The New and Improved Recommendation - Fantasy / Horror

[Kazhan]

I was wondering if anyone could point me forward to some books. The to-read pile I got is quite big and my time is rather limited these days. At this moment I'm reading through the Discworld serie but after 12 humorous books I want something serious for a change.
I've readed Scott Lynch 'Gentlemen Bastard', Patrick Rothfuss 'Name of the Wind' and Robert Redick 'Chatrand Voyage' and they were good reads mostly because they were well written and interesting. I'm more looking for books with certain elements.

Elements I really like in books are:
- two (main)characters in (forbidden/impossible/...) love
- no tragedy endings (main reason I didn't like Abercrombie's 'First Law')
- any book with shapeshifters in it
- interesting characters and plot twists (the good turns out to be the bad and vice versa is my favorite)
These elements keep me hooked even if the writing isn't superb.

Books I especially liked (I kept a list ):
- Brandon Sanderson 'Mistborn'
- Holly Lisle 'Secret Texts'
- Sarah Ash 'Serpent Gate'
- Nicholls Stan 'Orcs'
- Alice Borchardt 'Legends of the Wolves'
- Jane Lindskold 'Firekeeper Saga'
- James Clemens 'Banned and the Banished'
- Tad Williams 'Memory, Sorrow and Thorn'
- Tudi Canavan 'Black Magician'
- Robing Hobb 'Farseer' and 'Tawny Man'
- Terry Goodkind 'Sword of Truth'
- GRRM 'aSoIaF' - Best serie ever
- Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts 'Empire Trilogy' - Second best serie ever

I've tried Steven Erikson's 'Malazan Series' but they were quite confusing and it was frustrating with half the crew dying every book.

For now, I got both Lachlan's 'Wolfsangel' and Swann's 'Wolfsbreed' on top of my to-read pile but got trouble finding them. Any other suggestions?


Thanks!


EDIT: I'm also looking for some medieval/fantasy Japanese (Samurai's, Katana's and the like) and Viking (Vikings and the like) novels. If anyone knows some good ones, let me know

[Heather Myst]

Kazhan,

Here are a few suggestions for you.

Jennifer Fallon Second Sons trilogy
John Marco Tyrants and Kings series
David Coe Winds of the Forelands series
Brent Weeks Night Angel trilogy
David Durham Acacia and The Other Lands
Michael J. Sullivan Riyria series
Fiona McIntosh Quickening and Valisar series

[Kazhan]

Cheers Heather, I'll check them out!

[Territory]

I maybe could use some help...

I like to read, so I'm just going through a lot of the really popular fantasy. But here's what I like:

1. Assassins, especially ones that can also use magic
2. Dragons! (DragonLance is my guilty pleasure...even if it's not necessarily great writing)
3. Really powerful mages...like Raistlin or Pug/Milamber
4. Dragons
5. Rivalries...especially ones that create a lot of really cool battle scenes
6. Heroes who at some point become something totally new or discover a hidden talent that puts them on a whole new level of powerful...like in The Warded Man when he becomes, well, The Warded Man. Or Pug becoming a magician. Or Drizzt going from regular old Dark Elf to the best fighter ever (and discovering Guenhwyvar was cool too).


Really vague, I'm sure...but any suggestions?

[Seak]

I maybe could use some help...

I like to read, so I'm just going through a lot of the really popular fantasy. But here's what I like:

1. Assassins, especially ones that can also use magic
2. Dragons! (DragonLance is my guilty pleasure...even if it's not necessarily great writing)
3. Really powerful mages...like Raistlin or Pug/Milamber
4. Dragons
5. Rivalries...especially ones that create a lot of really cool battle scenes
6. Heroes who at some point become something totally new or discover a hidden talent that puts them on a whole new level of powerful...like in The Warded Man when he becomes, well, The Warded Man. Or Pug becoming a magician. Or Drizzt going from regular old Dark Elf to the best fighter ever (and discovering Guenhwyvar was cool too).


Really vague, I'm sure...but any suggestions?

Malazan Book of the Fallen series, starting with Gardens of the Moon will satisfy all but number 6. What I love about the series is that the characters are extremely powerful/the best at what they do.

[Abysstopheles]

Malazan Book of the Fallen series, starting with Gardens of the Moon will satisfy all but number 6. ....

Actually, the series will satisfy #6 too.
And then some.

[Loerwyn]

*snip*

I'm gonna recommend you look into The Magic of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt Jr. It fulfils #3 and #6, and to a point, #5. I wouldn't say there's truckloads of battle scenes in it, but there's a small number of them. It's effectively a coming of age story with a lot of discussion about good/evil and order/chaos.

Not sure about the others, though. If you've not read Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, that would fit #1 and I think #6. Maybe. I never finished it

[NickeeCoco]

Alright folks. I'm looking for some new reads. Something along the lines of Ursula K. Le Guin, Sheri S. Tepper, Margaret Atwood. . . only fantasy. Suggestions?




(And please, no suggestions of GRRM, Abercrombie, Lynch, Donaldson, Weeks and the ilk. Looking for more of the feminist stuff.)

[Randy M.]

Alright folks. I'm looking for some new reads. Something along the lines of Ursula K. Le Guin, Sheri S. Tepper, Margaret Atwood. . . only fantasy. Suggestions?




(And please, no suggestions of GRRM, Abercrombie, Lynch, Donaldson, Weeks and the ilk. Looking for more of the feminist stuff.)

Not sure if she's feminist, but there's Lisa Goldstein. I've only read a couple of short stories, which were good, and the novel A Mask for the General, which was also good, but suffered a bit because I read it immediately after reading Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, a hard act to follow.

As I understand, some of Goldstein's works are fantasy and some s.f., and it's not always apparent which is which.


Randy M.

[Civetta]

If by feminist, you mean 'avoids worn out old tropes where it's the guy wearing the sword that rescues the little lady'...you might enjoy Garth Nix's Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen series. They are YA, I enjoyed them partly because the as the central characters were a) female and b) interesting.

[NickeeCoco]

Not sure if she's feminist, but there's Lisa Goldstein. I've only read a couple of short stories, which were good, and the novel A Mask for the General, which was also good, but suffered a bit because I read it immediately after reading Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, a hard act to follow.

As I understand, some of Goldstein's works are fantasy and some s.f., and it's not always apparent which is which.


Randy M.

I'll check her out. Thanks Randy.

And Civetta, I own that omnibus.

(Where's Peter?)

[Civetta]

And Civetta, I own that omnibus.

So do you like it then?

[NickeeCoco]

So do you like it then?

Yes, I did. I enjoyed the trilogy a lot. It's not exactly the sort of thing I'm looking to read now (when I say feminist, I mean gender and (in)equality themes), but I did like it.

[Loerwyn]

I don't know if it's really along the lines you're looking for, Nickee, but have you considered Hines' Princess series? It's set in a very female-centric world, but I wouldn't really go as far to say that women are viewed as "lesser" beings.

They are YA, though, so they may be a bit too "simplistic" for what you're after.

[the gozzfather]

Alright folks. I'm looking for some new reads. Something along the lines of Ursula K. Le Guin, Sheri S. Tepper, Margaret Atwood. . . only fantasy. Suggestions?




(And please, no suggestions of GRRM, Abercrombie, Lynch, Donaldson, Weeks and the ilk. Looking for more of the feminist stuff.)

C.J. Cherryh's the Morgaine Cycle is what i would recommend although its more science/fantasy.