The New and Improved Recommendation - Fantasy / Horror

[Danogzilla]

I just recently spent alot of money (well alot to me anyway) on Amazon buying some series that I had heard good reviews about on this website. I made it a point to buy only the books that were not available at my library so I was unfortunately unable to 'sample' any of them before buying them. The only ones that I knew I would enjoy were those by Tad Williams since I've read Shadowmarch.

Getting to my point, one of the series I purchased was The Complete Amber Chronicles 1-10 by Roger Zelazny. After reading Tad Williams, Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson, and C.S. Friedman for the past few months I knew I had high standards set, but....to be frank Roger Zelazny writes as if he was a middle school student. I'm very disappointed in the series and I'm only on page five. In order to process what I'm reading I create a mental picture of the characters and what's going on around them. Currently Mr.Corey is a gray blob talking to other gray blobs in shapless gray rooms. Where is the detail? I mean....really? I guess what I'm asking is what on earth does everyone see in this book and does it ever get any better than 'I woke. I stood. I spoke.'?

And if this book isn't going to get any better than please suggest something that takes more than a day or two to read. No, I'm not trying to be arrogant. If I've insulted anyone I'm very sorry. I'm just disappointed that this author isn't to my tastes.

Wow, this is shocking to me. Zelazny is a superior writer to all of those other authors you mentioned. Sanderson is essentially a YA author but Zelazny comes off as being a middle school student? This is hard for me to imagine.

All I can say is that his Amber series is widely considered one of the finest fantasies of all time. And it predates all the modern fantasy (maybe that is the problem, you are looking for a formula that he isn't going to give you).

[Carlyle Clark]

Alright so i need help. Mostly i like anything i read but im having trouble picking out a new author and series, i dont know why. Over the past few weeks ive read all of brent weeks stuff, david dalglish, simon r green, gregory downs, scott lynch and michael sullivan. Alot of what ive read has been dark and i think id like something without so much despair compared to the little bit of redemption to be found in dalglish's books that i just finished. I did enjoy the middle ground to be found in weeks novels and especially liked vi's journey as well as her relationship to the main character. She reminded me of lasciel from the dresden files, nicci from sword of truth (as well as cara) who is one of the only characters from that series i really liked. I thought of reading some ya novels to keep it light but have just finished reading a bunch of stuff before giving it to my nephew. I read through the rangers apprentice, rick riordans stuff and that eragon series.

Ive read and reread jordan, rawn, sherwood smith, sanderson, salvatore, butcher, erikson, martin, esslemont, hearne,kenyon, friedmon, hobb, james barclay, evans, e.e. knight, peter brett, sarah douglas, feist, scholes, tad williams[/B] and probably a few ive forgotten. Ultimately im at a loss so any suggestion would be a great help and if someone could just hit me in the head with a series and force me to read it id be most grateful

Reddick's Chathrand Voyages & Durham's Acacia Trilogy are exactly what you're looking for, CDR.

[cdr]

Reddick's Chathrand Voyages & Durham's Acacia Trilogy are exactly what you're looking for, CDR.

Thankyou, Ill start on one or the other tonight. I was just starting to get desperate

[Kazz Wylde]

Thankyou, Ill start on one or the other tonight. I was just starting to get desperate

Hey CDR, I'll second Redick's Chathrand Voyage. Actually that's the series, I was talking about......I'm about to start the third book, River of Shadows.

[hyperchord24]

Hey thank you guys for recommending Perdido Street Station. I love how there's worldbuilding with fantasy elements not set in the middle ages or on a distant plant/futuristic place. What I love most is that all the creatures seem to know about each other and the fantasy elements are known to the world at large.

I had a question about Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. The fantasy elements, are they known to the world at large? Or is a big secret akin to the wizards in Harry Potter or vampires in Twilight?

[Danogzilla]

I had a question about Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. The fantasy elements, are they known to the world at large? Or is a big secret akin to the wizards in Harry Potter or vampires in Twilight?

The fantasy elements in The Dresden Files are known to people who are . . . well, in the know, the people who work "that side of the street."

[Mister]

I'm looking for a book or series that involves this world, this real world, and also involves spirit worlds. The spirit worlds should be beautiful and eerie, mysterious, haunting, frightening, and even sometimes cute. A sense that this otherworld is not completely knowable.

Something along the lines of Gaiman's Sandman, Miyazaki's Spirited Away, or Tanith Lee's Flat Earth. Where else would I look for more of the otherworldly and sublime?

I was thinking of giving Clive Barker's Abarat series a spin, or Garth Nix.

[algernoninc]

You might try Charles de Lint . I have only read one book by him - The Onion Girl - but it seems like what you are looking for. Some of the stories here are quite dark, and there is danger in the parralel world, but there is also beauty.

Another favorite is Patricia McKillip. Most of her books are high fantasy set in alternate worlds, but she has two books that are within your parameters : Winter Rose and Solstice Wood.

If you haven't tried it yet, Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock is a great choyce, but a bit towards the horror side.

Another of my favorites: King of Morning, Queen of Day by Ian McDonald - a collection of interconnected stories set in Ireland, with a passage to the faery world.

If you have the stamina and like Victorian novels, try Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.

[Loerwyn]

I was thinking of giving Clive Barker's Abarat series a spin

Abarat is sort of good for that, but I wouldn't particularly call it a spirit world. I don't know the specifics of how the Islands link in with our world, but... yeah, give it a go anyway. Only three of the five planned books are out, though.

Also worth a look, if you don't mind teen-level lit (Abarat is YA, this series is a step or two below), is Terry Brooks' The Magical Kingdom of Landover series. Landover isn't particularly eerie or anything, but the faery realm (which surrounds Landover) is. Chances are it's not entirely what you're after, but I've read the first three books and enjoyed them to some degree.

[hippokrene]

I'm looking for a dark fantasy (secondary world, not contemporary/urban) stories or series with a regular/mundane/normal protagonist.

Meaning...
- Not a wizard
- Not the chosen one
- Not the general of an army
- Not royalty
- Not a powerful supernatural being (vampire, werewolf) or supranatural human (Witcher)
- Not in possession of a magical artifact
- Not a warrior whose berserk rages gives him the strength of ten men
- Not a hardened veteran who's killed hundreds of men
- Not the new recruit in a group of soldiers who are mostly hardened veterans who've killed hundreds of men.
- Not a master assassin
- Not a master thief
- Not the adviser to kings and nobility who's a master manipulator.
- Not a beautiful and virtuous woman whose beautiful virtuousness causes powerful (but dark!) men to rush to protect her.

If you managed to get me a story whose main character is a blind leper that begs for a living and is so hungry they have to fight with stray dogs over food scraps left in the rubbish, I'd be happy, but all I really need is a story centered around a normal person.

I want a dark fantasy story that's not about Superman or even Batman, but Jimmy Olsen.

PS: The first person to mention the Mazalan Books of the Fallen gets a cream pie to the face. (Your choice of flavors)

[Rob B]

Hey Hippo,

Tad Williams's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn might fit the bill. The protagonist, Simon (who has the nickname mooncalf) fits this criteria:

- Not a wizard
- Not the chosen one
- Not the general of an army
- Not royalty
- Not a powerful supernatural being (vampire, werewolf) or supranatural human (Witcher)
- Not in possession of a magical artifact
- Not a warrior whose berserk rages gives him the strength of ten men
- Not a hardened veteran who's killed hundreds of men
- Not the new recruit in a group of soldiers who are mostly hardened veterans who've killed hundreds of men.
- Not a master assassin
- Not a master thief
- Not the adviser to kings and nobility who's a master manipulator.
- Not a beautiful and virtuous woman whose beautiful virtuousness causes powerful (but dark!) men to rush to protect her.

There are some particularly dark passages, bordering on horror, in the trilogy, including the Hayholt castle.

Granted, other characters in the novel fit the criteria above, but seeing the story from Simon's view gives the almost-Jimmy Olsen perspective you mention.

[Bob Gray]

Malazan Books of the Fallen... I like banana flavor.

[Darksbane]

How about The Hammer by K.J. Parker? Pretty normal and mundane setting and characters all around, but a well told and interesting story, and by the end quite dark.

[chris777]

Malazan Books of the Fallen... I like banana flavor.

Is this question or a statement?

[Bob Gray]

I haven't read this series but it may have what you're looking for.

Russell Kirkpatrick's Fire of Heaven series:

From a tiny snowbound village, five men and women begin a dangerous quest to challenge darkness, fulfill a prophecy and change the course of their world's history.

For 2000 years, Kannwar, the Immortal Destroyer, Lord of Bhrudwo, has been planning revenge on the Most High.

Mahnum has escaped the Destroyer's prison, but on his way home to Loulea, he and his wife are captured. His sons, Leith and Hal, set off in pursuit with a small group of villagers to free their parents and to warn their world of the coming war.

It looks like they are just average people fighting impossible odds, obviously I could be wrong but check it out and see what you think.