# I Need Some Recommendations, Please!



## kayd_mon (Dec 26, 2012)

Hi everyone, this is my first post here.  I am beginning to try to break into the world of writing, and since fantasy is one of my favorite genres to read, I am going to be writing some fantasy stories.  Google led me here, and I hope this will be both a way to find interesting discussion and a valuable resource as I hone my craft, so to speak.  Anyway, that's enough of an introduction; let me get to the reason of my post! 

I received some gift cards during the holidays this year, and I have a total of $100 to spend at Barnes & Noble.  I'm looking for some good fantasy books to read, and I was hoping for some opinions.  Stand-alone novels or series books will do.  Currently, I am about three-fourths of the way through _A Dance with Dragons_ (I love this series), and I'm looking for my next journey.  

Though I must admit that I've spent more time in classical literature than fantasy, I have read and enjoyed a quite a few fantasy writers.  I've read J.R.R. Tolkien, Ursula Le Guin, Lord Dunsany, George MacDonald, George R. R. Martin, William Morris, C.S. Lewis, Mervyn Peake, and others.  I am hoping to find some good modern fantasy, as most of the books I have read are a bit older.  I know Martin is modern, but I'm sure there are more out there that I will enjoy.  I tried reading Terry Brooks' _Shannara_ once about eight years ago, but I couldn't will myself to complete one book, let alone the series.  I am not sure if that would have been recommended, but I did not enjoy that one.  Any recommendations are appreciated.  Thank you!


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## Butterfly (Dec 26, 2012)

Definitely consider some Joe Abercrombie...

BARNES & NOBLE | joe abercrombie

BARNES & NOBLE | The Blade Itself (First Law Series #1) by Joe Abercrombie | Paperback, Hardcover


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## TWErvin2 (Dec 26, 2012)

You might consider:

Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series, although the novels stand alone pretty well (especially those early in the series). I'd recommend The Book of Jhereg, which comprises his first three novels. I would also recommend Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber--although his works, although timeless, would be considered older.

Those are two writers whose works I read, reread and studied closely in preparation for writing my first novel and studied while writing the sequel (if you might be interested, *kayd*_*mon*,you can click on my website in the signature to find out about my works.

Michael Sullivan is a member here and his works are top quality. You might try Theft of Swords

While there are plenty of books out there that discuss writing and how to write, I think it's a good idea to read and study what's out there in an effort to learn and improve one's writing and storytelling.


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## danr62 (Dec 26, 2012)

I will second the nomination to read Michael Sullivan. As TWErvin2 pointed out he's a member here and has been very helpful. I would also recommend Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.


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## ThinkerX (Dec 26, 2012)

Hmm....most of the authors you cited are both classical and relatively upbeat.

Abercrombie's series is definitely on the dark side, and from what I remember, the same is true of Brusts works.

Zelanies Amber series is a bit of a mindbender, but you might like it.

Sullivans 'Theft of Swords' is pretty good.

You might find Feists 'Riftwar' books of interest (Magician, Silverthorn, Darkness at Sethanon, as well as their immediate sequils).

Kate Elliots 'Crown of Stars' has good worldbuilding, many characters, and a grand sweep to it.


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## kayd_mon (Dec 26, 2012)

Thanks for the input so far! I didn't mention it earlier, but I have read Zelazny. I thought that the Amber books were wildly imaginative and exciting.  I'm definitely interested in reading books from members here, so I'll check those out. I still appreciate suggestions -  I've been reading in all of my spare time lately, and I'm definitely not averse to reading more than one book at a time. I read a description of Abercrombie's _The Blade Itself_, and it seems that I might enjoy that one. _Theft of Swords_ looks interesting, too.


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## TWErvin2 (Dec 26, 2012)

I'll add that I am very much enjoying the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. Excellent books but I am not reading them. Rather I'm listening via audiobook.


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## Phietadix (Dec 26, 2012)

Redwall by Brain Jacques is good. It's the first book in a series.


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## Ireth (Dec 26, 2012)

Phietadix said:


> Redwall by Brain Jacques is good. It's the first book in a series.



Seconded. And check out the Flying Dutchman books, also by Brian Jacques -- _Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, The Angel's Command,_ and _The Voyage of Slaves._


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## JediKnightMuse (Dec 26, 2012)

Kristin Cashore's books _Graceling_, _Fire_ and _Bitterblue_ are among my top favorites, though _Graceling_ is my favorite of the trilogy. It's young adult but it inspired a novel-type-thing that I'm still semi-working on. 

I always recommend Juliet Marillier's _Sevenwaters_ books, but they're Irish fantasy so they might not be what you're looking for. I finished reading another book by her not part of that series called _Shadowfell_. It's also Irish fantasy and deals with the Fey quite a bit, but I really enjoyed it.


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## Alexandra (Dec 27, 2012)

I've just finished a run of Joe Abercrombie and enjoyed his writing very much. Tis also nice to see Brian Jacques' _Redwall_ plugged—tis children's fantasy but the books are beautifully written. I'll put my plug in for Marion Zimmer Bradley's _The Mists of Avalon_ (first published in 1983). She presents the Arthurian legends from a different perspective (_The Mists_ has been called feminist writing—I think that is a bit of a stretch) and her depiction of Morgaine, aka Morgan Le Fay, is brilliant. I love this book because tis great story telling and I enjoy Bradley's style and her take on the legends. On the downside, don't bother with the other books in the Avalon series, they range from ho-hum to horrible.


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## Jess A (Dec 27, 2012)

Kate Forsyth: BARNES & NOBLE | Kate Forsyth

Read _Witches of Eleanan_ first - there are 5 that come after it. Then read the trilogy that follows - first book is _Tower of Ravens_. Beautiful, rich fantasy world, great characters. 

Sara Douglass is also fantastic. Start with _Battleaxe_. Also grab _Threshold_ and _Beyond the Hanging Wall_, and she also did a series set in medieval times but with a fantastical twist. The others mentioned are fantasy. BARNES & NOBLE | Sara Douglass

Robin Hobb is a must. _Assassin's Apprentice_ and _Ship of Magic_ are both first books in trilogies, but the assassin one also has a trilogy that follows (making 6 books in total). BARNES & NOBLE | Robin Hobb


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## gethinmorgan (Dec 27, 2012)

I'm going to plug _Imajica_ by Clive Barker, a highly under-rated dark fantasy that reads like un peeling a very strange onion.


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## Sheriff Woody (Dec 27, 2012)

Little Storm Cloud said:


> Sara Douglass is also fantastic. Start with _Battleaxe_. Also grab _Threshold_ and _Beyond the Hanging Wall_, and she also did a series set in medieval times but with a fantastical twist. The others mentioned are fantasy. BARNES & NOBLE | Sara Douglass



I just grabbed the entire Axis Trilogy recently. Going to dig into it hopefully in the not so distant future.


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## Jess A (Dec 28, 2012)

Sheriff Woody said:


> I just grabbed the entire Axis Trilogy recently. Going to dig into it hopefully in the not so distant future.



It starts a little slow (I thought so) but it gets epic. Follow on with the trilogy that comes after. The books are called _Crusader_, _Pilgrim_ and _Sinner_ - I forget in which order. They get a lot darker but they are still very good. Then, read _Threshold_ and _Beyond the Hanging Wall_ which are both stand-alones - if you've read all of those books, then grab the _Darkglass_ trilogy (I think that's the name) - it takes characters and mythology from all of those books.


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## shangrila (Dec 28, 2012)

This won't fit what you've asked for, but I'd suggest checking out the Dresden files. Normally I'm not a detective novel kind of guy, but there's just something about those books that makes me never want to put them down. Maybe it's the strong characterisation, not just of the main character through the 1st person narrative but also the side characters. Or maybe it's the humanisation of the monsters, something you don't often see even in novels that are known for presenting the bumps in the night as not always evil (the Witcher is a good example of this).

Either way, they're worth checking out. The first in the series is Storm Front and I picked it up at B&N for about 10-15 bucks when I was in america.


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## Sheriff Woody (Dec 28, 2012)

Little Storm Cloud said:


> It starts a little slow (I thought so) but it gets epic. Follow on with the trilogy that comes after. The books are called _Crusader_, _Pilgrim_ and _Sinner_ - I forget in which order. They get a lot darker but they are still very good.



Is that The Wayfarer Redemption? 

Does it follow the same characters from the original trilogy, or is it a separate story entirely?


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## Jess A (Dec 29, 2012)

Sheriff Woody said:


> Is that The Wayfarer Redemption?
> 
> Does it follow the same characters from the original trilogy, or is it a separate story entirely?



Yes it follows the same characters. And their children.


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## Xaysai (Dec 29, 2012)

Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is easily one of the most beautifully written fantasy novels I've ever read. The opening scene:



> It was night again. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts.
> 
> The most obvious part was a hollow, echoing quiet, made by things that were lacking. If there had been a wind it would have sighed through the trees, set the inn’s sign creaking on its hooks, and brushed the silence down the road like trailing autumn leaves. If there had been a crowd, even a handful of men inside the inn, they would have filled the silence with conversation and laughter, the clatter and clamor one expects from a drinking house during the dark hours of night. If there had been music ... but no, of course there was no music. In fact there were none of these things, and so the silence remained.
> 
> ...


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## kayd_mon (Dec 30, 2012)

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. My local Barnes and Noble had a copy of Abercrombie's _The Blade Itself _, and I picked it up. There are lors more suggested here that have me interested, though. I will be checking more out soon. I often read a couple of books at once.


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