The Human Target
Adventurer
The Malazan Book of the Fallen.
What?
What?
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Fantasy Book suggestions
- Thread starter Bedrockgames
- Start date
Kind of depends on what *kind* of fantasy you like....D&D clone stuff? For young readers? Mature?
There are lots of series out there.......but I don't find many that are in the 200-500 page range.....at least not if you're looking for *good* stuff.
Steven Erickson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series is good....but it *does* meander.
I"m currently reading Robert Bakker's "Aspect-Emperor" trilogy, which is the sequel to his "Prince of Nothing" trilogy, taking place 20 years after the first trilogy. Very mature....some graphic depictions of sex, foul language etc. It's dense....but very well written. The author's take on sorcery is pretty cool. They definitely aren't D&D wizards. I'd say it's a really good "undiscovered gem" that most fantasy fans I've talked with haven't heard about......but don't read it if you don't like your fantasy series both dark, and intricate. Bakker has a degree in philosophy, I think, and it shows in his writing.
Sorcery is evil in this campaign....even when used by "good" characters. By evil, I mean, it corrupts the very soul of the practitioners, even when used for good acts. Sorcerers who are touched by artifacts known as "Chorae" (Tears of God) literally are killed by instantly being turned into pillars of salt. But they're phenomenally powerful, and divided into schools of practice that flavour what they do.....the Mandate Schoolmen, masters of the Gnosis, the ancient sorcery of the conquered northern kingdoms. Each of them relives the fall of the northern kingdoms through the eyes of the founder of their school (via dreams), the Cishaurim, masters of the Pushke, a different philosophy......they're creepy.....they take out their eyes as part of their initiation, and see through the eyes of serpent familiars that stay with them, etc.
The series is about a Holy War to reclaim the ancient lands of the north that were overrun and conquered 2,000 years ago by this sociopathic race of creatures call Sranc who seem to be some kind of combination of orc, gnoll, and elf.
His novels are tighter than Steven Erikson...but they're also very dark. I don't say this to dissuade you....it's just....it's a matter of taste. There are few truly good people in the novels.....everything is shades of grey.
Banshee
There are lots of series out there.......but I don't find many that are in the 200-500 page range.....at least not if you're looking for *good* stuff.
Steven Erickson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series is good....but it *does* meander.
I"m currently reading Robert Bakker's "Aspect-Emperor" trilogy, which is the sequel to his "Prince of Nothing" trilogy, taking place 20 years after the first trilogy. Very mature....some graphic depictions of sex, foul language etc. It's dense....but very well written. The author's take on sorcery is pretty cool. They definitely aren't D&D wizards. I'd say it's a really good "undiscovered gem" that most fantasy fans I've talked with haven't heard about......but don't read it if you don't like your fantasy series both dark, and intricate. Bakker has a degree in philosophy, I think, and it shows in his writing.
Sorcery is evil in this campaign....even when used by "good" characters. By evil, I mean, it corrupts the very soul of the practitioners, even when used for good acts. Sorcerers who are touched by artifacts known as "Chorae" (Tears of God) literally are killed by instantly being turned into pillars of salt. But they're phenomenally powerful, and divided into schools of practice that flavour what they do.....the Mandate Schoolmen, masters of the Gnosis, the ancient sorcery of the conquered northern kingdoms. Each of them relives the fall of the northern kingdoms through the eyes of the founder of their school (via dreams), the Cishaurim, masters of the Pushke, a different philosophy......they're creepy.....they take out their eyes as part of their initiation, and see through the eyes of serpent familiars that stay with them, etc.
The series is about a Holy War to reclaim the ancient lands of the north that were overrun and conquered 2,000 years ago by this sociopathic race of creatures call Sranc who seem to be some kind of combination of orc, gnoll, and elf.
His novels are tighter than Steven Erikson...but they're also very dark. I don't say this to dissuade you....it's just....it's a matter of taste. There are few truly good people in the novels.....everything is shades of grey.
Banshee
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Eh. It starts out amazing, but I've yet to encounter anyone who wasn't disappointed or totally disillusioned by the last book or three.
Richard Morgan's first foray into fantasy (well, maybe...) fits the bill: The Steel Remains. It's fairly short, fast-paced, highly imaginative, and basically wonderful. I literally cheered in spots for the (mostly) main character, Ringil; a cutting, clever, swordsman.
(well, it was less cheering than faint, gleeful, whooping sounds made while seated on the couch which earned me odd looks from my wife)
Fair warning: it's not for a reader squeamish about drug use, salty language and sex (if so, might I recommend another trip to Hogwarts?
). It is, after all, fantasy written by the guy who wrote the Takeshi Kovacs novels. The same attitude, and skill, is on full display, which makes an interesting pairing with the book's traditional fantasy elements, in the same way his Altered Carbon worked by being, in part, a clear Chandler/detective noir pastiche which happened to set in a kinda-dystopic future California.
Another fair warning: it's a series. The second book, The Cold Commands, it out on 10/10.
(well, it was less cheering than faint, gleeful, whooping sounds made while seated on the couch which earned me odd looks from my wife)
Fair warning: it's not for a reader squeamish about drug use, salty language and sex (if so, might I recommend another trip to Hogwarts?
). It is, after all, fantasy written by the guy who wrote the Takeshi Kovacs novels. The same attitude, and skill, is on full display, which makes an interesting pairing with the book's traditional fantasy elements, in the same way his Altered Carbon worked by being, in part, a clear Chandler/detective noir pastiche which happened to set in a kinda-dystopic future California. Another fair warning: it's a series. The second book, The Cold Commands, it out on 10/10.
Holy Bovine
First Post
I will recommend Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy. It might be a little long (each book is around 500 pages) but Sanderson's prose and characters are wonderful. His taking over the Wheel of Time series after Jordan's death is the only reason i would even consider reading it now (I dropped out in book 5).
Another author who has started writing fantasy is Lois McMaster Bujold. Her Chalion series is outstanding. I have only read the first two books so far (Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls) but I think both have exactly what the OP wants - character driven stories with witty, believable dialogue and prose style unmatched in modern fantasy/sci-fi writing, imo.
Another author who has started writing fantasy is Lois McMaster Bujold. Her Chalion series is outstanding. I have only read the first two books so far (Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls) but I think both have exactly what the OP wants - character driven stories with witty, believable dialogue and prose style unmatched in modern fantasy/sci-fi writing, imo.
Krug
Newshound
Name of the Wind yes.. but WMF.. I found quite disappointing as a sequel.
I'd also suggest Gene Wolf's "New Urth" series, starting with The Shadow of the Torturer. It's set about a million years in the future, features a likable protagonist raised to be a torturer (as incongruous as that sounds), and has an absolutely fascinating world that the main character explores over the course of the series. Gene also excels at language; it's a great read.
Johnathan
Johnathan
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