I need a new fantasy series to read

[Kelthaz]

Since finishing A Dance With Dragons I've tried to find something to tide me over until the next book is released sometime next century, but it's not going so well. I'll list the series I tried reading and why I gave up on them. I rest all my hopes on you. Find me something good to read.

Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

Spoiler: The Name of the Wind

The book starts off well, but Kvothe is too much of a Mary Sue. It wouldn't be quite so bad if the other characters were interesting, but there are no other characters. He's the only important character in the book. After hundreds of pages reading about how awesome and special and intelligent this dick is I just gave up. I couldn't take any more of it.

Malazan, Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson

Spoiler: Gardens of the Moon

Again, very interesting start, but I'm convinced that Mr. Erikson has ADHD. Hell hounds wiped out a city, a mage is killed twice and turned into a puppet, an army is assaulting the city of Pale, Pale gets support from Doom Island, the army defeats the rock in combat, Captain Paran is killed and resurrected by the God of Death, and now we're invading another city. This all happens in about 150 pages. Focus, damn you! Focus! I read a few reviews on Amazon and even fans of the series admit that this remains a problem. This series is not for me.

Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Spoiler: The Eye of the World

It's been years since I tried to read this series, so my thoughts aren't very clear on why I stopped reading. All I remember is making it through the first half of the first book before I gave up from boredom. If I hear some praise for the series I would be happy to give it a second chance.

Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

Spoiler: Fellowship of the Ring

I don't need spoilers for this, but I like to keep things consistent. These books give you about 2-3 lines of fantastic storytelling for every 2-3 pages of purple prose. No, I don't give a damn about some King from 10,000 years ago or the unique colour of the trees. It's just not worth it when I have the movies at my fingertips.

Discworld by Terry Pratchett

Spoiler: No spoilers

Put down the pitchforks. I love this series, but I'm in the mood for something more serious to scratch my fantasy itch. Although I do love this series, so maybe that helps? Maybe not?

 

[Sindatur]

The First, Second and Final Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

First and Second Chronicles (Each a Trilogy) have been completed for decades. Final Chronicles (A Quadrilogy) has it's final bppk coming out in the Fall

 

[Evil Twin]

This might help.

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/52645-fantasy-and-sf-recommendations-series/

 

[Klaus]

The First, Second and Final Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

First and Second Chronicles (Each a Trilogy) have been completed for decades. Final Chronicles (A Quadrilogy) has it's final bppk coming out in the Fall

Covenant is the classic love-it-or-hate-it series... I love it. If you want something shorter, Julian May's Boreal Moon trilogy was great, like all of her stuff is.

 

[Brendan Moody]

A lot of people who enjoy A Song of Ice and Fire also enjoy R. Scott Bakker, so you might want to check out his work. The Darkness that Comes Before is the first book.

 

[sidious618]

A lot of people who enjoy A Song of Ice and Fire also enjoy R. Scott Bakker, so you might want to check out his work. The Darkness that Comes Before is the first book.

I haven't heard of him so I'll have to check it out since I'm a big Martin fan. In general, Martin has ruined me for fantasy as I find that nothing else holds a candle to ASofIaF.

 

[Gaith]

​

 

[Lindley]

Have you read The Dresden Files yet? The only downside is they've started releasing them in this terrible oddly-sized paperback format, but they're great reads.

 

[backstept]

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is quite good. I'm working my way through it right now.
The Shannara series by Terry Brooks is good, but there are tons of books. (looking at the list I can't believe I've read most of 'em :P) The first trilogy, with a prequel, The Heritage Tetralogy, The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy, the High Druid trilogy, the genesis trilogy, and the legends duology . . . and he's still writing more!
His Landover series sounds good, but I haven't read 'em. I highly recommend his Word and Void trilogy too.

 

[IcecreamLtDan]

I was actually going to mention The Dresden Files myself. If you have an ereader they have two collections that consist of books 1 -6 and 7 - 12 and the rest are separate books so you can go that route and save some bucks.

 

[stj]

A strong hand, but I see you with Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising, and raise you with Alan Garner's Weirdstone trilogy.

 

[Greg Cox]

And there's always the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser series by Fritz Leiber.

 

[Rulius]

Try Glen Cooks the Black Company; Brandon Sanderson the Way of kings, mistborn trilogy; David Eddings the Belgariad; Katherine Kerr Daggerspell; Raymond Feist Magician;
NK Jemisin the hundred thousand kingdoms.

 

[Greg Cox]

There's also the "Eddie LaCrosse" series by Alex Bledsoe, which is about a hard-boiled private swordsman investigating mysteries in various fantasy kingdoms. Think Raymond Chandler meets Dungeons & Dragons. I've been enjoying them so far.

(Full disclosure: I also wrote the jacket copy for most of the books.)

 

[Kegg]

The Bas Lag series. Perdido Street Station, The Scar, and Iron Council.

It's not much like Martin beyond being mature and serious takes on fantasy, but it's a good example of how to do fantasy that's really, really big on being actually fantastical and yet keep it grounded and lovely and fantastic and the rest of it. It's more like a Discworld that's grown up and gone weird than it is Westeros.

All said, check it out.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Another vote for the Bas Lag series, as well as Jeff Vandermeer's Ambergris series, and John R. Fultz Seven Princes / Seven Kings books.

 

[JD]

Since some others recommended The Dresden Files, I'm gonna go ahead and recommend a couple of my favorite Urban Fantasy series.
The Hollows/Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison- Follows a witch in an alternate universe where, after genetically modified Tomatoes wiped out half of the human population, Vampires, Werewolves, Pixies, Witches, ect, (Inderlanders) came forward and now exist openly alongside the surviving humans. The series is set in Cincinnati, where the main character operates an independent detective agency alongside her Vampire roomate, and her Pixy friend. I've only read 2 of the 11 novels, and 1 of the 2 graphic novels in the series so far, but I absolutely loved all three of them. It has one of my favorite casts of any novels series I've read. There is also a short story collection and a companion book I haven't read yet.
Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews (actually a pen name used by Ilona and her husband Gordon)- Takes place in a near future (according to the timeline on the authors' website the 5 books released so far take place over 2040-2041) where magic goes through an unpredictable cycle of rising and falling. When magic is up technology stops and magic works, and when magic is down tech works and magic doesn't work. The series takes place in a post-apocalytic Atlanta, where the main character works as a mercenary mage. The series also features Vampires, Weres and other mythical creatures existing openly alongside regular humans. I've only read 1 of the 5 books in the series so far, but I loved it too. Kate is a fun, kick ass, sarcastic narrator, and there is a really interesting world built up around her.

 

[Venardhi]

A lot of people who enjoy A Song of Ice and Fire also enjoy R. Scott Bakker, so you might want to check out his work. The Darkness that Comes Before is the first book.

I haven't heard of him so I'll have to check it out since I'm a big Martin fan. In general, Martin has ruined me for fantasy as I find that nothing else holds a candle to ASofIaF.

Don't count on Bakker's characters having nearly the charm of Martin's. He builds a compelling world but I honestly couldn't give a shit about a single person or plot. I finished the first book, put it down, and immediately forgot the whole thing.

 

[Brendan Moody]

Yeah, I'm not sure that Bakker, who I haven't read yet and may never get around to, is particularly like Martin; it's just that there's an overlap between the two fanbases. Joe Abercrombie is another one a lot of ASOIAF fans seem to like. So is Steven Erikson, who the OP has tried and didn't care for. I didn't get much out of Gardens of the Moon either. Daniel Abraham, a frequent collaborator of Martin's and the script writer for the ASOIAF comic adaptation, might also be worth a look; his Long Price Quartet is pretty sharp character-driven fantasy, though it starts a little awkwardly.

 

[Kegg]

Yeah, I'm not sure that Bakker, who I haven't read yet and may never get around to, is particularly like Martin; it's just that there's an overlap between the two fanbases.

Well as that sort of recommendation: I hear a lot of his fans like Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series. I have no idea how good it is though (and it's a mere two books in, anyway).