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How about the Vlad Taltos series?
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Aug 16, 2016 15:35
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That's more of traditional fantasy, though. Swords, horses, dragons. It's a lot of fun but a bit outside the subgenre.
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Aug 16, 2016 16:09
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anilEhilated posted:That's more of traditional fantasy, though. Swords, horses, dragons. It's a lot of fun but a bit outside the subgenre. They're kind of an explicit reversal of the subgenre. Noir/crime trappings in a fantasy world rather than fantasy trappings bolted onto a modern detective novel. Anyway, I really enjoy Brust's work (though I'm less fond of the later ones in that series than the first few). Of course if you want a complete departure from urban fantasy, his Phoenix Guards books are one big Dumas pastiche and a hell of a lot of fun.
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Aug 16, 2016 16:15
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Wade Wilson posted:I actually liked that Castor was a fuckup that is just surviving his cases instead of actually winning on his own (he usually has to have someone else do the loving-poo poo-up for him most of the time). The Pax Arcana series by Elliott James is pretty great. It's about a quasi-werewolf monster hunter who, at the start of the series, has been living in hiding ever since he was discovered to be not 100% human. There's a fairly unique take on the Masquerade as well, with it being an actual magical force instead of being just self preservation and social conventions. Also, while John is pretty drat competent, he's also not so overpowered that he wins all of his battles on his own. Actually, I don't think that there's a single climactic book villain that he defeats one on one, instead relying on a team effort or arranging for the right people to be in the right place at the right time to take the proverbial shot. Mars4523 fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Aug 16, 2016 |
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Aug 16, 2016 16:16
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docbeard posted:his Phoenix Guards books are one big Dumas pastiche and a hell of a lot of fun. They are fantastic. The commentary and pretension peppered throughout by the narrator is perfect. And some of the chapter titles... The first book is pure gold.
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Aug 16, 2016 16:22
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docbeard posted:They're kind of an explicit reversal of the subgenre. Noir/crime trappings in a fantasy world rather than fantasy trappings bolted onto a modern detective novel. Agreed. The Taltos books arrive at the noir/magic combo from the fantasy side, rather than the modern day side. But they're great, mostly. There's a couple duds in there, but the series is like 15 books long at this point. You're also right about the Phoenix Guards. That series is a lot of fun, if you don't mind the Dumas-esque, paid-by-the-word style. The part where the friends join the guards and then all manage to get their superior officers killed in increasingly unlikely ways is a riot. It sounds dumb when summarized like that, but it's funny as hell in the book.
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Aug 16, 2016 16:23
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ConfusedUs posted:Agreed. The Taltos books arrive at the noir/magic combo from the fantasy side, rather than the modern day side. And the dialog. A:"Sir, pray tell me what is on your mind?" B:"What? You wish that I tell you my thoughts on the matter?" A:"Why I believe that is the very thing I just asked" B:"Then I shall elucidate upon them post haste" A:"I could ask for nothing more" You'd think it would get old, but it just keeps getting more grandiose and funnier as it goes.
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Aug 16, 2016 16:26
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I actually forgot that I'd read Pax Arcana (what is out so far). Also, Paul Cornell's Shadow Police books. I've also read The Rook and Stilletto. Hm.
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Aug 16, 2016 16:38
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flosofl posted:And the dialog. Gotta n'th the Paarfi of Roundwood love here, these books are nothing short of amazing, especially since I read most of Dumas as a kid and the style rings all the right nostalgic bells. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 17:40 on Aug 16, 2016 |
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Aug 16, 2016 17:37
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Decius posted:The Craft Sequence gets brought up a lot here, even if it is not quite the typical Urban Fantasy with a down-on-his/her-luck investigator in a contemporary city. It is very good however. Going to give this series a shot. quote:I also devoured the Kate Daniels series this year, your enjoyment might depend on how much you like some sprinkles of Romance novels (and a female protagonis) in your manly UF. I generally don't care for "romance" in my fiction reading (especially if it's being used as a crutch to pad the word count in the book).
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Aug 16, 2016 17:44
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Wade Wilson posted:Going to give this series a shot.
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Aug 16, 2016 17:45
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Wheat Loaf posted:I am presently reading the first Mindspace Investigations novel. It's similar to Dresden in a sense, but it's not urban fantasy so much as a sort of pulp detective / cyberpunk thing. I think I saw it described as being sort of like Blade Runner crossed with Chinatown. I am roughly halfway through the book so far; it's not bad. I've read all the series so far and I like them. If you think they guy is too powerful ability wise, that gets "fixed" at the end. Decius posted:The Craft Sequence gets brought up a lot here, even if it is not quite the typical Urban Fantasy with a down-on-his/her-luck investigator in a contemporary city. It is very good however. I also devoured the Kate Daniels series this year, your enjoyment might depend on how much you like some sprinkles of Romance novels (and a female protagonis) in your manly UF. Definitely Pax Arcana should be something you'd enjoy though. The Craft Sequence series is ace, the magical law/investment banks theme just feels fresh and well put together.
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Aug 16, 2016 17:56
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flosofl posted:And the dialog. "Why, I've been asking for nothing else for an hour!" and later, he starts to lampshade it. "You wish that I te--" "Yes! Yes! Speak, man!" (or something like that) I think I'm gonna go dig up my copies now.
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Aug 16, 2016 18:10
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Wheat Loaf posted:I am presently reading the first Mindspace Investigations novel. It's similar to Dresden in a sense, but it's not urban fantasy so much as a sort of pulp detective / cyberpunk thing. I think I saw it described as being sort of like Blade Runner crossed with Chinatown. I am roughly halfway through the book so far; it's not bad.
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Aug 16, 2016 19:10
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Geokinesis posted:The Craft Sequence series is ace, the magical law/investment banks theme just feels fresh and well put together. Seriously- there's pretty much nothing about this series I don't enjoy, it's just an interesting take on a fantasy world. I just finished the newest book that came out recently, and just, so good.
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Aug 16, 2016 19:50
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Decius posted:I also devoured the Kate Daniels series this year, your enjoyment might depend on how much you like some sprinkles of Romance novels (and a female protagonis) in your manly UF. Definitely Pax Arcana should be something you'd enjoy though. I really didn't care for the Kate Daniels books. I love the worldbuilding. I like the main character. I like most of the tertiary characters. But the whole love interest plotline was just so painfully bad. "Mated to the alpha werelion billionaire pack leader" style romance bad. Everything about it was terrible. Pax Arcana is excellent, though. One of the best in the genre, easily. Better than Dresden, even, I think.
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Aug 16, 2016 20:08
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I like Stephen Blaockmoore's Eric Carter series - though there's only two books so far (Dead Things, Broken Souls). He wrote a third, tore it up because he thought it sucked, and started it over - it's due in late 2017. But City of the Lost is a stand-alone book set in the same LA with a different protagonist and shares some secondary characters - I'd recommend starting with that one first if you're interested.
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Aug 16, 2016 20:30
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I'd also recommend Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. Werewolves, fae, vampires - with a healthy bit of Native American mythos - set in Washington State. Well-written and not cringe-inducing.
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Aug 16, 2016 20:37
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Wizchine posted:I like Stephen Blaockmoore's Eric Carter series - though there's only two books so far (Dead Things, Broken Souls). He wrote a third, tore it up because he thought it sucked, and started it over - it's due in late 2017. But City of the Lost is a stand-alone book set in the same LA with a different protagonist and shares some secondary characters - I'd recommend starting with that one first if you're interested. I did really enjoy those books and was excited for the third before he restarted- good to know it actually has a date finally. Might need to look up that standalone one now.
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Aug 16, 2016 20:41
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anilEhilated posted:The Rook? Or the Shadow Police series by Paul Cornell. I've read The Rook-its fun and different. Check it out.
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Aug 16, 2016 20:42
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OmniBeer posted:I did really enjoy those books and was excited for the third before he restarted- good to know it actually has a date finally. Might need to look up that standalone one now. Ah, even better - I misremembered and it's slotted for February 2017 - not so far off. From the author's site: "A lot of people have been asking when HUNGRY GHOSTS will be coming out, since it was so badly delayed. Well, I turned it in in January, and since it was over a year late they had to figure out where to put it into the production schedule. Right now it's set for February 7th, 2017. Trying to get it in any sooner would be like trying to slot a boxcar into the middle of a moving train."
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Aug 16, 2016 20:47
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I felt like The Rook spent way too long on exposition and kind of descended into incoherence toward the end, but I enjoyed the ride. Also, to whoever originally recommended the Last Policeman books: THANK YOU. They've not been a super-popular read around here, and they certainly aren't perfect, but I really enjoyed Kat Richardson's Greywalker series, especially the couple in the middle of the run where she isn't playing with big apocalyptic plots and just has some neat supernatural private investigator stuff going on.
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Aug 16, 2016 20:52
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I picked up Descended from Dragons: Moonlight Dragon Book 1, a book a goon wrote and pimped in the thread. It's in the same neighborhood as Dresden, but with some degree of romance. Not as much as you'd think. Some decent characters, couple memorable scenes, dialogue went fast. I wish it had more plot meat on the bones, but it doesn't feel it's length and read pretty quick. The MC does burn down a building with magic, though. 3/5 Dresdens, not bad urban fantasy.
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Aug 16, 2016 22:36
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Wade Wilson posted:
Repairman Jack is pretty good, from what I remember. It's a series that ties into another arc which is pretty epic.
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Aug 17, 2016 08:44
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Mr Scumbag posted:Repairman Jack is pretty good, from what I remember. It's a series that ties into another arc which is pretty epic. The Adversary Cycle. There's also three young Repairman Jack novels that are their own thing. Plus the novel Black Wind is in the same universe. Funnily enough the last book in the series, Night World, was published long before the other Repairman Jack books. When he decided to create the series to tell Jack's story of what happened between The Tomb and Night World, he ended up having to highly revise Night World and re-release. I have both editions and there are significant changes. Repairman Jack is one of my favorite series.
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Aug 17, 2016 11:44
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flosofl posted:The Adversary Cycle. There's also three young Repairman Jack novels that are their own thing. Plus the novel Black Wind is in the same universe. I've been looking this up and it looks interesting - is there a suggested reading order?
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Aug 17, 2016 11:50
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anilEhilated posted:I've been looking this up and it looks interesting - is there a suggested reading order? If you read The Keep and The Tomb, that sets up the Adversary Cycle and introduces Repairman Jack, so you can jump off into the rest of the Repairman Jack series from there. Alternately, if you really dig that series, just read everything up to Reprisal and stop at Nightworld, since Nightworld is the big apocalyptic ending that happens after the Jack books.
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Aug 17, 2016 12:24
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Oh, it turns out I actually read The Keep before, had no idea it continued into anything. Got myself The Tomb, will see where it goes from there.
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Aug 17, 2016 13:24
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anilEhilated posted:I've been looking this up and it looks interesting - is there a suggested reading order? The whole collection is called "The Secret History of the World". This page has the Books arranged in chronological order of events (this is F Paul Wilson's official site). http://repairmanjack.com/books/the-secret-history-of-the-world/
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Aug 17, 2016 13:32
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Wizchine posted:I'd also recommend Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. Werewolves, fae, vampires - with a healthy bit of Native American mythos - set in Washington State. Well-written and not cringe-inducing. I'm always the one recommending this series (and the slightly better Alpha series in the same universe). Also, reiterate the Joe Pitt casebooks by Charlie Huston.
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Aug 17, 2016 14:03
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anilEhilated posted:Oh, it turns out I actually read The Keep before, had no idea it continued into anything. Got myself The Tomb, will see where it goes from there. Amusingly enough, there is no tomb in The Tomb. IIRC, his publisher slapped the title on, because they wanted the series to all have "The (Whatever)" titles, and just arbitrarily chose it.
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Aug 17, 2016 15:59
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Just about finished with the first Sandman Slim, is there any noticeable rise or dip in quality over the next couple books? I liked it, but it's a little weird how he often views himself as an underdog even while talking about murdering hell's generals. With how easy everything went down at Avila, and in the nothing versus Mason you'd think he would have a little more self confidence. Another thing that I thought was weird was that neither Parker nor Mason seemed to give a poo poo about their plan failing, they just say "Well, on to the next plan I guess!" Did Mason actually even expect the Avila thing to work? Given his conversation with Stark at the end it seemed like Avila wasn't even really a priority for him and didn't fit into his overall scheme. I guess maybe he just had plans for whether Stark succeeded at Avila or not, as a proper villain should.
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Aug 17, 2016 19:10
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Inspector 34 posted:Just about finished with the first Sandman Slim, is there any noticeable rise or dip in quality over the next couple books? Yes. I personally liked the first, disliked two and three.
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Aug 17, 2016 19:26
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torgeaux posted:I'm always the one recommending this series (and the slightly better Alpha series in the same universe). Yes this series is pretty solid. Yeah it had the whole alpha male pack leader line interest thing but it's handles about as well it could be in my opinion.
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Aug 17, 2016 21:42
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Inspector 34 posted:Just about finished with the first Sandman Slim, is there any noticeable rise or dip in quality over the next couple books? It's a steady decline in quality through book 3, then a substantial reversal after that. Books five and six are on par with the first, if not a little better, you just have to wade through some poo poo to get there. Edit: got my book numbers mixed up, corrected Ornamented Death fucked around with this message at 21:56 on Aug 17, 2016 |
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Aug 17, 2016 21:46
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anilEhilated posted:I've been looking this up and it looks interesting - is there a suggested reading order? I would read the original Adversary cycle which is quite good with the possible exception of the deus ex machina bit at the very end. The Repairman Jack novels you can read at any point, but try to stop after the second or third of those books because they kind of turn into a libertarian superman power-fantasy which I'm not fond of (think of a lower-key Sword of Truth). Mr.48 fucked around with this message at 21:53 on Aug 17, 2016 |
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Aug 17, 2016 21:50
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Uh-huh. Not gonna lie, that's a scary comparison; how bad is it with regards to politics?
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Aug 17, 2016 21:59
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anilEhilated posted:Uh-huh. Not gonna lie, that's a scary comparison; how bad is it with regards to politics? Repairman Jack is a libertarian ubermensch. Wilson is a pretty good writer when he's not shoving his political views down your throat.
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Aug 17, 2016 22:05
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Ornamented Death posted:Repairman Jack is a libertarian ubermensch. Yeah, it's not Larry Correia bad (but what is?), but boy, Wilson sure wants you to know how Jack can solve problems better than that mean old government can.
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Aug 17, 2016 22:17
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One of the people in Let's Play just self-published a short urban fantasy novel:Chokes McGee posted:
It's a fun short read that helped to fill that ever longer Dresden wait. I hope the author keeps writing and improving. Also, about Phoenix Guards, is it worth continuing on to the rest of the books?
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Aug 18, 2016 05:01
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