Recommend Books!

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Jay

Jay

Hello ladies and gents,
We have a thread called, "What you reading Willis?"
But no thread for, "I want to reeeeeeeeeeeeeead, recommend me something!"
So here we are.


I'm about to finish off a big purchase of many books and I want to read books that don't suck.

I like fantasy or semi-fantasy books. I enjoyed R.R Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice. I like R.A Salvatore's Drizzt D&D Series even though it's written in a far less than ideal way. My favorite book series was the Darksword Trilogy written a few decades age by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (I did not like their DragonLance series at all however).

Suggest!

(Oh and if you're an aspiring author like Mr. Mahan, let me know, I'm supporting you 100% and buying your book, if it's interesting of course.... :))
 
Dirona

Dirona

I like Robertson Davies*, and I think he would fall into to the semi-fantasy category. I prefer his Saltertron Trilogy to the more well known Deptford, but that is only a matter of taste, and I also can't say why. Just preference.
Also, anything by Jim Butcher - they are rather light fare, but amusing while they last.
Glen Cook I find hit or miss, but generally pretty palatable.
Another interesting series is 'The Prince of Nothing' by R Scott Bakker*. It's a fantasy, and if you can tolerate some rather heavy handed religious references/overtones, and some occassional dull writing (for the most part, not an issue), then you'll probably enjoy it.
And if you haven't read Robert Jordan's 'Wheel of Time', try it, at least the first few books in the series.

I'm assuming you've read Asimov's 'Foudation' series, and Philip K Dick, who has some good short-story collections. If you haven't, check the reviews and consider picking them up. They're both a bit more to the sci-fi rather than fantasy side of things, but not by all that much IMO.

* Side note: both these authors are Canadian, if that is of interest.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

One of my favourite book series is the Nightside series by Simon R. Green (starting with "Something From the Nightside). It's fantasy detective fiction. Each book in the series is self-contained for the most part, with an overarching storyline. And the main character is a lot of fun with some neat supernatural abilities.

Similarly, I also enjoy John Zakour's science fiction detective series, starting with The Plutonium Blonde. It's MUCH more tongue-in-cheek with a lot of humour and banter. Both this and Green's Nightside series were big inspirations for my own writing.

Two authors of whom I never get tired of reading are Greg Rucka (Finder, Keeper, Smoker) and Robert J. Sawyer (especially his Neanderthal Parallax trilogy: Hominids, Humans, and Hybrids). Rucka's got a great series in the books I mentioned that feature a personal bodyguard named Atticus Kodiak.
 
checkeredhat

checkeredhat

Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle: "Name of the Wind" and "Wise Man's Fear" is excellent so far. One more book to go but we gotta wait for it.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
If you like sword'n'sorcery, and haven't read them, the Riftwar books by Raymond Feist are mostly good reading. Start with Magician: Apprentice and go on from there. There's 20-someodd books in the series and they're easy, fun reads without being blatantly "for young people" simple like Hunger Games. Unfortunately, the last couple books he's started phoning it in, but the first 20-0dd are great.

For added amusement, you can play the Raymond Feist drinking game. Take a drink whenever (possible spoilers):
1) he starts a chapter with "The Noun Verbed." (or "Name Verbed.")
2) there is blatant, blatant foreshadowing.
3) someone is described as "keeping his own counsel."
4) a good guy is described as "black" or "dark."
5) Someone named Jim, Jimmy, James or Jommy enters a building from its roof.
6) A horse dies from hard use.
7) The Pantathian Serpent Priests are revealed to be behind a mysterious conspiracy.
8.) Somebody assumed to be dead returns miraculously
9) A bad guy turns good, or is revealed to have been working for good/doing what he thought was good all along.
10) A secondary character dies going out in a blaze of glory, their finest hour, crowning moment of awesome glory.
11) A primary character dies from something stupid/boring/pedestrian.
12) Another plane of reality is entered by humans.
13) Someone attempts to destroy a magical gateway/door/method of conveyance.
14) It turns out the antagonist who was just vanquished was just a pawn for an even greater evil. Drink twice if it's at the end of a book.
15) The good guys torture somebody for information.
and finally,
16) Something necessitates moving an armed force through the sewers of Krondor.
 
Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

Jay said:
(Oh and if you're an aspiring author like Mr. Mahan, let me know, I'm supporting you 100% and buying your book, if it's interesting of course.... :))
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I'd throw in mine, but I don't think you want to read two books of dark fairy tales from the sound of your request.

Actually, I don't think I have any recommendations if you're only looking for high and dark fantasy.

I will recommend the Felix Castor books anyway if you're willing to check out something more contemporary. Castor is an exorcist in a world where ghosts, zombies, and were-creatures are commonplace enough that you can make a living off sending the spirits away. Dark, but also amusing. First of the series is The Devil You Know.
 
LittleSin

LittleSin

ThatNickGuy said:
One of my favourite book series is the Nightside series by Simon R. Green (starting with "Something From the Nightside). It's fantasy detective fiction. Each book in the series is self-contained for the most part, with an overarching storyline. And the main character is a lot of fun with some neat supernatural abilities.
Click to expand...
Seconding this. I can't wait to get my mitts on the second book. My husband gave me book 9 for Valentines day as a bit of an after thought and I haven't read it for fear of spoiling the events leading up to it.
 
rac3r_x

rac3r_x

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, start with Storm Front
The Garrett Files by Glen Cook, start with Sweet Silver Blues
The Black Company series by Glen Cook, start with The Black Company
Gaunt's Ghosts by Dan Abnett, start with The Founding
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

Hm. Well, in no particular order...
-The Belgariad (High Fantasy, probably the best-known and best of Eddings' works)
-The Sword of Truth (High Fantasy, everyone has an opinion about the series. My opinion is that it is worth reading at least thru Faith of the Fallen. After that...dunno)
-Nor Crystal Tears/Sentenced to Prism, two of my favorite Humanx novels (SF)
-The Planet Provers (first of 4 books is titled The Death Worms of Kratos. I believe you will seriously enjoy this series if you like SF)
-The Books of Swords (High Fantasy - there's what, 15 books in this series by Fred Saberhagen?)
-Ties of Blood and Silver (SF) or The Sleeping Dragon (F) - Joel Rosenberg. You're welcome.

If I had to pick two, it would be Nor Crystal Tears and The Sleeping Dragon. Both are good introductory books for their respective universes, and each universe continues for 10 or more books.

--Patrick
 
Vrii

Vrii

Seconding R Scott Bakker and Feist, and adding Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Amazing world-building and characterizations, with a good plot. Also, Guy Gavriel Kay writes some of the best prose I've come across, in kind of a historical fantasy style.
 
mikerc

mikerc

- The Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch
- The Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy by Elizabeth Moon
- Pretty much anything by David Gemmell
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

If you like epic, dark nd high fantasy, do yourself a huge favour and go read the Malazn Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. They're difficult to grasp at first (the first half of the first book is a LOT of info to digest and you pretty much ave no clue who's good or evil) - but they're awesome.

If you're looking for funny, lighter, easier to pack for travel or whatever, I'll heartily recommend "The Witch Watch" by Shamus Young. Steampunk necromantic humor/fantasy. Style's sort of reminiscent of Pratchett, universe is all different.
 
HowDroll

HowDroll

Lots of good reads on this list! I couldn't make it through the first Malazan Book of the Fallen, though. I might have to give the series another shot.

Off the top of my head:

Adding The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie to the list. Super dark, but an EXCELLENT series.

The Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks is pretty good as well.

I love the Fitzchivalry series by Robin Hobb, and the Liveship Traders series that is sort of set in between those two trilogies is very good as well.
 
Just Me

Just Me

We had a mention for Gaunt's Ghost, the we also should recommend the Richard Sharpe series! ;)
Also a good read by Dan Abnett: Eisenhorn (either the omnibus or the three separate books)

Give Miles Vorkosigan a try, great series by Lois MacMaster Bujold. Search for Barrayar or Miles Naismith. A good starter would be The Warrior's Apprentice.
 
Wahad

Wahad

If you like the Dresden files, try the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. It's like Dresden, except if he were a 2000 year old Irish druid, Mouse could actually talk, and they regularly meet up with gods of all sorts in addition to whatever other magical creatures life throws at him.
 
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