Looking for book recommendations

[Barid Bel Medar]

I'll throw out some authors that you may be interested in.

I would say check out Brandon Sanderson's books first up, if you enjoyed tGS and ToM particularly.

 

Others

 

Tad Williams, Steven Erikson, Jim Butcher, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Sarah Douglas, Janny Wurtz, David Eddings, Kate Elliot, Jennifer Fallon, Ian Irvine, Terry Brooks, Terry Pratchett.

[Durinax]

could check out margeret Weis books

[condonmc]

Ra Salvatore Badass writer who created Drizzt.......Ra and RJ both said they respected the others work.....start with homeland you cant go wrong.....

[A Rant Lord]

Thanks guys! Will try!

[Basel Gill]

Ra Salvatore Badass writer who created Drizzt.......Ra and RJ both said they respected the others work.....start with homeland you cant go wrong.....

 

Seconded, especially if you like action in your fantasy. Salvatore writes the best fight scenes I have ever read.

[Benganza]

Obviously the Books of Brandon Sanderson - Elantris, Mistborn, Way of Kings

Also Patrick Rothfuss Kingslayer Chronicles are nice or Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams

If you like Urban Fantasy than I would recommend American Gods, Ansani Boys and Neverwhere all written by Neil Gaiman

 

I wouldn't recommend Terry Goodkind or Steven Errikson they are awful

 

If you like epic Series and don't mind some Sci-fi then there is Dune by Frank Herbert

And besides G.R.R Martin and Jordan the author I like the most is Peter F Hamilton (Nigths Dawn / Commonwealth / Void triologies)

[Suttree]

Ra Salvatore Badass writer who created Drizzt.......Ra and RJ both said they respected the others work.....start with homeland you cant go wrong.....

 

That's interesting to hear because I know he usually was not very high(understatement) on shared world/D&D type scenarios and their authors. Would like to see a quote if it's floating around. Salvatore does write strong action scenes but I haven't read any of those books since my early teens. Can't really imagine I would enjoy them that much now. I thought most of that Forgotten Realms stuff(Salvatore was obvs a step above) was just god awful and that was before I knew any better.

 

As for series try R. Scott Bakker "Prince of Nothing"(Bakker's prose is head and shoulders above most fantasy writers out there, it stands up even outside of genre) & Scott Lynch "Gentlemen Bastards".

[condonmc]

Ra Salvatore Badass writer who created Drizzt.......Ra and RJ both said they respected the others work.....start with homeland you cant go wrong.....

 

That's interesting to hear because I know he usually was not very high(understatement) on shared world/D&D type scenarios and their authors. Would like to see a quote if it's floating around. Salvatore does write strong action scenes but I haven't read any of those books since my early teens. Can't really imagine I would enjoy them that much now. I thought most of that Forgotten Realms stuff(Salvatore was obvs a step above) was just god awful and that was before I knew any better.

 

As for series try R. Scott Bakker "Prince of Nothing"(Bakker's prose is head and shoulders above most fantasy writers out there, it stands up even outside of genre) & Scott Lynch "Gentlemen Bastards".

An interview done by David Craddock at Ra Salvatore's house

 

With so many successful business avenues, it might seem a bit macabre to wonder what would happen to Drizzt, the world of Corona, or 38 Studios should Salvatore suddenly pass away. Unfortunately, the recent death of James "Robert Jordan" Rigney, Jr., which saw the author's Wheel of Time series go unfinished, leads one to wonder if Salvatore--or any other authors--has any plans for his creative ventures should the worst come to pass.

 

"I'm training my kids to take over. [laughs] No, I'm not going to do a hypothetical about me dying; I'm going to be around for a long time."

 

"That's right," his wife Diane says, leaning over to rub her husband's shoulders.

 

Not having the chance to get to know James Rigney is another of Salvatore's regrets. "I'd only met Jim once. We were on a panel together years ago, and didn't even really have the chance to say hello. But, when I read his blog post that announced his disease to his fans, I thought, 'Wow, what a set. That's intestinal fortitude.' He manned up, and I was impressed. I went over to his blog, and I posted, 'From all the people at RASalvatore.com, our well wishes. Fight this, and finish that series.' A lot of my fans are Jordan fans as well. The overlap between all of us is substantial.

 

"That was during June of [2006], and I didn't think anything of it. Now, I'm working for Tor, which is Jordan's home, so Tom Doherty would give me updates on how Jim was doing. All the sudden, I got an email from Jim last fall, thanking me for the blog post. We only sent a few emails back and forth, because he was spending what little time he had left at his computer, trying to finish his project. He and I had mutual friends, and they would all tell me, 'You have to get to talking with this guy, he's wonderful.'

 

"I always seemed to follow him on tour, or he followed me. Usually, Terry Brooks is right before me, and then when I go out, it's me, Robert Jordan, and George Martin. We bounced through the same stores. We swapped media escorts all the time, but we never got to talk to each other. It's a huge loss for the fantasy genre."

[master]

wouldn't recommend Terry Goodkind or Steven Errikson they are awful

 

weird, I like erikson.

[he who comes with a bong]

a few of the authors that i like are, Melanie Rawn the dragon prince series and the dragon star series both are pretty good i think. katherine kurtz is also a great author did a whole series on the Deryni, all good books.

[Smittyphi]

Did you just forget to mention it or have you read Lord of the Rings yet?

[Benganza]

wouldn't recommend Terry Goodkind or Steven Errikson they are awful

 

weird, I like erikson.

Well, he is one of those authors who people either really like or really hate. But most people would agree, that the first book in the series is bad and only with the end of the second book he starts to shine. I just couldn't get over the whole mine/prison scenes in the second book, they made me put the books away and I never picked them up again.

[spoke]

Ra Salvatore Badass writer who created Drizzt.......Ra and RJ both said they respected the others work.....start with homeland you cant go wrong.....

 

That's interesting to hear because I know he usually was not very high(understatement) on shared world/D&D type scenarios and their authors. Would like to see a quote if it's floating around. Salvatore does write strong action scenes but I haven't read any of those books since my early teens. Can't really imagine I would enjoy them that much now. I thought most of that Forgotten Realms stuff(Salvatore was obvs a step above) was just god awful and that was before I knew any better.

I'd ditto that, I tried RA Salvatore out, and couldn't get past the first hundred pages because it was just so bad awful. It seemed to much like the opening of a Bad action movie, the kind that really doesn't have a story, or characters, just a bunch of people fighting and blowing things up, and afterwards all you can say is, cool fight scenes but I can't believe I spent good money to see it.

 

I'm glad, it was from the library, otherwise I would have burned it.

 

But some good authors are Robbin Hobb, Brandon Sanderson, Terry Brooks (knight of the word series, the others are more juvenile), G.R.R. Martin.

[Suttree]

...

 

Thanks for the quote, it was a cool read. Doesn't really make a comment either way on Salvatore's work however.

[Troilen]

I would recommend Dragonlance to those that haven't read it. At least the stuff that Weiss and Hickman wrote =)

 

Also, Stephen King is pretty good with most of what he does, but The Dark Tower is something I think everyone should read.

 

Just finished the Mistborn Trilogy a few days ago actually. I thought it was really good also.

[Benganza]

I would recommend Dragonlance to those that haven't read it. At least the stuff that Weiss and Hickman wrote =)

 

Also, Stephen King is pretty good with most of what he does, but The Dark Tower is something I think everyone should read.

 

Just finished the Mistborn Trilogy a few days ago actually. I thought it was really good also.

When I read Dragonlance I had always the impression of reading the transcription of a D&D pen and paper session similar to Salvatores books mentioned before

[condonmc]

Ra Salvatore Badass writer who created Drizzt.......Ra and RJ both said they respected the others work.....start with homeland you cant go wrong.....

 

That's interesting to hear because I know he usually was not very high(understatement) on shared world/D&D type scenarios and their authors. Would like to see a quote if it's floating around. Salvatore does write strong action scenes but I haven't read any of those books since my early teens. Can't really imagine I would enjoy them that much now. I thought most of that Forgotten Realms stuff(Salvatore was obvs a step above) was just god awful and that was before I knew any better.

I'd ditto that, I tried RA Salvatore out, and couldn't get past the first hundred pages because it was just so bad awful. It seemed to much like the opening of a Bad action movie, the kind that really doesn't have a story, or characters, just a bunch of people fighting and blowing things up, and afterwards all you can say is, cool fight scenes but I can't believe I spent good money to see it.

 

I'm glad, it was from the library, otherwise I would have burned it.

 

But some good authors are Robbin Hobb, Brandon Sanderson, Terry Brooks (knight of the word series, the others are more juvenile), G.R.R. Martin.

Thats totally cool Ra Salvatore can afford to have a few negative opinions about him and his incredible series, besides you know that old saying about opinions.......

[Tyler Aybara]

The Foundation series

[Suttree]

Ra Salvatore Badass writer who created Drizzt.......Ra and RJ both said they respected the others work.....start with homeland you cant go wrong.....

 

That's interesting to hear because I know he usually was not very high(understatement) on shared world/D&D type scenarios and their authors. Would like to see a quote if it's floating around. Salvatore does write strong action scenes but I haven't read any of those books since my early teens. Can't really imagine I would enjoy them that much now. I thought most of that Forgotten Realms stuff(Salvatore was obvs a step above) was just god awful and that was before I knew any better.

I'd ditto that, I tried RA Salvatore out, and couldn't get past the first hundred pages because it was just so bad awful. It seemed to much like the opening of a Bad action movie, the kind that really doesn't have a story, or characters, just a bunch of people fighting and blowing things up, and afterwards all you can say is, cool fight scenes but I can't believe I spent good money to see it.

 

I'm glad, it was from the library, otherwise I would have burned it.

 

But some good authors are Robbin Hobb, Brandon Sanderson, Terry Brooks (knight of the word series, the others are more juvenile), G.R.R. Martin.

Thats totally cool Ra Salvatore can afford to have a few negative opinions about him and his incredible series, besides you know that old saying about opinions.......

 

Bad writing is bad writing. I understand varying opinions but it is very easy to showcase how terrible the prose is in what are essentially marketing materials to sell roleplaying games. Those Forgotten Realms/Dragonlance type books are the dime store romances of the fantasy world. The quality of writing in the vast majority of them are wretched. It is precisely those types of books that give the genre a bad name.

[Clayden69]

Raymond e. Feists 1st Riftwar Saga is brilliant (Magician, Silverthorn and Darkness at Sethanon) DaS has a truly great battle sequence, "The siege of Armengar" a truly masterful defence

His 2nd riftwar Saga "The Serpent War" is almost as good, but I wouldn't read anything after that (anything with a publishing date after 1998) unless u really enjoy his work and feel u must continue the story, because his work does go downhill and quite dramatically

 

The Empire Trilogy- co-authors; Janny Wurts and Raymond e. Feist. A story based in 1 of Feists worlds but Im sure I have seen quotes from Feist saying that Janny Wurts was the "main" author. But it was written when Feist still cared about making great stories so his input is there for all to see and is of a high standard.

 

I have read the Farseer trilogy and while robin Hobbs abiity as a writer is there for all to see, shes not for me. I thought the first book in the trilogy was great, the 2nd ok and the 3rd slightly better than the 2nd. I thought the 2nd and 3rd drag on. I have read 150/200 pages of the liveship traders, I had to put it down.

 

 

I love David Gemmells work. All about big bloody battles and OTT heroes/warriors. Bit samey his novels but I love him. If u do read Gemmell, start from the beginning with Legend. Gemmells easy reading, u don't get bogged down with loads of fancy pretty writing. His writing is very good and descriptive when it needs to be but he doesnt usually waste any time.

[Crowl Rife]

Some good recommendations in here. I haven't read some of these newer authors like Hobb, Bakker, etc. I read Feist for a while some 20 years ago but never kept up with it.

 

Bad writing is bad writing. I understand varying opinions but it is very easy to showcase how terrible the prose is in what are essentially marketing materials to sell roleplaying games. Those Forgotten Realms/Dragonlance type books are the dime store romances of the fantasy world. The quality of writing in the vast majority of them are wretched. It is precisely those types of books that give the genre a bad name.

 

I've read a number of those D&D books, and I'd have to agree that most of them are pretty bad, both story and writing. Salvatore can write, but I've never liked his Drizzt books, they just feel off to me. The only ones that I ever enjoyed are Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends, the ones by Weis & Hickman. Those books are very entertaining.

[Sephie913]

Wow, a lot of great suggestions, and a lot of harsh opinions. :)

 

I'd recommend Fiona McIntosh's Quickening Trilogy, but not her later stuff. Beware: her villians are polarized, and they will do ANYTHING. But she got an emotional reaction out of me that I've only had a handful of times in my life.

 

I'd also recommend Elizabeth Haydon. I've only read the first two of her series, but she gets of to an INCREDIBLY strong start. She mixes tropes and cliches until they're her own, and introduces enough that is completely hers to start out with that it's not some clone of ____ .

 

I second the Feist recommend, as long as you don't read his Legends of Riftwar trilogy. His stuff with Janny Wurts is awesome, his first two quads, and the Krondor trilogy(?) are very good.

 

 

Anyone who reads SF should enjoy the first Halo book. I couldn't ever get through the second, which has a different author, but the first captivated me.

 

-------------

 

Re: Salvator. I've heard good and bad about him. I've only read the Icewind Dale trilogy and the Cleric Quintet, but from what I've read, he is a solid popcorn author. Decent works that are rarely cringeworthy, easy to read and fast-paced, but a little simple for my tastes. I don't totally approve of the use of super(Uber)human characters, though. My favorite parts of his works always end up being the interludes.(Drizzt's diary)

 

Out of curiosity, has anyone read the Magic: the Gathering books? I've been told that their quality varies greatly. But is it the same **** as (most)D&D books?

[A. Pseudonym]

HP Lovecraft - the complete works: http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/

 

I'd recommend At the Mountains of Madness, The Shadow Out of Time and The Shadow Over Innsmouth.

 

The Conan stories by Robert E. Howard. I don't think they're online, from a cursory search.

 

I'm not too fond of the nihilistic misery porn that has overtaken modern fantasy. Erikson, Goodkind and those like them are not worth reading.

[Asgard Thorin]

Ra Salvatore Badass writer who created Drizzt.......Ra and RJ both said they respected the others work.....start with homeland you cant go wrong.....

Actually, I have to disagree. Start with the Icewind Dale Trilogy, the original starting point of Drizzt and Wulfgar. Homeland is the start of the Prequel. It was ok until they edited it fit in with every other FR author. If you can't get enough of Drizzt read them all. If like me, you're more of a fan of Wulfgar it will get old after the point Wulfgar...returns.

You all mentioned so many authors it might be easier if I start with what I don't recommend. Dune. Flatout, let me say it. The first book epic. Next five books epoch...of boredom/plotlessness. Many will disagree, but I think the series went absolutely nowhere. The original series, mind you. I have read nothing by Brian Herbert. Mission Earth by L. Ron Hubbard...definite "don't" on that series.Don't even know if you can find it in a bookstore anymore, praise'd be God. Asimov's Foundation, extremely well-written, but I remember Asimov saying that he had to read the books (the original trilogy: does anyone else remember when it was the Foundation Trilogy, not series?) before he could write books Four and Five; it had been thirty years since he wrote them. I mention that because he had to pick a direction to take it after that hiatus. I don't like where he took it, but I have to admit it was thought out and well-crafted.

C.S. Lewis had a space trilogy as well, and it was also well-written, but if you pick it up, be warned, it is very much a Christian work. As with most of his works, it is very prosey and slightly difficult to read. I don't recommend the series (other than the challenge of hunting it down at this late stage of the game) because he goes off in a really weird direction in the last book, a direction involving King Arthur (A direction Tolkien recommended he not take when they were Inkling it. The second book Perelandra, is still one of my favorites.

I didn't like Eragon, I couldn't get into Shannara and there're so many Xanth books it's hard to know where to begin. I couldn;t get into the Alvin Maker series, and Xenocide and Children of the Mind took the original Ender story line out with a whimper instead of a bang, but anything by Orson Scott Card with the word "Shadow" in the title redeems their failings, as does Ender In Exile (do not read that if you've not read all the Shadow series!!!!!!). Also his Lost Gates book is very promising.

Man-Kzin Wars, yes read them. Classics like Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies, 1984 are also good. Tom Clancy's early stuff too.

[condonmc]

Read The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Epic revenge story