I need fantasy recommendations.

[TinMan]

Hey all, I didn't see a thread created explicitly for recommending books (which would be a good idea Solaris, a sticky at the top of the page where people could just ask for book recommendations based upon what they're looking for), so I figured I would start a thread.

Basically I'm looking for some good fantasy books, LOTR style, but not as dry. I'm a very visual person so I get bored with reading if the a book doesn't have a lot of action, dialogue, character interaction or an exploration of the worlds mythology (I also like lush descriptions of scenery/backgrounds but not excessive like Tolkien can occasionaly get). So, I'm looking for some fantasy books that really keep the reader riveted and constantly wondering whats going on or whats coming next, I need something that will hook me and not let me slow down, thats the only way I can keep myself reading a book.

Any recommendations you all could give me would be great! Thanks.

[Inkthinker]

Well... there's always the default recommendation to all fantasy fans who haven't discovered him yet, that being George R.R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire", the first book (of four so far) being A Game of Thrones.

If nothing else, it's very good at that whole "continuously guessing what's next" aspect.

You might also dig Tad Williams "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" trilogy. If you want to step out of medieval fantasy and into a more modern setting, I highly recommend Jim Butcher's "Harry Dresden, PI" novels. He's also begun a more traditional fantasy series with the "Alera Codex" books. And if you want brilliant characterisations, it's hard to go wrong with Terry Pratchett (I recommend Small Gods or Guards! Guards! as good starting points).

[Sir Tim Drake]

I recommend Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series (starting with Jhereg) or Khaavren Romances series (starting with The Phoenix Guards). Also Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber.

[Arvandor]

Basically I'm looking for some good fantasy books, LOTR style, but not as dry. I'm a very visual person so I get bored with reading if the a book doesn't have a lot of action, dialogue, character interaction or an exploration of the worlds mythology (I also like lush descriptions of scenery/backgrounds but not excessive like Tolkien can occasionaly get). So, I'm looking for some fantasy books that really keep the reader riveted and constantly wondering whats going on or whats coming next, I need something that will hook me and not let me slow down, thats the only way I can keep myself reading a book.

Sounds to me like David Gemmell's your man.

Also go with Raymond E Feist's Riftwar saga.

And R A Salvator's DemonWars.

[Puma]

David Drake's Lord of the Isles might work for you.

I wouldn't go beyond the first two books in the series but I enjoyed the first one.

[Slam_Bradley]

If you're looking for a good one-shot fantasy I always recommend Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword. And since it was published in 1954 (the same years as LoTR) you can't claim it was a Tolkein knock-off.

[snarkbunny]

The Temeraire Series by Naomi Novik - Napoleonic Wars with Dragons
The books are:
His Majesty's Dragon
Throne of Jade
Black Powder War

They are not High Fantasy but they have the same feel of a hero out to save his people. They are the best books I've read this year, and so far I've read about 700 new books. They _definitely_ have lots of action, dialogue, character interaction and an exploration of the world.

[Shem the Penman]

Joel Rosenberg's "Guardians of the Flame" series (The Sleeping Dragon et al) is nice, light, fast-moving fantasy. But for the love of all that is good and holy, stop after the third book. Maybe the fourth if you *really* like it.

[desertfairy]

David Eddings is a good choice. The serires starting with The Diamond Throne is engaging. The series starting with Pawn of Prophecy is much more thought out on the scale of LOTR, but the character development is slower.

Stephen Lawhead's books The Paradise War, The Silver Hand and The Endless Knot are amazing. Excellent writing, and they're based on Celtic mythology.

[Gordon Smith]

If you're looking for a good one-shot fantasy I always recommend Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword. And since it was published in 1954 (the same years as LoTR) you can't claim it was a Tolkein knock-off.

Seconded. That work deserves to be far better-known than it is.

[Rocket13]

I would also recommend Zelazny's (sp?) Amber series, especially the beginning books. Also I agree on Gemmell. I have only read one of his books, "Morningstar" and thought it was fantastic.

[sschroeder]

My impressions of many of these are already many years old, so I hope they hold up.

Stephen R. Donaldson's Covenant books were excellent. Just be warned that unless your vocabulary is exceptional you will need a dictionary or thesaurus nearby as you read. And there is some violent sexual content early in book one.

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time is worth exploring for the first 5 books or so. Read Eye of the World, which isn't bad at all, just so you can get to the excellent Great Hunt and Dragon Reborn books.

The first Dragonlance series by Weis and Hickman was very good.

I remember enjoying the first Shannara series by Brooks, starting with Sword of Shannara.

Edding's first series wasn't for me. I gave up after a while.

I didn't care for the Xanth novel by Anthony that I tried either.

I liked Dragonflight (or at least one of the Dragonriders of Pern books) by Anne McCaffrey. The thought of bonding to a flying dragon was impressive to my, at the time, young mind. I guess I didn't love it though because I don't recall ever reading any other books in the long series.

I you don't want to stray too far from LotR-sytle, as you put it, then Covenant and Dragonriders might be out for you.

[Ghost]

I recommend Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series (starting with Jhereg) or Khaavren Romances series (starting with The Phoenix Guards). Also Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber.

Word! They're not Tolkien-esque in the least, but I feel every fantasy fan should at least try them on.

[Sir Tim Drake]

David Eddings is a good choice. The serires starting with The Diamond Throne is engaging. The series starting with Pawn of Prophecy is much more thought out on the scale of LOTR, but the character development is slower.

I would recommend that you avoid David Eddings, or if you must read him, then just read the Belgariad and stop there. The rest of his books are just the same thing rehashed. Your time would be better spent reading something different.

I agree with the recommendation of Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Again, though, the second trilogy in this series is pretty similar to the first.

[Ryan Day]

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time is worth exploring for the first 5 books or so. Read Eye of the World, which isn't bad at all, just so you can get to the excellent Great Hunt and Dragon Reborn books.

And after that, run far, far away. I enjoyed the first three, but after that they go downhill quickly. They start getting progressively longer and more expansive, but not in a good way: New plots and characters keep getting introduced without resolving any of the old issues, and most of the characters seem to get boiled down to one or two characteristics - "I don't trust people" or "Men and women are very different - which are then repeated ad nauseum. And dear god, the man needs an editor - I gave up on the whole thing when I realized I was 60 pages into Lord of Chaos and still wasn't out of the prologue. Such a promising series that descended into near-unreadability so quickly.

One thing I've just got into over the summer is Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books. Very grandiose and eloquent, and occasionally very funny, stories about the goings-on in a massive castle. It's a very dense read - I've found it's no good for reading on the subway, as I really need to sit down with it in a distraction-free environment - but it's excellent when you get into it. Peake is incredibly descriptive, and has some wonderful characters and ideas.

And it bears almost no similarity to Tolkien whatsoever, but you can't go wrong with China Mieville. Perdido Street Station is one of the most creative and original books I've read in years.

[sschroeder]

I agree with the recommendation of Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Again, though, the second trilogy in this series is pretty similar to the first.

The reworking of the setting wasn't compelling to you? I think most people appreciate the second trilogy at least for that much (though probably much more).



I gave up on the whole thing when I realized I was 60 pages into Lord of Chaos and still wasn't out of the prologue. Such a promising series that descended into near-unreadability so quickly.

This reminds me. I actually recommend that new readers skip the prologue to Eye of the World. It is totally out of place, and nothing like the book itself. I can see it as a hint of bigger things to come, but that thing is frightening, and it really shouldn't be where it is.

[the Dagman]

I agree with the recommendation of Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Again, though, the second trilogy in this series is pretty similar to the first.

I loved both trilogies. The second trilogy was quite different actually, as it used the new character of Linden Avery as the star as she accompanied Covenant on his second chronicle through the Land. And that carries on....

What? Didn't you know that Donaldson has started The Last Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant? I just finished reading the first book of what will be a four book series. The book is titled The Runes Of The Earth and I found it to be a very compelling read. I recommend it highly. Donaldson has completed the second draft of the next book of the series, Fatal Revenant, which is generally expected to be released in October 2007. Part 3 is due in 2010 and part 4 in 2013. Runes was released in 2004, each coming out roughly every three years.

I was reading Donaldson's website where he says he came up with the ideas for both the second and last chronicles at roughly the same time some 20+ years ago. Only he did not feel confident enough to write the last chronicles until relatively recently. He says that he needed to write the other books he has done to hone his writing skills enough to pull it off. He says he is still not as good as he thought he would need to be, but he is getting older and decided that now is the time or it wasn't going to happen at all. I am glad he did. He has lost none of his skill for verbal imagery, stretching the reader's vocabulary, and outright knowledge of his characters and mythos created in these books. I think he has one hell of a ride planned for us readers and I am really looking forward to the next installment.

[redlantern2051]

A book I have recently bought is "The Darkness That Comes Before", by R Scott Bakker. I'm only 100 pages in, but I'm loving it. Very dramatic and cool.

I personally loved the first 4 books of the Dune series as a kid. After that, it gets WEIRD. Like, really weird! I actually could not understand it! But it's a very good read over the first 4 books. I havent picked one up in over a decade, though. It was "teenage reading" for me. :-)

[Karl J. Barnes]

Terry Brooks' Word & Void trilogy with the books: Running With Demons,A Knight of the Word and Angel Fire East are some very different novels than his previous efforts with a darker tone than, you might be used to from Brooks.

Tom De Haven's surreal trilogy,Chronicles of the King's Tramp with books: Walker of Worlds, The End of Everything Man and The Last Human. These books are about a dimensional traveling tramp(spy/gatherer of information/protector), Jack, who wanders through life relying on his happy coincidences and his magic. The books go from a happy go lucky attitude to a more dark and deeper meaning of what it is to be human and a life in general. The novels are quirkey and the characters evolve from what they were at the begining to more complex and "real" people. These books will be hard to find, but well worth the effort.

And of course, my old standby, C.S. Friedman's Coldfire trilogy with books:Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls and Crown of Shadows. With a troubled Priest and an undead wizard as heroes, you know that things will be strange and weirdly heroic. The magic used in the novel is quite interesting as it has to do with what the mind can come up with as the world feeds off your fears and desires. Highly, HIGHLY recommend this trilogy!

[Ben Akers]

Jennifer Roberson's Chronicles of the Cheysuli. The eight book series is great as they cover a hundred years (or so) and follow a prophecy to the very end. Each book has a new character or characters and its very interesting to see how each different step they take leads them closer to fulfilling said prophecy.

[cactusmaac]

Has anybody read Naomi Novik's work?

Peter Jackson is going to be producing a film based on her Temeraire series.

[Subotai]

How about Steven Erikson? Gardens of the Moon?

[Sir Tim Drake]

Has anybody read Naomi Novik's work?

Peter Jackson is going to be producing a film based on her Temeraire series.

It was recommended earlier in the thread. I might check this series out when (or even before) I finish A Song of Ice and Fire.

[Ryan Day]

A book I have recently bought is "The Darkness That Comes Before", by R Scott Bakker. I'm only 100 pages in, but I'm loving it. Very dramatic and cool.

I started reading it, and had much the same reaction - it seemed like a very creative take on the old fantasy genre, and had some interesting ideas and plots going on. But I got more annoyed and bored as it went on -- Bakker kept introducing more and more characters, many of whom seemed wholly unlikeable. On top of that, it bugged me that the majority of female characters were whores, or some variation thereupon. Its ambition kind of crumbled in on itself, and I never even finished it.

[Ta2grrl]

How about Steven Erikson? Gardens of the Moon?

I agree...good stuff...

XXX

[redlantern2051]

I started reading it, and had much the same reaction - it seemed like a very creative take on the old fantasy genre, and had some interesting ideas and plots going on. But I got more annoyed and bored as it went on -- Bakker kept introducing more and more characters, many of whom seemed wholly unlikeable. On top of that, it bugged me that the majority of female characters were whores, or some variation thereupon. Its ambition kind of crumbled in on itself, and I never even finished it.

Ok, I'll keep going. I have sort of taken a break from it, but it has also really inspired me in my own writing. At least he is taking a few risks, I have to commend that. I just made it to the first whore. *lol*

[TinMan]

Well, over the weekend I went out and bought "The Eye of the World" by Jordan (which some of you have recommended). I've had a friend that has been pitching "The Wheel of Time" book series to me for the last 4 years, so I caved and bought the first book. I've only made it past the prologue and about 10 or 15 pages into the book, so I'm not really at a point where I can register an opinion of it yet. We'll see how it goes.

I want to thank everyone for their input though, I'm gonna copy down everyone's suggestions so at the very least I can see what they're about and wager if I might like them. Thanks again and if you think of any other suggestions, keep em comin!

[Adem]

I’ll agree with the people recommending George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. It’s a fantastic read.

[Gordon Smith]

Has anybody read Naomi Novik's work?



The first volume only. I hope to find time to read the followup books in some future life. A very intriguing concept, although rather silly. I liked it a great deal.

[Surt]

I definately second Martin, Erikson and Bakker. Mieville is also a favourite of mine - Check out the Scar for some steampunk goodness.

Jordan is horrible and an evil man. His greatest evil was to make reading the first 4 books enjoyable, so that I still keep on buying his books, although the quality is poor (to say it mildly). Fortunately the series is done soon.

[Ottmeister X]

Martin, yes. Erikson, for at least just Gardens Of The Moon--which is the only one I have read so far, yes.

I'm almost done with Greg Keyes' The Briar King, first of four books, and I would highly recommend it, especially to those that enjoy Martin.

I've seen good reviews about The Lies Of Locke Lamora. The description of the story has me enticed, but I haven't purchased it yet.

I'm a Raymond Fiest fan, even though I think his writing isn't as crisp as it used to be.

The first three Shannara books by Terry Brooks always hold dear to my heart.