What other fantasy books do YOU read?

[HerenIstarion]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

...and reread George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. He's now been promoted to be included in the list of my favourite authors.

Ah, that one, regardless of double R in the middle of his name that brings home nice reminiscences, I could not force myself past the chapter the whole lot of them (can't remember the names for the life of me) find direwolf cubs and proclaim these to be tied with the fates of their clan. Just got stuck there and went to read something else instead (It was Space Trilogy of C.S.Lewis IIRC)

Anyway, I hope it was not a total waste of money (as I've got all 5 Kindle editions, again, IIRC, maybe it's four, can't remember whether book 5 was already out by then) and one day, someday, I will turn back to the series and read them and, hopefully, enjoy them

Maybe I was just in no mood for it first time, but it seemed to lack certain knack for me. Though I definitely abstained from watching the movie so far, saving my judgement till I finally get over books (if I do read them after all)

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by HerenIstarion

Ah, that one, regardless of double R in the middle of his name that brings home nice reminiscences, I could not force myself past the chapter the whole lot of them (can't remember the names for the life of me) find direwolf cubs and proclaim these to be tied with the fates of their clan. Just got stuck there and went to read something else instead (It was Space Trilogy of C.S.Lewis IIRC)

Anyway, I hope it was not a total waste of money (as I've got all 5 Kindle editions, again, IIRC, maybe it's four, can't remember whether book 5 was already out by then) and one day, someday, I will turn back to the series and read them and, hopefully, enjoy them

Maybe I was just in no mood for it first time, but it seemed to lack certain knack for me. Though I definitely abstained from watching the movie so far, saving my judgement till I finally get over books (if I do read them after all)

If you're suspicious of GRRM just because of this kind of stuff, please go on and read him. Out of all fantasy writers I've read, Martin probably handles prophecies and religion the way I like the most. Stuff works, but it is ambiguous. All the characters/factions interpret omens and prophecies in their own way and it's impossible to say who is right. There are dozens of gods, and it's impossible to judge whether they exist or not, because they kind of are there and kind of not. Characters have prophetic dreams, or maybe you just think they they are prophetic because something that vaguely fits them happened later. And maybe even later happens something else that makes you see the dream or prophecy in a completely different light. And if you keep your eyes open you could probably predict so much stuff based on random dreams and quotes of withc women at markets and who knows what but it's kind of impossible to keep track - but in retrospect it all makes sense. It's very cool.

And yes, Martin is using the over-used connection with wolves, but while the family Stark whose sigil is the direwolf might seem like the central one in the beginning, it eventually spreads out so that they are just one family among others, there are wolves and dragons and lions and fish and eagles and roses and krakens and suns and stags and who knows what kind of epic sigils with the great houses of the kingdoms, and you're not rooting just for the wolf family anymore - or at least that's what happened to most people I know who read the books.

I warmly recommend Martin's novels to everybody who doesn't mind the huge scale of it or the ugly realism (war happens so people die - even major characters, and people are beaten, raped, robbed, tortured, abused, some freeze to death, innocents are slaughtered and so on). Martin writes really well, his characters grow to unforeseen dimensions and picking favourites or taking sides becomes almost impossible as the saga goes on and the writer is always one step ahead of you so you keep picking up your jaw from the floor. Furthermore, the sort of realism I mentioned - even in all its ugliness - is really refreshing in the fantasy genre, and the world is interesting and carefully constructed.

/end rant



ps.

Originally Posted by Alfirin

Oh and one piece of advice for going through the series, do not even TRY to work out what the actual date is, you are just going to go crazy. You're going to meet a lot of historical people through the series, but thier life stories are so different, and history has gone such a different that trying to pin down a date is nearly impossible (I've always guessed sometime between 1820 and 1860, but that is just my guess)

Thanks for the advice! Fortunately, although I study history I've always been lousy with dates, and the US history has never been my speciality, so I think I will be able to ignore the temptation to put it too strictly into historical context.

[NazgulQueen]

Mainly just A Song of Ice and Fire, big fan of George RR Martin.

[Eruanna]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

I warmly recommend Martin's novels to everybody who doesn't mind the huge scale of it or the ugly realism (war happens so people die - even major characters, and people are beaten, raped, robbed, tortured, abused, some freeze to death, innocents are slaughtered and so on). Martin writes really well, his characters grow to unforeseen dimensions and picking favourites or taking sides becomes almost impossible as the saga goes on and the writer is always one step ahead of you so you keep picking up your jaw from the floor. Furthermore, the sort of realism I mentioned - even in all its ugliness - is really refreshing in the fantasy genre, and the world is interesting and carefully constructed.

I'm a bit late to the party but I agree entirely, especially with the bit I've put in bold. I don't think I can remember the last time a novel shocked me in this way. I've become too used to plots being predictable!

I've also read the Patrick Rothfuss novels mentioned earlier and thoroughly enjoyed them both.

Estelyn, for what it's worth, I've read all of the Shadowmarch Chronicles. I enjoyed the first two but after my favourite (and in my opinion) the most promising character was killed off, I lost interest a bit. The ending of the final book was also a bit of a trial. Like the ending of the RotK movie it just seemed to go on and on and on...
I actually enjoyed Tad Williams' earlier series 'Memory, Sorrow and Thorn' much more.

I've recently discovered China Mieville. His books are 'fantasy but not as we know it,' so to speak. Definitely weird and thought provoking. His 'The City and The City' made my brain hurt but was a terrific read for all that!

[Bom Tombadillo]

Hmmmn. I'm always looking for new authors to read, but I rarely get the chance to buy new books (even on the lovely, wonderful, spectacular Kindle), and nearly as rarely to *gasp* visit the library. This means, of course, that I have a great big list of works I would like to read, but a considerably smaller list of ones I actually have read.

I've read the first book in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series by George R. R. Martin, but not been terribly impressed. I don't dislike it, and think I might have been kept off of it for too long by a comment somewhere (I believe I was linked to it from this very site) that greatly exaggerated, to my mind, the quantity and graphicness (?) of the . . . ugly realism, as Thinlomien puts it? In other words, I really should get the second book, and would recommend the bit of it I know to anybody who is interested in some highly morally grey fiction.

I'm rather impressed by "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss, which I'm currently rereading (rather less so by the sequel, sadly, but that's another subject) - I like the main character a lot, and it's one of the few books I've read that actually manages to put me in a state of suspense as to the outcome.

[Aganzir]

Originally Posted by Eruanna

I've recently discovered China Mieville. His books are 'fantasy but not as we know it,' so to speak. Definitely weird and thought provoking. His 'The City and The City' made my brain hurt but was a terrific read for all that!

I recently reread Perdido Street Station which, though intriguing, isn't one of his best works (at least in my opinion - I mean, it's well written but it just can't hold my attention for very long), and Iron Council, one of my favourite books ever. It's a steampunk western with socialism, imperialism, terrorism, gay rights, and golems.
Before that, I acquainted myself with Embassytown which is his most recent novel, and I really liked it. While Miéville's Bas-Lag novels have steampunk as a common element, Embassytown is good ol' science fiction.

Originally Posted by Bom Tombadillo

I've read the first book in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series by George R. R. Martin, but not been terribly impressed.

I wasn't terribly impressed by the first book, either - as a matter of fact, I didn't read A Clash of Kings until a year later, and it was only then I understood why people whose literary judgement I normally trust had been praising the series.

I've also reread Jeff VanderMeer's short story collection The Secret Life, and it was a disappointment given that he was one of my favourite writers as a teenager. Now his (sometimes experimental) style didn't sit well with me at all, and I found most of the stories boring and pointless. I still like his Veniss Underground novel, though.

[Eruanna]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

I recently reread Perdido Street Station which, though intriguing, isn't one of his best works (at least in my opinion - I mean, it's well written but it just can't hold my attention for very long), and Iron Council, one of my favourite books ever. It's a steampunk western with socialism, imperialism, terrorism, gay rights, and golems.
Before that, I acquainted myself with Embassytown which is his most recent novel, and I really liked it. While Miéville's Bas-Lag novels have steampunk as a common element, Embassytown is good ol' science fiction.

I just started to read 'Perdido Street Station' yesterday after finishing 'Kraken' last week. I'm having a similar problem. It's well written and the characters are even weirder to imagine than usual, but I'm finding it a bit harder to immerse myself this time. It's early days yet, so I'll see how I get on.
I'll look out for 'Embassytown' and 'Iron Council', thanks for the recommendations.

In an earlier post someone mentioned Joe Abercrombie's 'First Law' series. I loved those, Inquisitor Glokta is one of my favourite characters in a novel....ever! The other stand alone novels set in the same world: 'Best Served Cold' and 'The Heroes' are also very good. He's writing another at the moment....when he can tear himself away from Skyrim; according to his blog!

[Gil-Galad]

I just finished the fourth book of A Song of Fire and Ice, and as much as I was dreading the fourth book (Because of Hookbill telling me of it). I don't venture into fantasy books that often, being the only other series I have read was Tolkien and Raymond E. Feist.

I absolutely love the series for its realism, and curse the lack of the 5th book anywhere. So I figure when I am in England this summer I will have to pick up a copy.