Just finished ADWD, now what?!

[Steve]

So, I just finished all of the available ASOIAF books, and don't know what to read next. I started reading the books because I'd heard they were good, and jumped on the bandwagon because of the show (which pales in comparison to the books, if you ask me). I haven't really read much fantasy or sci-fi before getting into these books, so I don't really know where to go next with my reading.

Any recommendations for a guy who is on a bit of a Martin withdrawal after so many thousands of pages? The main things I liked about ASOIAF was that the characters were awesome; they seemed real, and were very likable (or hate-able). Also, it was a fantasy book, but the magic wasn't too over-the-top or deus ex machina-like, and it wasn't corny either (farm boy finds a sword or dragon or whatever and saves the world...).

So really, I liked that it was fantastical, but in a believable way, with awesome characters and intriguing story. Any recommendations for a follow-up series? I'm open to either sword or laser picks, as long as the characters are strong and the story is interesting.

[terpkristin]

Have you read the Wheel of Time books? The early ones are good as are the latest...the series is due to be finished on January 8. I found that for the middle "not as good" books, audiobooks were the way to go. The narrators in that series are some of my favorites.

I also loved Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles, starting with The Name of the Wind. I know some people get frustrated with Kvothe as a main character, but I quite liked both books and am eagerly awaiting the next.

Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings was one of the best books I read in 2012. Sadly, it's the first book in what will probably also be a long series where there are longer than I want waits between books...

Don't know much about sci-fi equivalents, but have heard good things about Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga and Kevin J. Anderson's Saga of the Seven Suns. I haven't read either but heard good stuff..

And there's also The Dark Tower books and the Dune books...I didn't care for them but I'm in the minority on that. Sorry no links, typing on phone makes it a bit harder....

[Kevin]

I would try, some of Martin's other books that has just been released like his Wild Cards series or his two short story collection called Dreamsongs: A RRetrospective: Book Two (Dreamsongs, #2) and Dreamsongs: A Retrospective: Book One.

I would also recommend
Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen starting with Gardens of the Moon , which to me is one of the best/epic series out there plus the main series is done.

Also I would recommend Glen Cook's The Black Company series, which is one of the first series to be dark and gritty for it was published in the mid 80s.

[Miss_Tessa_Melissa]

The Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb is pretty good. We read it here a couple months ago if you want to check out the kick-off episode for it to get a feel. I read it after reading ASOIAF, and thought it was a good transition. I like how Hobb has no "sacred" characters, similar to Martin. She really puts them through the ringer, and anyone could be killed off at any time. I will say that the first book is a lot of world building and getting to know the main character's backstory, but from there it takes off. The story continues with another trilogy (Tawny Man) afterwards.

[Kevin]

I would also recommend American Gods by Neil Gaiman, even though its not the same type of book, but the only reason I recommend it would be that it will be just like Game of Thrones, a HBO show.

I would also recommend any of Brent Weeks's book, especially The Black Prism, which is one of the best book I've read. Its so different from any fantasy I've ever read.

[Kevin]

Alex wrote: "I second Kevin's recommendation of Steven Erikson.

Epic in every sense of the word, even--dare I say it--surpassing Tolkien when it comes to sheer imaginative power."

I would even say Erikson surpasses Martin in sherr imaginative power.

[Tacuazin]

Let me add my two cents and recommend the First Law trilogy, starting with The Blade Itself. It helped me go through the asoif withdrawal.

[Pouria]

I'd add Another two cents to the First Law trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie. Great read with great and fleshed out characters.

I'd wager I would rank it higher than the ASOIAF books. The story never rests or gets slow, as it did for instance in A Feast for Crows, where it pretty much halted due to the ironmen.

[David Sven]

I'll also recommend Abercrombie. Abercrombie is good for Martin withdrawal. If you like it dark and gritty and fleshed out characters then start with The Blade Itself

[Guillermo]

I feel your pain. I also got into it because of all the hype about the show. It's really the only fantasy series I consistently read since I'm much more of a sci fi guy, but I do want to broaden my horizons, and I owe it to Martin that I have and will continue to do so. After having a torrid affair with A Song of Ice and Fire earlier this year, I felt as if I lost my significant other once I finished (well honestly, I still need to read ADWD, but I'm holding out till the paperback next March). "She's was so great, how could I ever find someone that awesome again?" But you know, you just do. You'll forget about her, Steve. Those are some solid recommendations your friend's are giving you. Abercrombie is an author I hope to get into next year. So just look back on all the great times you had with ASOIAF, look forward to the future, and get your feet wet with other great authors. Keep us posted whether or not you find something as solid as ASOIAF, and happy hunting!

[Joseph]

Scott Lynch, Scott Lynch, Scott Lynch.

The Lies of Locke Lamora is awesome. :D Highly recommend a read!

[Phil]

If you don't want the magic to be over-the-top, two that sprang to mind were both by Guy Gavriel Kay; Tigana and A Song For Arbonne.

[Jon]

Dunk and Egg

[Mach]

I second Misstessamelissa's recommendation of the Farseer trilogy.

[Kevin]

Jon wrote: "Dunk and Egg"

I would second that. They need to collect all the stories into one book.

[James]

Raven's Shadow - Blood Song by Ryan Anthony is good as well. Similar to Martin in the subtle influence of magic and the political intrigue. Dissimilar in that it focuses largely on a single character (& to a lesser extent his entourage). Writing is top-notch as well.

[Michal]

Swordspoint; I think Martin even did a livejournal post once about "what to read while you're waiting for A Dance with Dragons" and it included this book.

[Tamahome]

I could have sworn I said Richard K. Morgan's fantasy books Iike Steel Remains, here. Unless a movie Brokeback Mountain really bothered you.

[Tina]

You say you haven't read much fantasy, but have you read The Lord of the Rings yet? They are the books that GRRM says were a significant influence for him.

[AndrewP]

Try the fantasy trilogy by Tad Williams.

[Derek]

There are some great suggestions on here; Hobb's Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies would probably be fun reads for you.

If its the world of ASOIAF that you're missing out on though, I'd pick up the Dunk and Egg stories. Set in the same world but about a hundred years before Game of Thrones opens. They're novellas, so won't take long, but they were fun to read, they're set in Westeros and GRRM wrote them. So you can't really go wrong.

[Firstname]

Just finished ADWD, now what?!

The Waiting Begins.

[Manda]

If you want something gritty with lots of black humor, go with The Blade Itself.

Mysterious and lyrical? Check out The Name of the Wind.

Con artists and lots of action? The Lies of Locke Lamora.

All three are the first book in a trilogy. Abercrombie's is complete. Still waiting on book three for the other two.

[David Sven]

@Manda - 3 of my favourites in one, all highly recommended. :)

[terpkristin]

Although they are hard to find (I never found them but didn't try too hard) as stand-alone ebooks/books, you might also want to check out the Dunk & Egg stories. They're short stories/novellas in the same world, about 100 years before the books in the main series. I thought they were fun...and while I definitely want more books in the main series, I'd love to see more Dunk & Egg tales, too...

[Manda]

@David Sven- Yes! All three are so well done but completely different from each other too.

@Steve- Scott Lynch (The Lies of Locke Lamora) is scheduled to release the third book in his trilogy in October so it won't be a long wait to read the completed trilogy. You'd probably have to wait at least a year for Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind) to complete his trilogy but his books practically beg to be re-read. I guarantee you'll pick up things on the second read you missed the first time through.

[Matthew Anderson]

Old Man's War

[Jerry]

I'll third (or fourth or fifth) Abercrombie's First Law series. There's also three standalone novels in the same world - Best Served Cold, The Heroes and Red Country. Currently rereading The Blade Itself.

[Dharmakirti]

Some great recommendations.

I would like to suggest R. Scott Bakker's "The Prince of Nothing" fantasy series that starts with The Darkness That Comes Before.

[Joey]

If you've read everything Martin put out regarding ASOIAF, I'd recommend you go over the Winterfell Huis Clos. Its a "fun" read. And its amazing how much effort its author put into it.

[Rohit]

if you want to read something by martin. I highly recommend windhaven!

[Firstname]

Joey wrote: "If you've read everything Martin put out regarding ASOIAF, I'd recommend you go over the Winterfell Huis Clos. Its a "fun" read. And its amazing how much effort its author put into it."

Where did you find that? It's GREAT!

[Nic]

AndrewP wrote: "Try the fantasy trilogy by Tad Williams.
"

I'm surprised more people don't mention Tad Williams, i'm a massive fan of his

[Michele]

I love me some Tad Williams, but his style is so very different from GRRM, that I'd hesitate to recommend him to GRRM's fans.

[Zeke]

I've moved into the Chung Kuo series (recast) by David Wingrove. It's set to be 20 books. I've only read the first one so far, but it was excellent.

[Karen]

Can I suggest The Silk & Steel Saga, an epic tale of swords and knights, castles and monasteries, sorcery and seduction. The first book of the saga, The Steel Queen, is currently on sale on Amazon for $2.99! Enjoy! The Steel Queen

[Amy]

Oh no... My 'to read' list just got bigger. I usually read a series through before starting anything else but I've been really naughty! So many book two's to attack but I've been eyeing off Abercrombie for a while now. I might have to go it. I mean, 5 recommendations in a thread?

[Amy]

Also great tip on WoT audio- I've read the first half but need to reread to get back into it and dreading the time investment. Might just pop them on in the car :)

[Rasnac]

"Just finished ADWD, now what?! "


..And now my watch begins. It shall not end until ASOIF did. I shall read no other fantasy series, hold no eight sided dice, father no children. I shall wear no costume and win no glory on MMORPGs. I shall live and die at my post by the door ofthe nearest bookstore waiting for the release date. I am the nerd in the darkness. I am the watcher on the web. I am the shield that guards the realms of geek from spoilers. I pledge my life and honor to the Martin's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come, until he finally manages to finish this book series (and hopefully before the HBO series catches up with the story)...

:D

[Paolo]

Rasnac wrote: "..And now my watch begins. It shall not end until ASOIF did. I shall read no other fantasy series, hold no eight sided dice, father no children. I shall wear no ..."

This made me smile.

[Ken]

Here you go.
Gene Wolfe

This should keep you busy for a long, long time.

[Ben]

Some info about the upcoming Dunk and Egg omnibus

[Kamil]

I would recommend The Way of Shadows; and you'll think martin's characters had it easy.

[Derek]

GRRM stated just the other day that he'd like to tell a lot more of the Dunk and Egg stories (hopefully well after the last of ASOIAF is completed!). He actually said:

"it has always been my intent to write a whole series of novellas about Dunk and Egg, chronicling their entire lives."

There have been 3 novellas written about these characters, and they're all really good. The second is my favourite. They can be a little hard to find, but if you're stuck there have also been graphic novels made of them, and they're pretty decent if you can't find the written versions.

You can read GRRM's post about it here.

[Michal]

^ I always thought George R.R. Martin's heart really lies in short stories and novellas. All the Dunk & Eggs are excellent, and I think I enjoy them more than ASOIF itself.

[Ben]

I'd like to read them but am going to wait for the first omnibus (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms) next year. Both of the links above says he has plans to write several more but not until after The Winds of Winter is finished at the earliest.