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Need Book Suggestions (Fantasy)Follow

#1 Aug 27 2008 at 7:40 PM Rating: Good
Long story short, I'm going to be going away from mid-September -> June and need some suggestions for a number of books and/or series (preferably fantasy as the title suggests) that I can take with me to read over that time. There are some books coming out during that period for some of the ongoing series I'm reading, but this seems to be the perfect opportunity for some new material.

So to maybe help you get a feel for what I'm into and what I've already read, I've made a list of all the fantasy books I've read and own so far. My favorite ongoing series right now are probably Malazan Book of the Fallen and A Song of Ice and Fire.

Sword of Truth
-Debt of Bones
-Wizard's First Rule
-Stone of Tears
-Blood of the Fold
-Temple of the Winds
-Soul of the Fire
-Faith of the Fallen
-The Pillars of Creation
-Naked Empire
-Chainfire
-Phantom
-Confessor


The Wheel of Time
-New Spring
-The Eye of the World
-The Great Hunt
-The Dragon Reborn
-The Shadow Rising
-The Fires of Heaven
-Lord of Chaos
-A Crown of Swords
-The Path of Daggers
-Crossroads of Twilight
-Knife of Dreams


Lord of The Rings
-The Fellowship of the Ring
-The Two Towers
-The Return of the King
-The Hobbit
-The Silmarillion
-Unfinished Tales
-The Children of Hurin


Shadowmarch Trilogy
-Shadowmarch
-Shadowplay


The Death Gate Cycle
-Fire Sea
-Elven Star
-Dragon Wing
-Serpent Mage
-The Hand of Chaos
-Into the Labyrinth
-The Seventh Gate


Malazan Book of the Fallen
-Gardens of the Moon
-Deadhouse Gates
-Memories of Ice
-House of Chains
-Midnight Tides
-The Bonehunters
-Reaper's Gale
-Toll the Hounds


Inheritance Cycle
-Eragon
-Eldest


Monument by Ian Graham


A Song of Ice and Fire
-A Game of Thrones
-A Clash of Kings
-A Storm of Swords
-A Feast for Crows


Books by Guy Gavriel Kay
-The Fionavar Tapestry (The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, The Darkest Road)
-Tigana
-The Lions of Al-Rassan
-A Song for Arbonne
-Sailing to Sarantium
-Lord of Emperors
-The Last Light of the Sun
-Ysabel


The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley


Harry Potter
-The Philosopher's Stone
-The Chamber of Secrets
-The Prisoner of Azkaban
-The Goblet of Fire
-The Order of the Phoenix
-The Half-Blood Prince
-The Deathly Hallows


Forgotten Realms
-Homeland
-Exile
-Sojourn
-The Crystal Shard
-Streams of Silver
-The Halfling's Gem
-The Legacy
-Starless Night
-Siege of Darkness
-Passage to Dawn
-The Cleric Quintet (Cantacle, In Sylvan Shadows, Night Masks, The Fallen Fortress, The Chaos curse)
-The Silent Blade
-The Spine of the World
-Servant of the Shard
-Sea of Swords
-Promise of the Witch King
-Road of the Patriarch
-The Thousand Orcs
-The Lone Drow
-The Two Swords
-The Orc King


The Kingkiller Chronicles
-The Name of the Wind


His Dark Materials
-The Golden Compass
-The Subtle Knife
-The Amber Spyglass


The Chronicles of Narnia
-The Magician's Nephew
-The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
-The Horse and His Boy
-Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia
-The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
-The Silver Chair
-The Last Battle


The Dark is Rising
-Over Sea, Under Stone
-The Dark is Rising
-Greenwitch
-The Grey King
-Silver on the Tree

Edited, Aug 28th 2008 12:37am by UnknownSoldier
#2 Aug 27 2008 at 9:30 PM Rating: Good
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Maybe try something by Mercedes Lackey?
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#3 Aug 28 2008 at 12:00 AM Rating: Decent
Well, I'll try and add some to the list of potential books, these are some books I really enjoyed: (I'll stick to fantasy)

- Roger Zelazny "Great book of Amber" (ten parts, should be able to find the omnibus)

- Elizabeth Haydon "The Symphony of Ages" series. I've only read the first trilogy of that series: "Rhapsody Trilogy" but I did like it a lot, after the rather confusing start.

- Jack Vance "Lyonesse" trilogy or his "Dying Earth" tales.

- Philip José Farmer "World of Tiers" series. But only really the first four parts, and even then the fourth is not as good as the previous ones. Also his "Riverworld" series. The first part of it is quite brilliant (imo anyway), the later books get a bit boring.

#4 Aug 28 2008 at 12:12 PM Rating: Decent
I also posted this somewhere else, and I've had quite a few people recommend The Riftwar Cycle by Raymond Feist. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
#5 Aug 29 2008 at 6:05 AM Rating: Decent
UnknownSoldier wrote:
I also posted this somewhere else, and I've had quite a few people recommend The Riftwar Cycle by Raymond Feist. Anyone have any thoughts on this?


Especially the first parts are quite good, I lost interest along the way though but it's definitely worth trying out. It's a fantasy series in a similar style like several of the series you listed.

Edited, Aug 29th 2008 4:03pm by Zieveraar
#6 Aug 29 2008 at 7:39 AM Rating: Good
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I really enjoyed Stephen Donaldson's "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" series (9 books) and his "Mordent's Need" series (two books: The Mirror of her Dreams and A Man Rides Through).

Elizabeth Moon's novel "The Deed of Paksenarrion" was excellent but I didn't care for anything else from the author.

If you want to try something along the mythical fantasy line, I suggest "Moonheart", "Greenmantle" and "The Little Country" by Charles de Lint. These are some of his earlier works and may make you a fan, as they did for me.
#7 Aug 29 2008 at 9:51 AM Rating: Decent
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Michelle Sagara's new series -- Cast in Shadow, Cast in Courtlight, Cast in Secret, and (coming in Oct) Cast in Fury. Dry wit, interesting fantasy world, somewhat like Vlad Taltos stories by Steven Brust (and read those, too, if you haven't already).
#8 Aug 30 2008 at 8:41 PM Rating: Decent
Would anyone recommend the Shannara series? I've heard mixed things about it (namely it being called a LotR ripoff), but chances are I'll be reading it at some point. A little personal advantage I can see is that the majority of the series is available in omnibus (more room in the suitcase).


Edited, Aug 31st 2008 1:38am by UnknownSoldier
#9 Aug 31 2008 at 1:34 AM Rating: Decent
UnknownSoldier wrote:
Would anyone recommend the Shannara series? I've heard mixed things about it (namely it being called a LotR ripoff), but chances are I'll be reading it at some point. A little personal advantage I can see is that the majority of the series is available in omnibus (more room in the suitcase).


Edited, Aug 31st 2008 1:38am by UnknownSoldier


My sister loves the series, I disliked it after 50 pages and have not continued then. But then, my sister is the bigger fantasy fan. And my main dislike, even after only 50 or so pages, was that I had read the same thing over and over again by other authors.
#10 Aug 31 2008 at 7:10 AM Rating: Decent
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Read the Pawn of Prophesy by David Eddings, Magician by Raymond E fiest and Daggerspell by Katherine Kerr.

Each are the first books of many and are all very good.

Oh and the Shannrah novels are worse than anything TSR produced in the FRealms line, avoid like the plague.

Edited, Aug 31st 2008 11:07am by tarv
#11 Sep 06 2008 at 12:35 AM Rating: Good
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I recommend you try the Wraethu saga, it´s way more weird and complex than some of the stuff you already read, but it can be quite interesting, plus it´s extremely chewable, it will occupy your time for a goooood while:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wraeththu

#12 Oct 22 2008 at 11:50 AM Rating: Decent
You might want to take a look at David Gemmell. I love his Drenai and the Waylander books.
#13 Oct 22 2008 at 12:24 PM Rating: Good
Terry Pratchett's Discworld series holds a place near and dear to my heart.
#14 Oct 23 2008 at 5:07 AM Rating: Decent
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Piers Anthony's Cluster series is pretty good and Forrest j. Ackerman edited or collected or gathered or whatever some short stories and novellas into a series of books called "Gosh! Wow! (Sense of Wonder) Science Fiction", I have the first 2 books and they're packed with enjoyable tales, many of which are worth reading over and over.
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#15 Oct 23 2008 at 12:49 PM Rating: Decent
Terry Brooks: Shannara series. Start with the sword of shannara and then work your way around from there.

Jim Butcher: Dresden Files, Excellent read, theres now a comic book and a scifi show that was very good.
#16 Oct 23 2008 at 2:09 PM Rating: Decent
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Quote:
Terry Brooks: Shannara series. Start with the sword of shannara and then work your way around from there
No don't it's akin to burning your eyeballs out with a blow torch.

Terry Brooks is to fantasy writing what Britney Spears is to Rock music.
#17 Oct 24 2008 at 7:04 AM Rating: Decent
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I'm halfway through Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind, his first novel.

The story and the writing are amazing. Truly ... art meets entertainment. It's fantasy with stories within stories within stories and every one of them is enchanting ... spell binding.

Very strong promotional statements from Tad Williams, Ursula LeGuin, Anne McCaffery and others.

Anyone else read it?
#18 Oct 24 2008 at 7:51 AM Rating: Decent
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UnknownSoldier wrote:
Would anyone recommend the Shannara series? I've heard mixed things about it (namely it being called a LotR ripoff), but chances are I'll be reading it at some point. A little personal advantage I can see is that the majority of the series is available in omnibus (more room in the suitcase).


Edited, Aug 31st 2008 1:38am by UnknownSoldier


I highly recommend it. I like the generational aspect of it. I am not as a big a fan of Brooks Knigt series that he just tied into the Shannara world tho.

Edited to add:

Give the Old mans war series ( by John Scalzi ) a shot. I enjoyed it a lot. Reminded me a little bit of Heinlein.

Edited, Oct 24th 2008 11:54am by rosleck

Edited, Oct 24th 2008 11:55am by rosleck
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#19 Oct 24 2008 at 1:26 PM Rating: Decent
Baron von tarv wrote:
Quote:
Terry Brooks: Shannara series. Start with the sword of shannara and then work your way around from there
No don't it's akin to burning your eyeballs out with a blow torch.

Terry Brooks is to fantasy writing what Britney Spears is to Rock music.


Ehhh, they aren't the best books around, especially thew new ones and some the older ones where he is way into the future. But the 9 or so surrounding the Sword of Shannara are actually decent.

Your comment would of been better had I mentioned Eragon. Now that is a series that is akin to Britney Spears. Ive read both books so far and they are completely horrible. The kid couldnt write his way out of a paper bag.
#20 Nov 07 2008 at 7:20 AM Rating: Good
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If you want something that's up there with Dune in terms of political intrigue, check out Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy Trilogy, starting with Kushiel's Dart, then Kushiel's Chosen and Kushiel's Avatar. There's a second trilogy featuring a character you meet in the third book of the first trilogy, but that trilogy (while still beautifully written) isn't quite as tightly-plotted as the first one, at least not until the final book, which was brilliant.

I posted a review about the first trilogy here, and I just realized that I forgot to post my reviews that I had written about the second trilogy, so I'm probably going to create another thread to do that.

#21 Nov 20 2008 at 4:12 PM Rating: Decent
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I would definitely recommend Wicked and Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire. Fantastic writing, especially in Son (a lot of subtext though).
#22 Dec 04 2008 at 3:54 PM Rating: Good
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veena wrote:

Elizabeth Moon's novel "The Deed of Paksenarrion" was excellent but I didn't care for anything else from the author.



One of my all-time favorite books. But the rest of his work was meh. She tried to flesh out some of the back story more in other novels, but it was clear that she wasn't going to go in depth as much.

Crytonomicron and the prequel trilogy to it by Neal Stephenson.
#23 Dec 09 2008 at 4:54 AM Rating: Decent
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You have already mentioned a few of my favourites (Song of Ice and Fire, Wheel of Time, Sword of Truth). There are a few series I would strognly reccomend.
Robin Hobb's 3 Trilogies: Farseer Trilogy, Liveship Traders and Tawny Man. Liveship Traders is by far the best in the series. Political intrigue mixed up with magic, swords, some dragons and the occasional blood crazed raider.

Ian Irvines epic series starting with the Shadow on the Glass Quartet, then the Well of Echoes Quartet, The Song of The Tears Trilogy (just 1 book into the trilogy right now). There will then be a final book set somewhere inbetween the first 2 Quartets.
A huge story spanning centuries, difficult to summarize except to say that it is epic.

Katherine Kerr's Deverry Series is great as well.


I read about 50 pages of the Shannara trilogy and then checked to see if I had picked up LotR instead, it was a ridiculous ripoff.
#24 Dec 10 2008 at 10:15 PM Rating: Good
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I'd agree with Stephen Donaldson (Mordant's Need [2 books], The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant) with the caveat that the Thomas Covenant books involve rape and incest as major themes in the book.

Shannara is passable: nothing wonderful IMO, but I've read them more than once. David Eddings (the Belgariad and the Mallorean) writes some decent work (and lengthy, which becomes important if you're gone for a while).

If you're not 'above' them, the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander are surprisingly good for children's books. The Earthsea books by Ursula Le Guin are IMO very good books (I didn't care for Tehanu, the 4th book, but I loved the first 3).

A bit older, but C.S. Lewis wrote a Space Trilogy that flits between sci-fi / fantasy / Christian apologetics. Good books, but could tick you off if you're agnostic.
#25 Dec 11 2008 at 5:38 PM Rating: Decent
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Quote:
I'd agree with Stephen Donaldson (Mordant's Need [2 books], The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant) with the caveat that the Thomas Covenant books involve rape and incest as major themes in the book.
The Thomas Covenant books are an extremely uncomfortable and difficult read, for all they are very good, it's just very hard to enjoy such a flawed lead charicter.

I never re-read them which is just about a one off for me, but they are very well done.
#26 Dec 13 2008 at 6:30 AM Rating: Decent
Personally, I'd reccomend:

Acacia - stylistically and topically very different from the dwarves & elves type fantasy. One of the best books I read this year.

Perdido Street Station - more different still, set in an early industrial city. Won some awards for something or other, good read.

Oh, and don't read the Shannara books, or, if you do, don't read more than one. If you want the effect of reading two, just read the first twice, it'll be almost exactly the same.

Edited, Dec 13th 2008 9:31am by Kavekk
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