Quick! What new fantasy series should I start?!

[adamthered]

I go to lunch in an hour and am needing something new to read. I just finished Knife of Dreams and am waiting for A Feast for Crows. I need to start something new but my lack of fantasy author knowledge is coming into play right now.

Things I don't need recommended since I have them and read them:
Lord of the Rings
Tad William's Memory, Sorrow, Bones, & whatever
David Farlands Runelord series.

Everything else, fair game. Except L.E. Modesitts Order/Chaos stuff, tried it, didn't like it.

Thanks.

[Jared_Humpherys]

George RR Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" is damn good.

Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, and Robert Jordan also write decent enough fantasy.

[Slam_Bradley]

You could buck the trend and read some quality one-off fantasies.

Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword and Three Hearts and Three Lions are classics of the genre.

Glory Road one of Heinlein's few forays in to fantasy is an incredible amalgamation of fantasy and science fiction.

Thomas Swan Burnett's Day of the Minotaur is a great play with Greek myth.

Michael Moorcock's Gloriana is a fabulous look at a Queen living in a Gormanghast-like house in an alternate London. Probably his best fantasy work.

[adamthered]

I went ahead and picked up Glory Road. Once I finish eating I'll dive in. Thanks :D

[Kaiju]

Glen Cook's Black Company series is great. It's a grunts eye view of the epic fantasy landscape.

The follow up Books Of The South aren't quite as good(the narrator of the series changes and I never warmed to the new character) but they are still a good read.

[Spot]

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

very very good! read them about 4 times each and everytime i do they get better and better

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=b55E9KOC6n&isbn=0440419514&itm=1

[Zissou]

I've been re-reading Michael Moorecock's Elric Saga. It's pretty decent stuff and I'm enjoying it for a second time now after first reading it about ten years ago.

I've also wanted to read Robert E. Howards original Conan stuff, but I haven't gotten around to it as of yet. This series has been collected in several volumes recently.

I hope this helps... :)

[Surt]

I know it's far too late now, but I'd like to recommend George Martin, Steven Erikson and China Mieville, who I think are the best three fantasy writers right now.

For an easy and enjoyable read check out Lian Hearns Otori trilogy.

[Jay]

Apparently you enjoy fantasy from the epic sub-genre (Martin). If that's the case IMHO there are only 2 series that comes near to equaling that work, and that is Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, which includes:

Gardens of the Moon
Deadhouse Gates
Memories of Ice
House of Chains
Midnight Tides

Bonehunters (forthcoming) (I believe January/February Next year)
Reapers Cale (forthcoming)
Toll of Hounds (forthcoming)
Dust of Dreams (forthcoming)
The Crippled God (forthcoming)


There are also 2 Malazan related Novellas The Healhty Dead and Blood Follows and laso a novel my Ian Cammeron Esslemont (which is a prequel) called Night of Knives. Up to Book 5 (Midnight Tides) is avialable in the UK, in the U.S. Book III will be released later this year.


The other author is R. Scott Bakker, who is going to cap his trilogy off in January (that's a U.S./Canada release) with The Thousandfold Thought. The series is a The Prince of Nothing and starts with The Pricne of Nothing and The Warrior Prophet. An follow duology or possibly a trilogy is planned entitled The Aspect-Emperor sometime in the furture.

and China Mieville, who I think are the best three fantasy writers right now.

China Mieville is perhaps my favorite author of the fantastic currently (along with Jeffrey Ford and Jeff VanderMeer) however they don't really write in the mold apparently being asked for - that said, Mieville is outrageously gifted. Perdido Street Station is an absolute modern masterpiece of the fantastic in my

[Magneto_X]

Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.

The Riftwar Saga, Serpentwar Saga etc by Raymond.E.Fiest.

The Dark Tower by Stephen King.

Discworld by Terry Pratchett.

The Legend of Drizzt by R.A.Salvatore.

[DoubleWide]

"Another Fine Myth" by Robert Asprin, a blend of fantasy and humor. A long series but worth it;

"Harry Potter" by J. K. Rowling. Everyone should read them atleast once;

"The Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Balm. Granted its nearly 100 years old, but a fun read.

[Davideaux]

"The Fionavar Tapestry" by Guy Gavriel Kay

[Expletive Deleted]

"The Fionavar Tapestry" by Guy Gavriel KayHis pseudo-historical series is pretty good, too. They're thinly-veiled versions of real cultures, places, and events, but with little bits of the supernatural added for flavor.

THE LION OF AL-RASSAN is basically the Reconquista and THE SARANTINE MOSAIC is basically about Emperor Justinian.

Fun stuff.

[Tobias March]

Gene Wolf's The Book of the New Sun.

Anything by M. John Harrison.

[Shellhead]

The Amber series, by Roger Zelazny
The Swords seies, by Fritz Lieber
The World of Tiers, by Philip Jose Farmer
The Dying Earth books, by Jack Vance
The Master Li/Number Ten Ox trilogy by Barry Hughart
Last Call/Expiration Date/Earthquake Weather by Tim Powers

[CaptMagellan]

Get David Gemmell's 'Drenai Saga'

Or at least read his "Legend."

[Indigo Al]

I'm gonna re-read Katherine Kurtz's Deryini Chronicles this winter.

[Dennis K]

Neither is new, but I highly recommend both Donaldson's Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever trilogy as well as Weis & Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles

[Ottmeister X]

Apparently you enjoy fantasy from the epic sub-genre (Martin). If that's the case IMHO there are only 2 series that comes near to equaling that work, and that is Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, which includes:

Gardens of the Moon
Deadhouse Gates
Memories of Ice
House of Chains
Midnight Tides

Bonehunters (forthcoming) (I believe January/February Next year)
Reapers Cale (forthcoming)
Toll of Hounds (forthcoming)
Dust of Dreams (forthcoming)
The Crippled God (forthcoming)


There are also 2 Malazan related Novellas The Healhty Dead and Blood Follows and laso a novel my Ian Cammeron Esslemont (which is a prequel) called Night of Knives. Up to Book 5 (Midnight Tides) is avialable in the UK, in the U.S. Book III will be released later this year.

I would like to get up-to-date on this series without spending high dollars for a UK edition or the large Tor paperback sizes. That being said and considering what has been released so far in the UK, why does it take so damn long to release volumes already in print? Someone just trying to make some bucks and stretch us as thin as they can?