• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Recommend me some epic fantasy

tomwaits

Master Poster
tomwaits
Joined
Nov 18, 2007
Messages
2,288
I need something else to read while I'm waiting for the next volume in A Song of Ice and Fire. My preference would be that kind of Fantasy/medieval fiction.
 
Glen Cook, The Annals of the Black Company. I've lost track of how many books there are in the series, but it was several.

Very gritty and depressing, and not the standard fantasy world. If we use a college football game as an analogy for Cook's struggle between good & evil, USC would be "Evil", UCLA would be "Probably even worse evil", and "Good" would be an injured kitten limping around the sideline.
 
dasmiller said:
Glen Cook, The Annals of the Black Company. I've lost track of how many books there are in the series, but it was several.

Very gritty and depressing, and not the standard fantasy world. If we use a college football game as an analogy for Cook's struggle between good & evil, USC would be "Evil", UCLA would be "Probably even worse evil", and "Good" would be an injured kitten limping around the sideline.
Click to expand...

Seconded. Although, the series gradually goes downhill after the original trilogy, IMO.
 
How about "Glory Road", by......................R.A. Heinlein :D
 
I started the Chronicles of the Black Company recently, and so far I'm a bit underwhelmed. True, it is dark and gritty and depressing (sometimes almost too much), but there isn't much going on in terms of plot or character development. I just hope it gets a bit more interesting... I have to say, it's probably even darker and grittier than A Song of Ice and Fire, but in terms of everything else, so far ASoIaF craps all over it. And yes, I'm also exceedingly impatient to read A Dance With Dragons. :(

I can recommend the 9-volume Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb. The first trilogy is The Farseer (book 1 is Assassin's Apprentice), the second trilogy is the Liveship Traders (book 1 is Ship of Magic), and the last trilogy is the Tawny Man (book 1 is Fool's Errand). They should be read in this order. Good stuff.

You can always try Memory, Sorrow & Thorn by Tad Williams, too. The prose is some of the best in fantasy out there, and it actually inspired GRRM to write fantasy.

And whatever you do, avoid Terry Goodkind. I mean, avoid like the plague. You won't thank me since you won't know why, but that's okay.
 
Madalch said:
Seconded. Although I preferred A Song for Arbonne.
Click to expand...


I agree, I do like that book better, but it is where he started the cast of thousands and rapid switching of viewpoints habits. It may be a bit much for someone who hasn't read anything of his before. Tigana was a bit simpler in terms of literary style, but not quite as forced as the Fionavar Tapestry.

That said, I will take his worst book over most authors best book any day.
 
Basilio beat me to it with the Worm Oroborous...I had a nifty annotated copy that showed the sources for all the wonderful language Eddison used.
 
Morrigan said:
And whatever you do, avoid Terry Goodkind. I mean, avoid like the plague. You won't thank me since you won't know why, but that's okay.
Click to expand...


Ha, that's funny because I bought Wizard's First Rule a few months ago, and I haven't gotten around to reading it.
 
I like Jacqueline Carey. She has two fantasy series that I have read.

Banewreaker and Godslayer are very good. They plot is very reminiscint of LoTR, but told from the point of view of the Dark Lord's general. It is a very interesting take on the Epic Fantasy genre.

The Kushiel series is a fantasy/alternate history with a very interesting take on religion in general and Christianity in particular. It also a heavy dose of alternative sexualities, specifically S&M, but does not come off as exploitive like Goodkind. I honestly did not much care for the S&M scenes and tended to skim past them, but the books were otherwise so good, I didn't mind missing the naughty bits.
 
Malazan Book of The Fallen

Best epic fantasy. Ever.

Does not get going till book 2, and only starts to become coherent in book 3, but...wow.

IMHO beats Song of Ice and Fire, just. Be warned, main characters die just as easily!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom