General Discussion

What series/books are you into right now, and what are your favorites?  Just looking for some new ideas on reading material.

Just finished with sword of truth, read and reread LoTR many many times, and impatiently waiting on the next installment of A Song of Ice and Fire (A Dance with Dragons).

Here is a list of my favs.

1. A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin)
2. LoTR (and all related books like the hobbit, Simarillion)
3. Sword of Truth

pretty standard fantasy list, but I still like em....

Otherland is a wonderful series.  I've also been enjoying Mercades Lackey's Obsidian Trilogy ...and of course, Robert Jordan.

Originally posted by Taera

Otherland is a wonderful series.  I've also been enjoying Mercades Lackey's Obsidian Trilogy ...and of course, Robert Jordan.

Which Robert Jordan? Winter's Heart was so good. You reading that one?

never got into The Wheel of Time, just didn't click for me, but I think I might pick up the other two.  Otherland seems like it might get me, but the Obsidian Trilogy looks like something I would really enjoy.  Thanks.

Wheel of Time, yes :)

Otherline, like WoT, really takes a while to get into - in fact, the best part of Otherland really starts in book 2.  That being said, it's amazing.  The author does a disturbingly wonderful job of creating an accurate and believable future, right down to the kids using slang.  I've even found myself calling stuff "scanny" :)

Obsidian Trilogy I'm about halfway through the first book, and it's been great so far, but the setting is changing.  We'll see if I continue enjoying it; I used to love Lackey when I was younger but outgrew her other writing a bit :(

Originally posted by Taera

Wheel of Time, yes :)

 

Otherline, like WoT, really takes a while to get into - in fact, the best part of Otherland really starts in book 2.  That being said, it's amazing.  The author does a disturbingly wonderful job of creating an accurate and believable future, right down to the kids using slang.  I've even found myself calling stuff "scanny" :)

Obsidian Trilogy I'm about halfway through the first book, and it's been great so far, but the setting is changing.  We'll see if I continue enjoying it; I used to love Lackey when I was younger but outgrew her other writing a bit :(

Isn't that cool about the language thing. It is the same for when I watch old 30-40's movies that used the old slang nobody uses anymore. Like when is the last time you heard someone say is that on the level or golly. It is fun to know languages, like slangs and terms go out of style.

Indeed, but the ability to artifically create that for a future culture that doesn't exsist is amazing to me :)

Steven Erikson's Malazan books of the fallen. Not for everyone mind you. now for me to be lazy and post a comparison i wrote elsewere.

some spoilers within regarding a song of ice and fire.

I am in need of a pointless Internet rant as i have gotten grumpy about G. R. R. Martin again.

When Game of Thrones came out, the brutality and despair grabbed me. The main perspectives were the children, that in itself is not unusual (Robin Hobbs assassin series or the Belgariad by David Eddings) but they weren't the heroic coming of age stories. There was abject terror and even the casual crippling of one of the kids. Then with the betrayal both of their father and their fathers betrayal of the heroic ideal, the no compromise attitude these books gained a flavour of their own.

A lot of fantasy is written for the teenage market, so the teenagers or children within the books take a few lessons but end up being heroes. But here was a series that showed a much more complex morality and was set to become the best adult level fantasy series out there. Pity that it has taken a beating with other writers stepping forward and actually producing literature.

The age of people in medieval history thrown into positions of responsibility were often quite young. it is our modern perspective that colours our view that that you are are an adult only when you are over 18 (or 21), this is historically not the case. Of course the modern need for a much more extensive education is associated with this modern change. An example of this context is that Juliet in Romeo and Juliet was only supposed to be, at most, 14 years old, and she was going to be married off to a man who was over 30.

Within the series though, I like that these children do make immature mistakes, like Rob marrying for love which leads to the the bloody wedding.

# A Game of Thrones (1996)
# A Clash of Kings (1998)
# A Storm of Swords (2000)

three books were written in reasonably quick progression, the story developed apace and my enthusiasm had waxed to a glossy brilliance waiting for book four to arrive.

# A Feast for Crows (2005)
# A Dance with Dragons (forthcoming)

a six year break for half a book. If you don't know, Martin gave up completing book four, split the manuscript in half and published one half of the story. I really can't see the next half showing up all that quickly.

In 1996 a game of thrones was ground breaking for modern fantasy, a decade has passed and the impact of Martin's writing is less lively than one his animated corpses.

The development of modern fantasy has passed into the hands of others with both better ideas and more productivity. In the time it has taken Martain to finish half a book, 2000 to 2007, Erickson has finished six books, each of which is better than Martins incomplete efforts.

Steven Erikson
Malazan Book of the Fallen

* Gardens of the Moon (1999)
* Deadhouse Gates (2000)
* Memories of Ice (2001)
* House of Chains (2002)
* Midnight Tides (2004)
* The Bonehunters (2006)
* Reaper's Gale (May 2007)
* Toll the Hounds (forthcoming)
* Dust of Dreams (forthcoming)
* The Crippled God (forthcoming)

_________________________________________

I feel much better now.

on your rant about grrm i guess i got lucky and only got into the series last year so i haven't had to wait hardly at all up until this point. though, i can definately see how the prolonged period between the last two books could be annoying at the least.  Still, his world is by far the best that I have found so far, I love the way that you know magic is there but it is not used as a plot device the characters actually force the story not their magical prowess or the forces of good and evil.