# Recommend some fantasy to me **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 4, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159 "2013-06-04T22:10:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Lurker\_Above](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Lurker\_Above](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lurker_Above)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/41 "2013-06-05T19:32:10Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I can’t say that I think Sanderson is a brilliant writer or incredibly creative with his plots or some kind of genius at character building. What he is is a tremendous storyteller, and seems able to toss off incredible, fun, likeable books with great ease. I’ve read everything he’s written and will continue to; his books are easy-to-read page-turners that are just plain fun. I like Sanderson, but I don’t think _Mystborn_ is his best work. He obviously puts a lot of thought and effort into building unusual magic systems; and naturally he wants the reader to learn about them. This made parts of the Mystborn trilogy read like a RPG players manual. I’d suggest someone new to Sandersons work start with _Warbreaker_, or if they want something epic(ally long) _The Way of Kings_. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/42 "2013-06-05T20:12:21Z")
Huh. 40 something posts and I’m gonna get to be the guy who mentions [Thieves’ World](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thieves'_World). It doesn’t get any better than this. Short stories, novellas, novels, even a series of novels. Robert Lynn Asprin created the mileau and then let dozens of authors set stories within it. YMMV, but for me it’s very easy to get lost in these stories. Some of the best realized fantasy I’ve ever come across. Also a nod for Richard K. Morgan’s _A Land Fit For Heroes_. The third book is due out this year, and I have no idea if that wraps up the story or not so if you want closure these may not be for you. And last but not least, I always love a chance to recommend Brian Daley’s _Coramonde_ books. There’s just two of them (_Doomfarers of Coramonde_ and _Starfollowers of Coramonde_), but they totally fucking rock! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/43 "2013-06-05T20:17:33Z")
I’d love to recommend The Way of the Kings. It’s one of my absolute favorites. But as the first - and so far only published - entry in a ten-volume series, I don’t think it’s the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![dataguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eada6e/32.png) [@dataguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dataguy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/44 "2013-06-05T20:22:05Z")
> [@The\_Lurker\_Above](#): > > I like Sanderson, but I don’t think _Mystborn_ is his best work. > > … > > I’d suggest someone new to Sandersons work start with _Warbreaker_, or if they want something epic(ally long) _The Way of Kings_. I totally agree with your recommendations. Warbreaker is also my favorite Sanderson work. But the OP specifically requested advice on a series. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/45 "2013-06-05T20:36:17Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Good on you for not listing the Darkover or Pern novels as fantasy. > … Similarly with Julian May’s linked _Saga of Pliocene Exile_ and _Galactic Milieu_ series. It’s all science–but the former series has a faux-medievalist setting that many fantasy fans enjoy. Good stuff. My top fantasy-series pick is Pullman’s _His Dark Materials_. It’s smart and enthralling. Also, I’ve loved everything by Diana Wynne Jones that I’ve read, but I discovered her only recently and haven’t finished reading any of her series, yet. (She’s the author of _Howl’s Moving Castle_, which as most here will know, was made into an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki.) I’ve read only the first few books of many of the other series mentioned in this thread (Wheel of Time; Belgariad; Thomas Covenant; possibly others I’ve blanked on). ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/46 "2013-06-05T20:48:27Z")
Going through your list _ **A Song of Ice and Fire** _: The first three books are amazing (and judging by the success of the TV show, one of the top books of our generation). The fourth and fifth books are noticeably more boring, and I’m worried if he’ll ever finish it. Still worth reading, though. _ **The Sword of Truth** _: I’ve only read the first three books, and that was enough for me. I’d skip it. It’s pretty cliche-ridden generic fantasy for the most part - the three heroes are the standard prince/adventurer, a princess, and a wizard; the villain’s name is “Darken Rahl” for crying out loud. The only non-generic part about it was the weird S&M porn warriors. _ **The First Law** _: I love these books, though the grittiness might turn some people off. I wouldn’t call it satire, but there’s some satirical elements (such as the ending of the second book). There’s actually 6 books in the series now, so Abercrombie’s able to churn 'em out. I actually liked Best Served Cold and The Heroes more than the original trilogy. Other recommendations: - Anything Sanderson, though I’d recommend you just try the one-shot Elantris and see if it’s your style. I love the detail of his magic systems, others don’t. - Brent Weeks has two series - the _Night Angel_ one is a finished trilogy, and while its obviously a rookie effort, it’s very good. His current series, _Lightbringer_, is great, though only two books in. - Peter Brett’s Demon Cycle is pretty good - three books into a five-book series. The first book is somewhat generic, but the second book adds a Middle Eastern flavor which is really interesting. Just started reading the third book. - Rothfuss’ _Kingkiller Chronicle_ is really great as well, I think of it somewhat like an adult Harry Potter - coming of age story, etc. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/47 "2013-06-05T20:49:22Z")
I recommend the books in the _Dragonlance_ world, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Its an entire world, with different authors contributing, but the main stories are written by those two. The good thing is that because its a whole separate universe, you can pretty much start and stop where you want to. My recommendation is that you read one or two of the collected Tales books, like Tales vol. 1: The Magic of Krynn, and then jump into the 3 book Chronicles Trilogy. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/48 "2013-06-05T21:23:02Z")
I recommend the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks. I read the first few chapters online and immediately went out and bought the books. I had a lot of fun reading it. ---
**Author:** ![Sassy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sassy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/49 "2013-06-05T21:49:53Z")
The Deverry Cycle by Katharine Kerr - first book is Daggerspell. I think these books are unfairly overlooked. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/50 "2013-06-05T23:09:21Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Also Zelazny, \ Oh, yeah; the first _The Chronicles of Amber_ series especially is great. I liked the second too, but lots of people don’t. > [@Lightray](#): > > Best epic fantasy series: _The Riddle-Master of Hed_, by Patricia McKillip. Can’t believe I forgot that, I’ve read it multiple times. Definitely excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/51 "2013-06-06T02:54:52Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Oh, yeah; the first _The Chronicles of Amber_ series especially is great. Oh yeah, Amber is great. If anyone hasn’t read that yet, you need to read it now. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/52 "2013-06-06T03:03:10Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I’ll add a third caveat. While Martin and Erikson are frequently quite grim they will dole out passably happy endings to a select few. Mieville is whole 'nother level of _cruel_ to his characters - I didn’t really fell that great for anybody at the end of any of his books that I’ve read. They are wonderfully inventive and engaging, but I’ve decided Mieville is not for me for much the same reason I’ve mostly given up on watching unrelentingly bleak films, no matter how artfully done. But make no mistake - he’s a strong writer, just not quite to my taste. > > Cast me with the anti-Brooks people. I’m pro-Vance\*, Lynch, Martin, Erikson, Esslemont somewhat ( but you probably need to read Erikson first ). I think **Smeghead** ’s take on Butcher’s _Dresden Files_ is dead on - formulaic but tolerable through the first few, then improving. Donaldson is a coin flip if you accept it as a deconstruction of the fantasy hero, but I wouldn’t go back to his books at this point. > > Of the young adult books I like LeGuin’s _Earthsea_, think Pullman is a much better writer than Rowling ( but the different series might be a matter of taste ) and would suggest you not forget Lloyd Alexander’s _Prydain_ books. > > - I wasn’t clear if you have read the _Lyonesse_ books from your post, but if you haven’t I might start there as a tribute, since he just passed away. I really enjoyed them. I knew there was a reason I liked you, **Tamerlane** :). I pretty much agree with every word of what you wrote. In fact, there’s a fun game with **Perdido Street Station** called “Spot the Happy Ending”: There’s a minor character who, about halfway through the book, says, “Fuck this noise,” and gets the hell out of town. That character might have a happy ending! The idea that Rowling is a better writer than Pullman makes me twitch, but then, I have a lot of problems with Rowling, from her presentation of girls to her creepy fantasy take on British class society and noblesse oblige. Lloyd Alexander is fantastic, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/53 "2013-06-06T11:53:51Z")
> [@](#): > > _Black Company_ by Glen Cook. Pros: Heard it’s “grittier” than regular fantasy. Cons: Heard it declines in quantity as the series goes on. I’ll vouch with **Battle Pope** for the _Books of the North_ and _Of the South_, though they were taking a sharp swerve in enjoyability towards the end of the latter—it’s what turned me off reading any further. (I’ll admit, one of the big reasons I got started on them in the first place was that they heavily inspired the setting and story for Bungie’s old _Myth_ games. No molotov-hurling dwarves, alas.) > [@](#): > > _The First Law_ trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Pros: A manageable length. Apparently it’s got some humor. Cons: Might not be familiar enough with the fantasy genre to appreciate the satire. I read the trilogy and…I can’t really recommend it. There are likable elements and characters, to be sure, and tastes can be relative, but this one just smacked too much of “ooh, look at me! Look how clever and dark I am! And you’re the jerk for falling for it!” It might be straying a bit from “epic” or “high” fantasy, but might you consider any of the old Conan stories by Howard? Some of them are decently long, but many others are short enough that you can test the waters to see if it’s your thing or not. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/54 "2013-06-06T14:05:29Z")
How about Steven Brust’s series? I don’t know what it’s officially called - Jhereg, I’m assuming. This one’s a bit tricky to describe. The main character is a human living in a city dominated by elves. These aren’t nice Tolkein elves, but rather physically larger, much longer lived people who all have magical abilities. They’re divided up into 12 or 13 - I forget - races, each based on an animal, some of which exist in our world, and some of which don’t. Their attitude toward humans ranges from disgust and loathing to mostly forgetting that they exist. The main character is, at least at first, a criminal boss trying to carve out a living for himself in this city, surrounded by and working with these elves who he loathes. The series suffers as it goes on from a few things. First is that the author’s private life apparently fell apart, and he reflected those changes in his writing, which in my opinion derailed what was a nice story. Then he also started doing another series set in the same world in the style of Dumas’s Three Musketeers - imitating the old language and everything. An interesting enough gimmick, but I tired of it quickly. THEN, he started mixing the two series together and it all just got to be more effort to keep up with than I was willing to put in. Plus, I often found it nearly impossible to find some of the books. But the first handful of books were enjoyable and worth reading. If you find that you really really like it, there’s lots of material out there to dig into. If you can find it. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/55 "2013-06-06T14:22:16Z")
I’ll pop back in to add… If you can find Sherri S. Tepper’s novels set in the genre of The True Game, they are outstanding. They’re out of print and fairly expensive on Amazon, but perhaps a library might have them. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/56 "2013-06-06T19:54:59Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > How about Steven Brust’s series? I don’t know what it’s officially called - Jhereg, I’m assuming. The [Vlad Taltos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_Taltos#Vlad_Taltos) series, after the main character. > [@Clothahump](#): > > I’ll pop back in to add… > > If you can find Sherri S. Tepper’s novels set in the genre of The True Game, they are outstanding. They’re out of print and fairly expensive on Amazon, but perhaps a library might have them. Oh yeah, those were good. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/57 "2013-06-08T14:11:53Z")
I’m going to defend the quality of the latter books of The Black Company series, and say that Cook is very gifted (if a bit bizzare) writer for it. The Black Company is a 400 year-old organization, that’s _almost_ (but never quite completely) wiped out time-and-again throughout its history. It has drifted geographically over the years, sometimes staying in one place for a generation, and then moving several cultures away suddenly. After the Battle of the Barrow (_The White Rose_, Third Book of the North), The Black Company is left with six members, and the now powerless Lady, when Croaker, the Annalist-Physician (and newly elected Captain), decides to take the Company back to its origins to legendary Khatovar. This entails a _seven-thousand_ mile haj into an Indian/Asian analog society (culturally), service to a new employer (a Raj), a protracted war with a powerful empire run by high-level sorcerers, and a plot that brushes up agaist “mythical time” in its scope. All told through the eyes of ordinary, everyday, work-a-day mercenary soldiers. _Dreams of Steel_ (Second Book of the South) is told by Lady, a 400+ year-old (former) sorceress-supreme who ruled The Empire of the North (a European-analog, culturally) before being de-powered in _The White Rose._ _Bleak Seasons_ and _She Is the Darkness_ is told by Murgen, the Company Standard-Bearer. Murgen is less-than-sane in his grip on reality after the horrors of the siege of Dejagore, and being touched in the mind by the crazy sorceress Soulcatcher (Lady’s estranged sister) and the Eternal Guardian of Glittering Stone, Shivetya. _Water Sleeps_ is told by Sleepy, former foot-soldier forced by circumstances to assume the role of Captain to resuce the trapped members of the Company from their sorcerous slumber beneath Glittering Stone, a huge plain that is a magical artifact that links sixteen different worlds (one of which _might_ be ours). The scale of the seires is epic, but told mostly through the eyes of ordinary foot-soldiers, ad the _tone_ of the series changes as each new annalists takes up the pen. Croaker returns as Annalist for ther series finale, _Soldiers Live._ And from some commentary in the book, I think Cook decided he needed to drop the Anvil of Exposition on some of the reader’s heads to get the idea across that The Company is an ever-evolving organization, with changes in personalities and cultures sufficient enough that even a Company veteran who’s been around it for two generations barely recognizes it anymore. This book speaks powerfully to combat veterans, and survivor’s guilt. _The Black Company_ series typically resonates with militay types, esp. combat veterans, due to it’s down-to-earth realism (the “grittiness” some mention) that comes from its POV of ordinary soldiers. Soldiers live. And wonder wy. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/58 "2013-06-08T15:02:38Z")
I will third Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber series. They are not just great, they are an order of magnitude better than any other fantasy series I have ever read, and that most definitely includes Lord of the Rings. They will put all other fantasy series in perspective. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/59 "2013-06-30T17:37:58Z")
_If you ever meet a WoT fan, you tell him Robert Jordan died clean._ Well i sat down and reread the entire Wheel of Time series after giving it up on the tenth book a decade ago. I was surprised at how much i enjoyed it, the series picked back up with Jordan’s last book and the three by Brandon Sanderson and ended up being highly enjoyable. Yes, three out of fourteen books are pretty horrible, but that is a damn good record not even Martin can live up to at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159/60 "2013-06-30T19:17:53Z")
Why not try Michael Moorcocks Elric of Melnibone stories. Imaginative, excellent reads and a lot better then much of todays output. Also another one for Ice and Fire, and thinking about it Disc World books by Terry Pratchett. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fantasy-to-me/660159.md?page=4)