Please help me find another book to read!

[Mermaid]

Since finishing A Feast for Crows I have been unable to find another book that I enjoy as much as George RR Martin's books. I just read Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind, The Eyes of God by John Marco and can't even finish the first chapter of Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton (and I used to love her books!) Nothing is comparing.

Since you all love Martin as much as I do (if not more!) can you please recomend some other books that you've enjoyed.....

Thanks!

 

[genisis2]

Howdy Mermaid,
I would suggest picking up these awsome authors. R. Scott Bakker & Stephen Erickson. Great Reads different from GRRM. If your looking for a clone author That writes like him I cant help you there. Good luck in your search.

 

[Koopa]

You've probably already read her books, but Hobb I find equally good, in some ways even better then Martin. Though the Soldier Sons so far have dissapointed me a bit (i have only read book 1, so perhaps book 2 makes up for it), most acclaimed are the living ships trilogy, but I liked the Farseer and fool trilogy more. (all 3 are situated in the same world)

 

[the smiling weirwood]

Please don't read anything else by Goodkind. The first book is undeniably good, but the series quickly goes downhill to the point where I couldn't finish the fourth book, something that had never happened to me before. Seriously, you'll be so much happier if you just pretend the first book was the end of the story, which it should have been, if you ask me.

 

[Centurion]

I think you'll find the Empire trilogy by R.Feist ad Janny Wurts has an equal amount of intrigue as GRRM's books.

 

[southron sword]

i read wizards first rule, i didnt like it. i liked the idea of the story, it was good, it was the writing style that i didnt like. after reading grrm u kinda get sick of the whole "goodie goodie" hero where they never do things wrong or say the wrong thing. it was too unbelievable for me. (not sayin that i actually believe whats happenin in westeros to b real lol) i cant really help u with the authors part, im still relatively new to fantasy. i do know that the riftwar series is good tho.

 

[Koopa]

the good guys win in the riftwar series

 

[Mermaid]

Please don't read anything else by Goodkind.

Ha! Don't worry, I won't. I picked the book because it was a big one and part of a series but got bored with it pretty fast.....it seems like it was written by a 13 year old, way too sappy.

I'll be going to the book store tomorrow and I'll look for Robin Hobb, I read the living ships books awhile back and liked them....had actually forgotten about them. I'll check out the other authors you all mentioned too. Thanks for the feedback!!

 

[Trey Greyjoy]

What is it about Martin's series you find appealing? That might help us narrow down what other authors you may enjoy.

Im about 3/4 the way through the Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. Im really enjoying it.

Robin Hobb's Assassins Apprentice was quite good also. Ive picked up the next 2 books but havent started them yet.

Dont forget to pick up Legends 1 & 2 for GRRM's Dunk & Egg stories. The first is also available in graphic novel form and is entitled "The Hedge Knight".

Personally Im a big fan of Neil Gaiman also, and would recommend both his novels and graphic novels.

 

[Mermaid]

I liked how easy the series was to read, the flow was great. I didn't feel like there was any unneeded extras...dialoge was believable, the characters you could really like or dislike, they were "real". The books made me feel, saddness, happiness, anger and made me laugh out loud....defined for me a "page turner". That's the best I can do to describe what I liked about them....I know everyone tastes are different but for there to be a forum about a group of books, I knew I wasn't the only one who really loved this series....and finding a series like this doesn't happen often for me. I read alot, all different genres but very few really get to me like these books did......I think of them like a drug, I just keep wanting more, like I need a fix of more good reading.

 

[Werthead]

Books recommended by Martin himself may be the way to go:

Jack Vance: Everything, but The Demon Princes series, The Dying Earth quartet and The Lyonesse Trilogy in particular.

Daniel Abraham: The Shadow in Summer

Walter Scott Williams: The Dread Empire's Fall Trilogy

Scott Lynch: The Lies of Locke Lamora

Robert Charles Wilson: Spin (which beat GRRM at this year's Hugos, but he didn't mind as he thought it was great)

Bernard Cornwell: Pretty much anything, but the Sharpe and Winter King series in particular (historical fiction).

George MacDonald Fraser: The Flashman Series (historical fiction, very funny, clearly the inspiration for a lot of GRRM's humour, notably Tyrion).

Also to be recommended is George RR Martin's own other novels: Dying the Light, Windhaven, the immortal Fevre Dream, The Armageddon Rag, Tuf Voyaging and the forthcoming ultimate collection of his short fiction, Dreamsongs: A RRetrospective.

There's also the two A Song of Ice and Fire prequel novellas, The Hedge Knight and The Sworn Sword, both well worth reading.

I think you'll find the Empire trilogy by R.Feist ad Janny Wurts has an equal amount of intrigue as GRRM's books

Not even close Well, okay, there's a fair amount, but it's not in Martin's league. Enjoyable books though.

A lot of people who enjoy GRRM also like R. Scott Bakker's mighty The Prince of Nothing Trilogy, although Bakker's work is pretty grim in places. He makes ASoIaF look like a comedy in places. If you can get over the unrelenting grimness though, it's an extremely impressive work.

 

[dwndrgn]

I'd suggest Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series.

 

[GOLLUM]

There's literally heaps I could recommend, but for EPIC fantasy 2 others you may like are Steven Erikson's Malazan book of the fallen series (better than Mation IMO) and R. Scott Bakker's Prince Of Nothing trilogy.

Yet to read but everyone seems to be raving about Scott Lynch's series.

Also check out JV Jones current Sword Of Shadows series and Greg Keyes Kingdom Of Thorn and Bone quartet.

 

[Trey Greyjoy]

Based upon what you like about Martin, my strongest suggestion would be Scott Lynch or Robin Hobb.

 

[Boaz]

Mermaid, if you liked the grand political themes of intrigue, infighting, and conquest in ASOIAF, then I'd agree with Centurion's recommendation on Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts' Empire Series. In a nutshell, it's about the political maneuvering between great noble houses in an East Asian fantasy setting.

For the same reasons I love Shogun by James Clavell. It is deeper and more complex than the Empire books. The action comes from the perspectives of different characters, sort of like Martin's ASOIAF, but most are from one character. I'd call it historical fiction, though after studying the history I know the author took great liberties with the timeline and characters, and it covers the ending of the Sengoku Jidai period of Japan.

 

[Aegon the Unworthy]

Hey look, theres Boaz pimping Shogun....havent seen that in a week or more. Kind of missed it to tell the truth.

I personally enjoyed all the Apprentice series that Feist put out. Problem with that guy is he keeps his characters around for more than a millenia in book time. I enjoyed the Serpentwar Series as well...but not the scattered books in the middle, go figure.

I just want to tack on what others are saying and recommend Hobbs. Good solid read for my money, stay away from Robert Jordan or you will likely drive to his house and demand reparations for that part of your life you cant get back.

 

[TK-421]

I'm reading (slowly but surely) Katherine Kerr's Deverry series. I'm on book #6 now. It's kind of like a celtic-based fantasy. Pretty good.

The series is:
Daggerspell
Darkspell
The Bristling Wood
The Dragon Revenant
A Time of Exile
A Time of Omens
Days of Blood and Fire
Days of Air and Darkness
The Red Wyvern
The Black Raven
The Fire Dragon
The Gold Falcon

 

[Boaz]

Hey look, theres Boaz pimping Shogun....havent seen that in a week or more. Kind of missed it to tell the truth.

Are you saying I'm redundant? that I repeat things? that I reiterate myself? that I keep saying the same things over and over...

 

[Dolorous Edd]

Shogun was just dispatched Boaz! Rejoice! Only about another 6.5 billion people left to badger!

 

[KayKay]

I really loved 'Kushiel's Trilogy' from Jacqueline Carey. A lot of spicy scenes due to the fact that the main character is a courtisane , but made me laugh, cry and so on... Will be followed by Imriel's Trilogy shortly ...