If I like D&D and LotR....

[Particle_Man]

I have read the series.

And if you want to give the context, go for it. I feel justified in giving the warning, as there are some people that *don't* want rape dropped into their fantasy books *no matter what the context is* (for example, off the top of my head, people that have been raped, and people that know people that have been raped - there are more examples, but already I have denoted a significant percentage of the reading population). Since the OP wants stories "like Tolkein's Lord of the Rings" and since no members of the Fellowship of the Ring rape anybody, as far as I can recall, the OP should be warned, IMHO.

 

[Lockridge]

I'm just going to state two things:

1. The book in question in NO WAY glorifies or sanctions rape. In making the recommendation I am assuming that the OP is a mature individual who reads. Most books deal with mature subject matter. I myself find scenes of torture to be uncomfortable - but I still read the first Elric book. If we start warning people about what might be uncomfortable subjects in books there would be a long list on many good books.

2. I can't help but point out that whenever I recommend this series there is always controversy whether its because of this scene or something else. This one recommendation alone has almost hijacked this thread. That level of discussion alone would draw me to the book if I hadn't already read it.

 

[Pyrex]

The Runelords series by David Farland are good stuff.

 

[Particle_Man]

1. Most books deal with mature subject matter. I myself find scenes of torture to be uncomfortable - but I still read the first Elric book. If we start warning people about what might be uncomfortable subjects in books there would be a long list on many good books.

Let's think about how many fantasy readers have ever been tortured or known someone that has been tortured. A small number, I bet.

Let's look at how many fantasy readers have ever been raped or known someone that has been raped. A larger number, I bet. IIRC, 1 in 4 women in North America have been sexually assaulted. If that statistic is wrong, it is still true that rapes greatly outnumber tortures among the fantasy reader population.

Thus I find your comparison spurious, unless you personally have been tortured.

Regardless of context, the mere fact that the protagonist (the main "viewpoint character", no less) rapes someone is, all by itself, worth the warning. Especially to someone that is expecting something like Lord of the Rings. And despite all the talk about all the books that deal with mature subject matter, somehow LotR turned out great without a single rape scene.

If the OP wants to read the work anyhow, that is fine. But I don't regret giving the warning about this one, so at least he can go into it with his eyes open. It would be, IMHO, cruel to let him be blindsided if, for instance, he just found out that his sister had been raped and then he read the first book in the series and got surprised by the rape scene.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Regardless of context, the mere fact that the protagonist (the main "viewpoint character", no less) rapes someone is, all by itself, worth the warning.

On the whole, it's really not.

It's supposed to be a wrenching scene-- that's why it occurs as a defining moment in the first couple of chapters and the protagonist spends the rest of the series as a deeply flawed hero in constant search of atonement.

You are correct to warn the OP that this isn't LOTR. The morality of the series is on a much deeper level and isn't appropriate for immature readers.

 

[Particle_Man]

I have previously given warnings about the rape scene in the book and have been thanked by some people for doing so. You may not believe this, but there are people in this world that really don't want to ever read a scene where the viewpoint character rapes someone, regardless of the context, and regardless of the greater artistic value there may be in the work as a whole.

This truth is shocking to some, I know. And yet (another shocking truth) these are mature people who like sophisticated narratives (to cut off any reply along the lines of "well then they should avoid all mature readers stuff, stay out of fantasy and science fiction sections of bookstores entirely, and stick to Care Bears").

I have never had someone who has not read the book say "Dude, you spoiled the book for me." At worst, I have had some people who have read the book say "Dude, you are spoiling the book for others, and/or misrepresenting it", but that's a small weight compared the larger weight of the people that have thanked me for the warning.

So far, the evidence IME is in favour of giving the warning. So I have done so here, and will continue to do so in the future.

 

[Max]

Have you tried Raymond Feists's Riftwar series? They begin with Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master? It's a single novel published as two volumes in paperback. I think they fit your bill rather nicely.

I'll second this one. If you're looking for D&D similar, it would be a good choice. As is well known, the series is based in the fantasy world that Feist and his friends role-played in (many years ago, now).

Max

 

[Particle_Man]

Steven Brust's "Vlad Tlatos" series is also loosely based on his campaign, and is pretty funny to boot.

 

[RigaMortus2]

This may be too "childish" of a book for an adult to read at this time, but I used to do a lot of reading when I was in grade school, and these books were my favorite at that time:

Lone Wolf

Also known as "Choose you own adventures". They are books where you, the reader, choose which path the hero takes as you read. Again, these are primarily adolecent books.