Looking for a contemporary high or epic fantasy recommendation - Page 3

tompe · 06-04-2009, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I wish I could have afforded the VIE when it came out. Lucky you!!

We collected money to buy it to our science fiction club and I happens to have the club "library" in my apartment. I planned to buy it myself also but I thought the total price was to expensive (and I did not like the font

).

pdurrant · 06-04-2009, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirbruce

Okay, so I'm currrently working on a fantasy novel that is the usual Hero's Journey type plot. For inspiration I would like to be reading a similar sort of tale as I write, something involving quests, coming-of-age, mysterious mentors, and that sort of thing.

Sheepfarmer's Daughter by Elizabeth Moon in the Baen free library

The God Stalker Chonicles by P. C. Hodgell at Webscription.net.

Both are the start of a series, but not very long series, and can be read alone. The God Stalker Chronicles is an omnibus of the first two books in that series.

bertold · 06-04-2009, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

If only this thing was in ebook - it's HUGE! My paperback copy weighs more than my cat!

Why don't you just get a bigger cat? Sheesh.

poohbear_nc · 06-04-2009, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bertold

Why don't you just get a bigger cat? Sheesh.

Oh no! Then the cat would control the Kindle, and I'd have to sit on the arm of the chair begging for attention!

sirbruce · 06-13-2009, 02:34 AM

I'm halfway through Pawn of Prophecy and so far it's been a very quick read. Very helpful in my own writing but I have to wonder if the style isn't a bit old-fashioned for modern fantasy. Highly unlimited third person whereas most modern authors seem to go for a tighter third person. But I'm enjoying it!

libraryaddict · 06-13-2009, 01:44 PM

More contemporary fantasy: you could try:

Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind - it's the first in a series, though the rest haven't been published yet.

Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series (in progress) and Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series may not be exactly what you're looking for, tone-wise, but both worth a look for how contemporary authors are dealing with these themes. Also cracking good reads in their own right. I think they're all first person, though.

I'll second (or third) Lois McMaster Bujold, though I think the coming of age themes are probably better covered in the SFF than the fantasy.

sirbruce · 06-16-2009, 06:48 AM

Finished Pawn of Prophecy. What a tease! So many questions and hardly anything really happened. You can see the influence of Lord of the Rings on its structure, too. Frankly, it's a bit old-fashioned, but I enjoyed it and have already started the next book. It's certainly what I was looking for.

I will say I don't much like *any* of the characters, though. Oh, Silk and Barak are good comic relief, but Garion, Belgarath, and Polgara all need a good smacking. And I couldn't help but keep comparing the characters and plot to Harry Potter, as well. It's all the same story, told and retold in new and interesting ways...

JSWolf · 06-16-2009, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirbruce

I will say I don't much like *any* of the characters, though. Oh, Silk and Barak are good comic relief, but Garion, Belgarath, and Polgara all need a good smacking. And I couldn't help but keep comparing the characters and plot to Harry Potter, as well. It's all the same story, told and retold in new and interesting ways...

Remember, this came before the Harry Potter series. So you should be comparing Harry Potter to it.

sirbruce · 06-16-2009, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Remember, this came before the Harry Potter series. So you should be comparing Harry Potter to it.

Yes, and they're all copying LotR, Beowulf, etc. I didn't mean to imply a causal connection in either temporal direction.

stephanievoid · 02-02-2010, 10:29 PM

I didn't see anyone mentioning Eragon by Christopher Paolini. It's a very easy read and it sounds like what you're looking for. Yes, it is the start of a series, though.

Hope that helps.

Stephanie

[promotion deleted - MODERATOR]

ctol · 02-03-2010, 10:15 AM

It is not a single series per se, but if you want to read some great old school high fantasy, you might want to look into the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series that was edited by Lin Carter. There are some terrific fantasy books written by some of the greatest fantasy authors ever. Many of them are available in e-book versions but sadly not all. I have read the majority of them and found them all to be very enjoyable reads.

Also, though many of them are aimed at a younger audience, over the years I have thoroughly enyoyed Andre Norton's Witch World Series. IMHO, many of the later books in the series do fit into the high fantasy category.

Here is the wikipedia link if you want to look at the list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballant...fantasy_series

tyche · 02-04-2010, 06:13 PM

Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. 9 of the 10 books are out now so you don't have to wait 10 years to finish it.

For a single novel, maybe Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.

I guess I should mention George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series although there are at least 3 more books not yet finished.

The problem I see with "modern" high fantasy is they have become these 10 book epics that take a decade or more to finish.

radius · 02-05-2010, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirbruce

Many of the above books are older as well. I'm hoping for something more contemporary. I'm also vaguely wondering if there are any STAND ALONE novels of high fantasy anymore, as nearly everything is the start of a series, and I don't want to get drawn into a series I don't have time to finish right now. But I welcome all suggestions, even if they are part of a series.

Well, I see you already started the Belgariad, so I'm not sure more recommendations are useful but I'm going to give you one anyways

But before we get to that, I'm surprised that you found the Belgariad old fashioned. Its been a while since I read it, but it felt fairly modern to me. Meaning the language is pretty pared down. The attitude of the main character seems typical of a modern American teenager. Magic is treated almost like a technology or skill instead of something mysterious and mystical.

Of course, contemporary to mean means written since the latter half of the last century, and maybe to you it means written since the latter half of the decade so

If you need more of a break from writing, you can try The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander (comprising The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, and The High King).

It doesn't exactly fit your specification, being first published in the mid-1960's, being a series instead of a single novel, and being juveniles instead of adult fantasy.

On the other hand, they are inspired by Welsh mythology, so the stories definitely have a high fantasy feeling. Since they are juveniles, and published a while ago, they are shorter than todays novels so reading a series isn't necessarily as onerous as it might seem. Also, since they are juveniles, you get the whole coming of age and mysterious mentors thing.

If you read it with a totally modern eye, you may find it a bit cliched (haughty princess, rogueish friend, loyal but goofy sidekick, wizard mentor, magic sword etc.) but the writing is good, the pacing is exciting, and the characters are sympathetic. Definitely worth a look.

WillAdams · 02-05-2010, 11:59 AM

Not typical fantasy, but books which haven't been mentioned as-of-yet as far as I could tell:

- Susan Cooper _The Dark is Rising_ pentalogy
- C.J. Cherryh's Morgaine stories and The Dreamstone and The Tree of Swords and Jewels.

William

ctol · 02-05-2010, 12:56 PM

Forgot about this one in my earlier post, but if you like epic fantasy with a somewhat dark theme, you might want to look at C. S. Friedman's excellent Coldfire trilogy. Ifound them to be one of the most gripping pieces of fantasy I have ever read. They are:

Black Sun Rising
When True Night Falls
Crown Of Shadows.

06-13-2009, 01:44 PM	#36
libraryaddict Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: Sony? convince me	More contemporary fantasy: you could try: Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind - it's the first in a series, though the rest haven't been published yet. Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series (in progress) and Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series may not be exactly what you're looking for, tone-wise, but both worth a look for how contemporary authors are dealing with these themes. Also cracking good reads in their own right. I think they're all first person, though. I'll second (or third) Lois McMaster Bujold, though I think the coming of age themes are probably better covered in the SFF than the fantasy. Last edited by libraryaddict; 06-13-2009 at 01:45 PM. Reason: typo

02-02-2010, 10:29 PM	#40
stephanievoid Indie Author Posts: 15 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Boston Device: Kindle	I didn't see anyone mentioning Eragon by Christopher Paolini. It's a very easy read and it sounds like what you're looking for. Yes, it is the start of a series, though. Hope that helps. Stephanie [promotion deleted - MODERATOR] Last edited by Dr. Drib; 01-26-2012 at 01:23 PM.

02-04-2010, 06:13 PM	#42
tyche Addict Posts: 227 Karma: 2530 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS-505, iPad	Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. 9 of the 10 books are out now so you don't have to wait 10 years to finish it. For a single novel, maybe Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. I guess I should mention George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series although there are at least 3 more books not yet finished. The problem I see with "modern" high fantasy is they have become these 10 book epics that take a decade or more to finish. Last edited by tyche; 02-04-2010 at 06:17 PM.

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06-13-2009, 02:34 AM	#35
sirbruce Provocateur Posts: 1,859 Karma: 505847 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Device: Kindle Touch, Kindle 2, Kindle DX, iPhone 3GS	I'm halfway through Pawn of Prophecy and so far it's been a very quick read. Very helpful in my own writing but I have to wonder if the style isn't a bit old-fashioned for modern fantasy. Highly unlimited third person whereas most modern authors seem to go for a tighter third person. But I'm enjoying it!

06-16-2009, 06:48 AM	#37
sirbruce Provocateur Posts: 1,859 Karma: 505847 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Device: Kindle Touch, Kindle 2, Kindle DX, iPhone 3GS	Finished Pawn of Prophecy. What a tease! So many questions and hardly anything really happened. You can see the influence of Lord of the Rings on its structure, too. Frankly, it's a bit old-fashioned, but I enjoyed it and have already started the next book. It's certainly what I was looking for. I will say I don't much like any of the characters, though. Oh, Silk and Barak are good comic relief, but Garion, Belgarath, and Polgara all need a good smacking. And I couldn't help but keep comparing the characters and plot to Harry Potter, as well. It's all the same story, told and retold in new and interesting ways...

02-03-2010, 10:15 AM	#41
ctol Groupie Posts: 152 Karma: 303523 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Arizona Device: Nook, Fire Tablet, Windows RT Tablet Windows Phone	It is not a single series per se, but if you want to read some great old school high fantasy, you might want to look into the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series that was edited by Lin Carter. There are some terrific fantasy books written by some of the greatest fantasy authors ever. Many of them are available in e-book versions but sadly not all. I have read the majority of them and found them all to be very enjoyable reads. Also, though many of them are aimed at a younger audience, over the years I have thoroughly enyoyed Andre Norton's Witch World Series. IMHO, many of the later books in the series do fit into the high fantasy category. Here is the wikipedia link if you want to look at the list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballant...fantasy_series

02-05-2010, 11:59 AM	#44
WillAdams Wizard Posts: 1,260 Karma: 3439432 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (300ppi), Samsung Galaxy Book 12	Not typical fantasy, but books which haven't been mentioned as-of-yet as far as I could tell: - Susan Cooper _The Dark is Rising_ pentalogy - C.J. Cherryh's Morgaine stories and The Dreamstone and The Tree of Swords and Jewels. William

02-05-2010, 12:56 PM	#45
ctol Groupie Posts: 152 Karma: 303523 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Arizona Device: Nook, Fire Tablet, Windows RT Tablet Windows Phone	Forgot about this one in my earlier post, but if you like epic fantasy with a somewhat dark theme, you might want to look at C. S. Friedman's excellent Coldfire trilogy. Ifound them to be one of the most gripping pieces of fantasy I have ever read. They are: Black Sun Rising When True Night Falls Crown Of Shadows.

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