Need help deciding what to read

[Vimak_the_Great]

Hello,

 

So I am trying to get as much reading for fun in before graduate school starts this fall. However, I have tried using Amazon's recommendations and found they aren't too useful. So, I am going to list books/series that I've read and like and am hoping you all may have some suggestions for me.

 

 

Books/Series I loved: Wheel of Time (of course), The Way of Kings, The Kingkiller Chronicles, Tigana

 

Books/Series I liked: Harry Potter, LoTR, Mistborn series, Forgotten Realms books, Dragonlance books, A Song of Ice and Fire, The Night Angel Trilogy (would have been a Love It group, but I don't do well with rape),

 

Books/Series I thought were ok: The Magicians, Eragon, Shannara books, Narnia books

 

 

 

 

I am not necessarily looking for epic fantasy, just any fiction that you can suggest based on what I have above would be great.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Regards,

 

V

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

there's a pinned thread just up above you with recommended reading, and a couple of similar threads down below the SG faire threads, possibly on page 2. and probably on pages 3 through infinity. i couldn't improve on those suggestions, which are quite extensive. enjoy.

[Jay Aldridge]

Maybe you should try the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Its a short on magic but the characters are really fleshed out and the world is awesome. If your not really wanting to start a long series, The Talisman and Black House are both good and follow each other. If you can,t tell I've got King on the brain today.

[raitora]

Seconding the Dark Tower, and might I also suggest the Otherland series, A Song of Ice and Fire, and Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy plus the two books that come after, Best Served Cold and The Heroes.

 

If you're feeling adventurous you could also give the Malazan Book of the Fallen a shot.

[Elend]

Give American Gods a read-through, by Neil Gaiman.

[Vimak_the_Great]

Thanks for the suggestions! They all sound good, I'll have to get to the bookstore tonight and see whats available.

[Ithillian Turambar]

I would always recommend Mordant's Need by Stephen Donaldson. Its a two parter so not too epic. I have it on Ebook so can share a copy if you like?

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

yah, and then pick up anything pratchett (i'd start with discworld, lots of books), cause, really really good. and short. and plentiful. and easily read in small bits so can fit around schedule. and why am i narging? dunno, i'll try to find my words again, sorry.

[Talmanes]

Let's see, I'm reading Deadhouse Gates now, and would recommend Malazan series.

Also Brandon Sanderson's other books if you haven't read them. Warbreaker I thought was very good, and Elantris wasn't too bad either.

Dune by Frank Herbert was quite good.

[Nightangel486]

As far as more "standard" fantasy goes, I would recommend Mercedes Lackey, some of the series I've read and enjoyed would be:

 

the Bardic Voices series

The Halfblood Chronicles (Dragons, Elves, and Wizards, oh my!) I've read this one several times!

 

Her modern/urban fantasy series Bedlam's Bard is also quite good, kind of a "what if elves showed up in LA!" scenario.

 

Another series which I've really liked is Elizabeth Haydon's Symphony of Ages. Originally a trilogy but has since been expanded. Unfortunately I'm not sure when and if this series will ever be finished But the original 3 books are self-contained enough to be read on their own.

 

Another modern/post-apocalypticseries I haven't gotten around to finishing yet but like so far is The Vampire Earth, by E.E. Cummings.

[Puny]

You should try out the Black Jewel Trilogy by Anne Bishop. There is an interesting view about male/female in the books, a cool magic system with Jewels in different levels and angst. Def. darker then WoT but really good. =) Read!

 

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Jewels-Trilogy-Daughter-Darkness/dp/0451529014/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307562938&sr=8-1

[Ithillian Turambar]

I totally agree with Logains Pet. Black Jewels is a brilliant set of books. It has a similar male/femail dynamic to warder/aes sedai - with males being expected to protect and serve females and females having the slight advantage in the power balance, but being completely devoted to their men. I loved them - although they would definitely be classed as Dark.

[Puny]

I totally agree with Logains Pet. Black Jewels is a brilliant set of books. It has a similar male/femail dynamic to warder/aes sedai - with males being expected to protect and serve females and females having the slight advantage in the power balance, but being completely devoted to their men. I loved them - although they would definitely be classed as Dark.

 

Yay, another fan! They are good... haven´t reread them but I should.. I guess Ima do that after I reread WoT, or maybe read to series at the same time. I still remember that guy that was head of that home, gods I hated him! Just wanted to.. oO kill him slowly.

I also think that the Host by that Twilight author, Stephanie Mayer is quit good too, better then the vampire books.

[Hallow]

Malazan Book of the fallen, Elantris, Warbreaker, Mistborn.

 

Especially MBOTF.

[Elayrin Eleazar]

The Dark Tower series is awesome, even more when you know other King books. Now matter how often you read the DT, there's still something new to discover, and the end is just..... well, read it, then you know.

 

Hm... does anyone else here think that the Mat-emoticon could be the gunslinger as well? Must be the hat....

[Jay Aldridge]

The Dark Tower series is awesome, even more when you know other King books. Now matter how often you read the DT, there's still something new to discover, and the end is just..... well, read it, then you know.

 

Hm... does anyone else here think that the Mat-emoticon could be the gunslinger as well? Must be the hat....

 

I like the way most of his books tie in to one another or have crossover characters. And ya, the emoticon could be Roland. . . . if he wasn't smiling .

[Arc]

The Gentlemen bastards sequence by Scott Lynch is pure epicness. Fantasy in a medieval/Venetian setting full of Alchemy, Pirates, swashbuckling swindlers, tons of humour and so much suspense to a story where everyone tries to outsmart one another (and are all outsmarted by one). Only two of seven books released though. But have no fear the third one will see the light on 11.11.11.

It's relatively new, if compared to WoT, SoIaF, DT, Dune, and such, but really you (and everyone else who hasn't heard of the books before now) should give it a go.

 

Other classics you might like are the books of R.Feist (or at least his first 10 or so, after that, well.. let's just say that IMO it wend downhill after that) That's no problem though, since all his work is bundled in sequences from 3 to 5 books. I specially recommend his 'Empire' trilogy.

[RandAlJazeera]

The Darkness that Comes Before, by R Scott Bakker.

 

I guarantee you'll love it. Bakker is the philosopher-fantasist writer. Brilliant.