Recommend a good fantasy novel

LastDanceSaloon · Post by **LastDanceSaloon** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:50 pm

I felt like reading a book a couple of days ago.

I was in a charity shop and there before me was a paperback with dragons, knights and princesses on the front cover with a blerb that promised all the action of classic RPG computer game.

Having just recently finished two very intense and lengthy RPGs - Dragon Age + Awakenings and King's Bounty The Legend, I felt like a break anyway, but was still in the mood to feed my RPG lust.

I remember reading books, back in the day, and that warm, cosy, detached imaginary sense of fantasy welled up inside me and I nearly bought the paperback. But I had no idea if it was a good book or a lame cash-in. Hmmm, I thought, what better place to get an intelligent review of which writers are getting it right at the moment than the esteemed members of Gamebanshee.

RPGs (both computer and P&P) owe a great debt to the world of literature, and are one of the oldest and most popular themes in fiction - from ancient mythology, through medieval religion, into modern literature and right up to the current contemporary masterpieces such as Harry Potter and Discworld.

Excluding the obvious however, what novel or series of books (including graphic novels if they are lengthy enough) would you recommend I take to heart and unwind with while I re-boot my system in readiness for my next submersion into computer screen addiction?

Who are the current batch of Authors who never fail to deliver the RPG goods?

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Scottg · Post by **Scottg** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:13 pm

Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings".

TwoHandedSword · Post by **TwoHandedSword** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:36 pm

Does the recommendation have to be in an RPG universe, or can I promote a fantasy world which I enjoy?

If the latter, you could do worse than to check out Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy: Sabirel, Lirael and Abhorsen (with a separate postscript published as a short story in his collection Across the Wall, and apparently a new novel on the way in a year or so).

The premise reminds me a bit of Arcanum: a land where magic and shadows rule is separated from a more modern, technological world by a mysterious gated wall. The main characters have the ability to manipulate magic; one of them --the Abhorsen of the title -- walks the paths of the dead to put souls to rest, using various bells to summon the dead, command them, or drive them away.

Garriath · Post by **Garriath** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 9:49 pm

I'll echo THS's suggestion. The Sabriel trilogy are simply superb books.

Ares2382 · Post by **Ares2382** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 10:01 am

A Song of Fire and Ice is currently trending. Although the last two books I didn't like as much as the first three.

Thylein · Post by **Thylein** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 12:17 pm

The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon.

Stones · Post by **Stones** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 1:48 pm

I agree with Scottg. Brandon Sanderson writes very good books. The way of Kings is the first in a series that's supposed to be like 10 books or something. If you don't plan on following the series as it's written, or don't want a book that's too long. I would suggest a triology he's already written, Mistborn.
He's also written two standalone books that's very enjoyable.

Heh, when I read over what I wrote, I realize I've become a fan of Sanderson. I only recommended his books

childofbhaal · Post by **childofbhaal** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 6:53 pm

LastDanceSaloon wrote:Who are the current batch of Authors who never fail to deliver the RPG goods?

Steven Erikson,Gene Wolfe,Terry Brooks,Raymond E Feist,Robin Hobb,Robert Jordan,George R R Martin,Janny Wurts,Michael Moorcock,Robert Weinberg

They are the only readable fantasy authors I can recommend,the only fantasy writer who never failed to deliver was probably Tolkien but he died after his 4. fantasy book.

The writers above can all write amazing fantasy but lots of them cant stop before the whole series of books turns into copy/paste(Pug/Drizzt saves the world from the new uberbrutal threat) and/or a barely readable boring something(Martin,Jordan) but around 50% of the books are good like: empire trilogy(wurts+feist),farseer books(Hobb),Corum books(Moorcock),Red Death trilogy,The Underdark Salvatore books(Home etc.)

edit:I am not saying that they are the best but they are my favs,you can probably find a lot more good 1s.I dont have time to read fantasy books lately because the university was nice enough to give me more than enough reading material and after reading a few(lol) books about economy I dont want to see books unless it is really necessary

Scottg · Post by **Scottg** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 1:30 pm

Stones wrote:I agree with Scottg. Brandon Sanderson writes very good books. The way of Kings is the first in a series that's supposed to be like 10 books or something. If you don't plan on following the series as it's written, or don't want a book that's too long. I would suggest a triology he's already written, Mistborn.
He's also written two standalone books that's very enjoyable.

Heh, when I read over what I wrote, I realize I've become a fan of Sanderson. I only recommended his books

..The Way of Kings is just the best book I've finished recently. The Mistborn trilogy is also very good (and frankly should be turned into a movie). Elantris is also good, but Warbreaker isn't. (..I'm currently reading the Towers of Midnight on paperback.) BTW, The Way of Kings finishes well enough, and is substantial enough to NOT require reading another book (..unlike say, the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, and now Brandon Sanderson.)

There are SO many good books, it's really difficult to say any one is "the best" or even an author that is "the best".

Of all the writers in fantasy, the one I've had the fewest "complaints" about would be Raymond E. Feist. Pretty much all of his stuff is at least good, and some of it is excellent.

Steven Erickson's stuff is very good, but can be difficult to get into. (..often requiring 100+pages before you are fully "hooked".)

It's funny that "copy/paste" authoring is mentioned, there are some writers that write the same sort of stuff over and over and over again. That doesn't mean it isn't entertaining though. I remember a quote from the movie "Her Alibi", something along the lines of: "that's one of the things I like best about your books, their predictable nature is very reassuring". One writer I like quite a bit for both fantasy and sci fi is very much like this: L.E. Modisett Jr.. Pretty much everything from him is "reassuring".

Patrick Rothfuss's "Name of the Wind" is another good book that the thread starter might also enjoy - sort of a hardcore Harry Potter element to it.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 4:04 pm

I agree with most of the suggetions so far. I'm not familiar with Sanderson, so wil have to check out Mistborn; I have no interest in never ending saga like the Wheel of Time, I stopped eading that series after the 5th book when it became evident it was never going to end.

Raymond E Feist's Riftwar saga is well worth a read, I'd even reccomend the Serpent War Saga, but I'd advise against any of the books that come 'between' them. Most, if not all, were obviously pumped out to fulfill his publishing contract and are very poor in my opnion.

The main exception being Janny Wurz and Feist's Empire Trilogy, possibly the best trilogy I've read, featurning the best heroine I've come across.

The works of David Eddings should be mentoned, although he has quite a few flaws, including a blatant cut and paste approah to everything that came after the Belgariad (he even alludes to this himself in the Mallorean). His characters in particular tend to be clones of the main characters in the Belgariad throughout his works. However, they do make OK light reading.

Scottg · Post by **Scottg** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 4:42 pm

galraen wrote:
Raymond E Feist's Riftwar saga is well worth a read, I'd even recommend the Serpent War Saga,

..but I'd advise against any of the books that come 'between' them. Most, if not all, were obviously pumped out to fulfill his publishing contract and are very poor in my opnion.

I think these "middle" books are more of a "contrast" study, along with some filler (in the best sense of filling-in the gaps in the universe the writer creates).

Pug et'al is grandiose - large than life. To go from Pug/Riftwar to the Nighthawk series is going to be a let-down conceptually.

But is it really a letdown? Is the writing worse? One thing you can say for certain is that while it is a "rise to power" genre (like almost all preferred fantasy's), it certainly not the same - if by nothing more than not being on the same "scale".

There are some that *really* like the toned-down scale - makes it more realistic. I"m sure that something like the Riftwar series was heavily criticized for being over-the-top. (..of course my favorite is the Riftwar, the 2nd book in particular.) So these other books sort of "go the other direction", and of course after them were groupings that fall-in sort of a middle ground between the grandiose and the mundane.

In any event, while I might not have liked several nearly as much - objectively they really are good stories. (..there is even an extrapolation of the classic "Count of Monte Cristo" via Talon the Silver Hawk in the Conclave series.)

"Pumped-out"? Perhaps. But that doesn't mean they aren't good.

LastDanceSaloon · Post by **LastDanceSaloon** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:46 am

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions, I shall endeavour to keep an eye out for a few of these next time I have my book tokens in town.

I bought the one from the charity shop. The author hasn't been mentioned (probably because the books are aimed at a youth (? 13+ ?) audience) but they had the complete trilogy, all three books for a pound (about 1.5 US dollars) so I didn't think I could go that wrong, but if I have, let me know before I commence, lol.

They are:

The Dragon Fire Trilogy by Charles Ashton;

Jet Smoke and Dragon Fire - Book 1
Into the Spiral - Book 2
The Shining Bridge - Book 3

(I just hope they aren't too full of bogies and chocolate smudges :/ )

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Scottg · Post by **Scottg** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:41 am

IF you are more interested in books aimed at youths..

A "feel-good" youth (though teen) fantasy series can be found in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.

Of course IF that's more your focus then I'd NOT recommend many of the books I mentioned previously.

(..The Way of Kings is pretty hardcore, and Steven Erickson's novels are often downright brutal.

)

LastDanceSaloon · Post by **LastDanceSaloon** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 11:09 am

Nowhere did I state I had a preference for books aimed at a youth market.

Please also note that the C.S. Lewis series was written for children as was the Lewis Carrol series but I would recommend both to adults and youths alike.

The fact that you posted a post worded as you did has made me very unlikely to ever engage you in conversation again, sorry about that, but thanks for contributing nonetheless.

Scottg · Post by **Scottg** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 12:51 pm

LastDanceSaloon wrote:Nowhere did I state I had a preference for books aimed at a youth market.

Please also note that the C.S. Lewis series was written for children as was the Lewis Carrol series but I would recommend both to adults and youths alike.

The fact that you posted a post worded as you did has made me very unlikely to ever engage you in conversation again, sorry about that, but thanks for contributing nonetheless.

The emphasis was on "if".

Really, I don't know what your preference is - that's why I used all-caps on "if".

(..you purchased a youth oriented book, that and the prior statement of "warm, cosy, detached imaginary sense of fantasy", *might* suggest that you were more interested in something youth oriented.)

Frankly I'm not sure what there is to take offense at?

BTW, I've nothing against books aimed at different audiences, and yes like some of C.S. Lewis's work, the Xanth series can be happily enjoyed by most anyone.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:13 pm

I definitely think you must have misunderstood something in Scottg's post because I certainly don't see anything to take umbridge with.

If you like your fantasy heavilly laced with humour and satire, Terry Pratchett's Discworld books are well worth a look.

LastDanceSaloon · Post by **LastDanceSaloon** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 12:20 am

I certainly don't see anything to take umbridge with.

Terry Pratchett's Discworld books are well worth a look.

You don't seem to see anything in the opening post which mentions Discworld either it would seem...

TwoHandedSword · Post by **TwoHandedSword** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 1:24 am

All right, since I'm one for one, let's take another step up to the plate.

Joel Rosenberg has written what is perhaps the classic RPG book series: The Guardians of the Flame. The series is up to at least ten books now, but as far as I'm concerned you can stop reading after seven.

The premise is that a group of D&D'ers are magically transported into a fantasy world, where they've been transformed into their characters, complete with skills and traits. It's nowhere near as goofy as it sounds; the author uses strong characterization and plot twists to blast as many tropes and assumptions as possible.

Rosenberg has a number of other good stories: I'd also recommend the two D'Shai books, feature a world with a structured caste system in which everyone from warriors to bakers have an inherent magical ability to 'get in the zone' and do their job instinctively. They focus on a young acrobat, part of a family-troupe, who's only competent at his craft (and can't access any magical ability in relation to it) but has a surprising knack for solving mysteries and puzzles.

Last but not least, I'm surprised no one's yet mentioned Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos books; start with Jhereg and go from there.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 3:44 am

Well I may have read the initial post when it first appeared, but I obviously didn't read it again before making my last post. I certainly won't be making any more here gven you attitude. Welcome to my ignore list, you're the second one to make it!

LastDanceSaloon · Post by **LastDanceSaloon** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 8:30 am

Galrean:

"When you know something, say what you know. When you don't know something, say that you don't know. That is knowledge." - Kung Fu Tzu (Confucius)

I made it absolutely clear why I felt umbridge. At no point did I state I preferred youth orientated books. There is absolutely nothing in what I've written which would direct one to think that was my intention. The only phrase I used which even mentions the youth market is The author hasn't been mentioned (probably because the books are aimed at a youth (? 13+ ?) audience) which suggests I don't even know what a youth market means as I even encase the age with question marks. Here I am showing that I have no knowledge of the book in question.

In the opening post I also display I have very little knowledge of current authors, and I am entirely asking for any authors. There is nothing there which can hint at any kind of preference towards anything. Scottg's desperate pleading of "warm, cosy, detached imaginary sense of fantasy", *might* suggest that you were more interested in something youth oriented.) is complete and utter nonsense. If someone is capable of making leaps of assumptions on this scale then it is obvious that any conversation you have with them is going to go belly-up, pear-shaped, skew-whiff, topsy-turvy ect etc etc.

Not only has he misunderstood, but he's also supplanted false assumptions based on misunderstanding and, on top of that, once the misunderstanding has been noted and called he does not re-read to find out where his mistake is, but rather enters a game of face-saving, just as you yourself have. What marks these points out for even greater concern is that this is a reading thread, supposedly for people who enjoy the arts of reading and writing. Such evident displays of an inability to do this on such an epic scale are more meaningful on this thread than they might be on another.

After making my disgruntled post last night I pondered if I might have misread Scottg's post. Perhaps, I thought, he was not addressing me but rather addressing the general audience when he said IF you are more interested in books aimed at youths.. using the 'you' to refer to any readers rather than just me. He didn't afterall address me specifically. In such a case then it would have been awful of me to misunderstand his post and react as I did. I was all set to apologise this morning with something along the lines of I apologise for misreading your badly written post, but the use of the word 'one' rather than 'you' might have been a more careful use of wording as I thought you were addressing me.

As it turns out, I am not able to offer an apology as the intention was to address me specifically. I had indeed read his post as he intended me to read it. He was genuinely reading so much between the lines that he'd invented his own book as a filler between two unrelated sentences. You then question why I'm taking umbridge. You say you can see nothing for which umbridge can be taken to which, yes, in my world stupid questions deserve stupid answers. Your post showed you were unable to understand my upset, showed you were unable to understand Scottg's misunderstanding and invention, and, just to make things funny and enable a sarcy reply, you even showed you were unable to read the opening post and purpose of the whole thread. I'm sure putting people on ignore is one way you can avoid such mistakes again, though I doubt it. Not being able to read someone's post among many others is likely to lead to some massive misunderstandings is it not?