Don't read First Law if you don't care for unlikeable characters doing evil horrible stuff to other people.
Books Fantasy Reads
- Thread starter Alock1
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Just finished Brian Stavely's Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne. This is another grim-dark trilogy, full of action, with a story that had me unsure until the end who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. There were some holes in the story, but on the whole I like it more than reading about Glotka torturing people or Jorge Ancrath raping undead sorceresses. So, Iwould rate them Unhewn Throne > First Law >>> Broken Empire.
Now starting on Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, which I missed when I was child.
Now starting on Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, which I missed when I was child.
They're likable in a different sort of way though. Glotka is one of the funniest characters in the genre, and Logen is kind of weird, he made me laugh many times. Bayaz is magnificent.
It is kind of funny though how for an author who writes really grimdark fantasy and has 'unlikable' characters, he also has by far the best humor in the genre.
This thing looks quite famous (first book has circa 30k votes in goodreads) and have never heard about it. So thanks for mentioning it, I am running out of fantasy books to read.
Have you never heard of The Golden Compass?
Nope. What's that?
The Golden Compass is a 2007 fantasy adventure film based on Northern Lights, the first novel in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials. Written and directed by Chris Weitz, it stars Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott, Eva Green and Ian McKellen. The project was announced in February 2002, but difficulties over the script and the selection of a director caused significant delays. At US$180 million, it was one of New Line Cinema's most expensive projects ever,[2] and its disappointing results in the USA contributed to New Line's February 2008 restructuring.[3]
Ah, okay. Have heard about His Dark Materials but never read those books (same for Harry Potter). Don't know, am I too old for them?
Nah.
It's classic YA. Really really YA. I recall starting that a decade ago and still felt YA.
Yeah but you were like 30 a decade ago
Yeah but you were like 30 a decade ago
Still, unless you are in your teens, I'd not recommend HDM.
Yeah, it is the reason why I haven't read Harry Potter, Narnia, Earthsea etc. When I got into the genre I was too old for YA.
That's strange to me. A good story is a good story - doesn't matter who it's aimed at. Not saying you'll think it's the greatest book ever (probably won't if you feel it's aimed for children) but adults should be able to get enjoyment from the likes of HP in my opinion.
I mean adults can still pick up their old Roald Dahl books and get enjoyment from them.
I read His Dark Materials in my 20's, stormed through the 3 of them in a couple of weeks and really enjoyed them. They're just well written enough to enjoy it - like a pixar movie or something.
Most books have targeted audience. I grew up on Enid Blyton and then Hardy Boys. Don't think I'd enjoy them as much now despite them being good books still. As you grow up, I reckon people would want something more complex than a vanilla storyline, more gore maybe, more fantastic world building or better prose, more realism in violence, adult content etc. I enjoyed HP when the books came out. Tried to get back a couple of months ago and it hasn't aged well for a re-read. Hard to go back to a YA category and still enjoy it. But then it's everyone's own choice.
Indeed. And I think it is difficult to go into a juvenile story after reading the likes of Martin, Abercrombie, Cook, Hobb etc. I like complex stories, with a lot of realism, violence, being dark etc. YA doesn't appeal to me, despite that I loved The Shattered Sea but then that isn't juvenile in the true sense.
I suppose that,s relative to taste as much as anything. Those aforementioned authors are some of my favourites, but from time to time I still enjoy reading something that isn’t overly realtistic or complex. Sometimes I want to read an old fashioned good vs evil story line, or a book under 200k words long, or where I can expect a happy ending.
I get that. You’re not going to read James and the Giant Peach and have it rock your world but you’ll probably recognise it as a great children’s story if you have to read to your kids.
As far as reading HP and the like, my point is more if you’ve never read them before I don’t see why you couldn’t read them to see what all the fuss is. It’s a good story for all its flaws (don’t think Rowling is a great writer at all).
I don’t personally get the obsession with everything in fantasy to be dark and gritty. That’s not what fantasy is to me at all (just an aspect of it). Frequently I prefer some fecking levity which the more popular authors in this genre sorely lack (and they’ll always be limited because of it).
Ofc, I personally not a fan of dark fantasy myself, though I enjoy it occasionally. A good mix of sub-genres keeps the palate refreshed. I started HDM about 10 years ago and found it too simplistic even then and gave up halfway through first book. I know Revan and myself have lots of overlaps in favorite books, so I recommended him to skip this.
Fair enough. Haven't read HDM (mean to at some stage though) - have been told by those who have it's grim enough when it needs to be.
Guess I just think it's dumb/silly to avoid good stories because they're aimed at kids/teenagers. Not saying it should be what dominates your bookshelf but it almost seems like grown adults are embarrassed about it for no logical reason.
Christ Noooooo. Not unless you get a kick in endless suffering. One of the depressing books, I've ever read.
Remember reading his Gap series relatively soon after I had finished the second TC trilogy, came out thinking that Donaldson had some issues with women. Very few likeable characters in his work and even those mostly become corrupted. Was thinking of a re-read last year, couldn't face it.
After exactly 4 chapters, I've decided that the 8-10 year old viewpoint presented in the central protagonist of His Dark Materials is a bit too young for me. As I noted above, I started HDM because I missed it myself when I was child, and I've seen too many recommendations of it as a great story. But it seems I'm too old now to get into an 8-year old's adventures. Like @EAP, the books of my childhood were Enid Blyton and Billy Bunter and Biggles; while I enjoyed them then, I would probably not want to re-read them now. I think trying to read HDM at my age is a mistake (in mitigation, I didn't know before I started that HDM has the pov of a pre-teen).
In honour of the coming out of Jim Butcher's Brief Cases, I've decided to revisit one of my most favourite series, The Dresden Files. Now re-reading with great pleasure Book 1 in the series, Storm Front.
In honour of the coming out of Jim Butcher's Brief Cases, I've decided to revisit one of my most favourite series, The Dresden Files. Now re-reading with great pleasure Book 1 in the series, Storm Front.
Am a bit late to the discussion but having read almost all off the series being discussed, I'd say Malazan is by far the most impressive, both in terms of sheer achievement and also the depth of language. It's almost unfathomable in terms of scale.
But definitely not the most enjoyable. I loved locke lamora, and also the jester series of robin hobb. Both immersive and not punishing.
That said am now reading the first karkansas book, so some masochism can't be too bad.
But definitely not the most enjoyable. I loved locke lamora, and also the jester series of robin hobb. Both immersive and not punishing.
That said am now reading the first karkansas book, so some masochism can't be too bad.
I presume you know that the series will not be finished anytime soon as author has given it a break.
Kharkanas is really good but very philosophical and depressing. I found that it is best enjoyed alternating it with ICE delighfully funny, light and action-packed Ascension trilogy
Curses. Nope didn't know! Guess it was so much of a downer even he couldn't bear to do it anymore! Maybe something positive happened in his life so he couldn't get back into the headspace.
That said, I don't tend to quit on books...dilemma!!
No it waa more of a sales not going well, people being impatient with the Karsa stuff thing. So he's put Kharkanas on hold and got into into the Karsa stuff insteadCurses. Nope didn't know! Guess it was so much of a downer even he couldn't bear to do it anymore! Maybe something positive happened in his life so he couldn't get back into the headspace.
That said, I don't tend to quit on books...dilemma!!
Curses. Nope didn't know! Guess it was so much of a downer even he couldn't bear to do it anymore! Maybe something positive happened in his life so he couldn't get back into the headspace.
That said, I don't tend to quit on books...dilemma!!
What Giorno said. Even for his own standards, Kharkanas was dark, philosophical and brooding. Sales was not good and so he put a hold on it for now to write Karsa trilogy. Despite the tone of the book, it gives so much new information on the 'ascendants' of BotF, Tiste clans, Azathanai etc. I liked it well. He should have stuck with it and finished. If you are persistent, I think you'll still find the 2 books worth the while. Shame that.
ICE's Ascendancy trilogy is more fun.
Wheel of Time officially picked up by Amazon
http://www.wheeloftime.tv/2018/06/its-official-wheel-of-time-tv-series-is.html?m=1
This bit is still weird though. Hopefully, they make it to counter Netflix's Witcher Series
http://www.wheeloftime.tv/2018/06/its-official-wheel-of-time-tv-series-is.html?m=1
This bit is still weird though. Hopefully, they make it to counter Netflix's Witcher Series
I cannot see Amazon doing both it and LOTR (obviously would prefer them to do WoT). Too costly and it will target the same viewers.
Hope to be wrong though. A well adapted WoT series (and it needs to be an adaptation which cuts a lot of plots and characters from the books, and change many events) would be great to see.
Hope to be wrong though. A well adapted WoT series (and it needs to be an adaptation which cuts a lot of plots and characters from the books, and change many events) would be great to see.
I'm sceptical. Having watched Shannara Chronicles butchered in TV, I'm not holding my breath. Hope they make it a adult TV series and not aimed at teens.
Just as a fantasy discussion, which popular movie/TV actors would you case for WoT?
That articles seems to suggest that Amazon has US $ 4.5 Billion earmarked in 2018 for original content. I guess money shouldn't be a problem.
And EAP, Shannara is wank. Poor man's LOTR.
Natalie Portman as Moiraine would be a perfect fit, but she is too big of an actress for such a role.
Yeah, but they are giving 1B to LOTR. Obviously Amazon is so rich that they can do it and Bezos has been earning in a day as much as a full season would cost, but I don't think that it makes much sense from their perspective to do both LOTR and WoT. Unless the idea is to do both for one season, then cut the one which underperforms.
Sam Elliot as Thom Merrilan
Would be better off taking WoT as source material and do series "inspired by WoT" rather than an outright adaptation. Nobody's going to watch more than the pilot otherwise. The whole man are from mars women are from venus thing gets very tiring and ridiculous very soon. The strenght of GoT and the reason it was such a success was the realistic characters. WoT's characters are a bunch of tired cliches by comparison
Characters change from movies to adaptations anyway. Tyrion is quite different from the books for example (he is a much better person in the show), as is Jon Snow who is nowhere as heroic in the books.
Of course, if they do WoT, the characters should be much more mature than in the books, the middle books (would say 7-11) should be almost totally cut (bar going a bit on Rand's madness and Egwene's path to AS), the number of characters should be much lower than in the books (GoT cut so many characters and people still have trouble understanding who is who, WoT has more characters, I think around 2000 named ones), as should be the number of arcs (who needs 3 seasons to see how Fayle will be saved from the bad Aiels).
Aye. Darth Rand is the better than Jesus Rand!