[QUOTE=Khadaji]
Prince Ombra is a great read.
[/QUOTE]
Gosh yes. I’ve had two copies and lost them both. Just went to Amazon and bought another. I rarely re-read, but I love this book.
[QUOTE=Alessan]
For instance, some 15-20 years before the story begins, a complex, gruesome series of events occured that began with a tournament and ended with a woman’s death (not to mention thousands more who died along the way, including a king). Learning the exact nature of these events is crucial to understanding the various characters and their motivations. However, the book never explicitly tells us what happens - the reader has to piece the story together from snippets of conversation, throwaway remarks, random musings and in one case, a bedtime story, all tainted by the various characters’ perspectives and preconceptions. Martin never gives an inch, never delivers any exposition he doesn’t absolutely have to, but rather makes the reader work. It’s exhilerating.
[/QUOTE]
And when something crazy goes down, you can always look back and see the prior events leading up to it, but when you first read them they didn’t seem to add up to anything more than interesting backstory.
[QUOTE=sturmhauke]
And when something crazy goes down, you can always look back and see the prior events leading up to it, but when you first read them they didn’t seem to add up to anything more than interesting backstory.
[/QUOTE]
[old hag]
There’s going to be a wedding.
[/old hag]
-Joeld Hag
[QUOTE=Merijeek]
[old hag]
There’s going to be a wedding.
[/old hag]
-Joeld Hag
[/QUOTE]
.
Yeah. And the bride’s twelve years old. And her father was brutally murdered. And she’s being married against her will to a much older man for strictly political reasons.
I’ve been reading fantasy and sf all my life, but I also disliked Lord of the Rings, so you’ve got company.
I agree with a many of the suggestions here and would also recommend The Coldfire Trilogy by C.S. Friedman. It’s technically set on another planet, but is otherwise basically fantasy, with a fascinating take on magic. The characters are complex, and compelling.
Also you might enjoy the mystery aspects of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files books, as well as the real life/magic concept.
For real people, I’d suggest Charles de Lint’s Newford books. I always suggest starting with Dreams Underfoot and Someplace To Be Flying. These are set in the real world, where sometimes the mythic world intersects. You get to know and love several “regular” characters over the course of the subsequent books.
If you don’t like “dense, long-winded arcana”, then you’ll probably want to stay away from Jonathan Strange.
You might like the Gormenghast novels, by Mervyn Peake.
[QUOTE=wonderlust]
Also you might enjoy the mystery aspects of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files books, as well as the real life/magic concept.
[/QUOTE]
There’s the whole “Urban Fantasy” genre, which depicts witches/wizards/vampires/werewolves, etc., in a modern-day setting, like the Dresden Files books. If you’re interested in those, I can recommend some authors. They’re usually light reading. I tend to like these better than swords-and-horses type fantasy, although I do like Tolkien and George R. R. Martin.
And not just you. The problem with LOTR (IMO, of course) is that Tolkien was writing a travelogue, not a story.
[QUOTE=Alessan]
.
Yeah. And the bride’s twelve years old. And her father was brutally murdered. And she’s being married against her will to a much older man for strictly political reasons.
[/QUOTE]
Actually, mine was an (attempted) direct quote from the seer hag on the hill to Beric and Lem.
A much worse wedding than the one you’re talking about. :mad:
-Joe
[QUOTE=Manduck]
You might like the Gormenghast novels, by Mervyn Peake.
[/QUOTE]
I dunno about this recommendation–those books are pretty much the definition of dense and long-winded.
[QUOTE=Merijeek]
Actually, mine was an (attempted) direct quote from the seer hag on the hill to Beric and Lem.
A much worse wedding than the one you’re talking about. :mad:
-Joe
[/QUOTE]
Damn. Missed that.
Of course, you missed the fact that I was referring to two seperate weddings.
[QUOTE=Hunter Hawk]
I dunno about this recommendation–those books are pretty much the definition of dense and long-winded.
[/QUOTE]
Hey, chacun a son gout or whatever. I found them Dickensian and atmospheric, and a bracing antidote to the prancing elves and fairies of much fantasy lit.
BAH!
Enough of this civilized simpering!
Read some real Fantasy! The kind that will grow hair on your chest! Robert E. Howards Conan!
[QUOTE=Hunter Hawk]
I dunno about this recommendation–those books are pretty much the definition of dense and long-winded.
[/QUOTE]
Recent thread on Gormenghast
[QUOTE=Windwalker]
It’s not exactly what you’re looking for, but I’ll second George R. R. Martin’s Song of Fire & Ice series as a good one if you’re looking for compelling multi-faceted characters. The author does strive to create a fully-realized world, which means world lore will be thrust upon you from time to time, but I find Martin’s prose much more readable (and less rambling) than Tolkein’s. It’s not a mystery filled with puzzles, but the political maneuverings satisfy my itch for cleverness and analysis, and characters do often find themselves in difficult situations that could be solved with a (often political) puzzle-like solution (they often don’t hit upon the correct one, though!).
[/QUOTE]
As much as I love The Song of Ice and Fire series, I don’t know that I’d recommend it to someone who doesn’t normally like fantasy. It may not be heavy on the fantasy elements, but it’s not exactly a light romp either. They’re some of the most politically heavy books I’ve ever read.
[QUOTE=RealityChuck]
There’s also American Gods and Anansi Boys by Neal Gaiman.
[/QUOTE]
Came in here to say this. I’m a little off-put by fantasy as well, and tend to stick to scifi and horror when reading impossible fiction. I liked LOTR, but was unable to get into Harry Potter.
Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman was good too. American Gods is still one of my favorites. It’s funny because when I describe the story to others it totally sounds like something I wouldn’t be into. I’m glad I took the time to read it.
The Golden Compass, book one of “Dark Materials” is a good light read. Its also getting ready to be a movie, so there ya go.