# Recommend a fantasy newbie some books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2009, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519 "2009-02-05T03:17:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/21 "2009-02-05T15:32:32Z")
I loved the Name Of The Wind. I can’t wait for the next release. It has been way too long. I too liked Scott Lynch’s books, but was always disappointed at the end. I will read the third when it comes out, but I keep wanting more. Some of the ones mentioned are great. In addition, try these: [Prince Ombra](http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Ombra-Roderick-MacLeish/dp/0765342448) [The Forgotten beasts of Eld](http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Beasts-Magic-Carpet-Books/dp/0152055363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233847772&sr=1-1) ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/22 "2009-02-05T16:55:19Z")
Mostly anything by Robin Hobb gives me the same “feel” as _A Song of Ice and Fire_. It’s dark, horrible and anyone can die, and the main characters usually suffer. **Assassin’s Apprentice** is the first book in a rather kudzu-like series of trilogies. Judith Tarrs books about elves are great, with a rather strange story, beautifull historical backdrop and interesting characters. I think the first one is either **The Isle of Glass** or **The Hound and the Falcon** , I forget which is which. ---
**Author:** ![Vimp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vimp/32/4186_2.png) [@Vimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vimp)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/23 "2009-02-05T20:42:25Z")
Want to echo all the recommendations for Tim Power’s books above - although I still like _The Anubis Gates_ the best of all his works. I know you said you couldn’t get into _Perdido Street Station_ (neither did I, but I finished it), but Mieville’s second book in the series, _The Scar_, is awesome. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did I was really hooked. Recommend highly. I also liked _Sunshine_ by Robin McKinley (ok, it’s a variation on a vampire theme story), first recommended somewhere here on the Dope. And for true semi-otherworldly somewhat twisted fantasy, you can’t beat Charles Stross’s _The Atrocity Archives_. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/24 "2009-02-05T21:02:25Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > [The Forgotten beasts of Eld](http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Beasts-Magic-Carpet-Books/dp/0152055363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233847772&sr=1-1) Personally I always liked her Riddle Master trilogy best of her books. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/25 "2009-02-05T21:56:00Z")
Your tastes sound extremely similar to mine, with the exception of _The Name of the Wind_. (I couldn’t stand it.) I’ve plumbed some of the more obscure reaches of the fantasy genre, so I can recommend a few that haven’t been mentioned yet. [The High House](http://www.amazon.com/High-House-Aspect-Fantasy/dp/0446606790/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233869868&sr=1-1), by James Stoddard. It is nearly impossible to praise this book too highly. The writing is absolutely excellent, with luxurious descriptions of everything, yet the book also moves along very quickly. It’s basically a story about a child raised in a magical house with dinosaurs in the attic and tigers in the basement. Sound strange? It is, but the writer makes it feel perfectly normal. [The Man Who was Thursday](http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Was-Thursday-Nightmare/dp/0375757910/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233870413&sr=1-1), by G. K. Chesterton. A classic written 101 years ago that never loses its appeal. The story of a policeman who infiltrates a gang of violent anarchists in disguise. The plot is legendary. (You probably know that there’s a book which has this plot, even if you don’t know that it’s this particular book.) There’s humor, suspense, and plain old weirdness all mixed together. I would argue that this is the greatest short novel ever written. [Wizard War Chronicles](http://www.amazon.com/Wizards-Warriors-Chronicles-Age-Darkness/dp/0861402448/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233870666&sr=1-1), by Hugh Cook. Like George R. R. Martin’s series, only better. It’s hard to find these books in America, because they’ve been out of print for twenty years, but scoop them up whenever you get a chance. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/26 "2009-02-05T22:05:18Z")
> [@Atrael](#): > > I’d sugest revisiting the Wheel of Time books again. I think that if you’ve read the Song of Fire and Ice first then yeah, it’s going to seem too familar. Plus because the series has taken so long to write there are a lot of…unhappy fans. But now that the final book is being written (due out the end of this year I think), it’s not too bad to read through them all. Meh. I need more than “not too bad” to recommend a single book to me; if I’m looking at a trilogy, I need it to a helluva lot better than “not too bad.” This is a ten-book series, right? I got 70 pages into the first book and put it down, and see no reason to pick them up again in my lifetime. “Not too bad” is a recommendation for a dental procedure, not for an entertainment option. > [@](#): > > _Edited to add_ Oh, Also I think the next **Gentleman Bastard** book is due out at the end of this month. To pick up where we left off with Locke and Jean. Squee! [QUOTE=Just Some Guy] Finally I have to mention Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. It’s a novel set at the turn of the nineteenth century about the reemergence of magic in Britain. It’s not a book for everyone and there is a simple test to know if it is for you: the book is written in the style of the period. If you said, “By Jove! That sounds like a delightful experience!” then this is the book for you. If, on the other hand, you said, “They had novels in nineteenth century Britain?” then you probably won’t enjoy it. [/quote] I meant to mention this one! It’s unique and amazing, definitely worth trying out. It starts a little slow, but it’s got a compelling magical structure, and it builds to a wondrous climax. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![wunderkammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@wunderkammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wunderkammer)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/27 "2009-02-05T23:01:17Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > Finally I have to mention _Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell_. Soon this thread is going to look like the “goose is greasy” thread. Because I’m going to pile on and recommend it again. Speculative Napoleonic Wars geekery? Check. Hints about an incredibly rich backstory? Check\*. A charming narrative voice? Check. Really good characters who bounce off of each other in a wonderfully period manner? Check. And all of this is built on some of the best magic I’ve ever read. \*Let us not forget the footnotes. Oh! the footnotes. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/28 "2009-02-05T23:14:35Z")
Robert E. Howard’s _Conan the Barbarian_ series is a cornerstone of fantasy, & Conan himself is the biggest, baddest bastard in all fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/29 "2009-02-05T23:29:03Z")
I don’t have anything new to add, all my favorites have already been mentioned. So instead I would like to take this opportunity to +1 some of those. -_Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian_ - The Original Sword and Socery stories? I would say that reading some Conan stories are essential to understanding any of the art that came about after the pulp age. So Conan should be required reading for an appreciation of most American art and literature. HP Lovecraft too, for similar reasons. Even if you don’t care for it, it’s influence casts a long shadow. -_Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell_ - Others have done justice to this book already. It’s big, but very good. -_Assassin’s Apprentice_ and the rest of them by Robin Hobb - Great easy writing style, and a fantastic plot and characters. -_Terry Pratchetts DiscWorld Series_ - All of them, any of them. Fun, funny, thought provoking. Really really good stuff. -_A Wizard of Earthsea_ - Just finished this after meaning to read it for years. It’s fantastic. Well deserving of its status as a classic. -\*The Dark is Rising \*- Also fantastic. Another well deserved classic. I am also currently working on a game based on The Malazan Book of the Fallen with another couple of SDMB members. I don’t know anything about the books, but from what I have learned working on the game I plan to bump them to the top of my reading list. Oh and the Chronicles Prydain by Lloyd Alexander aren’t on this list anywhere! Get those too. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/30 "2009-02-05T23:50:54Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’ve recently gotten into the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. Seconded. I’ve been interested in urban arcana settings lately, and _The Dresden Files_ is a great series. If you’ve seen the TV series, the books are noticeably different, but they’re a hell of a lot of fun. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/31 "2009-02-05T23:52:06Z")
> [@wunderkammer](#): > > Soon this thread is going to look like the “goose is greasy” thread. Because I’m going to pile on and recommend it again. > > Speculative Napoleonic Wars geekery? Check. > Hints about an incredibly rich backstory? Check\*. > A charming narrative voice? Check. > Really good characters who bounce off of each other in a wonderfully period manner? Check. > > And all of this is built on some of the best magic I’ve ever read. > > \*Let us not forget the footnotes. Oh! the footnotes. The stumbling block for people, though, is the style of the novel. The florid language use and leisurely format cause a lot of people to bounce pretty hard off it. And that reminds me of something I forgot to mention: > [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](#): > > And for something that straddles the line between fantasy and sci-fi, look up Gene Wolfe’s **Book of the New Sun** and its sequels. The prose is not easy to slip into (well, not for me, at any rate), but it’s well worth it. My suspicion is that for Christmas in 1979 somebody gave Gene Wolfe a Word-a-Day calendar and _The Book of the New Sun_ is his elaborate revenge on that person. It’s still good but if you didn’t score 1500+ on verbal portion of your SAT be ready to look up a lot of words. It’s only the fifth time that I’ve encountered gnomon being used, though admittedly I do not hang out with fanciers of that kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Elyanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5ac83/32.png) [@Elyanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elyanna)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/32 "2009-02-06T00:00:51Z")
With Pratchett I do not recommend starting off at the very beginning, like I did. He doesn’t truly pick up his stride until several books in. Or maybe I just don’t like Rincewind. Anyway, I recommend starting with _Guards! Guards!_, _Small Gods_, or _Wyrd Sisters_. And then everything else. John Connolly’s _The Book of Lost Things_. A whimsical, disturbing, sad coming-of-age story. ---
**Author:** ![Caveat\_lector\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@Caveat\_lector\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caveat_lector_1)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/33 "2009-02-06T00:04:08Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > And that reminds me of something I forgot to mention: > > My suspicion is that for Christmas in 1979 somebody gave Gene Wolfe a Word-a-Day calendar and _The Book of the New Sun_ is his elaborate revenge on that person. It’s still good but if you didn’t score 1500+ on verbal portion of your SAT be ready to look up a lot of words. > > It’s only the fifth time that I’ve encountered gnomon being used, though admittedly I do not hang out with fanciers of that kind of thing. He also tends to make things up for his world and never clearly explain just what they are until much later. There were a few things never clearly defined until the appendix of the last book. I know the books are supposed to be written by someone of that time/world and so they’d know what they are not not explain, but it still seems like poor writing to me. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/34 "2009-02-06T00:11:37Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > _Mistborn_’s readable but not particularly worthwhile. > > . Whaa? You’re kidding, right? RIGHT? Okay, I guess YMMV, but I thought _Mistborn_ was awesome upon awesome. Now _Elantris_, that was forgettable; I don’t understand why everyone seems to think it was so great. Also, _Mistborn_ is the only fantasy novel I can think of that features a likable eunich. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/35 "2009-02-06T00:46:48Z")
Also, there’s a [list](http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/bn/board/message?board.id=fsf&thread.id=5408&jump=true) being written on the Barnes & Noble fantasy forum that might be helpful to you. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/36 "2009-02-06T00:53:11Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > [The Man Who was Thursday](http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Was-Thursday-Nightmare/dp/0375757910/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233870413&sr=1-1), by G. K. Chesterton. A classic written 101 years ago that never loses its appeal. The story of a policeman who infiltrates a gang of violent anarchists in disguise. The plot is legendary. (You probably know that there’s a book which has this plot, even if you don’t know that it’s this particular book.) There’s humor, suspense, and plain old weirdness all mixed together. I would argue that this is the greatest short novel ever written. One of my favorites as well. Another in the short fantasy section: _Invisible Cities_ by Italo Calvino. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/37 "2009-02-06T01:31:10Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > It’s only the fifth time that I’ve encountered gnomon being used, though admittedly I do not hang out with fanciers of that kind of thing. It’s a piece of land surrounded by water, right? The Chronicles of Prydain: great recommendation. Definitely children’s lit, unlike Wizard of Earthsea, but if you can dig that, they’re great. (We’re talking Book of Three, Black Cauldron, etc.) Typing that makes me think that when recommending series, it’d be helpful to provide at least the first title; otherwise, it could be a lot harder to find them at the library. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/38 "2009-02-06T01:41:07Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > It’s a piece of land surrounded by water, right? That’s No Man. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/39 "2009-02-06T01:45:06Z")
> [@Claptree](#): > > It is an amazing series, in scope and quality. Steven Erikson is easily my favourite fantasy writer, IMO leagues beyond Martin and others. The eighth book out of a planned ten is out now (paperback in April, I can’t wait), and the quality has been very high throughout. > > A warning is in order - the first book, Gardens of the Moon, tosses you right in the middle of an ongoing story, and you have to work to get into it. It’s a bit of a puzzle, frankly. Well worth the effort, though. Erikson sets up a very interesting world, but I don’t think he writes dialogue that well, or has that many deep or complex characters (I’m up to book 3 so far, so hopefully it gets better later on). They all seem to be the same version of “grizzled bad-ass warrior/assassin/mage that does whatever they can to protect the innocent.” To make a comparison to ASOIAF, it feels like 90% of the major characters in Malazan are Qhorin Half-hand. I also don’t really like how dragonball-z-ish most of the battles end up. There’s never really any sense of tension or danger, because even when the heroes are surrounded by dozens of warriors on all sides, they still manage to pull of a spell that obliterates everyone, or a demigod interferes and a giant boar hoof comes down and steps on the bad guys. More deus-ex machinas than you can count. I much prefer GRRM’s limited magic approach. ---
**Author:** ![Sonnenstrahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Sonnenstrahl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonnenstrahl)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519/40 "2009-02-06T01:50:08Z")
Darn. I was reading, and reading, and thought no one was going to mention _Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell_. Of course, right after that there’s a giant love-fest for it. 🙂 I’m not a fantasy reader at all (I need to bookmark this thread and give some a try sometime) but I loved this book, which I think means it’s very accessible to non-fantasy types. Of course, I adore Jane Austen and _Harry Potter_ with an unholy passion, and it was described by some reviewer as a mix between the two, so that might also be why. I recently gave it to a friend who loves fantasy, too, and I rarely give specific books as gifts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-fantasy-newbie-some-books/484519.md?page=3)