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post #51 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eyeball Kid View Post
Also, do you not like Kruppe?
No, I find his whole third person routine very affected and tiring. And as I said earlier, I thought moving away from the set of characters we'd been reading about for 100 pages to these new characters in Darujistan really robbed the book of a lot of its momentum.
post #52 of 243
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ludwig View Post
Here are a few I haven't seen mentioned:

A Song of Fire and Ice (also known as "the knights who say fuck") - George R.R. Martin - it's a pretty good little series, starts with a book called A Game of Thrones, there are 4 in the series currently with a 5th due out any time now. Gritty, "low" fantasy, lots of politics and backstabbing and sex and such.
- I thought SOF&I was a given considering how popular and controversial (at least on these boards) Martin's series is. Personally I think its great with the exeption of the last 1/2 book. I refure to acknowledge the last book as a complete work. I'm deathly afraid that Martin has gone the Jordan route and is now batshit crazy with subplots and unnecessary characters (I'm lookinga at you Brianne) but I hope I am wrong. I'm in the camp of those that think Martin gets too preoccupied with his other interests as well. He believes his own hype I am afraid.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ludwig View Post
The Deepgate Codex - Alan Campbell - there are two books in this series thus far, Scar Night, and Iron Angel. They are SteamPunk fantasy, really atmospheric, Gaimen-esque high fantasy with some gory elements woven in.
Never heard of this, sounds interesting, thanks. EDIT - ah wait, yes I have. The second book has the creepy cover with the steampunk looking skeleton-angel I always see at B&N.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ludwig View Post
The Steel Remains - Richard K. Morgan - he wrote the very good Altered Carbon cyberpunk/noir novel series, and this fantasy novel is a stand-alone one but is really quite good. It is lowest of the low fantasy, but has great characterizations and non-typical fantasy writing for sure. There is rumour that he has a second book coming out in this same setting.
I love Morgan's sci-fi having read Altered Carbon and Black Man (Thirteen in the states). A good friend of mine whom I trust in book reviews said The Steel Remains was mediocre, but it is still on my list but pretty far down there.

I just finished the Bakker's first series with The Thousandfold Thought. Really, really good series if you like philosophy and you protagonists to be Nietzsche-like. Bakker did a bang up job of ending the series well while leaving room for a sequel series. I'm looking forward to the new book (don't read the jacket on his new one if you haven't read the first series as it is spoiler-heavy) but I want to finish some others first.
post #53 of 243
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfus, goes to some very unexpected places. I really enjoyed this book. It's the first in a trilogy that was supposedly already written but now the 2nd book has been delayed. I am really looking forward to it though. Sorry to pile on the Mazalan hate train but I thought Gardens of the Moon was spectacularly terrible. Maybe it was just not my thing. I finished the book though.
post #54 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jakewell View Post
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfus, goes to some very unexpected places. I really enjoyed this book. It's the first in a trilogy that was supposedly already written but now the 2nd book has been delayed. I am really looking forward to it though. Sorry to pile on the Mazalan hate train but I thought Gardens of the Moon was spectacularly terrible. Maybe it was just not my thing. I finished the book though.
Came here to mention this one. It was very enjoyable.
post #55 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by JudgeSmails View Post
I love Morgan's sci-fi having read Altered Carbon and Black Man (Thirteen in the states). A good friend of mine whom I trust in book reviews said The Steel Remains was mediocre, but it is still on my list but pretty far down there.

I just finished the Bakker's first series with The Thousandfold Thought. Really, really good series if you like philosophy and you protagonists to be Nietzsche-like. Bakker did a bang up job of ending the series well while leaving room for a sequel series. I'm looking forward to the new book (don't read the jacket on his new one if you haven't read the first series as it is spoiler-heavy) but I want to finish some others first.
And a good friend of mine said the exact opposite. I'll second the Bakker's book. And I have to jump on the sequels to the Prince of Nothing series, The Judging Eye. Set 20 years later...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson View Post
No, I find his whole third person routine very affected and tiring. And as I said earlier, I thought moving away from the set of characters we'd been reading about for 100 pages to these new characters in Darujistan really robbed the book of a lot of its momentum.
Kruppe is an acquired taste, I'll admit.


Here's a personal favorite: The Caine series by Matthew Woodring Stover: Heroes Die and The Blade of Tyshalle. Awesome character, and one of the best meld of sci-fi and fantasy I've seen. I have to get Caine Black Knife ASAP....
post #56 of 243
I'll third The Name of the Wind. The next book is scheduled to come out in August, so it's a good time to start the series.

I have Brent Weeks' Night Angel trilogy and Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy in my to-read pile, both of which I have heard positive things about, Abercrombie moreso than Weeks.
post #57 of 243
How about urban fantasy?

I love Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Neil Gaiman's work, and I'd like to see if anyone has suggestions for this sub-genre.
post #58 of 243
It's not a series, but Trader by Charles de Lint is really good.
post #59 of 243
Dammit, Gardens of the Moon is sitting there like a loose tooth. I just can't bring myself to leave a book unfinished, I'm too stubborn.
post #60 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by JudgeSmails View Post
I searched but didn't see a pre-existing thread and I apologize if it already exists. The post about Martin's lateness got me thinking. What fantasty novel or fantasy series would you recommend to others?
Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, of course. Some are better than others, and the first few are the least best, as they say, but there's no need to read them in any particular order. Quite the humanist is Terry Pratchett. Discworld isn't so much a series of books entailing one long plot, it's just a very clever setting for Terry Pratchett to tell humanist stories and make jokes in. The stories and jokes have both changed over 25 years, but with one or two exceptions they're all solid. If you like audiobooks, Nigel Planer gives them the greatest flavour with his readings, although Steven Briggs has really started to put his stamp on the newer characters.

Yes, I'm a fan.

Stephen R. Donaldson's books can be pretty heavy business. Not many jokes to be found in Stephen Donaldson books. Most fantasy is just some variation of the chicks-in-chainmail-bras sort of stuff, but Donaldson can make you cry. Mordant's Need is a pretty good fantasy/mystery in the Donaldson vein, and people seem to either love or hate The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. There's certainly more to those books than a bunch of guys going on a quest, despite the fact that's exactly what the first one is. A lot of people despise the Thomas Covenant character, but I think no one despises him more than Donaldson. Each book may as well be subtitled A World of Hurt. Great stuff.
post #61 of 243
D'oh! I didn't read the first post in this thread carefully enough, I wasn't aware that people were already talking about George R.R. Martin's The Knights Who Say Fuck already in a different thread. I feel dumb now for listing it, so I will share a different series altogether:

The Hickory Staff - Robert Scott & Jay Gordon - this is a great example of "portal" fantasy (i.e. you find an entrance to another world, and of course are compelled to step in). It is the first book in a cycle. I enjoyed it quite a bit!

RE: Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever

The first trilogy was quite good; the Second Chronicles, not so much. The third quadrology(?) based on these characters (The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant) I haven't even touched yet. I will say, however, that his "Gap" Sci-Fi series was quite interesting.

Anyone here read the His Majesty's Dragon series by Naomi Novik yet? The first book is called Temeraire. It looked really neat but I haven't had the time to go after it. I am just finishing reading the last Altered Carbon book (Woken Furies), then I think I am going to check out some of the other series you guys recommended.
post #62 of 243
I'm assuming that many of you have read some of Michael Moorcock's ETERNAL CHAMPION novels (The Elric, Corum, and Hawkmoon books/sagas). Has anyone here read any of his lesser knows EC novels (Von Bek, Count Brass, etc)? I'm just curious how they stack up compared to his more popular ones.
post #63 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ludwig View Post
Anyone here read the His Majesty's Dragon series by Naomi Novik yet? The first book is called Temeraire. It looked really neat but I haven't had the time to go after it.
You got it a little backwards there -- Temeraire is the name of the series, His Majesty's Dragon is the first book. I have an omnibus edition from the SF Book Club that has the first three books collected, which sits in my vast to-read pile.
post #64 of 243
hehe, yeah I haven't read it I've only read up about it so please excuse the title confusion :P We should start another thread about what lives in the "I will read this one day" piles we all seem to have...
post #65 of 243
Actually Rich, Temeraire his the first book's name in the UK. We get the UK editions in Canada sometimes. I read the first 3 books. Not bad.

And Ludwig, How did you like the Kovacs book? I loved them, and Morgan's Thirteen (or Black Man in Canada and the UK) is worth checking out btw.
post #66 of 243
The Kovacs books so far have been uniformly excellent. Thematically, there is enough that connects the three that they can be considered a trilogy, but each book is so radically different from one another plot-wise they make for interesting and surprisingly great reading. I love all of the questions the books raise but don't answer (i.e. the whole idea that everything that a person is can be stored electronically - is that true? Would we know it if, after being restored from a backup, we were something else other than our original selves?).
post #67 of 243
Yeah. Each is it's own beast, distanced by decades, yet you feel the connecting threads. Better yet, you clearly feel Kovacs's growth and evolution as it goes. Some of the best sci-fi I've read. Thirteen goes the genetic path instead of the electronic one.
post #68 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Savage View Post
Actually Rich, Temeraire his the first book's name in the UK. We get the UK editions in Canada sometimes.
You wacky Canucks!

This seems to be happening a lot lately. There's a book by Peter Brett called The Painted Man that for some reason was renamed The Warded Man here in the States. There's a Painted Man that came out in 2006, but it's a suspense thriller that's ranked one million something on Amazon, so I can't see why Brett's US publisher would want to stay out of its way by retitling his book.
post #69 of 243
I can't believe nobody has mentioned Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser books. Not a sustained storyline but rather a (loosely connected) collection of tales, but you really can't do any better.

Also, Jack Vance's Lyonesse trilogy is pretty fucking terrific (although the last book, Madouc, is the weakest of the three in my opinion.) And if you don't mind that it's not 100% fantasy, Vance's The Dying Earth stories are also wonderful; mostly a collection of unrelated tales, but books 2 and 3 - Eyes of the Overworld and Cugel's Saga - are one long story, and Eyes is probably my overall favorite fantasy tale.

I don't recall if Gene Wolfe's New Sun books have been mentioned, but they're practically required reading for any serious sf/fantasy fan.
post #70 of 243
I fourth The Name of the Wind - it is absolutely fantastic. One of the best books I've read in years.
post #71 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judas Booth View Post
I'm assuming that many of you have read some of Michael Moorcock's ETERNAL CHAMPION novels (The Elric, Corum, and Hawkmoon books/sagas). Has anyone here read any of his lesser knows EC novels (Von Bek, Count Brass, etc)? I'm just curious how they stack up compared to his more popular ones.
The Count Brass trilogy is (more or less) a continuation of Hawkmoon's saga, so if you liked Hawkmoon you should read Count Brass. I've read The Eternal Champion (Erekose, downer ending), Phoenix in Obsidian (Urlik), and the Dancers at the End of Time series (fairly interesting.) Elric and Hawkmoon/Brass remain my favorite series, although even now I find I've outgrown them, they're better read by teenage eyes (IMO).

Karl Glogauer is also one of the eternal champions, and Behold the Man is a terrific (if heretical) book.
post #72 of 243
Thanks for the input, nekkerbee. I've been in the mood for Elric (or similar) lately, so maybe I'll look for 'Behold the Man' in order to satiate that need.
post #73 of 243
Behold the Man is much different than Moorcock's other stuff. First of all, it's science fiction rather than fantasy; it's about a man who travels back in time to meet Christ. It's a worthwhile read, just don't go in expecting more Elric-type escapades.

If you want that kind of fantasy, and haven't read them, I recommend the Count Brass books.
post #74 of 243
Once again, thanks for the input. 'Behold the Man' sounds even MORE interesting, now.
post #75 of 243
Oh, wait until you get to the end of it.
post #76 of 243
Stephen R. Donaldson raped my...oh, wait...
post #77 of 243
I dug the hell out of The Lies of Locke Lamora. Really, really fun book. A nice change from the gloomy, battle-y fantasy like the Malazan stuff and Martin.

The whole Mistborn trilogy was very well done, too. It avoided the trap I feel many sci-fi/fantasy falls into with the next book just introducing some new power or evil or whatever that is totally not mentioned and you have to retcon stuff. Also, the magic and world and why the bad guy's motivation is what it is is also rather nifty.

The Steel Remains is very much a Morgan book. Fucked up, violent, cursy, hardcore, graphic sex...so, yeah, it's not bad. I'm about 1/3 through it. And, interestingly enough, the main dude is supermegahardcore lover of the cock, which is very different from most fantasy.

I liked Gardens on the Moon ok, but it was way too dry. It was enough to get me to pick up Deadhouse Gates, though.

And The Name of the Wind was damn solid, as well.
post #78 of 243
Well, I pushed on and finished Gardens of the Moon. And while things did pick up considerably, I still don't think that ending needed 500 pages of set-up. I was also mildly annoyed by the deus ex machinas constantly one-upping each other. It seemed like Erickson would introduce a seemingly unstoppable magical menace, only to have it thwarted by an even more powerful magical menace, which is threated by a still even more powerful magical menace. Still, the finale was suitably page-turning, and while it didn't make me want to rush right out and get the next book, it didn't sour me from moving forward either.
post #79 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson View Post
Well, I pushed on and finished Gardens of the Moon. And while things did pick up considerably, I still don't think that ending needed 500 pages of set-up. I was also mildly annoyed by the deus ex machinas constantly one-upping each other. It seemed like Erickson would introduce a seemingly unstoppable magical menace, only to have it thwarted by an even more powerful magical menace, which is threated by a still even more powerful magical menace. Still, the finale was suitably page-turning, and while it didn't make me want to rush right out and get the next book, it didn't sour me from moving forward either.
The whole Azath house thing is explored further. And trust us, book 2 is great (one of main plotline is good, but the other one, the Chain of Dogs, is awesome). Book 3 is bang-you-head-on-the-wall great.
post #80 of 243
I'll get to them, I just need to cleanse the palette a bit. Going to read John Scalzi's Old Man's War next.
post #81 of 243
Little late to this party, I know. And I see most of what I'd recommend has already been mentioned, but I guess reiterating can stress how good I thought some of this stuff was. I loved the Amber novels. All of them but the very last one. I'd second reading the 1st 5, at least. CS Lewis' Narnia books are really great, too, and I only read them for the 1st time maybe 3 years ago. Moorcock's Elric books are also worth it, and so is Leiber's Fafhrd & Gray Mouser books (particularly if you were ever a D&D fan; supposedly, these were even more of an influence on Gary Gygax than Tolkein was, and it's cool to spot where). Second the Black Company love, too. Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane stories are offbeat & enjoyable, and a very different setting (gun using Puritan vs. sword & sorcery, but plenty of swordplay & magic for all that). I liked these much better than the Conan books, in truth. I remeber liking Anne McCaffery's 1st 2 "Dragonriders" books, but that was a long time ago, and I never finished the series. Guess that's all I got.
post #82 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson View Post
I'll get to them, I just need to cleanse the palette a bit. Going to read John Scalzi's Old Man's War next.
I just finished this yesterday. Let me know what you think.
post #83 of 243
The Orson Scott Card Insanity Watch thread reminded me to recommend the Alvin Maker series. Fun, fun books about an alternate frontier America.
post #84 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Augustine View Post
I just finished this yesterday. Let me know what you think.
Just finished Old Man's War a few days ago and was really impressed by it. The Heinlein influence is pretty obvious, but it's certainly not simply Starship Trooper Redux. And it's refreshing to find a book that doesn't feel the need to be a 600-page door stop. This was nicely paced and didn't have a lot of fat to it. Enjoyed it enough to pick up the next book in the series.
post #85 of 243
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson View Post
Just finished Old Man's War a few days ago and was really impressed by it. The Heinlein influence is pretty obvious, but it's certainly not simply Starship Trooper Redux. And it's refreshing to find a book that doesn't feel the need to be a 600-page door stop. This was nicely paced and didn't have a lot of fat to it. Enjoyed it enough to pick up the next book in the series.
The others in the series are good as well with Zoe's Tale being the weakest IMHO. I really like the pace and style of Scalzi novels. I just finished the second of Morgan's Kovacs novels - Broken Angels. It was entertaining but not as good as Altered Carbon. I will go ahead and pick up the latest Kovacs book though because I do really like the character.

And I think I've mentioned this in other threads but not here. Try the Repairman Jack books by F. Paul Wilson. I really like them and of the 7 or so I've read so far only one was weak. The RJ books are my favorite quick summer/airplane read type of books.
post #86 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by JudgeSmails View Post
The others in the series are good as well with Zoe's Tale being the weakest IMHO. I really like the pace and style of Scalzi novels.
I like how he knows where to end a scene. It reads very cinematically.
post #87 of 243
The Saga of Pliocene Exile- Julian May wasn't to bad if I remember right it had some fun ideals, and only bog down here and there.
post #88 of 243
I double-checked to see my suggestion was already mentioned, but it doesn't look like it. If it was, however, I apologize.

Anyway, I would highly recommend the Bas-Lag books by China Mieville (Perdido Street Station, The Scar, and Iron Council). They're a series only in that they take place in the same universe, but this is a highly original fantasy series. It doesn't get bogged down with any of the common tropes or character types that populate most modern fantasy, and Mieville is one hell of a writer (not to mention world-builder).
post #89 of 243
Just picked up The Name of the Wind thanks to you guys. When I'll have time to read the fucker, I do not know... but I'm looking forward to it! Haven't read a fantasy novel in AGES.
post #90 of 243
Barry Hughart's Master Li and Number 10 Ox trilogy: Lush colorful language, it reads like a Chinese fable(And indeed, it uses China VERY well) more than your standard fantasy novel. Wonderfully funny and epic, its a shame the books aren't better known. Subterranean Press just put out an omnibus of all three books. Like most Subterranean editions, it went quickly out of print, but you can find it pretty easily used. Well-worth your time and money.



http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Mas...2420556&sr=1-1
post #91 of 243
I remember reading them years ago, after I had already read all the Pratchett that was out and was looking for some new funny fantasy. Really good books.

I personally have not been able to get into the Mieville books. I think the world he describes is fantastic but I just do not dig the way he writes. I don't know. I bought Perdido to force myself to read it. Maybe it'll work this time.
post #92 of 243
Honestly, I have not read all the posts in this thread so if this is a repeat, forgive me. I just started reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. I started with Night Watch and now am on Man-At-Arms. He is definitely different, but a very good read. I would recommend him to any fantasy fan.
post #93 of 243
Glen Cooks Black Company series is pretty good as well, if a bit jumpy. Its gritty, a bit morbid at times, but I wouldnt call it low fantasy really. Its written from a really well-picked point of view, too.
post #94 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Savage View Post
The whole Azath house thing is explored further. And trust us, book 2 is great (one of main plotline is good, but the other one, the Chain of Dogs, is awesome). Book 3 is bang-you-head-on-the-wall great.
I hope so. I just finished Gardens and found it kinda meh, but I bought book 2 on your recommendation. So, if it sucks, I'm coming for YOU, Savage.
post #95 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anakin's Dad View Post
I hope so. I just finished Gardens and found it kinda meh, but I bought book 2 on your recommendation. So, if it sucks, I'm coming for YOU, Savage.
Bring it on.

(trust me)
post #96 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by matalo View Post
Honestly, I have not read all the posts in this thread so if this is a repeat, forgive me. I just started reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. I started with Night Watch and now am on Man-At-Arms. He is definitely different, but a very good read. I would recommend him to any fantasy fan.
Men At Arms should be read first. It doesn't have to be, but it should.
post #97 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anakin's Dad View Post
I hope so. I just finished Gardens and found it kinda meh, but I bought book 2 on your recommendation. So, if it sucks, I'm coming for YOU, Savage.
It won't suck. Although as you get into the later books, you may be able to see some Jordan-like characteristics (sorry Martin).

Here's someone not mentioned on this list yet. Alan Campbell. Just finished his first 2 books. The first one, Scar Night was a bit slow (establishing world and characters) but the second one Iron Angel definitely picked the pace up. Tweaking the Heaven vs Hell basic story and setting it in a steam punk world setting.
post #98 of 243
Brandon Sanderson's new book Warbreaker comes out on Tuesday. It's a stand-alone -- a rarity in the fantasy field -- and advance word is pretty good.
post #99 of 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by HBarr View Post
It won't suck. Although as you get into the later books, you may be able to see some Jordan-like characteristics (sorry Martin).

Here's someone not mentioned on this list yet. Alan Campbell. Just finished his first 2 books. The first one, Scar Night was a bit slow (establishing world and characters) but the second one Iron Angel definitely picked the pace up. Tweaking the Heaven vs Hell basic story and setting it in a steam punk world setting.
I mentioned it earlier, but as it's trilogy name of the Deepgate Codex:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ludwig
<snip>
The Deepgate Codex - Alan Campbell - there are two books in this series thus far, Scar Night, and Iron Angel. They are SteamPunk fantasy, really atmospheric, Gaimen-esque high fantasy with some gory elements woven in.
<snip>
post #100 of 243
Just finished Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson, and while it's a standalone and not a series, it's another winner from him. Probably my favorite thing he's done.

I'm about halfway through the first book in Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy and am enjoying the hell out of it. Can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to her stuff. She uses some fantastic descriptive language.
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