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Suggestions for fantasy authors
exis
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I just finished up the latest novel from A Song of Ice and Fire. This has probably been my favourite book series ever. I love geeky fantasy stuff, but Martin manages to put a lot into developing really interesting characters, rather than relying on omg magics.
Series spoilers:
Anyway, I liked it a lot, and I'd like to find something similar. I get that Dune has a reputation for a rich political universe, but by the third book I found it bland and boring. I like pseudo-medieval fantasy stuff, but it's always hard to find decent fantasy. Lord of the Rings was okay I guess, though Tolkien's laboriously detailed descriptions weren't something I enjoyed very much.
I will be looking into Wheel of Time, but until I can get the first book from the library (stupid queues), I'd really appreciate suggestions for some sweet sweet fantasy.
Series spoilers:
I loved the ongoing character development, especially because so many of the characters that appear to be integral to the story end up dead. Like I absolutely did not see Robb's death coming. Also the style of switching perspective all over the show was a great way to paint a richer picture of characters. eg. From nearly everyones perspective except for Arya's & Sansa's, the Hound is just a big jerkface. And even though he still sort of is while he's with Arya, he almost comes close to a gruff father-figure. It was just genuinely surprising to me that before he died I started to empathize with him.
Not to mention the politics. Some of my favourite chapters were Cersei's and Tyrion's, focused entirely on the political happenings at King's Landing, as well as all of the political stuff that goes on behind the scenes war.
Not to mention the politics. Some of my favourite chapters were Cersei's and Tyrion's, focused entirely on the political happenings at King's Landing, as well as all of the political stuff that goes on behind the scenes war.
Anyway, I liked it a lot, and I'd like to find something similar. I get that Dune has a reputation for a rich political universe, but by the third book I found it bland and boring. I like pseudo-medieval fantasy stuff, but it's always hard to find decent fantasy. Lord of the Rings was okay I guess, though Tolkien's laboriously detailed descriptions weren't something I enjoyed very much.
I will be looking into Wheel of Time, but until I can get the first book from the library (stupid queues), I'd really appreciate suggestions for some sweet sweet fantasy.
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Try the Malazan Books Of The Fallen and the Black Company books. Those are the just the first in the series and they're right up your alley.
I also really enjoy the original Conan books by Robert E. Howard. The Fritz Lieber books with Gray Mouser and Fafhrd are great too.
You may try the Kushiel's Legacy series, by Jacqueline Carey. I remember them fondly, even though I can't remember anything about them. That might be a good sign.
I've been a huge fantasy, sci-fi, and 'quality' literature for years and thought Wheel of Time was a fucking awesome series.
I also highly recommend checking out Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman collaborations. You can start with the Chronicles trilogy, then Legends. They are of less quality literature-wise but really superb storytelling and world-building. Their later Deathgate Cycle becomes is a better example of their own word-building and storytelling reaching a fine climax. My favorite series of all time.
Patrick Rothfuss - The Name of the Wind (Second book comes out soon.)
Brandon Sanderson - I've avoided his Wheel of Time pickup but his self created worlds (Mistborn series especially) are outstanding.
It starts off good for the first few books and then spirals into monotony. Most of those books could be half the length.
The Dragonlance stuff, like you said, is of a much lesser quality. I read them in middle and high school back in the late 80s and early 90s, and they don't really hold up very well. Going from Martin to those is going to be a pretty big step backwards. This holds true for pretty much the entire TSR imprint of novels.
The First Law trilogy is an excellent read.
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It's at three books now (Heroes Die, Blade of Tyshalle, Caine:Black Knife). The fourth in the series has been completed and is in editing now, so hopefully it'll be released sometime before I die.
I haven't read Game of Thrones, so I can't say anything about how the two compare. I'm just going to say that picking up Blade of Tyshalle on a whim is one of the best things that's ever happened to me in a library.
Sadly, they refuse to reprint Blade of Tyshalle (I've been looking for it for two years now, checking Amazon every couple of months and hitting up used bookstores). You would think when C:BK came out at least it would get reprinted.
The strongest recommendation I can give is The Name of the Wind. Behind Game of Thrones it is probably my favorite fantasy series (well, just the one book so far...).
I'd also recommend Lies of Locke Lamora / Red Seas Under Red Skies (Lies is better) by Scott Lynch.
For pulp fantasy I also enjoyed the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks. Not ground-breaking literature, but a fun read (I thought the first book was the weakest).
The Name of the Wind is the critical darling in the genre of the past year or so. Be warned that very little of the cool stuff described in the Badass Boast which starts the story and is on the back cover ("I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings...") actually happens in this book. I personally found the University part (which is about half the book, all told) somewhat tiresome after awhile, especially the constant updates on the protagonist's roller coaster financial circumstances (subject for subject, the number of talents our hero has left and the interest on his debt and so forth is seemingly allotted as many words the plot's main villains). I also found the romantic subplot with its constant oh-so-clever flirtatious banter absolutely stultifying.
That said, it finishes strong, and this is clearly the beginning of a very long and complex l story. As was already mentioned, the second book (The Wise Man's Fear) is coming out imminently, so I'm willing to forgive the flaws if TTotW sets the foundation for a more eventful read in the next installment, which seems to be what it was designed to do.
Doesn't get much mention , but the books are outstanding.
edit: I see Esh beat me to it. So let me just second it.
I will echo the recommendations for The Name of the Wind, The Lies of Locke Lamora, and just about anything by Brandon Sanderson (particularly the Mistborn trilogy).
The Weis & Hickman stuff was awesome when I was 12 or so. Not so much now.
The first Malazan book was interesting enough that I bought the next few. That was a year ago, and I still haven't gotten past about 100 pages into the second book. Not because it's bad, mind you, it just seems to require a certain mood or mindset from me, and I never seem to pick it up at the right time, always abandoning it for something else that suits me better.
Many of us feel that WoT starts out well, but swiftly becomes bloated and tedious, with multiple books devoted to very little happening. The first book is actually pretty good, had the series been say, five books all of the quality of the first, I wouldn't hesitate to reccomend it, but instead it seemed to get milked out into more and more books.
They aren't strictly fantasy in that they are sort of alternative history, with no magic, but the OP might enjoy Jack Whyte's take on the Arthurian stuff, A Dream of Eagles Also called the Camulod Chronicles in the US.
Also, Guy Gavriel Kay's stuff is pretty much all excellent. Other than the Fionavar Tapestry and Ysabel, all the novels are essentially an alternative historical version of part of earth, with some fantasy elements added. I particularly like the Sarantine Mosaic and The Last Light of the Sun.
Oh, and if you're wondering about the quality of the books themselves: he's only released two so far and his debut book has already gotten a movie deal.
Tad Williams' War of the Flowers is excellent, and full of political intrigue. A lot of it does take place in the realm of Fairy, but it's a totally different take on it.
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http://www.webscription.net/10.1125/Baen/0671654160/0671654160.htm
I can also second the Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay, as mentioned earlier. It's more Tolkien than Martin, but it's a rich setting with strong characters who develop over the course of the novels, and some characters die, sometimes out of the blue. If you enjoy the feeling of rooting for a character only to have those dreams crushed by the author in an untimely death of the character (like Martin), then here's a series for you.
I pretty much agree with most of the other recommendations on this thread. And be sure to pick up the Wheel of Time novels, at least the first few. I always thought that one should have their own opinions on the merits of that warhorse of fantasy fiction.
Also, look at the D&D book thread (debate and discourse, not dungeons and dragons).
First genuinely good recommendation in this thread. A lot of the names people have said are fine, but there's better out there.
For really good fantasy, go hunt down Gene Wolfe, Neil Gaiman, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, China Mieville, Tim Powers, John M Ford or Ursula le Guin.
I already said Fritz Lieber and if you think Glen Cook and Robert E. Howard are just "fine"...:shock:
edit - the Farseer trilogy is the best place to start, followed by either the Liveship traders, or if you're craving more Fitz, the Fools fate trilogy. ;D
editedit - Brent weeks is the best trashy writer ever.
His one-offs, Warbreaker and Elantris, are also pretty excellent, and his new series is entertaining as hell, although it's also huge and overwrought with every fantasy cliche ever(and somehow still completely amazing)
Neil Gaiman doesn't write fantasy in remotely the same vein that the authors mentioned by the OP do. Neither does China Mieville, but at least he is actually a better writer than most mentioned so far (unlike Gaiman, who only has one book I've been happy to recommend to friends - Anansi Boys; 1.5 if you count Good Omens, but I have to attribute that one's quality to Pratchett given the rest of Gaiman's novels).
I think the author lurks on the forums..
Good stuff though. The Torturer books especially.
That is an oddly apt description.
Pretty much came here to say this. Book one was pretty standard fare, but books 2 and 3 were exceptionally satisfying.
I'll second or 3rd or whatever it is now on China Mieville. It's as much steampunk as fantasy, but Perdido Street Station was a really good read. His writing style caught me totally unprepared and the way he portrayed the daemons and holy shit the Weaver were just awesome. The Scar has one of the coolest 'magic' items ever, and a really unique setting. Don't know if I could pick a favorite between those two books.
Howard's a lot of fun, and has a deft had with imagery, but Conan's very repetitive.
His horror fiction's stronger and less forumlaic, but not what the OP was after.
Disliking Stardust, I'm afraid, makes you a hollow, soulless shell of a man.
Where did you get the idea I dislike Stardust?
It's fine, there's just nothing about it that makes it a recommendation for me. If other people want to read it, I wouldn't attempt to dissuade them, but I also see no reason to actually tell someone to pick it up.
I can agree with most of this, especially Ford, leGuin, and Wolfe, but they aren't really what the OP is asking for. [Edit: Oh, and Mieville. Double edit: And also scratch Ford off my list. I was thinking of Jeffrey Ford. John Ford I've only read The Last Hot Time, and it didn't work great for me. ... I'm sure this is very interesting for everybody.]
OP, the closest I've found in "feel" to ASOIAF is Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles. They are of smaller scope, have minimal (if any) fantasy elements, but somehow the politics, betrayal, "grittiness" all feel like Martin.
It's pretty fantastic. Jim Butcher's Codex Alera is awesome as well.