So I’m almost finished with the last paperback Dresden Files book, and I recently finished A Feast for Crows. I’m looking for a new series, or maybe just a new novel for my escapist reading. It should be reasonably well written and exciting, with a lot of action and some fantastic content. Science fiction is fine, but I’m looking for more action and less thought provoking speculation, though some of that is fine. Straightforward non-supernatural or SF thrillers are good too. Any suggestions?
Just FTR
Game of Thrones
What I liked: It’s very well written. No clunky passages, no sentences that made me cringe. reasonably well developed characters, and an unpredictable, cliche free plot.
What I didn’t: Lots of rambling storylines that go nowhere. Obviously I haven’t read the ending, but right now it seems like the whole thing could have been a trilogy. AlsoEveryone you care about dies
Dresden Files
What I liked: Fun trashy entertainment. Butcher can write an action scene that rocks. There are Scary Monsters, and a rich if somewhat haphazard universe.
What I didn’t: It’s kind of…cheesy, isn’t it? Some of the writing drifts into being just too arch and snarky, though usually Butcher redeems himself in the action sequences. Also it really is trashy, not that there’s anything wrong with that!
For a reasonably well-written, actiony SF novel, maybe Valor’s Choice, by Tanya Huff. It’s got a military setting, lots of battles as far as I remember. It’s the first in a series of, I think, six books, but I have only read the first one.
Benedict Jacka has started a series based on the character of Alex Verus. Verus is a magician/investigator like Harry Dresden. There are three books in the series so far: Fated, Cursed, and Taken. I’ve only read the first one but it was pretty good.
Another possibility is Justin Gustainis’s Occult Crime Unit Investigation books. They’re about Sgt Stan Markowski of the Supernatural Crimes Squad of the Scranton PD. The series is based on the idea that supernatural beings like vampires, werewolves, wizards, etc are living openly in human society and special police units have been set up to deal with crimes related to them. There are two books in the series so far: Hard Spell and Evil Dark.
You might enjoy the wicked good pulp-noir supernatural/horror novels by Charlie Huston, beginning with Already Dead. His writing style is direct, the books are short, and his hip take on conventions pulls no punches. He also has a hard-boiled series if you like him.
Additionally, you might like Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series, starting with Magic Bites. A good friend of mine folowed Dresden with this series, and highly recommends it. He says the world is fascinating, and the characters are great.
I liked Weaveworld, bobot, so long ago that I’ve forgotten it. Might be time to check it out again. I met Clive Barker at a club in the 80s. He drew a picture on the back of my leather jacket and signed it. I wonder if it would be worth anything.
If you enjoyed the fun trashiness of the Dresden Files, you might enjoy the *Sandman Slim *books.
They’re ultra-violent, ultra-dark, hardboiled, supernatural, neo-noir books. I really enjoyed them all.
Here is a review of the first one. It was Boing Boing’s review of the second novel in the series that got me reading them, but there are a few minor spoilers in that one.
On a similar vein as the Dresden books, I really enjoy an occasional infusion of some noir-esque urban fiction in the form of Simon R. Green Nightsideseries. They’re silly and short, but (at least the first few, that I’ve read) have been great fun.
Then, of course, there is the classic fantasy noir of Glen Cook, whom Jim Baker was almost certainly inspired by.
I enjoyed Jacka’s stuff and just about the same time I discovered him I also discovered Peter Grant, who has a series that I feel falls within the genre.
One of the things that hooked me: in Jacka’s first novel he does a shout-out to Butcher. It was fun.
Lastly, even though it isn’t in the same genre, I will strongly recommend Butcher’s other series, *The Codex Alera *which I really enjoyed. The first one was very slow and I almost put it down, but once I got through it, I liked the others very much. There is a fun little anecdote about it. Youtube video.
High on action, low on fantasy? How about Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles. It’s Arthur, but in a more grounded way than every other version I’ve read. Cornwell’s my go to author for this kind of thing. His *Saxon Tales *are also good (although I’ve only read the first 3 of the 7 out so far) as is the Grail Quest trilogy. While Cornwell’s better known for his Sharpe series I prefer his more recent work set in the dark ages.
I’ll hang on to it. I doubt I could even prove it was his artwork and signature, unless I write to him and he remembers an evening 25 years ago. I’m not wearing it though. I think I’m a little old and paunchy to wear my going out clothes from my 20s.
