[Rob B]

I am fairly new to this BB, but is seems all the postings and arguments are about Jordan and Goodkind. While I have read all of WOT, I haven't read any Goodkind, but might. I am not saying I don't enjoy Jordan or that Goodkind is bad.....

HOWEVER...There are other great series and books out there that have not surfaced or been discussed too much, or enough.

Tad Williams-this guy does not get enough credit. MEMORY, SORROW and THORN is great, great characters and it actually ENDS!!!! What a concept. His Otherland series is pretty good too, last book is due out this year or beginning of next.

Steven Brust--Vlad Taltos series is awesome as well, while it still continues, there is more of a sense of closure at the end of his novels.

Robin Hobb--THE FARSEER (Assassin books) and LIVESHIP TRADERS probably, IMHO, at the top of the game right now. Characters, settings, magic, dragons everything you could want from Fantasy. The characters are not cut and dry EVIL or GOOD. She has just started a new trilogy(?) set in the same place as Farseer, not sure if it will involve same characters, though.

Others that have been mentioned are RUNELORDS by David Farland--very very thought provoking, great system of magic, very believable characters.

Guy Gavriel Kay-Fionavar Tapestry

SR Donaldson Thomas Covenant, first and second chronicles-just about the best fantasy since LOTR. The true antihero

and of Course George RR Martin. ASOIAF should be 6 books, at one time, either to be one series or two trilogies, still not sure about that. Hopefully http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif! A Clash of Kings will win the Nebula this year (today in fact http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif).

Then again, I could be wrong http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif


[This message has been edited by FitzFlagg (edited January 02, 2001).]

[Cellandros]

I'll definately agree with you about Robin Hobb being at the top of the game right now. I just recently (a few months ago) read her Liveship traders, and that completely blew me away. Simply put, there has only been one or two other times that I have found myself looking forward to a book so much as I am looking forward to the conclusion of Liveship traders.

Tad Williams is great as well. I loved Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, but I think Otherland is his crowning jewel in my eye.

You won't find any arguement from me proclaiming Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Covenant series the best. It is. Just as Frank Herbert wrote the best sci-fi novel Dune; Stephen Donaldson is the master with Thomas Covenant.

I think Melanie Rawn deserves a few more mentions than she gets as well.

[neologik]

<<I think Melanie Rawn deserves a few more mentions than she gets as well>>

Wow. I can't believe I forgot her!

Two others that I have to throw on here are CS Friedman and Steven Brust. Two excellent writers that knock the socks off of Goodkind and Jordan.

[Barbarossa]

Seems we share a taste. I would rate Goerge R.R. Martin my personal favorite, but Robin Hobb is a very close second. I enjoy Brust, Rawn and Donaldson too. I still enjoy Wot, though i think the last two books were weak, and RJ maybie lost it.
Authors i missed though were Katherine Kerr with her great Deverry series and Terry Pratchett, the master of humerous Fantasy. If you don't know them yet, i would suggest to try them.

[Rob B]

Cool. Glad I got this topic going. Thought I might get flamed for writing anything remotely negative about Jordan and Goodkind.

I have heard good things about Rawn, and have yet to pick up her stuff, but would like to. I have also read great things about Friedman, just have not got around to her yet either. Pratchett is funny as hell, if you like Discworld DEFINITELY pick up Good Omens if you haven't already. It makes the end of the world seem hilarious.

I have good things about Dave Duncan, too. I recently finished his Gilded Chain and really liked it, but that is all I have read from him.

I also recently finished A CAVERN OF BLACK ICE by J.V. Jones and I am really looking forward to the next book in that series.

OTHERLAND is very good and damn if it isn't complex. Probably the best melding of Fantasy and SF, that I have read. I thought book two was a bit slow at times, but book 3 was an improvement, especially about 1/3 of the way through. Book 4 should be awesome.

I am also probably soon going to get started on the Tyrants and Kings series by John Marco.

If anybody hasn't checked out Runelords, there is a website ( http://www.runelords.com ) with a bulletin board there too, same format as this one.

Later.
"What is it that a man may call the greatest things in life?..."
"...Hot Water, good dentistry, and soft lavatory paper."

[wastra]

Question about Tad Williams for any fans out there-

Years ago I started to read one of his books that I borrowed from a friend- I think it was Called "To Green Angel tower" or something like that.

I never really got into the book because it was the start of finals week or something like that in College and I ran out of time to read-

BAsically what I'm asking is this: Who would you compare him to? I'm possibly interested in starting the series from scratch since I've heard quite few people liek his stuff. I just want to know a bit more about his style before I get into it.

for that matter- how about Robin hobbs? Are there any other authors to compare hobbs to? I've never read anything by Hobbs, so I have no way of knowing save buying the books and tryign to read them. Since work leaves me little time to spare on books, I try to be pretty selective before I start. I don't have a week to waste on a book that isn't my style.

[neologik]

<<BAsically what I'm asking is this: Who would you compare him to? I'm possibly interested in starting the series from scratch since I've heard quite few people liek his stuff. I just want to know a bit more about his style before I get into it>>

Wow...like that isn't a tough question...

I think I'd place Tad as being part Tolkien, part George Martin. His books are HUGE!!! He referred to the last book of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn as being "The book that nearly ate my life." And now he's writing something even BIGGER...

I am not the right person to ask, since I've corresponded with Tad a few times, but I'd definitely place him in the MUST READ category. Unlike Dennis McKiernen, Tad does Tolkien in a unique way, rather than just re-doing Middle-earth.

If you like BFF, go get these three (four in paperback) books. But this time...start with the first one.

http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Cellandros]

Wow, it really is hard to compare authors sometimes. The two I always have the most trouble with is indeed Robin Hobb and Tad Williams. The easiest thing to say is to read them.

I'll try with Hobb. Her books aren't quite as long as a Williams or Martin; but she seems to have the uncanny ability to pack just as much (or more) into them. When you read a book by Hobb you're going to get excellent characters and character development. They will come to life right before your eyes. You get some great world-building without tedious long-winded boring description. You learn of the world (the political-economic-theological situations) through the characters.

You also get as an added bonus, well-thought out stories; a story that moves. Something that will keep you up till all hours of the night reading 'just one more page'.

Hard to come up with an author to compare her to.

[Barbarossa]

It's hard to compare Autors, but i will try.
Williams, hmm he has an almost poetic style, i love his language but his books tend to be a bit too wordy.
Perhaps Tolkien paired with Jordan rather than paired with Martin, though he gets to the end at least!

Hobb is a bit easier, i would compare her to the Stephen Donaldson. She has a similar habit to have her characters suffer. And as with Donaldson her characters have lots of weaknesses. A difference is that her heors aren't just as psycho as Donaldsons. And i like Hobb's language better than Donaldson's, but thats personal taste

[wastra]

thanks everybody!

I'll definately pick up Tad Williams next time at at the old bookstore. Then maybe I'll move on to Robin Hobb! Sound like they're definate must-reads.