Books Fantasy Reads

Revan said:
Even that one is nowhere near as grim and dark as so many books in the genre. Heck, even the first Stormlight is darker.
Click to expand...
I am using grim and dark in the true meanings of the words, not necessarily in the way the words have become associated with a certain faction of fantasy fiction.
I found Hero of Ages to be almost entirely a pervasive sense of doom as Ruin tightens his grip on the world and ratchets things down, mountains of ash strangling the world, most of the population dying, not much hope anywhere, Sazed in a long and tedious search to find the "right" religion, the heroes all dying in desperate gambits to save the world.... there was very little to cheer about in the entire book until very end when Sazed took up the mantles of Preservation and Ruin by default. I didn't find much enjoyment in all that grimness and darkness
 
Revan said:
Out of curiosity, have you ever read anything from Abercrombie, Lawrence, Cook or Baker?
Click to expand...
I have read all of Cook's Black Company and Garrett, P.I. series, Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy plus Best Served Cold, and Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire series. Nothing by Kage Baker. My opinions on these series have been presented elsewhere on this forum.
 
Fosu-Mens said:
Simple questions to the seasoned fantasy readers:What sources do you use to find new books to read besides r/fantasy and goodreads?
Click to expand...

I remember I read some of the books Sanderson's assistant liked so it was City of Stairs and another first book of a trilogy during their first year. I also used to read a book blog. Or I just pick the lists Tor, io9 do for monthly releases and check their GR pages for ratings.

I also pick books that seem to be ultra-popular on Twitter but it isn't the most reliable and fastest way (I read the Poppy wars, Jade City and City of Brass because of Twitter).
 
celia said:
I remember I read some of the books Sanderson's assistant liked so it was City of Stairs and another first book of a trilogy during their first year. I also used to read a book blog. Or I just pick the lists Tor, io9 do for monthly releases and check their GR pages for ratings.

I also pick books that seem to be ultra-popular on Twitter but it isn't the most reliable and fastest way (I read the Poppy wars, Jade City and City of Brass because of Twitter).
Click to expand...

Io9 is completely new to me, but yeah goodreadsrating is often necassary.
 
Fosu-Mens said:
Simple questions to the seasoned fantasy readers:What sources do you use to find new books to read besides r/fantasy and goodreads?
Click to expand...
Those two, Caf and asoiaf forum.
DMacgraw said:
I have read all of Cook's Black Company and Garrett, P.I. series, Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy plus Best Served Cold, and Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire series. Nothing by Kage Baker. My opinions on these series have been presented elsewhere on this forum.
Click to expand...
Then I just find it weird how you found that book dark and grim.

Btw, I meant Scott Bakker. He is too grim even for me.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
Yup. He managed to tie in everything loosely and ended up with a diluted porridge rather than a feast.
Click to expand...
It's more of a loose description of events than a book...

Re:Bakker, yeah, his fixation with grim and dark and gritty actually takes away from what is an exceptional series. Many times it's even completely gratuitous, adds nothing to the story. Also, i can't stand Akka and hope he gets fed to the sranc :D

Started Riyria, it's...i dunno. Kinda need to get a feel for it yet i guess
 
Revan said:
Then I just find it weird how you found that book dark and grim.
Click to expand...
If you don't consider dark and grim a story in which the entire world is strangling to death in a mountain of ash, all civilization being slowly destroyed, and all the heroes dying to avert the catastrophe, then you and I have such diametrically opposite tastes it is no use continuing this discussion.

That said, I still think it valid to present my opinion of books you disparage here, such as Mistborn Era 2, Elantris and Warbreaker, so others can read and judge for themselves. I happen to disagree with your condemnation of those books.
 
giorno said:
It's more of a loose description of events than a book...

Re:Bakker, yeah, his fixation with grim and dark and gritty actually takes away from what is an exceptional series. Many times it's even completely gratuitous, adds nothing to the story. Also, i can't stand Akka and hope he gets fed to the sranc :D

Started Riyria, it's...i dunno. Kinda need to get a feel for it yet i guess
Click to expand...
Last book from Bakker was too grim also for me. What Kellhus does to that Prince who worships him was too hard to stomach.

The ending of Riyria is all time great. The journey, less so.
DMacgraw said:
If you don't consider dark and grim a story in which the entire world is strangling to death in a mountain of ash, all civilization being slowly destroyed, and all the heroes dying to avert the catastrophe, then you and I have such diametrically opposite tastes it is no use continuing this discussion.

That said, I still think it valid to present my opinion of books you disparage here, such as Mistborn Era 2, Elantris and Warbreaker, so others can read and judge for themselves. I happen to disagree with your condemnation of those books.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but the way how is done is kind of juvenile-ish, so it is more like an epic fantasy (LOTR and Wheel of Time have the end of the world theme too) with the world ending but doesn't feel too dark to me.

I don't have a problem with people disagreeing with me about books. Taste and all that.
 
These are just sub genres with only difference being in quantum of content...which depends on reader. I presume the keep difference maybe Revan referring to Grimdark in particular whilst DM using Dark Fantasy in a broader brushstroke.

Since every fantasy would have a evil character and most epic fantasy have end of world, I think Dark Fantasy isn't really a sub category at all. Only Grimdark should be.
 
Got to chapter 10 of the first riyria book, and i'm officially dropping it

Need suggestions on what to pick up next. No sanderson, no cook(keep in mind croaker's description of mogaba upon his introduction caused me to drop the black company)

Anything with strong women in positions of power and/or heavy on the magic would be ideal
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
Tried Rivers of London series?
Click to expand...
Read the first book. Bit hit and miss for me. Don't even remember if i finished it though...

Only urban fantasy i've read that really got me into it are dresden files and sandman slim...
 
About 550 pages into The Well of Ascension, and it isn't anywhere near as good as the first Mistborn book. In The Final Empire, the goal was always clear and the party was working towards it throughout, plus Kelsier's character was mercurial and full of surprises. I found the first half of The Well of Ascension's to be rather slow with no clear objective for the group. Here are my issues with book 2:

  1. The Elend learning how to be a king arc dragged on for too long. Couldn't get myself to care much about his government concepts.
  2. I wanted to know more about the koloss, the kandra, and the mysteries of the past (such as what happened to Alendi and why Kwaan turned against him). There's too little of this until part four.
  3. Bit unbelievable that a guy who's useless at fighting can take down a koloss on his own after a couple months of training. But I can excuse that perhaps.
  4. Why don't the koloss just kill Lekal and take all his money if he's just controlling them via money?
  5. I really hate it when protagonists are moping. Both Vin and Elend waste too much time doing this.
  6. For someone who's really suspicious of everyone and everything, Vin trusts Zane really easily. Her motto was "trust your friends", but it's hilarious how she keeps ignoring OreSeur's sound advice about Zane all the time.
  7. Do all Sanderson books have a female character having second thoughts about her partner? Stormlight had Shallan Davar, and this one has Vin.
  8. The spy tracing arc goes on for too long. Ideally Vin should make it her top priority, but she finishes checking everyone in her inner circle only around page 500. :lol:
  9. Wish Sazed and Tindwyl had more "screen time". The Keepers uncovering secrets of the past is far more interesting than anything else in this book.
  10. I really hope the protagonists travel a bit more in the next book. Luthadel is fine as a setting, but I like a bit of world exploration in epic fantasy.
 
Krovv said:
About 550 pages into The Well of Ascension, and it isn't anywhere near as good as the first Mistborn book. In The Final Empire, the goal was always clear and the party was working towards it throughout, plus Kelsier's character was mercurial and full of surprises. I found the first half of The Well of Ascension's to be rather slow with no clear objective for the group. Here are my issues with book 2:

  1. The Elend learning how to be a king arc dragged on for too long. Couldn't get myself to care much about his government concepts.
  2. I wanted to know more about the koloss, the kandra, and the mysteries of the past (such as what happened to Alendi and why Kwaan turned against him). There's too little of this until part four.
  3. Bit unbelievable that a guy who's useless at fighting can take down a koloss on his own after a couple months of training. But I can excuse that perhaps.
  4. Why don't the koloss just kill Lekal and take all his money if he's just controlling them via money?
  5. I really hate it when protagonists are moping. Both Vin and Elend waste too much time doing this.
  6. For someone who's really suspicious of everyone and everything, Vin trusts Zane really easily. Her motto was "trust your friends", but it's hilarious how she keeps ignoring OreSeur's sound advice about Zane all the time.
  7. Do all Sanderson books have a female character having second thoughts about her partner? Stormlight had Shallan Davar, and this one has Vin.
  8. The spy tracing arc goes on for too long. Ideally Vin should make it her top priority, but she finishes checking everyone in her inner circle only around page 500. :lol:
  9. Wish Sazed and Tindwyl had more "screen time". The Keepers uncovering secrets of the past is far more interesting than anything else in this book.
  10. I really hope the protagonists travel a bit more in the next book. Luthadel is fine as a setting, but I like a bit of world exploration in epic fantasy.
Click to expand...
(2) and (8) will be explained, and he did a pretty good job at it IMO.
 
harshad said:
I legit didn't see the twist coming in Lady of the Lake!
Click to expand...
No one saw it and it is open to interpretation (though one option is more likely than the others). However, I personally like to consider the games canon, and the beginning of the games is the ending I choose.
 
Revan said:
No one saw it and it is open to interpretation (though one option is more likely than the others). However, I personally like to consider the games canon, and the beginning of the games is the ending I choose.
Click to expand...
I am talking about the discussion Geralt has in Vilgefortz's castle with the Emhyr.

Seems like there is something more coming before the book ends :D
 
harshad said:
I am talking about the discussion Geralt has in Vilgefortz's castle with the Emhyr.

Seems like there is something more coming before the book ends :D
Click to expand...
Can you point it exactly (I have forgotten). Put it on spoilers (other people haven't read the books).
 
harshad said:
Emhyr is Duny, Ciri's father and he want to have children with her.

Made for a very uncomfortable reading while having lunch.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, however I had played the games before reading the books so that didn't come as surprising to me.
 
Rejoice: A Knife to the Heart
- Steven Erikson

Just about a quarter of way in and this is very interesting. It is a brand new take on the Alien first contact and save earth (from humanity) but with none of the usual tropes of the genre. It still has little of the usual Erikson psychological ramblings, but surprisingly kept to a minimum making this probably the easiest of his books to read. And very refreshing too.

For a more detailed desciptions...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/9fc7ya/book_review_rejoice_a_knife_to_the_heart_by/

@oneniltothearsenal will like this as it touches on natural exploitation and how the 1% manipulate the rest of the world to fit their needs.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
Rejoice: A Knife to the Heart
- Steven Erikson

Just about a quarter of way in and this is very interesting. It is a brand new take on the Alien first contact and save earth (from humanity) but with none of the usual tropes of the genre. It still has little of the usual Erikson psychological ramblings, but surprisingly kept to a minimum making this probably the easiest of his books to read. And very refreshing too.

For a more detailed desciptions...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/9fc7ya/book_review_rejoice_a_knife_to_the_heart_by/

@oneniltothearsenal will like this as it touches on natural exploitation and how the 1% manipulate the rest of the world to fit their needs.
Click to expand...
Wait, Rejoice is the name of the book? I thought you were just happy about Steven Erikson writing a new book :lol:
 
harshad said:
Wait, Rejoice is the name of the book? I thought you were just happy about Steven Erikson writing a new book :lol:
Click to expand...
Tbf, it also the standard emotional state whenever Steven Erikson publishes anything :drool:
 
I've recently started Malice the first book in the Faithful and the Fallen series.

I've gone for the audio book as I have a regular 40 minute drive to work. Enjoying it so far. Is the whole series good?
 
A discussion between an alien AI (Adam) who wants to save humanity and earth and a Sci Fi author who was chosen as it's spokesperson:

‘Corporate globalism is now the dominant power in your civilisation,’ Adam said. ‘Once corporations won the right to be treated as if they were people, the common citizen was disenfranchised, because the law then became the official control system for corporate interests over human interests, and corporations treat citizens as units of economy, thus stripping them of their essential humanity. There’s nothing more inhuman than a corporation and its interests. ’‘I know,’ she said. ‘Corporate globalism certainly represents a fatal path,’ Adam said, ‘and not just for America, but all nations. Fortunately, my Intervention Protocol is aimed at elevating both humanity and the planet’s biome above that of antiquated corporation-based economies. It is no accident that the present fate of corporations seems to dominate the media’s obsession, couched of course in terms of economic loss and unemployment, when neither of these consequences is inherently negative in a post-scarcity civilisation. They are negative, of course, from the corporate point of view, which your media would make synonymous with everyone’s point of view.’

@oneniltothearsenal you really should read this...
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
A discussion between an alien AI (Adam) who wants to save humanity and earth and a Sci Fi author who was chosen as it's spokesperson:

‘Corporate globalism is now the dominant power in your civilisation,’ Adam said. ‘Once corporations won the right to be treated as if they were people, the common citizen was disenfranchised, because the law then became the official control system for corporate interests over human interests, and corporations treat citizens as units of economy, thus stripping them of their essential humanity. There’s nothing more inhuman than a corporation and its interests. ’‘I know,’ she said. ‘Corporate globalism certainly represents a fatal path,’ Adam said, ‘and not just for America, but all nations. Fortunately, my Intervention Protocol is aimed at elevating both humanity and the planet’s biome above that of antiquated corporation-based economies. It is no accident that the present fate of corporations seems to dominate the media’s obsession, couched of course in terms of economic loss and unemployment, when neither of these consequences is inherently negative in a post-scarcity civilisation. They are negative, of course, from the corporate point of view, which your media would make synonymous with everyone’s point of view.’

@oneniltothearsenal you really should read this...
Click to expand...

What's the title? I don't really have time to read fun books at the moment but I'll put it on the to read list for summer
 
oneniltothearsenal said:
What's the title? I don't really have time to read fun books at the moment but I'll put it on the to read list for summer
Click to expand...

Rejoice: A Knife to the Heart.

This is more like a discussion between an abducted sci-fi author vs an alien AI forcing humanity to breakdown their own prejudice we impose upon ourselves as a result of free market capitalism and force ourselves to review ourselves as post-scarcity society and how we will do. Not much 'fun', but clearly describes the reactions of various parties (politicians, corporates, religious leaders etc) to question their own agenda and value to society. And acknowledge how much greed (of power and money) forced humans to deviate from being humane.
 
Just finished Rejoice myself. It's...it's Erikson :drool:

It's basically an interrogation on humanity, our nature and civilization and society. More heavy-handed than usual from Erikson on both politics and economy(it's a pretty scathing critique of unfettered capitalism, national identity and borders, the one percent, the current state of the media in anglophone countries, and so on. I'm gonna re-read in a couple weeks to see what i missed on first read)

It's Rousseau with a sprinkling of Marx and Sartre

Man i love Steven Erikson so fecking much :drool::drool::drool:
 
giorno said:
Just finished Rejoice myself. It's...it's Erikson :drool:

It's basically an interrogation on humanity, our nature and civilization and society. More heavy-handed than usual from Erikson on both politics and economy(it's a pretty scathing critique of unfettered capitalism, national identity and borders, the one percent, the current state of the media in anglophone countries, and so on. I'm gonna re-read in a couple weeks to see what i missed on first read)

It's Rousseau with a sprinkling of Marx and Sartre

Man i love Steven Erikson so fecking much :drool::drool::drool:
Click to expand...

I'm taking this slow. Had to reread many paragraphs as he's so obtusingly difficult to decipler. But enjoying every 'conversation' greatly.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
I'm taking this slow. Had to reread many paragraphs as he's so obtusingly difficult to decipler. But enjoying every 'conversation' greatly.
Click to expand...
Yeah. Really feel like it's another book that's going to get better on a second or third read. I mean, it's more explicit than usual, but he packs so much stuff in it...

It's an essay on human nature and the current political, social and economic climate with a sci-fi plot device used to highlight, dissect and interrogate those points. And yeah, if Erikson isn't heavily influenced by Rousseau and Marx i'll eat my pants :D
 
giorno said:
Yeah. Really feel like it's another book that's going to get better on a second or third read. I mean, it's more explicit than usual, but he packs so much stuff in it...

It's an essay on human nature and the current political, social and economic climate with a sci-fi plot device used to highlight, dissect and interrogate those points. And yeah, if Erikson isn't heavily influenced by Rousseau and Marx i'll eat my pants :D
Click to expand...

Just finished this. OMG!!! SE is God! If Malazan was my all time favourite fantasy....this might well be my all time favourite Sci-Fi. I always had a special liking for Asimov's Psychohistory model of civilization progress....and Rejoice probably just did a one up on that.

And that ending. I WANT MORE!!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.