I'm a fan of fantasy books with action and a dash of romance. Any reccs? I've already read Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series and would love some similarly smart books. I'm starting the Song of Fire & Ice series as well...
I'm a fan of fantasy books with action and a dash of romance. Any reccs? I've already read Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series and would love some similarly smart books. I'm starting the Song of Fire & Ice series as well...
Wow, tough. Jacqueline Carey is kind of in a league of her own. For some reason Jacqueline's work has always reminded of me of early Melanie Rawn. If you haven't read Dragon Prince, you might want to give it a try and see if it is for you. Lots of romance. Lots of intrigue. Lots of action. Lots of politics. And a really good series. I have fond memories of it.
Song of Ice and Fire is one of my all-time favorites--you'll enjoy those very much!
Ms. Heller is right, of course. Great books. Not finished, so beware. :)
This might be an out-of-left-field suggestion, and it's a little slow to start, but Pete Hamill's Forever is a great read.
Lois McMaster Bujold's Chalion books:
The Curse of Chalion
Paladin of Souls
The Hallowed Hunt
Sean Russell's books, especially:
World Without End
Sea Without Shore
And of course, Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind. All of similar quality, and they all have that long buildup like Dart does.
Thanks for the recommendations, guys! I've only heard of Ms. Bujold before but haven't read her yet. I'll have to look up Melanie Rawn, Pete Hamill, Sean Russell, and Patrick Rothfuss. Anyone read any of the classic fantasy books? By Lord Dunsany, etc.?
three words.
The. Blade. Itself.
'nuff said.
The Quickening books by Fiona McIntosh:
Myrren's Gift
Bridge of Souls
Blood and Memory
The Magister Trilogy by C.S. Friedman:
Feast of Souls
Wings of Wrath
"not published yet"
Mistborn books by Brian Sanderson:
Mistborn
Well of Ascension
The Hero of Ages
If you're interested in the Kushiel series you may also like the Crown of Stars Series by Kate Elliott, it begins with "The King's Dragon". Its a little less steamy than the Carrey's work, but its a truly top-notch fantasy read as far as research and realism of the world go.
I've had Kate Elliott recommended to me before - every time I go to the bookstore to get it, though, it's never there! I think I may just need to order it online.
The only recommendations that are popping in my head are more recent titles.
Christopher Golden's The Veil Trilogy: (was a lot of fun and has so many different myths and legends as characters it's a blast. I mean a warrior-mage Jack Frost as one of the main heroes is just too fun.) consisted of:
Myth Hunters
Borderkind
The Lost One
The Name of the Wind by Rothfuss blew me away last year and I couldn't recommend it more.
Last year I was also knocked flat by China Mielville's Perdido Street Station. And King Rat (his take on the pied piper of hamlin)
And just to throw in an old favorite If you haven't read His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman you can't go wrong there.
You know I totally have HDM under my belt already! It's such a must for fantasy fans.
I have to give China Mieville a shot - I have Un Lun Dun waiting to be read on my bookshelf, as well as The City & The City. I'm almost scared to start though - afraid I'll be let down!
There are many amazing authors than those who are listed as popularly recommended. I would like to recommend a few whose writings hook me up to reading big time, you can start in any order:
1) Carol Berg (any of her books but start with: "Transformation")
2) Michelle Sagara West: Into the Dark Lands
3) Robin Hobb (start with: Assasin's Apprentice)
4) David Coe: (Lon Tobyn Chronicle & Winds of the Forelands)
5) Tad Williams (Memory, Ice & Thorn)
6) Brandon Sanderson: (Elantris, and Mistborn series)
7) Janny Wurts (Daughter of the Empire)
8) Jennifer Fallon
9) Cherryh, C.J.: (Fortress Series)
10) Stephen Donaldson: (Thomas Covenant)
11) Juliet Marillier (Daughter of the Forest, Seven Waters Trilogy)
12) Catherine Asaro: (Skolian Empire series, Quantum Rose, and the Misted Cliffs)
13) Elizabeth Haydon: (Raphsody)
14) Jim Butcher: (Codex Alera series)
15) Frank Herber: Dune
16) Patricia Briggs:(Hurog series, and Mercedes Thomson Series)
These are just few among many, hopefully you get more time for reading than I find in a day, because these are books you do not wish to be interrupted from. Enjoy the adventure.
@Ariadne: You can even start the Robin Hobb series for free with the Suvudu Free Library.
I also have to agree with Shawn: Melanie Rawn is a severely underrated fantasy writer, and I really enjoyed her series (I felt it reminded me a lot of Terry Goodkind--anyone else feel that way?).
If you want some really good fantasy book recommendations, check out www.bestfantasybooks.com; it's got a really huge recommendation list for the best fantasy books. What's particularly useful is that the author explain what he/she likes about the book.
I've been using the site the past few months to find new fantasy series and the author's been bang on as far as his/her recommendations go
cart456
Anybody know where the World of Warcraft European servers are located? Someone said they are all in Britain but I am not sure. Would they have some in Germany, some in Finland etc?
I am trying to do a business plan for my own massive multiplayer game and was wonder how they spread out the resources.
WoW Europe Gold
Really looking forward to checking out Jessica Bendinger's new novel The Seven Rays when it's released on Nov. 24th. The story focuses on a teenage girl named Beth Michaels as she journeys through mystery, magic, and love... Just downloaded the first chapter from the book's official site, and Bendinger is quite a talented writer. You can find the first chapter of the novel here: http://www.thesevenrays.com/
Mists of Avalon is a classic in this area.
Mythago Wood isn't classic fantasy, though it is fantasy, and has a splash of romance.