Fantasy Recommendations for the Unenlightened 2

[joolzred]

And for the fainter -hearted I recommend the Crystal Cave series by Mary Stewart.

A fictional saga woven around the legendary Arthurian characters it's spot-on, both in entertainment value and in dark ages historical detail

Amazon.com: Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy (9780688003470): Mary Stewart: Books

 

[Kei]

Asking for a recommendation, rather than giving one.

My hubby is a picky reader, and I'd like to find some books to enjoy together.

She hates description unless it's necessary, so basically action packed and preferably with a relatively happy ending (at a minimum, a resolved ending).

She liked Harry Potter, The Sword of Truth Series (skipping descriptions), The First Law Trilogy (except the ending lol), and Anne Rice books (not necessarily a Vampire thing, she doesn't like Twilight).

So... anyone want to take a shot?

 

[nj1]

Try anything by DAVID GEMMELL, nice and easy, not too much description and plenty of action, great characters and a choice of about 28 books LEGEND was his first release and got me hooked on fantasy.

 

[Kei]

Try anything by DAVID GEMMELL, nice and easy, not too much description and plenty of action, great characters and a choice of about 28 books LEGEND was his first release and got me hooked on fantasy.

Thanks, I picked up a few of Gemmell's books. Hopefully they will please my other half.

 

[Denie Alconn]

I think the "Earthsea" series is a very good start for fantasy newbies. Not high fantasy (like tons of dwarfs, elves and so on...). A real classic every fantasy fan should read.

 

[Lamont Cranston]

I always find it hard selecting a new work or author to read, as well as tending to get into a rut reading a lot of a few authors.
Anyone care to make some suggestions based on what I've got? LamontCranston's books | LibraryThing

 

[GOLLUM]

I always find it hard selecting a new work or author to read, as well as tending to get into a rut reading a lot of a few authors.
Anyone care to make some suggestions based on what I've got? LamontCranston's books | LibraryThing

Well I could literally recommend hundreds of books based on what you already have....

Like me, you have an all-round selection of fiction including classics, graphic novels, horror, SF, crime and fantasy.

I'll try and get back to you by next week. In the meantime I'm sure other members will post some recos here.

Very briefly I can recommend pretty much anything form the SF and Fantasy Masterwork series (search for the term Masterwork in Title search on this forum under Books and Literature) of which you own some titles already. Also you might enjoy the Wordsworth edns of Tales Of Mystery and The Supernatural (see Horror subforum). Also check out the very recent Crime Masterworks thread posted here.

 

[Connavar]

Seeing you library list i would recommend these authors.

Lord Dunsany for your taste in classic fantasy.

Richard Stark,Jim Thompson,Cornell Woolrich,James M Cain,Ken Bruen,Ross Macdonald for your taste in Hard-boiled crime. If you like Hammett,Chandler these guys are must reads.

Leigh Brackett,Charles.R Saunders,Paul Kearney,David Gemmell for your taste in Sword and Sorcery/Heroic Fantasy,Sword & Planet. CL Moore,Brackett are similar in Science Fantasy,Sword and Planet wise.

You cant go real wrong with those authors if you like the others in your librarything list.

 

[Lamont Cranston]

Thanks Connavar.

 

[Moontravler]

Please help me out, guys. I love short stories, and I found 3 compendiums that look interesting (I enjoy various forms of fantasy, including dark fantasy with a bit of a twist.)
I really only have funds left for one more book this month; which one shall I take?

The Mammoth Book of Extreme Fantasy
or
Weird Tales 309-11 (Summer 1994-Summer 1996)
which features stories by Ligotti which is scarce to come by,
or
Weird Tales 313-16 (Summer 1998-Summer 1999) ?

Oops, should I rather have put this in the horror thread? Ligotti is actually more horror, no?

 

[GOLLUM]

Ligotti is certainly more Horror but as he's a Great I would be tempted to obtain a copy of Weird Tales 309-11 (Summer 1994-Summer 1996) for that reason alone. I've read some of those edns. and they're quite good. True, there are single author collections by Ligotti, but I would still go with this.

Extreme Fantasy I've flicked through in the bookshop on more than one occasion and it contains an impressive list of contributors.

Therefore, I would nominate Weird Tales 309-11 (Summer 1994-Summer 1996) for your horror selection AND Extreme Fantasy for your fantasy selection.

If you can only acquire one I would go with Weird Tales 309-11 (Summer 1994-Summer 1996) as there are quite a number of quality Fantasy anthologies one may acquire. In fact you may want to seek out backcopies of the now recently defunct but much admired The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. It was the best all-round anthology (as it covered EVERYTHING including music, graphic novels, film, YA, anthologies, single author collections etc.. ) money could buy, introducing me to many of the finest writers in the field. In fact, there is talk of it making a comeback, so fingers and toes crossed....

 

[thatollie]

I always find it hard selecting a new work or author to read, as well as tending to get into a rut reading a lot of a few authors.
Anyone care to make some suggestions based on what I've got? LamontCranston's books | LibraryThing

Before I recommend anything, I just want to say that I really like the list. There's plenty of books that I've either got or want to get.

I second everything Conn recommended.

For Comic books, try Brian Azzarello (especially his hardboiled comic book 100 Bullets) and Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan has a Hunter S Thompson styled protagonist in the future)

I'm sure you'd like Jack Vance's fantasy (Dying Earth and Lyonesse) and probably his SF too.

EDIT: I see now that someone else has recommended Vance to you in another thread.

 

[Moontravler]

Thanks so much for your input, Gollum. Since I've joined this site ealier this month, I have already purchased about 30 volumes, and I've really been starting to get nervous about the cost. (Yes, I'm very behind with my reading)

Since Ligotti is very scarce, I think I should get the WT 309-11 now, - just in case, and then I'll keep the Extreme Fantasy in my Wishlist for next month. (Though I am having a look at the other collection you mentioned.)

Thanks again.

 

[GOLLUM]

No problem.

Please let us know if you get hold of any back issues of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. It will be well worth the effort. The 21st edn printed in 2008 but covering 2007 was the final issue.

 

[mermelade]

Hello everyone,

Lovely to find this forum.

I've recently moved to the UK and Waterstone's seems to be short on fiction fantasy books that raise my interest so I was wondering if I could ask for small, personalised list of suggestions please?

I'd have to say that my favourite books so far are all of Robin Hobb's books and just recently Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn books kept me enthralled for a few weeks.

Really enjoyed Fiona Macintosh's first two Valisar books, Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince/Star, Sara Douglass' Axis/Wayfarer series and Stephen R Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books.

I read Kate Elliot's Spirit Gate not long ago and I must admit I wasn't convinced so I'm not really sure whether to continue reading this series?

Thanks a million

Cheers

 

[murphy]

Hello everyone,

Lovely to find this forum.

I've recently moved to the UK and Waterstone's seems to be short on fiction fantasy books that raise my interest so I was wondering if I could ask for small, personalised list of suggestions please?

I'd have to say that my favourite books so far are all of Robin Hobb's books and just recently Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn books kept me enthralled for a few weeks.

Really enjoyed Fiona Macintosh's first two Valisar books, Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince/Star, Sara Douglass' Axis/Wayfarer series and Stephen R Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books.

I read Kate Elliot's Spirit Gate not long ago and I must admit I wasn't convinced so I'm not really sure whether to continue reading this series?

Thanks a million

Cheers

I quite liked the Spirit Gates trilogy and think that it did get better after the first book.

For recommendations, have you read Sharon Shinn's Mystic and Rider? It's the beginning of the 12 Houses series, but each book in the series is complete in itself. The series does build on what went on before, so it's best to read it the books in order of publication.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

I would recommend Cecilia Dart-Thornton's Ill-Made Mute.

 

[GOLLUM]

I would recommend Cecilia Dart-Thornton's Ill-Made Mute.

Indeed...we've just been chatting about her over at the Aussie fiction thread.

 

[murphy]

Indeed...we've just been chatting about her over at the Aussie fiction thread.

For Aussie fiction, I would prefer Joel Shepherd's Sasha or Jennifer Fallon's Second Son's trilogy to Cecelia Dart-Thorton.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

For Aussie fiction, I would prefer Joel Shepherd's Sasha or Jennifer Fallon's Second Son's trilogy to Cecelia Dart-Thorton.

I also really like Fallon (though not as much as CDT) but I've only read the Hythrun Chronicles and the Demon Child trilogy - I am looking forward to reading the Second Son's.