I promise this will be the last time I use Mariah Carey lyrics in a title.
That aside, it has occurred to me that I have never read any non-Tolkien fantasy books (at least of the sword/sorcery type), but that certain persons on this blog tend to read them fairly often, and describe them in terms that make them sound very interesting. Alas, I never remember the book/series/author names. So post ‘em if you got ‘em, and hopefully I won’t be the only one to benefit from the rec.
I would highly highly recommend the “A Song of Fire and Ice” series by George R. R. Martin. He sometimes gets a little over-zealous with his descriptions of the violence and sex, but he weaves an excellent tale. It’s a huge epic story with a lot of characters, interesting world mechanics and politics, and a plot that keeps you on your toes (in a non-cheap way). One down-side is that he’s not done writing them, so there are only 4 (out of I believe a proposed 6) books done. Still, very much worth the reading. I’d say those are my favorite of the non-tolkien fantasy books.
I also remember enjoying the “Wheel of Time” series, but that was back in high school…. so I can’t really make any claims as to the writing quality. I’ve heard complaints from friends who have read them more recently, so who konws. That series is also not quite written, but there are a good 11 out of 12 or so done, each one well over a thousand pages… so it’s a bit of a commitment. I also remember thinking that the first book was one of my least favorite, and that it picked up quite a bit with number 2.
A slightly more juvenile set of books is the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathon Stroud. It’s set in a world where wizards get all their powers from demons (a fact they hide), and one of the main characters is rather sarcastic demon. I found it enjoyable, sort of like a darker (in humor) harry potter. (by far the quickest read of the bunch).
And, well, I actually would recommend Harry Potter if you havent’ read them. Yes, they’re aimed at a younger age, but they are well written, and I think they’re quite good. (and also a quick read). Maybe something to follow up the Fire and Ice books with for a nice contrast to the bitter violence and bleakness you’ll find there.
Hrm, Fire and Ice sounds like it could be OK. Actually they really all sound OK. Wheel of Time I have definitely heard of, but it sounds like too much time for me right now, not that any of this sounds “short” per se. Fire and Ice sounds like the one you were reading on the plane that I was interested in at the time, and it may satiate my desire for interracial fantasy sex, at least until I finish seducing my NPC pals in Dragon Age. Thanks!
Might be relevant: so-called 100 greatest sci-fi or fantasy novels of all time.
oooh nice. I was hoping someone else would post suggestions. There look to be a number of intriguing titles in that list.
In other news, it looks like HBO is making a series of the Fire and Ice books. Any other network that would spell disaster, but HBO might actually be able to make something cool. (Anyone else watch Rome? I enjoyed that, and think a Song of Fire and Ice with that sort of production values would be sweet).
I too cheer for more recs! And this is a lot of them!
Interesting list, some of the ones on there I didn’t even think of as SF or F. Obviously pretty influenced by the author’s tastes, and I certainly wasn’t expecting to have never even heard of the _author_ of #1, but now I really wanna check him out. I was actually a little surprised that #4 I didn’t like so much when I had to read it for Freshman Precep, and #7 I gave up on about a week ago b/c I was so bored with it (J recommended it to me long long ago–sorry J.)