Dying for a good fantasy book (help a guy out with a recommendation)

[williamjm]

Feist's Magician - Apprentice
Having immensly enjoyed the first Riftwar book back in junior high, I picked up Apprentice last year. Although I finished it, I was bored to tears reading it. A predictable boy grows up to become a superstar story, it was obvious that Pug and that other guy would never be in any real danger, would grow up to do great things, and that Pug would later hook up with that princess. Boring plot in a boring world. I guess I outgrew that whole youth fantasy formula.

Actually Pug never 'hooks up with that princess' but marries someone else, so obviously it's not quite as predictable as you thought

Anyway, recommendations:
Scott Lynch - "The Lies of Locke Lamora"
Susanna Clarke - "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" - although people do have very varied reactions to this, I thought it was a superb book.
Tim Powers - "The Anubis Gates", "Declare", "Last Call" etc.
John M Ford - "The Dragon Waiting" (reminiscent of "A Song of Ice and Fire" in some ways, although Ford's writing does differ significantly in other ways)

Have you read George RR Martin's non-ASOIAF books? Most of them are Science Fiction rather than Fantasy, but they tend to be good.

I think you seem to have read most of the major Epic Fantasy authors, so there may not be that much more to read in that genre, but there are other types of Fantasy novel as well.

 

[Bikewer]

If you love prose, (and great stories!) try Fritz Lieber. The Fafherd and Grey Mouser stories are absolutely wonderful, and completely different from the usual run of fantasy drek available.
Someone mentioned C.J.Cherryh; try the "Morgaine" novels. Though they have a strong science-fiction basis, the setting is a very realistic feudal world.
Jack Vance has written some wonderful fantasy; look for the Mazirian the Magician and Cudgel the Clever stories.
How about Neil Gaiman? Neverwhere and American Gods would both qualify, and both are excellent.

 

[Hiro Protagonist]

I recently read Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson. It was a very complex book, but it was so well writtent the complexity was almost masked. I am not sure if you would like it based on the books you have posted, but myself and many others have enjoyed this book, so its worth a read.

 

[murphy]

I recently read Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson. It was a very complex book, but it was so well writtent the complexity was almost masked. I am not sure if you would like it based on the books you have posted, but myself and many others have enjoyed this book, so its worth a read.

And Mistborn by Sanderson is even better.

 

[Werthead]

Not sure how Elantris is 'very complex'. It was a pretty straightforward novel, masking some good (and relatively original) ideas behind an approachable and easy-to-get-into prose style. His characters were a bit on the invulnerable side, however, and had a things a bit too easy. Still, for a first novel it was entertaining. I will read Mistborn when it either gets a UK publication or they replace that utterly horrific cover on the US edition.

David Gemmell's first book Legend is generally recommended as the best place to start with him. However, I found it unbearably tedious and much preferred his Jon Shannow Trilogy which starts with Wolf in Shadow. A mix of SF, fantasy and western.

Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy is very readable and entertaining. The first two books - The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged - are out now in the UK.

Scott Lynch's The Gentleman ******* sequence is the new 'big' fantasy series to watch (although the books are self-contained to start off with). The Lies of Locke Lamora is out now and Red Seas Under Red Skies follows in June.

Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind is the most critically lauded fantasy novel of this year, and will be out in a couple of weeks' time.

I agree about checking out George RR Martin's other books. Fevre Dream is the best vampire novel I've ever read; Windhaven and Dying of the Light are strong SF novels; and The Armageddon Rag is also very enjoyable. Dreamsongs, which collects together his short fiction, is a tremendously impressive read as well.

If you like a bit of SF as well, I strongly recommend Peter F. Hamilton's The Night's Dawn Trilogy (starting with The Reality Dysfunction), Alastair Reynolds' Chasm City or Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon.

 

[Jason_Taverner]

What's a good place to start with Gemmell? Keep coming across his name and good feedback but I think he's written a couple of books and I've never gotten around to picking one to start with.

Good idea to start with the Drenai books read some Druss or waylander, good place for info is this very own site has its own David Gemmell area.