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Topic: Good Fantasy Series??

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Subject: Good Fantasy Series??
Date Posted: 10/11/2007 10:28 AM ET
Member Since: 10/2/2007
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I am looking for another great fantasy series to read.  I really enjoyed the "Sword of Truth" and "Wheel of Time" series.  If I had to choose between the two series I've read, I would go with the "Sword of Truth" by Terry Goodkind.  What would you recommend?

rowdyblues avatar
Date Posted: 10/11/2007 11:37 AM ET
Member Since: 4/10/2007
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Melanie Rawn is pretty good.

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Date Posted: 10/11/2007 11:53 AM ET
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George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series is wonderful, and is along the same lines of "epic fantasy" as the ones you mentioned above.

Cheryl

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Date Posted: 10/11/2007 11:58 AM ET
Member Since: 7/10/2007
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I also recommend George RR Martin.  Other "epic fantasy" authors you could read are Gregory Keyes, Tad Williams, Robin Hobb, and Raymond E. Feist to name a few.

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Date Posted: 10/11/2007 4:42 PM ET
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Thirding George R.R. Martin and seconding Robin Hobb. (You can get a list of the books and the order to read them in on http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk )

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Date Posted: 10/11/2007 8:07 PM ET
Member Since: 10/2/2007
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The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King.....great books! I will say the first one is hard to get through but the rest are awesome!

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Date Posted: 10/12/2007 10:33 AM ET
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I read Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin's Quest) this past year and it was good. 

I also read the Death Gate series by Weis and Hickman a few months ago and enjoyed it.  There are 7 books in the set.  (In fact, if I remember right, I have books 5 and 6 available on my shelf)

 

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Date Posted: 10/12/2007 2:48 PM ET
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I enjoyed a series by David Eddings a few years ago.  I think it was the Belgariad series:

1. Pawn of Prophecy (1982) 2. Queen of Sorcery (1981) 3. Magician's Gambit (1981) 4. Castle of Wizardry (1984) 5. Enchanters' End Game (1984)

Booksmart1 avatar
Date Posted: 10/12/2007 5:35 PM ET
Member Since: 9/7/2005
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The DiscWorld books by Terry Pratchett. Real good fantasy, I think.

And as for the Dark Tower books, I thought the same thing, Todd. I'm glad I started on book 2 before I new it was a series. If I had started with the Gunslinger, I wouldn't have read any further.

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Date Posted: 10/13/2007 12:40 AM ET
Member Since: 10/14/2006
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Let's see:

Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen by Garth Nix - Labeled as Young Adult, but pretty mature stuff, and mindblowingly good.  One of the best uses of magic in any series of books -- it all fits, it all surprises and delights.

The Jhereg series by Steven Brust - Starts out as hard-boiled detective/crime stuff, moves on to epic fantasy.  Each book has a different style and tone (the latest, Dzur, starts each chapter with a step in a recipe, which is somewhat relevant to the story at that point).

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Date Posted: 10/13/2007 12:16 PM ET
Member Since: 9/25/2007
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The sevenwaters trilogy by Juliet Marillier.

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Date Posted: 10/13/2007 7:55 PM ET
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Mercedes Lackey has several series.  Joust is excellent.

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Date Posted: 10/14/2007 12:41 AM ET
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I highly recommend George RR Martin, Tad Williams and Steven Brust. Hmm. I have to agree with Melanie Rawn, Greg Keyes and Terry Pratchett also.

I also really enjoyed R A Salvatore's Forgotten Realms series about Drizzt Do'Urden. I think there are about 12 total.  Probably best to start with the Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn trilogy.

Stephen R Donaldson has a great 6 book series about Thomas Covenant, I think he is writing 3 more right now. The first book is Lord Foul's Bane.

Another of my absolute favorites is Guy Gavriel Kay. He writes mostly stand-alone fantasy, but has a trilogy called The Fionavar Tapestry and a duology called The Sarantine Mosaic. The book titles are The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road, and Sailing to Sarantium and The Lord of Emporers.

Terry Brooks has written about 15 books set in his Shannara universe. The first one is The Sword of Shannara, but he is writing several prequals right now.

I am sure I'll think of some others later. But, those are the writers who I have all of their books. i love them all too much! I have all of Terry Goodkind and Robert Jordan, too.

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Date Posted: 10/14/2007 1:13 AM ET
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You absolutely must read His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman if you haven't.   It came out early 90s and is technically "young adult" but I thought it was fantastic!  Follow this order:  The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass.

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Date Posted: 10/14/2007 2:48 AM ET
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I've never read those but I love the Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

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Date Posted: 10/14/2007 12:09 PM ET
Member Since: 2/22/2007
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Seconding Erin! His Dark Materials is FANTASTIC.

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Date Posted: 10/15/2007 3:26 AM ET
Member Since: 11/2/2006
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The Xanth series by Piers Anthony

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Date Posted: 10/15/2007 12:17 PM ET
Member Since: 6/13/2007
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Anything by Terry Brooks, especially the Shannara series.

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Date Posted: 10/15/2007 8:01 PM ET
Member Since: 6/23/2006
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Elizabeth Hayden's "Rhapsody of the Ages"  series is wonderful, as is Kate Forsyth's "Witches of Eileanan" and Anne Bishop's "Black Jewels" Trilogy     All of them are really great series.

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Date Posted: 10/15/2007 8:36 PM ET
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I'm not a big fan of fantasies, but I found about 35 of them at Goodwill last week and now have probably 50+ fantasies on my shelf.  If anybody is interested, I am also doing 3 for 2 for the next couple of days before I go out of town for awhile on Thursday.  Have a look at my shelf---most are partial series, but some are complete trilogies etc.

Zaria avatar
Date Posted: 10/18/2007 4:35 PM ET
Member Since: 10/18/2007
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I also enjoyed Garth Nix's Abhorsen Trilogy, and Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy. I'd also reccomend...

The Protector of the Small Quartet by Tamora Pierce The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce The Alanna Quartet by Tamora Pierce The Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb Lake of Death - it's in the Dragonlance series, I can't remember who it's by though.

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Date Posted: 10/18/2007 4:38 PM ET
Member Since: 11/17/2006
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I second David Eddings' Belgariad series, but Iiked his follow-up Mallorean series even better.  I'd definitely read the Belgariad series first though to get the background story.

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Date Posted: 10/20/2007 9:22 PM ET
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Love most of the above mentioned. I've read most of them. Sara Douglass wasn't mentioned. Lynn Flewelling has a great series and Kristen Britain (a protege of Terry Goodkind) has 2 books out in the Green Rider series. Also another favorite is Janny Wurts.

Epic fantasy is my favorite genre! I hate for books to end.  LOL

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Date Posted: 11/11/2007 11:41 AM ET
Member Since: 11/11/2007
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KATHERINE KERR STAART AT THE FIST BOOK AND THE SAME FOR RAYMOND FEIST

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Date Posted: 11/11/2007 11:43 AM ET
Member Since: 11/11/2007
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GAUY GAVRIAL KAY IS GREAT TOO SOMEONE ELSE RECOMMENDED THE FIONAVAR SERIES AND THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT!!!

CLIVE BARKER IS GREAT TOO, THE GREAT AND SECRET SHOW, IMAJICA BUT IT'S DARK

 

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