SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
Recommendations and Lost Books
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Something like The Name of the Wind
Eragon
Nicholas wrote: "Eragon"alright thanks, i'll check it out. Hope they are better than the movie though :p
Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series, as long as you won't throw the book away because it portrays sado-masochistic sex, prostitution, and homosexuality. . . they're all essential to the plot and handled tastefully, but it's a very ADULT series. Start with Kushiel's Dart or, if you don't mind the sex and homosexuality but have trouble with sado-masochism and prostitution, start with Naamah's Kiss.Lois McMaster Bujold's Chalion series -- no caveats, it's brilliant and shouldn't hit anyone's hot button topics. Start with The Curse of Chalion.
Nobody's Son, by Sean Stewart -- absolutely gorgeous coming-of-age tale with a traditional fairy tale feel and all sorts of unexpected depths.
mnemosyne said: alright thanks, i'll check it out. Hope they are better than the movie though :pThe book is WAY better than the movie. READ IT! It's amazing!
@Phoenixfalls: Thanks for the suggestions, not really into those sex fantasy books, but The curse of chalion looks nice :)
You might like The Witches of Eileanan. It has plenty of magic and epic fights. I enjoyed the whole series. It's hard to find a series that is good from beginning to end. You may also like a Tamora Pierce book, such as Wild Magic or Alanna: The First Adventure. They are both young adult books but still entertaining to read.
Tamora pierce has some GREAT books! Try them!Also, How do you post a lionk to a book or authour like that?
@Gwennie: thanks! Those are some very good recommendations, gonna read every one of those! To bad Alanna: The First Adventure is not on the kindle store :<
For me, the best epic fantasy around at the moment is Joe Abercrombie's The First Law series which starts with The Blade Itself. This was the book that got me back into reading epic fantasy after the lack of coherent plot in The Wheel of Time put me off it for years.Very readable, fast paced, epic in scope in both time and geography, with great characters and some really twisty plotting. The only thing to be aware of is that this is a trilogy and you will need to read three books to reach the end of the story.
Mnemosyne wrote: alright thanks, i'll check it out. Hope they are better than the movie thoughThe movie was awful, a complete disappointment. It had the bare bones of the story but as we all know, it's the details that make a good story great. That's the difference between Eragon the movie and Eragon the book, the details. They changed the details in the movie and not for the better.
Some great fantasy authors are: Marion Zimmer Bradley, Patricia McKillip, Andre Norton, Mercedes Lackey, Terry Brooks, Orson Scott Card to name a few. Way too many books to list, but you can check out the author's links and see if any of their books appeal to you.
Nicholas wrote:How do you post a lionk to a book or authour like that?Right above the reply box it says 'add book/author', click that. Choose book or author tab and type in the desired book or author. A list will come up, choose the one you want by clicking 'ADD' next to the title or name and it'll appear in the reply message.
I think Eragon is a good match for what you requested. In my mind, the Name of the Wind was similar to Outlander, but without the magic system. And Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series, starting with Furies of Calderon, is full of magic and battles, and technically it follows the main character Tavi, but there are a lot of chapters written in the perspective of other characters.
Check out the top 10 lists at Fantasy Book News. They include Patrick Rothfuss and a few of the other authors mentioned by other commenters like Jim Butcher. The Scott Lynch books are amazing:http://www.fantasybooknews.com/catego...
I'm enjoying Furies of Calderon. It was recommended to me and I'm pleasantly surprised how much I'm liking it.
A few books I think are similar to The Name of the Wind are:Patricia McKillip's Riddle-Master trilogy
David Eddings' Belgariad series that starts with Pawn of Prophecy
Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy, starting with Mistborn: The Final Empire
Similar in that they all have a main protagonist who has an unknown destiny, is gifted in some way beyond what's normal, and is quirky and interesting and engaging ( and is surrounded by supporting characters who have their own quirks and personalities that really make them memorable).
Also feature pretty original takes on magic/superhuman ability, great plot twists, and (of course) lots of action.
Mistborn, by Brian Sanderson. It's one of the most amazing trilogies I've ever read.
I don't really see a similarity in writing styles with Brandon Sanderson. The first Mistborn book didn't grab me like The Name of the Wind. I would say the First Law books would be closer.
Lies of locke Lamora is much closer to Name of the Wind then all the previously mentioned books. They both go back and forth between the past and present of the main character, and are both coming of age stories. The Lies of Locke Lamora is more violent though.
Pieter wrote: "@Phoenixfalls: Thanks for the suggestions, not really into those sex fantasy books, but The curse of chalion looks nice :)"It's not a sex fantasy book - it's actually more of a political thriller fantasy - it's just the main character is a spy/prostitute. It is a very adult novel in the way the author handles sex but the subject matter is more based on a traditional game of thrones. (I hate that GRRM used "A Game of Thrones" as a book title because it is now hard to describe a theme that is a game of thrones because everyone flashes to that series).
Maybe people will line up to tell me that I'm crazy ... but I suddenly find myself thinking that if you enjoyed the parts of Name of the Wind (and Wise Man's Fear) that dealt with K's backstory, you should read Ysabeau S. Wilce's Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House With Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog. It's similar to the Rothfuss books in that it deals with a young teenager who has to handle some difficult situations (rescuing people, saving the city, that kind of thing), with and without magic, and definitely without adults.These are nominally YA books, but adults can enjoy the story and the worldbuilding as well as the target market, if not better.
The followup is called Flora's Dare. The third one has yet to be published, but it has been turned in to the publisher, and I bet it'll be out before the third Kingkiller book. >.>
Snail in Danger (Nikki) wrote: "Maybe people will line up to tell me that I'm crazy ... but I suddenly find myself thinking that if you enjoyed the parts of Name of the Wind (and Wise Man's Fear) that dealt with K's backstory, yo..."Well, you may, indeed, be crazy, but thanks for the rec anyway, 'cause the book sounds delightful and right up my alley. :>
You're welcome, Colleen. IMO Wilce is a greatly underappreciated author. I'd be interested to hear what you think of the book. :)Incidentally, if anyone wants a free sample, Wilce has posted one of her short stories on her web site here. (Relevant to the second novel as deep background, but doesn't include any of the main characters. And the style is not the same as the novels'. But it's fun. At least, I thought it was reading this story in a used copy of Asimov's was my first exposure to Wilce.)
One of the things I like about The Name of the Wind and it's sequel The Wise Man's Fear is that it shows how a young, and flawed, man who grows into a heroic pariah. The greater public only knows the legends, not the man himself. I think this very closely rivals the journey of FitzChivalry through the Farseer Trilogy, as well as Miles Vorkosigan in the Vorkosigan Adventures. Both series provide excellent character development, a well crafted world, and the kind of story that sweeps you up. Each have had me up reading past my bed-time on many an occasion!
Some would make the argument that Kvothe is far from 'flawed'... :P
Are you one of them? :P
Eh, maybe. Sorta. I can see it both ways.
Ala wrote: "Some would make the argument that Kvothe is far from 'flawed'... :P"Is being annoying a flaw?
When I say flawed, I mean that he isn't born as a golden hero that inherently knows right from wrong. His powers are not limitless, he has to struggle, he says the wrong things... I think these things make a flawed hero much more endearing.
Ala wrote: "For some of us, it's a gift."lol!
I like flawed characters, but not one that I can't sympathize with like Kovthe.
I do think Kvothe has a lot in common with Fitz, the most obvious one I think is how both are kind of telling their story, Kvothe to someone and Fitz writing it down in a journal, so both stories are in first person. Second, they both grow up as no one wanting them until other took a change upon them to become heroes. Third, I think both characters are very flawed causing them do the negative in order for them to set things in balance.
I couldn't make it very far into that Robin Hobb book, so I'll have to take your word for it.Also, I keep thinking of more weird comparisons. I'm reading The Wise Man's Fear now and the complexly interwoven stories made me think of Catherynne M. Valente's In the Night Garden (which is not a heroic fantasy in itself, but does contain some heroic-type stories).
Whoa, thanks for the warning Phoenixfalls! I don't mind sex in books as long as it's tasteful, but no thank you about the sado-masochism. :) You spared me a few moments of disgust...
"The Wheel of Time" series follows mostly one guy through multiple volumes. Unfortunately the author died before he finished it. It's got lot's of magic and battles and what-not. Terry Goodkind's series that starts with "Wizard's First Rule" has magic and fighting. I haven't finished either series as they both started to aggravate me after multiple volumes, but they are powerful multi-volume series from a while back.
There are very few books that you can compare to the way that NotW is structured taht also hold to a high level of quality. Abercrombie's 1st Law Trilogy is a good tale, but much grittier. That trilogy also covers a range of characters, not one, but it does make for a refreshing and enjoyable read.
You might try Brent Weeks, Night Angel trilogy. Not any more magic, but good easy writing style with plenty of action.Would agree with several others listed here, but definitely check out The Curse of Chalion & Paladin of Souls. I don't think the writing style is similar, or the storyline, but Bujold's storytelling abilities are amazing. Mistborn: The Final Empire too, is a very great trilogy.
I personally found Feast of Souls: Book One of the Magister Trilogy and the next, quite an enjoyable read.
I think I might also recommend Maria V. Snyder. Her books are quick, easy, and enjoyable. All have strong female leads, single character, that we follow as they develop. Plenty of action and magic, not your typical high fantasy.
agree with the above, The Night Angel books are great..If you like first person narrative and lots of magic, you should try Jim Butchers Dresden files..
Brandt wrote: "agree with the above, The Night Angel books are great..If you like first person narrative and lots of magic, you should try Jim Butchers Dresden files.."
Almost recommended those, but I have yet to read them! =)
You can try the rober jordan wheel of time series.....or terry goodkind books.
*gasp* at Kara-I really thought you'd already read Dresden!
So far, I've managed to get my Rothfuss-fanboy-who-doesn't-read-much-else-SO to pick up Assassin's Apprentice, and he's enjoying it so far. :D I'd definitely rec it for NotW fans. (view spoiler)
I'll second (or third maybe) Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn and Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Codex Alera (although I prefer Dresden). There are a lot of other great recommendations though. I don't know how I would even begin to decide....good luck Pieter.
I love the name of the wind and would reccoment the Books of Pellinor series and Eragon.
i'll have to go with Mistborn since you love great magic and action.
I recommend Michelle Sagara West's Chronicles of Elantra, Katya Reimann's Tielmaran books, and Garth Nix's Abhorsen Trilogy. (The first book follows one character, the second book follows another, and the third may have several POVS. Hmmm.)The Witches of Eileanan is pretty good, too!
I would have been happy if Wise Man's Fear had been like The Name of the Wind.
Stan wrote: "I would have been happy if Wise Man's Fear had been like The Name of the Wind."I'm kind of glad that they were different.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Magicians (other topics)The Curse of Chalion (other topics)
The Lies of Locke Lamora (other topics)
Dragon Bones (other topics)
Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Lev Grossman (other topics)Lois McMaster Bujold (other topics)
Robin Hobb (other topics)
Jennifer Fallon (other topics)
Katya Reimann (other topics)
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I was wondering if you guys/girls could suggest me some fantasy literature, which follows one character. Preferable something like The Name of the Wind, but maybe with a bit more magic and epic fights? I've only really read a few fantasy books (lotr and the name of the wind), so please recommend anything you can!
Thanks in advance!