Fantasy authors worth the reading.

[SSquirrel]

I've loved Raymond Feist's books for years and I have to pipe up w/a vote for Robert Asprin's work. The MYTH series especially, but the Pfule series is pretty great and his new series Dragons Wild was interesting, but then he died so I doubt I'll get a 2nd book in that series.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

LOL. Yeah, Song of Ice and Fire could use a more stringent editor. I love the series but I honestly don't care what happens to the Onion Knight. ANd quite a few other supporting characters. Someone needs to remind him that supporting characters are there to do just that: support.

As I see it the main plot is: what happens to the Stark children and the return of the Dragons and the dragon queen. Everything else is secondary and should be kept brief.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

I'll chime in with my usual support of David Gemmell and Glen Cook.

I recently read the first book of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.

Second Terry Pratchett.

And the Anita Blake books are really good modern dark fantasy monster-hunting books about through Obsidian Butterfly, but after that it gets a bit more, um, focused on the erotica aspects of the series.

Oh, Charles de Lint has very good modern fantasy as well, and he's had a bit of a storyline to the last few.

Brad

 

[Rackhir]

Glen Cook is almost always good.

His Garret Novels are always a fun read, basically they are fantasy Noir stories. Hardboiled detective fiction in a fantasy world.

The Black Company books are excellent. True classics of the genre, though some of the later books of the South do drag out a bit.

His Dread Empire books are very good as well. Both they and the Black Company have gotten recent omnibus book releases.

The first two books of David Webber's fantasy series "Oath of Swords" and "The Sword God's Own" are excellent. Third book not so much, but isn't awful.

He also has a new series in colaboration with Linda Evans, technological society and fantasy society wind up in a war. I'm not so thrilled with it, but you might like it.

Steven Brust's Vlad Talos series is pretty good as well, though it does go down hill somewhat after he goes on the run. Also has omnibus volumes available.

 

[Darth Shoju]

George Martin may be a great writer (As he showed in the first 3 books of Song) but he needs a superhuman EDITOR. The last book (Feast for Crows) accomplished in one volume what it took Jordan six to do - slide into pointless blathering in the name of "epic."

I've met her. She was nice, though not super-human. Her husband is a fantasy author named David Keck who is pretty good.

Other authors of note:

Leiber, Tolkien, and Howard, of course.
I love Tad Williams.
Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell was quite good.
Thumbs up for Charles de Lint.
Feist is alright.
Guy Gavriel Kay isn't too shabby.

I refuse to start reading GRRM's series until he finishes it. I started on Wheel of Time and got halfway through when Robert Jordan died. I know that series is being finished off anyway, but who knows if the same can be done for ASoIF if GRRM kicks before finishing. As far as Robert Jordan is concerned, he is certainly a decent writer, but the majority of his work is that bloated monstrosity of a series, so it is tough to say how good he is overall. Has anyone read any of his Conan work?

 

[Eosin the Red]

David Gemmell reads like John Wayne movies. The plot is basically the same as are the characters but man it is a rollicking time.

Martin - nuff said.

New Guys
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Elenium by Brandon Sanderson (who is taking over for Jordan)
The Gods of War (Caesar & Brutus) series by Conn Iggulden
Bernard Cromwell's Arthurian Stuff is worth a spin as well though he isn't new.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Glen Cook is almost always good.

I'd like to add that my favorite Glen Cook book is The Tower of Fear. I've heard that Glen places this story at the top of his list of his own writing.

I've enjoyed Glen's Instrumentalities of the Night series lately. It's not for the meek however, the world Glen had built is a massive analogue of the historical real Europe/Middle East. The cast of characters and nations is immense and sometimes overwhelming to keep track of because Glen doesn't like to give a roster of characters or even provide maps.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I hear good things about Black Company. And the writer is my namesake so I should give them a try.

I like Gemmel's stuff, Legend and Heroes of Dark Reknown are my faves. But they do all stick to a formula. Even more than most fantasy.

Wasn't that keen on Bernard Cornwell's Arthurian stuff. Just didn't go the way I think Arthurian stuff should. But that's just me. I've read other stuff by him that I enjoyed.

 

[arcanaman]

I'd like to add that my favorite Glen Cook book is The Tower of Fear. I've heard that Glen places this story at the top of his list of his own writing.

I've enjoyed Glen's Instrumentalities of the Night series lately. It's not for the meek however, the world Glen had built is a massive analogue of the historical real Europe/Middle East. The cast of characters and nations is immense and sometimes overwhelming to keep track of because Glen doesn't like to give a roster of characters or even provide maps.

is there a book after lord of the silent kingdom I have not yet finished in fact iam almost 30 pages through

 

[Mark]

Here's an old thread on a similar subject (note the attached AD&D list, too) -

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=129684