What NEW AUTHORS of high (epic) fantasy should I read?

[Strife]

Forgive my ignorance. I would like to read new exciting books.

Can you help me?

As for my tastes:
I've read all Tolkien (of course), and I'm a big fan of the Amber Cycle. Oh, I tried a Terry Goodkind's book and didn't like it at all. I liked Madeline Howard's Hidden Stars and I'm readind the second book, Dark Sacrifice.

Can you please suggest other new authors?

 

[Hari Seldon]

I just started George R R Martin's A song of Ice and Fire series. I'm a quarterway through the second book and think it fantastic thus far.

I loved The Fionavar Trilogy and Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

Erikson's The Malazan series gets rave reviews and I'll probably tackle that next.

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time is another fantasy series that I will eventually get to. I believe it's 11 books.

Some others I will:
Tad William's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series
R Scott Bakker Prince of Nothing
Robin Hobb Farseer

Hope this helps a little.

 

[Connavar]

I can recommend only Gavriel and Tad Williams.


Not a big fan of the rest of newer epic fantasy i have read.

 

[vurtomatic]

Cherryh's Fortress series.

 

[Overread]

Epic Fantasty and modern you say:
George R.R.Martins "A Song of Ice and Fire" starts with "A Game of Thrones":
possibly one of the greatest authors for fantasy currently writing- and epic tale of thrones and kings in a dark and gritty world that draws strongly from the authors good understanding of the Medivial times. This is one series not to miss.

Steven Erikson's "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" starts with "The Gardens of the Moon": as big a tale as martins, and just as complex; written in a similar style (small chapters following different characters) but with a much greater and active force of magic. Here the gods play on the world, here humanity shares the lands with other races, here the armies of the dead walk -- epic and high magic

 

[DeepThought]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by new? is it books you havent read or the latest ones? well, I'm assuming you've not read at least some of the ones I'm listing below:

A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin, very girtty, heavy on politics and court intrigue and some good solid writing...I'm obviously not going to elaborate (which has been done to death already) and besides there a lot of chron locals here who could do it better than me...projected seven volumes out of which four already out with the fifth (A Dance with Dragons) on the way.

A Tale of Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson, Military fantasy with extremely complex plot/world and refreshingly unique magic system, which features heavily throughout the series. Projected ten volume, seven of which is already out, with the eighth one (Toll The Hounds) on its way.

These are some of the others which receive a lot of praise in this forum:

The Prince of nothing, R Scott bakker
The Black Company, Glenn Cook
The Monarchies of God, Paul Kearney
Crown of Stars, Kate Elliot
Sword of Shadows, JV Jones
The Wheel of Time, Robert Jordan
Dune, Frank Herbert

Cheer's, DeepThought

 

[DeepThought]

Oops!, I seemed to have mentioned, almost the same stuff the other posters before me (which isn't surprising anyway...), Oh well...

Cheer's, DeepThought

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

R.E.Feist: Magician series is a good epic read.

 

[Anarchon]

Hi, Strife

I agree with everyone here, although some of the mentioned authors aren't NEW ones (I'm thinking of Herbert).

G.R.R. Martin is not new either (he was well established before his current series), but he renewed the subgenre with A Song of Ice and Fire. I think it could be a good start.

I'm new here, but I've spotted a huge Martin's sub-forum, which I'll go haunt shortly....

 

[Uylsse]

no doubt Fiest's Riftwar saga is an epic read but he has been around since the '80s
a fairly new author is Ian Irvine, who has wrote the 'View from the mirror' and the 'well of echoes' quartets.
although now in his fifties he didn't start writing till later in life and both these series of books are epics in a way.

 

[D_Davis]

By epic do you mean in length (as in a pages) or in narrative and scope?

 

[murphy]

Will suggest Dave Duncan, a much under-mentioned author. See the link for a list of his books. Especially the Seventh Sword trilogy, A Man of His Word and A Handfull of Men series.

 

[nixie]

Erikson and Bakker have already been mentioned so I'll suggest Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars series

 

[nj1]

Tom Lloyds The Storm Caller and The Twilight Herald, The first two books by this new author. I really enjoyed both these books and I think the Storm Caller was voted the best seller on some SF/fant web site. Both good Fantasy books with the Twilight Herald being the best book by a new author I've read in a while.
Heres a link to the authors page, have a look.
http://www.tomlloyd.co.uk/news.php

 

[Werthead]

If you mean 'new' as in authors new to the field who have emerged recently, than the obvious choice is Joe Abercrombie, whose First Law Trilogy (The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings)is absolutely superb. Scott Lynch, Patrick Rothfuss and Brian Ruckley may also be worth a look.

George RR Martin, as others have already said, is the best writer in the field at the moment and well worth a look.

Guy Gavriel Kay is good but I disliked his Fionavar series. His single novels - The Lions of Al-Rassan, Tigana, The Last Light of the Sun and A Song For Arbonne - are much stronger.

 

[Strife]

Thank you everyone!

I did mean epic in the sense of "heroic" fantasy, and also sword and sorcery.

And I'm looking for new = recent authors.

 

[Connavar]

Thank you everyone!

I did mean epic in the sense of "heroic" fantasy, and also sword and sorcery.

And I'm looking for new = recent authors.

None of the works mentioned are truly Herioc Fantasy or sword and sorcery.

Epic Fantasy or High Fantasy is a total different subgenre. Even if it has of course heroic elements as much of fantasy.

Best Heroic Fantasy writer is David Gemmell but if you havent already read him. He isnt new of course.

If you want epicness then the books mentioned so far in the thread are all good. If you want simpler Heroic Fantasy there is Gemmell and a couple of good Historical Fiction and Historical Fantasy writers. Historical Fantasy and Historical Fiction is the genres closest to Heroic Fantasy.

Tim Powers for Historical Fantasy

Conn Iggulden,Simon Scarrow,Scott Oden for Historical Fiction.

Not all of these writers are totaly new but there is chance you havent tried them yet.

 

[Overread]

I would say that Magicial - by Raymond E Feist - mentioned earlier. does fit into this category - whilst also being epic in scope at the same time

 

[murphy]

Thank you everyone!

I did mean epic in the sense of "heroic" fantasy, and also sword and sorcery.

And I'm looking for new = recent authors.

How about a date? Authors who have written after the year ----?

 

[Strife]

How about a date? Authors who have written after the year ----?

Let's say... the last ten years?

And the definitions of high/epic/heroic fantasy that I have found online are pretty overlapping. There are thin distinctions, yes, but then again, very few authors seem to fit in one category only.

Even Fritz Leiber (who invented the "Sword and Sorcery" category for his own books) later on gave this label to other authors' works (including heroic fantasy author like Howard into the S & S class). So, it's not so simple, Connavar, my friend.

Anyway, all the books listed here make a very good programme. I have read a couple of Gemmell's books. They're great.

I particularly appreciate the mention of new authors who are not very known or who have been overlooked.

Big thanks to all of you, again.