Any fantasy recommendations?

[dracodoc]

Originally Posted by Melissa

I was thinking of reading George R R Matin's Song of fire and ice series... why didn't you like it that much?? I've heard its quite dark?? If it is going to depress me, then i'll give it a miss...

other good fantasy books not mentioned yet are:
Black Magician trilogy - Trudi Canavan
Cast series by Michelle Sagara
Rangers Apprentice series - John Flanagan (Aussie author, more for young adult)

To me, it is not about dark. It's about making good people live in book, then kill them with their silliness. I cannot tell you why I think they are silly because that will include spoiler. It's only my personal taste, you could still like this book.

[dracodoc]

Thanks for all the recommendations in this thread!
I read (or skimmed ) some of them, but there are many more I can try. I'll report later when I finished some.
If anyone haven't read it yet, I'd recommend my favorite again:
Earthsea series
Tad Williams: memory, sorrow and thorn

[Laz116]

Originally Posted by dracodoc

To me, it is not about dark. It's about making good people live in book, then kill them with their silliness. I cannot tell you why I think they are silly because that will include spoiler. It's only my personal taste, you could still like this book.

Well it does inscribe a certain realism into the fantasy genre that also the good people die.

I think GRRM is a symbol of all the good things happening in fantasy these days. Nomore do we have to be contend with the "child with a thousand faces" who humbled at birth are destined to become king of it all.

I actually like that characters have more depth to them... and that they can die. I think GRRM is one example of how our expectations of the genre can be used against us to generate narrative drive (we feel safe, surely the good will win... untill things turn to darker path (won't spoil anything)).

The same goes for Robin Hobb imo: she's quite different in style from GRRM, much more introspective, but again the lines between good and evil seem to disappear.

I think that fantasy is at it best right now.

[BlackVoid]

If you like realism, Joe Abercrombie is also excellent. Lots of action, interesting characters - it has it all.

[Abelturd]

I believe that nobody has mentioned Andre Norton and her Witch World yet.