What to read next...

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Last time I asked this question I got some fantastic responses so it is time to ask the question again. What shall I read next?

Here is some info to help you focus your recommendations:

1) Song of Ice and Fire: I read these books purely on the strength of recommendations from SP and I loved them. Like many of you, I am now impatiently waiting for the next installment.

2) Robin Hobb: I read Assassin's Apprentice purely from an SP recommendation and thought it was pretty good. I have the next part of this series on request from the library (so need something else to read until it becomes available and I can carry on reading that series)

3) I also have The Halfling's Gem on request from the library (so need something else to read until THAT becomes available and I can carry on reading THAT series)

4) I read the Wheel of Time and didn't think it was anything flash. Plus I am put off by the knowledge that there another 10 or so books in this series that apparently don't lead to any conclusive resolution.

5) I read the first two Shannara books and gave up on that series because it was far too formulaic.

6) The Lord of the Rings is my favourite book of all time.

7) I've read 90% of the Discworld books and will read the remaining ones if I can find them at the library

8) My favourite non fantasy books have included David Copperfield, Angela's Ashes, High Fidelity, and The Count of Monte Cristo.


Your thoughts will be appreciated, as always.

[ October 07, 2004, 00:28: Message edited by: Taluntain ]

 

Stephen R. Lawhead - the Pendragon Cycle. Always highly recommended in my list!

 

Falstaff - if I want to read Lawhead, do I start with "Taliesin"? I see that that is currently available at my library (a rare thing for my library to actually have Part One of anything available......)

 

If you loved Martin and liked Hobb you will definately like Steven Erikson's "A Tale of Malazan Book of the Fallen". It is a great series of huge scope and complicated plot. I would say it rivals Martin even if it is not as easily accesible. The first one is "Gardens of the Moon", I am sure it is available in NZ.

 

A few come to mind

For fantasy I would suggest

David Farland's Runelords Series

Elizabeth Moon's The Deed of Paksenarrion

David Weber's - Oath of Swords and The War God's Own (Book three isn't as good but they are stand alones). If you are willing to give science fiction a chance just about anything by David Weber is pretty good too.

Tad William's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy (well at least it was originally a trilogy - book three is now split into two parts).

 

Joacquin - I did read "Gardens of the Moon". At the time I remember it being quite good, even if I didn't quite understand all of what was going on. If you think the rest of the series is good I might give them a go.

JSBB - I haven't heard of any of those but I'll have a look.

 

The rest of the series is even better, all the books are semi-stand alones while at the same time strengthening each other. One drawback which really isnt a drawback is that it is as hard to get into each book of the series as it usually is to get into completely new series. It is totally worth it though. It is very demanding however and you wont understand all of it, I know I didnt which is why I recently bought hte first and second book which I had loaned from the library previously so I could re-read them as soon as I get the time.

 

Yes, start with Taliesin.

The order is Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, then Pendragon and Grail (the last two take place during some of the breaks of events between sections in Arthur)

 

Is Grail the one that takes place in present-day England? I can't remember. Either way, I just want to second Falstaff's recomendation. This series is really good.

 

Well, multiple recommendations for the same book must be worth following up! I shall see if I can get Taliesin this weekend.

 

@Kam - no, that's Avalon - also an excellent book.

(After you've finished the rest of them, that is).

 

Stephen Donaldsn - Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Best world creation I know since Tolkien.
The two Mordant books are OK, and I like the Gap series (Sci-fi, but vaguely based on the Wagnerian Opera The ring of the Neiblngs) (Please excuse spelling) Donaldson has a similar "darkness" to his works as the Assassin Trilogy.

I agree with JSBB on Tad Williams, the Otherland series is very good as well (Sci-fi)

The Wheel of Time comes under a lot of criticism each time a new book is released. I've found it does work but only if you sit and read all of them in a row. I would say similarly for Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series.

 

1. Roger Zelazny--Chronicles of Amber. There's 10 books in the series IIRC, but it reads faster than the Wheel of Time.

2. Chung Kuo by David Wingrove. All available land mass on Earth is covered by one big city, ruled by the Chinese. Six volumes in this one.

 

Well, Taliesen was out so I reserved it for when it comes back. Meanwhile, Deadhouse Gates was there so I picked that up. You were right, Joacquin - it's pretty hard going at the start..... I can't work out what's happening yet. But I remember that Gardens of the Moon was a bit like that as well.

 

All of Erikson's book are really tough in the start, not that they are bad but that there are so much going on and everything is new and you dont have a frigging clue as to what is going on. In the end it is all good, extremely all good. I remember sighing every time I started a new one in the series and by the end of it I was so into each and every one that I never wanted them to end. One of the reasons I kept finding it hard to get into a new installment was that I had got so attached and really liked the characters in the previous book and I wanted more of them! Not some new ones but by the end of the book I was as attached to the new ones as I had been of the old ones.

The Chain of Dogs story line in Deadhouse gates is awesome, truly wicked.

 

About 100 pages into Deadhouse Gates. Man, it is hard work keeping track of all these characters. I've had to assign them famous voices to help me remember who's who. Fiddler is Harrison Ford. Duiker is Tom Hanks. Coltaine is Gary Busey.

 

Hehehe, Coltaine as Busey, hehe. I had a little problem with the Feliesin storyline, not that I didnt think it was good but it was very depressing and bleak to read.

 

Try the Redwall Series. If you don't mind the fact that they seem to be written for 12 year olds, and they seem to have a fairly straighforward storyline they are great to read when you have nothing to do. The best thing about them is that you can pick any one of the series and not miss a thing. BUT beware of the fact that there are about 9 million of them.

 

Ressurected thread but as of now, I'd go with Forsaken House, book 1 of the Last Mythal trilogy in the FR setting, pretty good book.

 

Joacquin - Deadhouse Gates was great, once I got into it. Cheers.