This has already been mentioned and I'm sure a lot of you have already read it, but I recently finished the Black Company series by Glen Cook and I really enjoyed it. It had a completely different style than what I was used to, and it was great to experience something that was so unique. It's dark, philosophical, and very entertaining. I highly recommend it.
FYI, Kingkiller Chronicles has been picked up by Lionsgate: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/lionsgate-wins-rights-fantasy-book-828557
wow great thread! I have some questions. After the Mistborn which series I should read from that Universe? I only picked that author because of WOT even though I thought he did a sloppy job with Mat. Is Codex Alera anything like Dresden files? I love Dresden. Also I have given up on Malazan Books of the Fallen because of the language even though I really wanted to read it. It's too confusing. From this thread I see that the Black Company is another great and similar book. Is the language like that?
The BC is much much easier to read than MBotF. The bridgeburners were inspired by the BC. How far did you get with MBotF?
only about over half of Gardens of the Moon. I gave up at the tarot reading when I finally realised I had no idea what was going on ,on so many different levels. I read fantasy in english which isn't my mother tongue. But if you read in translation it loses a lot. The problem is that the author dives you head down in a universe with too many characters, history ,relationships and too many different magic ways/systems and you are lost and then throws at you difficult language /syntax on top. It's a shame because I'm a huge fantasy fan and I realllyyy wanted to read this masterpiece.
At that point nobody had any idea what is happening. The second book makes a lot clear and the third book explains about the word. Accepting that you have no idea what is what is something that you neef to do to enjoy this series. Also reading the forumof a book over at Malazan empire after you finish a book really helps in finding what you missed. Because you will have missen a lot. There are so many great detail and foreshadowing in the Books you only catch on your reread of the series. These are the only Books I ever read twice. For me there had never been a serie that has Come close to MBotF. It really ruined a lot of Books I read after that since they were to basic and symplistic.
really? Ok I am convinced to try again. I dont' like searching online for info when reading a series-only after I have finished it completely, because this changes my reading experience. I still think this is not well written tho. No mater how deep and rich the world and the characters are. Because I am a very very experienced reader and if I am turned off by this, a lot of more casual readers would have also. Anyway will give it again a try. Don't want to miss on this masterpiece. Thank you.
I really cannot read books twice, I just cannot stand knowing what happens (I cannot watch a sport game where I know the end result) More people agree with you that it is not well written. I do agree that sometimes he can become a bit too philosophical. (especially in Toll the hounds). I also agree that many people will get turned off by how much he keeps you in the dark. I agree that he could explain a bit more. So he might not be the best storyteller, but he is amazing in thinking of a story. He makes up with his characters and story lines. You just have to accept that in many instances you will not understand everything. The first 3 books are the best reading experience I have ever had. I was really really hooked by them (I have not been as hooked by any book before). The quality does decrease a bit after Book 3, Although book 5 and 7 are also amazing (you just have to accept a lot of new characters but some are amazing). The rest are just really good. Like I said these books really changed the way I appreciate books. Many fantasy books are just simplistic for my taste since I read these books.
I didn't think so. Codex Alera is your basic fantasy series and doesn't really stand out in any way. They are pretty quick reads though so it's not like you'll spend a ton of time reading through them.
Disagree to a point. The world of Codex Alera has some hidden sci-fi influences. I won't get into specifics as it's a spoiler. Plus, the entire idea was based off of a dare: The inspiration for the series came from a bet Jim was challenged to by a member of the Del Rey Online Writer’s Workshop. The challenger bet that Jim could not write a good story based on a lame idea, and Jim countered that he could do it using two lame ideas of the challenger’s choosing. The “lame” ideas given were “Lost Roman Legion", and “Pokémon”. Plus Jim Butcher is up there with GRRM in terms of great characterization and plot depth. If you haven't read his stuff, do yourself a favor and check it out. Desden Files is NOT some Noir series, which is what I thought it was before I picked it up. It's an extremely deep series with huge and intricate overarching plots. Every little thing has meaning.
I've read all of the Dresden files except for the last one and really like them, I just found the Codex Alera to be lacking in comparison. malakas asked if the Codex Alera is anything like the Dresden files and I don't think they are, but that's just my opinion.
I gave up Malazan in the middle of Book 5. I'm ok with each book having a separate but related story, but I just couldn't get into the story of Book 5. The Black Company is much easier to read and they are some of the only books that I have ever read twice, because I also do not like re-reading books. Codex Alera is decent, but somewhat less complex than The Dresden Files series. I liked them, but I read through them quickly. As for Brandon Sanderson, after the Mistborn Trilogy, there The Allow of Law which takes place hundreds of years after the end of the original trilogy. The sequel to Alloy of Law is about to come out. Other Sanderson books I have liked are his Steelheart series and his Stormlight Archive series, which is his own epic fantasy series on the scale of WOT. Book 3 of that series is coming out next year. A recent trilogy that I enjoyed was Brent Week's The Night Angel series. A gritty dark fantasy.
I understand I was so annoyed when they introduced a whole new cast and continent in Book 5. But Spoiler Tehol and Bug (spoiler contains names of characters that are present in midnight tides, so not a huge spoiler, but some people are easily spoiled) are some of the greatest characters in any book. Black company is indeed much easier. It also had the humor which I liked in the MBotF. I heard Cook is going to write new books about the Black Company. I liked Mistborn Trilogy. It is a bit more simplistic and a bit less mature. But also a really nice read. I also liked The Night Angel. Was a fun read. I have not read The Allow of Law yet. Since as far as i can tell it takes place in a more modern world, and I sort of zoom out when guns are present..
Yeah that's what I meant. What I first liked about Dresden was the noir- magic combo- and his style. Harry Dresden is definitely a character that stays in your mind no matter how many fantasy books you read, because he is different. To be honest I was kinda angry-selfish that he devoted time in Codex Alera and won't write the next book this year. Because I was spoilled by getting a dose every year. But the idea of pokemon and Lost Roman Legion in one sounds hillarious.:grin: Thanx for your response. I know about the next trilogy but I was thinking to check out a different world of his. I'm very intrigued and impressed by his magic systems. And I get why he was chosen to finish WOT since that's the series with the most comprehensive and analysed magic system, who better to do it than the write that has come up with dozens of different magics with their own rules! Oh and btw he has said that he will also write about the other pole of the Mistborn planet. That uses the same magic but in a different way.
I think I'll give Malazan Book 5 another chance when I have time. I just really liked the end of Book 4, I thought it was very intense and I wanted more of the same. Book 5 was not only another setting, but it started a bit slow too. The Allow of Law is fun. Imagine a gunslinger who is also a Coinshot and think of what kind of crazy sharpshooting he could do. If you want something epic from Sanderson like WOT, then I recommend the Stormlight Archive. That's really his baby and the series that he wants to put up there with the other comparable high fantasy epics. The first 2 books are out and the 3rd is coming next year. He projects 10 books in the series. I like it alot and will likely pre-order the 3rd book from Amazon. I also really like his Steelheart series. It turns superhero tropes on its head and proposes a world devastated and ruled by people with Powers. The first 2 books are out and the 3rd book is coming out early next year. Oddly enough, there is another series that I find slightly similar to The Dresden Files and that is the Garrett, PI series by Glen Cook. The main character is a mundane PI in a fantasy world, so in some ways opposite to Dresden, but their combative, anti-authority attitude is somewhat similar. The way that seemingly simple cases get completely out of control is also similar. There are 10+ books in the series and I think they are very entertaining, but unfortunately, there is less character and background development over the span of the Garrett series than in Dresden, and I am not sure that Glen Cook has an endgame in mind. Still, they are individually quite short and worth the read.
Glen Cook is an old fart and comes from a serial era of writing, when you just kept going with your stories or kept them short, not the current era of sprawling multi-book series with a huge endgame in mind. Given that, his Black Company books are great Military Fantasy. On that tangent, I've really enjoyed reading Military Fantasy and Sci-Fi lately; much more action than dialogue. I feel like you should be conferred with an honorary PhD when you've read the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It's just so insanely deep and complicated, yet somehow boring for long stretches. I love the world building but Erickson's characterization is mundane. Still, it's a feather in your fantasy-reading cap as one of the epics of the genre. I also liked Ian C. Esslemont's writing better in the same universe. I'm gun-shy about Sanderson since he took over WoT...that series went from great to daytime soap opera around book 5. Leery of anyone that was hand picked to finish it off. One of my buddies who reads a ton of fantasy loves Sanderson, though.
