Couple of authors and stuff

Ronanc1

Heya guys and gals i come seeking your knowledge! impart unto me some good authors of fantasy

Ive recently reread the raymond e fiest and janny wurths empire trilogy and wondered what wurths is like on her own Ive seen some of her stuff in book shops can any of you give an opinion on what her stuffs like, im expecting good things cause daughter of the empire and the rest were topnotch!

Also that reminds me last year i picked up gardens of the moon after hearing alot of praise for steven erikson from people here. it was some sort of revised addition i think that had a hefty pre-read note by erikson in which he basically clapped himself on the back and said in some terms that "these weren't books to be picked up on and off" and so forth and their complexity would bamboozle stupid people and that he basically is rewriting what fantasy is etc etc, i got an awful vibe that he was some arrogant up his own arse swine but i read the book from start to finish regardless.

i have to say i wasnt in any way overly impressed i thought it was easy enough to follow but really poor storywise filled with random deus ex machina kinda stuff that annoyed me and the disjointed way in which it was all told without revealing much in some areas but revealing unimportant inconsequential stuff in other areas, i wasn't greatly impressed so that leads me to ask, as ive seen again here more praise for erikson should i continue with the rest of his books do they get better? or are they just not for me?

also dont forget to suggest some authors

macinalli

I think the Janny Wurts solo stuff is excellent but I know that it's not to everyones taste. The War of Light & Shadow series is very wordy (and nowhere near finished!) but still a damn good read. She has a stand alone book (To Ride Hells Chasm) that I also enjoyed and would give you a good idea of her style. I personally like the Steven Erikson stuff and am currently on book 5. Have never read an interview by him - he may well be an arrogant swine - but still a good read.

As for other authors, I think a lot is up to taste. I'd recommend anything by David Gemmell and recently have enjoyed the Painted Man by Peter Brett and The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie. Lots of others here seem to like Raymond Feist & Terry Brooks - not for me! Also if you like the Sci-fi side of things then I'd also recommend most books by Iain M Banks (especially the earlier ones) and the Hyperion books by Dan Simmons.

Ronanc1

thanks for the reply macinalli thats good to here ill pick up some of wurths stuff and see how i get on, gemmell, abercrombie and feist are already a staple,

though speaking of it if anyone can think of some thing similar to abercrombies kinda writing id be interested

Sir Ophiuchus

Janny Wurts, as a standalone, is my favourite fantasy author. Her Wars of Light and Shadow are incredible, as are her single works (like "To Ride Hell's Chasm" and "Master of Whitestorm"). I'd really strongly recommend her.

Ronanc1

great another positive sounds good any suggestions for other authors you really enjoyed Sir Ophiuchus ?

Sir Ophiuchus

Oh, absolutely! Just didn't want to overwhelm you. Here are ten, excluding the aforementioned Janny Wurts.


Lois McMaster Bujold - the Miles Vorkosigan series. Sci-fi that's very "fantasy" in style and feel, with a lot of humour and incredible characterisation.

Terry Pratchett - his "Discworld" series is a masterful comic fantasy satire.

Robert Jordan - I'll draw some flak for this, but his "Wheel of Time" is incredible in its scope and scale, and is worth reading for that alone. Very much more accessible than Steven Erikson.

Patrick Rothfuss - The Name of the Wind. This is his first book, with sequels coming out soon. It is the best book in the fantasy field since The Lord of the Rings. No exceptions. Seriously. Go read it.

John C. Wright - The Chronicles of Chaos series, first book "Orphans of Chaos". A magnificent mix of complicated magical paradigms and ancient mythology.

Neil Gaiman - his short stories in particular are wonderful. I recommend the collections "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Fragile Things". His comic book series "Sandman" is the only comic book ever to win a World Fantasy Award (now, or ever - they changed the rules after it won).

Diana Wynne Jones - a (mostly) children's author with massive adult appeal. I recommend her Chrestomanci series (for kids, but I read it), her "Tough Guide to Fantasyland" (*the* standard reference for recurrent fantasy tropes, and wonderfully comic), and some of her standalone works, like "The Homeward Bounders".

Terry Brooks - he's been mentioned here before. Avoid "The Sword of Shannara" and sequels like the plague, but I strongly recommend his lighter "Magic Kingdom for Sale / Sold" and sequels (Magic Kingdom of Landover series). Silly title aside, it's a very clever and interesting book, but excellent characterisation.

David Weber - both a sci-fi and a fantasy author. On the sci-fi side, I recommend his "Honor Harrington" series (basically a reinterpretation of the Horatio Hornblower Napoleonic War books set in space) for their great lead character and excellent battle scenes (not normally something I really go for). As a fantasist, his Bahzell Bahnakson series (first book "Oath of Swords") is clever, interesting, and has a very well-built world.

Jim Butcher - writes both postmodern urban fantasy and traditional. The former is his Harry Dresden series about the only professional wizard in Chicago, which is near the top of my favourites list (first book "Grave Peril", but I encourage you to read a few - the writing style improves measurably from book to book and it's great to watch). The latter is his "Furies of Calderon" series (first book ... "Furies of Calderon"), which is very much more traditional, but no less well-written.


You asked for it. There's ten excellent fantasy authors. Have fun!

Ronanc1

Ah vielen danke mein Freund

I've read the wheel of time and would agree with you whole heartedly we'll endure the flack together and funnily enough i just bought patrick rothfuss' " the name of the wind" its been sitting on my shelf for the last while!

But the rest are definitely a go! now if only i had some book vouchers ha