# Recommend some Fantasy novels for me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 26, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500 "2005-09-26T15:05:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [September 26, 2005, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500/21 "2005-09-26T19:13:13Z")
Another good one, _The Firekeeper Saga_ by Jane Lindskold, starting with _Through Wolf’s Eyes_. The protagonist is the sole survivor of a failed colony, and is raised by sentient wolves. The wolves name her Firekeeper, because she likes to ( and can ) build fires. Animals in this world come in two varieties, normal ( “Cousins” ), and sentient ( “Royal” ). Humans do not realize this, however. When she and her Royal Wolf friend enter the human world, they are engulfed by political intrigue and military conflict. There are plenty of strong women in the books, good and bad. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2005, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500/22 "2005-09-26T19:28:08Z")
I would second the recommendation of any book by Martha Wells. Her greatest achievement so far is _The Death of the Necromancer_, a mystery story set in a city modeled on Paris in the mid-nineteenth century. It has tons of careful period detail, gothic settings and a tremendous plot. Paula Volsky is a rising author with somewhere around six books to her credit. None of them are as good as Wells’, but they’re decently engorssing in their own right. Neal Barrett, Jr., a long-time science fiction author, recently crossed over to fantasy with \*The Prophecy Machine \*and _The Treachery of Kings_. These books defy description, but I’ll say at least that they’re dark comedy with an edge. Like Terry Pratchett, though, Barrett never writes anything that’s only comedy. Lastly I would give a nod for James Stoddard, author of _The High House_ and _The False House_. Built on a great setting in a sprawling Victorian mansion with dinosaurs in the attic and tigers in the basement, this is an adventure story with all kinds of twists. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500/23 "2005-09-26T19:46:43Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Just saw this. I recommend the Seven Waters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier. I was going to suggest this too 😃 I’m a picky fantasy reader, and I personally can’t stomach the stilted writing styles in His Dark Materials (beginning with The Golden Compass that **Left Hand of Dorkness** suggested) or the Lord Of The Rings trilogy possess, so take my recs with a grain of salt if you like those works… My favorite fantasy writer is David Eddings and the first four series he did are very good; I haven’t read any of his stuff from the past 5 years, though. \*\*The Belgariad \*\* and \*\*The Malloreon \*\* series are probably the best, though I did enjoy the **The Elenium** and \*\*Tamuli \*\* series too. The books in each are outlined [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Eddings#The_Belgariad) The best fantasy novel I’ve read in a long long time is an urban fantasy by Emma Bull - **The War For The Oaks.** On the same theme \*\*Tithe \*\* by Holly Black is a good read too but aimed at the YA crowd. Both have female protagonists, but they’re not terribly girly. **Strangewood** by Christopher Golden is up there too. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500/24 "2005-09-26T20:21:58Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > :dubious: That’d be Anne McCaffrey. It’s also science fiction, like the Darkover novels (by Marion Zimmer-Bradley). Actually, I’ve seen Pern more than once mentioned as an example of a cross-genre book, science fiction at the edge of fantasy (or vice versa). It’s got far more fantasy tropes than SF tropes, and the science doesn’t make any sense. The only reason anyone calls it SF is because it refers to spaceships and planets. I don’t recommend them. But some folks like 'em. I’ll guess that few folks like both McCaffrey and Mieville. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500/25 "2005-09-26T20:52:01Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > _Royal Assassin_ is the second Assassin book. The first one is _Assassin’s Apprentice_. > > I love Barbara Hambly. She might have too much magic in her books for your taste, but you really owe it to yourself to at least read _Dragonsbane_. There are sequels to that book, however, it’s a stand-alone novel and I really don’t recommend the sequels because she was getting over the loss of her soulmate when she was writing them. Her other books are pretty much consistently good, though. > > Other than that, I agree with most of the other posters. Except for Mercedes Lackey. I don’t feel that Lackey is very good at all, and I’ve read various works by her. Wow - the Minuteman catalog lists it as the first in the series. Specifically the Assassin’s Quest MARC record has a 520 tag that states: “A fantasy tale on a man who carves a dragon out of stone with which to defend his kingdom from enemies. The novel is the last installment in a trilogy which began with Royal Assassin.” And it’s a DLC record. I’m shocked!!! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500/26 "2005-09-27T13:52:42Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > The only reason anyone calls it SF is because it refers to spaceships and planets. That, and because in the long run everything is explained by the use of technology rather than magic, and because the author believes it to be SF. Same with Darkover. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500/27 "2005-09-27T15:14:14Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > Wow - the Minuteman catalog lists it as the first in the series. Specifically the Assassin’s Quest MARC record has a 520 tag that states: “A fantasy tale on a man who carves a dragon out of stone with which to defend his kingdom from enemies. The novel is the last installment in a trilogy which began with Royal Assassin.” And it’s a DLC record. I’m shocked!!! Nope. _Assassin’s Apprentice_ is the first one. Hobb follows a pattern of titles for at least three of her trilogies. There’s Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest, then Ship of Magic, Mad Ship, and Ship of Destiny, and then Fool’s Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool’s Fate. See the pattern? The first and last books in the trilogy have the same noun first, and the second book in each trilogy has the same noun as the last word in the title. I checked with [Hobb’s website](http://www.robinhobb.com/books-main.html) to make sure, and I do have the books listed in the correct order. There are minor spoilers in that website, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500/28 "2005-09-27T15:33:33Z")
This is a pattern she is (sort of) breaking in the current series (Soldier Son) First book was Shaman’s Crossing, Second book is going to be Forest Mage. However I suppose you could say that Shaman and Mage are synonymous. Will be interesting now to see what book 3 is called. I hadn’t noticed the naming pattern until your post **Lynn** and I’ve read these books several time. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500/29 "2005-09-27T15:38:59Z")
Charles de Lint. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500/30 "2005-09-27T16:14:52Z")
Well, the Tamir Trilogy by Lynn Flewelling definitely does NOT have a girlie female protagonist. And while I’m talking about her, the Nightrunner books too. (Not a trilogy, not a trilogy, not a trilogy…) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Taran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Taran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taran)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500/31 "2005-09-27T17:25:49Z")
> [@marque elf](#): > > Lois Bujold’s Chalion series, 3 books so far, are wonderful fantasies with strong female leads that examine a lot of the traditional elements from a different perspective. I’ve not read the 3rd book yet, but the first 2 or as good as her science fiction. I think she’s the best writer writing SF today, do this is very high praise. She also did a Rennaissance type fantasy called _The Spirit Ring_. Quoted for emphasis. There’s more magical _content_ than might suit your fancy, but this is not a world with wizards and fireballs. I’ve written and deleted a couple of sentences trying to explain what the magic _is_ without giving anything away, so just read the books and solve my dilemma, already. Oh, and look into _Chicks in Chainmail_ and its sequels if you haven’t already. It’s a collection of short stories edited by Esther Friesner, and magic rarely plays a prominent role in the plots. On Preview: Yes, Charles de Lint ---
**Author:** ![Spudo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Spudo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spudo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500/32 "2005-09-27T18:01:04Z")
Depending on how loose you want to be with your definition of magic, check out Roger Zelazny’s First Chonricles of Amber. There isn’t any really overt spell casting, wizard with a pointy hat kind of magic, but there’s definitely magical things. In my opinion it’s the best series of fantasy novels around (there’s 5 and they’re short); Zelazny’s writing style is so engaging and lively it’s really hard to stop reading. The second Chronicles aren’t nearly as good, and there’s a ton of magic, so avoid those. The books are, in order: Nine Princes in Amber The Guns of Avalon Sign of the Unicorn The Hand of Oberon The Courts of Chaos [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-novels-for-me/323500.md?page=1)