The "Can't Miss" fantasy books!

[AnemicOak]

An old favorite of mine is The Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy by Elizabeth Moon.

Complete at Last in a
Single Hardcover Volume
—the Finest Trilogy of
Epic Fantasy in a Decade

Paksenarrion, a simple sheepfarmer's daughter, yearns for a life of adventure and glory, such as was known to heroes in songs and story. At age seventeen she runs away from home to join a mercenary company and begins her epic life . . . Book One: Paks is trained as a mercenary, blooded, and introduced to the life of a soldier . . . and to the followers of Gird, the soldier's god. Book Two: Paks leaves the Duke's company to follow the path of Gird alone—and on her lonely quests encounters the other sentient races of her world. Book Three: Paks the warrior must learn to live with Paks the human. She undertakes a holy quest for a lost elven prince that brings the gods' wrath down on her and tests her very limits.

"Engrossing . . ." —Anne McCaffrey

"A tour de force . . ." —Jack McDevitt

"Worldbuilding in the grand tradition, background thought out to the last detail." —Judith Tarr

"Superlative . . ." —Booklist

"Brilliant . . . the excitement of high heroic adventure . . . will enchant the reader." —Bookwatch

[dickloraine]

"Can't miss?"
So I would say Steven Ericsons "Malazan Book of the Fallen" as a series is one of them. I don't know much, that is alike this series in Fantasy. But it is not for anybody. The first book in particular is maybe not the best introduction. So I will give a link to the second book too, which in itself is one of the best fantasy books I've read.

Gardens of the Moon
Deadhouse Gates

And there is a fun reread going on.

[Istvan diVega]

I'll second the recommendations for The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (1st & 2nd chronicles; I'm not starting the 3rd chronicles until the last books is out), The Deed of Paksenarrion and The Malazan Books of the Fallen.

The first and last in particular are unlike anything else in existence, which means you could well find you hate them, but if you don't there's a good chance you'll be blown away. Both are stories for mature readers though and not the feel-good, just-as-suitable-for-children kind of books which were the norm until recently.

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant in particular is undoubtedly among the two or three best and most memorable fantasy books/series I've read in the last four decades, but it really isn't suitable for someone who's just looking for a leisurely and enjoyable read.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Istvan diVega

I'll second the recommendations for The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (1st & 2nd chronicles; I'm not starting the 3rd chronicles until the last books is out)

The last is due out in October 2013. So yes, now is a good time to start the 3rd series.

[danskmacabre]

I also enjoyed the Thomas Covenant series.
I read the first Trilogy when I was in my teens.
Then the second Trilogy as and when it came out.

I particularly liked the second series.

I have read the first couple of books in this latest series, but got bored and gave up.

I can understand why people might like it but it's draw to me was the amazing background story, the cultures, races, landscapes and dare I say it, the book covers were really evocative to me as well.
It really fit with the mood of the world.
Hmmm I know there were different book covers, so I mean the Australia/UK book covers.
The ones where it had like a disk and a background with a landscape of some sort inside the disk or something like that..

[Istvan diVega]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The last is due out in October 2013. So yes, now is a good time to start the 3rd series.

I know it's coming this fall, but I'm not starting anything until the book has been released. It's not that I think Donaldson will let me down, but Robert Jordan and George R. R. Martin taught me that lesson and taught it well.

[Istvan diVega]

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

The ones where it had like a disk and a background with a landscape of some sort inside the disk or something like that..

Yup, they're the ones I bought too. Simple, but as you say evocative and somehow very fitting to the world and the feel of the world. Or so I thought anyway.

The draw for me was the obvious difference of the books from "everything" else in existence at the time - a protagonist so deeply hurt and so fundamentally flawed that he was, initially, impossible to like. As far as I know there's not been anything like them since either. And of course they are marvellously well written, at least as far as I'm concerned.

I see the third chronicles get somewhat uneven press, but then both the books and Mr. Covenant himself has always been a love or hate proposition. Good, bad or indifferent; in my case they are the only >MUST READ!< books around at the moment.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Istvan diVega

[...]I see the third chronicles get somewhat uneven press, but then both the books and Mr. Covenant himself has always been a love or hate proposition. Good, bad or indifferent; in my case they are the only >MUST READ!< books around at the moment.

I've read the first two books of the third series. I thought the first was very good, the second left me scratching a little, the new people on the scene don't make a lot of sense to me yet, so I've left the third book sitting on my shelf until the fourth arrives and then I'll read over from the start and see how it goes. I know the "The Gap" series (sci-fi) from Donaldson turned out to be effectively just one huge book rather than the five it was published as, so maybe this third Covenant series will be the same.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Istvan diVega

I'll second the recommendations for The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (1st & 2nd chronicles; I'm not starting the 3rd chronicles until the last books is out), The Deed of Paksenarrion and The Malazan Books of the Fallen.

One thing to note is that (last time I looked), "White Gold Wielder", the final book of the 2nd chronicles, wasn't available as an ebook.

[Istvan diVega]

Really? That's very surprising. To be honest I never thought to check, seeing as I have the original two chronicles in print.

But why would that one book be omitted when the others are available?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

One thing to note is that (last time I looked), "White Gold Wielder", the final book of the 2nd chronicles, wasn't available as an ebook.

White Gold Wielder is due out (eBook) June 19, 2013.

https://play.google.com/store/books/...1FDM0lodHdDIl0.

[HarryT]

Thanks, Jon!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Istvan diVega

But why would that one book be omitted when the others are available?

From Mr Donaldson's web site:

Readers of COVENANT e-books will probably have noticed that only the first five are available: there's no sign of "White Gold Wielder." Indirectly, at least, this is my fault. I had set in motion a mechanism to supply e-texts so that my publishers wouldn't repeat the horrors of the GAP books; but after five books the wheels came off, my mechanism ground to a halt, and I've done nothing to fix it because I've been making myself crazy over "The Last Dark." But maybe now? It is certainly my devout intention to restart the process as best I can.

2/12/13

I have now delivered to Ballantine a Word .doc of WHITE GOLD WIELDER suitable for conversion into an ebook. How long their part of the process will take, I have no idea. But I have--at last!--done my part to make all of "The Chronicles" available in ebook formats.

3/12/13

[danskmacabre]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

White Gold Wielder is due out (eBook) June 19, 2013.

https://play.google.com/store/books/...1FDM0lodHdDIl0.

Are ebooks on google play drm free?
Does it say somewhere on there?

NM, it uses Adobe digital editions.. guess I won't be buying it then..

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

Are ebooks on google play drm free?
Does it say somewhere on there?

NM, it uses Adobe digital editions.. guess I won't be buying it then..

That's nothing to do with Google Play however as they do sell Tor books without DRM. This one will have DRM everywhere it is sold.