L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Raif Severance

I'm really disappointed with BOARDS. How come there's no hype thread for the BESTEST, MOST AWESOMEST AUTHOR EVARR?

Hyperbole I know. But still, Modesitt is probably the most prolific Sci-Fi/Fantasy Author we have currently and easily my clear personal favorite. I mean just look at his body of work. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modesitt :O

For those who are unfortunate enough not to be intimate with his books yet, they are known for their easy readability (Think Gemmell, Eddings), competent characters and a greatly defined Magic/Ability System.

David Farland is probably the closest in style to Modesitt. So if you've read Farland, you'll have no problems falling in love to Modesitt.

One of the most endearing things about Modesitt's works are his heroes. Most of them are youths with creative qualities. Some are Black Smiths, others are Carpenters, Painters, etc. So it's great to see some insights into those kinds of occupations. They are quite enjoyable to read. So thank God, it's no KJ Parker.

Some would say that his style is abit safe, simple or merely repetitive. Yeah, just like Gemmell and/or Eddings. Though I do believe the argument has its merit, experimentation and ostentation are somethings that other Authors should supply. Because Modesitt is simply what he is. Like a well-worn shoe or your favorite nightshirt. Comfortable yet dependable. In Modesitt's case, MORE OF THE SAME is in no way a negative, but it's a celebration for fans like me to return to the world we love and cherish.

Just to give you an idea on how highly I rate Modesitt, I've re-read more of his books than any other authors combined. And considering I own more than 1,000 Fantasy/Sci-fi Books, that's quite a feat. I don't know what it is, but Modesitt's work never gets old for me. They seem to have this special quality that keeps making me come back for more.

NOW ONTO SOME OF HIS WORKS:
Timegod's World
Norse Mythology meets Sci-fi and Time Travel.


The Saga of Recluce
I really recommend this series specially to those who are just starting to read Fantasy Books.

Magi'i of Cyador and Scion of Cyador- My favorites in the series. Though all of the Recluce books are related, these 2 books are directly connected. I highlighted this 2 because it stars my favorite hero in all of Fantasydom, Lorn. He's incisive, competent, decisive, and ruthless. He has no compunction in killing an innocent if it means his survival or for the greater good.

I don't know how many times I've lost my temper because the Hero let's the Villains get away because of their Morals. Or how they became paralyzed by indecision whenever the shedding of innocent blood comes up.

Not Lorn, though. His motto is probably, "Act Fast, Mourn the Consequnces later".

So if you guys have read a book that has a Hero like Lorn, please recommend it to me.

Spellsong Cycle
This is like a mix of Through the Looking Glass, Sound of Music and Bridget Jones Diary.

A Female Music Teacher is transported to a Fantasy Land. A Land where the Women's Suffrage is a myth and Music and Songs are Magic.

The Corean Chronicles
This is probably one of my favorite settings. I love Cavalry Battles. So if you know of other books with Guns, Swords, Squad Formations, and Large Scale Battles, then recommend them to me.

This is probably why I'm so disappointed with Hobb's Soldier Son's Trilogy. It's still good but it's a waste of a setting.

The Imager Portfolio

The first 3 books in this series is a about a young painter drafted into a countermeasure agency (Just like Mi6 or the CIA), in a small country with alot of enemies near and abroad. Yep, Spies with Magical Powers.



Hopefully, some of you guys would give him a chance. And yeah, write impressions on here.

AnCapaillMor

Honestly never heard of him, might check his stuff out.

Cavehill Red

He's daycent, but he's no James Blish. Or John Brunner. Or Lester Del Rey. Or Orson Scott Card. Or Iain M Banks.
And he's lightyears from being a Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein or Silverberg.

Morag

I've found this forum tends to have more scifi discussion in it the fantasy.
I enjoyed Spellsong Cycle and Recluce books not so much the rest of them.

coffee_cake

Spellsong wasn't bad, wasn't pushed though

Raif Severance

Cavehill Red wrote: »

He's daycent, but he's no James Blish. Or John Brunner. Or Lester Del Rey. Or Orson Scott Card. Or Iain M Banks.
And he's lightyears from being a Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein or Silverberg.

I have read books authored by the ones in Bold. I'm familiar with the ones underlined but have not read any of their works. The others are simply unknown to me.

I'm more of a Fantasy Guy. Reading Sci-fi is more of an extension.

I'm not a fan of Hard Sci-fi, so that's probably one of the reasons why I stay away from Clarke, Asimov, Banks, etc. The ones that I do read are full of action and combat, like Enders, Vorkosigan, Starship Troopers, etc.

Cavehill Red

I apologise. I was being facetious. I read a lot of fantasy lit as a young teen, but as a grown-up I read SF and non-fiction because it seems to me that they deal with more interesting themes. There's only so much nostalgia for imagined middle ages one can take, and to my mind, most of that was exhausted early on by Tolkien and Robert E Howard.
I don't find anything new or innovative in GRRM or so-called 'new' fantasy. The trend for 'weird fiction', as practised by Mieville, Swainston and the like, may hold a lifeline for fantasy, but then again it is very different to the mock middle ages genre and probably shouldn't be considered alongside. Still, despite the endless repetition of theme and format in fantasy, it seems it's adherents can't get enough of the same thing over and over.

coffee_cake

What about urban fantasy?

Raif Severance

Cavehill Red wrote: »

I apologise. I was being facetious. I read a lot of fantasy lit as a young teen, but as a grown-up I read SF and non-fiction because it seems to me that they deal with more interesting themes. There's only so much nostalgia for imagined middle ages one can take, and to my mind, most of that was exhausted early on by Tolkien and Robert E Howard.
I don't find anything new or innovative in GRRM or so-called 'new' fantasy. The trend for 'weird fiction', as practised by Mieville, Swainston and the like, may hold a lifeline for fantasy, but then again it is very different to the mock middle ages genre and probably shouldn't be considered alongside. Still, despite the endless repetition of theme and format in fantasy, it seems it's adherents can't get enough of the same thing over and over.

No harm done, Man.

Yep, the age old argument between Style and Substance. Kinda like why some people wants to watch Blockbuster Movies versus seeing a Documentary. But hey! It's all good. Like they say, Different Strokes for Different Folks.

I'm actually not a fan of the New Fantasy Movement. Give me the Young-boy-off-to-save-the-world variety, everyday. I'm guess, I'm old-school.

Well, if you want to read Fantasy Books that are actually different, try the ones written by KJ Parker, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Robin Hobb.

I don't think there's any other author that writes like KJ Parker. I don't even know what kind of Fantasy Sub-genre her books are supposed to be. The 2 series I've read from her, Scavenger and Fencer, are strangely out of the norm.

Lois McMaster Bujold is known for her Vorkosigan Saga, but IMO it's her Chalion Saga that takes the cake as her best work.

I don't think there's enough superlatives to describe the amazing, Robin Hobb. She probably makes the best characters. Characters with genuine motives, flawed, nuanced and most of all believable. You can go no wrong reading her Farseer, Tawny Man, Liveship Traders Trilogy. Specially, Liveship Traders. Without a doubt, the Best Fantasy Series for me.

mcgovern

I read some of his work a few years ago, can't say I enjoyed any of them though, so never considered reading anymore of him.

ixoy

I've read a few of the Recluse novels and I liked elements of them but again I never found anything particularly outstanding. For me there's a lot of better authors out there, including the likes of those you've mentioned - JV Jones, KJ Parker, Robin Hobb, etc.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

i loved the recluse books when i was younger. the way they all took place in the same world but sometimes centuries apart was pretty damn cool

i dont really remember but I think there was even a sci-fi'ish recluse novel with a spaceship crash landing on recluse and.. i dunno.. hijinx

ixoy

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

i dont really remember but I think there was even a sci-fi'ish recluse novel with a spaceship crash landing on recluse and.. i dunno.. hijinx

Yeah, I read that one and enjoyed the concept. Their space ship crashed on the world where their technology began to fall and they began to employ magic instead. It was, chronologically, the first Recluse novel although published later on.
Some good ideas but something about them just never made them "must reads".