Recommendation on new fantasy book.

Hey everyone, I'm new to these forums and need some advice. I'm currently looking for a new fantasy novel (or series) to start reading but I'm just not very familiar with what's out there. Some of the fantasy books I have read are The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (my favorite books), and quite a few D & D series (Legends, Icewind Dale, LEgacy of the Drow etc...). So I would appreciate it if someone could recommend something for me to read next in this genre. I just don't know what good stuff is out there.

thanks in advance for any help.

Just to let you know what I like, almost every fantasy book I've read has been in some sort of trilogy or series. So I really like epic quests/journeys. But I guess I'm open to anything.

I've recently completed the first two novels in the Kushiel's Legacy series, written by Jacqueline Carey. It could also be looked at as "alternate history" since the world in these books is largely inspired by medieval/early-Renaissance Europe. Her writing style is very detailed (even poetic at times) and she does a fantastic job with creating the world in which her characters dwell. Keep in mind that the main character, Phedre, is a dominatrix, and although the sex scenes are handled in a tasteful manner, your appreciation of these books will depend on how much you enjoy sex in your books.

One other thing: there are a whole lot of characters in these novels. If you choose to read them, consult the "dramatis personae" section in the beginning. You'll need it .

If you enjoy long series and epic fantasy 3 come to minds, George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, this seres features outstanding characterization, multiple POV's, and the msot subtle narrative full of surprises, and many potential fan debates and discussion of any series in the sub-genre:

A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords
A Feast for Crows
A Dance with Dragons (forthcoming)
Winds of Winter (forthcoming)

There will be 7 in total at least.


For a more high magic world, featuring a huge worldbuidling effort. I'd go with The Malazan Book of the Fallen sequence by Steven Erikson:

Gardens of the Moon
DeadHouse Gates
Memories of Ice
House of Chains
Midnight Tides
BoneHunters (forthcoming)
Dust of Dreams (forthcoming)
Hounds Toll (forthcoming)
Reapers Cale (forthcoming)
Crippled God (forthcoming)

There is also The Prince of Nothing by R. Scott Bakker, a trilogy that was recently completed, and is thw first seqeunce, that wil be continued in another trilogy or duology entitled The Aspect Emperor. The first 3 books are:

The Darkness that Comes Before
The Warrior Prophet
The Thousandfold Thought

This is a dark, and refreshingly unsentimental series.

Those are IMHO the 3 best epic fantasist in my mind currently.

I have some further suggestions that can be viewed here, and continued here (Total of 200+ suggestions with brief synopsis)

and quite a few D & D series (Legends, Icewind Dale, LEgacy of the Drow etc...).

Click to expand...

If you enjoy this stuff you may enjoy David Gemmell's Drenai and Rigante work.

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I will definitely check them out.

The Well of Echoes

A friend of mine introduced it to me after he came back from a northern ontario camp and before he left for Australia gave it to me to read. The Well of Echoes, written by Ian Irvine (as far as I re-call) is a series of sci-fi fantasy novels. The first, Geomancer, was quite good and I plan on reading the second when I find it, which proved to be a difficult task for my friend. I would recommend it, its an long book but it goes quickly and has a very involveing plot and set of characters. Check it out.
Split.

I just finished Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb and it was a page turner. If your more into a easy read you could try Green Rider by Kristen Britain. I found both books excellent

Hey! I'd like to welcome the newcomers to the site. I haven't been very active lately. Allow me to recommend David B. Coe's Winds of the Forelands series which starts with Rules of Ascension. I just finished Book 4, Shapers of Darkness and I just love this series!

if you like what i call 'barbarian' books.. how about these by Robert E Vardeman:

Swords of Raemllyn (with George W Proctor)

1. To Demons Bound (1985)
2. A Yoke of Magic (1985)
3. Blood Fountain (1985)
4. Death's Acolyte (1986)
5. The Beasts of the Mist (1986)
6. For Crown and Kingdom (1987)


i do like everything i have read by David Gemmel as well...

Don't forget to check David Gemmell's!!!

Ainulindale's listed the best epic fantasy, but a few others of note include:
JV Jones' Sword of Shadows series (it actually looks like it's going to get finished now!)
Greg Keyes' Kingdom of Thorn and Bone
Brandon Sanderson's Elantris - this is one of the best single volume epic fantasies I've read.
Patricia McKillip's Riddlemaster trilogy - quite traditional in style, but very well written.

The Knight by Gene Wolfe.

This is the first adult fantasy I read, I enjoyed it so much.

It is about a boy who goes hiking, as he is walking along he starts to notice a castle in the sky, among the clouds. Later he comes to a beach and hears somebody near a cave where he finds a woman who gives him a very special bow-string for the bow he made from a special type of wood, from a tree that he has to plant seeds of to make up for cutting it.
He meets a queen of a lower world, for in this new place actually has 7 worlds, like several layers, people can travel between the worlds but it gets harder as you go up, easier to go down; the higher the world, the more "holy" it is, the lower the world the more "evil" it is. The queen turns him into a man, telling him he must get a special sword called Eterne from a dragon, he must use no other sword before acquiring it.

Brys said:

Ainulindale's listed the best epic fantasy, but a few others of note include:
JV Jones' Sword of Shadows series (it actually looks like it's going to get finished now!)

Click to expand...

Hurray! Another J.V. Jones reader! She's my favourite fantasy author, both as a writer and as a person (she's supernice and always used to answer all her emails). I haven't read the Sword of Shadows series (still waiting for Sword from Red Ice to come out), but I can really recommend her Book of Words trilogy, or if you want to try her out, she's written a great stand alone called The Barbed Coil.

forgotten realms are great with some of the best authors