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Mordern Fantasy and Hidden Gems

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Dwight Schrute

Dwight Schrute

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So, last time at was at the book store and wondered which Fantasy books to get. I read most of the "classics", so I'm looking for modern fantasy or hidden gems. I don't live in the US but that's not a problem I can buy english books. I see sometimes covers on the "what are you reading" threads. Something about 10 000 kingdoms ? Locke lamora ?

Which one are the best ? A short summary would be really nice :3

So far I read :


Favourites:
Books of the new sun
AGoT
Black Company
Winning the War
The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone
Garett, P.I.


Others :
Instrumentalities of the Night
Qushmarrah
All of Robin Hobb works
Malazian chronicles
LotR
Krondor's chronicles
Discworld novels (perhaps not every single one, but the great majority)
Elrik cycle
Corum cycle
Sword of truth
Ji's secret
many, many others I don't remember right now



Disliked :
Wheel of time

Many thanks
 
The Lies of Locke Lamora is great. It's a heist fantasy, think Oceans 11 set in parallel universe, medieval Venice. Locke Lamora is leader of The Gentleman Bastards. A group of con artists and thieves. Shit hits the fan

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie is the first book of a rather gritty fantasy series that gets a lot of praise. I thought it was ok, was difficult for me to get into.
It takes a lot of fantasy cliches and subverts them .
There are multiple protagonists like the inquisitor Sand Dan Glokta, legendary hero and lothario of a past war that is filled with bitterness and regret as he was captured and horribly tortured and mutilated by the enemy then released. He's now a cripple that horrifies people, he is doomed to be an inquisitor seeking out dissent.
Then there's Logen Ninefingers, the most badass Barbarian there ever was, we get a glimpse at the man behind the legend.
 
One does not simply walk into Mordern.


Sorry, I had to. Anyway, I keep hearing good and bad things about Wheel of Time. For someone who enjoyed Song of Ice & Fire, is WoT good or bad?
 
besada said:
I don't see the Amber Chronicles on your list.
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Yeah, I still haven't read this one, is it really good ?


The Lamonster said:
One does not simply walk into Mordern.


Sorry, I had to. Anyway, I keep hearing good and bad things about Wheel of Time. For someone who enjoyed Song of Ice & Fire, is WoT good or bad?
Click to expand...


IMO it's nothing like AGoT. Way more cliché.
 
hi,

you have probably heard of the guy, but have you read anything by R.A. Salvatore

i've not read all his stuff, just the work involving drizzt do'urden, it's still around 12 books though

don't know if you have heard of this character before, but perhaps you have,

but yeah don't know if its you thing, but its set in the forgotten realms universe, the one from the baldgurs gate series and icewind dale series of games

if you don't know who the guy is and it sounds interesting you should certainly check them out,

wiki link below to info on the character drizzt, so you can read through and see if your interested

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drizzt
 
Isamu Dyson said:
hi,

you have probably heard of the guy, but have you read anything by R.A. Salvatore

i've read all his stuff, just the work involving drizzt do'urden, it's still around 12 books though

don't know if you have heard of this character before, but perhaps you have,

but yeah don't know if its you thing, but its set in the forgotten realms universe, the one from the baldgurs gate series and icewind dale series of games

if you don't know who the guy is and it sounds interesting you should certainly check them out,

wiki link below to info on the character drizzt, so you can read through and see if your interested

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drizzt
Click to expand...

I don't know why, but I've always been sceptical with books based on D&D. Perhaps they're good, but I always associated them with books like Warhammer or Diablo books. Perhaps I should try one :D
 
JonStark said:
Yeah, I still haven't read this one, is it really good ?
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Yes. Parallel universes, god-like powers that can traverse and use these shadow worlds to endlessly fuck each other over. It's good stuff. Read the first few at least.
 
DX9p8.jpg


This book/series. It's where I got my username from actually.

The "magic" in the series involves essentially being able to tattoo using "blood metal forcibles" symbols on your body and take (willingly more effectively but also against someone's will) abilities such as Wit (intellect, memory and so forth) Brawn (strength) stamina (recovery ability from injuries along with the obvious) and Grace (agility) as well as metabolism (speed, also causes you to age faster though) for as long as they live. It's very innovative and quite engaging. Unique take on things.

Oh, also lesser abilities such as sight, hearing and glamor. Voice is another big one, so your speaking ability is more persuasive as well as being able to speak louder. Really gets into a lot of problems with "unbalanced" runelords as well. Also can stack many thousands of "dedicates" (donors of their abilities)
 
besada said:
Yes. Parallel universes, god-like powers that can traverse and use these shadow worlds to endlessly fuck each other over. It's good stuff. Read the first few at least.
Click to expand...

Ok ! I'll get them tomorrow then !

BTW, I'm big fan of glen cook, I read all the Black Company, Garett PI, intrumentalities of the night, Qushmarrah...

but what is Dread Empire worth ? It's not translated here, so I guess I'll get it in english, but wanted to read some opinions first.
 
JonStark said:
I don't know why, but I've always been sceptical with books based on D&D. Perhaps they're good, but I always associated them with books like Warhammer or Diablo books. Perhaps I should try one :D
Click to expand...

ur skepticism certainly isn't unfounded, i feel exactly the same to be fair, been recommended many such books and almost always never wanted to continue reading,

for some reason though something grabbed me about drizzt, like don't get me wrong there not tolkien standard, but there just fun reads, liek there not bad there not the greatest thing written, kinda the book u pick up after reading something like crime and punishment
ahahahaha

not sure how helpful i'm being but just thought id try help out, don't read alot of fantasy but wanted to try and contribute
:D
 
The Lamonster said:
Sorry, I had to. Anyway, I keep hearing good and bad things about Wheel of Time. For someone who enjoyed Song of Ice & Fire, is WoT good or bad?
Click to expand...

I vote bad. Cliche ridden and long winded as hell. Starts off as a LOTR wannabe. Can be an absolute slog at times, with 100s of different characters, factions, etc. Will make you want to punch any woman who tugs on her braid or smooths her dress.

I would recommend

The First Law Trilogy - Joe Abercrombie
The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch
The Name of the Wind - Pat Rothfuss
 
JonStark said:
Ok ! I'll get them tomorrow then !

BTW, I'm big fan of glen cook, I read all the Black Company, Garett PI, intrumentalities of the night, Qushmarrah...

but what is Dread Empire worth ? It's not translated here, so I guess I'll get it in english, but wanted to read some opinions first.
Click to expand...
I enjoyed The Dread Empire books. We just had a new release here in the U.S. A couple of years ago, after them being out of print forever. I've been reading Cook for decades now, and just love his stuff.

I wish there were more writers like him to recommend.
 
JonStark said:
Ok ! I'll get them tomorrow then !
Click to expand...

You're already convinced, but I wanted to jump in and second the Amber recommendation. If possible, your best bet is The Great Book of Amber, which collects all ten books in the series. The first five are amazing and the second five aren't up there but are still good fun, so you may as well lay in the whole shebang at once. If you'd rather just read everything one book at a time, start with Nine Princes in Amber.

For modern fantasy, I also recommend The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It's the first book in a trilogy where an innkeeper in a quiet village is found by someone who knows he used to be a total badass and wants to know the innkeeper's life story. The story is told over three days, one per book, with the second volume, The Wise Man's Fear, just out in hardcover. I'm about 2/3 of the way through the second novel and I'm enjoying it tremendously. Rothfuss is just one hell of a storyteller.

And, while it isn't modern fantasy, I also second the recommendation for Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar stories, wherein our heroes Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser engage in classic sword and sorcery adventure. Start with the collection Swords and Deviltry.

FnordChan
 
FnordChan said:
You're already convinced, but I wanted to jump in and second the Amber recommendation. If possible, your best bet is The Great Book of Amber, which collects all ten books in the series. The first five are amazing and the second five aren't up there but are still good fun, so you may as well lay in the whole shebang at once. If you'd rather just read everything one book at a time, start with Nine Princes in Amber.

For modern fantasy, I'd recommend The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It's the first book in a trilogy where an innkeeper in a quiet village is found by someone who knows he used to be a total badass and wants to know the innkeeper's life story. The story is told over three days, one per book, with the second volume, The Wise Man's Fear just out. I'm about 2/3 of the way through the second novel and I'm enjoying it tremendously. Rothfuss is just one hell of a storyteller.

And, while it isn't modern fantasy, I also second the recommendation for Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar stories, wherein our heroes Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser engage in classic sword and sorcery adventure. Start with the collection Swords and Deviltry.

FnordChan
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks for all the precisions !

The Great Book of Amber > And it's only 16 bucks :o
 
200px-The_curse_of_chalion_cover.jpg


The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold. It's got the most likable protagonist from any fantasy book I've read, and it's a standalone novel -- a rare breed, these days. (Bujold has set other books in the same world with some recurring characters, but they're standalones, too.)
 
flyover said:
200px-The_curse_of_chalion_cover.jpg


The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold. It's got the most likable protagonist from any fantasy book I've read, and it's a standalone novel -- a rare breed, these days. (Bujold has set other books in the same world with some recurring characters, but they're standalones, too.)
Click to expand...

Oh, forgot to put it in the list but I read this and her two other books, thks anyway ;)

Never herd about a shadow in summer, seems good !
 
mjc said:
I second Pat Rothfuss' books, Name of the Wind and Wise Man's Fear.
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Although I agree, I feel the need to warn anyone who picks these up that you will not enjoy this if you want *things happening* every few hundred pages or so. At this point I'm worried that the third book in the trilogy will either be fucking massive or somewhat disappointing. Wise Man's Fear brought the meandering to another level, and despite my acceptance that this may be because of the narrative bias of the character dictating the story, I still couldn't help be frustrated by it while loving it all the same. I love these books, but I don't feel right recommending them without giving a fair assessment of their flaws (without spoiling anything).

You may also want to check out:
The Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson (epic setup for a hopefully epic (in the true sense of the word) series)
Mistborn (trilogy) - Brandon Sanderson (interesting world with crazy magic system, Sanderson plays around with all kinds of fantasy tropes and more or less succeeds in creating a really good read)
The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher (brutely tales of a noir-style detective who also happens to be a bad-ass wizard, addicting as hell)
American Gods - Neil Gaiman (fucking dark grown-up version of those Percy Jackson books, I took issue with a good deal of detail that seems to have been left out by the author, but still loved the ride)
The Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey (awesome world, cool conflicts, stunning twists and reveals, a real classic)
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson (I don't particularly give a shit about this not being very fantasy, it demands to be read by every intelligent human being on the planet.)
 
Jayge said:
Although I agree, I feel the need to warn anyone who picks these up that you will not enjoy this if you want *things happening* every few hundred pages or so. At this point I'm worried that the third book in the trilogy will either be fucking massive or somewhat disappointing. Wise Man's Fear brought the meandering to another level, and despite my acceptance that this may be because of the narrative bias of the character dictating the story, I still couldn't help be frustrated by it while loving it all the same. I love these books, but I don't feel right recommending them without giving a fair assessment of their flaws (without spoiling anything).
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Yeah, I agree. For anyone who hasn't yet started the series, I'd also recommend waiting until the final book is out. I've decided not to start any more series that aren't already finished. I like marathoning series -- not piecemealing them over the course of several years.

That's why I'd waited on the Malazan books. Credit to Erikson for cranking those things out on a regular basis.

Going with the Amber Chronicles -- as it seems you are -- is a fine idea. I really like them, and they go quickly.
 
Shadow in Summer is excellent, the entire quartet are books I plan to by in hardcover as soon as possible.

Fantasy went through a dead period for me, as I started reading more and more it feels like there wasn't a lot of good stuff from the 70s-80s through 2000. I turned more and more to sci-fi, just because there were actual good books. Everything I see on bookshelves from that seems like Tolkein/D&D "epic adventure fantasy" rip-offs.
But the last decade has given me a ton of brilliant stories and authors. A Shadow in Summer/sequels, The Engineer Trilogy, and everything by Brandon Sanderson have all been absolutely ace, stacking up next to my beloved classics.

I would recommend anyone who hasn't yet check out:
mistborn.jpg

The best fantasy trilogy I've read in ages. Really played with my expectations of story cliches.
Sandersons new book "The Way of Kings" blew all of my expectations away, it was long but every bit of it was absorbing. I just wish it wans't going to be nine books long, I don't want to wait twenty years to read the conclusion.

(Just got back from the bookstore actually with The Name of the Wind, which I know nothing about other then that its highly recommended here)
 
Dresden said:
Obligatory Daniel Abraham post.

shadowinsummer.jpg


By the way, GRRM's quote on books is almost always a good sign.
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Came to post this. Dresden is a bastion of good taste. Also, try Abraham's The Dragon's Path, which comes out in a few weeks. It's also great.
 
Wheel of Time is a great fun series if you just skip like 5-6 of the books and wiki them (read the first 3 and then skip the rest until Sanderson's run)
 
Another Roger Zelazny book. Lord of Light. It's brilliant!
NgXzS.jpg


Edit: Just realised this is a fantasy thread. You can still go ahead and read Lord of Light. I won't hold it against you.
 
Discotheque said:
Wheel of Time is a great fun series if you just skip like 5-6 of the books and wiki them (read the first 3 and then skip the rest until Sanderson's run)
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I like the 'skip every chapter from a woman's point-of-view' approach. Toss in Perrin's POV after book eight.
 
Don't waste your time with Forgotten Realms/Drizzt unless you really like derivative cliche fantasy written for profit.

Salvatore and the like are looked down on by most for a reason.

There are many good recommendations in this thread. Locke Lamora, Kvothe (Kingkiller Chronicles), Malazan, Amber, Earthsea, etc.
 
JonStark said:
Anyone read 100 000 kingdoms, of N.K. Jemisin ?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I read it - it's set in an interesting world, but the story itself was lacking somewhat and didn't really hold my interest.

I'd recommend Tad Williams 'Shadowmarch' sequence, I haven't read the latest two, but the first two were excellent and unique fantasy.

Also, The Tales of the Ketty Jay by Chris Wooding - Retribution Falls and The Black Lung Captain - while not strictly fantasy (as there's an element of sci-fi there) these are excellent adventure novels set in a well conceived and intriguing world. Well worth checking out, imo.

*edit, can't believe I forgot to mention Latro in the Mist, which combines Gene Wolfe's classic fantasy novels Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete - the story follows the diaries of a Roman mercenary who, due to an injury, forgets everything each morning and must chronicle events so he will not be lost each morning. Fantastic reads, not as good as The Book of the New Sun (which is a must), but still very good all the same.
 
JonStark said:
I read the Malazan chronicles from Eriken, but there are other books from an other author ?
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Err yes. Esselmonts (?) stories are OK from what I hear.

And sorry, I missed Malazan in your list. All of the other series mentioned are mentioned elsewhere in the thread.
 
If you can read french, I advise you to get quikly this book :

Gagner%20la%20Guerre%20-%20Poche.jpg


One of the best I read in a long, long time. Near perfect, and stand alone.
 
Also The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan, but I haven't read it so I can't recommend. Judging from his first three books he can do a very good unconventional fiction but The Steel Remains contains a lot of gay sex scenes and they're not recommended to be skipped because Morgan usually characterizes protagonists through sex and sometimes uses it as a plot device. His sex scenes are extremely detailed so you've been warned.
 
Dresden said:
I like the 'skip every chapter from a woman's point-of-view' approach. Toss in Perrin's POV after book eight.
Click to expand...

Fuck that. Braid tugging makes for some of the most exciting moments in the series. I'm always on the edge of my seat when a girl is about to tug on her hair.
 
Bootaaay said:
I'd recommend Tad Williams 'Shadowmarch' sequence, I haven't read the latest two, but the first two were excellent and unique fantasy.
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Make sure you finish the series. I enjoyed the first two volumes, but the final two, Shadowrise and Shadowheart, are a huge leap in quality. A fantastic ending to the series.
 
Of All Trades said:
OP, are you saying you consider The Book of the New Sun to be modern fantasy?
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I just put the list to show what kind of books I liked, and to know if I missed some gems.

But mainly the goal of my post was to discover some recent fantasy titles.


I just love the book of the new sun.
 
So I almost finished the first book of the Name of the Wind...

I really like t so far, I hope the two others books are as good as the fisrt.

I think I'll follow with First Blood (even if it seems a little cliché ? ) or a Shadow in Summer.

Both seem great.
 
I'm still reading through the Riftwar Saga. It's had its low points, but overall it's a fantastic series. More people should read it.

Edit: Oh, modern fantasy, my mistake. Got thrown off by the Krondor mention in OP, which is a sub-series and is most definitely not set in modern day.
 
Rothfuss is juvenile fiction imo. Nothing wrong with that of course, but not too deep. I'd suggest malazan if you want a long in depth series with multiple storylines.
 
These threads seem to go a whole lot smoother than they used to. A few gaping holes I can plug:



Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

The Scar by China Miéville

Perdido Street Station is amazing. A visceral, gritty introduction to Bas-Lag through the prism of New Crobuzon, a fantasy city constructed like no other, with a brutally effective police state haunting the atmosphere as chaos reigns in the surprisingly personal story developing at its center. I remember being a little disappointed with what the plot devolved into based on the sheer, limitless potential of the world at hand, but where Perdido is merely amazing, The Scar is a masterpiece. Not as character-driven as Perdido, due to the open-to-interpretation nature of the narrative and the corresponding character dynamic sought, but just as emotionally affecting. The imagery and the new-found expanse, on top of that, decries any dithering. Definitely his best. (But the rest of his stuff is still there and being added to at a fairly regular pace, if you want it. Which you will.)



The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney

Kearney has also written the Monarchies of God series and the incomplete Sea Beggars series, but this is probably his most accessible front. Basically, it's a top-down military fantasy meets historical fiction pastiche centered around an indomitable Spartan-like company of warriors. It might be a second-hand fable, but it remains a well-choreographed account from the mind of an exhilarating storyteller. The sequel, Corvus, is plenty good, too.



Heroes Die by Matthew Stover

Stover is one of those people who is quietly among the best at what they do without anyone really noticing. Heroes Die follows Hari Michaelson in a very real secondary world - Overworld - that Earth corporations have discovered and transplanted with "actors", who partake in brutal adventures to entertain the masses of an overcrowded and oppressed future dystopia. Known as Caine to most, either as a movie star-like celebrity on Earth or a legendary assassin on Overworld, he must defeat the manipulations of the powerful on both worlds to save the life of his estranged, fellow "actor", wife.

It's so frustrating to see a writer of such quality laboring in relative obscurity while the Terry Goodkinds of this world, well, even get published. Scalzi kinda nails it:


Here’s why I know that “handselling” — the act of someone saying to you “Dude, you have to buy this book” and then putting the book into your hands — actually works: A couple years ago, when I did an appearance at the Joseph-Beth bookstore in Cincinnati, the science fiction buyer for the store and I were talking about books (no surprise) and he mentioned Matthew Stover and his book Heroes Die, featuring a badass character named Caine. I allowed that I’d never heard of it, and the buyer stopped the conversation, went into the shelves, retreived the book and said, “Here. You must have this.” Well, who was I to argue? I took it.

And the guy was right, because Caine, and Heroes Die, was a heaping plate of kickass kickassery with a side of kickass sauce. Caine himself was a perfect anti-hero: tough, smart and ready to take part in a series of truly excellent action sequences, set in a world that’s half science fiction, half fantasy and all brilliantly conceived and pulled off. I got sucked right through the book and when I was done, I did not stop at “go” or collect $200, but instead went directly to Blade of Tyshalle, the sequel. So, yeah, I’m a fan, of both Caine and Stover.​


Gaborn said:
DX9p8.jpg
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I remember reading this back when I was a kid after going through the Corwin Cycle of the Amber Chronicles. Big mistake. Interesting concept, weak characterization; overall, blandly mediocre. He also wrote a Star Wars book under a different name - although Farland is the pseudonym - back in the day. 'Twas also a disappointment since I read it after going through Timothy Zahn and AC Crispin and Michael A. Stackpole.
 
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