Fantasy novels

[rednotdead]

RizzoTheRat said:

Joe Abercrobie's First Law series

Big Abercrombie fan here, not one of his books I haven't liked so far. Glokta is a great creation, as is The Bloody-Nine.

[BigMon]

Great thread! I love fantasy novels and shall be investigating some of the recommendations listed here that I haven't come across before.

I think it's more classed as sci-fi but I really enjoyed the Hyperion books by Dan Simmons.

He also did a fantastic vampire book (that is about mind control rather than blood sucking) called Carrion Comfort.

[AlexC1981]

I was wondering if someone could recommend me a book? I don't read much these days, but I would like to get back into it.

I read Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit years ago, but I found them a bit heavy going to be honest. When I was young I used to like the Fighting Fantasy books. I read the companion book "Titan" cover to cover multiple times. It is like an encyclopaedia/Wiki for the Fighting Fantasy world and fleshed out the back stories and locations to the books. I think I enjoyed it more than the books themselves!

I was also very big on the D&D cartoon, but never played the game properly. I don't want to play a role-playing book, just read a good adventure story in those sort of "realms".

I loved Discworld and have read all the books up to the the last two I think.

Edited by AlexC1981 on Sunday 19th February 17:55

[RogueTrooper]

AlexC1981 said:

I was also very big on the D&D cartoon, but never played the game properly. I don't want to play a role-playing book, just read a good adventure story in those sort of "realms".

There are a few series which might reasonably be regarded as "D&D" classics:

The Dragonlance series (mostly) by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman provide canon for many of the game modules. The opening trilogy starts with Dragons Of Autumn Twilight.

Many of the older Forgotten Realms novels are very good too. R.A.Salvatore was one of the more prolific authors within this series.

I'd qualify my recommendations by saying some of the (much) later books suffered in comparison to the earlier material.

[irocfan]

RogueTrooper said:

AlexC1981 said:

I was also very big on the D&D cartoon, but never played the game properly. I don't want to play a role-playing book, just read a good adventure story in those sort of "realms".

There are a few series which might reasonably be regarded as "D&D" classics:

The Dragonlance series (mostly) by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman provide canon for many of the game modules. The opening trilogy starts with Dragons Of Autumn Twilight.

Many of the older Forgotten Realms novels are very good too. R.A.Salvatore was one of the more prolific authors within this series.

I'd qualify my recommendations by saying some of the (much) later books suffered in comparison to the earlier material.

yup I'd agree with that. I remember reading (and enjoying) some of the Greyhawk settings as well as the Drizzt series

[AlexC1981]

I've downloaded the first Dragonlance book. This should be fun!

[RobDickinson]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

I can highly recommend Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen

I loved that series but tbh it totally lost it in the last 1-2 books Utter confusion and no real structure or outcome which given the quality and scope of the rest was disappointing. I've read it several times and it still always just falls apart.


I'd also recommend (mostly 'darkish' fantasy)
Mistborn trilogy Brandon Sanderson

Anything Joe Abercrombie
R Scott Bakker prince of nothing series
Scott Lynch Locke Lamora books
Patrick Rothfuss Name of the wind_+, but I wish he'd write quicker..
Brent weeks Lightbringer stuff


Feist is good and yes his first 3 books the best, but the Empire stuff with Worst is awesome ( I dislike her on her own), plus really the latter stuff is OK too, he did have a flat spot after the magician trilogy but worth reading through.

[RizzoTheRat]

RobDickinson said:

I'd also recommend (mostly 'darkish' fantasy)
Mistborn trilogy Brandon Sanderson

Anything Joe Abercrombie
R Scott Bakker prince of nothing series
Scott Lynch Locke Lamora books
Patrick Rothfuss Name of the wind_+, but I wish he'd write quicker..
Brent weeks Lightbringer stuff

Guess I'd better give Weeks and Bakker a try then as the rest of those you've mentioned are all good. Agree about Rothfuss needing to speed up Currently half way through Abercrombie's Before they're Hanged.

[davek_964]

This thread changed my next reading choice!

I already mentioned that I was re-reading The Fionavar Tapestry, and I finished it last week. I was intending to go back to "normal" fiction - I love Rachel Abbot stuff and she's just released a new book.

But it's a very very long time since I read Thomas Covenant, and I enjoyed my return to fantasy stuff with The Fionavar Tapestry I thought : why not.

Not got far in - he's only just appeared in the Land, so haven't decided yet whether it was a good decision or not! But hopefully I'll enjoy them again - I'm sure I did the first time.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

RobDickinson said:

jesusbuiltmycar said:

I can highly recommend Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen

I loved that series but tbh it totally lost it in the last 1-2 books Utter confusion and no real structure or outcome which given the quality and scope of the rest was disappointing. I've read it several times and it still always just falls apart.


I'd also recommend (mostly 'darkish' fantasy)
Mistborn trilogy Brandon Sanderson

Anything Joe Abercrombie
R Scott Bakker prince of nothing series
Scott Lynch Locke Lamora books
Patrick Rothfuss Name of the wind_+, but I wish he'd write quicker..
Brent weeks Lightbringer stuff


Feist is good and yes his first 3 books the best, but the Empire stuff with Worst is awesome ( I dislike her on her own), plus really the latter stuff is OK too, he did have a flat spot after the magician trilogy but worth reading through.

I may well have to give Feist's Empire trilogy a try. I read all of the other Riftwar books - the, the first 3 were superb, the last one was OK but a lot of the middle ones were very poor...

As for Malazan, I think what I like most about it is the scope and how it is very different from traditional fantasy (Tolkien, Feist, GRRM). No Elf/Halfling/Goblin races and the setting isn't a shoe-in for medieval Europe, with traditional lords, knights etc.

I quite liked the last book, it bought most of the story lines to a decent conclusion but there were some that were muddled (e.g. Gruntle)..

Have you tried the prequel books? I found Forge of Darkness a bit slow and very nasty in place; I wasn't overly impressed Fall of Light, its sequel.

I found Esslemont's Malazan books very hit and miss (great battles but some were just way too confusing with way to many POV characters). The latest one, Dancer's Lament is very good and far the best book he has written; I really enjoyed.

For historical fantasy (with no magic/dragons etc.) I would recommend Bernard Cornwell's Last Kingdom Series.

Edited by jesusbuiltmycar on Wednesday 8th March 12:45

[Oliver James]

I've had quite a good time reading the Stormlight Archives. They're still a work in progress, I believe the next novel in the series is expected to come out later this year in fact, but there's 2/3 books published already. It tells of a very story rich world thats familiar yet very unique. Its by no means the best fictional world I've ever come across, but it is original and thats worth something. The books aren't for everyone and it takes a while for certain fictional phrases or geography to sink in but if you've ran out of fantasy fiction, this is maybe worth your time

[tertius]

jet_noise said:

Robert Silverberg Majipoor trilogy+1!

This! Especially the first, Lord Valentine's Castle really wonderful.

[Dakkon]

Surprised no-one has mentioned Steven Erikson, personally I think he is the best fantasy writer I have ever read.

Starting with Gardens of the Moon I have loved every book and been completely submersed in how the plot has unfolded.

Also regarding - Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson, never saw what the fuss was about, never liked the hero, he is a rapist and generally thought it was a bit crap, however if we all liked the same things the world would be a dull place.

[RobDickinson]

Currently rereading the Erickson malazan books onto number 6. Must be my 4th time through.

So many characters plots etc it's crazy.

Last couple books fall apart imo but it's worth a read

[skeeterm5]

Julian May, the Saga of the Exiles series is pretty good and quite original too, which is rare in my experience. First book in the series is the Many Coloured Land.

S

[havoc]

I'm more into SF than fantasy, but I've recently finished Richard Morgan's "The Steel Remains" trilogy, having read his cyberpunk / sci-fi novels previously.

Typical Morgan in the main - well-written, fast-paced, lots of graphic action, 'grey' heroes...very dirty grey on occasion (as opposed to shining white knights), and the heroes encountering lots of sudden pit-falls and reverses.
i.e. gripping and very entertaining, would convert well to film, but never going to receive any literary awards.

What disappointed me though was the rather 'deus ex machina' pre-ending to it all (I won't say any more) - felt a bit like he'd written books 1 and 2 and then struggled to know how to come to an effective conclusion. Which can pretty much be levelled at GRR Martin too...


Overall a 6/10 for the series, 7 or 8/10 for the first book. Avoid if you're either squeamish or (even slightly) homophobic though...

[silverthorn2151]

skeeterm5 said:

Julian May, the Saga of the Exiles series is pretty good and quite original too, which is rare in my experience. First book in the series is the Many Coloured Land.

S

Blimey, read that about 30 years ago I believe.

That is the series with torcs and an explanation of how the Mediterranean is formed isn't it?

[Gren]

silverthorn2151 said:

skeeterm5 said:

Julian May, the Saga of the Exiles series is pretty good and quite original too, which is rare in my experience. First book in the series is the Many Coloured Land.

S

Blimey, read that about 30 years ago I believe.

That is the series with torcs and an explanation of how the Mediterranean is formed isn't it?

Yep. Great read. Time travel, aliens and magic all rolled into one

[skeeterm5]

Yes, that's the one. Still a pretty original set of ideas.

S

[DeejRC]

SnapShot said:

Ive been enjoying the Ben Aaronovitch Rivers of London series lately. Read them all over the past couple of months.

Absolutely! Peter Grant is an excellent character...new novella just out also.

What annoys me though is what on earth all this comic book crap is that seems to have taken over from the real books!! Stop dicking about ben and release some proper new stuff!