Gimme a New Series

[details - Member]

Okay, so I see there's a lot of talk about a bunch of different SciFi/Fantasy series. I'd gleefully join them, but I can't because I haven't read a lot of them. But I'm looking for a new series (hooray). I no longer have the unlimited amount of time I used to as a kid, so I'm trying to narrow down my choice of a new series to the one that's most heavily favored, down to those mentioned by only one or two people. -sigh- Whatever, I just need something new to read.

Here's what I've already got under my belt:

 

Lord of the Rings/Hobbit (duh)

Wheel of Time (again, duh)

The Shannara Series

Dragonlance (don't hate, you know you love it!)

Dune

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the entire, inaccurately named trilogy...hysterical!)

The Dark Tower (even though King wrote himself in, which was weird, this was still an ill series)

Harry Potter (duh)

Some books about a dude named Drizzt (I can't remember the name of the series...-shrug-)

The Pern Series

Jean Auel's books (Clan of the Cave Bear, etc)

Anne Rice's vampire books (didn't finish reading all of 'em, I wasn't interested in incest. -shrug-)

 

I'm sure there are more. Ah well. Anyway, I've started school again, and I'd just like to pick up a series that will be fun to read in my spare time. I also read pretty quickly, so a really lengthy series won't be that big of a deal. Okay. So. Suggestions?

[Talya - Member]

Details,

The series (or should I say set of 3 series) that I recommend are The Farseer Trilogy followed by The liveship traders then the Tawny man series by Robin Hobb. I have just finished them and thought they were wonderful. I couldn't put them down and like you I don't have much time for reading. They are excellently written and you really feel for the characters.

They all follow on from each other and recommend you read them in the order above (which is the order they were written).

Good luck hunting

[Guest Egwene - Guests]

http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5490

http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=360

http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3059

 

these threads probably give you more recommendations than you can read in your lifetime

 

And I agree with Tessa, Robin Hobb is a must. :P

.

[Kivam - Contributor]

You didn't list George RR Martin's Storm of Swords, so that should be your next one.

 

Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen should be up there too.

[Kadere - Member]

ooooooooo, yeah Song of Ice and Fire, definetaly Song of Ice and Fire.

[Hannibal King - Member]

Try newcomer Brandon Sanderson. His books Mistborn and Elantris are startlingly original and excellent.

 

Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series is AWESOME. Start with "Furies of Caulderon."

 

L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s The Magic of Recluce and The Death of Chaos are really good.

 

There you go, hope this helps!

[Rune - Member]

Good stuff if you like Arthurian books:

 

Jack Whyte - A Dream of Eagles (5 books in total)

Bernard Cornwell - The Warlord Trilogy; Anything else he has written

Piers Anthony - The Incarnate series (if you can find them)

 

That should hold you for now :)

[Guest Majsju - Guests]

JV Jones 'Sword Of Shadows' should be up there, as well as her previous series 'Book Of Words'. Unfortunatly the final book in Sword Of Shadows is not yet released, despite Amazon first listing it for release around last christmas. On her website she says it will be released in november 2007, but if you take your time reading you wouldn't have to wait that long.

[Marrow Rahien - Member]

Rosenberg's "Guardians of the Flame"

Modesitt's "Saga of Recluse"

and Feist's "Riftwar Sage"

spring to mind first. Though I imagine they're all mentioned in those links. :)

[Moseley - Member]

William's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series. I'm currently enthralled by them.

[Werthead - Contributor]

JV Jones 'Sword Of Shadows' should be up there, as well as her previous series 'Book Of Words'. Unfortunatly the final book in Sword Of Shadows is not yet released, despite Amazon first listing it for release around last christmas.

 

Sword of Shadows is excellent. It is a four-book series, but only the first two are out now. The third will be released in November 2007. She's already writing the fourth, A Shadow Under the Ice. The big problem is that Jones is not a fast writer, taking 3-4 years between each of her last two books, so the final book may not be out until around 2010, so I'd hesitate before recommending it.

 

A Song of Ice and Fire, starting with A Game of Thrones, is the best epic fantasy series around at the moment, closely followed by Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen (starting with Gardens of the Moon) and R. Scott Bakker's The Prince of Nothing Trilogy (starting with The Darkness That Comes Before). Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga (starting with Magician) is also worth reading but rather uneven in quality.

[Guest Majsju - Guests]

Sword of Shadows is excellent. It is a four-book series, but only the first two are out now. The third will be released in November 2007. She's already writing the fourth, A Shadow Under the Ice. The big problem is that Jones is not a fast writer, taking 3-4 years between each of her last two books, so the final book may not be out until around 2010, so I'd hesitate before recommending it.

 

She has posted the prologue to A Sword From Red Ice on her website, and says she might post further extracts in the near future.

 

And how annoying that I didn't know that this will not be the final book. She said it would be when she started writing, and I haven't heard anything since until now. Ah well, reading WOT and ASOIAF has taught me to be patient :D

[Werthead - Contributor]

It is irritating, since Jones published no less than five huge, 600+ page novels in about three years before slowing down massively. Of course, she could have finished some of those books a long time before getting them published.

[Kadere - Member]

I want to second Moseley's Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn recommendation. The books came out before WoT or ASoIaF and you can see a lot of points where the RJ and GRRM were influenced.

 

Martin even admits that reading M,S, and T helped him realize he could write ASoIaF.

 

Also William's Otherland and Shadowmarch series are also EXCELLENT.

[Colmana - Member]

ian irvine man

 

start with a view from the mirror quartet

 

followed by a tale of three worlds

 

followed by (which book one has just been released) the song of the tears

 

im reading the first book in the song of the tears, torments of a traitor

[goldeneys - Member]

read the Sillmarillion, a lil hard to get into, but once you get going, its the best.

 

oh btw, A Song of Ice and Fire is filled with incest, and VERY indepth sexual themes. I haven't read "Anne Rice's vampire books", but if you don't like incest, definately dont go for aSoIaF. Maybe it has such a bearing on me cuz I'm only 15. I stopped half way through the third book, and I really should have stopped alot sooner.

[Marrow Rahien - Member]

goldeneys Said

oh btw, A Song of Ice and Fire is filled with incest, and VERY indepth sexual themes. I haven't read "Anne Rice's vampire books", but if you don't like incest, definately dont go for aSoIaF. Maybe it has such a bearing on me cuz I'm only 15. I stopped half way through the third book, and I really should have stopped alot sooner.

 

 

 

Ooooh, good point. The Modesitt and Feist books should be fine for a younger reader, but the Rosenberg series is definitely meant for an older reader (though not for incest themes).

[details - Member]

Goldeneys:

It's not that I mind reading about incestuous relationships, it's just that Anne Rice is obsessed with them, LoL. While I am personally opposed to incestual relationships, likely because of the years of Western thought that have shaped my life, I don't mind reading about it in a story. But thanks for pointing it out to me. :)

Also, I tried to read the Silmarillion. I mean, I gave it a really good run. It's just that I'm not cool enough to get it, I guess. Reading the Silmarillion, i.e. the Middle-World Bible, is like trying to read through the actual Bible...while it's interesting, it takes some time to really be engrossed by it.

 

Anyway, thanks for all the replies, everyone! I'm totally looking forward to attacking the bookstore tomorrow. Good looks. 8)

[Marrow Rahien - Member]

details Said

Also, I tried to read the Silmarillion. I mean, I gave it a really good run. It's just that I'm not cool enough to get it, I guess. Reading the Silmarillion, i.e. the Middle-World Bible, is like trying to read through the actual Bible...while it's interesting, it takes some time to really be engrossed by it.

 

 

Did you make it to the creation of the Dwarves? I found the Sil to be omgwthplzmakeitstop boring for a long stretch and then BAM Dwarves got made and the book was smooth as silk from that point on.

[Werthead - Contributor]

oh btw, A Song of Ice and Fire is filled with incest, and VERY indepth sexual themes. I haven't read "Anne Rice's vampire books", but if you don't like incest, definately dont go for aSoIaF. Maybe it has such a bearing on me cuz I'm only 15. I stopped half way through the third book, and I really should have stopped alot sooner.

 

Erm, I hardly call it 'filled' with incest. There are a couple of easily skippable scenes which dwell on it, but GRRM points out that this is wrong and one of the involved characters does seek redemption later on. It is an adult series written for adults though, and that is reflected in the way sex and violence are handled (not gratuitously as with Rice, merely not shrinking from it when it appears in the natural storytelling process: think of a HBO drama). The mistake some people make with fantasy is that it is all for kids and this is very much not the case.

[joeybsmash - Member]

Rosemary Edhill wrote a trilogy called the 12 treasures. it is not really all that good. but it deals with a realm of the fantasy genre that is rarely delt with. i think that they are funny, but i'm sure they weren't ment to be.

[demonspawn - Member]

Just read Cry of the Newborn by James Barclay Part one of The Ascendants of Estoria the second, and I think final part has just been published. Although a bit slow to begin with it is well worth sticking with.

 

The Estorian Conquord featured in the book has been heavily influenced by the Roman empire, togas, Basillicas, forums, senates etc.

[details - Member]

I wanted to thank you all for your suggestions. :D And, in case y'all are wondering, I picked up "Wizard's First Rule" which is apparently the first in this "Sword of Truth" series. I tried to look for A Song of Ice and Fire, but I found Goodkind's book first (I guess he just put out a new one, "Phantom") so that's what I went with.

[Alys Kinch - Member]

anne rice is just plain obsessed with sex, but incest really takes a major role in that. not that her books are horrible otherwise.

[racha_giurgiu - Member]

I don't see any mention of Jennifer Roberson. She has a couple of fabulous series that I highly suggest.

 

Chronicles of the Cheysuli and also Novels of Tiger and Del. Sword-Singer I believe is the first one.

 

Both series consist of shorter novels but several books. Definitely a must read IMHO.