Recommend a fantasy series

[Demiurge]

Looking for a new series to read. Any recommendations?

Some of my favorites:

Belgariad, Mallorean by Eddings
A Song of Ice and Fire (when's the next book, dammit!)
The Book of Swords (first three, anyway)/Empire of the East
Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
Chronicles of Amber
The Earthsea Series
The Chalion Series

I've read Wheel of Time, which started great, lagged seriously in the middle, and then finally started to get going again right before Jordan passed.

I've got Perdido Street Station, which I hear is great. I've heard good things about Tigana.

Any other recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[Rii]

The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist and parallel Empire Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts.

 

[Lonemagpie]

The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist and parallel Empire Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts.

Yep, definitely the Riftwar, and the Serpentwar, and the Darkwar. (You can skip the standalone books in between the first two sets and jump on board with Shadow Of A Dark Queen, but I'd recommend catching The King's Buccaneer beforehand, and not worry about Prince Of The Blood)

If you liked Thomas Covenant, Mordant's Need is a far better two-book series by Donaldson

Tigana is brilliant, as is A Song For Arbonne

David Gemmell can be good- the Bloodstone and Drenai series are fun, but Dark Prince and Lion of Macedon are his best, IMO

 

[Nathan_Heller]

The Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. Harry is a sorcerer that works as a private investigator in Chicago. He encounters demons, werewolves, vampires, elves, etc. They are great reads.

 

[Colonel Midnight]

^ Sounds a bit like Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series, which I also recommend.

Cheers,
-CM-

 

[The Sneeze Police]

Some of my favorites include (apart from CS Lewis & JRR Tolkien):

Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud *
The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander *
The Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper *
Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K Le Guin
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson
The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix *

*written for younger readers, but still very enjoyable

 

[Greg Cox]

You can't go wrong with:

The Elric series by Michael Moorcock

The "Fafhrd and Grey Mouser" books by Fritz Leiber.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

"The Lies of Locke Lamora"

It's the first book in a series, though i don't think there is a "series name" per se. The next one is called "Red Seas Under Red SKies".

 

[Brendan Moody]

"The Lies of Locke Lamora"

It's the first book in a series, though i don't think there is a "series name" per se. The next one is called "Red Seas Under Red SKies".

The series name is The Gentleman Bastard Sequence, actually. I'd recommend it too.

I'd also recommend Daniel Abraham's Long Price Quartet.

I haven't been able to get into any of these yet, but people who like some of the other series mentioned above tend to recommend The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, the Second Apocalypse series by R. Scott Bakker, and especially Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series.

 

[jadcox@mindspring.com]

Here's a vote for the Name of the Wind, which has a sequel next month, I think.

 

[Nardpuncher]

Here's one I wouldn't recommend: Terry Goodkind's stuff. It was OK, but it felt like something you'd find in the Young Adult section.

 

[Lt. Trull]

Forget Jim Butcher's Dresdin series... Pick up Jim Butcher's Furies series... much better, wrote after he gained experience writing dresdin... I also loved the riftwar series and related books by Feist..

 

[Ruaidhri]

Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. Some really intense stuff, and fabulous world-building.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Forget Jim Butcher's Dresdin series... Pick up Jim Butcher's Furies series... much better, wrote after he gained experience writing dresdin... I also loved the riftwar series and related books by Feist..

To be honest, I'd recommend The Dresden Files over Codex Alera, but I think both are great.
Dresden is Urban Fantasy, so if you're after more Classic Fantasy then Codex Alera is a better choice.
Dresden Files Book 11, Turn Coat, is out next month, and book 5 of Codex Alera came out in December, with the final book due this coming December.

 

[stonester1]

Conan-Robert E Howard

A River Into Darkness-Sean Russel

Oktoberland-Adam Lee

A Wrinkle In Time-Madeline L'Engle

His Dark Materials-Phillip Pullman

Chronicles of Narnia-CS Lewis

Earthdawn-Ursula Leguin

Harry Potter-JK Rowling

Young Wizards series-Diane Duane (also writer of one of my favorite Trek novels, The Wounded Sky)

 

[stonester1]

The Dying Earth-Jack Vance

 

[Icemizer]

Harry Turtledoves "The Misplaced Legion" is quite an enjoyable series to read and may lead you to read the other series about Videssos.

 

[backstept]

the 'Shannara' series by Terry Brooks :thumb:

 

[Bishbot]

Here's one I wouldn't recommend: Terry Goodkind's stuff. It was OK, but it felt like something you'd find in the Young Adult section.

Don't be silly Nardpuncher, haven't you read interviews from the great man himself? He doesn't even write fantasy, he writes important moral stories about admirable people.

 

[Loupjo]

Prince of Nothing by R Scott Bakker (it's a trilogy but the story continues in a sequel) The trilogy is out already and the first sequel book is too.

I think the books are very good. I struggled a bit with the first 50 pages or so but then it picked up. It's very philosopical, oftimes brutal, always interesting and very captivating.

The author doesn't explain a lot about his world so in the beginning it feels a disorientating but it also throws you right into the action.

Definitely not a generic fantasy story of good versus evil.

Also, Steven Erickson book of the fallen (Mazalan)- Very long series. It's almost finished I think. High quality, brutal and overwhelming.

I also really like Robin Hobb. Lots of people didn't like her last series (soldier son trilogy) but even though I don't consider them on par with her other books I really enjoyed those too.

Her Assasin trilogy is a good place to start though. Good story although a bit depressing sometimes Very well written. Very beautiful. Perhaps not enough action for some. A good mix of politics, intrigues, action and generic fantasy.
The Liveship Traders trilogy is good too. Takes place in the same world but completely (almost completely) different story and feel to the story.