fantasy/dark fiction series recommendations, please!

[Flashingblade]

I really enjoyed the Halflife Chronicles by William Mark Simmons which are available from Baen. Nice twist on normal vampire stuff. Read all 4 in a short space of time & am looking forward to the 5th which he is supposed to be on with at the moment.

http://www.webscription.net/s-94-wil...k-simmons.aspx

The first book "One Foot In The Grave" is only $4

[astra]

Originally Posted by BlackVoid

Joe Abercrombie

It is dark, gritty, plenty of action, plenty of surprises...
There are quite a few battles, but they are not the 20 page type....

Agree book2:
The First Law is a very cynical series.

[igorsk]

I've recently read and quite liked God Stalker Chronicles by P.C. Hodgell. Not exactly "dark", but the protagonist is not the usual "champion of justice" - e.g. in the first book she actually joins the Thieves Guild A piece of a review from Amazon:

The main protagonist, Jame, grapples with her place in a society that does not much welcome her, except as a pawn in their games. Honor is everything to her people - but "honor" has many subtle definitions and paradoxes, and navigating the razor's edge of what it means to be a member of the race of the Kencyrath brings Jame to a lively series of (mis)adventures. The opening books tell the story of her search for her people, and of the long-lost brother she seeks. As a feisty female with her own ideas of her destiny and a past that sets her apart from even the most accepting of her kind, Jame's struggle and stubbornness make for a non-stop action story. With wry humor and touching friendships made along the way, and an amazingly intricate back-story, Jame's tale is the kind of epic that only improves with each re-reading.

The first book was a bit uneven but I'm glad I stuck with it - the later books improve a lot.

[Mare of Earth]

L.E. Modesitt Jr. - the Order series (long) - haven't finished it yet, but every book I have read in it I have enjoyed.

Robert Jordan - Wheel of time series (long) - I liked it, but haven't read past book 4 yet - the tapestry of characters gets very very intricate.

And I second the recommendation for the symphony of Ages - Rhapsody, Prophesy, and Destiny were all fantastic. I have not read the fourth, fifth and sixth books.

[queentess]

Originally Posted by Mare of Earth

Robert Jordan - Wheel of time series (long) - I liked it, but haven't read past book 4 yet - the tapestry of characters gets very very intricate.

You only like it because you haven't read beyond book 4
I like the series overall, but oy! does it ever start to drag around book 8. And don't get me started on book 10.

[Jerboa]

I recently discovered a trilogy by Karen Miller that might fit. The Godspeaker trilogy. The books (in order) are: Empress, The Riven Kingdom, and The Hammer of God.

I haven't read book 3 yet. But I found the first two can't-put-down riveting.

[JeremyZ]

Have you read Dracula?

I just finished reading this for the first time. Can't believe I waited until I was 33.

Van Helsing can by annoying through his consistent compliments of the women in the novel, but otherwise, it was outstanding.

[JSWolf]

I recommend Stephen R. Donaldson. The last series will have 4 books and that will be the end.

Thomas Covenant
1. Lord Foul's Bane (1977)
2. The Illearth War (1977)
3. The Power That Preserves (1977)

Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
1. The Wounded Land (1980)
2. The One Tree (1982)
3. White Gold Wielder (1983)

Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
1. The Runes of the Earth (2004)
2. Fatal Revenant (2007)
3. Against All Things Ending (2010)

[queentess]

I just finished reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson and I'm about 3/4 through the sequel. You might like it - there are some military-based sequences, and there is some romance, but it's predominantly action. And I find the magical system to be built out very well.

[kainne]

Raymond E Feist Rift War Saga
Tad Williams - Memory, Sorrow & Thorn trilogy

[Andanzas]

If you enjoyed George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, I would recommend Robin Hobb's novels. I discovered her because Martin confessed in his blog that he is a huge fan of her work. And it's easy to find things they have in common: they are both excellent at creating plot twists, they are very good at characterization, and their fictional worlds seem quite authentic. However, Hobb focuses on one character, so her world is not as rich as that of Martin, or at least is not presented from so many different perspectives. She has a clear advantage over Martin: she finishes her trilogies. And, like Martin's books, I couldn't put any of her novels down until I finished them.

The order of the first trilogy is:

Assassin's Apprentice (this book used to be a freebie, but not anymore, it seems )
Royal Assassin
Assassin's Quest

[BlackVoid]

Originally Posted by astra

Agree book2:
The First Law is a very cynical series.

You have to be realistic.

[Slite]

Originally Posted by BlackVoid

You have to be realistic.

Realistic? Wasn't it Fantasy/Sci-Fi that was discussed here?

[BlackVoid]

Originally Posted by Slite

Realistic? Wasn't it Fantasy/Sci-Fi that was discussed here?

Read the First Law trilogy then you will understand....


SF & fantasy can still be realistic: actions and decisions of the characters have to be in sync with the world. There is nothing worse then contrived, implausible plot elements and stupid characters.

[Slite]

Originally Posted by BlackVoid

Read the First Law trilogy then you will understand....


SF & fantasy can still be realistic: actions and decisions of the characters have to be in sync with the world. There is nothing worse then contrived, implausible plot elements and stupid characters.

Ummm, I did intend that comment as a joke, which I was certain that the smileyface behind it would help illustrate, but aparently I was wrong.