Robin Hobb or Braden Sanderson?

[Selaryn]

Hello,

I am looking for a fantasy to read, but I cannot choose between these two authors because I've never read anything from them and I don't know their styles at all.
I am actually looking for a high fantasy, with magic, dragons, etc, with complex and interesting characters, without so many political intrigues like in Song of ice and fire, but still very epic and dark (but not as cruel as Clemens' books). Something like Malazan Book of the Fallen of Erikson, or the first books of The Wheel Of Time I've already read all the classics (Tolkien, G Martin, Eddings, Weis, Salvatore, Clemens, Ursula Le Guin, Trudi Canavan, Steven Erikson, Reymund Feist, Robert Jordan.... ) , and all the new fantasy I discover are just so tedious, it's like the same story over and over again, and I am looking for a book that will really captivate me, one I won't forget. Many people recommended me these two authors, but with which one should I begin? Or is there any other author and book you can recommend me?

Thank you in advance for your recommendations!

PS. I'm sorry for my mistakes, English is not my first language!

 

[Heather Myst]

Selaryn,

I really like Brandon Sanderson's books. Elantris, Warbreaker, and The Way of Kings are my favorites. As for Hobb I enjoyed her first three trilogies Tawny Man, Farseer, and Live Ship but her latest stuff Soldier Son and Rain Wilds are not books that I would recommend.

As for another author have you read Patrick Rothfuss?

 

[Perpetual Man]

Hi Selaryn,

Welcome to the Chrons.

I'd agree with Heather - Brandon Sanderson is an excellent author, and his books are gripping. I have to say that although I have them all to read, I've only read the first two of his Mistborn books, but they were both superb (and his work on Robert Jordan's the Wheel of Time has been excellent as well.

But I do not know whether he covers the areas that you mention in your request.

If you start with Robin Hobb's first books Assassin's Apprentice then you'll find that they do - great character driven stories (you really get to hate some characters!), with magic and there might even be dragons...

Someone else might be able to tell you whether any of Sanderson's other books are more traditional, but looking at what you asking for I'd say Hobb.

(Rothfuss is definitely worth a look as well. As for Hobb's other stuff, I'm still waiting to read the latest Dragon Keeper books, but I thought Soldier Son was superb, just refreshingly different! But that's different tastes for you!)

 

[Mouse]

I'd say Robin Hobb too. Like Perp, I also enjoyed her Soldier Son books, although the middle of the third one drags, it picks up towards the end.

 

[Selaryn]

Thank you all for your recommendations!

As for another author have you read Patrick Rothfuss?

I read a summary of his work on the internet and it seems really nice, but unfortunately, he hasn't been translated in my country (France).

So if I start with Robin Hobb, I should read Assassin's Apprentice first? And if I start with Branden Sanderson, with which book should I start? (I don't know if it's the case for these authors, but for authors like Eddings or Feist there is a precise chronological order and I don't want to mess it up! )

And another question, which author has more interesting female characters? I'm a girl, and there is one other thing I dislike in most fantasy, it is that all female characters are just so plain and useless!

 

[Mouse]

So if I start with Robin Hobb, I should read Assassin's Apprentice first?

Yes.

And another question, which author has more interesting female characters? I'm a girl, and there is one other thing I dislike in most fantasy, it is that all female characters are just so plain and useless!

Well, you could try this, by um... me.

Or, there's Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy which has a female character called (if I remember rightly) Kitty, who's pretty strong. And of course there's Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials.

And Garth Nix's Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen books have strong women in them.

 

[Selaryn]

I didn't mean that the female characters must necessarily be strong, I just want them to be interesting (Not to just cry all the time and not do anything at all)

And about ''His Dark Materials'', it has been recommended to me, but I don't really know anything about it and I'm not really sure, but I don't think it has a medieval context... or does it? Because I enjoy more fantasy stories that takes place in medieval types worlds (and that's the type of fantasy I'm looking for at the moment)

 

[Perpetual Man]

Yes.

Well, you could try this, by um... me. .

I can't recommend this... yet, but it is sitting on my shelf waiting to be read.

 

[Mouse]

I didn't mean that the female characters must necessarily be strong, I just want them to be interesting (Not to just cry all the time and not do anything at all)

And about ''His Dark Materials'', it has been recommended to me, but I don't really know anything about it and I'm not really sure, but I don't think it has a medieval context... or does it? Because I enjoy more fantasy stories that takes place in medieval types worlds (and that's the type of fantasy I'm looking for at the moment)

Oh yeah, sorry, that's what I meant by 'strong.' Not necessarily physically strong, but strong personality wise.


No, HDM isn't medieval but it's very good. You might prefer the Garth Nix books though, if you want that sort of setting.

I can't recommend this... yet, but it is sitting on my shelf waiting to be read.

Is it really?! You've just made my day.

 

[Perpetual Man]

It is honest. Can't say when I'll get round to reading it mind you...

 

[Coragem]

I'd go with Hobb for depth. The Farseer, Tawny man, and Liveship trilogies all have very rich and full description and world building. Hobb also tells a story very well, but takes her time.

Sanderson also doesn't rush, and in my experience (so far) his work is very good in terms of entertainment (nice dialogue, a "light touch", some humour), but it feels less "deep". Sometimes I like reading something that's just easy and fun, and Mistborn is very good for that.

I haven't read Stormlight yet, but I'm expecting it to be at least as good as Mistborn, and what I've heard suggests that it's better.

Coragem

 

[chrispenycate]

Salut.

Malheureusement je ne peut pas aider beaucoup niveau des livres – je suis surtout Science fiction, même si j'ai lu un peu de Hobb, et bien sur le Pullman.
Comme anglephone j'ai un meilleur choix de livres en VO, mais j'ai l'impression de nos soirées mensuels SFF ici que tous les traductionsne se vallent pas.

Oh, je peut demander dans trois semaines le(s)quelle(s) de ces séries ont été bien traduit, mais pas avant.

I suspect my eritten French is somewhat worse than your English, but the idea should have come across, non?

 

[Selaryn]

@chrispenycate
Your french is better than my english Thank you very much, that will be of great help ))

@Coragem
I enjoy very much fantasy that has some humour in them ^^ So I should start with Mistborn if I decide to read Sanderson?

 

[Tansy]

If you are looking for well written, more "classical" fantasy i'd go for Hobb, Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy is good stuff but less as you describe above. I loved the first Mistborn book but it the other two didn't live up to it.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

I haven't read Sanderson, but I adore Hobb. And I think Rothfuss and His Dark Materials are both amazing.

 

[soulsinging]

So if I start with Robin Hobb, I should read Assassin's Apprentice first? And if I start with Branden Sanderson, with which book should I start? (I don't know if it's the case for these authors, but for authors like Eddings or Feist there is a precise chronological order and I don't want to mess it up! )

I don't recall there being ANY women in Hobb really, interesting or no.

Sanderson might be up your alley. His first novel Elantris had some interesting female characters and I think Mistborn does as well.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

I don't recall there being ANY women in Hobb really, interesting or no.

Molly, Kettricken, Kettle, Patience. I found them pretty interesting.

And then in the Liveship books, Althea and Malta are two POV characters.

 

[digs]

Molly, Kettricken, Kettle, Patience. I found them pretty interesting.

And then in the Liveship books, Althea and Malta are two POV characters.

Get out of here, you scamp!

Yeah, Hobb has quite a few interesting females. In fact, most of the characters I can think of from the Liveship Traders are female: Althea and Malta mentioned above, Amber, Ronica, Keffria, Reyn's mother (Jhoni?), Etta, the pirate woman whose name I've forgotten, the liveships Vivacia and Ophelia, and the dragon Tintaglia...all are well-written and nuanced characters, imho.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

Very good digs, but one name in your list was incorrectly attributed to as a female.

 

[digs]

Don't even!