Need Good Fantasy Literature Recommendations (again)

[Rasyr]

Of course the two fellows who suggested Katherine Kerr and her series of novels set in Deverry are absolutely correct. These books are based in celtic lore that has evolved over a 1000 years in a place other than earth. The Dweomer (the book's version of magic) is refreshingly different, and very well thought out. An excellent series of books!!


My other main suggesstion, and one that I have not seen so far, would be Joel Rosenberg's Guardian of the Flames series (these you need to read in order). They are basically about a group of college kids who get transported to the other side of the game that they play by their professor (who is the DM as well). Turns out that he is a powerful wizard from that realm, and he sent them across so that.......... well I will stop there, cause it really is a twist (and takes to something like the third of fourth book to reveal it), but it is a very good twist....

The magic in this setting is very D&D-like, but with a highly addictive nature, and the dwarves and elves are not quite cliche (just enough differences to make them extremely interesting). Well worth the read!!!

Hmmm......... some other possibilities.....

Stephen Lawhead's series on the Authorian legends is very good as well (starts of with Talesien, then Merlin, and so forth.....)

The Complete Book of Swords (all of these) by Saberhagen is also good....

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Re:Re: Wicked good Fantasy

Very nearly sold. A lot of people have suggested these to me, but no one's made a convincing enough argument to get them on the short list. Possibly until now. Are you saying it's a Shakespearean writing style in a Tolkienesque world?

Actually it's more like Tolkien writing Shakespeare, though that isn't really accurate, either.

My argument for George RR Martin as a combination of Shakespeare and Tolkien runs as follows:

The premise for the books could be read:

How much drama would there be if Shakespeare's Henriad and War of the Roses plays took place against the backdrop of a world, unbeknownst to almost all of the characters, undergoing a Tolkien style change of ages?

Plenty.

The actuall writing style is more like a much juicier and action filled
version of Robert Graves "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God" only on a chapter by chapter basis. Every chapter proper is written from a third person perspective limited to one individual's thoughts. The chapters are titled after the person who's perspective they follow and each chapter is followed and preceeded by a different perspective which narrates different events.

In terms of the larger cannon of Fantasy Literature and why it would be helpful for a Roleplayer to read it:

I would argue that this is, if not the first, than the best book to have captured the coolest stylistic elements of Tolkien without being trapped in his plot. He is the Euripedes to Tolkien's Sophocles. <mmm, pretention>

Good Tolkien Elements : Magic: is mostly very slow, mysterious, and powerful. People who 'cast spells' often seem to have the fewest clues about what is actually going on or to be actively misrepresenting the issues at hand. Stories from the past: are an important part of the characters' perceptions and an important to the readers of what is actually going on. Fighting: is dramatic, not something people do because office work hasn't been invented yet. The World: is mysteriously changing. There are prophecies and hints from prior information involved, but noone is really certain how it is all going to work out.

Tolkine Traps Avoided : The party does not gather together because some body finds out they or everyone around them is the chosen one and then some kindly old and powerful folk tell them exactly what they need to do when they need to do it. People do not suddenly understand that the world is changing and that they should stop all their lives and do something about it.

Good Shakespeare Stuff : value systems are not determined: good guys exist as do bad guys, but they do not even agree among themselves on what it all means much less have good arguments for convincing everyone else that they are totally right.
people have internal motivations that are often conflict with exterior realities/expectations: nuff said. Great Intrigue: nuff said. Complex Ethical Growth: nuff said. Characters you cannot help but both loathe and love: nuff said. People actually pay attention to the ethical requirements of the culture they grew up in as well try to figure out their own way and adapt to new cultures: way too much said. Non-Wolverine style vengeance and redemption motifs: super cool.

General Goodness : so far no main character has invented their own weapon.
-When someone is described as a dwarf, they have a handicap.
-When something is described as a dragon, it is a singularly important sign of magical/mystical power and not a really really big, treasure hoarding, smack talking dinosaur.
-If you are an unarmored peasant and a fully equipped and trained knight comes riding down at you, you are lance kabob and not an anachronistic representation of democratic forces taking on the man against all odds.
-When someone is described as a knight, they could be a virtuous paragon of chivalry or they could be an arrogant oppresor of the people, but they will always be more than capable of kabobing a peasant and good enough at politics or birth to have gotten that fact recognized.
-Most of the characters could, and a few have, die at any time.

Why a Role-player should read it : this book functions as a model for how you can be an epic character without being instantly caught up in the self-knowledge that you are on an epic quest. The world described feels like a heroic and accurate medieval fantasy world without feeling like a history lesson or a romance. Interesting takes on the problematic relationship between religion and magic.


I hope this is convincing. The second and third books are better than the first. I know the author of this thread has already read them, I'm just glad Canis was such an easy sell on Sean Stewart. That would have been much harder to explain

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

Re: Re:Re: Wicked good Fantasy

I'm just glad Canis was such an easy sell on Sean Stewart. That would have been much harder to explain

Thanks for all the info.

As for Stewart, I'm a big fan of fairy tales. Not the sanitized fairy tales we give children, but the great folk tales they came from before the Grimms, Victorians, priests, psychologists, and God knows who else decided to ruin them. Sounded like Stewart provides that kind of world.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Fairy Tales

In that light I highly recommend him. He deals with the very issues you speak of in some very interesting ways.

Here are some Titles for Stewart:

Galveston
(The) Night Watch
Passion Play
Ressurection Man

and

a 'high' fantasy novel called Clouds End(?)

Their really great novels for understanding Exalted and point in some interesting directions for non-traditional DnD settings.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

A new Australian author who is being released in the U.S. is Ian Irvine.
1. A Shadow on the Glass
2. The Tower on the Rift
3. Dark is the Moon
4. The Way between the Worlds

first of all, whatever you do,don't try to read these books out of order! i picked up Dark is the Moon (the only one the library had) and had to put it down after a couple of chapters. i'm going to put A Shadow on the Glass on reserve as soon as i can

secondly, am i the only one who'll recommend Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels?

thirdly, i would second D ) Agback's recommendation of Neil Gaiman. Stardust is a good book, and Neverwhere is fantastic! (IMHO)

 

[Dinkeldog]

Re: Re:Re: Wicked good Fantasy

*snip*Tolkine Traps Avoided : The party does not gather together because some body finds out they or everyone around them is the chosen one and then some kindly old and powerful folk tell them exactly what they need to do when they need to do it. People do not suddenly understand that the world is changing and that they should stop all their lives and do something about it.
*snip*

First, we're moving this to the non-RPG sci-fi forum, since that's what it's about.

Second, I think I read a different Tolkien from you. In LotR, the party isn't gathered together the way you describe. Instead, Frodo has the Ring by happenstance, and his hobbit friends come along for the ride. Aragorn was going to go to Gondor, anyway, Legolas and Gimli are along for altruistic reasons (but neither is invited because there's some prophecy that they need to be the ones along--Elrond and Gandalf really don't seem to care two hoots, so long as Gandalf and Frodo go). The only one that seems to recognize the world is changing is Gandalf, who keeps trying to tell everyone else, and eventually Frodo and Aragorn pay attention. The story is really about an ordinary person, inconsequential as far as anyone would normally be concerned, becomes pivotal to the fate of the world.

The Martin stories are decent, though.

 

[CCamfield]

Re: Fairy Tales

In the vein of fairy stories, I would highly recommend John Barnes' One for the Morning Glory. Also Bridge of Birds, which was mentioned earlier, has a fairy tale element to it. (And it's an incredibly good book to boot.)

 

[Taren Seeker]

I'll repeat some here, but that should just be some positive reinforcement.

George RR Martin: Oh, just BUY them already. You'll like them.

Glen Cook: Yep, the Company is good stuff. I second the recommendation of his detective novels. Light and entertaining reads.

Barry Hughhart, Bridge of Birds: If you like fairy tales, this book is for you. I think the whole series is just an excuse to get in as many Chinese folklore elements as humanly possible, not to mention that it's incredibly clever and hilarious. Unfortunately, I believe it's out of print so you may have trouble finding a copy.The next 2 books in the series are good, but don't reach the dizzying heights that the first book set.

Katherine Kerr, Derry Series: nice work, you won't regret picking up any of the books. Celtic mythos, a wheel of reincarnation, dark fey all over the place, it's fun. Just trying to figure out who is the reincarnation of whom is half the fun. It's a series heavily steeped in karma and destiny.

Guy Gavriel Kay: OK, this guy is fantastic, and a fine Canadian . His first trilogy (Fionavar Tapestry) is derivative of Narnia and goes heavy on the melodrama, but it only gets better from there. Books I particularily recommend are Tigana, Lions of Al-Rassan, and his new series, the Serpentine Mosaic. IIRC the first two are out. He is one of the most skilled fantasy authors that I've ever read. Kay has a gift for language, and his pacing, dialogue and characterizations are all top notch. I CANNOT recommend him enough. As I said, his first series is a little immature, but this guy gets better with every book he writes, even when you think he can't go any further. IIRC, he was the writer who completed the lost tales with Christopher Tolkien.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

A second vote for the Discworld here!

And also, the three books of <b>The Fionavar Tapestry</b> by Guy Gavriel Kay (I think), which deal with a group of six people being drawn into the First World, Fionavar and becoming involved in the last battle against the Great Evil, as it were.

Well researched, interesting, throws in lots of other bits and pieces that you might recognise, such as the Arthurian mythos.

And whatever anyone says, The Wheel of Time series is an incrediable read, if you can put up with all the bits that are a bit slow (which is a lot of it!).

 

[Mystic Eye]

A second vote for the Discworld here!

And also, the three books of <b>The Fionavar Tapestry</b> by Guy Gavriel Kay (I think), which deal with a group of six people being drawn into the First World, Fionavar and becoming involved in the last battle against the Great Evil, as it were.

Well researched, interesting, throws in lots of other bits and pieces that you might recognise, such as the Arthurian mythos.

And whatever anyone says, The Wheel of Time series is an incrediable read, if you can put up with all the bits that are a bit slow (which is a lot of it!).

Excellent tale by Mr. Kay. I love his stuff.