[Phetish]

I've been looking for some new epic fantasy to get into recently. So after much thought and lots of browsing this forum for your excellent recomendations I have purchased three books from different authors that I have never read before.

If some of you would be so kind as to offer suggestions on the order I should go with....

Erikson - Gardens of the Moon
Feist - Magician: Apprentice
or
Keyes - The Briar King

thanks for your help

ps.
my favorites from the past include but not limited to...
Williams - MSaT
Martin - AsoIaF
White - once and future king
Stackpole - anything fantasy
etc etc

oh sorry not a fan of Brooks or Goodkind
hope I don't affend they just don't do it for me

[Jack]

If your past favorites include Martin and Tad Williams, you could breeze through the first few Feist novels with ease. Feist is incredibly light reading, but it is concise, something seriously lacking in today's epic fantasy. So, if you're looking for a break from the heavier stuff, Feist.

I've never read Erikson, but apparently he is one of the most difficult SF writers to read due to the complexity of his books. So Erikson and Feist are pretty much opposite ends of the spectrum.

Have never read Keyes, nor heard much about him. I'm actually interested in what forumers think of The Briar King, b/c the first book in the series is only six bucks in hardcover on amazon right now.

[Kanin]

If your past favorites include Martin and Tad Williams, you could breeze through the first few Feist novels with ease. Feist is incredibly light reading, but it is concise, something seriously lacking in today's epic fantasy. So, if you're looking for a break from the heavier stuff, Feist.

I've never read Erikson, but apparently he is one of the most difficult SF writers to read due to the complexity of his books. So Erikson and Feist are pretty much opposite ends of the spectrum.

Have never read Keyes, nor heard much about him. I'm actually interested in what forumers think of The Briar King, b/c the first book in the series is only six bucks in hardcover on amazon right now.

Here: The Briar King (http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4592&highlight=briar+king)

[St. Rapier]

Haven't read the other two, but i read briar king. Great book, good sword fights, some memorable characters.

[Evil Agent]

I've read the Feist series, and the first 3 Erikson books.

I liked Erikson much better, but the series is long, only halfway complete, and Gardens of the Moon is the hardest book in the series so far.

Feist was a bit cliche for me at the time I read it (after most of my favorites, like Martin and Hobb), but it was still entertaining, and relatively light.

So it depends what you're in the mood for.. You will probably find good things in each series, but Erikson takes a bit more commitment and focus.

[Draig]

I haven't had the time to read Briar King yet, so I can't really say anything about that (other than it's supposed to be quite good).

I have read Feist and Erikson though, and I can agree with the others here that Feist is a light, but entertaining read. Erikson on the other hand is a much heavier kind of book, the scale of it is huge (the world, amount of characters etc.), but if you put some effort into, I can garantee you won't be sorry. I personally think Erikson's Malazan books are some of the best (epic) fantasy books out there.

[Eleal]

I haven't read Erikson but did read Keyes and would absolutely recommend it.

Feist is definitely a lighter read with a more Tolkien-like setting than Keyes, but at least it's a finished series!

[Rob B]

Each is an enjoyable flavor of the feast of fantasy, IMO.

Feist's Magician is good. I ripped through Magician, which is quite apropos as Feist himself calls it a "ripping yarn."

Erikson is a bit tougher. I'm actually going to re-read the first two before Memories of Ice publishes in the US.

Keyes is one of my favorites right now. I absolutely loved The Briar King, follows a fairly typical pattern of High/Epic Fantasy, very much in the vein of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. I'd say it is somewhere between MS&T and Martin's aSoIaF. Heck, HERE (http://www.sffworld.com/brevoff/82.html) is my official review from a couple of years ago if you want a more in-depth look at my thoughts.

[Beleg]

In your circumstances, I'd read them in this order, based on the 'epic feel' and the 'internal complexity' of the stories from min to mix:

1. Briar King
2. Magician
3. Malazan Books

[Brys]

You wrote them down in order of quality, IMO. Magician is Feist's best work, other than the Empire series, which means that while it's a light read, it's still decent epic fantasy. Erikson, on the other hand, is absolutely amazing, and the best in epic fantasy, particularly in terms of scope. Yes, the first book is complicated, and it'll take a little effort to think through, but if you didn't struggle with Martin, you won't struggle much with Erikson.
The Briar King is closer to Martin than the other two. It's basically taking a pseudo-Medieval Europe. It's weaker than it's sequel, and probably won't blow you away, like the other two may, but it's solid epic fantasy and not too difficult. Unfortunately, in the first book a lot of the politics aspect (which is very good - not quite GRRM, but not far off) is ignored so that he can focus on the title plotline, which is a shame. I'd read that last, because unlike Erikson, it isn't amazing, and unlike Feist, it isn't a hugely easy read which is also very good. I wouldn't advise reading Magician Apprentice on it's own though. It works best reading the whole Magician at once. However, you may want to read Magician first, because unlike the other two, the sequels don't improve on it. Both the sequels to Gardens of the Moon and the Briar King are significantly better than the first novels of the series.

Basically, read Erikson for scope, complexity and realism, Feist for a light read, and Keyes for an alternate history with politics, along the lines of a simplified GRRM, with a bit more magic.