Slightly Fantasy Reccomendation

[Doran]

Hi, I'm interested in finding more fantasy novels that have an intelligent feel to them, not your normal generic fantasy. I enjoy the fantasy genre but alot of books seem very corny to me. Authors I have enjoyed were Robin Hobb, and George R. R. Martin. They seemed to encompass the fantasy genre, without being so....."fantasic". I think Fiest's Magician is a good example of what I'm not looking for.

Suggestions would be helpful.

 

[literarycompass]

Here are a few you might try:

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke: best fantasy I've read in years, after being disillusioned with genre

Bridge of Birds - Barry Hughart: made me laugh out loud, and I don't do that easily

The Anubis Gates - Tim Powers: sci-fi/fantasy blend, but very intelligent and page-turning

The Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle: more to the story than what's on the surface

The Fionovar Tapestry series - Guy Gavriel Kay: don't let the first few chapters fool you into thinking this is fantasy-lite--it's not; this series actually brought me to tears at one point; but be wary of at least one fairly explicit and violent sexual scene

The Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series - Fritz Leiber: terrific action, but extremely intelligent as well

Lyonnesse, Madouc and The Green Pearl - Jack Vance: this series ranks right up there with Tolkien, imho

Also, anything by Patricia Mckillip is going to be well above the average fantasy story

 

[oregonjade]

I always hate to recommend fantasy when someone has said they like a couple authors, but declared others "corny"... I'd rather have an example of what they didn't care for. Chances are, books I've enjoyed end up on both lists... I have a rather extensive list of favorites. Which makes it rather hard to guess at what you might like.

Ideas based on what you said you like... Elizabeth Haydon, Robert Jordan, L.E. Modesitt, David & Leigh Eddings, Jacqueline Carey, Holly Lisle...