I like *this* so recommend me.....

[stenney]

Thanks guys. I actually have The Black Company in the mail now so I will have to check out The First Law after I finish Black Company. I should have mentioned I am fan of sorcery and magic although its not required. The Song of Ice and Fire for example had very little magic but I still loved it. I really enjoyed how epic the magic was in The Malazan series tho and would be interested in a series that magical devastation of the scale of the Malazan books(waves of sorcery obliterating 100's or 1000's of dudes). Again its not required but I would prefer to read series that are complete or only a book away from being complete.
Is there much magic in The First Law? What is The Instrumentalities Of The Night like?

i just signed up today after some lurking for a week or so. i just started this thread from the beginning, so a lot of the recommendations i would make, weren't published at the time. i am now seeing some newer stuff i really like, so my suggestions may be mentioned in pages to come, and if so, i apologize, so based on what you like try:

Daniel Abraham - The Dagger and The Coin & The Long Price Quartet

 

[stenney]

I finished Ready Player One today and am ready to induldge myself again in another fantasty-based dystopia.

I enjoy books that are set in the future that allow me to question.. "What if this all really happened?"

Most of my history of novels are strictly fantasy-based novels. Set in worlds of elves, dwarves, and other mytical creatures. After reading the Hunger Games and RPO, I'm starting to enjoy this futuristic gone-to-hell America.

Do you have any recommendations for this style of books?

Terry Brooks - The Word and The Void series. set in future Seattle. cool concept.

 

[stenney]

Hey there

I just finnished reading the Eragon/Inheritance Cycle and really enjoyed it. I've not read a whole lot of fantasy before. I was wondering if you guys had some recommendations of what I may like.

I like the setting and general storyline, even if it was a bit mainstreamish, of Inheritance. Also I like to have a bit of romance thrown in to the story.

Preferably it would be at least a trilogy or a even longer series (or a book with planned sequels) as I enjoy longer stories.

One last thing, I consider it a big bonus, it would be great if the book is "big"/known enough to perhaps be translated in my local language (swedish) and maybe even as an audiobook.


PS. I realize a lot of people appear to hate the Eragon books, and I can kind of see why, with the stolen ideas and stuff, but I enjoyed it anyhow, sue me. Could be because of my lack of fantasy books to compare it too, I dont know.The ending pissed me off though.

For some darker stuff:

Mark Laurence - The Broken Empire trilogy

 

[stenney]

I've actually read the first song of ice and fire book from Martin, but I've decided to try to avoid reading the rest of them, to not spoil the excellent tv show which I love.
But I could definitely go for something a bit darker/adult than Inheritance.
The Acacia seems very cool but unfortunately it doesn't appear to be out in Swedish yet, so I think I'll choose one of the other alternatives that are.

Please don't ever put the show ahead of the books. Do yourself a favor and devour the books before ever watching another minute of the show.

 

[stenney]

I've been looking for a book that has a main character or features a lot of Tolkien style elves. I've read the Lotr trilogy and am just beginning the silmarillion. can anyone recommend a book that will give me my elf fix?

Raymond E Fiest - all Riftwar Saga & following series

 

[stenney]

This is one of the ones I was looking at actually but the " Only Simon, a lowly castle scullion" in the description put me off. It made it seem like a typical farm boy discovers he is superman kinda thing, like the Belgariad, not that that's bad thing it's just I have read tons of that sort of thing. Could you compare it to anything? How is Tad Williams writing style?

Some of the other ones I have been looking at are The Black Magician Trilogy, the Kingmaker Kingbreaker series, The Ten Thousand(low fantasy I know), and the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series.

Has anyone else read the Long Price Quartet? Also is there any good fantasy series involving vikings or Norse mythology?

loved The Long Price, and Abraham's new series The Dagger & The Coin.

and for Norse try Mark Laurence's follow up to The Broken Empire trilogy, called The Red Queens War. lots of Norse based lore.

 

[stenney]

Hi guys,

I'm looking for some good fantasy series with a specific protagonist:

someone who starts of as being though of as unimportant, perhaps a farmer or a poor villager but has his flashes of brilliance and later on rises to become a great hero.

Some specifics I'm looking for:

1. Protagonist must be a boy
2. Preferably become a MILITARY hero (tactics wise) instead of some magic wielding 1v10000 badass. I want him to somehow transform from a simple villager to perhaps a great general
3. Romance exists

A great example of what I'm looking for would be the character of Mat Cauthon from The Wheel of Time series. *Possible spoiler summaries*: Simple villager turn military genius: relies on skills and luck, no fancy magic crap. Good romance storyline for himself. The only thing I find lacking is that the book is not tailored towards him specifically. Is there any fantasy book (preferably series) where a character such as Mat is THE main character?

Also please recommend at least decent fantasy series. I don't want to sacrifice horrible plot or writing just for the character alone. Hope someone can recommend me something thanks!

Anthony Ryan - Blood Song (Book 1 Raven's Song trilogy). This fits the military style a bit.
Daniel Abraham - The Dagger & The Coin

 

[stenney]

Hi, new to the forums here, although I've read my fair share of fantasy. Was looking for new suggestions and googling some of my fav books let to the main site which prompted me to join the forums

Ok, so I tend to favor books with simpler character driven plots with more action rather than the complex style trend that ASOIAF seem to have started. Don't get me wrong, I've read ASOIAF like any true fantasy reader should, but I seem to be partial towards "lite" fantasy. I've read and enjoyed all of Brandon Sanderson's works (Mistborn, TWoK, Elantris, Warbreaker, Alloy of Law). Even ordered Rithmatist and eagerly waiting for it to arrive. Enjoyed The Warded Man, The Name of the Wind and their sequels. Liked the Night Angel Trilogy, Lightbringer and Codex Alera (also following the Dresden Files, but I don't really want to consider urban fantasy here). And Lies of Lock Lamora and The First Law were great as well.

Books that I found I had trouble with aside from ASOIAF (all the politicking just did'nt interest me, but I've read all save for Dance with Dragons) are: Malazan (tried the first 2 books and all I can say is that I'm L-O-S-T), Sword of Shadows (plot moved along too slow although I still read the first 3 books) and Prince of Nothing. Recently I was recommended The Long Price Quartet by a friend which is also highly listed on this site, but it just did'nt grab me (maybe there was'nt enough action? Still, I read the first 2 books). Also, it is noteworthy for me to add that I started reading very late. So when I tried backtracking and reading older series like WoT (only first 2 books), Earthsea, Magician, Belgariad (only first 2 books) and even LOTR, I found them kinda dull and lacking in comparison.

Appreciate any advise on the following books that I've shortlisted that caught my interest from browsing the list and forums:

1. Daniel Abraham's new The Dragon's Path series - I'm willing to give him a second shot, since I liked Leviathan Wakes (but lets limit the discussion to fantasy and not scifi). So is The Dragon's Path more "action packed"?
2. Similarly, I see alot of recommendations for The Farseer Trilogy on this site. However, doing some research, I see some reviews pointing out that it can be quite dull with nothing much going on. Would this series suit me?
3. Tigana. Have'nt tried any of Guy Gavriel Kay's books. Is his writing easy to get in to?
4. Any other books that you might suggest?

Thanks,
bobo

I love the Abraham series, but wouldn't say it's "action packed", but very interesting.

And if you liked Dresden, try:
Kevin Hearn - The Iron Druid Chronicles

and for more action type:
Kelly McCullough - The Fallen Blade series

 

[stenney]

Ridiculous premises are an issue I have with fantasy novels as well, particularly Prince of Thorns. But the thing about Brandon Sanderson is that his novels are very logical. You can't really judge the series until you've reached the end of the last book; it is the best ending I've seen. There is a reason for everything that happens in Mistborn. However, I have to admit there was some really awkward dialogue, especially in the Well of Ascension, and moments where I thought "really?" The romance was handled very poorly and he explained too much. On the other hand, The Way of Kings really shows Brandon Sanderson's development and improvement as a writer. Character development was better, dialogue was much better, and he doesn't explain as much about the magic system. He took a completely different approach when writing The Way of Kings then he did with Mistborn so even if you didn't list Mistborn, you might like The Way of Kings. He builds the world very carefully, never revealing too much at once, but instead giving the reader hints and drops for them to follow. Mistborn was more focused on the magic where as Way of Kings is more focused on character relationships and the world it's self. The Way of Kings is my favorite book by the way.

i know this is years old, but i just joined and am going through this to see if anything new can be found for me.

what was your issue with Prince of Thorns? just curious? i'm always curious about where people draw the line of "ridiculous", especially in a fantasy world.

 

[stenney]

The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne.

Has anyone read these? I've just come across them on twitter, and they sound great, so thought I'd ask.

i really like them. as of now, am only awaiting the last book. i hope by now you have also read and enjoyed them.

 

[stenney]

I really need help... lol

What I like... Tolkien salvatore eddings jordan goodkind... I used to play d&d... I prefer stories that include non human creatures.. magic of some sort... I have read game of thrones and covenant and ambercrombie stuff...

What I don't like... not a sci fi fan... I want swords and magic not guns...

Prefer series over stand alo... enjoy the old dragonlance stuff... anything good vs evil... I have been looking at lists until my head spins the descriptions just don't seem to help me.

Help???and thanks!

Raymond E Feist

 

[TomTB]

i really like them. as of now, am only awaiting the last book. i hope by now you have also read and enjoyed them.

I have! I probably won't read the last book though, I've kind of had my Iron Druid fix .. wasn't a huge fan of the last book.

 

[kenubrion]

Good stuff from the new members.

 

[fl1pper]

I am hoping the collective wisdom of the forum can help me choose my next book, but I suspect it won't be easy. I devoured a ton of fantasy books when I was a teenager (a depressingly long time ago) and it all pretty much followed the pattern of "reluctant hero is told they are the only person that can stop the evil empire using a mysterious weapon they don't know how to use but somehow manages it in the end" i.e. Tolkien, Brooks, Eddings etc etc. I got frustrated with this format, though I loved the Thomas Covenant books because even though they roughly follow the pattern, they were different enough. I like worlds with diverse areas, the weirder the better. I'm definitely not interested in one set of humans against another and magic is a must. Having said that, I loved GRRMs aSoIaF books but it would have been a lot better for me if it focused more on the threat beyond the wall.

Any ideas?

 

[Silvion Night]

I am hoping the collective wisdom of the forum can help me choose my next book, but I suspect it won't be easy. I devoured a ton of fantasy books when I was a teenager (a depressingly long time ago) and it all pretty much followed the pattern of "reluctant hero is told they are the only person that can stop the evil empire using a mysterious weapon they don't know how to use but somehow manages it in the end" i.e. Tolkien, Brooks, Eddings etc etc. I got frustrated with this format, though I loved the Thomas Covenant books because even though they roughly follow the pattern, they were different enough. I like worlds with diverse areas, the weirder the better. I'm definitely not interested in one set of humans against another and magic is a must. Having said that, I loved GRRMs aSoIaF books but it would have been a lot better for me if it focused more on the threat beyond the wall.

Any ideas?

I think you would probably like the Traitor's Son Cycle by Miles Cameron. It has an imaginative world where men fight against the Wild. There are definitely various areas, with some resembling medieval England, others the Middle-East and again others Steppe country. The magic system is also very imaginative.

Then there is the Wheel of Time. I'm sure you've heard of that series as well. Have you ever read that?

 

[fl1pper]

I think you would probably like the Traitor's Son Cycle by Miles Cameron. It has an imaginative world where men fight against the Wild. There are definitely various areas, with some resembling medieval England, others the Middle-East and again others Steppe country. The magic system is also very imaginative.

Then there is the Wheel of Time. I'm sure you've heard of that series as well. Have you ever read that?

Thank you very much for the recommendations. I have Miles Cameron in my TBR list but was a little put off by a lot of the Amazon reviews that talk about "medieval realism". I'll give it a more thorough look. I never read the WoT books and have always been put off by the fact that every review says that a huge chunk of the series isn't very good. Without wishing to start some kind of holy war, is that true or are they not that bad?

EDIT: I keep reading reviews that are pushing me towards "The Malazan Book of the Fallen". It does sound like my kind of thing but immensely complicated?

 

[Silvion Night]

Thank you very much for the recommendations. I have Miles Cameron in my TBR list but was a little put off by a lot of the Amazon reviews that talk about "medieval realism". I'll give it a more thorough look. I never read the WoT books and have always been put off by the fact that every review says that a huge chunk of the series isn't very good. Without wishing to start some kind of holy war, is that true or are they not that bad?

On Cameron; I can understand where the nomer medieval realism is coming from. Cameron is a historian, a historical reenactor and he served in the armed forces. As such, he knows his stuff. The details about armour, weapons, battle tactics etc are astoundingly accurate. Don't let such talk put you off though. These things serve as embellishment of the fantasy story, not vice versa.

On WoT: This series is really really good. It's among the best epic fantasy out there. Jordan's prose is just okay, but the scale of the world and the story and the awesome magic system will blow you away. The negative talk is about books 7 through 10 that are slower in pace and in which the story meanders a bit. When the books were released this irritated fans (who had waited 1 or 2 years on the new book) no end. Still decent books though taken in and of themselves.

 

[Peat]

I'm so-so as a fan of Cameron, but he fits what you say you want better than just about anyone else I can think of.

Lots of people accuse Wheel of Time of having a swampy middle - but lots of people, possibly more, just love the series. Sometimes in spite of it, sometimes they disagree. Worth a shot - I think its gets more criticism than most series simply because more people know of it.

Something that might grab you is the Serpentwar by Raymond E Feist. There's no chosen ones, the action takes part over most of a world and some corners of reality, and while some of is human vs human, a lot of it isn't. There's some pretty high falutin' magic there too.

Finally, and you'd need someone who knows them better than me, but the Black Library books about the Warhammer game setting might contain a few good gems for you in terms of weird magic and human vs non-human.

 

[fl1pper]

Thank you @Silvion Night and @Peat. I will make the first installments of WoT and TSC my next two books to read. I shall let you know what I think.

WRT Feist, I read Magician a long time ago and really liked that so that was a nice reminder to check out what else he has done.

 

[fl1pper]

OK so I've finished The Wheel of Time which gets a solid 4/5 from me. The Tolkien influence is huge and obvious but it's a good story and I will be reading more of them. I debated moving straight on to book 2 but I did say I would give The Red Knight by Miles Cameron a go and so that will be my next book. Let's see if you guys have hit gold again