[Sunset]

I can't do much of anything these days, so I was wondering if any of you knew any good fantasy books?

The books I've read are:
Cry of the Icemark
Hawksong: The Kiesha'ra - haven't finished the series
Unicorn Chronicles
Hollow Kingdom
Chronicles of Riddick
Dragonriders of Pern
The Seer and the Sword
The Healer's Keep
Wyvernhail
Wolfcry
Demon in my View
Midnight Predator
Shattered Mirror
Artemis Fowl
-----

That's all I can remember. It's just gives you a taste of what I like, or might read. Please help, cause I'm so bored with television and video games.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Depends on what you're looking for. Epic stuff? Sword and Sorcerey? Dungeon adventure style? Character driven things? Mass battle?

I read fantasy but most of what you've read there I havent' heard of beyond Anne Macaffrey (probably not spelt right) and I know she has more books beyond the Dragon Riders series.

There's Earthsea, shared world stuff like Dragonlance, particularly the "Dragons of..." books. Thinks like that.

[Sunset]

I'm in the mood for swords and sorcerey. Though, character driven sounds good too. Just need something that will grab my attention. Plus, any books you mention I have to check with my library to see if they have it anyway. That's the only downer.

[Daring Scylla]

i love Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy - the right mix of adventure, comedy and fantasy. They are by no means high fantasy but worth a shot.
And if no joy? take a look at Tamora Pierce's works. I'd recommend starting with the Circle of Magic series

[Suzerain of Sheol]

I'm not sure you'd care for the sort of fantasy I like, from looking at your list, but I'll make some suggestions.

The Black Company series by Glen Cook. The first trilogy is the best, but they're all good. They're just... badass books. First-person chronicle of an elite mercenary company stuck way over their head in a war between godlike sorcerers. Lots of action and battles, some decent humor too.

The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. Only try this if you want a challenge and have a LOT of time to read. 10 books in all in the main series, first is Gardens of the Moon. It's my absolute favorite series. It is insanely epic, has hundreds of characters, takes place over 10 years, set in an extremely original world. Has pretty much everything -- action, drama, tragedy, humor, not to mention it focuses on characters from all walks of like, from slaves and peasants to mercenaries, soldiers, merchants, kings, heroes, and gods.

And, lastly, my other favorite series, the Prince of Nothing trilogy by R. Scott Bakker. Extremely dark, extremely creepy, and "deep" fantasy. It's the closest thing to "literature" that the genre has ever produced. For an idea of what it's about, basically, take Middle-Earth, let Nietzsche re-invent it, set the historical First Crusade in it, then make the Anti-Christ the main character. Extremely compelling stuff here, but fair warning, it is not for everyone.

Oh, and of course, there's also George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, which is currently a series on HBO at the moment, but I don't really recommend it. It starts out really strong, but the later books are just awful. But, if you might be interested, it's a very "low" fantasy, hardly any magic until the later books, tons of political maneuvering, setting is very similar to our own historical Middle Age. If you've ever played Final Fantasy Tactics, the story is similar, just without all the magic, but with a lot more "adult" content *rolls eyes*

[Quiet Man Cometh]

I can vouch -a little- for Malazan. Of course, being lazy and picky I grabbed a random book in the middle of the series and started reading there so that I'd have an idea of whether or not I'd like the author before reading all 10. I've definately wound Erikson to be an attention grabber, I enjoy the writing, and I like the characters. He has a sort of neutral realism that I've noticed. He describes things as they are but doesn't try and doll it up with emotional decorations. The readers can react as they will.

I'm Currently reading Ysabel bell by Guy Gavriel Kay. The book got lots of attention in the media. I'm enjoying it, but I wouldn't call it rivetting.

On Martin, I like his writing, don't like Game of Thrones. Or rather, I'm ambivalent about it. There was ultimately too much politics and intruigue for my tastes.

Ursula LeGuin is something of a fantasy staple for the younger crowd. I read A Wizard of Earthsea in University for my kid lit course. It's a good book if considered as an introduction to fantasy. As someone who has already read fantasy for a while it didn't seem terribly special to me. I have another of her books but I haven't read it yet.

To be honest, the last truly attention grabbing book that I read was Harry Potter. ;)

[Suzerain of Sheol]

*hypnotizes Quiet* You want to read more Erikson. Yes, you do. In fact, whenever you think about playing Skyrim, you're going to read Toll the Hounds instead for the same amount of time. Yes, you really want to read more Erikson, don't you? Yes...

*taps shoulder* You can wake up now.

/has studied the Patrick Jane school of hypnosis

:p

[Tarrek]

Number one for me is the Wheel of Time, but I understand that some people can't get into a series that takes as much dedication as it does.
Some much smaller ones that I enjoy are the Ranger's Apprentice series, the Inheritance Cycle, and the Percy Jackson books as well as the Heroes of Olympus books.

[Lost_Ninja9213]

I agree with the Wheel of time series, its great, but he tends to talk about insignificant stuff, like every female's cleavage, and the weather, making them way too long. I still love his books though.

I'd suggest Brandon Sanderson's books. Start with Elantris, its kind of dark in some ways, but i loved how original it is. he just makes up different kinds of magic, and its not an "epic quest with elves, men, and dwarves bringing the magical item to a certain location to defeat the bad guy" he also wrote the Mistborn series, also amazing.

[Funkduder]

I was thinking along the lines of the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. He's a pretty good fantasy writer. (Medieval Assassins & Magic)
After which there are always classics like LotR and Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. (Classic Wizards)
Or for a more modern way, try the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. That has around eleven books now, and is still going. (Mystery-Wizard Fantasy)

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Originally Posted by Funkduder

I was thinking along the lines of the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. He's a pretty good fantasy writer. (Medieval Assassins & Magic)
After which there are always classics like LotR and Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. (Classic Wizards)
Or for a more modern way, try the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. That has around eleven books now, and is still going. (Mystery-Wizard Fantasy)

I always go back and forth on whether LotR is a good book or not. A great work of literature, no doubt, but the presentation is rather hit and miss -- not to mention, the way it functions such that the story you get from *just* the text of the three books is almost a completely different story than that acquired from a study of the entire legendarium is... odd, to say the least. Even certain prominent themes of the book take on a different character in the context of larger framework of Tolkien's mythos.

As far as recommending it, I would recommend the Silmarillion to anyone who enjoyed reading LotR. It tells a far more compelling story, with better-drawn characters, despite being fragmented and unfinished. It also provides enormous insight into what was going on behind the scenes in the trilogy, which is why reading LotR after reading the Silmarillion feels like a new experience. There's just so much there that isn't apparent from the novels alone.

[Funkduder]

I read through LotR once through, but never got to the rest of it. The way you just described the change actually relights my interest

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Well, in that case, I hope you liked the lofty style LotR was written in, because the Silmarillion takes it to a whole 'nother level. :p

There was Eru, the One, who in Arda was called Iluvatar, and with him were the Ainur, the Powers, who were the offspring of his thought. And Eru propounded unto them a great theme that filled the Deeps of Time and resonated in the firmament....

etc. Quoting from memory, but the first paragraph is something along those lines. And it keeps going like that. :p

In all seriousness, the Silmarillion is a fascinating text. It's on one hand like the Bible of Middle-Earth, it explains the Creation and the cosmology of Tolkien's world, then moves onto the First Age and the stories of the first fathers of elves and men, then travels all up through the ages until it ends right before the start of LotR.

Then there's the 12 book History of Middle Earth series, which is about how Tolkien created his world, how it evolved through different drafts and ideas over the course of his life... I've only read the first one, and those are *tough* to get through. Some neat stuff, but a lot of it pretty boring. I don't recommend those to anyone but the most hardcore Tolkien fanatic (which is someone more into it than me, by far...)

[Kotetsu]

Originally Posted by Funkduder

I read through LotR once through, but never got to the rest of it. The way you just described the change actually relights my interest

But remember that you must not expect a "story" in the way LotR told.

When you read the Silmarillion, it is as if you are looking at Middle Earth from above and in a fast forwarded version.
It's completely different from the other novels.

I found it very "unpersonal" (for the lack of a better word) but still amazing to read if you want to know more about the background and lore. (:

[Espy]

Haha, hahahaha.....Brent Weeks. Definitely.

Recently Marie Lu's "Legend" came out. It's good, but I'm biased (long story).

[Suzerain of Sheol]

To go off of what Kotetsu mentioned, when you read the Silmarillion, you have to sort of fill in the story either as you read it, or upon reflection. It's all very "this happened, then that happened," but the actual tales themselves are nothing short of powerful -- if anything, they're similar to ancient myths in that way, you need to assume the emotion that the text glosses over. It's just part of that narrative style.

That said, I actually found the Silm's stories more emotionally compelling than those in LotR, but maybe I'm odd for that.