Dwight Schrute
Member
elrechazao said:
Read it ^^
Even if I tough the later books were kinda disapointing IMO
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Mordern Fantasy and Hidden Gems
- Thread starter Dwight Schrute
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Read it ^^
Even if I tough the later books were kinda disapointing IMO
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
...I think I know what I'm looking for at Half-Price Books todayTim the Wiz said:
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.)
Fanboydestroyer
Member
I just started reading "Book of the New Sun" I finished the first 2 books. I must say I'm really impressed by them. Although some of the stuff that was happening near the end of the second book made me go O_O XD. But yeah, I have really been enjoying them and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here.
Oh and for my recomendations
Weaveworld
Imajica
The Great and Secret Show
Lord of Light
The Knight
The Wizard
Elantris
The first 3 Earthsea books
The Fifth Head of Cerberus (plus the 2 other stories of the novella)
well those are my most recent reads. But I've enjoyed them all. Much love to Gene Wolfe. I think he may have become my new favorite author.
Oh and for my recomendations
Weaveworld
Imajica
The Great and Secret Show
Lord of Light
The Knight
The Wizard
Elantris
The first 3 Earthsea books
The Fifth Head of Cerberus (plus the 2 other stories of the novella)
well those are my most recent reads. But I've enjoyed them all. Much love to Gene Wolfe. I think he may have become my new favorite author.
Dwight Schrute
Member
Fanboydestroyer said:
Keep on reading the books of the news sun, the last books are beyond amazing.
Dwight Schrute
Member
Would you advise Shadow in summer or first blood as my next purchase ?
Fanboydestroyer said:
Seconding this recommendation. Ursula K. LeGuin's novels are some of the few fantasy novels that have truly felt like myth. And even though I didn't enjoy the three later books as much as the first three, I definitely applaud them for tackling the sexism inherent in her previous books and the fantasy genre as a whole.
Also, for anyone looking for a quick fantasy read, any of Diana Wynne Jones' books are amazing. I have to plug them in as Diana sadly died yesterday of lung cancer. (I'm surprised there isn't already a topic about this but I guess she's not that famous.) Even though they aren't high fantasy in the least, they are still some of the most imaginative novels I've read. I guess they're more akin to fairy tales than anything else. I especially recommend them if you enjoy fantasy but are somewhat bored with all the Tolkien copycats. I do have to mention that they're also aimed at a younger audience but this really doesn't take anything away as they never speak down to the reader. Some of my favorites include:
Howl's Moving Castle: Miyazaki made the film version, but after about the twenty minute the plot stops bearing much resemble to the novel. The basic plot centers around an 18-year-old girl who has been turned into a 90-year-old crone and how she tries to break the spell.
The Chrestomanci Series: Chrestomanci is the title of the enchanter who holds the government job of overseeing the use of magic over several parallel universes. Any potential Chrestomanci is marked by the fact that they literally have nine lives.
Dark Lord of Derkholm: The setting of this novel is your stereotypical fantasy world with your evil mages, seducing enchantresses, and wise wizards. The twist is that it's all an act put on for the benefit of tourists who pay a hefty sum to get a chance at having an epic fantasy adventure. The main characters are the employees cast in the various fantasy roles.
Dalemark Quartet: The only series of hers that could be possibly called high fantasy. Deals with how the various gods and mortals have shaped a country over the centuries. It reads very much like folklore and mythology.
BoobPhysics101
Banned
Just ordered "Heroes Die" off of Amazon after reading the recommendation in this thread. Hope its good!
ItAintEasyBeinCheesy
it's 4th of July in my asshole
I dont if anyone on Gaf's ever read any of this guys stuff but its pretty interesting
Bout a Blacksmith who crafts awesome weapons and shit to defeat evil dudes and stuff, makes that big mirror beam thing they did on myth busters and stuff. Pretty cool.
Bout a Blacksmith who crafts awesome weapons and shit to defeat evil dudes and stuff, makes that big mirror beam thing they did on myth busters and stuff. Pretty cool.
D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
Sir Garbageman said:
I'm almost done with Joe abercrombies books (reading the latest one 'heroes') which is gold.
I liked the one after the trilogy as well. Heroes is a bit like that, with some recurring characters that were almost bit parts in the earlier books getting their own perspective.
His books are a great read. As are the Locke Lamora books. It seems the 3 above tend to get mentioned together often. I'm going to look into this Pat Rothfuss fella next as the other 2 have been some of the best fiction I've read in a while.
Tim the Wiz
Banned
ItAintEasyBeinCheesy said:
Nostalgia flash: I remember those covers, barely remember anything else, except that they were pretty YA. Dude seems to have dropped off the face of the planet over the last decade. Guess Tor ditched him. His stuff was patterned on pre-Medieval society, if I remember correctly, so it's not all that surprising.
x Power Pad Death Stomp x
Member
This is great, bookmarking this for when I finish The Wheel of Time.
I just started book 6, so I feel like I need to see it through......pray for me.
I just started book 6, so I feel like I need to see it through......pray for me.
williamsan
Member
Oooh, cool thread. I got into The Sword of Truth series right after I got into college and I've finished them since then. I loved them so much. I haven't went back and re-read them in a couple of years, I might do that soon though.
I have the first Wheel of Time book on my kindle (unread). That's my biggest flaw as a reader; jumping into new sagas and such.
I have the first Wheel of Time book on my kindle (unread). That's my biggest flaw as a reader; jumping into new sagas and such.
someguyinahat
Member
elrechazao said:
I'm pretty big on fantasy novels so it's no surprise that my family will sometimes give me novels as birthday gifts or whatever. The problem with this is, of course, is if a family member sees a fantasy novel in a bookstore flyer and decides to give it to you without knowing where in the series it is.
I was gifted a copy of the Bonehunters (book 6 in the series.) I tried to get into it but I didn't know what the fuck was going on, for semi-obvious reasons. Books in a series should be able to stand on their own but this one couldn't really. Stopped after a few dozen pages and was like "Fuck it, I'm buying book 1."
Book 1 was great. Book 2, not so much (you get attached to characters only to realize most of them aren't even mentioned.) Book 3, great again. Books 4 and 5 were pretty cool in that they probably DO stand alone, expanding the stories of minor characters...even though I got really confused at the timing of the books -
If Trull Sengar was banished in book 3 and still with his clan in book 5, was the stuff in book 3 set much later than the "present"? Are there time rifts going on?
So only now I'm getting around to reading my gift. Was it a worthwhile experience? Overall I'll say yes.
The Sword of Truth was, like the Wheel of Time, good for the first few books. Goodkind eventually threw out the system his first books set and tried to create some kind of half-hearted political message for the ending. The final book disappointed me.
Power Pad Death Stomp: if I were you I'd stop after Lord of Chaos. If you absolutely must continue, skip the next couple and pick up again with book 9 or even 10.
Fanboydestroyer
Member
JonStark said:
does that include "Urth of the New Sun" as well? cause I have that on deck to read once I finish "Sword and Citadel" I am currently on chapter XII of "The Sword of Lictor" and while I am still enjoying it, I can't help but feel that my interest isn't as strong. Don't get me wrong, I love the story and I want to see it through to the end, but while I was reading "The Claw of the Concilator" essentialy nonstop, I find myself taking more breaks with this one.
Fanboydestroyer
Member
So after Gene Wolfe I'm going to read my first Neil Gaiman book. I have chosen "Neverwhere"
Dwight Schrute
Member
Tomorrow I'm getting Elantris, it semms to be loved on many websites.
Can't wait for the next Ruthfuss too.
Can't wait for the next Ruthfuss too.
Sir Garbageman
Member
JonStark said:
I finished it a few days ago. It was solid, but it didn't wow me like Name of the Wind did.
A few months ago I also read the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb and it was surprisingly good.
The Black Company series by Glen Cook is another one I'd recommend if you're looking for fantasy that breaks the mold a little bit.
For some reason I am really interested in fantasy books about old religion gods in a variety of settings. I've read the Percy series and the related "Lost Hero". I've read American Gods (loved it), and just finished "Rebirth of the Gods". I've just recently downloaded samples of:
The Night Life of the Gods
The Age of Zeus
Ilium
Let me know if anyone comes across any other similarly related books. I will be sure to check some of the books in this thread out (already searched for 2 of them and they aren't on Kindle :-()
Back to A Feast for Crows I go. Didn't realize I was still at the beginning of this book before I took a book break.
The Night Life of the Gods
The Age of Zeus
Ilium
Let me know if anyone comes across any other similarly related books. I will be sure to check some of the books in this thread out (already searched for 2 of them and they aren't on Kindle :-()
Back to A Feast for Crows I go. Didn't realize I was still at the beginning of this book before I took a book break.
I've never been much of a sci-fi reader, but I picked on Rothfuss' books on a whim one day. I love sci-fi, and I had just finished a novel that wandered a bit into the fantasy realm, so I figured I'd give him a go since it wasn't high fantasy and I'd have a short series to experience as it was being released. Really loved his books. Really fun stories. That's the best way to describe them... just plain fun. Nothing deep, nothing incredibly new or ingenious (I assume... don't read much fantasy), but his books have just been fun as hell. Nothing too heavy handed and mature, but it's never too lighthearted either. I've got about 100 pages left in the second one. It's not quite as good as the first for a few reasons, but each section of the journey is still fun and exciting for the most part.
I'd definitely recommend giving the first one a shot at the very least. Despite it's length, it's more of a page turner once you get about 1/5 into it, and the story just flies by.
I'd definitely recommend giving the first one a shot at the very least. Despite it's length, it's more of a page turner once you get about 1/5 into it, and the story just flies by.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Elantris is very good. Sanderson probably still my favorite recent fantasy author, even after reading Name of the Wind and the Long Price Quartet. Man, Game of Thrones was really really damn good though, just about the only feudal fantasy I've ever enjoyed.JonStark said:
So.. I think this is a good place to ask. A few days ago or a week ago or whatever, anyways opened a thread to a fantasy series that had a main series, and some side series that tied into the main books, but I can't find the thread even after using site:neogaf.com on google or browsing my history. I know its vague but anyone know what I'm talking about? I believe it had two side trilogies and the main series was into book 6 or something like that. Many thanks if anyone could direct me to the thread.
DUFFMCWALIN
Member
warhammer 40k books are really really good. Don't be hatingJonStark 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
. I'm also using this thread as I need to expand my Fantasy books. Currently I'm reading the ASOFAI series.elrechazado
Banned
Could be the malazan series.Solune said:
elrechazado
Banned
Solune said:
Hope you enjoy it, in book five myself and loving it.ItAintEasyBeinCheesy
it's 4th of July in my asshole
This series is pretty fun and short, young adult/kids. Gotta check, think there's a new one out since I read the last.
Dwight Schrute
Member
Just finished this. I enjoyed the experience, but OH MAN OH GOD OH MAN OH GOD the writing !..
"HARGH" he said
"humpr" he tough
"Ouch"...
Really too manu onomatopoeia...
Greg Keyes' "blood and thorn" series, or whatever it is called, is pretty good. Lots of standard tropes but with some nice historical stuff thrown in.
Gotta finish Tadd Williams shadow series. Read the first 2 and was kinda meh, but if they pick up i am sold.
And need to reread ASOIAF for the 5th book. After all this time it must be filled with fan service, need to brush up.
Gotta finish Tadd Williams shadow series. Read the first 2 and was kinda meh, but if they pick up i am sold.
And need to reread ASOIAF for the 5th book. After all this time it must be filled with fan service, need to brush up.
Dwight Schrute
Member
Purkake4 said:
I will, as I said I liked the book as a whole, but some things in the writing are bothering me
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