Any Recommendations of Other Fantasy Series for a WOT Fan?

[guygordon]

Hi everyone,

My brother loved the WOT series and has already read it twice in the last 3-4 years. His birthday is coming up and I'd like to find him a new fantasy series to start on, in order to buy it for him. My brother is pretty particular about what he likes, so I don't want to get just any fantasy series. Thought it would be helpful to ask other fans what other fantasy series they'd HIGHLY recommend, that would be as good (is that blasphemy?) or REALLY good, for someone who went crazy for WOT. 

Any recommendations/pointers would be highly appreciated. 
And he already read the Game of Thrones series, LOTR, His Dark Materials.

Thanks in advance! (:

[szilard]

that would be as good (is that blasphemy?) or REALLY good, for someone who went crazy for WOT.

 

Yes, it's a blasphemy.

 

And he already read the Game of Thrones series, LOTR

 

Then it's a dead end. Others will be recommend many worthy writers, but I/we (our book club)  think that RJ, GRRM (first three books, the first one is the best, then it goes quicly downhill), and Tolkien (LOTR) are the best in the genre.

 

His Dark Materials.

 

LOL. Sorry.

[jack of shadows]

Hi guygordon,

Yes,do something different and buy him the

Chronicles of amber by roger zelazny.

The chronicles of amber consists of two main arcs,the first five books are about

Prince corwin,books 6-10 are about his son

Merlin,the first cycle is better so you can buy only the first five books and let your brother decide for himself about the

Second cycle.

 

Roger zelazny best stand alone book is lord of light,a very apt name for rand al

Thor,the guy doesn't have enough titles as

It is so i decided to give him another one

.

[sffnews]

The Dagger and the Coin series by Daniel Abraham. The best epic fantasy of recent years imo and it's finished.

[dexterryu]

The Witcher series is good. Starts off with a series of short stories in a book called The Last Wish. It's mature with good characters and even some good humor.

[Sabio]

No suggestions for Harry Potter?     

[szilard]

No suggestions for Harry Potter?   

 

I'm still waiting for the series written by Hobb & Erikson

[Talmanes]

@szilardI actually hate GRRMs writing though I obviously love WoT and like LotR quite a lit.

 

I really have enjoyed all of BS work.

The Malazan books (though they are extremely dark and gritty compared to WoT) were one of my all time favorite complete series.

I've been working my way through some of Terry Brooks and have also enjoyed his work. That would he something closer to the feel of WoT compared to something like Malazan.

[Talmanes]

No suggestions for Harry Potter?

I thought those books were okay, but just okay. Never read the last one or saw the movie and that doesn't bother me in the slightest. I guess that one is just not my thing.

[szilard]

I think MODS should move this thread to its appropiate place.

 

Anyway.

 

 

@szilardI actually hate GRRMs writing though I obviously love WoT and like LotR quite a lit.

I really have enjoyed all of BS work.
The Malazan books (though they are extremely dark and gritty compared to WoT) were one of my all time favorite complete series.
I've been working my way through some of Terry Brooks and have also enjoyed his work. That would he something closer to the feel of WoT compared to something like Malazan.

 

So you hate GRRM, but you like works written by bs, Erikson, and Brooks?

 

GRRM is miles lightyears ahead/above them.

 

(I have just sampled them.) Brooks and bs are just terrible, they write their books for 8-10 years old kids, who don't enjoy anything else just videogames. Shallow and bad prose, zero dimensional characters, no depth, conversations/dialogues are terribadly dreadful. They both know that their audience will eat up everything labeled 'epic fantasy', and they want money too, so they will pump out book after book after book. They are the Dan Browns of epic fantasy.

 

Of course, when I was 8-9 years old, Karl May was my G O D (there were lesser gods: Verne, Gárdonyi etc.), but I have grown up since then, and my interests have drastically changed.

 

Now, Erikson. He is in the videogame-ish league too (basically, he's an ungraded DnD writer), and he also cannot write, but at least he has fantasy. He could imagine truly epic things. That's why I like to pair him with Hobb, because Hobb can write, she is capable to create three dim. persons, etcetc, but her works are not epic at all. She works in very small scales, unfortunately.

 

Endnote: don't misunderstand me, RJ is not Joyce, or Broch, or Musil, or Woolf, or Faulkner, or Heller, or Krasznahorkai, or Pynchon, or Arno Schmidt, or Thomas Bernhard, but he is the king of his genre.

 

 

Hey, OP! You could buy one of these too to your brother: God's War: A New History of the Crusades - Tyerman, or The Thirty Years War - Wilson, or God's Fury, England's Fire - Braddick, Anglo-Saxon England - Stenton, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings - Bartlett, Imperial China - Mote etcetc.

 

 

[szilard]

And, if you are looking for a single book, there is the unsurpassable Shogun by Clavell. To put it simply, S. is the greatest adventure in one volume. Ever.

[bigdoug1971]

I enjoyed the Shanarrah books by Terry Brooks.  Stay away from Terry Goodkind.  Friends don't let friends read Goodkind!

[James Sedai]

I'd say just go total trans-genre should you wish to gift a WoT fan a book. No other fantasy tome can compare favourably. This is my first forum post, and I say Wheel of Time rules!

[flinn]

Ok, a very important question is how old is your brother.

 

 If he read GoT I am going to guess he isnt a young adult since the graphic violence and sex in GoT.  

 

 There is still a steep curve in the world of fantasy.

 

 Raymond Feist has written some very influental books in fantasy that have very good characters and world building. After reading hardcore like GoT, it may seem too tame, but he definitely has a solid place in why fantasy is what it is today. If you don't know who Arutha, Pug, and James are, you really need to read those books.

 

 David Eddings is a long the same lines as Raymond Feist. They were the building blocks for current fantasy. The Belgariad is a pretty good book to give you a very good idea of what Eddings is all about.

 

 Joe Abercrombie has written some very gritty adult fantasy books over the past few years. His First Law trilogy is well worth reading and almost everyone who has read The First Law puts Logen "Ninefingers" at the top of their favorite fantasy characters ever.

 

 While some blow off Brandon Sanderson, of course he finished WoT and made the ending possible. His Mistborn original trilogy is very creative and a fun read.

His newest series (Epic Fantasy) is just 2 books in, but has a LOT of potential. I would highly recommend them. I would also HIGHLY RECOMMEND starting off just reading the first 4-5 Kaladin chapters. It takes a little to wrap your mind around the world building and by reading the first few Kaladin chapters you can ease yourself into it, then go back and read the chapters you skipped.

 

 Brent Weeks is another newish author who has taken the fantasy world by storm... His Night Angel trilogy is HARDCORE. In fact, while I really enjoyed reading them, it is so hardcore that I find myself cringing away from a re-read.  His newest series is called Lightbring and it is FANFREAKINGTASTIC.

 

 Anthony Ryan BLOODSONG may very well be the best first book of a trilogy I have ever read. I really liked the entire trilogy but most think there was too much drop off in the 2nd and 3rd book, but you are doing yourself an injustice if you do not read Bloodsong. 

 

 Mark Lawrence is another guy hitting the fantasy scene hard. Another very gritty writer, whose "hero" is about as nasty as they come. It is hard to sympathize with his ruthlessness, but the writing is dang good and will suck you right in.

 

 You will hear people mention Patrick Rothfuss but personally my feelings towards him is a big EFF U.... In my head I call G.R.R.M    George "Buy MY" Martin since there is absolutely nothing in this world he wont stamp his name on and try to spin a buck. I will never buy one of his books again, I will wait for them to go used and then buy them from the used bookstore to avoid giving him a penny... On the other hand I think.... Patrick "GIVE ME" Rothfuss, this guy has barely done anything but never stops asking for donations. He can't finish a book, but he can dang sure beg for money.

 

 Then there is historic fiction, when it comes to historic fiction in our type of genre it is almost impossible to beat Bernard Cornwell. His "Saxon Chronicles" is very good. There is also a tv series based on these books called "The Last Kingdom". It is currently being played on netflix but was originally on BBC that I also highly recommend checking out. If he likes the tv series, he will certainly like the books.

 

 So overall here are my recommendation.. instead of buying a trilogy or series, but him the first book of several of these series and let him check them out and see which he wants to continue reading...

Starting in order of my recommendations..

 

 1. Anthony Ryan Blood Song (it is too good not to read)

 2. Joe Abercrombie The Blade Itself

 3. Brandon Sanderson The Way of Kings (start with the first 4 Kaladin chapters, then go back and start from the prologue)

 4. Brent Weeks The Black Prism

 5. Brent Weeks The Way of Shadows

 6. Mark Lawrence Prince of Thorns

 7. Raymond Feist Magician: Apprentice (the 2nd book is Master, but there are some that combine books 1 and 2)

 8. David Eddings Belgariad

 9. Brandon Sanderson Mistborn

 

 Have him watch The Last Kingdom on Netflix.

[flinn]

I think MODS should move this thread to its appropiate place.

 

Anyway.

 

 

@szilardI actually hate GRRMs writing though I obviously love WoT and like LotR quite a lit.

 

I really have enjoyed all of BS work.

The Malazan books (though they are extremely dark and gritty compared to WoT) were one of my all time favorite complete series.

I've been working my way through some of Terry Brooks and have also enjoyed his work. That would he something closer to the feel of WoT compared to something like Malazan.

 

So you hate GRRM, but you like works written by bs, Erikson, and Brooks?

 

GRRM is miles lightyears ahead/above them.

 

(I have just sampled them.) Brooks and bs are just terrible, they write their books for 8-10 years old kids, who don't enjoy anything else just videogames. Shallow and bad prose, zero dimensional characters, no depth, conversations/dialogues are terribadly dreadful. They both know that their audience will eat up everything labeled 'epic fantasy', and they want money too, so they will pump out book after book after book. They are the Dan Browns of epic fantasy.

 

Of course, when I was 8-9 years old, Karl May was my G O D (there were lesser gods: Verne, Gárdonyi etc.), but I have grown up since then, and my interests have drastically changed.

 

Now, Erikson. He is in the videogame-ish league too (basically, he's an ungraded DnD writer), and he also cannot write, but at least he has fantasy. He could imagine truly epic things. That's why I like to pair him with Hobb, because Hobb can write, she is capable to create three dim. persons, etcetc, but her works are not epic at all. She works in very small scales, unfortunately.

 

Endnote: don't misunderstand me, RJ is not Joyce, or Broch, or Musil, or Woolf, or Faulkner, or Heller, or Krasznahorkai, or Pynchon, or Arno Schmidt, or Thomas Bernhard, but he is the king of his genre.

 

 

Hey, OP! You could buy one of these too to your brother: God's War: A New History of the Crusades - Tyerman, or The Thirty Years War - Wilson, or God's Fury, England's Fire - Braddick, Anglo-Saxon England - Stenton, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings - Bartlett, Imperial China - Mote etcetc.

 It is true what you say about Brooks, but because I was about 10 years old when I started reading him, it worked out great and one of the reasons I still love fantasy til this very day @35 years later. Piers Anthony was one of my gods at that age. Incarnations of Immortality was EPIC.  Bio of a Space Tyrant was right there with it.

 

 Didn't like Erikson at all, the king of Deus Ex Machina. If the hero is in trouble, no problem all powerful god drops down and saves the day. 

 

 I also agree what you say about Hobb. Fitz is an icon in fantasy but there was just something that never put her on the same level as some of the other authors/books I like.

 

 BS is getting better and better IMO. Yes it is arcadish, especially the Mistborn series, but he is very creative and his writing productivity is truly epic.

[flinn]

 

that would be as good (is that blasphemy?) or REALLY good, for someone who went crazy for WOT.

 

Yes, it's a blasphemy.

 

And he already read the Game of Thrones series, LOTR

 

Then it's a dead end. Others will be recommend many worthy writers, but I/we (our book club)  think that RJ, GRRM (first three books, the first one is the best, then it goes quicly downhill), and Tolkien (LOTR) are the best in the genre.

 

His Dark Materials.

 

LOL. Sorry.

 

 Yep GRRM really suprised a lot of readers with his deaths (and fake deaths) but by the end of book 3, most of us had grown weary of it, then it just became predictable and boring. Now you read one of his books and it is 100s of pages of turtle descriptions, food descriptions, and wilding armor descriptions (all available for sale) after 6 year intervals with no plot advancement. For those who complained about books 8,9,10 for Jordan, GRRM is the worst of the worst. I am so glad HBO is going to finish that series so I never have to buy a GRRM book again. He has become the Gene Simmons of fantasy. He stamps his name on anything and everything. I am waiting on the GoT toilet paper to come out.

[szilard]

flinn, to quote myself:

 

GRRM (first three books, the first one is the best, then it goes quicly downhill)

 

I don't care about book 4-5-6-7-8-9...

[flinn]

flinn, to quote myself:

 

GRRM (first three books, the first one is the best, then it goes quicly downhill)

 

I don't care about book 4-5-6-7-8-9...

 Yep and you are exactly right. I recently read an article about GRRM that really summed him up.

 

 He isn't a novelist, he is a tv writer. 

 

 When you read his novels outside of ASOIAF, the biggest problem is the endings.

 

 He is great at starting, he is average at the middle, and he is terrible at endings, which is basically what a tv writer is.

 

 When you are writing for tv, if things start getting humdrum, you kill off a character and introduce a new character and hope the new character revitalizes interest.

"Lost" is GRRM in a nutshell. 

[flinn]

 Just read a book, 1st in a series, 2nd book won't be out until the end of 2017, so keep that in mind, but....

 

 Son of Black Sword is a pretty good book.