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Topic: Can I get some suggestions

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Subject: Can I get some suggestions
Date Posted: 10/18/2008 6:34 PM ET
Member Since: 8/4/2007
Posts: 1,133
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Can anyone reccommend some fantasy novels for someone who

LIKES: Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar, 500 Kingdoms, and Dragon Jousters, David Eddings' Belgariad, Malloreon, Dreamers, and Redemption, Steven Brust's Vladimir Taltos world, Terry Pratchett's Discworld, anything by Tamora Pierce, Piers Anthony's Xanth, and JK Rowling's Harry Potter series.

DISLIKES: Mercedes Lackey's Bedlam Bard and Elemental Masters, David Eddings' Elenium and Tamuli, Piers Anthony's non-Xanth, Robert Jordan, Melanie Rawn, Tad Williams, Anne McCaffery, George RR Martin, Raymond Feist and books set in Earth's past only there is magic.

Please help me out by suggesting some authors or series or books that you think someone with the above likes and dislikes would enjoy. Thank you so much!!
Date Posted: 10/18/2008 7:00 PM ET
Member Since: 6/1/2005
Posts: 295
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Here are a few titles that I"ve really enjoyed:

The Book of Lost Things:

http://yourehistory.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/historical-fiction-the-book-of-lost-things-by-john-connelly/

Ghyostwalk:

http://yourehistory.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/historical-fiction-ghostwalk-by-rebecca-stott/

Neverwhere:

http://yourehistory.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/modern-lit-neverwhere-by-neil-gaiman/

My Halloween faves:

http://yourehistory.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/its-fall-a-little-halloween-reading/
Date Posted: 10/18/2008 10:46 PM ET
Member Since: 4/5/2007
Posts: 796
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Maybe Anne Bishop's Black Jewels Trilogy?
Date Posted: 10/18/2008 10:52 PM ET
Member Since: 1/14/2008
Posts: 107
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You might enjoy Terry Goodkinds Sword of Truth series or Jim Butcher's Dresden Files.  I didn't think I would enjoy Butcher's series after I finished Goodkind and the Harry Potter series but I ended up loving it.  I also enjoyed Irene Radford's dragon series.
Date Posted: 10/19/2008 12:07 AM ET
Member Since: 10/2/2007
Posts: 1,008
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Try out anything by Robin Hobb. My favorite are the farseer trilogy and the fool trilogy (which continues the same story) I just got in the trilogy of Liveship Traders by her and am going to start it today. It's supposedly along the same story lines. Loved them!

Ditto the Anne Bishop rec, they are fantastic, but sorry I keep all Anne Bishop books!
Paul H. (PaulH) - ,
Date Posted: 10/19/2008 1:59 PM ET
Member Since: 6/27/2008
Posts: 146
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If you like the comedy side of things (a la Terry Pratchett) you'd probably enjoy Robert Asprin's Myth-Adventures of Aahz and Skeeve.  The original series ended up being 12 books, the first is Another Fine Myth.  I've seen he's started writing more books with a co-author - I haven't tried those, but have heard they are nowhere near as good.  But I thought the early books in the series were hilarious.
Subject: Fantasy Authors
Date Posted: 10/19/2008 11:26 PM ET
Member Since: 4/16/2008
Posts: 1,477
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Probably one of the best authors for fantasy is Terry Brooks.  Start with the beginning of the series.

The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara and the Wishsong of Shannara.  He then moves on to the Heritage of Shannar series.

I did not like his The Magic Kingdom of Landover series at all.  But the rest is great.  I would compare him to J.R.R. Tolkein.

 

 
Date Posted: 10/20/2008 12:05 PM ET
Member Since: 5/23/2005
Posts: 6,143
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Hmm, I want to give you recommendations, but I find in reading your likes and dislikes that our tastes are probably quite opposite.   But, to add something of value to your thread, you might like Lynn Flewelling.
Date Posted: 10/20/2008 5:06 PM ET
Member Since: 2/24/2007
Posts: 6,447
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Lynn Flewelling, Anne Bishop, Carol Berg, Sara Douglass, Jacqueline Cary , Tanith Lee, Ursula Le Guin, Terry Brooks, Jim Butcher, Larry Niven, to name a few.

I find it interesting that you don't like Anne McCaffrey or Robert Jordan.  I love all the authors you mentioned whether you liked or disliked them. LOL

Plus, some of the series by authors that you said you don't like I didn't like but others I loved. Sometimes it's just a matter of content and not writing. For instance, I loved the earlier stuff by Tad Williams but I was so confused reading Otherworld. LOL

 
Date Posted: 10/23/2008 10:10 PM ET
Member Since: 12/21/2007
Posts: 49
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Our tastes seem pretty similar. Except that I like early McCaffrey. The SF stuff. Love Brust and Pratchett. So, let me suggest Susan Dexter. Her original trilogy is only available used, but the paperbacks are still reasonable. The Ring of Allaire, The Sword of Calandra, and The Mountains of Channandran were published in the mid to late 80s. The Wizard's Shadow is a great follow-up to that. Then The Prince of Ill Luck, The Wind-Witch and The True Knight are a more recent trilogy. Great characters, enjoyable stories. You don't mention Pat Wrede. Not only her Enchanted Forest Chronicles, which are simply enchanting and a lot of fun, but more serious books in her Lyra series, including Shadow Magic, Daughter of Witches, The Harp of Imach Thyssel, The Raven Ring, and more. Robin McKinley--The Hero and the Crown, followed by The Blue Sword, are her Damar books and everyone wishes she would do more, but she's written plenty more fantasy of all kinds. Her newest, Chalice, is classic fantasy. Patricia McKillip--Her RiddleMaster of Hed trilogy was fantastic early work, but many stand-alone fantasies with lots of atmosphere since then. Try Od Magic for starters to see if she is to your taste. Nina Kiriki Hoffman--start with The Thread That Binds the Bones, and go on from there! Lois McMaster Bujold--writes great character-driven space opera, but her fantasies are great too. Start with Chalion and then go on to my favorite, Paladin of Souls (it's a sequel so you need to read Chalion first). Once you are hooked, try the SF with Shards of Honor. Barry Hughart--only wrote 3 books, but Bridge of Birds is a classic and a wonderful story. Wrede and Stevermer have a Regency fantasy trilogy out, starting with Sorcery and Cecilia. Diana Wynne Jones has lots of fantasy. My current favorite is Dark Lord of Derkholm. Elizabeth Moon--her Paksenarrion trilogy, starting with Sheepfarmer's Daughter. Peter Dickinson--The Ropemaker and Angel Isle are just two of his more recent fantasies. Jane Lindskold for some more contemporary fantasy--I love Changer and its sequel, also Child of a Rainless Year. Ursula LeGuin--her Earthsea trilogy is a classic and a wonderful read, but she also has a current series in the YA books starting with Gifts. It's worth it to try and dig up Diane Duane's Door Into ... series: The Door into Fire, the Door into Shadow, and The Door into Sunset. You might also enjoy her Young Wizard series, starting with So You Want to be a Wizard. Hope this gives you a few things to try out. Rhonda
Date Posted: 10/24/2008 9:57 AM ET
Member Since: 8/4/2007
Posts: 1,133
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Thank you to everyone for these great suggestions! I will be trying many of them and will post my thoughts. Thank you so much!
Date Posted: 10/24/2008 6:12 PM ET
Member Since: 1/2/2008
Posts: 174
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ronincats (Rhonda C.) mentioned Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion books ...

I just read on Moon's LJ that the book she's currently working on is a Paks book!

After 20 years!

wOOt!

Doing the Tigger dance! ::: bounce, bounce, bounce!:::

(Yeah, I liked the books. Can you tell? <G>)

(And you can read the first part of Paks [called Sheepfarmer's Daughter] free at the Baen Free Library)

 
Date Posted: 10/25/2008 3:14 AM ET
Member Since: 1/19/2008
Posts: 14,845
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a new Paks books??  way cool!
Date Posted: 1/4/2009 10:40 PM ET
Member Since: 9/27/2007
Posts: 277
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I don't remember the authors, but you could look at the Pern series, the Darkover series, or the first Acorna book. I wouldn't go past the first one for the Acorna book though. That one was very enjoyable, but then they got reallly slow.
Date Posted: 1/5/2009 4:06 AM ET
Member Since: 10/7/2008
Posts: 925
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I love Guy Gavriel Kay, his Fionavar trilogy is comparable to LOTR in my opinion.  Agree with Dresden Files recomend, he is funny and the stories are multi-layered.  I believe McCaffrey was the author of the Pern series and Acorna...thought they were listed in the dislike column for you...?

 
Date Posted: 1/6/2009 3:00 PM ET
Member Since: 2/25/2007
Posts: 13,991
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YOu might like some of Charles De Lint's urban fantasy books; magic and magical characters set in the current, contemporary world----not a whole different magical universe....
Date Posted: 1/9/2009 7:58 PM ET
Member Since: 7/8/2005
Posts: 1,010
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I agree with Diana Wynne Jones.  Her Chrestomanci series is excellent.  If you are a Harry Potter fan I think you will like them.  I would start with The Lives of Christopher Chant. 

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