Paid Members Carbomb Posted December 15, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted December 15, 2021 1 hour ago, waters44 said: Can anyone recommend a good fantasy series (not Game of Thrones) that I can get my teeth stuck in to over Christmas please? A friend has mentioned the "Wheel of Time" and "Riftwar Saga" - are they worth checking out? Wheel Of Time is shite. First book's decent, next two are OK, then it's just seven books of plodding dross. Apparently volume eleven onwards, continuing the series by someone else after Robert Jordan died (think it was Kevin J. Anderson who took it over), are quite good, but I just tapped out at 10 (my completism being the only thing to carry me through at that point), and I just can't be arsed. If you haven't read any, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is just great. First three books are the weakest, because they're establishing the universe, but they're still funny. However, you don't need to have read them to enjoy the later ones. Pick any one of them, I think you'll enjoy them. The Daughter/Servant/Mistress of the Empire series by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts is one of my favourites - set in a world where a human empire that has evolved from the Japanese and Aztec civilisations has come to dominate - as are The Wars of Light & Shadow by Janny Wurts by herself (although this is eight books long, very dense, and requires some patience at times) - about two half-brothers born with elemental powers of light and shadow each, who are tasked to take down a vast, evil wraith enveloping the world, with tragic consequences. If you're extending to sci-fi, I'm immensely enjoying the Rosewater trilogy by Tade Thompson - set in a near-future Nigeria in which alien biodomes have manifested in various places around Earth, the one that's sprung up in Rosewater, Nigeria is the setting for where it all kicks off. Lots of detail, it's essentially a police drama and spy thriller that just happens to be centred around aliens. The Farseer trilogy (and the sequel Fool trilogy) by Robin Hobb are also well worth a look - a bastard son to a king, trained up as an assassin, falls victim to dynasty politics. Dragons and telepath are involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members gmoney Posted December 15, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted December 15, 2021 2 hours ago, waters44 said: Can anyone recommend a good fantasy series (not Game of Thrones) that I can get my teeth stuck in to over Christmas please? A friend has mentioned the "Wheel of Time" and "Riftwar Saga" - are they worth checking out? The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Very gruesome and funny and crucially doesn't outstay its welcome. There is another trilogy that's come out more recently that's supposed to be very good, but I've not read it. He's realeased other standalone stories in the same world which I have read and they're pretty great too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Nexus Posted December 15, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted December 15, 2021 2 hours ago, Carbomb said: The Farseer trilogy (and the sequel Fool trilogy) by Robin Hobb are also well worth a look - a bastard son to a king, trained up as an assassin, falls victim to dynasty politics. Dragons and telepath are involved. Definitely recommend these. They're both incredible books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted December 15, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted December 15, 2021 A quick update (much to my own surprise, pleasantly so): it seems The Wars Of Light & Shadow didn't end at eight books. There are another three. Glad, because there were a few loose ends that I thought she'd simply written off as "this is where the historical document ends, and we have no more information". It's been so long since I read them, though, that I might have to restart the whole series, which isn't a bad thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted December 16, 2021 Awards Moderator Share Posted December 16, 2021 11 hours ago, Nexus said: Definitely recommend these. They're both incredible books. I loved the first one-and-a-bit of these books, but some character choices in the second half of the trilogy really annoyed me. Speaking of annoying, I’d recommend Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles, but there are only two with no sign the third one is ever turning up. I second Discworld wholeheartedly. I’m rereading them all right now and they’re just the best. They’re not high fantasy but the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik mixes fantasy with history. Elevator pitch would be “the Napoleonic Wars but if dragons existed”. It’s very very cool. I think there are nine of those. Final one I’d maybe suggest is the Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon. It’s proper YA fare but there are clairvoyants and extradimensional happening and it’s certainly fantastical if not fantasy (though she has also done a high fantasy book called Priory of the Orange Tree). Four of those so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperBacon Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 44 minutes ago, HarmonicGenerator said: Final one I’d maybe suggest is the Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon. It’s proper YA fare but there are clairvoyants and extradimensional happening and it’s certainly fantastical if not fantasy (though she has also done a high fantasy book called Priory of the Orange Tree). Four of those so far. OK for a 12yo? They sound right up my eldests street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted December 16, 2021 Awards Moderator Share Posted December 16, 2021 (edited) 29 minutes ago, SuperBacon said: OK for a 12yo? They sound right up my eldests street. I think so, yes. There’s a bit of sexy time with two characters (would compare to a Twilight or Buffy level of overtness) and some of the action can get quite violent but nothing too disturbing from what I remember. Would maybe suggest you look up a plot summary on wiki or somewhere beforehand just to be safe. Edited December 16, 2021 by HarmonicGenerator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrodyGraham Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn books are very good. There's a main trilogy and an offshoot sequel series, which are a bit more pulpy fun. Sanderson also has a series called The Stormlight Archive which is a bit heavier in terms of scope and lore. Daniel Abraham's The Dagger and the Coin series is a lot of fun. Abraham is one half of James SA Corey who writes the Expanse and who I'd put money on finishing A Song of Ice and Fire when big George pops his clogs. It's chiefly concerned with the intersection of the military and financial sectors in a pseudo medieval fantasy world, except not as dry as that sounds. I've read all of Joe Abercrombie's stuff set in the First Law World and can not recommend it enough. It is very grim but has a massive streak of gallows humour running through it. I also genuinely believe that Abercrombie's books get better and no one gets into the weeds of their characters like Abercrombie. He has two trilogies, The First Law and Age of Madness, but his 3 stand-alone books are incredible as well, taking thematic detours and positing what other genres would look like in The First Law World. I'm blasting through John Gwynne's stuff at the moment. Real page turny heroic fantasy. Not much scheming, lots of flying heads. Tropey but addictive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator Onyx2 Posted December 16, 2021 Awards Moderator Share Posted December 16, 2021 15 hours ago, gmoney said: The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie Forgot all about these. What a superb trilogy, I read it about 15 years ago and was completely gripped. Highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallicks Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 Another one for Mistborn. Been a while since I read it but it was great. I read The Belgariad and The Mallorean by David Eddings when I first started going out with my now wife, as she recommended them to me as fantasy for someone that’s not read fantasy before, though they might not have aged that well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Nexus Posted December 16, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted December 16, 2021 Completely forgot about Mistborn. Excellent series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted December 16, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted December 16, 2021 Ooh, forgot another one: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - fantasy alternate history, written like a Regency novel, set around the rivalry between two English magicians, one of whom ends up being seconded to the Duke of Wellington to help in the campaign against Napoleon. There was a TV adaptation a while back, but I never got to see it. The book is great, though, and quite funny too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Some Guy Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 7 minutes ago, Carbomb said: Ooh, forgot another one: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - fantasy alternate history, written like a Regency novel, set around the rivalry between two English magicians, one of whom ends up being seconded to the Duke of Wellington to help in the campaign against Napoleon. There was a TV adaptation a while back, but I never got to see it. The book is great, though, and quite funny too. I have to second this. Fantastic book, but everyone I recommend it to gave up before the end (it's fairly lengthy). I can recommend Susanna Clarke's other novel, Piranesi too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted December 16, 2021 Awards Moderator Share Posted December 16, 2021 27 minutes ago, Carbomb said: Ooh, forgot another one: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - fantasy alternate history, written like a Regency novel, set around the rivalry between two English magicians, one of whom ends up being seconded to the Duke of Wellington to help in the campaign against Napoleon. There was a TV adaptation a while back, but I never got to see it. The book is great, though, and quite funny too. The TV series was okay but couldn't quite create the same feel of a properly lived-in world that the book does. It's harsh to say "you didn't miss anything" but if you've read the book you got the better experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted December 16, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted December 16, 2021 (edited) On the Discworld front, my go-to recommendations for a first book in the series to read are Mort and Guards! Guards!, or Equal Rights if it's for a young girl who'll get a kick out of the "woman in a man's world" themes. You can always go back and fill in the blanks of the first two books later - aside from starting out Rincewind's story, they're largely inessential in terms of world building, as most of the locations featured never appear again, and a lot of the "rules" established in The Colour of Magic are either contradicted later on or never referenced again either. On the fantasy front, I've just started reading The Hobbit for the first time since primary school, as the start of a bigger Tolkien re-read. It's been 20 years or so since I read LOTR, but I had remembered not massively getting on with it - my take on Tolkien has always been that he's an impressive world-builder bar none, but quite clunky at actual writing, and perfunctory when it comes to story, so revisiting The Hobbit it's quite refreshing to find a really warm, almost conversational way of writing, that really lends itself to a children's book. The songs are still shit, though. Edited December 16, 2021 by BomberPat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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