The first page was a shock to the system after Steelhaven.
Wait till you reach Books of South.
Books Fantasy Reads
- Thread starter Alock1
- Start date
Wait till you reach Books of South.
Finished the Harry Potters. Don't understand why people criticise them so much. I found them to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. Kind of gutted I've come to the end of them now. Whilst I didn't find the ending completely satisfying, I thought the series on a whole was very well done, though I was sad to see certain characters die in the last book.
I don't get how the second half of the series of books (probably Azkaban onwards, though maybe more from Goblet of Fire) can be classed as children's books. The second half of Book 3 certainly started to lead to much more dark and disturbing themes.
If you've not read them I'd give them a go. That said I'm no book expert, less so on fantasy, so I don't really have a clue what I'm talking about
Starting The Name of the Wind today and I have only one question....how do you pronounce Kvothe?
I don't get how the second half of the series of books (probably Azkaban onwards, though maybe more from Goblet of Fire) can be classed as children's books. The second half of Book 3 certainly started to lead to much more dark and disturbing themes.
If you've not read them I'd give them a go. That said I'm no book expert, less so on fantasy, so I don't really have a clue what I'm talking about
Starting The Name of the Wind today and I have only one question....how do you pronounce Kvothe?
I believe it says how somewhere near the beginning? I forgot and just pronounced it Quothe.
Just finished Oathbringer from Stormlight Archive. Really enjoyed the three books, about to start on Malazan Book of the Fallen.
Ah I've not started it yet, I just read the cover and saw the name. Quothe it is!
Having read some sci-fi and non-fiction recently, I need a new good fantasy. Something not excessively long, so no 6-10 books of 500+ pages each - I still have nightmares about Malazan. I read The First Law trilogy earlier this year, that's about the length I'm looking for I guess. Any recommendations?
Oh and it has to be finished. I'm looking at you, GRR Martin!
Oh and it has to be finished. I'm looking at you, GRR Martin!
Blood Song Trilogy - Anthony Ryan
The second First Law Trilogy.
You could actually try Dunk and Egg by GRR Martin. Been a while since I've read them but I think they're self contained novellas (correct me if I'm wrong). It's light hearted, classic fantasy. I really enjoyed them.
Had to DNF The Lies of Locke Lamora after reading well over a 3rd of the book. Don't want to bash it as I know lots of people love it but I found it awfully boring and just didn't care about the story/characters at all. The humour (where I could detect it) didn't land with me either. Also I do have a personal dislike of writers who are overly descriptive in their prose and Lynch certainly spends his time doing that.
I've got The Way of Kings and The Name of the Wind on my list to get through, so hopefully I enjoy those more.
I've got The Way of Kings and The Name of the Wind on my list to get through, so hopefully I enjoy those more.
If a bit of purple prose isn't your thing, then I suggest avoiding The Name of the Wind.
It's not the be all and end all for me but I definitely prefer a more balanced approach. I'll give it a read at some stage regardless - if it's not for me I have no issue putting it down.
I wish I could do that. I'm trying to read a few more classics and I'm currently part way through The Last Of The Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. My God what a chore. If you fnd Lies of Locke Lamora bad then this would be your worst nightmare.
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Just finished the Alera Codex, and am really not sure why. Easy read possibly, but mostly bland characters, simple repetitive plots, nothing particularly memorable about it. I should hate it, but I don't. Utterly disposable, read while traveling or on breaks when I wanted to wind down.
Are his Dresden Files more of the same?(not in genre, but feel)
Are his Dresden Files more of the same?(not in genre, but feel)
Halfway through second book of Kharkansas 'trilogy' (grumble) and man...way too much time in people's thoughts waiting for something to happen. Bit of a slog tbh, especially given 3rd one ain't coming. Boo.
Just finished the 3rd book of the Gentleman Bastard. Got some questions.
Why did Sabetha leave at the end? She already knew that Lamora's wife was a redhead.
I've read all three. I think you'll like The Way of the Kings the best. The Name of the Wind is also better than Gentleman Bastards imo.
Because
the revelation that locke was the reincarnation of thaat sorcerer and the whole reason why he is obsessed with her is because her hair reminded him of his previous life's dead wife. That basically, locke isn't in love with Sabetha but rather sees her as his wife's replacement
Yeah but didn't Patience already mention this before? What's new?
She believes her now. It's not exactly a small deal learning all of that stuff is true. She was already shook by it even before she believed
Ah alright. Thanks!
I thought there was something in that picture that made her freak out.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Third book in the series is arguably the worst fantasy book of all time. So, either avoid it, or read just the first book (it was meant to be a standalone in the first place, so you can stop there).
flying through John Gwyne's Malice which is the first in the The Faithful and the Fallen series and really enjoying it, first time I've read any fantasy in years and it's excellent
I'm reading a book. The Black Company. The prose is abrupt, strange. You could try it. You might like it. Not for everyone. Still.
I like Sanderson as a person (watched his writing lectures on YouTube before) so I've always meant to read to his stuff. Hopefully I'll enjoy it.
I tried it, I was knackered after a chapter. I think I actually abandoned it for Gentleman Bastards. It sounded good, but it just wasn't for me.
I've made it on to the second chronicle. The first was weird, but good, if you can take his style of writing. I just about can.
It does get easier, and comes across easier the further you get into the saga.
Yeah. It was morose even by SE's usual standards. Move on to ICE's Ascendancy series. So much more fun.
Waiting on the third, loved the first 2.
Don't hold your breath. I loved it. Esp the Hood backstory. I was more into it for the information on the ascendants. Less on the actual story plot.
Oh is ICE not writing a third? Had high hopes
he meant the kharkanas trilogy. Ascendancy will probably end up being longer than 3 booksOh is ICE not writing a third? Had high hopes
Ah okay. Feb 2019 is release of next Ascendacy book!
I wish someone would write a standalone novel on Kallor.
Kallor is another of those numerous Malazan characters whose backstory makes no sense. Supposedly, he is an ordinary human, yet he has enough magical power to curse Elder Gods and make his curses stick (!!!! where did his power come from??). He goes around thinking he has the power to kill Gods (how???). He has lived hundreds of thousands of years, not because he is inherently immortal, but because he smokes some magic candles that grant him a few hundred years of life each time (!!!). One of the big problems I have with Malazan is the random illogic in the magic system, and Kallor is a good example of the deus ex machina nature of the entire series (along with Karsa Orlong, but at least Erikson devoted some time to show us how Karsa obtained his powers, even if I didn't find the process believable).
Who says Kallor is an ordinary human?
Also his immortality is down to the curse
Also his immortality is down to the curse
Lots on him in the fifth ICE book, is definitely a badass. Though his 'code name'is stupidly obvious.Who says Kallor is an ordinary human?
Also his immortality is down to the curse
In MoI (?) it is stated that he is human and he gets his immortality from smoking those candles. His curse was that he'll fail at everything he ever tries to achieve (going purely off memory here) ... if his immortality is conferred by the curse as you suggest, then what was that with the candles?Who says Kallor is an ordinary human?
Also his immortality is down to the curse
Regardless of whether he is or is not human, the question still remains: where does he get his power from? He is not a dragon, a Jaghut, a Tiste, a K'Chain che Malle, an Imass, or a Forkrul Assail. So what is his magic, and where does it come from? This is one of the problems with Malazan, in my opinion. Supposedly, all magic comes from either the Elder warrens or their accessible-to-humans derivatives, or from an alien source, such as The Crippled God. Yet we have someone like Kallor striding across the landscape like one of the super-powered beings, with no explanation of where his power comes from and how his magic works. There is very little logical consistency in Malazan, in my opinion, which is why so many fans find it incomprehensible rubbish.
Nothing is ever stated in Malazan. It's written as a history chronicle, with lots of inaccuracies. The deal with the candles is they rejuvenate him. The immortality is down to the curse
That comes down to personal taste. For me none of that matters. I'm reading fiction. What matters is the content, the story and characters. Don't care about world building. I don't wanna read 3 pages detailing how the magic system works. Who cares, it's magic. Interesting character who's power is not clearly explained(though we might get answers in that regard of SE ever comes around to finishing the Kharkanas trilogy)>>boring ass character who's power takes 3 pages of detailed explanation