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VagueRant posted:Help me, thread! I am desperate for a new fantasy novel to get into. It's been so long since I enjoyed reading (and I really like swords). You really should check out Steven Brust's Jhereg series (wisecracking assassin has adventures) and/or The Phoenix Guards (takeoff on The Three Musketeers). Great mix of humor and adventure, a bit lighter than Locke Lamora.
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Jan 4, 2017 15:12
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If you want to continue with The Witcher series then The Sword of Destiny would be the next step. It's an anthology like The Last Wish which primarily establishes the setting, but Sword is where the ball gets rolling for the plot of the novels proper. Otherwise you go into Blood of Elves missing out on the development of Yennefer and Ciri.
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Jan 4, 2017 15:18
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Maybe try the Shadow Campaigns series by Django Wexler, especially if you liked Monstrous Regiment, or The Traitor Baru Cormorant by some goon. There's... some comedy. Maybe. You might laugh once or twice.
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Jan 4, 2017 15:25
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VagueRant posted:Help me, thread! I am desperate for a new fantasy novel to get into. It's been so long since I enjoyed reading (and I really like swords). I'd recommend Mark Lawrence's Red Queen's War series. It has a likable protagonist (which addresses your issue with Prince of Thorns) and Lawrence is a great writer. It's also a pretty funny series, which sounds like a big plus for you.
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Jan 4, 2017 15:27
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VagueRant posted:Basically: I like punchy prose that doesn't waste time, I prefer more low fantasy military/historical vibes over mystical or magical (would totally be up to branching into historical fiction). And I never realised until now how much of a factor humour played in what I like (see: Pratchett, Abercrombie, Locke Lamora...). It really is key to making characters likeable, making the journey enjoyable, and balancing out all the morally grey grimdark. Sounds like maybe Guy Gavriel Kay would be a good bet there. Lions of Al-Rassan would fit the bill.
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Jan 4, 2017 15:51
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VagueRant posted:Help me, thread! I am desperate for a new fantasy novel to get into. It's been so long since I enjoyed reading (and I really like swords). Have you considered Roger Zelazny's Amber series, or Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd & Gray Mouser series? Amber series: likeable main character, humorous, swordplay & swashbuckling heavy. Leiber F & GM series: defined the "swords & sorcery genre". Likeable main characters, humorous, extremely swordy. Tons of fanastical adventures.
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Jan 4, 2017 15:57
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VagueRant posted:Help me, thread! I am desperate for a new fantasy novel to get into. It's been so long since I enjoyed reading (and I really like swords). Bearing in mind the stuff I have bolded, check out my second favourite (after Pratchett), Robert Rankin. Kinda urban fantasy for the most part, usually set in either modern day or Victorian/steampunk England except there are aliens/demons/undead/angels/underground molemen/assorted other random stuff that you wouldn't generally expect to find in modern day or Victorian England, and the tone is often very silly and entertaining.
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Jan 4, 2017 17:24
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It's humor but high magic: Patrick Weekes' Rogues series. Funny, low magic: Michael Sullivan's Rirya Revelations.
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Jan 4, 2017 17:39
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The Malazan series does have some great comedic bits but you're right to be scared of it.
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Jan 4, 2017 17:47
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VagueRant posted:Basically: I like punchy prose that doesn't waste time, I prefer more low fantasy military/historical vibes over mystical or magical (would totally be up to branching into historical fiction). And I never realised until now how much of a factor humour played in what I like (see: Pratchett, Abercrombie, Locke Lamora...). It really is key to making characters likeable, making the journey enjoyable, and balancing out all the morally grey grimdark. I will second the recommendation for Steven Brust's Jhereg and Khaavren Romances novels. I've been working my way through them and they're utterly fantastic. I think you'll really enjoy the prose, and while magic/sorcery shows up on a regular basis, it's not the main focus of the story at all. Plus, if you read the Khaavren Romances, you'll get to see how society's attitude towards magic (and what magic makes possible) changes over time, which is a pretty cool touch.
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Jan 4, 2017 18:05
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Ornamented Death posted:I'd recommend Mark Lawrence's Red Queen's War series. It has a likable protagonist (which addresses your issue with Prince of Thorns) and Lawrence is a great writer. It's also a pretty funny series, which sounds like a big plus for you. I second this Red Queens War trilogy was more enjoyable and Jalan was a more entertaining protagonist.
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Jan 4, 2017 20:01
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Jack2142 posted:I second this Red Queens War trilogy was more enjoyable and Jalan was a more entertaining protagonist. Third.
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Jan 4, 2017 20:33
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VagueRant posted:Basically: I like punchy prose that doesn't waste time, I prefer more low fantasy military/historical vibes over mystical or magical (would totally be up to branching into historical fiction). And I never realised until now how much of a factor humour played in what I like (see: Pratchett, Abercrombie, Locke Lamora...). It really is key to making characters likeable, making the journey enjoyable, and balancing out all the morally grey grimdark. Have you tried KJ Parker? Mostly quite low on the fantasy elements, a good deal of humour of the extremely black variety. Cheerfully nihilistic may be an appropriate term. As for historical fiction... I'd have to mention Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. It has long been popular among SF fans and not without good reason; it does a better job of presenting an alien world full of weird technology than most space opera, it's just that the alien world is our own two centuries ago and the weird technology is early 19th century sailing ships described in loving detail. Great amounts of character-based humour in otherwise deadly serious stories, lots of cool naval action balanced by weird shenanigans ashore.
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Jan 4, 2017 21:53
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Well, you could try Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, which I'd recommend over the Robert Jordan. GRRM says this was the series that inspired him to write his own fantasy series. Or if you'd like something more contained, you could try Heroes Die by Matthew Stover, another favourite around here. I'm about halfway through it and it's quite the ride.
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Jan 4, 2017 22:10
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coyo7e posted:I'm a little over halfway through Justin Cronin's The Passage and am curious about opinions on the later books in the series? This one comes across a lot like WWZ met The Stand and while it's not Cormac McCarthy level by any means, I'm not really sure how far it can go past the first novel, or if it goes all "Coyote" (Allen Steele's) and end up with a lot of society-building and civil wars and whatnot One thing I appreciated about the second book (haven't read the third yet, so I don't know if it happens there as well) is that there's a handy and descriptive timeline of events from the previous book at the beginning, so I didn't have to go back and re-read the first one again... my reading memory sucks rear end, and the fact that the books came out so far apart didn't help. I usually just wait for a series to be complete before I jump in, but these were given to me as a gift.
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Jan 4, 2017 22:35
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VagueRant posted:Basically: I like punchy prose that doesn't waste time, I prefer more low fantasy military/historical vibes over mystical or magical (would totally be up to branching into historical fiction). And I never realised until now how much of a factor humour played in what I like (see: Pratchett, Abercrombie, Locke Lamora...). It really is key to making characters likeable, making the journey enjoyable, and balancing out all the morally grey grimdark. Sounds like we might have similar tastes, admittedly based on more on your dislikes. I should just take a photo of my bookshelf except I have very bad lighting and mostly ebooks. Check my post history instead. But specifically, The Lighthouse Duet by Carol Berg (lowish fantasy - magic is more plot-related than "I cast fireball" - with a dry-humored protagonist in an interesting world, dark without being grim) the Greatcoats series by Sebastien de Castell (low fantasy with swashbuckling, fun and funny in tone but still quite serious in plot, very Three Musketeers) and Johannes Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard (more typical fantasy but only Diana Wynne Jones makes me laugh that much at a book). Personally I'd say if you already know you don't like the tropes a book uses, don't read it just because it's a 'classic.' Wheel of Time sounds like everything I find tedious in fantasy, and the list of things I actually will like is too drat long as it is.
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Jan 4, 2017 23:10
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I read Bridge of Bird because of this thread and didn't love it. I thought it was just ok, is there something wrong with me? Because this thread sold it as the greatest book ever written. I probably would have preferred to read another Discworld book. I've read about 10, with Going Postal and The Truth being my favorites. Just started The Water Knife, it feels very like The Windup Girl which I really liked. The same feel of doom and gloom, and same storytelling methods.
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Jan 5, 2017 02:42
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So Tor.com's eBook of the Month club announced a new book for January 2017: Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber Has anyone read it and how good/bad is it?
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Jan 5, 2017 03:01
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Fart of Presto posted:So Tor.com's eBook of the Month club announced a new book for January 2017: Very bad. Mary-Sueish high-tech invincible protagonist saving low tech from barbarism.
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Jan 5, 2017 03:04
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Groke posted:Have you tried KJ Parker? Mostly quite low on the fantasy elements, a good deal of humour of the extremely black variety. Cheerfully nihilistic may be an appropriate term. Yeah, I definitely agree KJ Parker is the most fitting for the type of rec he was asking for
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Jan 5, 2017 03:50
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navyjack posted:Very bad. Mary-Sueish high-tech invincible protagonist saving low tech from barbarism. I usually rush to link the free book of the month to all my friends but this time I went "nuh-uh" when I saw what it was. It's so bad I don't want people to grab it for free. Spend your time reading good books.
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Jan 5, 2017 07:01
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The Nastier Nate posted:I read Bridge of Bird because of this thread and didn't love it. I thought it was just ok, is there something wrong with me? Because this thread sold it as the greatest book ever written. I probably would have preferred to read another Discworld book. I've read about 10, with Going Postal and The Truth being my favorites. This thread have a 50% probability of recommending a good book in my experience. Still better percentage than most other places. Also a bit circle-jerking where certain books ( Bridge of Birds, Traitor Baru Cormorant as examples) gets touted as being must reads, instead as decent to good reads. As for Pratchett, reading more is always a no-brainer and you can't actually go wrong with him. Water Knife was pretty great, basically a novelization of Fallout. A little too short though, but the author have reused characters before so we might get more. Similar to this would be Ian McDonald.
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Jan 5, 2017 07:38
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Cardiac posted:
Mostly true, one of his last ones (I think Raising Steam) felt a bit ordinary but I give him a free pass given every other book owns.
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Jan 5, 2017 14:37
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VagueRant posted:Help me, thread! I am desperate for a new fantasy novel to get into. It's been so long since I enjoyed reading (and I really like swords). If you are ok reading short fiction Brandon Sanderson has a few short works that are quite good "Legion" and "The Emperors Soul" are quite good. I don't know if you would enjoy "The Traitor Baru Cormorant" but it is very good and goon written.(It is not the easiest read emotionally) Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone is very different and if you like the description of "A god has died, and it's up to Tara, first-year associate in the international necromantic firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, to bring Him back to life before His city falls apart." read it. Fallorn fucked around with this message at 07:30 on Jan 6, 2017 |
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Jan 6, 2017 07:25
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The Craft Sequence is pretty good in general. I confess it took me a couple swings to actually get in to it - the kindle free sample ends just before the actually interesting part of 3PD - but the magic is all really neat.
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Jan 6, 2017 09:13
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Ceebees posted:The Craft Sequence is pretty good in general. I confess it took me a couple swings to actually get in to it - the kindle free sample ends just before the actually interesting part of 3PD - but the magic is all really neat. I really like this series, but always struggle to recommend it because I can't find the elevator pitch. "Fantasty John Grisham, but good" doesn't really win many people over.
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Jan 6, 2017 16:30
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Ben Nevis posted:I really like this series, but always struggle to recommend it because I can't find the elevator pitch. "Fantasty John Grisham, but good" doesn't really win many people over. Season 5 of Angel in book form
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Jan 6, 2017 16:58
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Ben Nevis posted:I really like this series, but always struggle to recommend it because I can't find the elevator pitch. "Fantasty John Grisham, but good" doesn't really win many people over. "Lawyer necromancers."
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Jan 6, 2017 17:45
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Yeah, Max and I have been brainstorming a lot about exactly that issue. When I got an editor he was (and is!) also Max's editor and he tried to hook me on the Craft books, and it took me forever to pick one up — I think because the pitches I got were always like 'a world in which lawyers run magic' or 'it's like the 21st century but with an international system of magic instead of finance'. Those are fine, but they don't foreground a character and a conflict: there's no 'a man washes up with no memory and lethal assassin skills' or 'a young country man discovers his uncle's ring is the ancient key to domination of all life'. (edit here: 'lawyer necromancers' is a great setting, but a setting is a static backdrop, right?) Setting wise I guess the best pitch I've got is 'Wizards rose up and killed the gods. But someone's got to keep the rain falling and the souls moving, so they invented the Craft, a system of magical contract and law that keeps the whole world ticking. Wherever the Craft fails, reality unravels — and when you've put your soul up as collateral on your mortage, and your city's powered by a dead god's corpse, you really don't want the Craft to fail. It's a Craftsman's job to hold the world together, blah blah blah.' It's probably easier to do book specific pitches. "A god died, and a young wizard-laywer has to hold the god's city together until she can revive him." Or "A young dude works for the liches who killed his father's gods — and someone starts attacking the lichs' assets." Or "Elayne Kovarian has to convince the people of the Skittersill to sell their land and homes to people who'll build casinos and condos. If she pushes them, they'll riot. But if she doesn't, the zoning violation will erupt into a demon singularity." Or whatever, I don't know!
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Jan 6, 2017 18:01
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"Harry Potter 50 years later and the global magical capitalist infrastructure is exactly as omnipresent, hosed up, and on the verge of total crisis as the actual 21st century." e: "All the CEOs have a Horcrux and you leave Hogwarts with fifty thousand human souls of student debt"
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Jan 6, 2017 18:03
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Did you just come with with that weird fantasy name now? It needs more apostrophes.
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Jan 6, 2017 18:04
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Take the plunge! Okay! posted:So, I'm 1/3 into Blake Crouch's Dark Matter and I actively hate the telegraphed plot, the main character, a physicist who's never read a sci-fi story, and the single short sentence paragraphs. Is the promised final twist that good I should keep reading, or should I drop it? What's the point of this post? You already hate it, so why continue reading it?
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Jan 6, 2017 18:32
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Hermionie voted Brexit and Ron voted Remain - the break up story.
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Jan 6, 2017 20:18
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Come on, Ron is clearly the Brexit voter in that couple.
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Jan 6, 2017 20:33
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The Dragonbone Chair went from zero to one hundred real fuckin' quick. ZOMBIES!!
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Jan 6, 2017 20:35
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holocaust bloopers posted:Did you just come with with that weird fantasy name now? It needs more apostrophes. 
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Jan 6, 2017 22:33
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I'm gonna give Three Parts Dead a try; sounds interesting. I somehow ended up with the idea this series was part of the "magical London" subgenre and ignored it.
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Jan 6, 2017 22:35
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Everyone thinks it's urban fantasy. I blame the cover art, and maybe the title, it doesn't sound like a secondary world book for some reason.
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Jan 6, 2017 22:41
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General Battuta posted:Everyone thinks it's urban fantasy. I blame the cover art, and maybe the title, it doesn't sound like a secondary world book for some reason. Everyone thinks it's urban fantasy, because people selling them, including the author, have been calling them urban fantasy. They're not, but no one cares, I suppose.
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Jan 6, 2017 22:42
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Reading the blurb, it sounds a lot like "fantasy taking place in a city." Isn't that urban fantasy? To me, Perdido Street Station is urban fantasy as well. Or is it only really urban fantasy if it takes place in London?
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Jan 6, 2017 22:47
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