What new fantasy books are good?

[Olive]

I wonder how long untill someone recommend Game of Thrones to ya..*L*. I guess I just answered my question.

I've always thought that Robin Hobb's, Assassin Quest/Liveship Trader/Farseer Triliogies, would make for an interesting campaign setting.

I'd echo both of these recomendations a whole lot.

China Mieville, Perdido Street Station and the Scar.

And this one even more. Unlike Null Boundry, the length doesn't bother me, particularly in Perdido Street station which I think is probably the best book I've read all year, and a fresh voice in fantesy/sci fi writing. He's dark, confronting and generally a lot of things that most of these genres don't have. While I have no problem with heroic fantesy, I do have a problem with there only being heroic fantesy. The other thing is the originality of the world and the narrative. It's not sci fi and it's not fantesy and it's not really like anything else i've ever read.

A friend who I recommended it to and I were talking about it the other day, and it was like first discovering Iain M. Banks (British sci fi writer). Something familiar in some ways but yet altogether different it it's approach.

 

[Zaukrie]

I finally caved and bought Game of Thrones. So far, great book. Now can all of you stop recommending it over and over and over.....Actually, don't, because I'm now of the opinion that like Guy Kay Gavriel's (sp?) books, this is really good even without much "fantasy" in it and anyone that hasn't given it a try should. So far, I actually care about the characters and haven't figured out the next thing to happen in every situation.

 

[Null Boundry]

And this one even more. Unlike Null Boundry, the length doesn't bother me, particularly in Perdido Street station which I think is probably the best book I've read all year, and a fresh voice in fantesy/sci fi writing. He's dark, confronting and generally a lot of things that most of these genres don't have. .

It wasn't so much the length as the repetition especially in Perdido Street Station. The heros would get together, come up with a plan and go out and fight, realise they were outmatched and run away. Then repeat in a new location of the city. It just struck me as an excuse to show of the locations (which were admitadly very good) but I feel that the places could have been used different reasons.

To me its this that makes the book simply very good rather than a classic.

 

[barsoomcore]

In great contrast to most, I am no fan of either China Mieville or George R R Martin. Interesting worlds but just not very good writers, when you come right down to it. At least I could not finish either Game of Thrones or Perdido Street Station.

But Steven Erickson, now THERE'S a talent. A man who can write, who has something to say (and that something that he can only say through the fantasy genre -- there's actually a REASON why these are fantasy novels) and whose imagination and scope of vision exceed virtually every other writer out there right now. Holy crap he's good.

Aside from him, there's Steven Brust, simply one of the best writers working in the English language today. Frankly I don't know of a single writer who matches him for dexterity of wit or mastery of language. He's a marvel, and if you haven't read his works, you are seriously missing out.

 

[Zaukrie]

We may disagree over Martin (so far i've only read the first 400 pages of his first book), but we certainly agree on Brust. Very entertaining, in addition to well written.

 

[Olive]

In great contrast to most, I am no fan of either China Mieville or George R R Martin. Interesting worlds but just not very good writers, when you come right down to it. At least I could not finish either Game of Thrones or Perdido Street Station.

I kinda agree on Martin, but I couldn't disagree more on your estimation of Mieville. I think his writing is excellent. Which just goes to show how subjective this stuff can be.

And Mieville didn't start as an amazing writer, I've read king rat. But I do think PSS is fantastically well written.

 

[barsoomcore]

I kinda agree on Martin, but I couldn't disagree more on your estimation of Mieville. I think his writing is excellent. Which just goes to show how subjective this stuff can be.

And Mieville didn't start as an amazing writer, I've read king rat. But I do think PSS is fantastically well written.

Certainly people whose tastes I respect recommend both to me. So I don't consider it something that's obvious or objective in any way. I just know I couldn't finish either.

 

[Michael Tree]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Neil Gaiman yet. His writing is very diverse, and not all of it could be classified as fantasy, but it's all great inspiration for fantasy campaigns. Stardust is a fantastic faerie tale (in the tradidional, European folklore and brothers grimm sense, not the Disney, "pseudo-tolkienesque elf", or "victorian flitting pixies" senses). Neverwhere and American Gods are both set in the modern day (sortof...) but are great fantasy inspiration nevertheless.

I also second the Steven Brust recommendation. That boy has some serious style, and is tons of fun too. Best of all, almost all his books are self-contained, not sprawling awful trilogies or 10,000 page epics. The Vlad Taltos books are best read in order of publication, but they're all complete stories. Only his Phoneix Guards novels are multi-part stories.

 

[Rugger]

In great contrast to most, I am no fan of either China Mieville or George R R Martin. Interesting worlds but just not very good writers, when you come right down to it. At least I could not finish either Game of Thrones or Perdido Street Station.

...

Aside from him, there's Steven Brust, simply one of the best writers working in the English language today. Frankly I don't know of a single writer who matches him for dexterity of wit or mastery of language. He's a marvel, and if you haven't read his works, you are seriously missing out.

I gotta agree with ya on two things: Brust is great, and Mieville is (ducking for cover) pretentious. Couldn't stand Perdido Street Station. IMHO, of course...

But I LOVE Martin...read them after hearing so much talk about them here, both good and bad, and haven't regretted it a bit.

-Rugger
"I Read!"