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Posted: 7/27/2024 8:54:42 PM EDT
[#1]
The Ascendant Kingdoms series by Gail Z Martin is a post-magical apocalypse series set in a kingdom devastated by a war between two magic wielding superpowers
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Posted: 7/27/2024 9:02:34 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A short three book read is The Hot Gate by Ringo. For Zombies, try Ringo's series Black Tide Rising. Suspend disbelief a bit and enjoy the silly ride. |
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Posted: 7/27/2024 9:05:24 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Legacy of the Aldenata series by Ringo,..............more commonly known as the Posleen War |
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Posted: 7/27/2024 10:01:46 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" is a perfect example. His scenes with the main villian would go into great, gory detail during torture scenes...but sex was glossed over like an embarrassing fart in church. Probably for the best. Dudes can't write about good sex. Or at least not for woman readers.  *forcefield activated  My online chat history from my teens and 20s would tend to disprove your theory. https://i.imgur.com/r87goBD.gif 
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Posted: 7/27/2024 10:04:59 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I just tugged my braid in anger reading this. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The Wheel of Time series is excellent and an amazing world. There is a period in the middle where the books get slow and a bit of a slog, but they improve again later. All are worth reading, even if slow in places. I just tugged my braid in anger reading this. Blood and bloody ashes.  
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Posted: 7/27/2024 10:10:06 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sorry bro- those books are trash - amateurish writing and shitty characters/development. Not even top 10 in the genre. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wheel of time is popular, but sucks. How Dare You Sir! Seriously, I love fantasy as a genre, but very few works are genuinely art. The LoTR series is a masterpiece. The Earthsea novels are damned entertaining. Both are written for children, though. They're superb when viewed from that perspective. Sorry bro- those books are trash - amateurish writing and shitty characters/development. Not even top 10 in the genre. 
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Posted: 7/27/2024 10:13:17 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Regretfully, I haven’t. I sort of stopped reading fantasy around 1996. Why? I've read about a million books in my life, and I spent years studying lit academically. I've got a degree in it, even. Genre isn't really important, beyond personal preference. There are some really fantastic fantasy and sci-fi books out there that are on par with the best literary works ever made. |
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Posted: 7/27/2024 10:14:59 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Leguin is (was?) a crazy old bat, but an excellent author. Earthsea is great. LOTR is the reference by which all high fantasy is judged (with good reason). World of the Five Gods series by Bujold is excellent. Not sure the Pern books qualify as high fantasy, but they’re great. Chronicles of Prydain are written for young adults and kids but a great read. Game of Thrones (first three books, anyway) are some of the best high fantasy written in the last half century. TH White is classic. Zelazny’s Amber books are great. Chronicles of Narnia are considered classics for good reason. Princess Bride, Mists of Avalon are fun romps. The Shannara books never appealed to me. Donaldson’s Covenant books are brilliantly written. Correia’s sons of the black sword books are good, the gentleman bastards are decent. Moorcock’s Elric books are maybe a little teen-level, but great. I think I mentioned Sanderson in my previous post. The Wheel of Time books are trash. Amateurish, navel gazing style, crappy characters that never develop, uninteresting metastory. I have never been able to figure out why the fuck anyone likes them. Love the genre. It’s a little tired right now but there are a few authors propping it up. I could probably come up with a dozen more decent reads if I sat down and thought about it. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Bump for possible response to this. We're going to a book store today. ] Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wheel of time is popular, but sucks. How Dare You Sir! Seriously, I love fantasy as a genre, but very few works are genuinely art. The LoTR series is a masterpiece. The Earthsea novels are damned entertaining. Both are written for children, though. They're superb when viewed from that perspective. Sorry bro- those books are trash - amateurish writing and shitty characters/development. Not even top 10 in the genre. Ok - I am overcome with curiosity. I'm not asking for 10+ examples (which you believe there are), but I would like to know a few examples of fantasy book series for kids that are significantly better than LOTR or Earthsea Chronicles. I'm not even just asking in order to argue (*this* time  ). I have a small boy who loves fantasy stories, so I'll likely read some with him. Leguin is (was?) a crazy old bat, but an excellent author. Earthsea is great. LOTR is the reference by which all high fantasy is judged (with good reason). World of the Five Gods series by Bujold is excellent. Not sure the Pern books qualify as high fantasy, but they’re great. Chronicles of Prydain are written for young adults and kids but a great read. Game of Thrones (first three books, anyway) are some of the best high fantasy written in the last half century. TH White is classic. Zelazny’s Amber books are great. Chronicles of Narnia are considered classics for good reason. Princess Bride, Mists of Avalon are fun romps. The Shannara books never appealed to me. Donaldson’s Covenant books are brilliantly written. Correia’s sons of the black sword books are good, the gentleman bastards are decent. Moorcock’s Elric books are maybe a little teen-level, but great. I think I mentioned Sanderson in my previous post. The Wheel of Time books are trash. Amateurish, navel gazing style, crappy characters that never develop, uninteresting metastory. I have never been able to figure out why the fuck anyone likes them. Love the genre. It’s a little tired right now but there are a few authors propping it up. I could probably come up with a dozen more decent reads if I sat down and thought about it. You could have said “ignore my opinion” and saved us all a paragraph. The story is literally about the journey and development of the core characters. 
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Posted: 7/27/2024 10:54:08 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Why? I've read about a million books in my life, and I spent years studying lit academically. I've got a degree in it, even. Genre isn't really important, beyond personal preference. There are some really fantastic fantasy and sci-fi books out there that are on par with the best literary works ever made. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Regretfully, I haven’t. I sort of stopped reading fantasy around 1996. Why? I've read about a million books in my life, and I spent years studying lit academically. I've got a degree in it, even. Genre isn't really important, beyond personal preference. There are some really fantastic fantasy and sci-fi books out there that are on par with the best literary works ever made. Because I’m done with it. With a few exceptions, they’ve all mostly melted into the same story in my mind, with new stories read seeming much like previously read material. There aren’t enough variations on the theme for me—at least for a guy who read as much of it as I did. Other genres caught my attention, and those itches get scratched as time allows. There are standouts in my mind, but most—including many mentioned here—are just the same story, told in a different voice, and all those voices after a while drone on in the exact same tone. |
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Posted: 7/28/2024 1:45:06 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You could have said “ignore my opinion” and saved us all a paragraph. The story is literally about the journey and development of the core characters. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Bump for possible response to this. We're going to a book store today. ] Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wheel of time is popular, but sucks. How Dare You Sir! Seriously, I love fantasy as a genre, but very few works are genuinely art. The LoTR series is a masterpiece. The Earthsea novels are damned entertaining. Both are written for children, though. They're superb when viewed from that perspective. Sorry bro- those books are trash - amateurish writing and shitty characters/development. Not even top 10 in the genre. Ok - I am overcome with curiosity. I'm not asking for 10+ examples (which you believe there are), but I would like to know a few examples of fantasy book series for kids that are significantly better than LOTR or Earthsea Chronicles. I'm not even just asking in order to argue (*this* time ). I have a small boy who loves fantasy stories, so I'll likely read some with him. Leguin is (was?) a crazy old bat, but an excellent author. Earthsea is great. LOTR is the reference by which all high fantasy is judged (with good reason). World of the Five Gods series by Bujold is excellent. Not sure the Pern books qualify as high fantasy, but they’re great. Chronicles of Prydain are written for young adults and kids but a great read. Game of Thrones (first three books, anyway) are some of the best high fantasy written in the last half century. TH White is classic. Zelazny’s Amber books are great. Chronicles of Narnia are considered classics for good reason. Princess Bride, Mists of Avalon are fun romps. The Shannara books never appealed to me. Donaldson’s Covenant books are brilliantly written. Correia’s sons of the black sword books are good, the gentleman bastards are decent. Moorcock’s Elric books are maybe a little teen-level, but great. I think I mentioned Sanderson in my previous post. The Wheel of Time books are trash. Amateurish, navel gazing style, crappy characters that never develop, uninteresting metastory. I have never been able to figure out why the fuck anyone likes them. Love the genre. It’s a little tired right now but there are a few authors propping it up. I could probably come up with a dozen more decent reads if I sat down and thought about it. You could have said “ignore my opinion” and saved us all a paragraph. The story is literally about the journey and development of the core characters. The characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they are at the beginning… |
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Posted: 7/28/2024 2:02:31 PM EDT
[#11]
Quoted: Dies the fire Modern world loses all electricity/gunpowder/etc Didn't know I was looking for a new series to read but the premise was interesting. Finished the first book yesterday. Good recommendation. |
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Posted: 7/28/2024 2:26:08 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That’s one you don’t hear very often. Dark series about an angry leper transported to another realm with lots of power, especially the anger. I really liked these books when I was younger and had more reading time. Now all I have time for is audiobooks while I drive. I rather like the Sword of Truth series and spinoffs. They aren't Robert Jordan spending 25 pages to describe a chair in a room, but I liked them... |
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Posted: 7/28/2024 6:11:09 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Didn't know I was looking for a new series to read but the premise was interesting. Finished the first book yesterday. Good recommendation. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Dies the fire Modern world loses all electricity/gunpowder/etc Didn't know I was looking for a new series to read but the premise was interesting. Finished the first book yesterday. Good recommendation. That series is actually a fun read, IMO. |
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Posted: 7/28/2024 6:54:31 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Didn't know I was looking for a new series to read but the premise was interesting. Finished the first book yesterday. Good recommendation. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Dies the fire Modern world loses all electricity/gunpowder/etc Didn't know I was looking for a new series to read but the premise was interesting. Finished the first book yesterday. Good recommendation. Read Sterling's accompanying Nantucket series to see the other side of the Emberverse. Kharn |
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Posted: 7/28/2024 8:47:39 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they are at the beginning… Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Bump for possible response to this. We're going to a book store today. ] Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wheel of time is popular, but sucks. How Dare You Sir! Seriously, I love fantasy as a genre, but very few works are genuinely art. The LoTR series is a masterpiece. The Earthsea novels are damned entertaining. Both are written for children, though. They're superb when viewed from that perspective. Sorry bro- those books are trash - amateurish writing and shitty characters/development. Not even top 10 in the genre. Ok - I am overcome with curiosity. I'm not asking for 10+ examples (which you believe there are), but I would like to know a few examples of fantasy book series for kids that are significantly better than LOTR or Earthsea Chronicles. I'm not even just asking in order to argue (*this* time ). I have a small boy who loves fantasy stories, so I'll likely read some with him. Leguin is (was?) a crazy old bat, but an excellent author. Earthsea is great. LOTR is the reference by which all high fantasy is judged (with good reason). World of the Five Gods series by Bujold is excellent. Not sure the Pern books qualify as high fantasy, but they’re great. Chronicles of Prydain are written for young adults and kids but a great read. Game of Thrones (first three books, anyway) are some of the best high fantasy written in the last half century. TH White is classic. Zelazny’s Amber books are great. Chronicles of Narnia are considered classics for good reason. Princess Bride, Mists of Avalon are fun romps. The Shannara books never appealed to me. Donaldson’s Covenant books are brilliantly written. Correia’s sons of the black sword books are good, the gentleman bastards are decent. Moorcock’s Elric books are maybe a little teen-level, but great. I think I mentioned Sanderson in my previous post. The Wheel of Time books are trash. Amateurish, navel gazing style, crappy characters that never develop, uninteresting metastory. I have never been able to figure out why the fuck anyone likes them. Love the genre. It’s a little tired right now but there are a few authors propping it up. I could probably come up with a dozen more decent reads if I sat down and thought about it. You could have said “ignore my opinion” and saved us all a paragraph. The story is literally about the journey and development of the core characters. The characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they are at the beginning… They’re not, but okay. Everyone has a hill to die on. |
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Posted: 7/28/2024 8:53:40 PM EDT
[#16]
C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy..............Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength
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Posted: 7/28/2024 9:02:35 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Came here to post this. Awesome read! |
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Posted: 7/28/2024 9:06:16 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Dragon riders of pern Absolutely loved this series. Anne McCaffrey. |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 3:34:50 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: dies the fire and ariel by boyett got me interested in swords, which now take up all my free time. 20 years on, i have a bone to pick with those guys. Boyett, now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time. His "The Architect of Sleep" is a beautifully done book. He had a five-volume series plotted out, and had the second book written, but his publisher decided to be a giant asshole and demand that he finish it up in just one more book. He refused to deliver the second to them and gave up on writing.  Last time I looked, he's a club "DJ" out in California somewhere. I wish he'd get the rights back to the series and just do self-publishing to finish out the remaining four volumes, but he's never responded to emails. |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 6:03:01 AM EDT
[#20]
Temeraire series.
British Navy in the time of Napoleon. With dragons. Kharn |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 9:10:44 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: They’re not, but okay. Everyone has a hill to die on. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Bump for possible response to this. We're going to a book store today. ] Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wheel of time is popular, but sucks. How Dare You Sir! Seriously, I love fantasy as a genre, but very few works are genuinely art. The LoTR series is a masterpiece. The Earthsea novels are damned entertaining. Both are written for children, though. They're superb when viewed from that perspective. Sorry bro- those books are trash - amateurish writing and shitty characters/development. Not even top 10 in the genre. Ok - I am overcome with curiosity. I'm not asking for 10+ examples (which you believe there are), but I would like to know a few examples of fantasy book series for kids that are significantly better than LOTR or Earthsea Chronicles. I'm not even just asking in order to argue (*this* time ). I have a small boy who loves fantasy stories, so I'll likely read some with him. Leguin is (was?) a crazy old bat, but an excellent author. Earthsea is great. LOTR is the reference by which all high fantasy is judged (with good reason). World of the Five Gods series by Bujold is excellent. Not sure the Pern books qualify as high fantasy, but they’re great. Chronicles of Prydain are written for young adults and kids but a great read. Game of Thrones (first three books, anyway) are some of the best high fantasy written in the last half century. TH White is classic. Zelazny’s Amber books are great. Chronicles of Narnia are considered classics for good reason. Princess Bride, Mists of Avalon are fun romps. The Shannara books never appealed to me. Donaldson’s Covenant books are brilliantly written. Correia’s sons of the black sword books are good, the gentleman bastards are decent. Moorcock’s Elric books are maybe a little teen-level, but great. I think I mentioned Sanderson in my previous post. The Wheel of Time books are trash. Amateurish, navel gazing style, crappy characters that never develop, uninteresting metastory. I have never been able to figure out why the fuck anyone likes them. Love the genre. It’s a little tired right now but there are a few authors propping it up. I could probably come up with a dozen more decent reads if I sat down and thought about it. You could have said “ignore my opinion” and saved us all a paragraph. The story is literally about the journey and development of the core characters. The characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they are at the beginning… They’re not, but okay. Everyone has a hill to die on. Hardly a hill to die on, just an observation about a very mediocre series of books. I’m sure hair twirling and the folds of people’s garments are fascinating to some, though. |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 9:38:43 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Thought he wrote all fantasy stuff? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: David Gemmell is an author I haven't seen mentioned. Had some good books in the fantasy realm. I have some of his books, his writing style can be ''iffy'' at times and leaves you scratching your head. [I read the Sipstrassi ones] Only read his Drenai Saga series. Ah, his gun knowledge is incredibly ''British'' which really means he doesn't know shit and never bothered to do a whit of investigation before he scribbled something down. Thought he wrote all fantasy stuff? Mostly. His Stones of Power series covers a large time period, so there's an Apocalyptic Wild West in the the last 3 books. I love Gemmell's writing style and characters. Some books are a lot better than others. Love the Druss books and Waylander, but some of the later books run out of steam. |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 9:40:27 AM EDT
[#23]
I ordered Red Rising and the Path of Kings yesterday due to this thread. They better be good or GD will be held accountable.
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Posted: 7/29/2024 9:45:01 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I ordered Red Rising and the Path of Kings yesterday due to this thread. They better be good or GD will be held accountable. They're both great books. Red Rising is a fast-reading space opera written in first person that moves fast and doesn't stop to breathe for too long. Think Hunger Games in space with a pissed off protagonist. The Way of Kings is the start of a 5000 page (soon to be 6500 pages with the 5th book dropping in December) journey with lots of characters that will take time to all get fleshed out, a complex magic system, and world/spirits that take time to get explained. The first 2 books are my favorite, the 3rd was good but a bit slow at times, and the 4th was also very good. Brandon Sanderson is probably one of my favorite authors ever when it comes to amazing book endings and each book have had extremely good payoffs at the end. |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 10:00:05 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 2nd vote for The Black Company and Shannara Trilogy. Some others thought not in the same genre of fantasy. Xanth series by Piers Anthony, great series IMO. Casca series by Barry Sadler Third/Fourth/Fifth/Whatever vote: Shannara |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 12:32:07 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Hardly a hill to die on, just an observation about a very mediocre series of books. I’m sure hair twirling and the folds of people’s garments are fascinating to some, though. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Bump for possible response to this. We're going to a book store today. ] Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wheel of time is popular, but sucks. How Dare You Sir! Seriously, I love fantasy as a genre, but very few works are genuinely art. The LoTR series is a masterpiece. The Earthsea novels are damned entertaining. Both are written for children, though. They're superb when viewed from that perspective. Sorry bro- those books are trash - amateurish writing and shitty characters/development. Not even top 10 in the genre. Ok - I am overcome with curiosity. I'm not asking for 10+ examples (which you believe there are), but I would like to know a few examples of fantasy book series for kids that are significantly better than LOTR or Earthsea Chronicles. I'm not even just asking in order to argue (*this* time ). I have a small boy who loves fantasy stories, so I'll likely read some with him. Leguin is (was?) a crazy old bat, but an excellent author. Earthsea is great. LOTR is the reference by which all high fantasy is judged (with good reason). World of the Five Gods series by Bujold is excellent. Not sure the Pern books qualify as high fantasy, but they’re great. Chronicles of Prydain are written for young adults and kids but a great read. Game of Thrones (first three books, anyway) are some of the best high fantasy written in the last half century. TH White is classic. Zelazny’s Amber books are great. Chronicles of Narnia are considered classics for good reason. Princess Bride, Mists of Avalon are fun romps. The Shannara books never appealed to me. Donaldson’s Covenant books are brilliantly written. Correia’s sons of the black sword books are good, the gentleman bastards are decent. Moorcock’s Elric books are maybe a little teen-level, but great. I think I mentioned Sanderson in my previous post. The Wheel of Time books are trash. Amateurish, navel gazing style, crappy characters that never develop, uninteresting metastory. I have never been able to figure out why the fuck anyone likes them. Love the genre. It’s a little tired right now but there are a few authors propping it up. I could probably come up with a dozen more decent reads if I sat down and thought about it. You could have said “ignore my opinion” and saved us all a paragraph. The story is literally about the journey and development of the core characters. The characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they are at the beginning… They’re not, but okay. Everyone has a hill to die on. Hardly a hill to die on, just an observation about a very mediocre series of books. I’m sure hair twirling and the folds of people’s garments are fascinating to some, though. 100M copies sold, so I'm sure people can figure out where to slot your opinion. |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 12:56:02 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I don't know if there's a 'low fantasy' genre, although there's probably what some might consider low-brow fantasy; but as I understand it, what most people consider high fantasy is the standard sword and sorcery/magic stuff, vs just fantasy which is a broader category that encompasses anything that's beyond our regular world.High fantasy and low fantasy are two main categories of fantasy fiction that are often distinguished by their setting: Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: What's the difference between "high" and "low" fantasy? I don't know if there's a 'low fantasy' genre, although there's probably what some might consider low-brow fantasy; but as I understand it, what most people consider high fantasy is the standard sword and sorcery/magic stuff, vs just fantasy which is a broader category that encompasses anything that's beyond our regular world.High fantasy and low fantasy are two main categories of fantasy fiction that are often distinguished by their setting: "High fantasy Stories set in fictional worlds, also known as "secondary" or "alternate" worlds, that have their own rules, history, systems, and functions. These worlds are often populated by magical creatures, magic users, and unusual technology. High fantasy stories can include epic quests, heroes fulfilling destinies that intertwine with the fates of kingdoms, and monsters and non-humans. Examples of high fantasy include The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and The Witcher. Low fantasy Stories set in the real world, also known as the "primary world", where magical elements either already exist or intrude upon reality. These elements are less common in low fantasy than in high fantasy and may represent an intrusion into the natural world. Low fantasy is also known as "intrusion fantasy". An example of low fantasy is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which is set in a fictional version of the UK." There are clearly sliding scales and permutations to this. |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 1:01:40 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Thieve's World series. Stories by different authors, interacting with each other's characters. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/96/23/f8/9623f84fd142324189aec579ce00b9dc--classic-rpg-playing-games.jpg I mostly stopped reading fiction a few decades ago but G.R.R. Martin, Raymond Feist and David Eddings are all good reads. Feist and Eddings have several different series, all within the same world and storyline, that each consists of several books. Lot's of ground to cover, there. Zelazny's 10 book Amber series is probably my favorite, as noted by my screenname. |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 1:09:07 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I enjoyed those and the Sword of Shannara series long ago but I understand there are way more of them now. ETA Cross Time Engineer seemed pretty good when I read it like 25 years ago. Some polish engineer goes back in time and realizes the Mongol hordes are coming in 10 years so he slowly introduces technology so they will be ready for them. I think it is a trilogy. |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 1:39:39 PM EDT
[#30]
Red Rising
I've read all 6 books several times since someone recommended it on here. Highly addictive |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 2:16:49 PM EDT
[#31]
An author I like is Dennis L McKiernan
It started with his iron tower series He has written about 14 books on this fantasy world He originally wrote a LOTR sequel and it was rejected for copyright reasons He reformed it into his own fantasy world with similarities to Tolkiens. It is not up to the level of Tolkien, Brooks or Donaldson but I found them enjoyable to read Some call it a shameful rip off of tolkien but I find them different enough to not be a total clone |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 4:04:16 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Deathlands by James Axler. It follows a group of survivalists 100 years after WWIII destroys most of mankind. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathlands Ha! I remember reading those - lots of fun. Recommended. |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 4:26:19 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they are at the beginning… Huh. Someone who never read Wheel of Time complaining about it. Pretty much every major character ends up doing things they could never have imagined doing. None could possibly consider going back to the lives they started from. |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 8:18:39 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Huh. Someone who never read Wheel of Time complaining about it. Pretty much every major character ends up doing things they could never have imagined doing. None could possibly consider going back to the lives they started from. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they are at the beginning… Huh. Someone who never read Wheel of Time complaining about it. Pretty much every major character ends up doing things they could never have imagined doing. None could possibly consider going back to the lives they started from. Decent summary. |
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Posted: 7/29/2024 9:28:53 PM EDT
[#35]
Quoted: I want something to read that will take a year or two of casual reading. Or possibly more. I've read JRR Tolkien's works multiple times, except the The Silmarillion, which I could not make it through. I feel that The Lord of the Rings is the best series I've ever read. I want something new now. So far the list I'm looking at is as follows: - Wheel of Time - Stormlight Archive - Malazan: Book of the Fallen Of this list list what would you recommend? Or am I missing something? Other top tier series: Dungeon Crawler Carl Seriously the best thing going right now. Intricate, hysterical, hugely imaginative, and an incredible story arc so far. I like it better as an audiobook, but damn what an amazing piece of work. First Law Series, Abercrombie Logen Ninefingers (next to Augustus McRae) is my favorite literary character. Mistborn Already talked about. Right up there. The Elder Empire By Will Wight (Cradle series fame). This is his magnum opus. A trilogy with two books per set - one from each side of a conflict. Fascinating set of books. A couple wildcards: Murderbot Martha Wells. Oh, man, how entertaining. So good book 1 has 50,000 reviews. These are short and sweet tomes. Popcorn for the soul. Super Powereds A quadrilogy by Drew Hayes. Superb story arc around college age kids with super powers. No tropes - all original. Highly imaginative. |
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Posted: 7/30/2024 9:16:20 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 100M copies sold, so I'm sure people can figure out where to slot your opinion. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Bump for possible response to this. We're going to a book store today. ] Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wheel of time is popular, but sucks. How Dare You Sir! Seriously, I love fantasy as a genre, but very few works are genuinely art. The LoTR series is a masterpiece. The Earthsea novels are damned entertaining. Both are written for children, though. They're superb when viewed from that perspective. Sorry bro- those books are trash - amateurish writing and shitty characters/development. Not even top 10 in the genre. Ok - I am overcome with curiosity. I'm not asking for 10+ examples (which you believe there are), but I would like to know a few examples of fantasy book series for kids that are significantly better than LOTR or Earthsea Chronicles. I'm not even just asking in order to argue (*this* time ). I have a small boy who loves fantasy stories, so I'll likely read some with him. Leguin is (was?) a crazy old bat, but an excellent author. Earthsea is great. LOTR is the reference by which all high fantasy is judged (with good reason). World of the Five Gods series by Bujold is excellent. Not sure the Pern books qualify as high fantasy, but they’re great. Chronicles of Prydain are written for young adults and kids but a great read. Game of Thrones (first three books, anyway) are some of the best high fantasy written in the last half century. TH White is classic. Zelazny’s Amber books are great. Chronicles of Narnia are considered classics for good reason. Princess Bride, Mists of Avalon are fun romps. The Shannara books never appealed to me. Donaldson’s Covenant books are brilliantly written. Correia’s sons of the black sword books are good, the gentleman bastards are decent. Moorcock’s Elric books are maybe a little teen-level, but great. I think I mentioned Sanderson in my previous post. The Wheel of Time books are trash. Amateurish, navel gazing style, crappy characters that never develop, uninteresting metastory. I have never been able to figure out why the fuck anyone likes them. Love the genre. It’s a little tired right now but there are a few authors propping it up. I could probably come up with a dozen more decent reads if I sat down and thought about it. You could have said “ignore my opinion” and saved us all a paragraph. The story is literally about the journey and development of the core characters. The characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they are at the beginning… They’re not, but okay. Everyone has a hill to die on. Hardly a hill to die on, just an observation about a very mediocre series of books. I’m sure hair twirling and the folds of people’s garments are fascinating to some, though. 100M copies sold, so I'm sure people can figure out where to slot your opinion. Titanic sold a lot of tickets too What do I know- I just read over 100K pages of science fiction and fantasy a year… I’m not telling anybody what to read or not read- I’m just pointing out some weaknesses in that particular line of books and why I’m not a fan. |
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Posted: 7/30/2024 11:38:56 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Titanic sold a lot of tickets too What do I know- I just read over 100K pages of science fiction and fantasy a year… I’m not telling anybody what to read or not read- I’m just pointing out some weaknesses in that particular line of books and why I’m not a fan. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Bump for possible response to this. We're going to a book store today. ] Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wheel of time is popular, but sucks. How Dare You Sir! Seriously, I love fantasy as a genre, but very few works are genuinely art. The LoTR series is a masterpiece. The Earthsea novels are damned entertaining. Both are written for children, though. They're superb when viewed from that perspective. Sorry bro- those books are trash - amateurish writing and shitty characters/development. Not even top 10 in the genre. Ok - I am overcome with curiosity. I'm not asking for 10+ examples (which you believe there are), but I would like to know a few examples of fantasy book series for kids that are significantly better than LOTR or Earthsea Chronicles. I'm not even just asking in order to argue (*this* time ). I have a small boy who loves fantasy stories, so I'll likely read some with him. Leguin is (was?) a crazy old bat, but an excellent author. Earthsea is great. LOTR is the reference by which all high fantasy is judged (with good reason). World of the Five Gods series by Bujold is excellent. Not sure the Pern books qualify as high fantasy, but they’re great. Chronicles of Prydain are written for young adults and kids but a great read. Game of Thrones (first three books, anyway) are some of the best high fantasy written in the last half century. TH White is classic. Zelazny’s Amber books are great. Chronicles of Narnia are considered classics for good reason. Princess Bride, Mists of Avalon are fun romps. The Shannara books never appealed to me. Donaldson’s Covenant books are brilliantly written. Correia’s sons of the black sword books are good, the gentleman bastards are decent. Moorcock’s Elric books are maybe a little teen-level, but great. I think I mentioned Sanderson in my previous post. The Wheel of Time books are trash. Amateurish, navel gazing style, crappy characters that never develop, uninteresting metastory. I have never been able to figure out why the fuck anyone likes them. Love the genre. It’s a little tired right now but there are a few authors propping it up. I could probably come up with a dozen more decent reads if I sat down and thought about it. You could have said “ignore my opinion” and saved us all a paragraph. The story is literally about the journey and development of the core characters. The characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they are at the beginning… They’re not, but okay. Everyone has a hill to die on. Hardly a hill to die on, just an observation about a very mediocre series of books. I’m sure hair twirling and the folds of people’s garments are fascinating to some, though. 100M copies sold, so I'm sure people can figure out where to slot your opinion. Titanic sold a lot of tickets too What do I know- I just read over 100K pages of science fiction and fantasy a year… I’m not telling anybody what to read or not read- I’m just pointing out some weaknesses in that particular line of books and why I’m not a fan. You're sharing your opinion, which is totally fine. Mine, others in the thread, and millions of fans disagree. Caveat emptor to the OP. |
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Posted: 7/30/2024 3:25:09 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Third/Fourth/Fifth/Whatever vote: Shannara Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: 2nd vote for The Black Company and Shannara Trilogy. Some others thought not in the same genre of fantasy. Xanth series by Piers Anthony, great series IMO. Casca series by Barry Sadler Third/Fourth/Fifth/Whatever vote: Shannara Wow. Been years since I thought of Shannara. Read those back in the 90s and loved them. |
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Posted: 7/30/2024 3:46:22 PM EDT
[#39]
I really like Raymond Feist’s stuff
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Posted: 7/30/2024 5:42:51 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Wow. Been years since I thought of Shannara. Read those back in the 90s and loved them. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: 2nd vote for The Black Company and Shannara Trilogy. Some others thought not in the same genre of fantasy. Xanth series by Piers Anthony, great series IMO. Casca series by Barry Sadler Third/Fourth/Fifth/Whatever vote: Shannara Wow. Been years since I thought of Shannara. Read those back in the 90s and loved them. I tried when I was a kid looking for something after I'd read lord of the rings. I must've been too young because I just couldn't get into it. |
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Posted: 7/30/2024 6:17:33 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Science fiction I recommend the Red Rising series. Class warfare and whole planet battles. First book is kind of hunger games ish but after that the whole universe opens up. 5 books out now waiting on the final book to come out next year. @M1Zeppelin it looks like it’s out now- I just downloaded it on Audible. I really liked books 1-4, but 5 was meh. We’ll see how 6 is. |
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Posted: 7/30/2024 6:59:10 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I tried when I was a kid looking for something after I'd read lord of the rings. I must've been too young because I just couldn't get into it. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: 2nd vote for The Black Company and Shannara Trilogy. Some others thought not in the same genre of fantasy. Xanth series by Piers Anthony, great series IMO. Casca series by Barry Sadler Third/Fourth/Fifth/Whatever vote: Shannara Wow. Been years since I thought of Shannara. Read those back in the 90s and loved them. I tried when I was a kid looking for something after I'd read lord of the rings. I must've been too young because I just couldn't get into it. I was in my 20s. |
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Posted: 7/30/2024 7:06:24 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: @M1Zeppelin it looks like it’s out now- I just downloaded it on Audible. I really liked books 1-4, but 5 was meh. We’ll see how 6 is. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Science fiction I recommend the Red Rising series. Class warfare and whole planet battles. First book is kind of hunger games ish but after that the whole universe opens up. 5 books out now waiting on the final book to come out next year. @M1Zeppelin it looks like it’s out now- I just downloaded it on Audible. I really liked books 1-4, but 5 was meh. We’ll see how 6 is. Yeah it most definitely has a few spots that drag but what large series doesn’t have them. Your post reminded me that people say the audio books have great narrators. The digital and physical copies have maps that help sometimes though. |
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Posted: 7/30/2024 10:27:33 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Read Sterling's accompanying Nantucket series to see the other side of the Emberverse. Kharn I'll have to give that a look, thanks for the recommendation. |
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Posted: 7/30/2024 10:33:11 PM EDT
[#45]
Fantasy?
Roger Zelazny. Six months of your life you'll never get back.
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Posted: 7/30/2024 10:57:06 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they are at the beginning… Aren't we all... |
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Posted: 7/30/2024 10:57:17 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they are at the beginning… Aren't we all... |
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Posted: 7/30/2024 11:11:15 PM EDT
[#48]
All the high end book series I would recommend without issue have been
reference more that once in this post. A few real stinker series has also been highly regard by many. I will go with Andre Norton - witch world series. |
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Posted: 7/31/2024 9:47:38 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I’m enjoying “Forgotten Ruin” series by Anspach and Cole. Lord of the rings crossed with modern Army Rangers. ETA: Drizzt Do'Urden of the Forgotten Realms by R. A. Salvatore gets my vote for a more classic fantasy series Peter Nealen's "The Lost" series is similar and is worth considering. Larry Correia's "Saga of the Forgotten Warrior" is excellent. |
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Posted: 7/31/2024 9:50:44 AM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I was reading quite a bit when I was young, but kind of gave up on it. I'm thinking back to how much I enjoyed it and feel it's time to start back up. I have only missed reading on something like 4 days since March 28, 2020 (tracked on Kindle). 58 books read so far this year, and my Kindle streak says 236 weeks in a row, and 352 days in a row. |
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