Recommended Books?

[BudweiserCeltic]

Last I read Martin gave an interview in May of this year saying he was hoping to have a Dance With Dragons finished by October or November 2009 with a release of spring 2010 but in a more recent interview on a podcast he said he couldn't give an expected date:

http://www.suvudu.com/2009/08/new-george-r-r-martin-interview.html

I haven't read A Song of Ice and Fire yet, but I'm glad Sean Bean got a part in it. Quite the underrated actor.

Anyways, just finished the Night Angel Trilogy, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. This being the debut series of the author, Brent Weeks, it wasn't without flaws. But, great characters, decent plot, great magic system made it worth while. Certainly will look forward to what else he comes up with in the future.

I'm almost finished with the stack of books I have been planning on reading, so I'm looking for suggestions in a couple of series/books that hopefully someone here might've tried and can help me choose what I want to read next. But apparently there aren't many fantasy/sci-fi readers here, so I'll just cross my fingers:

The Warded Man (also known as The Painted Man) by Peter V. Brett
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Black Company by Glen Cook
The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix
The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe
The Prince of Nothing by R. Scott Bakker
Retribution Falls: Tales of the Ketty by Jay Chris Wooding
The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson
Rai Kirah by Carol Berg
The Runelords by David Farland
The Acts of Caine by Matthew Woodring Stover
The Steel Remains (A Land Fit For Heroes) by Richard K. Morgan

List was a bit longer than what I intended, but hopefully if someone has read some of this and can give me their impressions I would really appreciate it.

[indeedproceed]

I just finished "Going Postal" by Terry Pratchett. Always awesome, very light.

anyone read any of the dresden or dexter books?

[BudweiserCeltic]

I just finished "Going Postal" by Terry Pratchett. Always awesome, very light.

anyone read any of the dresden or dexter books?

Since I'm watching the tv show, I'm not inclined to read Dexter. As for Dresden, I have it on my to read list and many seem to enjoy it, particularly the latest ones from what I've seen. They should be an easy read, though there are about 10 or so out at the moment, but I think they're only about 300 pages each.

[indeedproceed]

http://www.hulu.com/the-dresden-files

Its the Firefly of the Sci Fi network. There is a whole groundswell movement. Pretty cool, like Dashel Hammit meets Harry Potter.

[BudweiserCeltic]

http://www.hulu.com/the-dresden-files

Its the Firefly of the Sci Fi network. There is a whole groundswell movement. Pretty cool, like Dashel Hammit meets Harry Potter.

Oh, I've seen the series. I thought it was one of the worst mistakes Sci-Fi has made in regards with cancelling a show. It was a ton of fun, and it's a even bigger mistake when you consider with the crap they replaced it with "Flash Gordon". Flash Gordon was one of the worst shows in the last 30 years or so, and the crap got about 20 episodes while Dresden only got about 12. What were they thinking?

[Cman]

Mystery: Any of the Kurt Wallander books by Henning Mankel.

[BudweiserCeltic]

http://www.hulu.com/the-dresden-files

Its the Firefly of the Sci Fi network. There is a whole groundswell movement. Pretty cool, like Dashel Hammit meets Harry Potter.

[dang]it man, now you put me in the mood for some Dresden. Already ordered some books, should start reading them within a couple of weeks. The more I read reviews about it, the more I get the sense that this will be a cool series to read. I especially like that most reviews claim that the series gets better by the book.

[indeedproceed]

http://www.hulu.com/the-dresden-files

Its the Firefly of the Sci Fi network. There is a whole groundswell movement. Pretty cool, like Dashel Hammit meets Harry Potter.

[dang]it man, now you put me in the mood for some Dresden. Already ordered some books, should start reading them within a couple of weeks. The more I read reviews about it, the more I get the sense that this will be a cool series to read. I especially like that most reviews claim that the series gets better by the book.

Let me know, I have "Wizard's Rule" packed away on a shelf so I still need something to read.

[jdub1660]

I grew up reading Dr.Seuss books, followed by Goosebumps. Once I hit Jr High/High School, and was forced to read certain books, I started not liking reading anymore. Soon after I fell in love with RPGS: lots of reading in good ones, with in depth story lines but more visual enjoyment plus hands on interaction. In my sophomore year, I even did a comparison of how RPGS were just as good(I was young, but RPGS are better than 1st person shooters for learning/reading)
My hatred for the books was b/c of the "morals" and "issues" that were brought up by each book, such as slavery, single mom parenting, teenage life, etc. Hated it. But 1 book of those years, I read and enjoyed. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank.
Great read, a story running off the idea of the cold war had something actually sparked from it. Really good book, worth reading in high school rather than just using Spark Notes.

[BudweiserCeltic]

http://www.hulu.com/the-dresden-files

Its the Firefly of the Sci Fi network. There is a whole groundswell movement. Pretty cool, like Dashel Hammit meets Harry Potter.

[dang]it man, now you put me in the mood for some Dresden. Already ordered some books, should start reading them within a couple of weeks. The more I read reviews about it, the more I get the sense that this will be a cool series to read. I especially like that most reviews claim that the series gets better by the book.

Let me know, I have "Wizard's Rule" packed away on a shelf so I still need something to read.

Sure, will do. As for "Wizard's First Rule", I'm still not sure if you should read it or not. It's author is easily the most polarizing author out there, particularly for the fantasy genre, mainly because he's a complete jackass. Even though I enjoyed the series, and I see many of the complaints as valid, I still can't fully recommend it without a disclaimer.

Have you taken a look at some of the other recommendations I've given you, like the Malazan series by Erickson? Many fans of the Martin love that series, and if not mistaken you really like A Song of Ice and Fire. The First Law Trilogy by Abercrombie is also worth looking at, and Shadows of the Apt which I've just begun to read (read 1 book so far). The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is another recent book I highly recommend.

If I were you, I'd take a look at any of these before going with the Sword of Truth, but since you seem to have SoT at hand already... well, I guess you'll have to go with your got on this one.

[indeedproceed]

oh I'm not reading it..thee are like a million of those books and if its not even primo fantasy I'm not gonna waste my time. I've never read a Song of Ice and Fire, but its been recommended to me a million times.

[BudweiserCeltic]

oh I'm not reading it..thee are like a million of those books and if its not even primo fantasy I'm not gonna waste my time. I've never read a Song of Ice and Fire, but its been recommended to me a million times.

Not reading it is the safest choice, but who knows... if you ever get the itch to read it when you got nothing else, I don't see much harm in trying it. As I said, I really enjoyed it with all it's flaws and many people seem to think Goodkind is their god and savior.

[crownsy]

http://www.hulu.com/the-dresden-files

Its the Firefly of the Sci Fi network. There is a whole groundswell movement. Pretty cool, like Dashel Hammit meets Harry Potter.

[dang]it man, now you put me in the mood for some Dresden. Already ordered some books, should start reading them within a couple of weeks. The more I read reviews about it, the more I get the sense that this will be a cool series to read. I especially like that most reviews claim that the series gets better by the book.

What did you think of the codex alera books he wrote?

http://www.amazon.com/Furies-Calderon-Codex-Alera-Book/dp/044101268X/ref=pd_sim_b_1

I thought they were great, can't wait for the next one.

[BudweiserCeltic]

http://www.hulu.com/the-dresden-files

Its the Firefly of the Sci Fi network. There is a whole groundswell movement. Pretty cool, like Dashel Hammit meets Harry Potter.

[dang]it man, now you put me in the mood for some Dresden. Already ordered some books, should start reading them within a couple of weeks. The more I read reviews about it, the more I get the sense that this will be a cool series to read. I especially like that most reviews claim that the series gets better by the book.

What did you think of the codex alera books he wrote?

http://www.amazon.com/Furies-Calderon-Codex-Alera-Book/dp/044101268X/ref=pd_sim_b_1

I thought they were great, can't wait for the next one.

Haven't read them, depending on how I do with Dresden (which I will probably like) I'll decide wether to go for Codex Alera or not.

Right now I'm in the middle of Best Served Cold. Read that yet?

[steefp2]

Hi guys, kinda just signed up to reply in this thread. I've been lurking for a couple of years now but i was suprised at the amount of fantasy being read here.

Of the books mentioned here; i absolutely love the song of ice and fire series aswell as the malazen series by erikson. Recommend it to everyone.

About the sword of the truth series, the first book(s) are worth it in my opinion as i feel, with warts and all, they're very enjoyable. The later books in the series aren't bad as such but just have a weird feel to them due to the author thinking too much of himself.

I finished the night angel trilogy not long ago and was very nicely suprised. Like some other poster said above me, can't wait to see what he does next. Not a perfect series but a very intriguing debut.

Futhermore i just watched the entire dresden series which i enjoyed greatly, started on the books now. They read very smoothly and it's very interesting setting i find.

Huge terry pratchett fan aswell, though i can appreciate that it's not for everyone. But you should try it though, 'cause once you're onboard it makes for one hilarious and thought provoking (if you can see behind the jokes and wordplays) ride.

Lastly a recommendation i haven't seen yet; the twilight reign series by Tom Lloyd.

OK sorry for the long post but i'm a passionate reader and just wanted to share with you guys.

Oh and anything by Robin Hobb is absolutely fantastic, particularly the Soldier Son trilogy, an extremely original and fascinating settin.