Lois Bujold has been writing some great fantasy novels lately. Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls, and Hallowed Hunt are all set in the same world, but aren’t exactly a trilogy - the second book takes a minor character from the first and builds a story around her, the third book takes place in an entirely different country and has no direct overlap with the other two. The driving cnceit behind the series is the relationship between the novel’s various protagonists, and the gods that minister to the world. It’s a very well-thought out theology, and Bujold does a good job of exploring the ramifications of the supernatural system she created. Her other fantasy series, The Sharing Knife, is a bit odd, for a fantasy series. It’s kind of like if HP Lovecraft had written Little House on the Prairie and had it published by Harlequin.
I’m also a long-time fan of Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. Very Tolkein-esque, but written in a more accessible language. The protagonist does spend an inordinate amount of time lost in various forests, though. If someone had just given that boy a compass, the series would be about half as long.
If you like humorous fantasy, Tanya Huff’s Keeper series.
Well, I think it’s great fun. But if you try it, keep in mind that the first book is considered the weakest in the series (the same for his Codex Alera series).
I had heard that the first book was not the strongest. That’s unusual for a series…usually the first book(s) are the best and it gets weaker over time. I have another long trip coming up, so maybe I’ll get the whole series off Audible.com and give it a try.
My son is reading through the Belgariad for the first time…that’s sort of a classic ‘epic fantasy’ series that the OP might be interested in, if s/he hasn’t read it before. Though I know a lot of folks who didn’t like it, so grain of salt.
I LOVED *The Belgariad *and The Mallorean (David Eddings) series. I still love the classics like Marion Zimmer Bradly’s Darkover series and Anne McCaffery’s Dragonrider series.
I agree on all counts, but I know a lot of people who didn’t like the Belgariad (thought it too ‘childish’), so figured I’d give the standard disclaimer.
Have they come out with the last two books yet?
I second anything by Brandon Sanderson. (Actually, I wasn’t that taken with Elantris, but I seem to be in the utter minority there. So by all means, read Elantris).
Warning: he’s got two(!) unfinished series at the moment. Warbreaker works for the moment as a stand-alone- it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger- but there’s two many unanswered questions for there not to be a sequel. I think BS plans to have a duology. The Stormlight Archives is meant to be ten (!!) books long, with only one out so far. He’s interupting everything except his WoT stuff to work on it- it’s been his pet project for ten years or something like that, and it sort of connects all of his books in a meta-universe and stuff. So you’ll have to be patient.
I will second this. Stick with the Chronicles and Legends books by Weis and Hickman (6 in all). Since they were D&D novels, they had to shoehorn some of the concepts and rules of the game into the story but they are well done , I think (the Legends more than the Chronicles). The various spin offs, not so much.
Also, while I have not read them, I have heard good things about the Shanara books.
The first few are not the strongest IMO. They do get better, but the first few read like journeyman hack-jobs. Not awful. But a bit cliched and obvious. I has to kind of plow through the first three or four before I developed a real interest.
Seconding Mike Carey, Lois McMaster Bujold (Chalion, not Sharing Knife), and Robin Hobb.
The first Dresden book is definitely the weakest, and I wasn’t impressed with the first Codex Alera book either, but haven’t pursued the series yet (and I intend to).
I’d also suggest the Temeraire books by Naomi Novik.
BTW, what are the later books like? I’ve read the first three and am about halfway through The Walrus and the Warwolf, and I think they’re mostly brilliant. However, I do prefer the “gonzo picaresque fantasy” aspect of the works more than the “political intrigue” aspects. Should I keep reading the series, or should I stop after the current book?
Back to the OP:
The Black Company series by Glen Cook
The Wood Beyond the World by William Morris
The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison
You’ve read Charlaine Harris’ books. What did you think of them? If you enjoyed them, then you too need to delve deeper into the realms of urban fantasy.
War For The Oaks by Emma Bull
The Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong
The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison (which I personally think Being Human borrowed from)
The Cal Leandros Series by Rob Thurman
The Mercy Thomas series by Patricia Briggs
If young adult books are acceptable, add these to the list:
I’d suggest the Godless World trilogy, beginning with Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley.
It’s more ‘Dark Ages’ than ‘Middle Ages’ with lots of characters, intrigue and some epic battles!
And it’s all set during a severe winter so everybody’s miserable!
Another vote for Brandon Sanderson–I’d start with Mistborn.
I also just finished Kage Baker’s Company series, which is SF, but it sure is good. I think it would be called ‘soft’ SF, is that right? Not a lot of focus on tech.
