Looking for a Good Fantasy Book!

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Anything by Terry Pratchett. Sure, they are all part of the Discworld series, but they all stand alone. I'd recommend Small Gods, Soul Music, or Guards, Guards.

Also, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman.
A Scattering of Jades by Alexander Irvine is also a good read.

 

[CCamfield]

Given the original poster's requests I'm wondering why people are recommending things like the Belgariad (the size of the books I forget, but it IS five books, and personally, not very good ones IMO.)

But that is just my opinion... enough of that. Some single-volume fantasy novels I really really enjoy:

City of Bones by Martha Wells. Desert fantasy setting centuries after a magical apocalypse. "Relic" hunters, thieves, and mad sorcerers... this is a really great book.

The Death of the Necromancer, also by Martha Wells. Pseudo-Victorian setting in which a gentleman thief, building up a master plan to gain revenge on the man who framed his adopted father for murder, starts stumbling upon truly horrific happenings...

Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart. Set in ancient China, a fantastic quest which ranges from extremely funny to tragic, always very entertaining.

The Tower of Fear, by Glen Cook. If you're interested in trying the Black Company books but are unsure of starting to invest in a long series (although the first three Black Company books form a complete trilogy) this is by the same author and I recommend it HIGHLY. It's set in a city that was once ruled by an evil priest-king but now occupied by conquerors. The remaining servants of the priest-king have a dark plot, while the city's resistance movement is gearing up to overthrow the conquerors. Then there's the occupiers, and the desert mercenaries they hired who have their own agenda... and in between are some ordinary people pulled into the fray. Complex, frequently dark, very cool story.

Zaukie's recommend of Guy Gavriel Kay (that's the order of his names ... Pratchett... excellent stuff. Guards, Guards is one of the best first Discworld books to read. If you happen to like Shakespeare, Wyrd Sisters is also extremely fun, as Pratchett takes Macbeth, turns it all around, and has a lot of fun with it...

Oh, for G. G. Kay, maybe a good first book of his to read would be Tigana. It has more fantasy elements than some of his more recent books, and a really great story involving people struggling against the wizards who conquered their peninsula.

 

[Knightfall]

Given the original poster's requests I'm wondering why people are recommending things like the Belgariad (the size of the books I forget, but it IS five books, and personally, not very good ones IMO.)

I've read part of the Belgariad but it didn't grab me.

City of Bones by Martha Wells. Desert fantasy setting centuries after a magical apocalypse. "Relic" hunters, thieves, and mad sorcerers... this is a really great book.

This sounds like what I'm looking for. Sounds very different. Thanks for the suggestion.

The Tower of Fear, by Glen Cook. If you're interested in trying the Black Company books but are unsure of starting to invest in a long series (although the first three Black Company books form a complete trilogy) this is by the same author and I recommend it HIGHLY. It's set in a city that was once ruled by an evil priest-king but now occupied by conquerors. The remaining servants of the priest-king have a dark plot, while the city's resistance movement is gearing up to overthrow the conquerors. Then there's the occupiers, and the desert mercenaries they hired who have their own agenda... and in between are some ordinary people pulled into the fray. Complex, frequently dark, very cool story.

The idea of getting into the Black Company worries me. It sounds like a lot of books that I'll like. Is The Tower of Fear set in the same world?

Happy Holidays!

KF72

 

[CCamfield]

The idea of getting into the Black Company worries me. It sounds like a lot of books that I'll like. Is The Tower of Fear set in the same world?

No, it's a separate world and a complete standalone. The problem with it is that it is out of print, but it should be easy to get from Amazon's used book listings or www.abebooks.com.

I don't know if you have a public library available to you, but the BC books (I think now that Cook is done, there are 9-10 books) would probably be available in a good library. So would a lot of the other books mentioned in the thread.

BTW City of Bones and Death of the Necromancer are available comparatively inexpensively from the author in hardcover. $10 and $12 plus postage, respectively. Or you can get them in softcover of course.

http://www.marthawells.com/default.htm#buy

Happy holidays yourself! I hope whatever book you buy is one you really enjoy.

 

[Nellisir]

I'll echo Guy Gavriel Kay's "Tigana" (I like it all, but Tigana is the best), and Barry Hughart's "Bridge of Birds". Those two are probably two of the three best books I've ever read.

A few other suggestions:
Elizabeth Moon "The Deed of Paksenarrion". This is a trilogy that you can get in a single collected paperback edition for (well, my copy says $12.00, but it's at least 10 years old - ISBN #0-671-72104-6) less than $25. It's a classic.

Michael Scott Rohan's The Winter of the World trilogy ("The Anvil of Ice", "The Forge in the Forest", "The Hammer of the Sun"). Good different fantasy. I picked up my copies in England on vacation 'cause the covers were sooooo cool, and got the 2 supplement books (not required reading!) via Amazon.uk.

If you really want to get different, they're reissuing Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood books. It's a quasi-ongoing series -- he's still putting out related books, but they're usually related more by setting than story. Look for "Mythago Wood" and "Lavondyss".

I love CJ Cherryh's sci-fi, but her fantasy usually doesn't do it for me. Exceptions are the duology "The Dreamstone" and "The Tree of Swords and Jewels", and the sci-fi/fantasy Morgaine "trilogy plus one", "Gate of Ivriel", "Well of Shuan", "Fires of Azeroth", and "Exile's Gate". If you want to try her sci-fi, get the Chanur or Foreigner books.

Any collection of short stories by Roger Zelazny.

Enjoy!
Nell.

 

[ssampier]

check out Legends

I don't know if this up your alley, but Legends is a compliation of short stories by some great sci-fi and fantasy authors. I think there is a sequel, Legends II, but I haven't read it.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

The idea of getting into the Black Company worries me. It sounds like a lot of books that I'll like. Is The Tower of Fear set in the same world?

I'm a big Black Company fan, have been since the first book came out in the mid 80s. I can understand being worried over getting into a 10-book epic, but the Black Company isn't really. The first book in the series can be read by itself and enjoyed as a standalone. The next two books came along to round out a trilogy, which as a trilogy can be enjoyed as a complete and finished set with out care for the rest of the book. I frequently reread the first trilogy and stop there.

But with regard to the Black Company, as much a fan of them that I am, I am a bigger fan of The Tower of Fear. A standalone novel, set in its own world that has many similarities with the flavor of the Black Company. So much happens in the Tower of Fear you'd think that there was enough subject matter for a triology.

So, I would also recommend Tower of Fear highly.


Regards,
Eric Anondson

 

[exile]

I'd throw in a vote for the two new Conan trade paperbacks (one more is expected) as well as the Solomon Kan trade paperback.

The Lankhmar collection (a series of four, I think) hardbacks from White Wolf is excellent as well.

I know this is redundant, but I just wanted to echo what good ideas your first responder had.

Chad

 

[kjy1066]

Hi.

I can second (third?) the Guy Gavriel Kay books. Tigana is standalone, and an interesting read. Recently read the Sarantium series - two books based upon a fantasy version of Byzantium circa the reign of Justinian. Heady stuff.

I just finished reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke and can highly recommend it. England in the Napoleonic era with the only two magicians being the title characters. A little long-winded, but overall one of the best fantasy novels (albeit alternative history-type fantasy) I've read in the last few years. Though this is planned as a series of books, the story stands on its own. The series is planning to explore the rediscovery of magic in the nineteenth century, and further volumes will probably deal with completely different characters.

On the tails of that, I also picked up American Gods (if you like D20 Modern, you'll love this) by Neil Gaiman. Presents the overarching question throughout the book of what happens to "old world" gods and spirits when their worshippers move to a new place? If only for the scam-artist/grifter version of Odin presented within its pages you should read this. Standalone.

Terry Pratchett's a good bet as well. Guards, guards! IS one of the best of the whole Discworld series as it mixes in twisted humor, turns fantasy book conventions on their head, and manages to introduce some truly innovative ideas regarding where dragons go when they're no longer believed in/needed. . .

Hope this helps you.

 

[Lady Firehawk]

I'll second the Good Omens reccommendation... I got it for Christmas... haven't finished it, but I'm having fun with it.