Please recommend some fantasy books – no not those kind of fantasy books. I haven’t read much fantasy for a while and I would like to dive back in a bit. I’ve read LoTR and Narnia countless times. My favorite series is Earthsea (even the newer books that everyone else hated). I read (actually listened-to) The Fifth Sorceress and thought it was the worst thing I didn’t read. In fact I stopped listening before end which is pretty bad considering all I had to do was keep the CDs playing. I also didn’t like one by Mercedes Lackey. It seemed like something that I would have liked when I was younger, but just didn’t work for my 35 year-old self. I’ve also read a little over half of Pratchett and loved them all.
So any good suggestions? I’ve read threads in the past, but when I get to the library, I can never keep the authors straight: “Is that the libertarian guy?” or “Is that the guy that everyone thinks should just end his series?” I don’t care if it is a series or not, but if it is a series I like to read them in order. Thanks in advance!
My personal favorite fantasy books are The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. The series is still being completed (4 of 7 books are finished), but this just gives me an excuse to re-read the series from the beginning each time a new book is released.
The series starts with A Game of Thrones (which is obviously where you would want to start). The whole story is pretty dark and very medieval. I should also note that the series is intended for mature readers (lots of death, violence, and lewdness). The cast of characters rivals any series I’ve ever read; each individual is unique and have believable motives and desires. The story arc can get complex at times, but not overly so. In fact, I think the complexity and depth add to its attractiveness.
I’m anxiously awaiting book 5 (A Dance With Dragons). I just hope the series ends with the quality that has held up through the first four books. Sometimes series tend to get bogged down toward the end (I’m looking at you Robert Jordan!). If you’re looking for more info you can check out George R.R. Martin’s website .
We’ve had “recommend fantasy books” threads in the past; here’s one of them that might give you some ideas. Or if you were more specific about what you do or don’t want, I’m sure there are some fantasy readers here who can give you some good recommendations.
Everything by Diana Wynne Jones. Start with *Archer’s Goon *for a laugh or jump right into Fire and hemlock if you want to see how complex she can get.
Connie Willis: Doomsday book. Then on to To say nothing of the dog.
I’ve never read anything by Adams but I heard him speak at an SF convention once. Based on that, I have no interest in reading anything the slimy never-should-have-been-born-of-woman sumbitch might ever have written.
You sound like me. I liked LOTR and I have read Earthsea books over and over. You might want to check out Jack Vance’s Dying Earth series. His writing is really sharp and I find the characters more fleshed out than in most fantasy writing. Here’s a bit of Jack Vance trivia while we are on the subject: the magic from the Dying Earth system was the basis for the magic system in the original Dungeon and Dragons (I’m a huge geek).
ANYTHING by Tamora Pierce, Robin Mckinley, Jacqueline Carey, Laurie Faria Stolarz, Stephenie Meyer, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, Juliet Marillier, Anne Bishop, Sara Douglass, Kate Elliott or Trudi Canavan is, like, really good.