Fantasy Book Recommendation

[Eladiun]

Codex Alera Series - Jim Butcher

[NeutronStar]

Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fafhrd_and_the_Gray_Mouser

Yes...these. LOTS of great roguey-type stuff!



Don't forget about Conan too. I tend to read the Robert E. Howard Conan stories and steer away from the L. Sprague de Camp ones.

Conan did a bunch of roguey-type stuff as well as some of the folks he hung out with.

[gabriul]

Another favorite of mine is The Coldfire Trilogy by C.S Friedman. Technically Science Fiction but mostly fantasy. The main character is a warrior priest but not like any paladin I've read elsewhere.

[BattleCircle]

As mentioned before Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality, and Adept series' can be very entertaining.

If you want to branch out a bit, while not exactly fantasy,(more considered mythology) Kenneth C. Flint Sidhe series as well as his Finn MacCumhal series are both excellent reads.

[HallowedOne]

If you want big laughs while reading and a small, yet awesome, hidden philosophy inside, get Terry Pratchett's series Disworld.

The Colour of Magic
The Light Fantastic
Good Omens (So much ownage that I can't describe it)
Mort
Sourcery (What would humans be without love? - RARE, said Death)
Eric (Never trust a history book, they tend to exaggerate)
Guards! Guards!
Nightwatch (awesome!)
Pyramids
Making Money (What is the value of gold compared to the dexterity of the hand that holds it?)
Reaper Man (What can the harvest hope for, if not for the care of the Reaper Man?)

And a lot, lot more, but these were my favorites so far

Edit: Oh, and one of the best lines I've read so far, on "Soul Music":

Susan hated literature class - she'd prefer to read good books

[Draccus]

Thanks for the great recommendations, all.

I just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora and it was fantastic. It's a very different fantasy book, imo, because the main character doesn't have titanic strength, inhuman quickness, godlike spellpowers, or even dashing good looks. He's a cunning thief who survives with quick thinking and intense training. The plot was very detailed and the book was nearly impossible to put down.

I purchased the Sellswords last night (love that Kindle! Finish a book and buy another...at 35,000 feet!).

For the other books suggested, I've actually read or started more of them than I remembered.

I read the first three books of the Wheel of Time series. I actually met the author many years ago (he's related to one of my in-laws) and started the books after meeting him. The first one was great but I thought the next two were extremely repetitive. I didn't finish the series.

I also read the first half of the Sword of Shannara (sp) series and felt it was too much of a direct copy Lord of the Rings. I may be confusing books but I think that that was the one that felt like a complete ripoff. It had copies of Ringwraiths and Gandalf and the trip to Mordor...again, I may be remembering a different book but I think that that's the one.

I read one Dragonlance book and hated it. I picked up the book in the middle of the series so that didn't help but I thought the writing was horrid. If I had to hear about he half-elf's angst for being a half elf ONE MORE TIME, I was going to throw the book away...which I did

Another series I've read that I enjoyed was the Nightrunner series. I wish I could remember the name of the books but the first two were great rogue stories. The third book was too heavily based in local fantasy politics so I didn't enjoy it much (I like my fantasy reading to be more micro and less macro) but they are well written and fun. The main character is openly bisexual, so don't read it if that stuff bothers you. What was the name of that book?? Their catch-phrase was "Luck in the shadows." When DDO:EU first came out, I would find guildless level 1-4 rogues in the /who list and send them stacks of +5 tools, +1 tomes, or CSW pots. I would simply say "Luck in the shadows" in the message. Not once did I get a reply

[Eistander]

The Redemption of Althalus by David and Leigh Eddings. He's not just any thief, he's the greatest thief who's ever lived. Its just that he's having a bit of bad luck, you know how that can be......

I certainly have to second this one.. it was amusing to say the least, but it also had a different feel throughout.. really took me by surprise. But in an overall feel, I have to say The Sword of Truth series for sure; that series changed my way of viewing things to say the least.. but the books can be rather harsh in their descriptions, and there may be lulls in the story at times, but it picks back up later on then becomes impossible to stop reading.. just gotta get through that lull.

[Kruppe]

Lots of great suggestions here. I'm jealous of your Kindle...I spend way too much on books.

One I didnt see:

Steven Erikson - Malazan Books of the Fallen series

"Gardens of the Moon" is the first in this series

[Uska]

Not really fantasy but there are monsters (sort of ) and Akien Drum is quite the mountebank

anyways the series is the Many colored land by Jillian May gives an interesting spin on how the Fae legends started.

[Aerendil]

Dragon Prince trilogy, and the sequel Dragon Star trilogy, by Melanie Rawn.

Non-D&D mythos, but still high fantasy, and one of the most fantastic reads I've had in a long time.


My other favourite authors (Salvatore, Goodkind, Weis & Hickman) have already been mentioned, so I won't rehash those. But if you want something different, try Rawn's books.

[Folcoerr]

For a short time i used to belong to one of those sci-fi/fantasy book of the month clubs just so i could order a handful of books in that genre that i wanted to read or reread.

One of the books i was sent as a book of the month before i canceled was called Illium by Dan Simmons.I had never heard of the book or the author but figured what the hell i bought it so i will at least read a little of it to see if i like it or not.

I actually don't dig on scifi or fantasy that much but all i can say is this book is pure awesome and win.It has a sequel called Olympos which is also very good which i was at a book store to buy the day it hit the shelf which is not something i had ever done before lol

Neither book really fits the OP"s request but if you are looking for something outstanding to read that's NOT like something you have read before give these books a look.

[SniptheShadow]

For Fantasy:

Try "The Child Thief" by Brom. He also is a fantasy artist. I loved this book!

"The Name of the Wind" is the first in a trilogy by Patrick Rothfuss. It is the first book I've read in years that made me angry at myself that I read so darn fast. The next one is due out in March.

The rest I've seen mentioned already, so no need to repeat things.

For SciFi:

Dan Simmons was just mentioned. He is my hero. The guy writes across genres and is a master at his craft. Try the book "Hyperion" It is often taught now if you can find a college that has a SciFi class to take. It is the first of four books in a series and changed my view of science fiction. Other noteworty titles by him: "Carrion Comfort" "The Terror" "Drood" "Illium and Olympos" "Summer of Night" "Song of Kali" etc.

Try R. Scott Bakker's "The Prince of Nothing" series. He takes a deep philosophical slant on things, often to a cross-eyed degree to the layman, but the books are great. i love the 'Schools of Magic' in his world.

Kim Stanley Robinson is great. Read his "Mars" series: "Red Mars" "Green Mars" and "Blue Mars". I loved em!

I think that is enough for now.

Thanks.

Snip

[Bilger]

To go along with the assassin type stories "The Night Angel Trilogy" by Brent Weeks is a good one.

As others have said

"The Wheel of Time" Robert Jordan
"Sword of Truth" Terry Goodkind
"Riftwar Saga" Raymond Feist

These are just a Few have fun reading there all great

[Tholar]

Some great books listed here.

This being DDO I feel I have to mention Gary Gygax's "Gord the Rogue" series. I thought it was an entertaining series.

[ghettoGenius]

As a few others have said, The Name of the Wind is a brilliant piece of work.

The main protagonist is young and grows into what I guess I would classify in DDO terms as a rogue/wizard/bard. The unique explanation and practical view of magic in the story is quite different from magic in other fantasy novels I've read.

[Uska]

Some great books listed here.

This being DDO I feel I have to mention Gary Gygax's "Gord the Rogue" series. I thought it was an entertaining series.

yeah they werent halfbad worth a read at least

[Khimberlhyte]

After starting to read books by Guy Gavriel Kay around a decade ago, I've found that I am no longer captivated by most fiction that I enjoyed when I was younger. I read Feist and many others mentioned above way back when I was in high school, but I got tired of seeing the words "mystic energy" on every stinking page. Enough already, buy a thesaurus, Raymond.

Back to Guy Gavriel Kay - most of his novels are set in fictionalized historical settings. I find his writing to be simply superb, and he does an amazing job on character and plot development in most of his books. The stories are captivating. My favourites include Lions of Al-Rassan, Tigana, A Song for Arbonne, Sailing to Sarantium / Lord of Emperors, The Last Light of the Sun, and Under Heaven.

Kay helped with the compilation of The Silmarillon back in the 1970s. His own novels date from the mid-eighties onwards.

Of the books mentioned above, I also enjoy the GRR Martin A Song of Fire and Ice series, and just hope that I live long enough to see it finished some day.

[duncangolden]

While I echo many others in their choices (Lieber, Erikson, Jordan, and many others), my personal favorite author (after Tolkien) would be Katherine Kurtz. I thoroughly enjoy her Deryni books, though I still think that my favorite are from her earlier books (Deryni Rising, and High Deryni). They are set in a pseudo-historical fantastical setting (mostly high middle ages, with a smattering of rare telekinetic powers which are greatly feared)

[Bobthesponge]

As mentioned before ANYTHING from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is great stuff. He starts off doing pure comedy satirizing fantasy cliche's but develops into a serious satirist and social commentator that manages to hide it by being 1) superbly entertaining, 2) set in a fantasy world 2) hilarious.

An author that is new to me that I have been reading lately is Brandon Sanderson. He is entertaining but his plots take forever to mature (the first parts are very slow reads) but by the time you get to the end you are definately hooked. It is generally more political manouvering and intrigue rather than swashbuckling and fireballs, but still worth it.

[voodoogroves]

If you're ok w/ Sci Fi, I loved the Stainless Steel Rat when I was younger.

Another vote for Pratchett; Moist von Lipvig (Going Postal, Making Money and soon Death and Taxes) are amusing, witty and filled with roguery.

Neil Gaiman's fiction I also enjoy.