Why have all the fanesy books i've read on recommendation from enworld sucked?

[Starman]

Writing women

Ooh, personal writing theory: writing as the opposite gender isn't particularly hard, because in most ways men and women are the same. There are some underlying psychological differences between the two genders, true, but ultimately if you just forget about the gender of the person you're writing and just write them as a human, you'll do fine.

"How do you write women so well?"

"I think of a man and I take away reason and accountability."

-from As Good As It Gets

Great movie.

Starman

 

[Sulimo]

Re: Olive...

I also like Feist and Eddings. So sue me. Eddings Belgariad reads like an epic level D&D campaign starring the cast of Friends. For some reason this works for me. And Feist is enjoyable. I like his later series better. He grew as a writer, and his characters are charming.

I also really like Ray Feist's stuff...one of the few authors I buy all the time (the other being Terry Pratchett) rather than just borrowing from the local library.

I really wish I had the time to go though it all so I could use the world as a game setting. Or that Ray and Midmekia Press would get round to releasing the RPG.

 

[Sulimo]

Speaking of Conan, the original Conan books by Robert E. Howard are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, and extremely enjoyable to boot.

Just make sure you dont get stuck with edited versions of the Howard Tales.

 

[Sulimo]

Joel Rosenberg: I’ve met him. He’s a cretin. My view of his work must sadly be colored by this knowledge.

Hmm...from the places online I've hung out at where he also has he seems like a nice guy. As for his books...I loved Guardians of the Flame. But it is many years since I read one.

Terry Pratchett: A genius. I loathe humorous fantasy and SF. His stuff is the exception.

I adore his work. Probably my fave living author.

George R. R. Martin: The first two books in his series are terrific.

I tried to, but got bored and gave up about 50-100 pages into book 1.

Fritz Leiber: Not a big fan. I find much of his SF work terribly dated and I think his fantasy tries way to hard to be witty and clever, and usually doesn’t succeed.

I havent read his other work but love all the Fafhrd/Mouser tales.

Piers Anthony: SF/Fantasy’s most gifted hack. He is a writer with immense talent, but he chooses to squander it writing an endless, fetid stream of Xanth novels and other tripe.

Yeah. He is a hack..but there is some of his work I quite liked, Incarnations of Immortality is one of them. The Phaze/Adept series wasnt too bad either..at least the start.

Ray Feist: I liked Magician, and the wrap-up of the original Riftwar series was decent, but his later books have left me dead cold. I drifted off in the middle of the Serpentwar, having lost all interest. His Empire trilogy with Janny Wurtz is quite good.

I really like his work. Buy eveything he puts out.

Terry Brooks: A more important author than some would like to credit. Wholly without talent, orignality or writing skill – I was writing better stuff in my 10th-grade Creative Writing class.

Sword of Shannara is the only book I've actually thrown in the garbage in disgust. On the other hand I did like the Landover series.

Weis & Hickman: I’ve met Margaret Weis – a very nice lady – so it pains me to say that these books are a joke. Only in the field of game fiction can they be considered anything more than the lowest form of crap.

R. A. Salvatore: Maybe the best writer to come out of “gaming fiction.” By any other standard, a mediocre writer. Usually readable, at least.

I'd definitely hold Weis & Hickman up above Salvatore whose work I dont like much at all. Although admittedly I havent read any Weis & Hickman since the Deathgate Series.

I'd also hold Elaine Cunningham above Salvatore in the game fiction stakes.

I also liked the Paul Kidd game fiction alot...admittedly it is comedy.

 

[GuardianLurker]

The Difference between RJ and GRRM

George RR Martin, in addition to being a very gifted writer, is also an editor. And also a gamer - you all know that the first few WildCards tales were based on a supers campaign he was in, yes?

Robert Jordan, while a decent writer, is only a writer, and to the best of my knowledge has not served as a professional editor. Worse, his work is not apparently editted in any way, and he's gotten successful enough that he can probably insist on that indulgence.

As many professional writers have said, a good editor is well worth their weight in gold, and makes the difference between a good book and a GREAT book.

 

[Eridanis]

You could also check out the "If You Liked This..." database at http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/thisthat.html. Find more authors based on your preferences.

I suppose I should mention that I recently read THE DEED OF PAKSENARRION on Dinkeldog's recommendation - and adored it. The novel (actually, an omnibus of three novels published in the late 80's) follows a young farm girl on her quest to better herself and become a famous swordsman. A great "how to become a paladin" book.

If I get a chance, I'll be cutting in to Brust's latest, THE PATHS OF THE DEAD, and I continue to try PARADISE LOST with slow success. Some 19th century SF, and also having SILMARILLION at my bedside, as well as SECRETS OF ACTING SHAKESPEARE by Tucker... but that's a whole 'nother hobby.

It would be worth having a clone just to get done all the reading I want.

 

[Chaldfont]

I don't know about anyone else here, but even though I am thoroughly addicted to Sci-Fi and Fantasy, I have trouble finding books that aren't "more of the same". I look for something that is a little different. For other people in the same boat, here is a list of things I have read that I really enjoyed because I had not read anything like them before. If you have others I have missed, let me know!

Michael Morcock's Elric stories: The hero is a the arrogant and sickly last emperor of a decadent and truely evil race. He can't even survive without his soul-sucking demon sword. While even these stories start to look the same after a while, they are fun in small doses.

Roger Zelazny's Amber series: I love it when you wake up with amnesia only to find out you can travel to any reality you can dream up.

China Mieville's Bas Lag stories: I can't get enough of this. What if your PC had to tongue kiss a fish-greasy kuo-toan magic item to get it to work? Freaky.

Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials series: Young Adult but still fun. What if everyone had a familiar?

Sabriel by Garth Nix: What if necromancers are there to keep the dead dead?

George R. R. Martin's Tuf Voyaging: I can't get into this Fire & Ice series. I have tried to read the first book about three times and its just not my thing. But Tuf Voyaging is a sci-fi book about a kilometer's long space-ship with the ability to clone and genetically alter any organism in the known universe. Its used for ecological warefare. At least it was until a quirky merchant gets a hold of it.

Anyone else have anything out of the ordinary?

 

[CCamfield]

Olive, out of curiousity, have you read any Gene Wolfe? (e.g. Book of the New Sun)

I find him a difficult author to read (damn untrustable narrators...) but he's a very good writer.

Here's my eternal recommendation:

Steven Erikson - Gardens of the Moon

I seem to be alone here in pimping Steven Erikson's books. People who don't like long series shouldn't read him - the series is projected as 10 volumes long! - but important things happen in each book, there is some really good worldbuilding going on, complex plotting, and excellent writing. Gritty story elements, a la Martin or Cook.

He's not easy to come by in the States, but I think can be ordered pretty cheaply from Canada (e.g. www.amazon.ca).

 

[CCamfield]

Anyone else have anything out of the ordinary?

John Crowley's The Deep comes to mind. The world is the flat top of a giant cylinder. There's an explanation for that, but I recall it being pretty weird. Well, so was the story, which revolved around Red and Black royal houses (sort of chess-like).

Chaldfont, maybe it's pedestrian in comparison to Mieville's stuff, but I have a website with some non-bogstandard-European-fantasy listed. Could do with an update, but what the hey.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/ccamfield/stranger.html

 

[RolandOfGilead]

Ok, I just want to drop my 2 cents in here...

If you want to try something different, try The Dark Tower by stephen king.. read the WHOLE series. You will find a rich world
of fantasy / sci fi of epic proportions. If you make it to book 4, you will probably agree that it doesnt get much better! hehe.

Another great series: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson.. while Donaldson was mentioned above, I dont think this series was given particular credit. It is a great fantasy epic - to me, its a darker tolkien.

Lastly, check into Thieves World - Its a multi volume compilation of short stories in a common setting but by different authors. A+
-- at least the first couple books