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Fantasy Recommendations
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gwatzn
Posted 2012-12-18 3:54 PM (#4414)
Subject: Fantasy Recommendations



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Hello, this is my first post here. I'm relatively new to reading fantasy literature, though I've been a lifelong fan of sci-fi. Despite reading Tolkein and everything by E.R Burroughs I could get my hands on as an adolescent, I hadn't read much in the genre until picking up the Song of Ice and Fire a few years ago. I found that I really enjoy well written fantasy and I've been reading it voraciously but I feel like I may be running out of truly great books. I like stories about wizards and elves traveling on quests, mysterious realms with ancient forests, that kind of thing, not so much the modernist detective story type that tries to reinvent the genre. However, I'm hoping for good writing as well. I had a good riff going with LeGuin's Wizard of Earthsea series, followed by the G.R.R. Martin canon followed by Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles, followed by Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy. Now I'm simultaneously reading Sanderson's Mistborn and Brooks' Sword of Shannara and finding the writing really lacking. I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for books I may have missed that fit somewhat into the mold of Tolkeinesque world-building high fantasy but have great writing as well. I am considering Jordan's Wheel of Time series, but I'm concerned with the fact that it is taken over by Brandon Sanderson who has a style I find lacking in descriptive and emotional power.

Anyway, thanks for any ideas/recommendations....
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dustydigger
Posted 2012-12-28 12:09 PM (#4425 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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Location: UK		Hi there ,Gwatzn,and welcome.So sorry I didnt see your post,Xmas with four kids and 6 grandkids tend to leave little time for the group.
Have you checked out the Resources section along the top bar? It lists all sorts of fantasy genres,and members have listed their reads.You may find something intriguing there.Then what about the blogs section? there are a host of reviews of fantasy books there if you have the patience.Hope you find some great reads soon!
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Emil
Posted 2012-12-28 12:28 PM (#4426 - in reply to #4425)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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Location: Grootfontein, Namibia		Hi @gwatzn, I would suggest Peter V. Brett's "The Painted Man" (also known as The Warded Man) and the sequel "The Desert Spear".
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pauljames
Posted 2013-01-13 9:01 AM (#4565 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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Location: scotland		I would recommend either Stephen King's - Dark Tower or Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun.

Both are lengthy quests. No wizards or elves, but plenty of characters covering long distance's in their quests.

New Sun is fantasy. Dark Tower is set in parallel worlds so large parts are set on earth in our time.
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gwatzn
Posted 2013-02-05 9:43 PM (#4675 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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I've been hearing a lot about the Dark Tower, up to recently I haven't considered it too seriously because I'm not a fan of the other work I have read by King (Pet Sematary, Christine, etc.) To hear it recommended in the same breath as Wolfe's Book of the New Sun is high praise indeed, that's one of my all time favorite sagas.
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Fantasybear
Posted 2013-04-06 10:58 PM (#4919 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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Location: near Skegness, Lincolnshire, UK.		Definitely agree with recommending 'The Book of the New Sun' by Gene Wolfe. It`s an amazing fantasy, one of the best!

'The Majipoor Chronicles' by Robert Silverberg is a mix of science fiction and fantasy, but doesn`t lack for journeys, strange cities and landscapes, creatures/peoples, quests, etc.
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Pumpkinhead
Posted 2013-06-24 8:09 AM (#5344 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: RE: Fantasy Recommendations



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This is interesting: an epic fantasy with animal characters.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5Z4N28/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_...
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JCA
Posted 2013-06-24 8:18 AM (#5345 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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The Riddle-Master trilogy by Patricia A. McKillip. I can't recommend this one enough.

The first Thomas Covenant trilogy by Stephen R. Donaldson is another to consider, though his voice is polarizing, and it can be quite brutal.

And while Book of the New Sun is maybe the best thing speculative fiction has ever birthed, it's really SF disguised as fantasy.
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Kari
Posted 2013-06-24 11:11 AM (#5346 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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Kate Elliott's Crossroads Trilogy (Spirit Gate, Shadow Gate, Traitor's Gate) and Sherwood Smith's 4-part Inda sequence, if like Martin. And H K Jemison's Inheritance Trilogy.
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angnic42
Posted 2013-06-24 12:10 PM (#5347 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: RE: Fantasy Recommendations



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My recommendation is the author Maria V. Snyder. She has written 2 connected series', which start with the novel Poison Study. This was the first fantasy novel that I ever read, and now I'm hooked.

I hope this helps.
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francesashton
Posted 2013-06-24 2:05 PM (#5348 - in reply to #5347)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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Location: Cheshire, England		On reading the first post I thought immediately of David Farland's Runelord's series (book 1 is The Sum of All Men) which is a bit of an epic fantasy, then I thought of the Stephen Donaldson suggested by JCA. Though as gwatzn seems to like the stuff that I don't I'd probably be better of suggesting some Raymond Feist for instance as I never got on with his books. What about Michael Moorcock? Can't knock a bit of Elric or Hawkmoon. I agree with the Maria Snyder suggestion by angnic42 but I can't help thinking that the writing will be a little too simplistic for gwatzn. A bit outside the realms of high fantasy what about Michael Cobley's Humanity's Fire series which is a grand space opera?
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specficwriter
Posted 2013-07-31 2:13 PM (#5466 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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A Wheel of Time. It sort of lags in the middle, but is wrapped up nicely by Sanderson.

The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is great. Slowly degrades after the first. Donaldson's Mordant Need books are also good.

David Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean are good, but not great. Quick reads.
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justifiedsinner
Posted 2013-07-31 8:44 PM (#5468 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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I thoroughly recommend N. K. Jemisen's Inheritance Trilogy. I've also started Robert Holdstock' Mythago Wood the first in his Mythago series and and finding it pretty good so far.
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Fantasybear
Posted 2013-08-01 4:36 PM (#5472 - in reply to #5468)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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justifiedsinner - 2013-08-01 2:44 PM

I thoroughly recommend N. K. Jemisen's Inheritance Trilogy. I've also started Robert Holdstock' Mythago Wood the first in his Mythago series and and finding it pretty good so far.


'Mythago Wood' is as good a fantasy as I`ve ever read. Holdstock does achieve something remarkable with his story.
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Badseedgirl
Posted 2013-08-02 8:48 AM (#5475 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: RE: Fantasy Recommendations



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Location: Middle TN, USA		You might try Piers Anthony, I like his Landover series because it is funny, and light. The first book is "Magic Kingdom For Sale, Sold!". The other series I like is Terry Pratchett's Disc World series, again it is light and funny and I always feel good after finishing his work. Also his books can stand alone, don't have to be read in order.
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francesashton
Posted 2013-08-02 9:38 AM (#5476 - in reply to #5475)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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Location: Cheshire, England		Slight correction to the above post: Landover series is by Terry Brooks.
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Badseedgirl
Posted 2013-08-02 11:24 AM (#5477 - in reply to #5476)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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francesashton - 2013-08-02 9:38 AM

Slight correction to the above post: Landover series is by Terry Brooks.


You are so right. I started to write about the landover series, but than saw that they did not like Brooks, so I was going to mention Zanth series instead got distracted and just hit sent. That's what I get for trying to multitask!!!!
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francesashton
Posted 2013-08-03 11:21 AM (#5480 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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Location: Cheshire, England		The thing is I don't like Brooks, but I do like the Landover series. It's a totally different experience to the Shannara books which I have never got into at all.
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justifiedsinner
Posted 2013-08-03 11:41 AM (#5481 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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The trouble, for me, with the Terry Brooks series was that I keep wanting to sing:
Sha na na na, Sha na na na, Get a Job (da capo)
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Badseedgirl
Posted 2013-08-03 6:36 PM (#5486 - in reply to #5480)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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francesashton - 2013-08-03 11:21 AM

The thing is I don't like Brooks, but I do like the Landover series. It's a totally different experience to the Shannara books which I have never got into at all.


I enjoyed the Landover Series so much as a kid, I named my Hamster "Abernathy" after the talking dog. Hamster was as close to a dog as I could get, even though I begged for a puppy.
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justifiedsinner
Posted 2013-08-03 8:57 PM (#5488 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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A bunch of people (i.e. online bloggers) have stated that the fantasy novels "Range of Ghosts" by Elizabeth Bear and "The Drowning Girl" by Caitlin Keirnan should have been included in the Hugo nomination list. While I haven't read either Elizabeth Bear is a very good and very underrated author. You might want to check them out.

Edited by justifiedsinner 2013-08-03 8:58 PM
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ed.rybicki
Posted 2013-11-28 3:53 AM (#5792 - in reply to #4414)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Recommendations



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You HAVE to try Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and The Grey Mouser series (Swords of Lankhmar and others): REALLY well written, funny - and the kinds of classics that set the tone for the genre. And if you haven't read them yet, the Robert E Howard Conan series - REALLY foundational.
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