Books (Besides Tolkien)

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I am reading Tolstoys Anna Kaerine, than some Gogols. After that, i may do either Kafka, or Cekov. I want ideas for a good Fantasy Book, or searies to get. I read the moonshae searies a few years ago. Any ideas?

 

Gogol's "Dead Souls" is a great book. I highly recommend it. Not that its a fantasy book, but you mentioned Gogol first.

I liked "Freedom and Necessity" by Steven Brust and Emma Bull. Its an excellent 'low magic' fantasy novel. George Martin's "Game of Thrones" series is excellent. Sean Russell's "World Without End" series was enjoyable as well.

I'd also recommend anything by Patricia McKillip or Ursula LeGuin.

Aloha
Vormaerin

 

The Belgariad and The Malloreon.
Both are 5 book series written by David Eddings.

 

Try Robin Hobbs Farseer serie! Very great narrtive and style and a very interesting fantasy world! And Kafka's Trial is fantastic!

 

Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon and Discworld by Terry Pratchett are all good fantasy series. I would go for Wheel of Time. It is clearly one of the best fantasy series after Lord of the Rings and it is a lot of reading in the 9 books currently published.

 

I'd recommend the Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. It is a retelling of King Arthur's legend through a more historically accurate eye. He just release "The Archer's Tale" which is Robin Hood revisited. I'm picking that up to read on a flight next week.

Another great read is "Fit Bodies, Fat Minds" by Oz Guiness. It is a great overview of many modern/post-modern thought structures.

Another recommendation is Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. Wizard's First Rule, the fist book, is wonderful ... you'll definietely fall in love with the characters!

 

The First and Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson. It's 2 sets of 3 books. I thought it was absolutely one of the best book series' I've ever read. (fantasy based ofcourse)

 

Ridley Walker

A _very_ different sort of fantasy/sci-fi novel. Although it will probably be difficult to find a copy since its out of print.

 

I'm reading the first wheel of time book, and although, and only half way through, i love it.
Please read it

 

Do not read the Wheel of Time series. Do not buy any of the books. Do not even glance upon their dust covers.

We must boycott the Jordan books until he finishes the #$@!$%! series.

Until then, read George R. R. Martin's series (not Wild Cards, the other one).

 

Speaking of George R. R. Martin, I read "Game of Thrones" when it first came out. Very strong stuff. Good story, good characters, very violent (which is why I stopped at the first book). If you like your fantasy bloody, that is a good book.

On the lighter side: The Earthsea trilogy by Ursula K. Leguin

Eddings is ok. It is very derivative of Tolkien and by the time I got halfway throught the Mallorean, the characters had become 2 dimensional. The first series is a fast read though.

Raymond Feists first series is pretty good too. Magician, Silverthorn, Darkness at Sethanon. I didn't read past that.

I genuinely dislike the convention followed by many fantasy writers where they set up the world and then milk it dry. Most of them are not creative enough to make it last.

 

To kick in an open door : Pratchett's Discworld rocks!

And antoher fantastic fantasy-series : Tad Williams-quartet, which name I forgot

But Jack Vance's fantasy definetly ain't bad either. Tschaï, Big Planet and The Languages of Pao are truly excellent, although they tend to lean closer to SF than fantasy. The Dragon Masters on the other hand is fantasy (with a bit of SF mixed, something unavoidable with Vance) of the highest level.

And if you like those works, you'll absolutely love his Devils Princes (Star King, The Killing Machine, Lens Larque, The Palace of Love and The Book of Dreams).

But perhaps the best in this SF/fantasy genre is Julian Mays The Many-Colored Land.

 

I'm reading Terry Pratchet in the Discworld novel series and also this Stockpole guy in the Rogue Squadron series for Star Wars ...

 

You have to really be into starfighter combat else you won't enjoy the Rogue Squadron books

 

Hmm. The Game of Thrones series is certainly lethal (modeled as it is on real historical civil wars), but I wouldn't say its gory or bloody in style. But if you aren't comfortable with having important, well developed characters die during the story, this is definitely not for you.

Eddings' Belgariad was amusing light reading, but the Mallorean was pure drivel.

Donaldson's first Covenant series is excellent, as was his other series with the mirror mages (forgot the titles). The second Covenant series was interesting, but not really enjoyable.

The first two or three "Wheel of Time" books are very good. Interesting and original use of standard archetypes. However, after about book 3 all forward progress on the storyline ceases. Considering that there are now 7 or 8 books in the series, that's a bit of a problem. Maybe my grandchildren will get to read the conclusion.

Aloha
Vormaerin

 

The Dark Elf Trilogy
i just love Homeland

 

Vormaerin my comments about the violence in "Game of Thrones" had nothing to do with popular characters dying. I look at this as realism. Most of the violence in the book is probably quite realistic. Having read a LOT of fantasy over the last 30 years, I can say that the depiction of violence in this book is not typical for fantasy writing. It IS a bloody book when compared to other books like it. I don't know how you can disagree with this statement.
Additionally, I found the (repeated) use of rape to be repugnant.

That said, it is a well told story, with violence that is probably more realistically depicted than it is in other books. However, the use of violence did not enhance my reading experience. It was exploitative (in the case of rape) and gratuitous.

My attitude towards violence changed dramatically between the time the first and second books came out. I have explained this elsewhere on the forum and do not wish to bring it up every time a topic like this is explored.

As I said in my original post, if you like your fantasy bloody, you will like this book. It is as good, if not better, fantasy writing than I have seen in a long time. Martins skills as a writer/storyteller show Eddings, Brooks, McCaffrey, et. al. to be the derivative hacks that they are.

Finally, a SPOILER (for those who want to read the book, you may want to skip this)
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There is a scene depicted in the "Game of Thrones" where a woman is saved while being raped on a pile of bodies (from the slaughter of her village)! If this is typical use of violence in fantasy, then I have been reading different books then you.

Edit: incorrect grammar

[This message has been edited by Jack Funk (edited October 31, 2001).]