Kevin's Watch

Just finished Malazan (phew. Still reeling) and pondering where I should turn my attention to next. Game of Thrones has been calling me for a while now, but I'm thinking it sounds a bit bleak and lengthy just after Malazan. Also toying with picking up Kingkiller Chronicles or Mistborn.

Any suggestions?

Off the top of my head:-

Coming out of Malazan you could maybe go for the stuff that most influenced it - Glen Cook's Chronicles of the Black Company. It's not so similar to Malazan that you'd be sick of it already, I don't think; it's intelligent and well written military fantasy, with some of the sardonic humour you'll have found in Erikson.

Or, for a complete contrast you could try something light and fast to cleanse your palate - have you read Patricia McKillip's Riddle-Master trilogy? Beautifully written.

Speaking about Cook, I can also recommend his fantasy detective books about Garrett.

Also with some humor and smarts, you can try out Robert Asprin, at least "Another Fine Myth". The "quotes" he uses are particularly enjoyable, like these:
“When old friends get together, everything else fades to insignificance."- War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death” .
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall take flack from both sides."- Unofficial UN Motto”

And it may be a somewhat risky recommendation, childish in some ways - I'm not sure if you mind such things, but I think Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books can be tried out. There's an interview where Colfer enlisted Stephen Donaldson when asked for a list of writers he'd recommend to his own children, however, I suspected something like that even just reading the books before seeing anything of that kind. That "Fowl by name and foul by nature" character did feel somehow so familiar

My top recommendations are:

Earthsea
Malazan
Neverness
TCTC

Kingkiller Chronicles is really good stuff, imo, so I'd say a good thing to do next.

I've read so much Warhammer 40,000 in the least year and a half. Lots of it isn't exactly to my liking. Too much straight-out fighting with advanced weaponry. Crazy guns, troop ships, space fleets... The books like that are still easy reads, and I've read the ones I have to get a better understanding of the whole, HUGE, 40K mythos. Truly an amazing thing. Plus, there's always some other stuff in there, usually a psyker, and I love psykers. Heh.

But some of the books are very different. The books about Inquisitors are my favorites. The Inquisition is the law. You do what they say, or you will probably die. They have the authority to wipe out the entire population of planets, and they've done it. One branch deals with traitors, one with aliens, and one with demons. Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn Omnibus would be the place to start, if you were interested.

The Song of Ice and Fire is....lengthy. As another Watcher put it, it is pretty much the Soap Opera of the fantasy genre. I read it when I have time.

I have not finished the Mistborn trilogy, but the first two were pretty enjoyable. Nothing really strenuous, but not completely dumbed down either. I am not as enamored with the magic system as everyone else is, but it is a great device for some pretty neat action scenes.

I'm almost finished with the Pliocene Exile series by Julian May. Excellent, intelligent books.

The first three Black Company books are very enjoyable (I have not read any others). Just be prepared for a pulpy style.

John Crowley is just a joy for me to read. Out of all the ones I've read, The Translator is the most accessible, but Little, Big is often considered a modern fantasy masterpiece.

Speaking of fantasy masterpieces, have you read the Titus books by Mervyn Peake?

It ultimately depends on what you are looking for right now. Do you want challenging reads or something to rest your reading powers for the moment?

I'm with Fist on Earthsea, and you could join in on the group read on the Hangar.

Other than Earthsea, this Harper wouldn't be doing her duty if she didn't put in a plug for McCaffrey's Pern. A lot of books in the series all told (somewhere around 27, I think), but easy reads, IMO.

Thanks guys!

Fist, I've read your entire list apart from the Kingkiller books. Compatible tastes, aye? One of my workmates is a huge Warhammer fan, it all just sounds too huge for me straight after Malazan though.

Orlion, I have indeed read the Titus books. They are...something else. Truly unique.

So far I'm leaning towards just reading Game of Thrones because a friend wants to watch the first season with me. Then moving on to perhaps Mistborn or the Kingkiller Chrons.

Well, I'm busy on Game of Thrones myself right now, since somebody lent me book 2, so I had to read it again. I'm horribly afraid that this will make me buy the ones that are out so far, which will mean having to wait gods know how long for the next ones.

Bleh.

--A

I feel your pain, Av, believe me.

I don't know if Beorn has ever read ASoIaF; I know I haven't. He'll be here for some of Hanukkah through Chr-stmas (thank you, SD!). Do you think I could find the five already published novels in the series at a used book store? That might be a gift I can afford...

Who can guess? I've never seen more than one at a time at the used store I frequent.

...fudge.

I, however, have found the first four in a used bookstore in paperback at the same visit.

Good luck on the fifth one.

Check the Powell's website. Maybe they'll even hold them for you 'til you can drive down there.

Powell's is in Portland, right? I don't see me getting there before Chr-stmas...

They ship books, too, y'know.

Seriously, I'm just thinking that you might have a better shot at finding all five books used if you try a really big store like Powell's. Or look around locally, and then order the one(s) you're missing.

Amazon usually has used editions, and they deliver...

Cambo wrote:Fist, I've read your entire list apart from the Kingkiller books. Compatible tastes, aye?

Us cool folk gotta stick together!

Cambo wrote:One of my workmates is a huge Warhammer fan, it all just sounds too huge for me straight after Malazan though.

It certainly can be huge. But you can also stop at any point, and there's no overall story. They're all just set in the same universe, with the God-Emperor of Mankind and the Ruinous Powers as the backdrop. Kinda like someone can write a book about Saint Francis, and someone else can write The Exorcist. You need to know the general religious background, but the books aren't related beyond that.