Looking For New Author To Read

[Simon Collins]

I seem to have run out of books by authors I enjoy and was hoping someone might recommend me an author I've not come across before. I'm pretty picky about genre and style, so some background to my likes and dislikes are below, for anyone who wants to suggest:

First off, I'm talking fantasy only (not necessarily just Tolkienesque though). No sci-fi, no horror, no comedy, no really weird stuff, no spin-offs from movies or RPGs.

Ideal - the storytelling ability of David Gemmell, the style of Tanith Lee, the characterisation of Katharine Kerr.

Other authors I like: Charles de Lint, Robert Holdstock, Guy Gavriel Kay, JRR Tolkien, Robin Hobb, Bernard Cornwell, Greg Keyes, Trudi Canavan, Mervyn Peake, Alan Garner, Lloyd Alexander, Susan Cooper, Mary Stewart, AA Attanasio, Emma Bull, William Horwood, Ellen Kushner, Diana Paxson, George RR Martin
Authors that I have read and reasonably enjoyed: Kirsten Britain, Tamora Pierce, Glen Cook, Patricia McKillip, Ellen Datlow, Stephen Donaldson, CJ Cherryh, Ursula LeGuin, Terry Goodkind, Janny Wurts, Raymond Feist, Martha Wells, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Robin McKinley, Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Moon, Michael Moorcock, Orson Scott Card, Neil Gaiman, RA McAvoy, Robert E Howard, Fritz Leiber, John Crowley, JV Jones, Juliet McKenna, Octavia Butler, Simon Green, Katherine Kurtz, Patricia Kenneally, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Judith Tarr, Sheri Tepper, Freda Warrington, Jane Yolen
Authors I don't particularly like in the genre: Steven Erikson, Tad Williams, Kate Elliott, Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, David Eddings, Susanna Clarke, Robert Silverberg.

I tend to dislike any style that pads out the story to extend the 'action' to the set of three or five (or more) books the author plans, at the cost of the story. As you'll see from my favourite authors I have a penchant for Celtic and Arthurian themes, and I wish that Tanith Lee would write more books where the heroines are more than just accomplices to fate - I like my characters heroic or anti-heroic and they need to grow emotionally through the story.

Anyhow, if anyone has any constructive thoughts, they'd be much appreciated.

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

Have you tried E.E. Knight and the Age of Fire books? Chronicling a dragon's rise in power from wyrmling on up? With dwarves, elves, ancient dragons, barbarians ect...

 

[Mark CMG]

You might give Terry Pratchett a try as an author, since I don't see him on the list. I would suggest beginning with Guards, Guards! He has a humorous style but it's very intelligently written. If you like it, you'll have tons of his work to read, though I do not recommend reading more than one or two in a row as too much of a good thing can be bad, of course.

 

[Huw]

Peter Moorwood's Horselord series - Horselord, Dragonlord, Demonlord, Warlord's Domain. Low fantasy with angsty characters and an interesting take on magic and morality.

 

[Arnix]

Dragonlance stuff by Weis and Hickman or Deathgate Cycle by Weis and Hickman or the Darksword Trilogy by Weis/Hickman (can't rem which).

I also second the E.E.Knight stuff. I have liked all of his works that I read.

As weird as it sounds, Stephen King's "Eyes of the Dragon" is pure Fantasy, and a good read.

 

[Zog]

Jennifer Fallon - She has two trilogies, and a new one she is in the middle of writing. The Second Sons trilogy is brilliant, Lion of Senet, Eye of the Labyrinth and Lord of Shadows.

I think it hits everything you said you liked - character development and growth, very tightly plotted, everything and every event exists for a reason. Not Authurian fantasy, but very good stuff. I was most pleased to have discovered her writing.

 

[Simon Collins]

Have you tried E.E. Knight and the Age of Fire books? Chronicling a dragon's rise in power from wyrmling on up? With dwarves, elves, ancient dragons, barbarians ect...

I'll take a look. Is the main protagonist a dragon in this? What's the characterisation like?

 

[Simon Collins]

You might give Terry Pratchett a try as an author, since I don't see him on the list. I would suggest beginning with Guards, Guards! He has a humorous style but it's very intelligently written. If you like it, you'll have tons of his work to read, though I do not recommend reading more than one or two in a row as too much of a good thing can be bad, of course.

Thanks for the suggestion - I didn't mention Pratchett because I thought that my 'no humour' caveat would catch him. I have read almost all of his books and enjoy them occasionally as light entertainment.

 

[Simon Collins]

Peter Moorwood's Horselord series - Horselord, Dragonlord, Demonlord, Warlord's Domain. Low fantasy with angsty characters and an interesting take on magic and morality.

Checked some reviews of this - looks interesting, thanks.

 

[Simon Collins]

Dragonlance stuff by Weis and Hickman or Deathgate Cycle by Weis and Hickman or the Darksword Trilogy by Weis/Hickman (can't rem which).

I also second the E.E.Knight stuff. I have liked all of his works that I read.

As weird as it sounds, Stephen King's "Eyes of the Dragon" is pure Fantasy, and a good read.

Thanks for the suggestions - I didn't mention Weis & Hickman as I thought my caveat about RPG spin-offs would rule them out - I have read a selection of their stuff and enjoyed them as light entertainment.
I've read a couple of Stephen King's fantasy books (vaguely remember one co-written with Pater Straub) but can't remenber if Eyes of the Dragon was one of them - I'll check it out, thanks.