Fantasy book or series recommendation needed
Any recommendation for good fantasy type stories.I've read the Wheel of Time and Song of Ice and Fire books released to date.I have also read all the Discworld novels.
Read the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
And also The Recluce series but that was many years ago and I can't remember them that well.
Can anyone recommend something else to try - single books or meaty series.
Cheers,
Nigel Raymond Feist, Magician The Name Of The Wind is superb, possibly the best fantasy book I've read. David Eddings' Elenium and Tamuli series are very good. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
I've heard the Belgariad series is good too, but never read it.
Also, Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series (made into the TV show Legend of the Seeker). Stephen Kings Dark Tower Series.As a standalone i would go for The Eye of the Dragon by King aswell, i believe it ties into The Dark Tower series though, but i havent read it for a few years so cannot remember. My all time favvorite book is Midnight at the Well of Souls by Jack L Chalkerwhich starts out Sci-Fi but gets into near fantasy when thay have to cross a planet with different life forms in each reagion and is a stand alon story but there 2 sequils on the same planet. Its out of print right now but can be bought seconed hand and well worth tracking down
Midnight at the Well of Souls: Amazon.co.uk: J. Chalker: Books
Quote from Amazon This introduction to the Well World saga is the best of the entire series. A group of people with various morals and backgrounds get drawn into a planet which turns out not only to be THE planet of origin for many types of species but something so much more powerful...
I took my handle from the two sci fi characters that made me love the genre and I am very surprised that the Well World is not mentioned more often in sci-fi/fantasy genre discussions. Which brings up the point: this is a cornucopia of ideas: sci-fi, fantasy, evolution, conflict. And these strands are interwoven to give a very human story, never being too caught up in its original and highly inventive concept. So I recommend to you my dear reader for you to read this book, then to tap the side of your nose and realise what others have been missing.
Looking at other efforts that have hit the market since, (including a three parter by the same author to update the series in the 90s) you can see how very easily it is to go wrong and write a confusing/self important/soulless offering.
I really wanted to be more critical because 5 stars should mean perfection, but the only real flaw is that the standards are effortlessly set so high, and the story so complete, the sequels suffer (some very badly). Five stars it is then!
Terry Brooks Sword of Shinara and its follow up. The Sword of Shannara: Shannara 1 Shannara Series: Amazon.co.uk: Terry Brooks: Books
Or the trilogy
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sword-Shannara-Trilogy-Terry-Brooks/dp/1841492876/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t
The Icewind Dale Trilogy: Collector's Edition Forgotten Realms: Amazon.co.uk: R.A. Salvatore: Books is very good about a Dark Elf who is an outcast from a race of evil dark elfs who has to make it in a world that distrust him and overcome greater evils to save their world. There was a number of games based on the story.
Sword In The Storm (The Rigante series): Amazon.co.uk: David Gemmell: Books This.Best fantasy book ever data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 The later Feist stuff wasn't all that but the earlier stuff was great, especially the three Empire books. Forgot to mention this.I have read a lot of Feist, including the Magician.I can't remeber how far I got but I remember really liking it at first and I must have gone through a good 4 or 5 books, but then losing interest as the books continued.
Thanks for all the suggestions - I will have a look at them.Ideally, I want to be able to get it on unabridged audiobook which I can order from my local library as most of my 'reading' is done on my daily car commute.
Cheers,
Nigel Stephen Donaldson, "Mordant's Need" series - 2 books, "The Mirror of her Dreams" and "A Man Rides Through".Excellent fantasy from the author who is best known for his epic "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant", which is also great but the Mordant's Need books are smaller in scope and more focused.Very good characters, keeps you guessing, nice angle on magic, and it's a series that actually has a start and an end, and doesn't go off wandering into mental masturbation for several volumes!Unfortunately, I doubt whether you'll find it on audiobook but it's well worth reading.
OTOH you can definitely get audiobooks of the Harry Potter books, which you may have heard of data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe - started out as a radio series so definitely available in audio format!Might be more science fiction comedy, but very funny and you mentioned liking Pratchett.
Greg Bear, "Infinity Concerto" and "Serpent Mage"
Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl - children's fantasy adventures but very enjoyable, also definitely available in audio format I would have thought.
Neil Gaiman, Stardust
David Gemmell - the king of heroic fantasy!Lots of great books, some standalone but most in loosely-connected series.Try "Waylander" as a good starting point, for example.
Stephen Lawhead, Song of Albion series (I haven't read many more of his but these were very good)
Julian May, The Many-Coloured Land et al (The Saga of the Exiles)
Brent Weeks, The Way of Shadows et al, fantasy series about an assassin
Jack Vance, Lyonesse
Philip Pullman, Northern Lights / The Subtle Glass / The Amber Spyglass
K.E.Mills, The Accidental Sorcerer - comic fantasy, quite fun
Michael Scott Rohan - two main series, either "The Winter of the World" (5 volumes) or "Chase the Morning" & sequels.The former is classic boy-grows-up-and-becomes-powerful-magician fantasy stuff, a bit heavy going but very enjoyable.The latter is about a guy who gets caught up in a fantasy world of old-time pirates and magicians, also good fun.
If you want to try David Eddings, go for his first work - the Belgariad - first.It's very well constructed and a great story, although it's rather simplistic and formulaic, particularly in the characterisation.It was very successful back when it was published, though, and he made a very lucrative career out of writing the same books many times!
Let us know if you try any of these suggestions and what you think!And enjoy data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 Gemmells work is spread across a few worlds. The Drenii, starting with his first book Legend then Waylander > King Beyond Gate > Quest for Lost Heroes
The Sipsrassi Stones Uther Pendragon (King Arthur) stories: Ghost King > Last Sword of Power
The Sipstrassi Stones Jerusalem Man (fall of world stuff): Wolf in Shadow and 3 more
Then there are a few in the Riggante series (highlander types books) and then ancient Greece: Lion of Macedon, then more based on Troy.......
Then add a few single stand alones such as Knights of Dark Reknown