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If you haven't done so, give Micheal Moorcock a try and dip into one of his old Eternal Hero sagas. Elric of Melnibone is the best known of these, but The Book of Corum or The History of the Runestaff show the same qualities.
Moorcock's books are somewhat pold-style, so you might want to get Elric of Melnibone from a public library to fancy his style.
Been re-reading some of the Karl Edward Wagner "Kane" novels lately. Wagner worked on some Conan stuff, but also had his own character, Kane, who was similar, but was smart AND brawny. Anyway, they're easy, fun sword and sorcery books from the 70s. Brawn and guile usually win the day and magic's powerful, but just as likely to kill you or drive you mad as help you. You could easily knock one out in an afternoon, in between the (sometimes soap opera-ish) George R.R. Martin books (which I also love). Beer in one hand, Kane book in the other, Black Sabbath (or maybe High on Fire) playing in the background. Probably have to get them used though.
Lots of good recommendations, but I have to add Acacia by David Anthony Durham. It is excellent and, for some reason, has been largely overlooked. I heartily recommend everyone check it out. (Book 2 of the series comes out in September!)
Lots of good recommendations, but I have to add Acacia by David Anthony Durham. It is excellent and, for some reason, has been largely overlooked.
It's the first book of a series of indefinite length, and his first published novel, and it looks like it's going to be about two years from book 1 to book 2. So although the first one was very good, it's hard to recommend yet.
It's the first book of a series of indefinite length, and his first published novel, and it looks like it's going to be about two years from book 1 to book 2. So although the first one was very good, it's hard to recommend yet.
Just a quick correction, Acacia is not David Anthony Durham's first published novel, it is his fourth. His other novels are Pride of Carthage, Walk Through Darkness, and Gabriel's Story. It is, however, his first fantasy novel.
Last edited by Kez Darksun; 2nd July 2009 at 09:31 PM..
I don't think I've seen it mentioned yet but Joe Abercrombie's "The First Law" trilogy was surprisingly good. I picked it up on a lark at an airport. I know books you buy at airports are never good. But I was hooked after reading the first book. I'll just warn you that the violence is a bit over the top in some places, but that didn't bother me and it might bother others. Overall though a great read in my opinion. The three volumes are:
"The Blade Itself"
"Before They are Hanged"
"The Last Argument of Kings"
Good reads.
__________________ http://theevildm.blogspot.com/ ~ My Thoughts & Ideas on gaming. "There is no great genius without some touch of madness." ~ Seneca, Epistles
Michael Shea's The Incompleat Nifft is a favorite of mine. The tales of thief Nifft the Lean and his companions evoke a mix of Fritz Leiber and Jack Vance. The adventures into bizarre realms seem to me excellent inspiration for D&D-style scenarios. The A'rak is a novel involving the same.
I would second many of the above, but Kane stands out among the many protagonists of the "sword & sorcery" genre; Wagner really delivers the goods. It is a bit "darker" even than much of R.E. Howard's work, though.
Charles Saunders' Imaro is another fine work of hard-hitting heroic fantasy, hewing closer to the Howardian mold.
Continuing the S&S theme, the Swords Against Darkness anthologies, edited by Andrew J. Offutt, are well worth tracking down.
Magazines Black Gate and Flashing Swords offer a periodical fantasy fix.
Last edited by Ariosto; 3rd July 2009 at 04:05 AM..
The venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction has never been the place to look for "pulp" action, but gets top-notch work in the rest of the field. Asimov's features less rarely what would be classified these days as genre fantasy, but even "hard SF"-oriented Analog sometimes makes excursions into realms as fantastic as those of Jack Vance's Dying Earth or Gene Wolfe's New Sun.
Weird Tales and H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror seem perpetual Schrödinger's Cats, and it has been probably a year or so ere last I looked at their dead/alive quantum waves. They have published some excellent stories, though, when the waves collapsed into a "living" state!
In the Palace of Repose, by Holly Phillips, includes the eponymous story from H.P.L's MoH #1 -- a true gem of the weird!
Last edited by Ariosto; 3rd July 2009 at 06:15 AM..
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