The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
(Recommend On) Fantasy Novels...
Esh
Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles.Portland, ORRegistered User regular
Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles.Portland, ORRegistered User regular
I need some new fantasy (sword and sorcery preferred) books to read, and I'm at a loss.
Here's a short list of series I've liked...
The Black Company
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser
Malazan Book Of The Fallen
Song Of Ice And Fire
Elric books
Conan (Robert Howard)
Thieves World series
Some I haven't...
The Chronicles Of Amber
Wheel Of Time
Please, nothing with all-powerful protagonists. Series are much preferred over one-offs. No TSR/Wizard related books either. I prefer gritty but I'm open minded. Thanks!
Here's a short list of series I've liked...
The Black Company
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser
Malazan Book Of The Fallen
Song Of Ice And Fire
Elric books
Conan (Robert Howard)
Thieves World series
Some I haven't...
The Chronicles Of Amber
Wheel Of Time
Please, nothing with all-powerful protagonists. Series are much preferred over one-offs. No TSR/Wizard related books either. I prefer gritty but I'm open minded. Thanks!
Esh on
0
Posts
But regardless, try Terry Pratchett's stuff, starting with either Small Gods, Guards Guards!, or Monstrous Regiment.
Thanks. Read Pratchett's stuff though. Not really looking for "haha".
Heroes Die
Blade of Tyshalle
Caine: Black Knife
All by Matt Stover (first two might be a bit tough to find in your local book store, but Amazon should have your back). All fit your requirements so well it's a bit disturbing that you don't have them listed under your "read" section.
I also enjoyed the Deepgate Codex by Alan Campbell. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt, a real Deus ex Machina (literally), but everything leading up to that point was entertaining and for the most part only marginally over the top. Anyway, book titles:
Scar Night
Iron Angel
God of Clocks
Dark Tower series by Stephen King.
I also am a fan of David Gemmell if you like heroic fantasy. Legend was his first book.
I've read a ton of Gaiman and Stephen King (including The Dark Tower) though I'm looking for more sword and sorcery.
The Deepgate Codex looks a bit more up my alley. I'm really not looking for much with a "sci fi" theme. More traditional sword and sorcery is what I'm looking for but I'll veer a bit for the Deepgate Codex.
These look good. I'll definitely be checking them out.
Guy Gavriel Kay -- Most of his stories take place in a faux-historical setting. The ones I recommend are:
- The Sarantine Mosaic (2 books)
- The Lions of Al-Rassan
Steven Brust: Vlad Taltos series -- A lot of dry humor, the first three books (collected as The Book of Jhereg) are especially in the swords and sorcery mold
Ursula Le Guin: Wizard of Earthsea series -- Not really gritty, but I like it a lot
CS Friedman: Coldfire trilogy -- I don't remember much about these, but I remember liking them well enough in high school. So they may actually be not all that great.
Some others that I didn't like so much, but might be good matches based on your lists.
Tad Williams: Sorrow, Memory and Thorn
Fred Saberhagen's Books of Swords
Harry Turtledove's Videssos Cycle
Check out the original Robert Howard stuff, it's a lot of fun. Well, if eldritch Stygian darkness is fun for you, anyway. A bunch of new collections have been published within the last few years, organizing it all into the order the Howard wrote it.
Oh, sorry. Howard is what I meant. I have all those collections. Let me go fix that...
I forgot about the Coldfire book. I read those about 12-15 years ago. Good from what I remember. I'll check out the rest though.
Its a little different, and it's at times a little hard to follow, but i also liked David Keck's In The Eye of Heaven. I haven't got around to the sequel yet though.
I really didn't think I needed to put Tolkien on, but yes, I've read all of his works. That was just a small smattering of what I've read, not a definitive list. I'll look into the other suggestions though.
The New Crobuzon series by China Mielville is also very, very good. However, Crobuzon isnt a series of books, but rather a series of one-off books set in the same world.
Guy Gavriel Kay is definitely worth checking out, though mostly his stuff is 'historical reimagining'. Not sure if that would appeal or no. 'Fionavar Tapestry' trilogy is more fantasy-based, and certainly recommended. His 'Tigana' is also worth checking out, but its just a single novel as opposed to a series.
I highly recommend Robert Holdstock's 'Mythago Wood' series, as its just fantastic.
Oh, and Robin Hobb's trilogy of trilogies - the Farseer trilogy, Liveship Traders trilopgy and Tawny Man trilogy, are excellent.
Do yourself a favour, and avoid Sarah Douglass like the plague.
It hasnt been updated in years, but Internet Top 100 is always a good source. In fact, if you have access to arcane technologies such as newsreaders (or, alternatively Google Groups), rec.arts.sf.written is a perfect place to get book recommendations.
Don't let the sci-fi genre fool you, Heroes Die IS mostly a swords and scorcery adventure taking place in some midevalish setting. I honestly can't recommend the book(s) enough.
Also, they skew a bit younger but I still believe that the two DragonLance trilogies by Weis and Hickman are pretty good. The Dragons of Fall, Winter and Spring as well as the trilogy that focuses on the twins Caramon and Raistlin. All the other novels are something you can avoid without missing out on anything great.
One thing that you might like is Into the Darkness by Harry Turtledove. It's the first of a series of books that sort of re-creates World War II but within a world of magic, dragons and other fantastical sorts of creatures. I should clarify that it takes place in an entirely different world so it's not like many of his other books that remain on our own planet. It just follows the sort of surprise and escalation of WWII.
If he's going to read Weis and Hickman, it really should be the Deathgate Cycle books instead.
Someone mentioned Gemell above, which might fit what you're looking for very nicely, even if the emphasis is on the swords rather than the sorcery in stuff like Legend.
I just finished the 1st book "Wizard's First Rule" and it was great. I highly recommend it.
OP: You mentioned the Black Company, have you tried the Instrumentalities of the Night series by the same author? There's only two books in the series unfortunately, but it feels a lot like the later black company books.
Really? I thought there were some flaws and it got preachy a few times, but in general found it to be a compelling story and very entertaining.
What's with the PA hatin?
There was a thread or two in D&D dealing with books that lead to multipage slamfests on it. Usually due to the author's insistance on writing in as much rape as possible and the objectivism.
That and the chicken.
That being said, it probably also wouldn't fit what the OP is looking for since it's somewhat similiar to the Wheel of Time series, and by the end of the series:
Also, any fantasy novel thread must contain "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss. It's easily one of the three best fantasy novels I've ever read. Ever. Go read it now.
But the later books... Man, I don't even know where to start. The multi-chapter rants about the evils of communism, the author's appearent fascination with rape, the chicken that was not a chicken, the main character who can do no wrong (EVER, even when he screws up it turns out that it's the better way), the evil detecting goat... god the goat.
Really, there can be (and has been) entire threads devoted to why this series should have stopped after the first book.
I think Weis and Hickman in general and Dragonlance in particular are going to be bad choices, based on the no TSR rule.
Does Warhammer Fantasy have any novels? I'd think they'd be pretty similar to the Black Company. They have that Gotrek and Felix series, right? Do all the side characters end up dead, insane or evil?
Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy (starts with Mistborn: The Final Empire)
Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy (starts with The Blad Itself)
Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard Series (starts with Lies of Locke Lamora)
Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Trilogy (sarts with The Name of the Wind)
Gemmell will be more up your alley. As someone else said, more swords than sorcery.
Have you read any of the Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist?
The OP specifically said "No TSR/Wizard related books," and RA Salvatore and Dragonlance are the first things I think of when I think TSR books.
The WitchHunter omni was an entertaining read. But then, I'm a fan of Skaven wherever they show up.
I was kidding a little, because Robert Jordan did write some Conan stuff. I never read any of it though, I'm sure it's got lots of skirt smoothing, braid tugging and forehead knuckling though. And stout woolen stockings.
Zelazny's Amber Chronicles are decent light reading, as is Sprague De Camp's Compleat Enchanter
CJ Cherryh's Chronicles of Morgaine is fairly good
Sergei Lukyaneko's Night Watch trilogy is frequently overlooked, and vastly superior to the messy films
John M Ford's The Dragon Waiting is among the better alternate-history fantasies
If you're open to stuff that's a bit further from swords and sorcery altogether, try John Crowley's Little, Big or Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
Seconding Pratchett, Le Guin, Mieville and Gaiman. Hobb's not bad, but not quite on the same level, although worth reading nontheless.
Avoid Terry Goodkind, whose misogynistic, self-indulgent meanderings and tediously flawless protagonist are pretty much a perfect example of how not to write novels.
Out of the Warhammer stuff, Jack Yeovil's (Kim Newman under a pen name, incidentally) Guinevere novels are probably the best.
EDIT: Since 'Jack Yeovil' was mentioned, I was reminded of Kim Newman's Anno Dracula, which you (and every else) should read. Just do it.
God Stalk
Dark of the Moon
Seekers Mask
To Ride a Rathorn
and the first two are collected in an omnibus edition called Godstalker Chronicles.
I also enjoyed the first two books of The Chronicles of the Necromancer by Gail Z. Martin. I havn't picked up the third book yet, but the first two were enjoyable.