More fantasy books

[sunsoar]

terry brooks the shannara series
terry goodkind
mark anthony
james clemens
laurell k hamilton
kristen britain
r a salvatore
raymond e feist


could go on as ive got about 300 books but theres a few to get on with
all of em are fantasy type books apart from laurell k hamilton which are vampire hunter type stories.

 

[Munkey]

edit: completley the wrong thread by mistake. whoops

 

[inactionman]

Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen is pretty decent.... lots of twists, turns, sub plots.... and there's no real good guys... You decide who to like and dislike. Oh, and it's pretty violent too. First book is called "Gardens of the Moon"

Also, George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" is probably the best fantasy I have read in a long long time. If he continues with the same style, the series will overtake the Wheel of Time as my favourite fantasy epic. First book is called "A Clash of Kings" (I think)

Erikson's work is great, a well need breath of fresh air in fantasy, nice and political! Totally unlike Jordan, who quite frankly has lost it! You know he's finally stated that the wheel of time will be 12 books! Strangely he doesn't have enough space in remaining to finish it (as only about 1/2 of the stuff in the prophecies has been done), so he's started on some prequels...

I tried R.R. Martin, and gave up after the first book where there was a very unexpected change in things! I don't want to spoil things for anyone that may want to read them, but I'm not used to that in the first book of a series!

If you like you're fantasy a bit formulaic, Raymond Fiest is good, Magician is excellent, and is the rest of the Riftwar books, goes downhill from there though, and gets very formulaic! Janny Wurts is fairly good.

Oh almost forgot Terry Goodkind is great, apart from the last two, which are so-so.

Forgot about Robert Rankin, his Brentford books are some of the funniest ever written, and the Armageddon books are pretty good as well.

Here's a list of the top 100 books voted on by a load of people:

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/6113/top100.html

 

[fatty]

I have read all of raymond feist books and just started reading the 10th book of the wheel of time, upto 9 they were fairly good but this one is a bit to slow, David Gemmell's books have kept me going for a while but they are very easy to read.


What i want is a good old epic, without a thick plot just plenty of carnage and the hero doing his thing. its very hard to find a book to just read they all seem to go astray after a while.

Magic, swords and dragons!

 

[inactionman]

What i want is a good old epic, without a thick plot just plenty of carnage and the hero doing his thing. its very hard to find a book to just read they all seem to go astray after a while.

Magic, swords and dragons!

Try anything by James Barclay (Dawnthief et al.). They literally read like D&D sessions, plenty of what you're asking for!

 

[Lazarus]

just finished the fourth (well - book 3b) book of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin)

Went to the library to reserve the next one and (nastid) its not even released yet.

Second time this has happened (still waiting for the next in the Wheel of Time as well)

 

[Vae]

Haven't read all of this thread but this is something I posted on guild boards a while back and I think also on BW. Only deals with fantasy books but for Sci-Fi check out Neal Stephenson and Iain M Banks too.


<looks at book collection>

You've probably come across most of these but I thought i'd list some and maybe it'll give some of you ideas for ones to try. Might do SciFi and other books at a later point.

Fantasy:
George RR Martin: Song of Ice and Fire - Ace series
Raymond E.Feist: Magician etc Series - Probably my favourite series
R E Feist + Janny Wurts: Daughter of the Empire trilogy - Also superb
Janny Wurts: The Curse of the Mistwraith - She's a lot weaker on her own than with Feist - A reasonable read.
Robin Hobb: Royal Assassin trilogy - excellent series
: Liveship trilogy - I think rather weaker than assassin ones
Mickey Zucker Reichart: Last of the Renshai - Superb series of books, mainly based in norse mythology.
David Eddings: Both of his series are basicly the same (you can even spot the practically same chars) but they are a fun easy read
Terry Pratchett - Books vary in quality - Mostly superb but everyone prefers different ones.
George Lucas & Chris Claremont: Shadow Moon / Dawn - set after the film Willow but very good books (a lot better than suggested by the film).
Terry Goodkind: Wizards First Rule etc - A more mature story like George RR Martin - highly recommended.
Mary Gentle: Ash - Very good book. Purports to be a historian looking back at Burgundy and Carthage and uncovering evidence that Carthage never died when supposed and had Golems etc and wiped out Burgundy hence it not being inthe history books.
Tad Williams: Memory, Sorrow, Thorn etc - Very long books but quite good
Otherland: (Scifi/Fantasy/Internet crossover) - Highly recommended but again quite long books.
David Gemmell: Mostly similar stories but well written. Short and easy to read. Some stand out such as the Waylander and Jon Shannow ones.
Stephen Lawhead: Taliesen, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon - Takes a very magical view on the Arthur tales - Worth reading though
In the Hall of the Dragon King, Empyrion etc - A lot weaker than his Arthurian books.
Bernard Cornwall: A much more rooted in reality view on Arthur and well worth reading.
AA Attansio: Arthor - Arthur again - probably less superior to the above ones
RA Salvatore: Icewind Dale Trilogy, Dark Elf Trilogy + extras, Cleric Quintet - All superb books
Other Forgotten Realms Books: Vary in quality with the author.
Dragonlance books: Quality also varies with author, Legend of Huma is one of the better ones.
Weis & Hickman: Dragonlance Twins and Dragons books - pretty damn good too
Robert Jordan: Wheel of Time - Hmm I have them all but although the story is quite good it's FAR too long and getting boring now. Certain similarities with Terry Goodkind too.
Terry Brooks: Magic Kingdom for Sale - Very funny and enjoyable few books.
Shannara: Read it but never really got into it - lacked something.
Running with the demon etc - Much better than Shannara but still inferior than Magic Kingdom. Still worth reading.
Stephen Donaldson: Thomas Covenant - I think you either love or hate these - Possibly the slowest books I have ever read but pretty good regardless.
Anne Macaffrey: Pern books (Scifi/Fantasy crossover)- Vary in quality but overall pretty good. I prefer her telepath books though.
JV Jones: Bakers Boy - Pretty Good trilogy and worth reading.
A Cavern of Black Ice - Weaker than Bakers Boy trilogy
LE Modesitt Jr: The Magic of Recluce - Pretty good series
The Soprano Sorceress - Weaker than the Recluce ones
Katherine Kerr: Daggerspell etc, Time of Omens etc - Quite good couple of trilogys
Piers Anthony: Never really got into his books - only read a couple and seemed ok but didn't grab me.
Maggie Furey: Aurian series - Not bad but there are lots better.
Allan Cole and Chris Bunch: The Far Kingdoms- An ok read but nothing stands out.

 

[Alithiel]

The previous post sums up most of the books I'd recommend quite well. However, I really don't understand why people don't seem to like the works of David Eddings. I love his books for the characterisation, probably becuase some of the characters remind me of people I know... particularly Ce'Nedra!

The 10th book of Jordan's Wheel of Time (Crossroads at Twighlight) was a real drag, in my opinion... at the end of the book I was left with the impression that the story hadn't advanced in the slightest.

While I enjoyed the George RR Martin series, it's not something I'd recommend if you want some light enjoyment. I tend to get attached to certain characters in the books I read, and he has a habit of being somewhat brutal with people that you're absolutely sure are going to be major players throughout the entirety of the series...

The one series from that list that I would like to highlight as something you absolutely have to read is the Cleric Quintet by RA Salvatore. Superbly written, and fantastic characters. And look out for the tie-ins if you read any of his Dark Elf books...

 

[haggered]

another good series in my opinion is the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. kinda sci-fi by reckoning, has a western style. quite good reading but hes only written 5 of the 7. ive read 4.

just thought i would chip in.

 

[Chilly]

Possibly due to it being utter shit?

LOTR - its a childrens storey for children who can read properly, not dumbass fat kids who play computers all day (if i have inadvertantly described anyone here, hah!). It was written at a time when literacy meant being able to actually write properly, not just legibly.


If someone points out a typo i made in this post...grr!

 

[RedVenom]

You didn't typo, you durrr-o'd.

 

[Darthshearer]

You didn't typo, you durrr-o'd.

He did my child just read. "Its a childrens storey....." doesnt he mean story? The storey he has typed is in regard to buildings!

 

[RedVenom]

But if you have a building in america with a lift, that has 50 floors, how many storys are there in the building?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah, now you're stuffed.

 

[Darthshearer]

50 Storeys
"structure consisting of a room or set of rooms comprising a single level of a multilevel building"

I am a structural engineer!

 

[RedVenom]

Floors then. But that doesn't fit with the rest of it

 

[Darthshearer]

Anyway getting back on track, I didnt realise Stephen King did fantsy / sci-fi books. I thought he was just pure horror?

 

[RedVenom]

WRONG.





Its 49. Floor 1 in american lifts is ground.

I win.

 

[Lazarus]

thats the american s choice in labellng the lifts. Still means that there are 50 floors

 

[Darthshearer]

Its still 50! 0 - 49 still has 50 figures you NONCE! Now stop clogging up the forums with rubbish, you got banned from BW Forums now its a matter of days until you get banned from these.

 

[RedVenom]

Its still 50! 0 - 49 still has 50 figures you NONCE! Now stop clogging up the forums with rubbish, you got banned from BW Forums now its a matter of days until you get banned from these.

Not if you read the question correctly it isn't.

A british lift starts on Ground, so does that mean it has 51 floors when you get to 50? No, you go to the 50th floor.

 

[Darthshearer]

Ground is always classed as 0!! Basement is Level -1!!!

Therefore 0 - 49 = 50 Floors!

I work in the industry you dick!

 

[Lazarus]

Ground is always classed as 0!! Basement is Level -1!!!

Therefore 0 - 49 = 50 Floors!

I work in the industry you dick!

Now now Darth.

I reckon on our planet you are correct. However, never been to the homeworld of RV, im not sure how things are set up there.

I dont think you can expect him to understand that you work in the industry - you have only told him TWICE

 

[RedVenom]

Ground is always classed as 0!! Basement is Level -1!!!

In UK lifts, ground is classed as 'G'. Can't you see the inconsistancy?!

I know more about the lift trade than anyone would ever want to : mad :

 

[Lazarus]

I know more about the lift trade than anyone would ever want to : mad :

yeah - you got qualifications in lift design and use?

 

[RedVenom]

No, but neither does he.

I do however have a wealth of experience in lift maintenance. And since the question was about lifts, I'd say I'm on a winner there.

 

[Lazarus]

No, but neither does he.

I do however have a wealth of experience in lift maintenance. And since the question was about lifts, I'd say I'm on a winner there.

well, you are certainly well on the way to winning biggest dickhead award

 

[Darthshearer]

LOL Laz

Well All the OTIS Lifts I have been in the UK have a Panel of 0!!

 

[Panda On Smack]

0 buttons? how do you pick a floor?

 

[Darthshearer]

Sorry poorly put I meant for ground it is 0

 

[Xavier]

Actually in the US, 99% of lifts have the ground floor as 'L' - Teh lobby