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Recommended fantasy novels?
Glaeal
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I'm relatively new to the Fantasy genre. I've read the Lord of the Rings, and a dozen or so Piers Anthony books. I'm currently re-reading the Wheel of Time.
And that's about it.
I know I've seen book threads before, but they never focus on any specific genre.
Thoughts? What do you think makes a good fantasy novel?
Does this thread belong here? Where should it go?
And that's about it.
I know I've seen book threads before, but they never focus on any specific genre.
Thoughts? What do you think makes a good fantasy novel?
Does this thread belong here? Where should it go?
Glaeal on
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Posts
H/A probably
Jack Vance's Tales of a Dying Earth is fantasy-ish
Gene Wolfe - Basically all of his books. Seriously. Read him
Michael Swanwick - Iron Dragon's Daughter. Tales of a foundling coming of age in a world of elves and the Industrial Revolution. Like Neil Gaiman, but very good.
Start with Perdido Street Station.
Go. Go now.
Well, it might be good to recommend some fantasy novels that're just one novel. I know I'm always on the lookout for something I can read and be done with, rather than having to wait several years for the rest of the story.
I swear, if fucking Robert Jordan dies before WoT is finished, heads will roll. I don't even fucking like it anymore, but I'm too invested to stop reading.
Are they worth tracking down?
Edit- No, Eragon is not good, it is stupid. Avoid it.
The Neverending Story
http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/b/jordan.eyeworld.shtml
http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/b/jordan.hunt.shtml
http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/b/jordan.reborn.shtml
http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/b/jordan.shadow.shtml
http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/b/jordan.fires.shtml
http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/b/jordan.chaos.shtml
http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/b/jordan.crown.shtml
http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/b/jordan.path.shtml
http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/b/jordan.winters.shtml
http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/b/jordan.crossroads.shtml
I read the series up to book 10 the last time I read through, but I got stuck in the middle. Does book 11 actually carry the story any further, or is it just more smoothing dresses and nothing happening?
My recommendations for the OP:
The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy by Tad Williams, the Discworld series by Pratchett (start with Small Gods), and lighting your Piers Anthony books on fire.
I really can't tell you if it would be as good if you skiped the 1st 5 books, but I think it wouldn't be.
I myself am looking to getting a book this weekand, preferably a fantasy novel series.
3DS: 2852-6809-9411
Yeah, actually, a whole lot happened in book 11, which was surprising.
I read The Redemption of Althalus, and liked it quite a bit. Does he (Eddings) have a series that's worth checking out?
Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy is great, and if you like that trilogy, there's two more trilogies after that.
For slightly more gritty fantasy, try out anything by David Gemmell or Glen Cook's Black Company series. Both authors do a great job on somewhat flawed heroes and awesome storytelling.
Matthew Stover's Blade of Tyshalle and its sequel is mostly fantasy, with a few unique twists, and they are fun, intense reads.
Hmm haven't read that one you listed, but so far I read 4 series, and equally loved them all.
It's good to start with the The Belgariad and than continue onto the The Malloreon. The Malloreon continues off from the ending of Belgariad, even though you can finish the Belgariad alone since The Malloreon starts off a couple of years after the Belgariad.
Than the two other series, The Elenium and The Tamuli, set in another setting, with many similarities ( same race/cultures of people kinda). Basically same deal , start off with Elenium and continue with the Tamuli. But I recommend reading the first two series listed.
3DS: 2852-6809-9411
Seriously
It is true that they have a lot of similarites, but I liked that, and trying to compare which race in this book is like which race in another one of his and so on and so on.
3DS: 2852-6809-9411
Wolfe is the best writer of fantasy/sci-fi there is.
Latro 4 evah.
Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber are good, though I felt that the second half dragged a bit.
I love most of Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos novels, as well as his Dragaeran Romances(kinda, Duma...Dumasian?)
I'm getting the new Latro book over Amazon
But as for my favourite, it's a toss-up between the New Sun and the Short Sun. Possibly Short Sun - the Inhumi are absolutely brilliant, and no book has ever made me cry that hard. But Latro is way up there.
I'd avoid The Wizard-Knight, though. I didn't like that one at all.
Like, brand new.
Soldier of Sidon
Latro goes to Mesopotamia/Egypt
Ice and Fire is amazing, but the last book left something to be desired.
t Kaputa - Hedge Knight is pretty good. The art is all right, nothing special; the main reason I bought it was the big colorful index of family crests in the back. I've never seen Sword Sword.
I can't wait to see what Egyptian gods are like!
And there's a very good if little known book by Richard Garfinkle called Celestial Matters which is close enough to fantasy to be worth mentioning here. It's quite excellent.
I wasn't very impressed by it. I don't like steampunk very much anyway, but it seemed a little too over the top.
Good work on the setting, and though the characters seemed pretty flat there was a lot of... uh... diversity in the book. I just wish it was more focused and that at least a few of the chacters were likable.
There is a whole lot of material there. You could write a whole series of books and not have as much. I don't know, I guess see that as a bit of a failling.
Hey, so Pratchet is fantasy, shouldn't there be a book coming out soon? I'd heard it was almost like clockwork that a new discworld book came out around christmas. I've heard or seen anything, not that I've really been looking.