Jump to content
IGNORED

Any Fantasy recommendations?

Monkeyboy

By Monkeyboy
in Arts & Literature

 Share

Recommended Posts

Zappster

Zappster

Posted
Posted

Not a fan per se (I haven't read any of her books yet) but I've heard lots of good stuff about her. I opted for her latest novel, The Folding Knife, which I'm told is a standalone. It should be with me shortly and I may just bump it up the to-read pile. Apparently she does like to go into almost excruciating detail on some of the topics in her books like fencing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Headache

Headache

Posted
Posted

Yeah, I've enjoyed a lot of KJ Parker's books. I do think that each series has progressively been getting poorer though, The Fencer Trilogy was great and I also liked The Scavenger Trilogy which were the first books of hers I read. The Engineer Trilogy was decent too but it didn't grip me like other novels have. Zapp's right about her detail though, you can tell she's thoroughly researched the contruction aspects of her novels and really pads out her books with details you could probably gloss over without losing the flow of the story.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
footle

footle

Posted
Posted
I finsihed off the Book of Words series the other day. It's a pretty solid trilogy, which is an easy read. Hard to put down once I got going with it. I could have finished it much earlier but I took side ventures into other book series before coming back. Things are bleak but not quite as bad as Abercrombie can get. Quite light in places too, thanks to characters like Bodger and Grint. I mainly read the first book just to get a feel for the author because I heard her latest series, Sword of Shadows, is much better and has some cameos from characters in this series (It takes place North of the area that the Book of Words is set in). Ended up really enjoying it. Some events were repetitive and frustrating, and it could be a tad predictable. I suppose largely because of the whole "Fate works in mysterious ways" thing it has going, you can see events coming from a mile off. Everything is mostly tied up by the end of the series, other than what happens to one or two characters. guess those are the ones making a cameo in the new series. She has written a standalone fantasy book which I'm tempted to try as well, called The Barbed Coil.

I seem to remember liking The Barbed Coil. The problem with the Sword Of Shadows series is that Jones suffered severe writers block during writing Book Three and it was then delayed about five years.

And there's another two books to come that aren't necessarily signed up (actually scrap that - apparently book four is to be published on the 14th April).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
squirtle

squirtle

Posted
Posted
Yeah, I've enjoyed a lot of KJ Parker's books. I do think that each series has progressively been getting poorer though, The Fencer Trilogy was great and I also liked The Scavenger Trilogy which were the first books of hers I read. The Engineer Trilogy was decent too but it didn't grip me like other novels have. Zapp's right about her detail though, you can tell she's thoroughly researched the contruction aspects of her novels and really pads out her books with details you could probably gloss over without losing the flow of the story.

So KJ Parker is a woman? I never knew.

Anyway, have to disagree with you here. The Engineer trilogy was bloody incredible.

All that death and destruction from the creation of a small toy.

Incredible stuff.

The Company, a standalone novel by her about a band of old soldiers looking to buy an island to live out the rest of their lives in peace is also very good as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cassidy

cassidy

Posted
Posted
Why do you think she only reveals her initials!

Being a woman never caused Robin Hobb any issues with sales though did it so why the secrecy? I've also heard that she is married to Tom Holt. KJ Parker not being her real name apparently.

House of Chains update - 250 pages in love it Karsa is quite possibly the toughest character yet in this series. I think he could give the bloody nine a run for his money. Am I right in my supposition that the Teblor are some sort of

Jaghut offspring race? and I loved the fact it was Karsa who was responsible for the dead Tiste Edur on the boat with the headless crew that turned up in Book 2 IIRC

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cras

Cras

Posted
Posted
Being a woman never caused Robin Hobb any issues with sales though did it so why the secrecy?

Obviously enough issues that she wrote under the non gender specific pseudonym Robin rather than her real name of Margaret. Indeed, she originally wrote as Megan Lindholm then changed to Robin Hobb.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Zappster

Zappster

Posted
Posted

Finished off Godslayer the other day, which is the final volume in the Sundering duology by Jacqueline Carey. Very good it was too. I think I mentioned reading the first part in the Currently Reading thread a month or two ago. At the time I said it was a sort of Lord of the Rings from the point of view of the supposed evil forces, with the occasional passages about the progress of the good guys. Pretty difficult to know who to root for at times because they've all pretty much been throuh some shit and done stuff they regret, but it definitely favours the dark side as it were. Some real sad stories in there. It gets pretty emotional as things come to a head in this final volume. Epic tragedy as the author describes it is also pretty apt I guess. It's pretty short by fantasy standards, with the combined two books comnig in at just over 900 pages. Very little filler in here IMO.I loved her writing as well, often spent some time re-reading some of my favourite passages. Plus she doesn't get too bogged down in the descriptions so it moves along at a brisk pace. Well worth checking out the first volume at least. One of my favourite reads so far this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Talvalin

Talvalin

Posted
Posted
Finished off Godslayer the other day, which is the final volume in the Sundering duology by Jacqueline Carey. Very good it was too.

I'd heard good things about these books via SFSite so I'll be checking them out in due course. Cheers for the review/recommendation. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
squirtle

squirtle

Posted
Posted

Oh, I know what I forgot.

Mordant's Need by Stephen Donaldson. Two books, The Mirror of her Dreams and A Man Rides Through (IIRC). Brilliant couple of books that deal with a small land beset by strange creatures that are summoned from other worlds via special mirrors. Excellent pair of books that are much more driven and streamlined compared to some of Donaldson's other fantasy stuff (Thomas Covenant, you boring old sot, I'm looking at you!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
Hackign

Hackign

Posted
Posted

A bit of a follow up on the Jaime Lannister cage match thingy.

http://www.suvudu.com/2010/04/cage-match-2010-finalists.html

http://grrm.livejournal.com/

He's fighting the mighty Rand Al'Thor.

The good news: Jaime Lannister pulled it out and defeated Kvothe. Came from 700 votes behind in the final hours to win handily... all thanks to you guys, of course. Thanks to all of you who voted for him... and all of you who voted for his opponent (misguided though you are). And to Patrick Rothfuss, a fine writer and a good sport, who made this round a lot of fun. RIP, Kvothe.

The bad news: Jaime is in the final, and his opponent is Rand al'Thor.

Let me see. Rand is a master swordsman. He's got one of those "heron mark" swords, which is probably the equal of Valyrian steel. He's the reincarnation of the greatest hero and wizard in the history of Robert Jordan's universe. He's got balefire. And then there's that whole ta'veren thing he's got going.

Jaime has gilded armor, a shield, a Valyrian steel sword, and a dwarf.

Bugger.

"Here's my counsel for this round," Tyrion said. "Run away. Don't look back."

Jaime is not impressed. "A Lannister does not run."

"This one does," said Tyrion, "but I figured you'd say that. So here's what you need to do to have ANY hope of surviving this one..."

Jaime's last match was fought on Kvothe's home turf. An away game. Therefore Jaime demands that this final be played out on his own ground, in the tourney grounds outside King's Landing, according to the customs and traditions of Westeros.

And should the wizards of Suvudu grant THAT request, he further demands that this be made a TRIAL OF SEVEN, to honor the Seven Gods. His right to demand such a format is sanctified by ancient Westerosi custom... and my first Dunk & Egg story, "The Hedge Knight."

Under the rules of a Trial of Seven, each combatant is allowed to have six companions to fight beside him. Seven against seven. Jaime's six will all be characters from the worlds and stories of George R.R. Martin (that would be me); Rand is free to fill out his six with characters from the works of Robert Jordan AND Brandon Sanderson. (Yes, he can even include Conan, since Jordan wrote about him).

Seven against seven. For all the marbles.

Jaime's challenge.

How do the gods of Suvudu rule?

and Rand's reply

“Ser Lannister, you do not fool me with your ‘challenge’—nor do I feel challenged in any way by our upcoming match.

“I will meet on whatever field of battle you deem fit; it makes no difference to me. If you prefer for your people to be able to see your demise, I salute that.

“Bring as many of your warriors as you can muster—you need not even limit yourself to seven.

“As for me? I will be alone, comforted in the knowledge that I have nothing to fear from any you.

“I wish you well, Jaime. For soon you will be nothing but a name in The White Book, just as you are nothing but a man in golden armor.”

and the response to that.

Inside Maegor's Holdfast, in the heart of the Red Keep, Tyrion read the message over twice, and grinned. "Seven save us," he said. "He went for it." He laughed. "We may have found someone even more arrogant than you, brother."

Jaime frowned. "You wrong me. I have grown much humbler since I lost my hand."

"This Rand has lost one too. It doesn't seem to have humbled him any. You may yet survive this encounter. He's going to fight alone, and yet he says that you may bring as many warriors as you can muster."

"Six will suffice," Jaime insisted. "A trial of seven, that was what I proposed. The septons claim the number seven is pleasing to the gods."

"Why not bring seven hundred and seventy-seven friends, then?" said Tyrion. "Think how pleased the gods would be by that."

"No," said Jaime. "An army would just force him to use his balefire. Seven I said, and seven it will be. To bring more would be dishonorable."

"But seven against one suits you fine, does it?" Tyrion chuckled.

"I gave him the chance to bring six friends," said Jaime. "Is it my fault he chose to fight alone? If he drops his sword, I don't mean to pick it up for him either." He tapped his golden hand against his good one. "Who to bring, though? The Hound, for one. Perhaps Barristan Selmy, if he hasn't grown too old. And that big wench Brienne, she -- "

"No, no, NO," said Tyrion. "None of them. Leave the other six to me. I worded your challenge very carefully, brother. The Dragon Reborn has no notion of what he has let himself in for. But he opened the door... and some very interesting folks are coming through."

Yes I need my fix of Westeros fiction however small. ;)

Apparently Sanderson is writing something up for the match as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Zappster

Zappster

Posted
Posted

I'm reading through The Desert Spear at the moment. The first part was very good, shedding some new light on a previous character (though it doesn't make me hate him any less) and setting things up really nicely for what I hope is an epic fight at some point during this book. Although given the title of the next book I fear that may not happen until that is released. It's more of the same really, which is no bad thing in my eyes. Should hopefully be finished with it in the next couple of days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Zappster

Zappster

Posted
Posted

Finished off The Desert Spear tonight. It's good but suffers from some problems which mean that if pushed I'd probably rank it below the first book. It feels like the middle book of a fantasy series, lots of setup and moving characters into the right place for what promises to be a really epic next book in the series (if some of the things I'm imagining come to pass) but doesn't do this one any favours. As a result it's more slow paced and it's almost a downer after the near breathless pace of the first book. The first part is structurally quite similar to the first book, although rather than skipping forward in time, it's more like flashbacks interspersed between passages taking place in in the present day. I think it works well and even though it doesn't deal with my favourite characters it's probably my favourite part of the book. As I mentioned previously it acts as a sort of origins story for a secondary character in the first book, and like the first this section is well paced without getting too bogged down in some of the details.

One of the problems for me was that there wasn't quite enough forward movement in the story when we return to the present day, and I guess it goes back to the problems of pacing, especially as one of the conflicts that I thought was going to be resolved in this one isn't touched upon. It's still building towards it though. In terms of characters, it's probably Leesha that lets the side down. Her characterization is too inconsistent at times and so some of her actions seem so hypocritical and frustrating, often she's bordering dangerously close to Mary Sue territory. Some of the character development feels a little abrupt too such as in the case of

Renna going from farmgirl to feral, blood-crazed demonslayer in a matter of weeks. Then again she's been through some horrid stuff and is a bit unstable so I guess it's passable.

The end is a bit sudden as well, almost out of the blue. I wonder if he split the book in two and we have the first half, with the second half to come.

Some stuff I did like such as plot revelations:

the escalating threat from the demons with the introduction of newer, cleverer demons who are able to trace their own wards as well as breach wardnets relatively easily, the mimic demons and the potential they have, plus one of the bits near the end where it's revealed that there's millions possibly even billions of demons that can be unleashed. The use of the new wards that Arlen brought to Deliverer's Hollow. The revelations about Jardir's past and the hints that it's not all down to him being a cunt but that he's been manipulated along the way too. I loved the parts with Arlen having to confront his past, such as going back to Miln and Tibbet's Brook. I suppose they maybe a bit predictable and angsty for some people's tastes but since Arlen is probably my favourite character it was all good for me. There was also some more hints that perhaps the Old World is Earth? Maybe I'm reading into it too much but some of the mentions of weapons of the Old World just had me thinking of stuff like Nuclear bombs etc.. There's also the building enmity between the two potential Deliverer's. Seriously, I'm looking forward to that face-off if/when it does come. It'll also be interesting to see what else Arlen has found out since "touching" the coreling prince's mind.

In summary: it's more of the same, but slower paced with some other problems but nothing major, certainly not to put me off the series. It was still a gripping read and I finished it very quickly. All the setup, whilst detracting from the quality of this book IMO, which I suppose may be a necessary evil, certainly does leave things finely poised for a potentially epic next book in The Daylight War. I'll definitely be there on day one, particularly if I can get it in hardcover for a similar price as I did with this book off amazon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Zappster

Zappster

Posted
Posted
Yes I need my fix of Westeros fiction however small. :)

Apparently Sanderson is writing something up for the match as well.

Don't know if you know this already, but he has written another Dunk and Egg novella, which has been published in the Warriors anthology he edited with Gardner Dozois. Probably as close as we'll get to new westeros fiction short of him finishing Dance. I just noticed it's in stock at amazon (after being listed as shipping in 1-3 weeks for a while) ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cassidy

cassidy

Posted
Posted

House of Chains now finished. So straight onto Midnight Tides, imagine my horror and worry at the even more reduced brain capacity I will have, by discovering the cast of characters featured 2 names I recognised :huh:

This series is utterly mental.

I kept getting a twinge of emotion in House of Chains everytime

whiskeyjack's

name was mentioned.

Was very good though House of Chains Karsa Oorlong is an amazing character.

I've bought Night of Knives as well, as its recommended to read that before Bonehunters. Is that correct

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Headache

Headache

Posted
Posted

Night of Knives is pretty stand alone so could be read at any point really, but it's probably best to leave it until you've got a few books in like you've done. Otherwise reading about some of the characters you'll encounter won't be anywhere near as cool.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Use of this website is subject to our Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and Guidelines.

  I accept