Recommend a fantasy series
- Thread starter Demiurge
- Start date
You could try Richard Morgan's "The Steel Remains" - its pretty relentless in terms of blood, sex and foul language, but I enjoyed it a lot. (Its a notch below his scifi stuff in my estimation though) Only one book so far but its going to be a trilogy eventually.
Joe Abercrombie's "First Law" trilogy is probably excellent. I say "probably" because I've only read the first book so far, but I really really liked it. All three of those are out now and he's got a standalone book set in the same universe coming out in a month or so. Its a little more hard-edged than your standard fantasy-fare, but not at Morgan levels and it has some excellent black humour.
Joe Abercrombie's "First Law" trilogy is probably excellent. I say "probably" because I've only read the first book so far, but I really really liked it. All three of those are out now and he's got a standalone book set in the same universe coming out in a month or so. Its a little more hard-edged than your standard fantasy-fare, but not at Morgan levels and it has some excellent black humour.
Am I the first person to suggest
Tad Williams - Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy
Tad Williams - The Shadowmarch trilogy ( Book 3 still not published).
I have a caveat tho' - both the above are not for people who want pages filled with action. It's excellent writing which builds the mood. eg. In the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy - the first 60-70 pages as you follow Simon around the castle, you get only a glimpse of the momentous events happening around you but you know they are important and wish it was mentioned more "head-on" rather than obliquely but it helps build the atmosphere. A long really well-told and well-realized (in terms of creating a fantasy world) saga which goes against a few Fantasy tropes. In Tad's worlds, the "Elf-equivalents" are always ancient, much more cryptic than in other fantasies, and the buildup to their magics is remarkably dense and pleasing.
I am definitely glad that The Bartimaeus Trilogy has already been mentioned on Page 1 of this thread. I loved it. It's more of a young adult but with a surprisingly mature and gentle way of treating the whole thing.
Mordant's Need is also well-written and while I admire it, I don't *like* it (in the way that I want to "like" a fantasy series). Same goes for Philip Pullman, I think.
And a shoutout to JKR's GOF - I think it has the best 100-150 pages of constant buildup that I've seen in a recent work. (Tho' I really didn't like her writing for #6 and #7).
Tad Williams - Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy
Tad Williams - The Shadowmarch trilogy ( Book 3 still not published).
I have a caveat tho' - both the above are not for people who want pages filled with action. It's excellent writing which builds the mood. eg. In the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy - the first 60-70 pages as you follow Simon around the castle, you get only a glimpse of the momentous events happening around you but you know they are important and wish it was mentioned more "head-on" rather than obliquely but it helps build the atmosphere. A long really well-told and well-realized (in terms of creating a fantasy world) saga which goes against a few Fantasy tropes. In Tad's worlds, the "Elf-equivalents" are always ancient, much more cryptic than in other fantasies, and the buildup to their magics is remarkably dense and pleasing.
I am definitely glad that The Bartimaeus Trilogy has already been mentioned on Page 1 of this thread. I loved it. It's more of a young adult but with a surprisingly mature and gentle way of treating the whole thing.
Mordant's Need is also well-written and while I admire it, I don't *like* it (in the way that I want to "like" a fantasy series). Same goes for Philip Pullman, I think.
And a shoutout to JKR's GOF - I think it has the best 100-150 pages of constant buildup that I've seen in a recent work. (Tho' I really didn't like her writing for #6 and #7).
I CANNOT believe no-one's mentiond Discworld yet!
You don't follow just one set of characters, the comedy o fthe early ones is some of the best ever written, and the depth of the later ones is... wow. I can't think of a suitable phrase. Well worth it, seriously. And a good antidote to all the terribly dour stuff already mentioned.
My early fantasy reading was Moorcock and REHoward, as well as Zelazny's Amber. All good stuff.
You don't follow just one set of characters, the comedy o fthe early ones is some of the best ever written, and the depth of the later ones is... wow. I can't think of a suitable phrase. Well worth it, seriously. And a good antidote to all the terribly dour stuff already mentioned.
My early fantasy reading was Moorcock and REHoward, as well as Zelazny's Amber. All good stuff.
