best fantasy books

calis

has to be :

george r r martins song of ice and fire books followed by gemmells waylader books followed closely by fiests midekima and kelewan books!!!!!

robert jordans was good for 3 books but ant book ten now its a joke!!

robin hobb farseer was dull at start and picked up.

terry brooks shannara series faded 2wards the end for me tho first 3 were great.

eddings - first books i read but a little "childish" to read now.

madrab

what about Steven Donaldsons ""Chronicles of Thomas Covenant"

Evilution

Legend - David Gemmell
Antrax - Terry Brooks
Farseer books - Robin Hobb
Nobodys Son - Sean Stewart
Magician - Ray Feist

NeoSlicerZ

Ian Irvine - The Mirror series and the Well of Echoes
Raymond E. Feist - Magician
J.V.Jones - The ice series(not sure about teh name), 2 out so far Cavern of Black Ice and Fortress of Grey Ice.
David Gemell books are very good too.

garthv

George RR Martins series has to be my favourite,followed by a close second with The Wheel Of Time and to top of all of in third place id go with the Dragonlance chronicles by Weis and Hickman

UNIFLU

earthsea trilogy by ursula le guinn

fantastic

moridin

Hmmm, this is about the 12th time that this thread has reared it's head up... Az, how about stickying the next one that takes off?

Or even better, how about we compile a brief synopsis of the major series' that would interest people and sticky that instead?

Fenster

Or how about we just sticky my thread?

On that note, I gotta read those Dragonlance novels.

Iago

moridin wrote:

Hmmm, this is about the 12th time that this thread has reared it's head up... Az, how about stickying the next one that takes off?

Or even better, how about we compile a brief synopsis of the major series' that would interest people and sticky that instead?

good idea, we can start with

The Lord Of The Rings ~ Tolkien
Wheel Of Time ~ Jordan
Farseer Trilogy ~ Hobb
The Riftwar and Serpentwar Saga ~ Feist and Wurtz
Magican and the Conclave of Shadows series ~ Feist
Legend, Waylander, Knights of Dark Renown ~ Gemmell
A song of Ice and Fire ~ Martin
The chronicles of Thomas covenant ~ Donaldson
The Dark Elf series by Salvatore...any of them really ~ Salvatore
The Wars of Light and Shadow ~ Wurtz

no particular order, I'll add to this as I think of more...

Fenster

Don't forget that Robin Hobb has another six books in the same series after the Farseer trilogy, all of them pretty damm good.

You've the Liveships and Tawny Man.

moridin

The old thread is here

Don't forget prettymuch everything by:

• George RR Martin
• Steven Erikson
• Guy Gavriel Kay

Anyone want to write a short synopsis of the above series/titles, or just pull details off amazon?

ixoy

Can I suggest a format if we're going to have a sticky for suggestions? It's probably too rigid but something like this:


Series Title: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn
Author: Tad Williams url="http://www.tadwilliams.com/"]Official site[/url
Number of Books: [4]

1. The Dragonbone Chair
2. Stone of Farewell
3. To Green Angel Tower: Seige
4. To Green Angel Tower: Storm

Synopsis: The story of Simon, a young kitchen boy and magician's apprentice, whose dreams of great deeds and heroic wars come all too shockingly true when his world is torn apart by a terrifying civil war — a war fueled by ancient hatreds, immortal enemies, and the dark powers of sorcery.

Personal Opinion: One of the first epic fantasies that I read, Tad William's rich landscape reminded me of (as was intended) a more modern re-working of some of the concepts from Lord of the Rings. It's traditional fantasy done very well, with polished prose and interesting characters. It's not high on magic/bloodshed but tries to keep it mostly focused on a small set of characters. Very gripping and highly recommended.

moridin

Series Title: The Malazan Book of the Fallen
Author: Steven Erikson
Number of Books: [5] (so far)

1. Gardens of the Moon
2. Deadhouse Gates
3. Memories of Ice
4. House of Chains
5. Midnight Tides

Synopsis: A highly complex story spanning several volumes, the Malazan book of the fallen tells the tale of the Malazan empire's struggles on the contenent of Genabakis. Each volume is discrete, yet when taken together they slowly reveal more and more about the world that Erikson has created.

Gardens of the Moon - concerns the military campaign by the Malazan Empire to capture the last remaining Free City on the Gernsbackian continent.

Deadhouse gates - In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha´ik and her followers prepare for the long-prophesied uprising named the Whirlwind.

Memories of Ice - The ravaged continent of Genabackis has given birth to a terrifying new empire: the Pannion Domin. Like a tide of corrupted blood, it seethes across the land, devouring all who fail to heed the word of it's elusive prophet, the Pannion Seer.

House of Chains - Tells more about the influence of the Crippled God on the world, and throws new light on the sides of the Apocalypse and the significance of the struggle between Sha´ik and the Malazans.

Midnight Tides - The story of the enslavery of the Tiste Edur, as told by a renegade who dared to question the dark will of the Tiste Edur emperor.

Personal Opinion: The most epic collection of stories I've ever read. Erikson weaves together so many plot-threads, characters, and situations as to astound. The depth of the world he has created is quite frightening. A truly incredible series that should be read by all followers of fantasy. Can be a bit heavygoing at times, due to the sheer wealth of information that he manages to cram in there

calis

jordan wheel of time was great for first few books but man hes just dragging it out now .. it a joke .. and new book wont be here til late 06. ill be dead b4 he finishs that series.

tomas covenat books just didnt do it for me at all. tho i did manage to read all 6 but it was a struggle at times.

tad williams sorrow books were pretty good.

Manach

Leaving aside Tolkein as a special case.
Best Adult Series - "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant"
Honourable Mentions for the excellent "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" of Tad Williams and "The Assassins Apprentice" Series by Robin Hobb .

Best Young Adults - "The Belgarion" series by David Eddings

Best Fantasy Book - Legend by Gemmell.
Honourable Mentions "Guards, Guards" by Terry Pratchett and "George and the Dragon" by Gordon Dickson

finally, worst ever "Colours in the Steel: The Fencer Trilogy" - agggh.

calis

the worst ever has to be any of them forgotten realms books.

madrab

they may be aimed at a younger audience but i found the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix freally good (a bit short maybe)

i still have to read Abhorsen but Sabriel and Lireal were really good

azezil

*bing*
your wish is my command

pwd

selling books by gemmell donaldson brooks dickson in this thread:

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=209783

need to be able to collect from rathgar if you want any.

(this is not commercial or whatever so I think it's ok to post it. Need spare cash and space and people looking at this might be interested.)

Undergod

Steven Eriksson - Malazan Book of the Fallen (five books so far, completely changes all the rules of epic fantasy), I think moridin summed it all up above.

I didn't think the Fencer Trilogy all that bad, it kind of went overboard with the symbolism and such, but the action scenes were good-moderate and all the information on making stuff was cool.

Wheel of Time... the action and magic and background history is all cool, but the politics are so dull.

Mr E

Just finished the Black Magician trilogy (The Magicians Guild, The Novice, The Dark Lord) by Trudi Canavan. Really enjoyed them.....

elvenscout742

LotR, of course.

The Songs & Swords books by Elaine Cunningham.

The Drizzt Do'Urden books by RA Salvatore, particularly Homeland and The Halfling's Gem.

RuggieBear

calis wrote:

the worst ever has to be any of them forgotten realms books.

I happen to like this particular uni-verse....pity some of the writing in it can be dire...but i still rate the ice wind dale trilogy and the darkelf stuff by RA Salvatore as very entertaining

elvenscout742

Here, here!

calis

i tried reading few of them books but couldnt. havent gone back to them. played the icewind dale game tho that was v good

Buttmunchy

Stravaganza - Mary Hoffman. Kids book - you wouldn't read it.

Harry Potter - JK Rowling. Duh!

I don't know any other really good ones at the moment.

americanCat

the Rhapsody series.. some mercedes lackeys' books..and any book by Alice Borchardt

jem

Picking up on earlier post.

The Lord Of The Rings ~ Tolkien naturally
Wheel Of Time ~ Jordan started good didn't even bodder to read last few must be his pension series.
Farseer Trilogy ~ Hobb good
The Riftwar and Serpentwar Saga ~ Feist and Wurtz best of these was magician by a long way.
Magican and the Conclave of Shadows series ~ Feist
Legend, Waylander, Knights of Dark Renown ~ Gemmell naturally
A song of Ice and Fire ~ Martin very good read.
The Dark Elf series by Salvatore...excellent loved the dark elf.
The Wars of Light and Shadow ~ Wurtz
one of the star war series was good, can't thing who wrote the one with Admiral Thawn read it years ago.

This tread will drive me mad thinking of all those I read over the years.

meditraitor

Just got around to reading it and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it, bit short but it left me craving for more,,, bring on the book four

Karmafaerie

Nobody has even mentioned Katherine Kerr yet!
My three favorite fantasy authors, in no particular order, would have to be
Terry Brooks
David Eddings
Katherine Kerr

Brooks tends to ignore details a lot, and his books have a tendency to drag for large periods, but he has an amazing ability to interchange different sequences of his stories. I mean, I don't know anybody, who when reading The Sword Of Shanarra for the first time, didn't plod through the first half, and then find the second half so riveting that they couldn't put it down!!!

Eddings, is often refereed to as childish, but I don't think that that is very fair on him. His stories tend to be very middle of the road, i.e.: good triumphs over evil and everybody lives happily ever after, but his real skill lies in the interaction of the characters. After a while, you begin to think of them as real people, and I've never read an another author who manage to do this so thoroughly.

If you want something more grown up though, Katherine Kerr is about the best you can hope for. Here is a woman who really knows her subject matter! The Devery. and subsequent, series, are so packed with every possible detail (She practically invented a bunch of different languages!!!), but at the same time, the story is brilliant. The story branches out over the better part of a millennia, but it's still very compelling, and only rarely over complicated.

Well, that's my two cents anyway!

meditraitor

Karmafaerie wrote:

I mean, I don't know anybody, who when reading The Sword Of Shanarra for the first time, didn't plod through the first half, and then find the second half so riveting that they couldn't put it down!!!!

Now I shall have to go back and read the second half ( first half had me in Coma)

danyosan

I found that with the shannara series as well, once I read the first one a rattled thru the rest of the series though.

Cant believe nobody has mentioned terry goodkind and his sword of truth series, this is one of the best series I have read in a long time!!

Favourite àuthor has to be gemmell though.

super_furry

danyosan wrote:

Cant believe nobody has mentioned terry goodkind and his sword of truth series, this is one of the series I have read in a long time!!

Can't get into that at all. I'm trudging through the first one (about halfway) and it's just leaving me cold. It all seems a bit too simple, and the characters are almost too umcomplicated.

The best series for me is George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. The only thing that I could criticise is the fact that I have to wait for the next one now. Also highly recommended is James Barclay's brilliant Chronicles/Legends of the Raven and David Farland's Runelords series - which is now being made into a major film.

I haven't read JV Jones Cavern of Ice yet, but her Bakers Boy series was very good if a bit simple. Tad Williams stuff is always great - loved his 'War of the Flowers'. Gemmell is good but he does get repitive, while the Wheel of Time starts off brilliantly but takes a severe dip after the sixth book.

danyosan

Persevere with it, I found the same thing, didnt think I would get into it at all but then it got me hooked.

The ice and fire series didnt really grab me at all, granted ive only read the first one but I didnt think all that much happened. Mind you there has to be a lot of action to keep my attention.

super_furry

danyosan wrote:

Mind you there has to be a lot of action to keep my attention.

If that's the case then you HAVE to read The Chronicles/Legends of the Raven. It's the most bloodthirsty, action packed series you'll ever read.

danyosan

will do....havent read a book for months now though, used to work at sea so got loads of reading done, working onshore now and havent picked up a book since, gotta get back into it. Ive got chainfire and tanequil lying in the house, been there for nearly 2 months and i havent even opened either, need a good kick up the jacksie!

Ehlana

danyosan wrote:

I
Cant believe nobody has mentioned terry goodkind and his sword of truth series, this is one of the series I have read in a long time!!

I totally agree with you re: the Sword of Truth Series. I'm currently rereading the whole series leading up to Chainfire just to savour it all the more. For me, Terry Goodkind is more of a grown up David Eddings (who I also adore).

I have to say though I cannot see the appeal with Robin Hobbs. Just couldn't get into the Farseer Series.

danyosan

I've never read any of robin hobbs stuff. One that I just couldnt get into and pretty much hated to be honest was the tom covenant stories. Just couldnt get into a story that revolved around a character that I didnt like. i didnt even finish the first book, only time thats ever happened.

Fence

danyosan wrote:

Cant believe nobody has mentioned terry goodkind and his sword of truth series, this is one of the best series I have read in a long time!!

Have to disagree.
Goodkind took a good idea (the first book) and ruined it with way too many messages about how the only way forward is through a benevolent dictatorship. He lets far too much political bs overshadow his plots and characters.

meditraitor

Steven Erickson is a must for anyone one who loves fantasy,A Tale of the Malazan book of the Fallen series::: blew me away, takes you into it,,,

danyosan

Fence wrote:

Have to disagree.
Goodkind took a good idea (the first book) and ruined it with way too many messages about how the only way forward is through a benevolent dictatorship. He lets far too much political bs overshadow his plots and characters.

I have found that in a few of his books, gotta agree with you there. there was two in the series that I just thought were a waste of time, the pillars of creation and...cant think of the other's name. But generally ive found it to be a good series, the politics aside, the storylines keep me gripped.

Horatio

The other one is the Soul of the Fire with " the chicken which is not a chicken"
that was crap but Temple of the winds was one of the best ever reads

arrietty

I can't believe no-one's mentioned His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman! Not typical fantasy... technically children's books (but the last one, especially, is very sophisticated)... and super-literary, with references all over the place. But if you're at all into fantasy you should read it.

I also like some of Tanith Lee's stuff, especially her short stories (try the Forests of the Night collection). Amazing writer. I don't see her in bookshops a lot but I picked up a novel of hers in a charity shop on the weekend.

I hated the Farseer Trilogy and didn't even finish the third Robin Hobb trilogy in that series, but I loved The Liveship Traders. Much better than the other books, I reckoned. I think it was because I couldn't stick Fitz and his pondering. :rolleyes:

Scruff

GaRtH_V wrote:

George RR Martins series has to be my favourite,followed by a close second with The Wheel Of Time and to top of all of in third place id go with the Dragonlance chronicles by Weis and Hickman

i was going to say almost the exact same.

1) George RR Martin - A song of Ice and Fire *
2) Raymond E Feist - The Riftwar and Serpentwar Saga **
3) Weis and Hickman - Dragonlance Chronicles

*Remains here as long as the forth coming Feast For Crows doesnt let the whole side down.

** Wheel of Time could have been here except it became pants after book 5

damiynn

I have read a lot of fantasy since thats about all i can do. Everything from Rob Jordan and George Martin to John Norman and Phillip Jose Farmer but I will tell you what A V Wedhorn's Kingdom Chronicles I think will end up being one of the best series Ive ever read

NineMoons

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time - I love it (great characters, funny, exciting, imaginative) and hate it (politics shmolitics, too many characters, badly edited in later books) in pretty much equal measure but I'm still dying to know how it ends.

Robin Hobb - didn't care so much for the first three (the Farseer ones), the middle three I LOVED (the ones about the ships) and I really liked the last three (the Fool trilogy?)

Ursula Le Guin - First books I ever bought with my own money! Earthsea books especially Tehanu which I hated the first time I read it and read it again a few years later and fell in love with it.

Mervyn Peake - Gormenghast - the first two - I didn't like Titus enough to want to read about him meandering all over the place without the other characters so I never read Titus Alone.

C.S. Lewis - Narnia Chronicles.

growler

NineMoons wrote:

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time - I love it (great characters, funny, exciting, imaginative) and hate it (politics shmolitics, too many characters, badly edited in later books) in pretty much equal measure but I'm still dying to know how it ends.
.

it'll never ever end it just goes on and on and on and on then they 'll all wake up and it'll start all overr again.

After reading the first 47 books I got bored anyway.

fade

i do agree that the last few books have been a bit slow, but i still wouldnt stop reading them. i personally love robert jordan, there is so much depth and detail. and i know politics come into it alot, but when does it not. i think he has created such a spectacular world that leaves nothing out, and for me its a real story, it doesnt sort of skip, or give less attention to certain things. pure class.

robin hobb, pure class asweel, i just love the narative style. readin twany man book 2 at the mo, its gooooddddddd

calis

wheel of time books will finish at book 12 YAY only 2 more to go

NineMoons

Yup, only two more. If he introduces another character my head may explode. Less politics, more action and lots more MAT!! Book 11 - Knife of Dreams is out on October 11th. Apparently RJ has insisted on it having a full editorial work-up this time - the last one was on the shelves 6 weeks after he handed it in so no wonder it was full of unnecessary crap!

This one is going to be great - it has to be or I will become very bitter and disillusioned... :mad:

Mickah

More Sci/Fi than fantasy but easily as good as George RR Martin

Stephen Donaldson - The Gap Series

1. The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story
2. The Gap into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge
3. The Gap into Power: A Dark and Hungry God Arises
4. The Gap into Madness: Chaos and Order
5. The Gap into Ruin: This Day All Gods Die

Real gritty, violent and real books, I liked the same about Martin. I've read a lot of Sci-fi/Fantasy and this series is in my top 3 along with George RR Martin's.