best fantasy books

AnCapaillMor · 16-02-2011 11:06am

Lyanna wrote: »

Lots of my favourites have already been mentioned but I'll add a vote for Daniel Abraham's "The Long Price Quartet". Good characters, interesting magic system and war by economic boycott. It takes a while to get going but it's a lot of fun.

Yeah they were different, little or no battles, crazy magic system didn't think i'd be into it but i couldn't put the books down. read the 4 in about a week and a half.

coralkat · 21-02-2011 9:23pm

Patrick Ness's ask and answer trilogy is brilliant, aimed at teenagers but i found i couldnt put it down, i love when a book drags you in like that! On a tangent though i need a bit of help, i absolutely love, love, LOVE terry practhett. I've being reading them for years but they were all my brothers and he has them all kept hidden away now...very protective of his books, a familt trait i have to say

but i want to collect them now for myself, instead of buying them one by one and taking forever does anyone know a good reputable book website that will deliver to Ireland? Most require damn postcodes grrr!!

Dades · 24-02-2011 12:52pm

coralkat wrote: »

does anyone know a good reputable book website that will deliver to Ireland? Most require damn postcodes grrr!!

Check out the Book Depository...

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/search/advanced?searchAuthor=Terry+Pratchett

Free shipping to Ireland - have used them a bunch of times.

BlaasForRafa · 25-02-2011 12:24pm

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

Yeah they were different, little or no battles, crazy magic system didn't think i'd be into it but i couldn't put the books down. read the 4 in about a week and a half.

I'm glad to hear they're good, I just bought the first one second hand on amazon, I wanted to get ones with the Stephen martiniere covers.

Mexihalo · 14-03-2011 5:47pm

can't believe nobody has mentioned Julian May, check out Saga of the Exiles and The Galactic Milieu Series...stunning

Hobite · 29-09-2011 10:53am

I really liked Roger Zelazny "Avolon" series.

thejair · 04-11-2011 9:15pm

Trojan wrote: »

I certainly enjoyed it, nice spin on the usual magic vs assassin business.

Can anyone recommend any other "assassin" type books apart from Weeks and Hobbs?

Steven Brust - Jhereg is the first book of the Vlad Taltos Assassin series. Great stuff!

laoch na mona · 06-11-2011 8:53pm

i really enjoyed the black magician trilogy by trudi canavan

Ordin73 · 13-11-2011 12:53pm

I quite liked Prince of Thorns the debut novel of Mark Lawrence..

The story is told from the prespective of the young prince who is genuinely disturbed in the mind and is clearly aware of it, as he smashs his way through the country in a quest for lethal retribution. The magic system is unusual too..The action is fast and constant and then its revealed that this world is a post post-apocalyptic version of our world.

Tym · 18-12-2011 9:58pm

@Ordin73:
WOAH! Bit of a spoiler.

Cardinal Richelieu · 21-12-2011 2:36am

Whiskey Jack wrote: »

New poster here, so hi to all!

Been reading fantasy since I was about 7 years old (The Hobbit got me hooked) and I can say, without a shadow of a doubt that Stephen Ericksons Malazan Book of the Fallen series is the finest fantasy series and also contains some of the finest individual novels I have ever had the please to read. His friend and co inventor of this fascinating world, Ian Claire Esslemont has also triumphed with his two side Novels, I have read plenty of very good posts dealing with this series of books and I cannot stress enough how amazing they are - if you are suffering from Robert Jordon stress or are just sick of where Terry Goodkind is going, then jump on, I can safely say there isnt one page of 'filler' in the entire series, every page is a classic, every character believable.

For a darker, more horrific look at fantasy, the Prince of Nothing series, by R Scott Bakker, is on a par with Erickson in terms of its sheer readability and in many ways they both ask some pretty deep (for a fantasy series of books at any rate) philosophical questions and even go so far as to pose some ideas as to the answers and for those who have yet to read either, dont worry if philosophy isnt your thing, in the Malazans Books a 10ft Humanoid known as a Tarthenol Posing these philosphical questions to a witch he is trying to bed just after hacking apart 30 'grey elves' with a massive flint sword might put it in the context its in!

The Characters in both series are fascination and there are two of note, one being the huge Anomander Rake, who might be described as a 'dark elf' in other series of books although beyond the eyes, features and ears, there isnt anything vaguely 'elven' about him, he's a massively complex character, too complex too discuss in my first post!

The main character in the Prince of Nothing series, Anasurimbor Kelhus, is more written about as he is somewhat of a mysterious figure - all I can say is think Derren Browne in a fantasy setting and what he could achieve and you are halfway there.

By other favourite authors include:

Alastair Reynolds

China Mieville

David Gemmel: RIP

Brian Keane (technically horror, but some of his books are as much fantasy as horror)

Iain M Banks

Will update when I can post again - thanks for having me!

:pac:

As a Erikson fan I tried the Bakker recommendation, I gave up after 200 pages which I rarely do. It seemed like a poor rip off of Byzantium History and the Crusades. Maybe I will go back someday to give him another chance.

Paddy Samurai · 08-02-2012 12:47pm

Ordin73 wrote: »

I quite liked Prince of Thorns the debut novel of Mark Lawrence..
The story is told from the prespective of the young prince who is genuinely disturbed in the mind and is clearly aware of it, as he smashs his way through the country in a quest for lethal retribution. The magic system is unusual too..The action is fast and constant and then
its revealed that this world is a post post-apocalyptic version of our world.

Great debut. One of my favourite reads last year.Lots of LOL moments for me.Part two out this year.I will be following Lawerence with interest ,from now on.

oeb · 08-02-2012 1:24pm

I recently read "The Painted Man" and "The Desert Spear" by Peter V. Brett, the third part of the trilogy will be out this year.

I highly recomend them.

Paddy Samurai · 08-02-2012 2:35pm

oeb wrote: »

I recently read "The Painted Man" and "The Desert Spear" by Peter V. Brett, the third part of the trilogy will be out this year.

I highly recomend them.

Yeah both are well worth reading.Brett has created a unique world.He has also written two novellas .I have read Brayan's Gold which is pretty good,read it in a night.The Great Bazaar and Other Stories I would love to read,but because it is a limited edition it is going for mad money.Seen a second hand copy for sale @ €2000 at one stage.:eek:
Some copies are now available @ $300.

ixoy · 08-02-2012 2:52pm

Paddy Samurai wrote: »

The Great Bazaar and Other Stories I would love to read,but because it is a limited edition it is going for mad money.Seen a second hand copy for sale @ €2000 at one stage.:eek:
Some copies are now available @ $300.

Get the Kindle edition. It's $3.87. Even if you don't have a Kindle itself, you can still read it on a smart phone or your PC.

OwaynOTT · 08-02-2012 3:56pm

I've only read the first. Interesting idea but I thought the world was lightly sketched and at times the book just felt shallow.
Still a really good book. Have the second one and one of the novellas, I'll let ye guess which one, but just haven't got around to them.
So many books and life keeps getting in the way.

OwaynOTT · 08-02-2012 3:56pm

I've only read the first. Interesting idea but I thought the world was lightly sketched and at times the book just felt shallow.
Still a really good book. Have the second one and one of the novellas, I'll let ye guess which one, but just haven't got around to them.
So many books and life keeps getting in the way.

lestat21 · 10-02-2012 11:09pm

Ordin73 wrote: »

I quite liked Prince of Thorns the debut novel of Mark Lawrence..
The story is told from the prespective of the young prince who is genuinely disturbed in the mind and is clearly aware of it, as he smashs his way through the country in a quest for lethal retribution. The magic system is unusual too..The action is fast and constant and then
its revealed that this world is a post post-apocalyptic version of our world.

I read a review for this book and decided to buy it on amazon last nite, Thanks for been an ignorant and inconsiderate jerk for revealing the twist at the end :mad:

BlaasForRafa · 17-02-2012 9:57pm

lestat21 wrote: »

I read a review for this book and decided to buy it on amazon last nite, Thanks for been an ignorant and inconsiderate jerk for revealing the twist at the end :mad:

And when replying to him why didn't you spoiler space the spoiler, because now you ruined it for me too by replying.

I probably wasn't going to buy it anyway but still the principle stands

lestat21 · 19-02-2012 10:06pm

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

And when replying to him why didn't you spoiler space the spoiler, because now you ruined it for me too by replying.

I probably wasn't going to buy it anyway but still the principle stands

I didnt know I could spoiler someone elses comments when reposting... neat trick...

prince of thorns should be arriving dis week and im still looking forward to reading it !!!

AnCapaillMor · 20-02-2012 10:47am

Listening to feists stuff on audio format at the moment and must say i enjoy them. The plots are pretty tame after finishing up erikssons stuff but highly enjoyable none the less.

Temptamperu · 25-02-2012 5:54am

I just read the stormlight archive by sanderson, that shít blew me away. Great characters and an amazing world I would highly recommend it.

Started mistborn today and what little ive read already has me hooked.

OwaynOTT · 25-02-2012 12:33pm

Temptamperu wrote: »

I just read the stormlight archive by sanderson, that shít blew me away. Great characters and an amazing world I would highly recommend it.

Started mistborn today and what little ive read already has me hooked.

Way of Kings is really good. One word cosmere.

Xevkin · 06-04-2012 10:47am

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Way of Kings is really good. One word cosmere.

Having read the rest of Brandon's novels, I've left WoK for a rainy day. Don't want to get be left pining for the next book when it's the only one of 10 or so series. With Mistborn is was perfect - finish one, and motor into the next.

Saying that, I have my apprehensions about WoK. How it does it compare to the rest of his works?

oeb · 06-04-2012 9:29pm

Xevkin wrote: »

Saying that, I have my apprehensions about WoK. How it does it compare to the rest of his works?

It's fantastic, easily on par with the rest of his stuff. Sucks having to wait for the rest of it though.

petery · 15-04-2012 9:21pm

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon Series

Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time series

David Edding's The Belgariad series

George R.R. Martin's A song of Fire and Ice

Steven Erikson's The Malazan book of the Fallen Series

Temptamperu · 17-04-2012 2:49pm

Xevkin wrote: »

Having read the rest of Brandon's novels, I've left WoK for a rainy day. Don't want to get be left pining for the next book when it's the only one of 10 or so series. With Mistborn is was perfect - finish one, and motor into the next.

Saying that, I have my apprehensions about WoK. How it does it compare to the rest of his works?

I found WoK to be far more addictive than the rest of Sandersons works, but that might just be me. Im upset I got to wait so long until the second book.

808SOS · 25-05-2012 11:55pm

If you are setting out reading any robin hobb books,

you have to start with the farseer trilogy because the following trilogies are related but stand alone books also [if that makes sense]

hobb is a serious writer and the style of writing is hard to read at first.
she writes in the first person and puts so much detail into the tales.

failing that you could start the soldiers son trilogy, its not linked to any of her current series.

another couple of books to read are:

the reindeer people and wolf's brother by megan lindholm [robin hobb]

I have read Corsair by tim severn which was not too bad!

night of knives by ian c esslemont was very hard to read imo.

Dr. Fell · 04-07-2012 4:04pm

Pulmann's
Northern Lights
The Subtle Knife
The Amber Spyglass

Pratchet's
Small Gods
Men at Arms
Soul Music

Goodkind's
Wizards First Rule

Heinlen's
Glory Road

Barkers
Weaveworld
Imajica
The Great and Secret Show
Everville

Feist's
Well, everything really.

United States Senate Commission
Warren Commission Report
911 Commission Report

coffee_cake · 09-07-2012 3:49pm

Dr. Fell wrote: »

Goodkind's
Wizards First Rule

no

best fantasy books

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