feel like I might be spoiling too much if I tried to reveal what the second series was about. The divinities in this series are really quite entertaining and one is closely linked to Sparhawk.
The Dreamers series is a four book series where the main characters are gods who fight to keep their land from being taken over by a malevolent bug god. Their primary means of defense are mercenaries that they hire from distant lands. There are three types of soldiers that features prevalently in the books: Imperial soldiers, pirates and ruffians of sorts and finally native warriors (basically Indians). These factions are all working together to fight back the land and the interaction between them and the gods are quite entertaining.
These books feature quite a bit of romance and humour when compared to the Wheel of Time series. And an interesting outlook on the romance part due to the fact that he had a lot of help from his wife Leigh Eddings.
Personally I'm not sure whether I'd go so far as to say that they are better than the Wheel of Time but I'd say that the Elenium/Tamuli series very well might be and Belgariad/Malloreon have a fair shot at breaking even with it. In my experience the Dreamers books are lacking a bit behind the other ones, probably due to the fact that the last book had a fairly disappointing ending.
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Read almost everything mentioned in here. But my favourite book by far is Tales of a Dying Earth by Jack Vance. He is a legend in the fantasy/Sci-Fi world but I had never heard of him before GRRM co-authored a tribute to him. I don't want to go into too much detail but Cugel the Clever is the most entertaining character I have ever read. Seriously go read it.
Some of the ones mentioned here I wouldn't recommend. Sword of Shannara I read years ago when I was 15 or 16, but it is very cliche and EXTREMELY similar to LotR. David Eddings is ok for teenagers but gets a bit cliche and formulaic the older you get. All his series have very similar storylines and even VERY similar characters, Sparhawk series is superior to the rest IMO. Also not a big Sword of Truth fan, but haven't read the whole series so take that as you will.
Malazan, ASoIaF, WoT and Dune are probably my favorites, but haven't got around to reading The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and Brandan Sanderson's books (although his WoT stuff has been amazing) but have heard great things about them. Haven't read a fantasy book in over a year now, life is too busy
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On April 08 2011 10:17 IronFenix wrote:
I'll have to agree with all of your suggestions. I also highly enjoyed the Night Angel Trilogy from Brent weeks.
From Wikipedia "The Night Angel Trilogy is a fantasy series written by Brent Weeks. The story follows the life of Azoth (later Kylar Stern) as he struggles as a guild rat to become the ultimate wetboy (an assassin with slight magical talent, such as the ability to muffle sound, or to block an attack with your mind), then tries to leave it all behind and finally becomes the avatar of retribution: the Night Angel."
I have to second the Night Angel trilogy, I'm surprised this isn't more popular. I've read it twice now and it's one of my favorite trilogies.
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So this is purely for fantasy novel suggestions? I can't suggest Sci-Fi I guess? If I can you really can't go past the Dune series. Very cerebral, very cool message laced within each book, especially the first one.
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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.
I agree once more with Robin Hobb, she's a pretty good writer (she's also known as Meghan Lindholm). Brandan Sanderson is also pretty good.
Edit: The guy beneath me is right, the Black Magician Trilogy was amazing (I liked the other books by Trudi Caravan[?] too, the Priestess of the White series probably more than the Black Magician Trilogy).
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I like a lot of the books that are mentioned, I don't like the aSoIaF series, because I don't like it when too many main characters die. Also, I loved the sword of truth, but after you've read some other fantasy, it gets worse. A great series to get into fantasy though.
Great series no-one mentioned:
The Ender Saga (yeah first book is mentioned by the OP but the rest is great too)
The Coldfire Trilogy (A vampire and a priest have to work together)
The Mistborn Saga (A unique style of magic and pretty interesting story)
The books about Vlad Taltos from Stephen Brust. Really funny series about an assassin. The main characters are really good.
Pretty good series no-one mentioned:
The Black Magician trilogy
Riftwar Saga (starts great but gets worse)
Books that have been mentioned but earn a re mentioning:
The Dune saga (only the original 6)
The First Law trilogy (some of the best characters I know, but according to other people Abercrombie uses the same characters in every series of him)
Night Angel trilogy
Hithchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (don't read them all at once, the style can get stale)
edit: How did I forget the Wheel of Time series.
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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!
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On April 08 2011 17:39 Wesso wrote:
I like a lot of the books that are mentioned, I don't like the aSoIaF series, because I don't like it when too many main characters die. Also, I loved the sword of truth, but after you've read some other fantasy, it gets worse. A great series to get into fantasy though.
Great series no-one mentioned:
The Ender Saga (yeah first book is mentioned by the OP but the rest is great too)
The Coldfire Trilogy (A vampire and a priest have to work together)
The Mistborn Saga (A unique style of magic and pretty interesting story)
The books about Vlad Taltos from Stephen Brust. Really funny series about an assassin. The main characters are really good.
Pretty good series no-one mentioned:
The Black Magician trilogy
Riftwar Saga (starts great but gets worse)
Books that have been mentioned but earn a re mentioning:
The Dune saga (only the original 6)
The First Law trilogy (some of the best characters I know, but according to other people Abercrombie uses the same characters in every series of him)
Night Angel trilogy
Hithchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (don't read them all at once, the style can get stale)
edit: How did I forget the Wheel of Time series.
OP here. I can't believe I spaced on Coldfire trilogy, that's also one of my all time favorites. In fact I own every single book of C.S Friedman lol. Don't forget fae.. pretty awesome idea behind it, the human power of belief itself literally shapes things from your imagination. Her new trilogy is on the 2nd book and it certainly has my interest piqued as well.
The whole enders saga is a bit hit and miss for me for the Ender side of the story Engers game was great then after that I sort of didn't like each book he came out with after it.. then when he came out with Ender's shadow my mind was blown it (imo obviously) is a better series than the one he wrote earlier. I love Bean... and peter was alright after he grew up I guess too
Also of note is his Homecoming earth series which some people might like here, silly oversoul you can't last forever.
Edit: saw I had some terrible spelling and such (pain in the ass to type this on my phone idk why I'm doing it this way..
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I recommend "Son of Suns"... it's the first in a 4book pack and if you like it the second is also quite good. INterestingly realistic as well, more like sci-fantasy
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i need a TL bookmark for this thread :D.
yes i can do it in my browser too but thats already bloated as hell >.>
I <3 the farseer trilogy more than wheel of time. Wheel of time was a blast early on, but it got too convoluted and dragged out. Farseer managed to weave magic into daily life, but still keep it "real". Plus i love the way events play out in the end, it feels the most lifelike of all other fantasy i've read.
That said, will ahve to check out The King Killer Chronicle and Song of Ice/Fire
To add:
Imo Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead deserve a mention. I think those two books serve as the goalpost marker's of the author's width of writing. The rest of the saga is interesting if you like his style, but those two stood out the most. Pardon me if the thread is only dedicated to Fantasy and doesn't include space stuff.
Edding's books are nice and standard, but it lacks the depth of other fantasy novels. Loved his books as a kid, but his series never stood out ontop of the other sci fi's i've read.
The Underdark drizzit/dragon lance stuff is also good backbone/standard stuff. But, like Edding's, I'd have to say its rather lackluster when put against other fantasy epics. It would be like watching a 4000 Zerg play on ladder/TL stream, and then watching Jaedong. The ladder zerg is good and solid, but Jaedong makes you jawdrop.
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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!].
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On April 08 2011 19:36 sjh wrote:
Also..... A Dance with Dragons will be released on July 12, 2011 [hopefully!].
Oh my god, you just made my day.
:D :D :D :D
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On the fantasy site I love Terry Pratchett when I need a laugh. Fun and entertaining fantasy satire. Just love it. My favorite sci-fi piece is the (original) Dune novels. It good it's own unique style to it.
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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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On April 09 2011 11:01 uhohh wrote:
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.
I've read about half of Feist's books... trying to remember the books, Daughter of Empire, which was like 3 books iirc and Prince of the Blood as well as Magician(wasnt it made into two books or something? I would say that they are worth the read but (IMO anyways) doesnt stand out as an amazing writer, but then again I gravitate towards certain styles of writers. To each their own
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Good thread.
I am currently traveling South est asie for 4 months, giving me time to read. However the booktrades / bookshops i run into are rarely very coordinated which means i buy any 'first of a series' book i find so i will have something to read whenever i cant find the book i need in whatever series i am reading. This means i am currently reading 4 or 5 series simultaneously (and about to start on a 5th)
Anyways, My thoughts on different series:
Wheel of time
Good series, some people seem to think this the greatest work of all time. I disagree, but still it is a good read. Very complicated storyline - and i am waiting for #9 as it has been abolished from vietnamese bookshops, I will probably have to read it all again when i get home.
It is 14(?) books so before you start be willing to spend a little time on it
Dresden Files By jim butcher.
Great series, one of the best i have read. (read all the books)
MankyYen said it before me:
On April 09 2011 08:38 ManKyYen wrote:
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
Also try reading butchers High fantasy work Codex Alera which i found almost as good. It is set in buthcers own world where he plays with a new sort of 'magic' called furies. Highly recommended.
R.A Salvatore
I started with the icewind dale trilogy, which was a great series, then i moved on to the drizzt books, i found the first couple (Darkelf trilogy) pretty good. After that the books are simply too similar for my liking. All the plot lines seem indestinguishable.
+ Show Spoiler + Drizzt and friends want to go on adventure.
Great threat to their lives and loved ones emerge.
They almost overcome the enemy through cunning and bravery though greatly outnumbered.
Enemy has ace up his sleeve.
Drizzt kills big boss to save the day.
(someone dies and is found to not have died after all.)
And i think he uses way too much pagespace on the 1on1 fights.
I will give the cleric quintet a whirl though.
Currently i am reading Silverthorn by raymond E feist (Just finished Magician). Decent books, but there are alot of other series i would rather be reading.
Will probably update this post whenever i find the time.
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On April 09 2011 11:32 sc14s wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2011 11:01 uhohh wrote:
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. I've read about half of Feist's books... trying to remember the books, Daughter of Empire, which was like 3 books iirc and Prince of the Blood as well as Magician(wasnt it made into two books or something? I would say that they are worth the read but (IMO anyways) doesnt stand out as an amazing writer, but then again I gravitate towards certain styles of writers. To each their own
Raymond E Fiest is a FANTASTIC author overall. He has some great characterization and his story lines have some epic twists. Something I also really enjoyed was the depth he put into some of the ideas behind his world. The world he writes in develops over all his books, and whilst the setting varies for some, its still the same world. The same "rules" apply, and he builds and builds upon that, making it a really enjoyable read.
The best part about it all is that its still a series in progress, even though its like 12+ books in. Hes co written with some great authors, and theres even smaller bookers that focus on a single character that have been co written. His books were so great that a game was made on one of them (It was crap, but not because of the story).
TL:DR
Raymond E Fiest comes highly recommended
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On April 09 2011 11:52 Wetty wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2011 11:32 sc14s wrote:On April 09 2011 11:01 uhohh wrote:
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. I've read about half of Feist's books... trying to remember the books, Daughter of Empire, which was like 3 books iirc and Prince of the Blood as well as Magician(wasnt it made into two books or something? I would say that they are worth the read but (IMO anyways) doesnt stand out as an amazing writer, but then again I gravitate towards certain styles of writers. To each their own Raymond E Fiest is a FANTASTIC author overall. He has some great characterization and his story lines have some epic twists. Something I also really enjoyed was the depth he put into some of the ideas behind his world. The world he writes in develops over all his books, and whilst the setting varies for some, its still the same world. The same "rules" apply, and he builds and builds upon that, making it a really enjoyable read. The best part about it all is that its still a series in progress, even though its like 12+ books in. Hes co written with some great authors, and theres even smaller bookers that focus on a single character that have been co written. His books were so great that a game was made on one of them (It was crap, but not because of the story). TL:DR Raymond E Fiest comes highly recommended
Don't get me wrong, as i said hes worth reading but hes not like say my top 10 but hes certainly a good writer.
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I'd contribute something more worthwhile to this thread, but if the OP didn't touch on my favourite books or series, other people did. Really, I'm just chiming in to approve of this thread and its contents. =P
Still, while people have mentioned Terry Pratchett, no one has mentioned Discworld yet, so I will. Read it. Especially the ones about the Night Watch. Seriously.
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On April 09 2011 08:38 ManKyYen wrote:
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.
Do they get better after the 2nd book? Because I do enjoy them, but they don't grip me because of the lack of character development and main story line. With that I mean it feels like I'm watching a tv-series like CSI. It's fun, but every episode is almost the same with a puny bit of main story line.
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On April 09 2011 17:51 Wesso wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2011 08:38 ManKyYen wrote:
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.
Do they get better after the 2nd book? Because I do enjoy them, but they don't grip me because of the lack of character development and main story line. With that I mean it feels like I'm watching a tv-series like CSI. It's fun, but every episode is almost the same with a puny bit of main story line.
honestly they get AMAZINGLY better towards the 4/5th book and onwards, before then there just isn't enough time to get the backstory for the characters developed, after that point it SAILS forward and is absoultely incredible.
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On April 09 2011 17:51 Wesso wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2011 08:38 ManKyYen wrote:
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.
Do they get better after the 2nd book? Because I do enjoy them, but they don't grip me because of the lack of character development and main story line. With that I mean it feels like I'm watching a tv-series like CSI. It's fun, but every episode is almost the same with a puny bit of main story line.
It's like Enderbantoo just said. The first three books, while good and worthwhile reads in their own right mainly develop the setting and set the tone of the books. The finale of book three basically starts off the first really big plotpoint of the series. The consequences of the actions Dresden takes there spin wildly out of control in the following books.
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On April 08 2011 13:46 Tejin wrote:
I'm not 100% sure what the series is called, but I think it's called The Gentleman Bastards or something along those lines. The author is Scott Lynch and the first two books are The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies. The stories have a really interesting chronological structure, bouncing between flashbacks, the present, and you get really attached to the main characters as their friendship is developed. The characters get into really absurd situations and end up on fast-paced adventures. Lynch also tries for the most part to make his fiction a "logical fiction" as the OP put it, doing his best to explain most of the aspects of the world in a more realistic sense.
Just like to reiterate how good The Gentleman Bastards series is so far. This plot is by far the most entertaining and drawing in ive read. The world and the characters are so well portrayed and i would recommend these books any day of the week.
Another author who ive read most of the books for (and there are alot of books) is David Gemmell. He somehow links completely different worlds throughout different series in a way that has blown my mind.He tends to focus on a group of characters and the trials that these characters go through (In the best fantasy world ive seen). I would suggest if you want to read a Gemmell book, you start off with 'Legend' or 'Waylander'...SO EPIC
He has also written an interpretation of Troy which explores different concepts and introduces characters that aren't popularly used in other versions of the Homer saga. Definitely better than the movie...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gemmell
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Recommending WOT over ASOIAF = fail
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On April 09 2011 19:43 writer22816 wrote:Recommending WOT over ASOIAF = fail
Not at all. WoT might be worse from a literary standpoint (which it probably is, but even that is too subjective to really say), + Show Spoiler +but a lot of people don't like dying main characters.
Also, not everybody likes the same writing styles.
Saying other people's tastes are wrong = fail
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On April 08 2011 22:14 Betalump wrote:
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.
I'll have to agree. The Name of the Wind was by far the best "low-key" fantasy book that I've also read. The sequel was also good but it didn't have that refreshing feel as the first book of the series. However, definitely a must read for any fantasy lover.
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I am such a book noob. I bought a nook and haven't finished a book on it yet. I spend most of my free time playing Starcraft but I really want to get into reading more Fantasy/Scifi stuff. I see lots of really good suggestions here want to check out A song of Ice and Fire series.
Some of my favorite novels are the Dune Series, Hitchhikers guide, and Disc world novels. So where would be the best place to start? I think my biggest problem is I want to read like 50+ books all at the same time, Oh also I absolutely love Steampunk Genre and Post apocalyptic stuff if you guys know of any good books like the Road... Thanks Great OP
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On April 09 2011 22:44 IronFenix wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2011 22:14 Betalump wrote:
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.
I'll have to agree. The Name of the Wind was by far the best "low-key" fantasy book that I've also read. The sequel was also good but it didn't have that refreshing feel as the first book of the series. However, definitely a must read for any fantasy lover.
I agree with all points above.
The sequel WAS good and it didn't have that refreshing feel but that isn't fair.
It's like eating the best dinner you've ever had.
Then having the same thing again the next day.
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United States10328 Posts
I found L'Engel's A Wrinkle in Time series to be pretty good, but perhaps more suited for children. Of course Tolkien is awesome (though I think I still haven't finished reading RotK loooool despite reading the Silmarillion and Tales of Hurin...)
On an unrelated note, I totally thought this was a fantasy league for book discussion upon first glance :/
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On April 09 2011 22:58 SigmaoctanusIV wrote:I am such a book noob. I bought a nook and haven't finished a book on it yet. I spend most of my free time playing Starcraft but I really want to get into reading more Fantasy/Scifi stuff. I see lots of really good suggestions here want to check out A song of Ice and Fire series. Some of my favorite novels are the Dune Series, Hitchhikers guide, and Disc world novels. So where would be the best place to start? I think my biggest problem is I want to read like 50+ books all at the same time, Oh also I absolutely love Steampunk Genre and Post apocalyptic stuff if you guys know of any good books like the Road... Thanks Great OP
If you like steampunk you might also like cyberpunk, in which case you want to read Neal Stephenson, particularly The Diamond Age and Snow Crash. William Gibson's stuff is another good choice; if you haven't read Neuromancer you're missing a major pillar of sci-fi. You're venturing into the sci-fi genre at this point though so it doesn't quite fit in this thread.
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In order of personal preferences for series I'd say
1. George RR Martin's Song of Fire and Ice. However I'll be dead before the series is done so maybe good for people being born this year.
2.Robin Hobb's Farseer + Tawny Man + Liveship trilogy + Dragon keeper. Lots of good books, deep if you want them to be, good narrative and amazing characters (especially the Fool).
3. Prince of Nothing + Aspect Emperor trilogies by R Scott Bakker. Judging Eye was the worst of his books so far and even that was fun to read (despite no Kellhus). The best characters of all fantasy because no one is good, no one is evil, everyone is selfish and deceptive. Awesome stuff.
4. Wheel of Time by Jordan. I have to say I do not like Sanderson's take on the writing, I am just continuing to read it so I can pay off my investment of 15 years into the books.
Individual fantasy/SciFi books,
1. Ombria in Shadow by Patricia McKlipp.
2. Left hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.
3. This Alien Shore by CS Friedman
Also I hate HATE with a passion the Malazan books. As good as the first 2 were, the rest have been an exercise in frustation. The plot has lost so many threads, the characters are inconsistent and annoying and the writing is overwrought and needlessly expansive. The 2nd last book (Reaper's gale) is the first time I can recall that I have no interest in finishing a book that I started. Erikson needs an editor like you can't imagine.
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While I agree that books 5-7 of wheel of time can drag on, it's because it tries to be semi realistic.
He always explains everything is super detail, even the minor characters.
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The Malazan Book of the Fallen, easily the best fantasy series i've ever read. And I've read a lot.
Also, Modesitt's Saga of Recluse is under-rated
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On April 10 2011 02:19 redviper wrote:
In order of personal preferences for series I'd say
1. George RR Martin's Song of Fire and Ice. However I'll be dead before the series is done so maybe good for people being born this year.
3. Prince of Nothing + Aspect Emperor trilogies by R Scott Bakker. Judging Eye was the worst of his books so far and even that was fun to read (despite no Kellhus). The best characters of all fantasy because no one is good, no one is evil, everyone is selfish and deceptive. Awesome stuff.
I'll second that. (except that i liked The Judging Eye)
After reading "The Lies of Locke Lamora" i would strongly advise
The gentlemen bastard squence (by Scott Lynch)
except i read a lot of opinions that "Red seas under red skies" could not hold up the high level of writing. Guess i'll have to convice myself of it personally..
If all 7 planned books would have the quality of "lies of locke lamora" i'd recommend it to everybody without even thinking...but well...we'll see :/
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Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke.
Its basic setting is about an massive asteroid in trajectory of our sun. Then it is discovered that this asteroid is perfectly symmetrical and hollow and most likely an space vessel of hyper advanced civilization. And things start to take strange turns...
If you love science fictions but are disgusted by laser pistol toting heroes then this is the book for you.
Edit: Has someone mentioned Horus Heresy? A bit cheesy (and thus opposite of Rendezvous with Rama) but fun books especially if you played Warhammer 40k games. At least the first book 'Horus Rising' is a good read for soft science fiction fans.
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On April 10 2011 02:29 Twistacles wrote:
Also, Modesitt's Saga of Recluse is under-rated
I couldn't finish it. I liked it in the beginning, but after 6 books I lost interest. The Angels vs Rationalists thing didn't do it for me, it was a while ago but I seem to remember not liking the main characters. I am going to try it again someday, because I really like worlds with fleshed out histories.
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On April 10 2011 02:19 redviper wrote:
In order of personal preferences for series I'd say
1. George RR Martin's Song of Fire and Ice. However I'll be dead before the series is done so maybe good for people being born this year.
actually i just wanted to point out theres a release date scheduled for martin's next book and i believe its around june/july or somethng. check amazon, it probably has alot to do with the fact that now HBO picked up his series, theres more incentive to finish it.
and while im at it, i love book threads. I picked up the first book of the kingkiller chronicles so i'll definitely be starting that. Im currently reading a scifi book ( A fire upon the deep by Vernor Vinge) and am still in the early chapters of the book but so far its pretty interesting.
I hate to derail this thread to sci-fi but since ender's game was mentioned and some asimov, i HAVE to HAVE to recommend a series that took me a couple of days to finish because it was that good. Old Man's War by John Scalzi. http://www.amazon.com/Old-Mans-War-John-Scalzi/dp/0765315246
Seriously, BUY IT! If you liked Ender's Game, then get this series, i would put it either on par if not ranked HIGHER up than ender's game. And all the books are good, the quality doesnt die out like it does with a few of the ender's series. Another good thing is that right ff the bat it hooks you, it doesnt take a couple of chapters, chapter one and boom your hooked.
Read the books in this order:
Old Man's War
Ghost Brigades (has nothing to do with ghosts, thats just the name of the infantry unit)
The Last Colony
and when ur done you can thank me ;]
books im looking forward to reading:
kingkiller chronicles
hyperion
deepness in the sky
foundation
but i was seriously sad when i finished old mans war 
hopefully these can match up at least
edit: also, id like to add that its not totally unbelievable sci fi, like when they just invent some super technological feat with absolutely NO scientific background or explanation. These books provide at the very least believable reasons as to how and why things are achievable in the future. (an example of what i dont like is the Ancible used in ender's game)
(and example of justifiable scifi: noting that faster than light travel is impossible, and the only way to travel vast distances is to bend space time so that you are transferred to a different location but in a parallel yet very very similar universe where the differences are very subtle and unnoticeable) Its obviously more complicated than this but while there are a couple of minute things that u might not like as typical of any sci fi book, they are not overwhelming to the point that the story is unbelievable.
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On April 10 2011 03:06 HeavenS wrote:Show nested quote +On April 10 2011 02:19 redviper wrote:
In order of personal preferences for series I'd say
1. George RR Martin's Song of Fire and Ice. However I'll be dead before the series is done so maybe good for people being born this year.
actually i just wanted to point out theres a release date scheduled for martin's next book and i believe its around june/july or somethng. check amazon, it probably has alot to do with the fact that now HBO picked up his series, theres more incentive to finish it. and while im at it, i love book threads. I picked up the first book of the kingkiller chronicles so i'll definitely be starting that. Im currently reading a scifi book ( A fire upon the deep by Vernor Vinge) and am still in the early chapters of the book but so far its pretty interesting. I hate to derail this thread to sci-fi but since ender's game was mentioned and some asimov, i HAVE to HAVE to recommend a series that took me a couple of days to finish because it was that good. Old Man's War by John Scalzi. http://www.amazon.com/Old-Mans-War-John-Scalzi/dp/0765315246Seriously, BUY IT! If you liked Ender's Game, then get this series, i would put it either on par if not ranked HIGHER up than ender's game. And all the books are good, the quality doesnt die out like it does with a few of the ender's series. Read the books in this order: Old Man's War Ghost Brigades (has nothing to do with ghosts, thats just the name of the infantry unit) The Last Colony and when ur done you can thank me ;] books im looking forward to reading: kingkiller chronicles hyperion deepness in the sky foundation but i was seriously sad when i finished old mans war hopefully these can match up at least
Will definitely get Old Man's War as if it is even half as awesome as you claim then it will be totally worth it. Is it more like original Ender's war or its sequels (eg. Speaker of dead) as I really didn't find sequels that interesting.
And seriously READ the Foundation series it is awesome. First three books (Foundation,Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation) are among the best SciFi I ever read though sequels are not as good.
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Old Man's War isn't similar to Ender series. It is good, just not similar to Ender.
Anybody else a fan of Darkover? The author isn't the best, but the setting is great.
Oh and Trudi Canavan is one of my favourite modern authors. Those books are never boring, not spectacular, but well worth the time. They don't really have any downsides, but lacks something to become a classic.
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+1 to the wheel of time. Greatest fantasy series ever. I would recconmend listening on audio book as the series is very long, but using it to kill travel time is awesome.
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really? you didnt find it similar at all? lol i dont wanna give too much of the plot away but you can definitely see some VERY obvious similarities to ender's game.
anyways stalking, to answer ur question yea its more like ender's game, in my humble opinion of course
there's politics, military battles/training, a little world building. check it out.
and thanks for the foundation suggestion, thats all i actually needed to put them higher on my priority reading-to-do list. i depend heavily on amazon reviews and ratings to find my next good read so that helped ;p
and i should read them in that order i presume?
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On April 10 2011 03:27 HeavenS wrote:really? you didnt find it similar at all? lol i dont wanna give too much of the plot away but you can definitely see some VERY obvious similarities to ender's game. anyways stalking, to answer ur question yea its more like ender's game, in my humble opinion of course there's politics, military battles/training, a little world building. check it out. and thanks for the foundation suggestion, thats all i actually needed to put them higher on my priority reading-to-do list. i depend heavily on amazon reviews and ratings to find my next good read so that helped ;p and i should read them in that order i presume?
Yes and No. Though this is the order in which books were written, later Asimov added some more books to set up the background of the story.
I would however, recommend reading these 3 and in that order and then read other books as they are not as good. Think of them like 'Origin of XYZ' they are more enjoyable when you already know the characters. There are some books set in a even further into future and they are all connected to the 'I robot' series by Asimov so to make a long story short stick to these 3 and if you have time then expand your reading.
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-1 to the Wheel of Time series. I know a lot of people like this series, but I just can't stand it. The series definitely has it's moments, but if the author would just chop about half of it off, it would make these books infinitely better. I've read to 10 or 11, just couldn't force myself anymore. I think there are what like 10,000+ pages of this series, and really like 4-5k of it are not needed for the story line.
I've read most of the fantasy books mentioned here, and I generally like everything. Favorite new fantasy would have to be the Kingkiller chronicles, The way of Kings.
Not sure if anyone has mentioned The Painted Man/ The Warded Man, great series as well, if you like Kingkiller chronicles you would enjoy these.
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No one mentions Anne Mccaffrey Dragonriders of Pern or Crystal Singer? Both good series, with pern being my favourite.
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On April 10 2011 02:35 stalking.d00m wrote:
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke.
Its basic setting is about an massive asteroid in trajectory of our sun. Then it is discovered that this asteroid is perfectly symmetrical and hollow and most likely an space vessel of hyper advanced civilization. And things start to take strange turns...
If you love science fictions but are disgusted by laser pistol toting heroes then this is the book for you.
Edit: Has someone mentioned Horus Heresy? A bit cheesy (and thus opposite of Rendezvous with Rama) but fun books especially if you played Warhammer 40k games. At least the first book 'Horus Rising' is a good read for soft science fiction fans.
If you liked that, check out some of Larry Niven's works especially Protector, Ringworld and Neutron Star, (the latter being a compilation of short stories rather than a novel). He has a similar style and the stories involve interesting problem solving rather than shooting (as you said this is a great method of story telling). He also wrote the large majority of his works around the same time as Rendezvous with Rama.
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actually i just wanted to point out theres a release date scheduled for martin's next book and i believe its around june/july or somethng. check amazon, it probably has alot to do with the fact that now HBO picked up his series, theres more incentive to finish it.
July 12th is the release date and I have it preordered. But there are atleast 2 more books left in the series. Its frustating beyond belief to wait for such an amazing set of books.
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Not sure if anyone has mentioned The Painted Man/ The Warded Man, great series as well, if you like Kingkiller chronicles you would enjoy these.
Oh totally. I can't believe I didn't mention it. Warded Man and Desert spear are two of my most re-read books. Amazing stuff.
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Due to several recommendations of The Sword of Shannara, I figured I would give it a try after passing it up in the past because I've heard how closely it copies LOTR. I'm about 100 pages in and I'm wondering how people read this book? I grew up reading LOTR many times over and really put it on a pedestal for fantasy books, and it's just insulting that someone would so blatantly copy another person's story. I know a lot of fantasy can resemble tolkien's work, but seriously you might as well rename this series, "A Parady of LOTR". Do things change up at all, or can you guess exactly what happens throughout by having read LOTR?
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On April 10 2011 15:04 Kvothe wrote:
Due to several recommendations of The Sword of Shannara, I figured I would give it a try after passing it up in the past because I've heard how closely it copies LOTR. I'm about 100 pages in and I'm wondering how people read this book? I grew up reading LOTR many times over and really put it on a pedestal for fantasy books, and it's just insulting that someone would so blatantly copy another person's story. I know a lot of fantasy can resemble tolkien's work, but seriously you might as well rename this series, "A Parady of LOTR". Do things change up at all, or can you guess exactly what happens throughout by having read LOTR?
Well iirc the saying goes "The highest form of complement is to be copied" or something of that sort. I personally would say unless you are just getting into fantasy or if you prefer the basic "good guy saves the world" where everything is black and white, you would most likely want to look for other books with a style that you would prefer, perhaps do some research, this thread is a good start if you read it all you will see that some people like The Sword of Shannara and some people hate it. When I read it in middle school i really liked it.. but nowadays not so much. So really its a matter of taste on the readers part.
Also nice name, it sounds like you like Patrick Rothfuss
R. Scott Bakker- i saw some people commenting on him, when it comes to the fantasy i read hes certainly my 3rd favorite series at the moment : 1)A song of Ice and Fire 2) The Way of Kings 3) R. Scott Bakker's 1st trilogy The Prince of Nothing. I have to agree that his 2nd trilogy started off.. not nearly as good as his first but I will leave judgement untill after he continues the story some more, some series a bad egg contained within a good story so I wont totally discount him (especially after those first 3 amazing books)
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On April 10 2011 15:10 sc14s wrote:Show nested quote +On April 10 2011 15:04 Kvothe wrote:
Due to several recommendations of The Sword of Shannara, I figured I would give it a try after passing it up in the past because I've heard how closely it copies LOTR. I'm about 100 pages in and I'm wondering how people read this book? I grew up reading LOTR many times over and really put it on a pedestal for fantasy books, and it's just insulting that someone would so blatantly copy another person's story. I know a lot of fantasy can resemble tolkien's work, but seriously you might as well rename this series, "A Parady of LOTR". Do things change up at all, or can you guess exactly what happens throughout by having read LOTR? Well iirc the saying goes "The highest form of complement is to be copied" or something of that sort. I personally would say unless you are just getting into fantasy or if you prefer the basic "good guy saves the world" where everything is black and white, you would most likely want to look for other books with a style that you would prefer, perhaps do some research, this thread is a good start if you read it all you will see that some people like The Sword of Shannara and some people hate it. When I read it in middle school i really liked it.. but nowadays not so much. So really its a matter of taste on the readers part.
I've read basically every book mentioned, besides 1-2 series. I think the big problem for me is how many times I've read tolkien, I know the books very well, so its even more disappointing when reading Brooks.
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On April 10 2011 15:16 Kvothe wrote:Show nested quote +On April 10 2011 15:10 sc14s wrote:On April 10 2011 15:04 Kvothe wrote:
Due to several recommendations of The Sword of Shannara, I figured I would give it a try after passing it up in the past because I've heard how closely it copies LOTR. I'm about 100 pages in and I'm wondering how people read this book? I grew up reading LOTR many times over and really put it on a pedestal for fantasy books, and it's just insulting that someone would so blatantly copy another person's story. I know a lot of fantasy can resemble tolkien's work, but seriously you might as well rename this series, "A Parady of LOTR". Do things change up at all, or can you guess exactly what happens throughout by having read LOTR? Well iirc the saying goes "The highest form of complement is to be copied" or something of that sort. I personally would say unless you are just getting into fantasy or if you prefer the basic "good guy saves the world" where everything is black and white, you would most likely want to look for other books with a style that you would prefer, perhaps do some research, this thread is a good start if you read it all you will see that some people like The Sword of Shannara and some people hate it. When I read it in middle school i really liked it.. but nowadays not so much. So really its a matter of taste on the readers part. I've read basically every book mentioned, besides 1-2 series. I think the big problem for me is how many times I've read tolkien, I know the books very well, so its even more disappointing when reading Brooks.
well yeah, that just means its time to do more research. I had been at a dead end untill i started this thread.
A place you might want to check out is :
http://elitistbookreviews.blogspot.com/ I found it recently and has a good list of reviews on many new fantasy/sci-fi coming out,
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On April 10 2011 15:17 sc14s wrote:Show nested quote +On April 10 2011 15:16 Kvothe wrote:On April 10 2011 15:10 sc14s wrote:On April 10 2011 15:04 Kvothe wrote:
Due to several recommendations of The Sword of Shannara, I figured I would give it a try after passing it up in the past because I've heard how closely it copies LOTR. I'm about 100 pages in and I'm wondering how people read this book? I grew up reading LOTR many times over and really put it on a pedestal for fantasy books, and it's just insulting that someone would so blatantly copy another person's story. I know a lot of fantasy can resemble tolkien's work, but seriously you might as well rename this series, "A Parady of LOTR". Do things change up at all, or can you guess exactly what happens throughout by having read LOTR? Well iirc the saying goes "The highest form of complement is to be copied" or something of that sort. I personally would say unless you are just getting into fantasy or if you prefer the basic "good guy saves the world" where everything is black and white, you would most likely want to look for other books with a style that you would prefer, perhaps do some research, this thread is a good start if you read it all you will see that some people like The Sword of Shannara and some people hate it. When I read it in middle school i really liked it.. but nowadays not so much. So really its a matter of taste on the readers part. I've read basically every book mentioned, besides 1-2 series. I think the big problem for me is how many times I've read tolkien, I know the books very well, so its even more disappointing when reading Brooks. well yeah, that just means its time to do more research. I had been at a dead end untill i started this thread. A place you might want to check out is : http://elitistbookreviews.blogspot.com/ I found it recently and has a good list of reviews on many new fantasy/sci-fi coming out, \
Nice, thanks, that looks good. I was trying to find a good site for new fantasy.
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I've only read Lord Foul's Bane (the first of the Thomas Convenant Chronicles) so far, but I definitely recommend it. Actually found it lying around at my mother's house one time and randomly decided to start reading it. Good little piece of luck in the end, because it's great stuff.
Another you might wish to consider checking out is A Wizard of Earthsea. I must admit I read it in my early teens (which is 10+ years ago ) so there may be some 'rose coloured glasses' action going on here, but I definitely enjoyed it back then.
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On April 09 2011 23:04 Tensai176 wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2011 22:44 IronFenix wrote:On April 08 2011 22:14 Betalump wrote:
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.
I'll have to agree. The Name of the Wind was by far the best "low-key" fantasy book that I've also read. The sequel was also good but it didn't have that refreshing feel as the first book of the series. However, definitely a must read for any fantasy lover. I agree with all points above. The sequel WAS good and it didn't have that refreshing feel but that isn't fair. It's like eating the best dinner you've ever had. Then having the same thing again the next day.
hahaha. Your metaphor is the best =). Does anybody know if he plans to continue the series after the first 3 books?
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On April 11 2011 02:55 IronFenix wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2011 23:04 Tensai176 wrote:On April 09 2011 22:44 IronFenix wrote:On April 08 2011 22:14 Betalump wrote:
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.
I'll have to agree. The Name of the Wind was by far the best "low-key" fantasy book that I've also read. The sequel was also good but it didn't have that refreshing feel as the first book of the series. However, definitely a must read for any fantasy lover. I agree with all points above. The sequel WAS good and it didn't have that refreshing feel but that isn't fair. It's like eating the best dinner you've ever had. Then having the same thing again the next day. hahaha. Your metaphor is the best =). Does anybody know if he plans to continue the series after the first 3 books?
Its sort of implied that its a trilogy hence why he stated the first three book titles after the first book came out. Granted things can change in the process of writing
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A friend of mine read the Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay and said it was good - has anyone else read it? (Or anything else by Kay?)
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On April 11 2011 04:24 chunkylimes wrote:
A friend of mine read the Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay and said it was good - has anyone else read it? (Or anything else by Kay?)
Yup. It's not bad. I prefer his road to (Byzantium...sarantium? I dont remember the name.) Series. Fionavar tapestry had really good parts but it was kind of oddly constructed.
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To be honest I think most Fantasy is pretty bad same old "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" stuff clearly targeted at adolescent boys (3 wives? really??).
Anyway
Song of Ice and Fire - Really love these books. The world and the characters feel more "real" than almost anything else I've ever read. Also, the audible narrator for the first three books is a hero. I listen to a lot of audiobooks as I go about my daily tasks and usually you are just hoping for them not to detract you from the story. This guy was born to read these books and really adds another level to the experience.
Dresden Files - How the fuck does Jim Butcher keep making these books better and better every time? To be honest I thought the first few were just "good" and I wasn't really hooked until somewhere around book 4. This is really odd... usually the first book in a series is by far the most interesting but man... if you've read the latest book (Changes -- the 13th book!) you'll know that shit just got real in a completely unexpected and dramatic way.
Name of the Wind - Not sure why these books are so good. You have a hero who is smarter and better at everything than everyone else doing pretty standard High Fantasy stuff. All I can say is that it is saved by some excellent writing and the story's frame is absolutely fascinating. I want to know how he ended up where he is. Have not read book 2 yet.
Gentlemen Bastards - Reasonable series. Above average but a second-tier recommendation for me. I don't really care about the characters for some reason. I do want to know where all the glass came from, meet Sabetha (finally), and have an all-out fight with the bonds mages so I'll keep reading.
Not a big fan of most of the other stuff.
In particular I find all of Brandon Sanderson's characters really 1 dimensional. WoT and SoT both kinda peter out a few books in and TBH were only average to begin with. Joel Abercrombie was a little too depressing for me--I can deal with dark or tragic but just don't make everyone be so dreary all the time. I haven't read some of the other things like Malazan which could be good for all I know.
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A lot of my reading has already been posted but something rather new is:
The Passage by Justin Cronin
Its basically a sci-fi mix with vampires to explain the apocolypse.
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I'm really surprised it hasn't been mentionned yet but for fantasy:
Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay. A classic. Being from Quebec, this book spoke to me on so many levels. Dianora is probably my favorite female character in a novel, period. You'll be thinking about this book for days or weeks after you're done.
For sci-fi, I'll add The Fifth Head of Cerberus, by Gene Wolfe. As others have mentionned, Gene Wolfe's writing is a bit more cerebral than usual. This book is great in itself but it's short and should give you a quick idea of wether you like Wolfe's style or not.
The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi. If you're looking for something not overly complex, well constructed and above all really entertaining, this is it. Sci-fi, somewhat post-apocalyptic, steampunk-ish. The setting is something new to me and quite plausible, so it has my seal of approval. I would not be shocked to see this turned into a movie in the future.
If you want to look into something different, give these a shot, all "New Weird" genre (mix of fantasy, sci-fi and horror) :
- "The Year of Our War", "No Present Like Time", "The Modern World", "Above the Snowline" by Steph Swainston. It's mostly fantasy with a twist. (The hero's an immortal junkie that shifts between worlds when he ODs. He's usually in a normal fantasy setting and hops into a more "New Weird" setting when he ODs.)
- Jeff VanDerMeer's Ambergris Cycle: "City of Saints and Madmen", "Shriek: An Afterword" and "Finch". Shriek is pure awesome, I had trouble putting it down but you'd miss a lot by not reading City first. Finch, I didn't enjoy as much sadly, but it brought closure to a cycle and city I love and will visit again.
- Perdido Street Station by China Miéville. To me, this book is New Weird incarnate. You're usually lucky if you find one or two new ideas in a book these days. This one has dozens, enjoy the ride!
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On April 09 2011 21:09 Wesso wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2011 19:43 writer22816 wrote:Recommending WOT over ASOIAF = fail + Show Spoiler +
Not at all. WoT might be worse from a literary standpoint (which it probably is, but even that is too subjective to really say), but a lot of people don't like dying main characters.
Also, not everybody likes the same writing styles. Saying other people's tastes are wrong = fail
thanks for the fucking spoiler man
I dodged the entire Game Of Thrones thread to make sure i wasnt gonna be spoilered and then you come along in a recommendations thread talking about + Show Spoiler + dying main characters.
So I was reading through the book being 90% sure that Eddard was gonna die, now he finally did.
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On April 11 2011 04:24 chunkylimes wrote:
A friend of mine read the Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay and said it was good - has anyone else read it? (Or anything else by Kay?)
I read "Under Heaven" by Guy Gavriel Kay.
I actually found it to be a pretty fun book in a culture you don't read much about. After having read the book however i learned that for the most part it's entire story is a direct adaption from history.
Still a fun book but not that impressively written when you realize he never wrote the story itself, only copying history.
If you aren't familiar with ancient China however (like myself and most) you will find it a pretty nice read. If you know the history i would argue that reading the book is mostly pointless.
I did read he writes a lot of those history turned to story kind of novels.
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On April 13 2011 01:03 7mk wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2011 21:09 Wesso wrote:On April 09 2011 19:43 writer22816 wrote:Recommending WOT over ASOIAF = fail + Show Spoiler +
Not at all. WoT might be worse from a literary standpoint (which it probably is, but even that is too subjective to really say), but a lot of people don't like dying main characters.
Also, not everybody likes the same writing styles. Saying other people's tastes are wrong = fail thanks for the fucking spoiler man I dodged the entire Game Of Thrones thread to make sure i wasnt gonna be spoilered and then you come along in a recommendations thread talking about + Show Spoiler + dying main characters.
So I was reading through the book being 90% sure that Eddard was gonna die, now he finally did.
My apologies
+ Show Spoiler +I thought I was generic enough due to the number of important characters and the number of books in the series. Also I thought it needed to be said, because character deaths ruin books/series for me. I edited my post
Thanks to the person who advised runelords, it's really enjoyable.
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On April 13 2011 01:34 Wesso wrote:Show nested quote +On April 13 2011 01:03 7mk wrote:On April 09 2011 21:09 Wesso wrote:On April 09 2011 19:43 writer22816 wrote:Recommending WOT over ASOIAF = fail + Show Spoiler +
Not at all. WoT might be worse from a literary standpoint (which it probably is, but even that is too subjective to really say), but a lot of people don't like dying main characters.
Also, not everybody likes the same writing styles. Saying other people's tastes are wrong = fail thanks for the fucking spoiler man I dodged the entire Game Of Thrones thread to make sure i wasnt gonna be spoilered and then you come along in a recommendations thread talking about + Show Spoiler + dying main characters.
So I was reading through the book being 90% sure that Eddard was gonna die, now he finally did. My apologies + Show Spoiler +I thought I was generic enough due to the number of important characters and the number of books in the series. Also I thought it needed to be said, because character deaths ruin books/series for me. I edited my post Thanks to the person who advised runelords, it's really enjoyable.
+ Show Spoiler +
That's what I told myself too but I had a very strong gut feeling that it was Eddard, maybe because even though other characters got more time he was still the most important, and then he got captured and it became pretty clear.
Oh well, shit happens, looking forward to the rest of the series
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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
Well this may come down to personal taste, but in my opinion these two are god damn awful.
I read through the whole legend of the seeker, but didn't manage to get over book three in Shanara.
What I hated about Shanara is, that those books are quite short, about 400 Pages long, have very shallow characters, feature a few nations/factions and one evil guy. After reading through that short story, the evil guy is defeated and you get to the next book, which takes place about 40 years in the future, most characters of the first book died of age, the author mixed up the nations/factions/alliances and brought in a new bad guy. 400 pages later, this bad guy is also defeated, the story shifts another 40 years and again the same character/faction recycling takes place...
Maybe the story gets better in later books, but I couldn't get myself to read another one.
As for the Legend of the Seeker, well it started out great, but after a few books I got the feeling that Terry Goodkind thought that there was no way in hell that the another book would be published and had to take a step back on the story every time he started a new book.
Examples contain spoilers:
+ Show Spoiler + Rahl gets defeated, but at the start of the next book it turns out that he's just a servant of a more evil guy (alright so far).
At the end of another book some magic eating creatures get defeated/banished in spectacular fashion at the end of a book, turns out they survived at the start of the next book.
Kahlan is totally outnumbered in a battle, but closly manages to defeat the 250'000 strong enemy army with here united Midlands armies at the end of another book. Start of the next book: Didn't really matter, there are several million more enemy soldiers (are you kidding me?).
And this literally happens in every single book of the series
As for the recommendations, I can't rank these three series, but they are my favorites by a huge margin:
- A Song of Ice and Fire
- Wheel of Time
- Malazan Book of the Fallen
Every single one features a huge detailed world, deep characters, surprising storylines and interesting plot twists. If you're in to fantasy, I can only recommend to get your hands on those series.
If you're new to fantasy - best start out with A Song of Ice and Fire =)
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On April 13 2011 04:29 Nesto wrote:Show nested quote +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 Well this may come down to personal taste, but in my opinion these two are god damn awful. I read through the whole legend of the seeker, but didn't manage to get over book three in Shanara. What I hated about Shanara is, that those books are quite short, about 400 Pages long, have very shallow characters, feature a few nations/factions and one evil guy. After reading through that short story, the evil guy is defeated and you get to the next book, which takes place about 40 years in the future, most characters of the first book died of age, the author mixed up the nations/factions/alliances and brought in a new bad guy. 400 pages later, this bad guy is also defeated, the story shifts another 40 years and again the same character/faction recycling takes place... Maybe the story gets better in later books, but I couldn't get myself to read another one. As for the Legend of the Seeker, well it started out great, but after a few books I got the feeling that Terry Goodkind thought that there was no way in hell that the another book would be published and had to take a step back on the story every time he started a new book. Examples contain spoilers: + Show Spoiler + Rahl gets defeated, but at the start of the next book it turns out that he's just a servant of a more evil guy (alright so far).
At the end of another book some magic eating creatures get defeated/banished in spectacular fashion at the end of a book, turns out they survived at the start of the next book.
Kahlan is totally outnumbered in a battle, but closly manages to defeat the 250'000 strong enemy army with here united Midlands armies at the end of another book. Start of the next book: Didn't really matter, there are several million more enemy soldiers (are you kidding me?).
And this literally happens in every single book of the series As for the recommendations, I can't rank these three series, but they are my favorites by a huge margin: - A Song of Ice and Fire - Wheel of Time - Malazan Book of the Fallen Every single one features a huge detailed world, deep characters, surprising storylines and interesting plot twists. If you're in to fantasy, I can only recommend to get your hands on those series. If you're new to fantasy - best start out with A Song of Ice and Fire =)
I'm not sure I agree with starting with aSoIaF its got a lot of different points of view and some people find it a bit disconcerting. My best friend for example had issues just picking it up but after reading other stories that have a lot of characters but take their time with each I.e WoT when he eventually started in on asoiaf he then really got into it.. so really it depends on the reader.
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The Old Kingdom Trilogy is fucking sweet, albeit perhaps a bit simple.
And:
Chronicles of Blood and Stone]
AMAZING books, unfortunately Del Rey decided to not publish anymore of the series by Robert Newcomb so the series is incomplete as of now...T_T
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On April 13 2011 07:43 sc14s wrote:Show nested quote +On April 13 2011 04:29 Nesto wrote: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 Well this may come down to personal taste, but in my opinion these two are god damn awful. I read through the whole legend of the seeker, but didn't manage to get over book three in Shanara. What I hated about Shanara is, that those books are quite short, about 400 Pages long, have very shallow characters, feature a few nations/factions and one evil guy. After reading through that short story, the evil guy is defeated and you get to the next book, which takes place about 40 years in the future, most characters of the first book died of age, the author mixed up the nations/factions/alliances and brought in a new bad guy. 400 pages later, this bad guy is also defeated, the story shifts another 40 years and again the same character/faction recycling takes place... Maybe the story gets better in later books, but I couldn't get myself to read another one. As for the Legend of the Seeker, well it started out great, but after a few books I got the feeling that Terry Goodkind thought that there was no way in hell that the another book would be published and had to take a step back on the story every time he started a new book. Examples contain spoilers: + Show Spoiler + Rahl gets defeated, but at the start of the next book it turns out that he's just a servant of a more evil guy (alright so far).
At the end of another book some magic eating creatures get defeated/banished in spectacular fashion at the end of a book, turns out they survived at the start of the next book.
Kahlan is totally outnumbered in a battle, but closly manages to defeat the 250'000 strong enemy army with here united Midlands armies at the end of another book. Start of the next book: Didn't really matter, there are several million more enemy soldiers (are you kidding me?).
And this literally happens in every single book of the series As for the recommendations, I can't rank these three series, but they are my favorites by a huge margin: - A Song of Ice and Fire - Wheel of Time - Malazan Book of the Fallen Every single one features a huge detailed world, deep characters, surprising storylines and interesting plot twists. If you're in to fantasy, I can only recommend to get your hands on those series. If you're new to fantasy - best start out with A Song of Ice and Fire =) I'm not sure I agree with starting with aSoIaF its got a lot of different points of view and some people find it a bit disconcerting. My best friend for example had issues just picking it up but after reading other stories that have a lot of characters but take their time with each I.e WoT when he eventually started in on asoiaf he then really got into it.. so really it depends on the reader.
well I tried to recommend both aSoIaF and WoT to friends, and found that new fantasy readers are more attracted to the fast paced style of aSoIaF and in my opinion there aren't that many characters you need to keep track of in the first book, it kinda focuses around a set of about 5-10 characters.
But I guess that may as well come down to personal oppinions and preferences.
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Probably one of my all-time favorite book series is the Hyperion series by Dan Simmons. The first book, Hyperion, is formatted in the same way that Canterbury Tales is and, in my estimation, is really only comparable to the rest of the series: Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, and Rise of Endymion.
I can't recommend these books enough, there are fantastic!
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I am looking for really dark fantasy books, almost horror. I am a diablo fan, anything similar to the diablo universe would interest me. I like straight to the point writing styles. Not so much descriptions of the surroundings (a la Tolkien style).
Anything with orcs and elves turns me off. I prefer fantasy inspired by religion. Hell, demons and angels are much more appealing to me.
I have read the Diablo books by Richard Knaak, I liked them.
Any recommendations?
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go read Frankenstein, best recommendation I can think of or hellsing(manga).
loved the hyperion books though read the first two the first time when I was a bit young which was interesting ah the days of reading stuff I found on a bookself at home first four ender novels, Timothy Zahn's starwars trilogy , couple of the thomas covenant books and a bunch of random dragonlance and forgotten realms novels hand me downs ftw.
stephen baxters books some good hard scifi got lucky I suppose randomly ended up reading Vacuum Diagrams first which is a nice overview of the xeelee sequence to some extent anyways.
happy I finally got around to reading a game of throne a week or two ago.
for a newer series I've enjoyed Tom Lloyd's the Twilight Reign series so far.
some other random books/series I've enjoyed
The Deed of Paksenarrion enjoyed when I was younger and oh my there's a sequel and new books I'm surprised may end up rereading it then, may not hold up but can try.
Enjoyed reading Dan Abnett's warhammer 40k novels those are somewhat dark I suppose(have never played a game of warhammer but borrowed one from the library and was amused so kept reading em).
Soldiers of Paradise by Paul Park first book in The Starbridge Chronicles trilogy still haven't got around to reading the second book another book that falls into the category first read when I was too damned young was interesting and a bit strange.
S.L. Viehl's Stardoc novels and the rest in that universe
Ilium/Olympus by dan simmons, scifi crossed with the battle of troy sort of?
rider at the gate
wolf in shadow,
Joe Haldeman's novels deserve a mention as well, for some nice not overly complicated sifi.
and sigh I've read way too many starwars novels at this point (100+) but they are still amusing to me.
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[B]On April 13 2011 04:29 Nesto wrote:
As for the recommendations, I can't rank these three series, but they are my favorites by a huge margin:
- A Song of Ice and Fire
- Wheel of Time
- Malazan Book of the Fallen
Every single one features a huge detailed world, deep characters, surprising storylines and interesting plot twists. If you're in to fantasy, I can only recommend to get your hands on those series.
If you're new to fantasy - best start out with A Song of Ice and Fire =)
So much truth in this post
If I had to rank those three, A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen would come out as the winner by a very small margin. Mainly because GRRM needs 1283 years for every book.
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Not sure if anyone's mentioned, but David Gemmell is an amazing fantasy author. In particular the Drenai series, it turned out to be a very enjoyable read..
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If I had to rank those three, A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen would come out as the winner by a very small margin. Mainly because GRRM needs 1283 years for every book.
Agreed! Personally, I find it hard to get through fantasy novels that focus on a lot of 'realpolitik.' A good part of Erikson's writing is from the point of view of 'common' soldiers, which is a refreshing contrast to both Jordan and Martin.
That being said, I found all three series a great read.
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On April 13 2011 07:48 Kimaker wrote:
The Old Kingdom Trilogy is fucking sweet
I second this. They had a "dark" atmosphere to them and the mechanics of magic and whatnot were really interesting. <3 this trilogy.
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The Witcher!!!!!!! Best fantasy evah
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Would like to recommend Tom Lloyd, fairly recent author currently working through his first published series and its quite good. First book is called Stormcaller.
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Although certainly more in the witty/ironic vein than most of the books being suggested here, I can't recommend Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett any more strongly. I've gotten so much enjoyment out of reading their books.
Since we seem to be doing science fiction as well; I only saw Stanislaw Lem mentioned once, and he's really great. He writes very intelligent, imaginative sci-fi that's always free of that sort of cheesy feeling you can get with the more trashy stuff, and that's often quite hilarious. He wrote in Polish, but from what I can see he's been translated surprisingly well. I read the Futurological Congress and the Cyberiad first, but you probably can't go wrong with any selection.
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South Africa4316 Posts
Since I couldn't decide what to use post 3000 on, I'll use it here. I realise everyone is entitled to their opinion, but since I disagree with quite a few of the opinions I'm going to write about both the books I liked and disliked. Contrasting opinions are always more interesting!
Joe Abercrombie - First Law Trilogy - 4/5
A really fun series, but the characters felt a bit flat to me. I don't mind the characters being based on well known archetypes, but these characters never seemed to make the archetypes their own--they never developed beyond the archetypes. Still, the series as a whole was very enjoyable.
R. Scott Bakker - Prince of Nothing - 5/5
Probably my favourite fantasy series. The story is great, but what makes it special for me is how believable everything is. The world, the cultures, and the characters are all incredibly realistic. Most of the characters are dislikeable, but they are dislikeable because they are human and they make human decisions and mistakes. There are no evil or good characters, just characters that make good or evil decisions. The same goes for everything else in the book, there's never any black or white. For example, the war is followed from the perspective of the agressors but at no point is it implied that the war is just or unjust, it is simply the result of a clash of cultures. All in all, it made for a book with characters that I cared about because they seemed human. Cnaiur has to be one my favourite characters ever. Fantastic series.
R. Scott Bakker - Aspect Emperor Trilogy - */5
The sequel to the Prince of Nothing trilogy. It only started recently, but the Aspect Emperor was really good. Many of the favourite characters from the first trilogy were removed, but it's probably for the best since they had little room to develop more. The new characters are all intruiging, and the developments that occurred before the first and second trilogy are interesting. I can't wait for the next books!
Trudi Canavan - Age of Five Trilogy - 3.5/5
Everything Trudi Canavan writes is enjoyable but quite straightforward. All in all, I'd say Age of Five is a touch better than the Black Magician trilogy simply because it is better paced. In contrast with the Black Magician, all three books in Age of Five are satisfying. For those who have only read Black Magician trilogy, it should be noted that Age of Five is epic fantasy rather than heroic fantasy, so the focus is on kingdoms and the wars between them rather than on a specific character. A definite read if you're looking for something easy and fun.
Trudi Canavan - Black Magician Trilogy - 3.5/5
As mentioned earlier, Trudi Canavan is always great fun to read. With Black Magician I felt the first two books weren't quite on par with her other books, but the third book was her best, so in the end the series is just about as good as the Age of Five trilogy. One thing that bothers me about the series (and many fantasy series for that matter) is that the magic system was poorly defined. Still, it's a fun book to read.
Orson Scott Card - Tales of Alvin Maker - 3/5
I read this a long time ago and remember really enjoying it. Unfortunately I can't remember too much about it. What I do remember is that I liked the protagonist's powers (he could feel how things came together/were made, so he could construct/deconstruct awesome things), and I quite liked the Native American setting. Can't remember much more unfortunately.
Jacqueline Carey - Kushiel'd Legacy - 4.5/5
An exceptionally good series that I haven't seen mentioned before. It's a first-person fantasy series (there are too few of these) which makes it very immersive. The protagonist is a very expensive prostitute whose only super-power is that she's a masochist, which is awesome! The book is pure political fantasy with very little (if any) magic or magical creatures, but because it is first person, the reader follows the political events only through the perspective of the prostitute/spy which things very interesting. The characters are believable and something new, and the book is written superbly.
Stephen Donaldson - Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - 2/5
I only read halfway through Book 1, but I didn't enjoy it. For one, I dislike "travel fantasy", where the protagonist goes on a journey across the world and encounters random adventures. it bores me to tears. For another, it was written during that awkward time (same as Roger Zelazny) between Tolkien and modern fantasy where the novels focused more on the fantastical and less on the characters. All in all, it did nothing for me.
Raymond E. Feist - The Magician - 3/5
It's difficult to judge The Magician. In my opinion, it's was most important novel for fantasy since Tolkien. It's also pretty good to read. However, it's a bit like watching the sitcom Red Dwarf today. At the time the jokes were incredibly clever and the situations were really creative. Today, all the jokes sound cliched and rehashed because they've been used in every sitcom since 1990. Most of the things that made The Magician interesting have been copied ad infinitum today, and for the other things, the genre was just not as developed in 1982 as it is now. Still, if you're new to fantasy it's a good place to start.
David Gemmell - Legend - 1/5
Legend has the weakest characters I've encountered in any fantasy book ever. The characters seem to act entirely based on what their roles are in the story. The good guys are always good, the bad guys are always bad, the rogues are roguish and the knights are chivalrous. As I said at the start, most fantasy storylines are pretty good, and there's nothing wrong with Legend's story. However, the complete lack of thought that went into the characters has permanently scared me away from Gemmell.
Lev Grossman - The Magicians - 2/5
I think this book was described to me as Harry Potter with adult characters and adult relationships (in both senses of the word) which sounded pretty awesome. It actually lived up to that, and I really enjoyed the first half of the book. Unfortunately, the second half of the book seems to be a homage to Narnia with the characters going off into an imaginary world where trees talk and the horse race are at war with a race of goats (I can't remember exactly, it was that absurd though). One of the few books where the characters were fine but the story line was ridiculous.
Robin Hobb - Farseer Trilogy - 3.5/5
Robin Hobb writes first person fantasy wonderfully, especially so in the Farseer trilogy. The protagonist is an assassin, but unlike most fantasy assassins, he is not amazing in any way--he simply kills people as an occupation. What the first person perspective does is it forces the reader to experience what the protagonist is experiencing, and develop with the character. You follow the character from when he is learns to wield a knife through all the hours he spends training and learning about poisons to his assignments. Nothing happens quickly, but when something does, you feel the sense of accomplishment or the pain of the character much more accutely. Very good books, but not as good a Hobb's later books in my opinion.
Robin Hobb - Liveship Traders Trilogy - 5/5
I adore Robin Hobb and everything she's written. Of everything she's written, Liveship Traders is my favourite series and I have no idea why. If I remember correctly it's the only Robin Hobb trilogy not written in first person, which is again surprising since I quite like first person. I think it just epitomizes what makes Robin Hobb great: The books are slow but you are never bored, the characters are not superhuman but they are still awesome, and the story is great fun to follow. Highly recommended for those who have time.
Robin Hobb - Tawny Man Trilogy - 3.5/5
I can't remember the Tawny Man that well, even though I read it most recently. The pacing was better than the Farseer Trilogy, but it had a bit too much magic and dragons in for my taste. Still, I remember being satisfied with the conclusion to the series, so if you've read the first two trilogies you should definitely pick up Tawny Man.
Robin Hobb - Soldier Son Trilogy - 4/5
I know that most people dislike the soldier son trilogy more than Hobb's other series, but for some reason I found the series fascinating. I've always felt that the best fantasy and SF series are those which make a very small changes to the world, but then develop those changes thoroughly. With the soldier son trilogy, the change Hobb makes is bizarre: The protagonist is painfully obese. However, Hobb takes this characteristic and develops it fully. We get to experience the change in the character and see how the obesity twists the hero's perspective of the world. The character development in Soldier Son is phenomenal. That said, the story is a bit on the weird side, and it's a difficult read because the character struggles so much. I loved it though.
Scott Lynch - The Lies of Locke Namora - 3.5/5
I read somewhere that The Lies of Locke Namora us like Ocean's Eleven crossed fantasy, which sounded like great fun. That's exactly what it was. The book is well written, I enjoyed the character and the story, and I couldn't put it down until it was done. The only thing I found slightly disappointing was the conclusion which felt rushed. Still, if you're looking for something fun, this is worth a read.
George R.R. Martin - A Song of Fire and Ice - 4/5
I've only read book one so far, and it was excellent. There are some things that bother me though, especially with the characters. As a whole, the characters seem to be caricatures of real people. The evil characters are too evil, the assholes much too douchey, the stern characters too stern, and so forth. Many of the characters also seem to spend a lot of time doing nothing. Ned runs around looking for spies but never finds any, Catelyn spends her time giving good advice that gets ignored, Sansa dreams permanently but never sees what's going on--it's very frustrating. That said, the storyline is exceptional, the characters are developing well, and everything seems about ready to get going.
...
To be continued when I have some more time! There's only a few series left to cover, but I still need to study tonight so I'll add those later.
Hope someone finds this useful
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A Song of Ice and Fire is amazing. The first book is easily among the top ten I have ever read.
If you're at all into science fiction, you MUST read everything that Neal Stephenson has ever written. I especially recommend Cryptonomicon and The Diamond Age.
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I read the title and immeadiately thought of this (not sure if this has been posted yet):
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=195375
I will have to go through this thread later though. I have been looking for a new series to pick up after I finish the Wheel of Time series.
Series I liked: Tolkien, Goodkind (although he really lost me later on), and Eddings.
I never got into A Song of Ice and Fire. Read the first two books but never got into it. i never could explain it well but I think Daigomi nailed my feelings on the characters.
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On April 09 2011 12:07 Aylear wrote:
I'd contribute something more worthwhile to this thread, but if the OP didn't touch on my favourite books or series, other people did. Really, I'm just chiming in to approve of this thread and its contents. =P
Still, while people have mentioned Terry Pratchett, no one has mentioned Discworld yet, so I will. Read it. Especially the ones about the Night Watch. Seriously.
Cannot stress this enough. Discworld is the standard for which I judge any fantasy universe.
Although I'd recommend starting with The Witches story arc.
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I just finished Dresden Files 12, damn that series is GOOD. The first 2-3 books aren't that special, but once the plot starts twisting... Thanks for telling me to continue reading after I've stopped halfway through book 3! Any tips for getting over the "I've just finished a great series" blues?
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Wow, a Fantasy/S-F thread, with "sci-fi/fantasy 101" that doesn't include Philip K. Dick, Stanislaw Lem, Isaac Asimov, Strugacki Brothers, Ursula K. Le Guin, H. G. Wells and the like? Add them to the OP please...
My recommendations based on the books I've read recently:
Genesis by Bernard Beckett
One of the best books I have ever read. Short but packed with goodies.
Metro 2033 and Metro 2034 by Dmitry Glukhovsky
Simply awesome. Especially if you're a fan of Fallout and post-apocalyptic stuff.
Watches by Sergei Lukyanenko
Four novels that make for an outstanding story. Excellent reading.
There Will Be Time by Paul Anderson
A very nice approach to time travel.
Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan
Brilliant series. Very enjoyable reading.
Will add more in the future.
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I decided to raise this from the dead mostly to see what people have been reading lately to see if i can get anymore good books to read.
I read all of the "A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen" by Steven Erikson and some other odds and ends books so i was hoping TL could help me find some more good books to read
plus this thread honestly really shouldn't die after so many have put so much effort into it.. admittedly i should work on the OP a little more.
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Thanks for ressurecting this dude, I would have never noticed this thread otherwise. Better get reading.
In case it hasn't been mentioned, Michael Crichton books are killer (more sci fi, less fantasy).
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I'd recommend Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover. It's a fantasy/scifi hybrid; highly graphical, very intense, but an amazing read. The author's style is amazing and it's become one of my favorite books. Check out the second book, Blade of Tyshalle, if you liked the first.
Also, I didn't find the Memory, Sorrow & Thorn series in the list in your OP, by Tad Williams. Great (high) fantasy.
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I can't say I'm bringing anything fresh to the table, but...
Just yesterday I picked up A Feast for Crows, the 4th book in the Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) series by George Martin. I'd highly encourage anyone who is even a semi-fan of the HBO show to check out the book. The show is great but the book is even better.
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is probably my favorite book series of all time and it started me on a massive Stephen King binge. I remember I was on vacation with my family at Yellowstone National Park and I still couldn't put my book down.
I wouldn't characterize them as "good" books per say, but when I was younger I really enjoyed Warhammer 40k books as well as the Ultima series (lol i know) and various other video game books. Just wanted to mention since this is a video game forum ;D
George R.R. Martin - A Song of Fire and Ice - 4/5
I've only read book one so far, and it was excellent. There are some things that bother me though, especially with the characters. As a whole, the characters seem to be caricatures of real people. The evil characters are too evil, the assholes much too douchey, the stern characters too stern, and so forth. Many of the characters also seem to spend a lot of time doing nothing. Ned runs around looking for spies but never finds any, Catelyn spends her time giving good advice that gets ignored, Sansa dreams permanently but never sees what's going on--it's very frustrating. That said, the storyline is exceptional, the characters are developing well, and everything seems about ready to get going.
Maybe you've delved further into the series since your post, but regardless, I think it's a little unfair to judge the series on only the first book. The more you read the series, the more you realize most characters are far from black and white. Yes, there are some absolute villains and some absolute protagonists, but many of the characters develop more depth and personality as the series moves on. Just like real people, they seem easy to characterize at first glance but the more you get to know them, the more you realize they aren't exactly what you thought.
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you know your book series is getting out of hand when you kill off a character and the readers forget who the character was in the first place (i'm looking at you WoT)
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This thread makes me wish I had more time to read thanks for the bump! I read through the pages and there are so many recommendations, hard to know where to start.
Personally I started off reading The Annotated Chronicles in 8th grade (First Three Books of DragonLance) and proceeded to read everything else I could find in the series. Absolutely love it.
Also love His Dark Materials! Though the third book literally hurt my brain haha it was crazy
Since HP was mentioned, liked the series a lot, and (hope I won't get made of) but I'm currently finishing up The Hunger Games Series and enjoying them a lot.
Looking forward to taking some of these suggestions!!
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hmm this actually isn't a half bad place to look up books/ series
Granted from what i can tell the author(s) of the articles have a bit different taste but they still recommend many books / series that i like certainly worth looking at and i think i'll add it to the OP
edit:.. if i could change the OP wth old posts are un-editable?
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If you like historical fantasy, read Guy Gavriel Kay. I kind of have mixed feelings towards his writing, but even GGK at half-best makes makes GRRM look like a scrub in terms of style, versatility, and sophistication. I don't mean this as a dig towards GRRM -- I actually loathed GGK's style at first, while I blazed through ASOIAF -- but GGK really is Something Special.
At his best, he is hard to describe. I've read all but two of his books -- in the middle of Lord of Emperors and I've got Tigana after that too -- and even though I would say that most of his books have disappointed me, it's because I have such high expectations for him that when he falls short, it kind of just makes me facepalm. And tbh, even his more mediocre books have such an atmosphere of potential about them, it is hard to dislike them too much. His best books are masterpieces.
If interested, check out The Lions of Al-Rassan and A Song for Arbonne. I've heard that Tigana is actually his best piece of work yet, but I haven't read it, and I will honestly be astounded if it's better than Lions. His Sarantium series (Sailing to Sarantium, Lord of Emperors) is also great as well, though I haven't finished it yet. I found his other books to fall quite a bit short of the mark.
1. Lions --> Moorish Spain, El Cid
2. Arbonne --> med. Provence, Albigensian Crusade
3. Sarantium --> Byzantine, Justinian I
4. Last Light of the Sun --> Viking invasions of England and Wales
5. Under Heaven --> Tang Dynasty China, An Shi Rebellion
And then you have his Fionavar trilogy (LotR) and Ysabel (sequel-ish to Fionavar), which are both kind of odd. I don't recommend these two unless you're actually a fan of his. Again ... they're odd.
Other authors of note: Steven Brust (like a Sherlock Holmes novel, except from POV of assassin, very witty), Terry Pratchett (no intro needed), Naomi Novik (dragons in Napoleonic era), GRRM (no intro needed). What little I've read of Robin Hobb, I've enjoyed. Carol Berg is also good from what I can remember and writes some interesting characters, though it's been years since I've read her. Pullman's HDM is nice too if you can get past his preaching.
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hmmm...here are some of the most recent series/books that i have finished and found quite good:
-Lamentations - Ken Scholes
-Mistborn Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson (this is the trilogy that led Robert Jordan's wife to ask Sanderson to finish the WoT Series)
-Name of the Wind/Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss (warning: 3rd/final book in progress and far from release >.<)
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On April 11 2012 11:49 tronix wrote:
hmmm...here are some of the most recent series/books that i have finished and found quite good:
-Lamentations - Ken Scholes
-Mistborn Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson (this is the trilogy that led Robert Jordan's wife to ask Sanderson to finish the WoT Series)
-Name of the Wind/Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss (warning: 3rd/final book in progress and far from release >.<)
mistborn trilogy was pretty damn good, i just finished reading that recently as well.
edit: godamn why is it so long until gsl sorry random tangent just saw that there are like 6 hours until it starts.
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I'm bumping this thread to talk about the first book in The Stormlight Archive. I know it's mentionned in the OP but I rarely see people talking about it. It's going to be a huge series, and book 1 is the only one available at this moment with book 2 due next year after some delays by the author (nothing like A Song of Fire and Ice don't worry)
I just read this book in about 1 week, during my exam week, and I have to say it's without a doubt the best fantasy book I've read yet. Granted, I haven't read that many series, but I couldn't put this down.
The story really suceeds at telling a relatively complex storyline (in that it has several characters and things going on at once) in a way that is easy to follow and remember as well as make sense of. There are some good plot developments that I didn't see coming, and some that I saw coming but enjoyed either way, and the story really felt memorable. Even secondary characters don't feel pointless despite having few lines or scenes which is awesome. I also didn't start getting confused with all the names like I usually do in large stories. The characters feel distinct and I never had trouble identifying them.
The author slowly builds up a story for one character then introduces new ones in interludes --- characters that don't have a main point to the story yet, but will become important in later books. It helps give a complete vision of the world they are on. Certain characters that I didn't enjoy at first became more interesting as the story went on, and there was always one character that was interesting enough to make me read the book to get to their next chapter.
The story uses fantasy elements well; I'm not a huge fan of books such as A Song of Fire and Ice which mention them once every few hundred pages. Still, it's not over done and the world feels really well thought out. When something DOES happen, it fits.
The placement of chapters and elements is pretty spot on. Only once did I think "come on, we're in a climatic scene, do you need to put this here?" and honestly that scene was just a couple of pages; I just wanted to read the rest of the epic scene without interruption.
Finally, the book leaves me wanting more. I have a decent idea of what we can expect from future events, but at the same time a lot of mysteries remain hidden and leaves me with a lot of questions. The author does a good job of building up hype for future events while keeping a shroud on a lot of the reasons for certain actions and events.
Overall, I'm definitely in this for the long run with this series. 10/10 for me and recommend for fans of fantasy series.
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On April 28 2012 08:18 Kurr wrote:
I'm bumping this thread to talk about the first book in The Stormlight Archive. I know it's mentionned in the OP but I rarely see people talking about it. It's going to be a huge series, and book 1 is the only one available at this moment with book 2 due next year after some delays by the author (nothing like A Song of Fire and Ice don't worry)
I just read this book in about 1 week, during my exam week, and I have to say it's without a doubt the best fantasy book I've read yet. Granted, I haven't read that many series, but I couldn't put this down.
The story really suceeds at telling a relatively complex storyline (in that it has several characters and things going on at once) in a way that is easy to follow and remember as well as make sense of. There are some good plot developments that I didn't see coming, and some that I saw coming but enjoyed either way, and the story really felt memorable. Even secondary characters don't feel pointless despite having few lines or scenes which is awesome. I also didn't start getting confused with all the names like I usually do in large stories. The characters feel distinct and I never had trouble identifying them.
The author slowly builds up a story for one character then introduces new ones in interludes --- characters that don't have a main point to the story yet, but will become important in later books. It helps give a complete vision of the world they are on. Certain characters that I didn't enjoy at first became more interesting as the story went on, and there was always one character that was interesting enough to make me read the book to get to their next chapter.
The story uses fantasy elements well; I'm not a huge fan of books such as A Song of Fire and Ice which mention them once every few hundred pages. Still, it's not over done and the world feels really well thought out. When something DOES happen, it fits.
The placement of chapters and elements is pretty spot on. Only once did I think "come on, we're in a climatic scene, do you need to put this here?" and honestly that scene was just a couple of pages; I just wanted to read the rest of the epic scene without interruption.
Finally, the book leaves me wanting more. I have a decent idea of what we can expect from future events, but at the same time a lot of mysteries remain hidden and leaves me with a lot of questions. The author does a good job of building up hype for future events while keeping a shroud on a lot of the reasons for certain actions and events.
Overall, I'm definitely in this for the long run with this series. 10/10 for me and recommend for fans of fantasy series.
I have to agree with you The Stormlight Archives books are certainly my most looked forward to books to read next to (funnily enough) the last Wheel of Time book. I am sort of torn to what series i like better, when i made this thread i was sort of into Brandon Sanderson and George R. R. martin. As of now though its mostly just Sanderson since i've been reading all his books recently.
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I read the first of the stormlight(obvs the only one out) and found it really good. For me, as of now, Sanderson and Rothfuss have the most interesting/best stories out with R. R. Martin close behind
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I don't know if this is the correct place to ask it, but I'd like some help remembering the name of a book and its author.
If I recall correctly, its main protagonist was a thief, who took jobs with a contract. What else... The world had a certain number of gods if I'm not mistaken; no one had seen the face of the god of the thieves. There were guilds(or maybe not). I think there was some evil mage as well, who tried to take over the world/kingdom, by summoning out demons/the demon world; half of the world/kingdom was already conquered by him. At some point I think the thief joined the royal forces, to help them against the evil mage.
I hope I make some sense and haven't mixed up different books.
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Not fantasy, but if you want to get as close as you can to Song of Ice and Fire I really recommend The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. George Martin named Cornwell as one of his favorite authors and inspirations and you can really see that by reading the Arthur books. Some themes and ideas of this rather "historic" series somehow remind of things included in Song of Ice and Fire.
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Great thread! Never noticed it before. I have read most of the books mentioned in the original post, or at least read a book from the authors mentioned. An impressive list.
Some additions I would recommend are
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. A fantasy novel with some amusing characters.
The Stainless Steel Rat books by Harry Harrison. These are Sci-Fi books that are like a humerous James Bond/Ocean's Eleven in space. Quite old books now but a must read.
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On May 10 2012 03:27 Bunn wrote:
I don't know if this is the correct place to ask it, but I'd like some help remembering the name of a book and its author.
If I recall correctly, its main protagonist was a thief, who took jobs with a contract. What else... The world had a certain number of gods if I'm not mistaken; no one had seen the face of the god of the thieves. There were guilds(or maybe not). I think there was some evil mage as well, who tried to take over the world/kingdom, by summoning out demons/the demon world; half of the world/kingdom was already conquered by him. At some point I think the thief joined the royal forces, to help them against the evil mage.
I hope I make some sense and haven't mixed up different books.
This somewhat sounds a bit like Raymond E. Feist, but it has been a looooong time since I read the Magician series. While there's nothing about gods as far as I remember, the rest seems to fit with some later book in the series that focuses on Jimmy the Hand. Does that sound familiar?
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Well i tried to get through ever page but couldn't, so bear with me if i repost some stuff.
First off, the ENDER's series, is incredibly good. I consider this to be 2 side-series (series that occur in the same universe, but not necessarily having to do with each other). Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind are great insights into the moral human, while the Shadow series(the side series) are all great books about the unity of earth and the moralities of it.
Secondly, Dragonlance authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have a couple other series that are just as good if not better than their origional D-lance. The Deathgate cycle is my favorite by them, but also very good series are the Dragonship series and The Bronze Canticles. Their Annals of Drakis is another great series.
Third, Orson Scott Card (author of Ender's series) is really my favorite author and I would highly recomend anything he's written. His Homecoming series is very good mixture of both sci-fi and fantasy. He also has an incredible American Epic fantasy called The Alvin Maker Tales, that are a really fun read. He's currently working on two new series one mixing real life with fantasy starting with the book The Lost Gate, and another that mixes sci-fy and fantasy starting with the book Pathfinder. His Short story collections are also great for a quick read, and his standalone novels such as Magic Street, The Worthing Saga, and Treason, are all some of my favorite reads.
Fourth, I don't care who says what about it, but Christopher Paolini's Inheritence series was incredible to me. maybe not exactly high fantasy, but the world he creates is so good, it just sucks me in and there's parts in this book that make my spine shiver+ Show Spoiler +When they can't stop those sorcerer's from creating a shade, and it appears holding Arya up by her neck going "Our name is Vaurag. Fear us." oooooooooooo
For some SF, it's kind of dry, but i really like Ben Bova. Moonbase and Moonwar are great looks into what could be happening in the next 10-20 years in real life. He continues that "universe" with books like the mars series, and a visit to basically all the other planets. And I really really loved his Sam Gunn Chronicles.
Something a little childish, but if you like Harry Potter, you'll probably like Michael Scotts "Nicholas Flamel secrets of the immortal alchemist" series. I really like how every charactor except for the main 2 twins, are all people from either in real life history, or from actual legends of the peoples around the world.
Some other good reads, if you like the halo storyline, the halo books are actually okay..
Aurthur C. Clarke's Rama series gets undermentioned because his "2000" series is more well known (Damn you hollywood)
Dan Simmons Illium and Olympius are both great books, but kind of hard to follow along exactly (he basically makes 4-5 different stories that you feel have absolutely nothing to do with each other, and ties them all together in the end. when i was finished with those books i was like "HEY!!!! I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE!!"
There ya go, these are all basically things that i didn't see mentioned, and if they were already mentioned i wanted to reiterate how incredibly good they are.
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On May 10 2012 03:56 Acrofales wrote:Show nested quote +On May 10 2012 03:27 Bunn wrote:
I don't know if this is the correct place to ask it, but I'd like some help remembering the name of a book and its author.
If I recall correctly, its main protagonist was a thief, who took jobs with a contract. What else... The world had a certain number of gods if I'm not mistaken; no one had seen the face of the god of the thieves. There were guilds(or maybe not). I think there was some evil mage as well, who tried to take over the world/kingdom, by summoning out demons/the demon world; half of the world/kingdom was already conquered by him. At some point I think the thief joined the royal forces, to help them against the evil mage.
I hope I make some sense and haven't mixed up different books. This somewhat sounds a bit like Raymond E. Feist, but it has been a looooong time since I read the Magician series. While there's nothing about gods as far as I remember, the rest seems to fit with some later book in the series that focuses on Jimmy the Hand. Does that sound familiar?
It sounds very similar, but it sadly isn't the book which I'm looking for . Thanks for the response though(and I have now found a new fantasy series thanks to you!)
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Recently i ordered and read all the books of the series of a song of ice and fire. It was my first experience reading an english fantasy book and i enjoyed it a lot. The text were quiet easy to comprehend.
Now i just started an ebook of the first book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. There is or were a lot of hype around this book on TL (even got his own thread). Problem is it's rather difficult to comprehend. Seems the author made it rather difficult for foreigners to grasp the meaning of every single word in this book! Anyway, what do you guys think of this series? Is it not too hard to comprehend because there are 10 books, im gonna go for a one trip order,l buy it all and i hope im not doing a mistake!
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On October 10 2012 11:56 CaM27 wrote:
Recently i ordered and read all the books of the series of a song of ice and fire. It was my first experience reading an english fantasy book and i enjoyed it a lot. The text were quiet easy to comprehend.
Now i just started an ebook of the first book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. There is or were a lot of hype around this book on TL (even got his own thread). Problem is it's rather difficult to comprehend. Seems the author made it rather difficult for foreigners to grasp the meaning of every single word in this book! Anyway, what do you guys think of this series? Is it not too hard to comprehend because there are 10 books, im gonna go for a one trip order,l buy it all and i hope im not doing a mistake!
Honestly, the Malazan series are hard enough to read for a native english speaker. I've been a 'bookworm' all my life, i read a ton. Those books were HARD to get through, and I eventually dropped them after the 4th book because I read to relax, and that series was way too tiring. Felt like I was studying half the time, trying figure out what he was saying, and to remember wtf was going on constantly. xD
Right now I'm reading the Wheel of Time series, for the third or 4th time, in preparation for the final book coming up. Still good as ever.
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The Malazan series is not for the feint of heart. It's written in that you're thrown into the middle of a huge, sprawling story with massive history and many hinted or hidden plots that can be difficult or impossible to see on the first read through, and through all that Erikson demands that you either struggle to stay afloat or just stop reading. I can't imagine trying to read them as a foreigner.
That being said, I absolutely love the series. Yes, it's a tougher read than ASoiaF, and it's a different style, but I think it's the pinnacle of modern story driven Epic Fantasy. For more character driven Epic Fantasy, I'd suggest something like the Kingkiller Chronicles, which I also thought was fantastic, and will probably prove to be an easier read. Stormlight Chronicles are good as well, but imo not as good as Kingkiller.
EDIT: I also don't get all the love of the Wheel of Time series. I read quite a bit of the series (7ish books I think) but it got to the point where his repetitive descriptions really started to grind on me, and on top of that, the story hadn't moved in the last 3,000 or so pages. Once that second fact sunk home I put the series down and never looked back.
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Yeah I'm usually an avid bookworm for scifi/fantasy but I only got to the 3rd Malazan book before losing interest. I could see where the author was wanting to go with it but I felt like there was way too much world-building to do and the characters suffered for it. The mythos is so vast that I felt almost no attachment to any of the characters that get thrown at you in droves. There is continuity and the central characters frequently make reappearances but there was just way too much going on.
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Thanks for the replies. I wanted to read these books so bad because people hyped it like the best of the best in fantasy. I got a cambridge certifcate, travelled twice in australia for a mid long term. All these facts felt quiet short or inexistant while reading the first book of the malazan of the fallen. Well i'm super sad and dissapointed tbh for not having the comprehension skills for these books!
Now that im done with aSoIaF, can anyone recommend anything at the same level of this?
edit, thx critter
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On October 10 2012 13:28 CaM27 wrote:
Thanks for the replies. I wanted to read these books so bad because people hyped it like the best of the best in fantasy. I got a cambridge certifcate, travelled twice in australia for a mid long term. All these facts felt quiet short or inexistant while reading the first book of the malazan of the fallen. Well i'm super sad and dissapointed tbh for not having the comprehension skills for these books!
Now that im done with aSoIaF, can anyone recommend anything at the same level of this?
edit, thx critter
well, I wouldn't give up on the books so fast. I think it took me well in to the second book to grasp what a Warren is and how the magic system works... and even longer to get the differences between Kurald Galain, Denul, Meanas and whatever.
Erikson doesn't make it easy, but I'd recommend to keep on reading - even if you don't get all those details - because the series is really worth it, and the second book is certainly far easier to understand and by the third book you will start to get the hang of it anyway.
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Just wondering if any of you have read the Drenai Series by David Gemmell?
And what were your thought on it?
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I think the best series I have ever read was the Darren Shan franchise. Its basically vampires in modern day, but don't be fooled its like the opposite of Twilight. Its gory, dramatic, epic and has so much more to it, than just vampires. Check it out guys. If you're looking for a good story and want to feel connected to the actual characters in a book, you'll love it.
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Has anyone read the dresden files? Wikipedia doesn't reveal much about it!
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On October 10 2012 18:59 Sedzz wrote:
Just wondering if any of you have read the Drenai Series by David Gemmell?
And what were your thought on it?
I like Gemmell in general. A bit shallow at times, but the best heroic fantasy. Personally, the newer books I didn't like much, but the first couple of books of the Drenai saga were pretty sweet.
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On October 18 2012 17:07 CaM27 wrote:Has anyone read the dresden files? Wikipedia doesn't reveal much about it!
Yes I have, and it is very good. Starts off easy and then quickly ramps up with each book. It also gets a bit darker with each one up to Changes as Harry is stretched further to survive and keep his friends, Chicago, and the world safe. Butcher also has some fun takes on vampires and werewolves that would unfortunately be spoilery
I don't know if you are still trying these, but I've also read the Malazan books. Suffice to say I enjoyed them despite (also because of) the feeling of being dumped in the deep end with concrete footwear. Erikson really expects that you will figure out most things on your own which I found quite refreshing. To stretch that metaphor a bit I found I had to just keep walking along the bottom, trusting that eventually, with effort, things would start to make sense. If you want a hand at following some plot or clearing up a character the people at malazanempire.com are helpful and have a subforum for each book to help avoid spoilers.
Happy reading!
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I've been looking for new fantasy to read, maybe you guys can help me find a good series for me?
The kind of fantasy I enjoy is foremost the kind where good and evil intertwine, my favourite series are a song of ice and fire, malazan book of the fallen and also dresden files. I can't really stand books written for teenagers like Eddings etc.
I enjoy when the plot escalates and becomes more and more epic in it's reach.
I've tried reading the chronicles of thomas covenant but that series is just too depressing for me.
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I just recently finished reading the first three novels of the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. It's really a fun read, basically it deals with Napoleonic Wars with the addition of dragons as an air force.
Would highly recommend it, if you like some alternate history mingled with fantasy.
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Man I need to put down the computer games a bit and read more. Still on book 11 of the wheel of time for months now. I see a lot of suggestions that pique my interest.
Some of my favorites are the Mission Earth decalogy (L.Ron Hubbard, u crazy imaginative bastard), the Myth series(a little bit lower level reading but funny and awesome) and the Stainless Steel Rat books (think James Bond in a sci-fi future, but the best criminal/thief in the universe).
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On October 18 2012 19:47 solsken wrote:
I've been looking for new fantasy to read, maybe you guys can help me find a good series for me?
The kind of fantasy I enjoy is foremost the kind where good and evil intertwine, my favourite series are a song of ice and fire, malazan book of the fallen and also dresden files. I can't really stand books written for teenagers like Eddings etc.
I enjoy when the plot escalates and becomes more and more epic in it's reach.
I've tried reading the chronicles of thomas covenant but that series is just too depressing for me.
Maybe the Black Company Chronicles? I always find it hard to explain what a book is like, so I won't try, but it's good gritty fantasy so it might be up your alley.
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On October 18 2012 19:47 solsken wrote:
I've been looking for new fantasy to read, maybe you guys can help me find a good series for me?
The kind of fantasy I enjoy is foremost the kind where good and evil intertwine, my favourite series are a song of ice and fire, malazan book of the fallen and also dresden files. I can't really stand books written for teenagers like Eddings etc.
I enjoy when the plot escalates and becomes more and more epic in it's reach.
I've tried reading the chronicles of thomas covenant but that series is just too depressing for me.
Read the night angel trilogy fantastic books where good and evil definitely intertwine and not written for kids.
All of my favorite series have been talked about on this forum. One series to add that I really enjoyed was the Symphony of Ages by Elizabeth Haydon it follows a main character who is a girl named Rhapsody who becomes entangled with the affairs of demons and immortals and seeks to re-write the lives of the people around her. (btw that's purposefully vague don't know how else to describe it with out ruining the first book)
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On October 18 2012 20:00 Andr3 wrote:
I just recently finished reading the first three novels of the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. It's really a fun read, basically it deals with Napoleonic Wars with the addition of dragons as an air force.
Would highly recommend it, if you like some alternate history mingled with fantasy.
I could not agree more with you! Right now, I am reading the sixth book and still there is something special about it.
Also I think Brandon Sanderson is the best modern author in the world.
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Love this thread! Gotten a sick fundation for my own research when I started to delve into fantasy more.
I would like to give a hollar for The gentlemen bastards series by Scott Lynch and Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn. Awesome books
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Maybe 15 years ago, I think I was 9-10, I've read Jann Wurts. First fantasy novel. Servant of the Empire. It was the 2nd book of a trilogy but it got me hooked on fantasy. It was co-written with Raymond Feist but honestly, I prefer her books to Mr. Feist's.
Try the books:
Daughter of the Empire / Servant of the Empire / Mistress of the Empire. Its got insect warriors, spy masters, magic, scheming clan feuds in a old style feudal honor above everything Japanesque setting. Awesome.
A good stand-alone novel is Master of WhiteStorm. Its a typical cliche driven fantasy novel and a great read for younger readers starting their reading, but I like the way Ms. Wurts chronicles the typical brooding, angsty emo but obviously brave and clever protagonist.
The Wars of Light and Shadow are her on-going novel based on two half-brothers locked in a feud by magic. Its an alright read but a little too angsty for me. The main character has got some cool abilities along with his brother and typical to Ms. Wurts books, they use them creatively but he beats himself up so much its kinda depressing. It doesn't help that she's spinning the story for as many books as possible like Robert Jordan did with his Wheel of Time.
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Scott Bakker is the most innovative voice in Fantasy at the moment.
His Second Apocalypse series is unrivaled in the world of ongoing fantasy series. He's also got a great prose that never feel pretentious, whilst never becoming dull or simplistic either. I even feel his characters are stronger than any of GRRM's, who easily writes some of the best characters in Fantasy.
A very unique universe with a great prose makes for a fantasy series that everyone should be reading. Can't wait for the "Unholy Consult".
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Warhammer 40k and Horus Heresy.
The best stuff from the most badass fiction of all time.
IRON WITHIN, IRON WITHOUT!
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You want to read good books? Read Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller series. They're some of the best fantasy books around. The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under a Red Sky are great too. (forgot the author's name.) For urban fantasy you should like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. The TV series is awful, but the books are very good, though it seems to often be a love it or hate it thing. You should also read the First Law trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie, amazing characters, very gritty style of writing. (Glokta is a badass and morally challenged handicapped torturer who used to be a military hero, for example). Lastly, you might like Brandon Sanderson good, though I find his prose to be a bit simplistic (this also applies to Jim Butcher, but the Dresden Files aren't epic fantasy). His new mammoth series, think Wheel of Time scope, has had an amazing debut with Way of Kings, which is a definite must-read for epic fantasy fans.
PS. Don't touch anything from Terry Brooks, his books are good until you reach the mental age of 12, and then it becomes boring, stereotypical, unimaginative crap. Literally, do not give more money to this man, he is arrogant as hell, and hasn't written anything decent in 30 years.
EDIT: And WHY did I forget The Malazan Book of the Fallen. That series (twelve 800 page long books) is GREAT. They say G.R.R. Martin's stuff is revolutionary. They should think again. Malazan book of the fallen has one of the best, most convoluted yet never bogged down plots of all time. The characters are amazing, the world is beautifully crafted, with cultures being very distuingished, to the point where you can guess where a character is from, without the writer telling you or giving you any obvious hints (like accent or something). You can really feel that Steven Erikson has studied anthropology, and knows his stuff. One potential thing (that you shouldn't let stop you from reading this) is that this series is very hard to get into, for the first 2 books or so you will be lost like a fish on dry ground. It's worth it though, definitely. I can't stress how much Erikson pulls at the boundaries of what is defined as ¨fantasy¨ and makes it almost a literary experience, but with clear high fantasy marks. Really good. If you haven't read this, you're doing it wrong.
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On November 21 2012 07:14 Martyrc wrote:
You want to read good books? Read Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller series. They're some of the best fantasy books around. The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under a Red Sky are great too. (forgot the author's name.) For urban fantasy you should like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. The TV series is awful, but the books are very good, though it seems to often be a love it or hate it thing. You should also read the First Law trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie, amazing characters, very gritty style of writing. (Glokta is a badass and morally challenged handicapped torturer who used to be a military hero, for example). Lastly, you might like Brandon Sanderson good, though I find his prose to be a bit simplistic (this also applies to Jim Butcher, but the Dresden Files aren't epic fantasy). His new mammoth series, think Wheel of Time scope, has had an amazing debut with Way of Kings, which is a definite must-read for epic fantasy fans.
PS. Don't touch anything from Terry Brooks, his books are good until you reach the mental age of 12, and then it becomes boring, stereotypical, unimaginative crap. Literally, do not give more money to this man, he is arrogant as hell, and hasn't written anything decent in 30 years.
EDIT: And WHY did I forget The Malazan Book of the Fallen. That series (twelve 800 page long books) is GREAT. They say G.R.R. Martin's stuff is revolutionary. They should think again. Malazan book of the fallen has one of the best, most convoluted yet never bogged down plots of all time. The characters are amazing, the world is beautifully crafted, with cultures being very distuingished, to the point where you can guess where a character is from, without the writer telling you or giving you any obvious hints (like accent or something). You can really feel that Steven Erikson has studied anthropology, and knows his stuff. One potential thing (that you shouldn't let stop you from reading this) is that this series is very hard to get into, for the first 2 books or so you will be lost like a fish on dry ground. It's worth it though, definitely. I can't stress how much Erikson pulls at the boundaries of what is defined as ¨fantasy¨ and makes it almost a literary experience, but with clear high fantasy marks. Really good. If you haven't read this, you're doing it wrong.
Guess I better pick up the Dresden Files and First Law trilogy. I really loved every other book that you mentioned.
I'll recommend C. S. Friedmans magister trilogy, I don't think anyone else has mentiond it yet. Here are some reviews.
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On November 21 2012 08:07 ZerG~LegenD wrote:Show nested quote +On November 21 2012 07:14 Martyrc wrote:
You want to read good books? Read Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller series. They're some of the best fantasy books around. The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under a Red Sky are great too. (forgot the author's name.) For urban fantasy you should like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. The TV series is awful, but the books are very good, though it seems to often be a love it or hate it thing. You should also read the First Law trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie, amazing characters, very gritty style of writing. (Glokta is a badass and morally challenged handicapped torturer who used to be a military hero, for example). Lastly, you might like Brandon Sanderson good, though I find his prose to be a bit simplistic (this also applies to Jim Butcher, but the Dresden Files aren't epic fantasy). His new mammoth series, think Wheel of Time scope, has had an amazing debut with Way of Kings, which is a definite must-read for epic fantasy fans.
PS. Don't touch anything from Terry Brooks, his books are good until you reach the mental age of 12, and then it becomes boring, stereotypical, unimaginative crap. Literally, do not give more money to this man, he is arrogant as hell, and hasn't written anything decent in 30 years.
EDIT: And WHY did I forget The Malazan Book of the Fallen. That series (twelve 800 page long books) is GREAT. They say G.R.R. Martin's stuff is revolutionary. They should think again. Malazan book of the fallen has one of the best, most convoluted yet never bogged down plots of all time. The characters are amazing, the world is beautifully crafted, with cultures being very distuingished, to the point where you can guess where a character is from, without the writer telling you or giving you any obvious hints (like accent or something). You can really feel that Steven Erikson has studied anthropology, and knows his stuff. One potential thing (that you shouldn't let stop you from reading this) is that this series is very hard to get into, for the first 2 books or so you will be lost like a fish on dry ground. It's worth it though, definitely. I can't stress how much Erikson pulls at the boundaries of what is defined as ¨fantasy¨ and makes it almost a literary experience, but with clear high fantasy marks. Really good. If you haven't read this, you're doing it wrong. Guess I better pick up the Dresden Files and First Law trilogy. I really loved every other book that you mentioned. I'll recommend C. S. Friedmans magister trilogy, I don't think anyone else has mentiond it yet. Here are some reviews.
well i did recommend it in the OP I feel like a lot of people come in to post and don't really read the OP too much :-/ i put a lot of effort into it! Grrs
I kinda wanna raise this from the dead as it has so much good reading that i didn't want to let it die :D
Anyhow who is looking forward to the last Wheel of time book as well as Brandon Sanderson's 2nd book to The Way of Kings? I'm glad in a weird sort of way in that i can finally have some closure[about WoT].. i feel bound to finish the series even if it isn't my #1 series or anything to read i just have invested so much time in the series that i just have to finish it.
Also has anyone found any new fantasy that is worth reading? Mostly i mean non-mainstream stuff since i already have read most of the mainstream things.
Recently I've been reading Brent Weeks, which iirc was a recommendation on this thread almost finished reading all of his books now and I want to move on to new pastures soon
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On October 18 2012 20:27 Sealo wrote:Show nested quote +On October 18 2012 20:00 Andr3 wrote:
I just recently finished reading the first three novels of the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. It's really a fun read, basically it deals with Napoleonic Wars with the addition of dragons as an air force.
Would highly recommend it, if you like some alternate history mingled with fantasy. I could not agree more with you! Right now, I am reading the sixth book and still there is something special about it. Also I think Brandon Sanderson is the best modern author in the world.
Hes my favorite author currently too :D I hadn't read any of his stuff until he started writing the last couple Wheel of Time books then i went back and read all of his books + the ones that hes come out with after. I have enjoyed every single one of his books. I think the pull for me is all of his magic systems are not only unique but really interesting. Brent weeks has a similar idea with his stuff too in that each series has its own unique magic system so if you like Brandon Sanderson I would highly recommend checking out Brent Weeks.
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I'll give a shout out to a young up and coming author named Sam Sykes who has just released his third book, the last in the Aeon's Gate trilogy called Skybound Sea. He is still very much learning the ropes, which is very evident in how his writing progresses, and his style is rather unconventional, but I definitely enjoyed it. I am a huge fan of Steven Erikson and the lamentably unheralded Ian Esslemont, but sometimes it's fun to just kick back with something slightly more lighthearted, and Sykes fits the bill perfectly.
Cool thread btw, would read again.
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On January 04 2013 10:44 McBengt wrote:
I'll give a shout out to a young up and coming author named Sam Sykes who has just released his third book, the last in the Aeon's Gate trilogy called Skybound Sea. He is still very much learning the ropes, which is very evident in how his writing progresses, and his style is rather unconventional, but I definitely enjoyed it. I am a huge fan of Steven Erikson and the lamentably unheralded Ian Esslemont, but sometimes it's fun to just kick back with something slightly more lighthearted, and Sykes fits the bill perfectly.
Cool thread btw, would read again.
thanks for the recommendation I'll definately check him out.
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On January 04 2013 10:49 sc14s wrote:Show nested quote +On January 04 2013 10:44 McBengt wrote:
I'll give a shout out to a young up and coming author named Sam Sykes who has just released his third book, the last in the Aeon's Gate trilogy called Skybound Sea. He is still very much learning the ropes, which is very evident in how his writing progresses, and his style is rather unconventional, but I definitely enjoyed it. I am a huge fan of Steven Erikson and the lamentably unheralded Ian Esslemont, but sometimes it's fun to just kick back with something slightly more lighthearted, and Sykes fits the bill perfectly.
Cool thread btw, would read again. thanks for the recommendation I'll definately check him out.
Any time man. If you like fish demons, angry purple women, pseudo-elves who consider farting humans in the face the pinnacle of comical achievement and, of course, carnivorous hats, you may very well like this series.
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malazan..
also, shannara.. and the prequel to shannara (in a vast sense) from terry brooks is the demon series... Angel Fire East, Running with the Demon, and Knight of the Word
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Any recent, fast-rising fantasy authors people would recommend (published 2006 and later, and yes, I've read all of Novik's Temeraire already)? I've heard that Felix Gilman might be worth a try for those looking for more steampunk settings, so I'm planning on picking him up. Otherwise, I've run a bit dry, as I've had less time to read.
My reading list currently is basically:
Hobb's Liveship Traders + Tawny Man (will take a while, long six books >_>)
one of Felix Gilman's books, just to see what he's all about
River of Stars (Kay's new book, coming out later this year)
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On January 04 2013 10:27 sc14s wrote:Show nested quote +On October 18 2012 20:27 Sealo wrote:On October 18 2012 20:00 Andr3 wrote:
I just recently finished reading the first three novels of the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. It's really a fun read, basically it deals with Napoleonic Wars with the addition of dragons as an air force.
Would highly recommend it, if you like some alternate history mingled with fantasy. I could not agree more with you! Right now, I am reading the sixth book and still there is something special about it. Also I think Brandon Sanderson is the best modern author in the world. Hes my favorite author currently too :D I hadn't read any of his stuff until he started writing the last couple Wheel of Time books then i went back and read all of his books + the ones that hes come out with after. I have enjoyed every single one of his books. I think the pull for me is all of his magic systems are not only unique but really interesting. Brent weeks has a similar idea with his stuff too in that each series has its own unique magic system so if you like Brandon Sanderson I would highly recommend checking out Brent Weeks.
I don't think anyone had heard of Sanderson until he was chosen to finish WoT. I read most of his books (not the YA ones) and then ended up reading WoT just so I could read more Sanderson books in the future, haha. Suffice to say I really like him. It's also really nice to follow an author that writes more than one book every 5 years.
Brent Weeks, on the other hand... I read the Night Angel trilogy, and while the books were fairly engrossing and easy to read, I ultimately felt they were shallow and forgettable. I haven't read his current series, but I hope it has a lot more substance to it.
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I can't recommend Abercrombie's books enough. So good. And Heroes (a standalone set after another standalone and after the trilogy) is probably the single best fantasy book about war and politics.
I didn't like his latest, Red Country, quite as much, but it is still good. Part of its strength is looking at characters from previous books that used to be POV characters, but now through other's eyes.
On January 04 2013 12:53 babylon wrote:
Any recent, fast-rising fantasy authors people would recommend (published 2006 and later, and yes, I've read all of Novik's Temeraire already)? I've heard that Felix Gilman might be worth a try for those looking for more steampunk settings, so I'm planning on picking him up. Otherwise, I've run a bit dry, as I've had less time to read.
My reading list currently is basically:
Hobb's Liveship Traders + Tawny Man (will take a while, long six books >_>)
one of Felix Gilman's books, just to see what he's all about
River of Stars (Kay's new book, coming out later this year)
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Does anyone know any good fantasy books that incorporate humor? I've loved that about sanderson's books more than anything else, but I haven't been able to find any other authors that do it well =P
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Canada11349 Posts
I actually came across Sanderson via his podcast Writing Excuses. I finally found one of his books Mistborn and quite enjoyed it so I'll look for more by him.
Wheel of Time- I've ready the 1st, 2nd, and 4th (library sign outs are a pain.) They are decent enough although I find the incessant male vs female griping rather grating. It's good enough for me to keep reading, but I didn't plan far enough ahead to request the 3rd or 5th book for the holidays so maybe I'll try again in spring break.
I came across the book Myst (based off the same series by that name.) It's actually reasonably well done minus the beginning that is a little slow for my taste. It's a little more exploratory then action based, but I quite liked the diverging relationship between father-son.
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On January 04 2013 16:34 ShadowDrgn wrote:Show nested quote +On January 04 2013 10:27 sc14s wrote:On October 18 2012 20:27 Sealo wrote:On October 18 2012 20:00 Andr3 wrote:
I just recently finished reading the first three novels of the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. It's really a fun read, basically it deals with Napoleonic Wars with the addition of dragons as an air force.
Would highly recommend it, if you like some alternate history mingled with fantasy. I could not agree more with you! Right now, I am reading the sixth book and still there is something special about it. Also I think Brandon Sanderson is the best modern author in the world. Hes my favorite author currently too :D I hadn't read any of his stuff until he started writing the last couple Wheel of Time books then i went back and read all of his books + the ones that hes come out with after. I have enjoyed every single one of his books. I think the pull for me is all of his magic systems are not only unique but really interesting. Brent weeks has a similar idea with his stuff too in that each series has its own unique magic system so if you like Brandon Sanderson I would highly recommend checking out Brent Weeks. I don't think anyone had heard of Sanderson until he was chosen to finish WoT. I read most of his books (not the YA ones) and then ended up reading WoT just so I could read more Sanderson books in the future, haha. Suffice to say I really like him. It's also really nice to follow an author that writes more than one book every 5 years. Brent Weeks, on the other hand... I read the Night Angel trilogy, and while the books were fairly engrossing and easy to read, I ultimately felt they were shallow and forgettable. I haven't read his current series, but I hope it has a lot more substance to it.
if you didn't like night angel you likely wont like his dark prism series.
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On January 04 2013 16:51 swim224 wrote:
Does anyone know any good fantasy books that incorporate humor? I've loved that about sanderson's books more than anything else, but I haven't been able to find any other authors that do it well =P
Do you mean the focus of the books are humurous fantasy or that their is humor in the books?
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On January 04 2013 16:51 swim224 wrote:
Does anyone know any good fantasy books that incorporate humor? I've loved that about sanderson's books more than anything else, but I haven't been able to find any other authors that do it well =P
Terry Pratchett and Steven Brust are both very witty authors. I've found myself laughing out loud at some of Brust's lines. He's almost too good with words for his own good.
You may want to try Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart as well. I found it very entertaining in a funny, quirky sort of way.
@ alQahira: Thanks for the rec! Heroes looks interesting. Just skimmed through some of Abercrombie's prose, and it seems pretty good on an initial glance to me. (At least it is not distracting.) Will def. check him out.
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I'll second Steven Brust if you're looking for humor in your fantasy. His Dragaera books are loads of fun to read.
Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series is also very funny if you're into urban fantasy.
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http://bestfantasybooks.com/
I have used this site religiously since I found it. Most of the series I love have been listed already.
ASOIAF, Malazan, Prince Of Nothing, First Law, Kingkiller Chronicles, Stormlight Archives, Long Price Quartet, The Black Company.
There are a few books and series that I havent seen mentioned though and I would like to add them. The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence is fantastic and is Revenge Fantasy which I haven't seen much of. Gormenghast is slow and not much action but a fantastic novel. The Red Wolf Conspiracy is naval fantasy. The only I know of there are four books in the series and I have only read the first but it is fantastic. American Gods by Neil Gaiman is also a very fun read fantasyesque in the modern world its nice.
He normally doesn't write fantasy and this is his only journey into the genre but what a job he did The Road by Cormac McCarthy is phenomenal. His prose is fantastic one of the greatest living writers.
If there would be anyone to challenge McCarthy to the title of greatest writer alive it would have to be Gene Wolfe. The Book of the New Sun is the greatest Sci-fi series ever written bar non and once you read it you will realize that my statement about the series is not negoitable. He may be the greatest living writer of any genre.
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Gene Wolfe's prose is absolutely magnificent, but as a story, The Book of the New Sun leaves a lot to be desired. It's rather boring and hard to follow. I'm sure I'd appreciate it more on a second reading, but I greatly prefer books that aren't such slogs to read.
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On January 05 2013 08:20 babylon wrote:Show nested quote +On January 04 2013 16:51 swim224 wrote:
Does anyone know any good fantasy books that incorporate humor? I've loved that about sanderson's books more than anything else, but I haven't been able to find any other authors that do it well =P Terry Pratchett and Steven Brust are both very witty authors. I've found myself laughing out loud at some of Brust's lines. He's almost too good with words for his own good. You may want to try Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart as well. I found it very entertaining in a funny, quirky sort of way. @ alQahira: Thanks for the rec! Heroes looks interesting. Just skimmed through some of Abercrombie's prose, and it seems pretty good on an initial glance to me. (At least it is not distracting.) Will def. check him out.
Pratchett is alright, shes certainly better than Piers Anthony. The funniest author i've ever read has to be Douglass Adams for me though hands down. He wrote The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy as well as Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (my personal favorite of his works).
Brust is funny in a witty way, it tries to be serious at times with laughs in between. I like him but I kind of only read about half of his books as i read all his works in middle school and checked out all the books they had at the library(which was kind of spotty to get) and never really finished reading all of his works since i got into other stuff (iirc i started reading WoT at about the same time). I might eventually pick up his books again when i hit another rut in my reading cycle.
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EPT
