Kevin's Watch

... to recommend me some new stuff.

I need some new Fantasy/Sci-Fi to read and I feel I have exhausted all sources.

I prefer the more "grown up" fantasy/sci-fi books, as written by guys like Donaldson, Wolfe, Mieville and Clarke (both Arthur and Susannah).

I like it dark, grimy and not so very pretty. Strong fascinating characters... Nice flowing writing...

No boys slaying dragons with crystal swords please. No princesses yanking their braids and stomping their feet or wool headed chosen ones either...

I see from your lists that you guys have read a lot, but the lists themselves don't tell me what style of books they are.

Thank you,

SG

Philip K Dick for mindscrew sci/fi.

Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld series for an epic story.

J.V. Jones' Sword of Shadows trilogy (Cavern of Black Ice, Fortress of Grey Ice, and the forthcoming Sword from Red Ice) would probably be something you're interested in. Rather dark and gritty at times, and reminds me of Song of Ice and Fire in tone. The first two books were good and I'm interested to see how the third one comes out.

The Coldfire trilogy by C.S. Friedman (Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls, Crown of Shadows). Again, pretty dark fantasy with a dash of sci-fi.

Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. If you haven't read it, read it. 'Nuff said.

The Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin's Quest). Definitely one of the best first-person fantasies ever written IMHO. The protagonist is a young man, but it's far from being childish in any way.

Sean Russell's River Into Darkness books (Beneath the Vaulted Hills, The Compass of the Soul). They take place in an alternate version of our 17th-18th century world and concerns a group of young men who are caught up in the affairs of a mysterious mage and a group of renegade magic users. Russell doesn't seem to be as well-known as other writers in the genre, but I've developed a liking for his style. There isn't a lot of "overt" magic use in his books, but the characters and the plots are well-written IMHO.

He also did the Swan's War trilogy (The One Kingdom, The Isle of Battle, The Shadow Roads) which was good as well. Two families struggling for control of an ancient realm, but things get complicated as the story progresses.

::shrug:: Hope this is of some help. Your tastes probably won't jibe exactly with mine, but I hope I've given some good recommendations to look for.

As a huge fans of all the works you listed I recommend these authors, all adult, not typical traditional fantasy:


1. Jeff VanderMeer (besdies Mieville he is currently my favorite author)

Secret life
Veniss Underground
City of Saints and Madmen

2. M. John Harrison (the man Mieville credits as his chief influence, and one of the top 5 best series in specualtive fiction hsitory IMHO (well at least fantasy-sci-fi)

Viriconium:

Pastel City
Storm of Wings
In Viriconium
Viriconium Nights

Stand alone novels:

Course of Heart
The Light



3. KJ Bishop


The Etched City

4. Neal Stephenson

The Baroque Cycle:

Quicksilver
Confusion
System of the World

5. Zoran Zivkovic

Hidden Camera
The Fourth Circle

6. Michael Swanwick

Iron Dragon's Daughetr
Jack Faust


7. Michael Moorcock
Cornelius Quartet: (Between Gormenghast, and Viriconium, and this, is my pick for the best specualtive fiction I have read, not traditioanl fantasy or sc-fi, but incredible) Read the excerpt on amazon to be sure if it would be your tastes, but this a highly influential work in fantasy and sci-fi)

The Final Program
A Cure for Cancer
The English Assasin
The COnditon of Muzak

also look into:

Jeffery Ford
Graham Joyce

If you need more, let me know:)

EDIT

Probably couldn't go wrong with R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series:

The Darkness that Comes Before
Warrior Prophet

It's a planned trilogy with the next novel do late this year.

Neverness, Neverness, Neverness!!!

I beg you to take a look at Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire". It's historical fiction about the battle of Thermopylae. Not classic fantasy but plenty of swords, blood and guts mixed with amazing insights into the warriors ethic It is a standalone and a quick read but It is the singular most powerful read I have had the pleasure of enjoying. I've recommended it to several others on this board and I'll bump the thread on it for you. Do yourself a favor and read the thread. Judge for yourself based on others reactions to this masterpiece.

Dan Simmons' Hyperion/Endymion books. Fall of a galactic civilization, coming of the next messiah, all sorts of meaty, interesting things told in a very gritty way.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. If you've not already read this put on the top of your TBR pile.

You can't go wrong with George R. R. Martin. And if you like dark/grimy, Neil Gaiman's always a good bet. Even his young readers' stuff is creepy as hell (Coraline, anyone?). Angela Carter's short stories are often riffs on fantasy or fairy-tale themes, but she gets even downer-and-dirtier than the original Bros. Grimm. The Bloody Chamber is her take on the Bluebeard story, and well done, too. Hope this helps!

danlo wrote:Neverness, Neverness, Neverness!!!

Yup, that's what you should read first.

Brinn wrote:I beg you to take a look at Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire". It's historical fiction about the battle of Thermopylae. Not classic fantasy but plenty of swords, blood and guts mixed with amazing insights into the warriors ethic It is a standalone and a quick read but It is the singular most powerful read I have had the pleasure of enjoying. I've recommended it to several others on this board and I'll bump the thread on it for you. Do yourself a favor and read the thread. Judge for yourself based on others reactions to this masterpiece.

Yup, that's what you should read first.


Oh, btw, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series is what you should read first.

Thanks guys!

I am heading for the library and the bookstore today. I have the Baroque Cycle and some Moorcock on hold for me there already anyway...

I bought two Neil Gaiman books last week but haven't gotten around to reading them yet. I have read all the Hobbs, Wolfes and Martins...

There are a lot of boks here in your posts that sound very interesting indeed! I have my work cut out for me, and yes... I am going to pick up Neverness as well. (It's not part one in a trilogy to be finished 15 years from now is it?)

I will get back with my thoughts on what I picked up.

Thanks again.

Hope you find some to your liking Skeletal Grace!

Neverness is, really, stand alone, but there are 3 books that follow it: the a Requiem for Homo Sapiens trilogy: The Broken God (which is amazing), The Wild and War in Heaven. Good luck finding Neverness-you need to order it over the net if you're in the US--if you're in England no prob...

There are copies in Brisbane (Australia) book stores.

I posted links for used copies of the Neverness books in Metal-Demon's "I have decided..." thread.

Loremaster wrote:There are copies in Brisbane (Australia) book stores.

I've asked my g/f (who now lives in Brisbane) to try and find me a good copy. Hopefully there'll be one waiting for me when I go there to visit in a few weeks.

I bought a copy here in South Africa.

I didn't enjoy it much please don't hit me danlo

I second Russell's THE SPARROW. Very suspenseful, complex and hardhitting.

*takes a drink of soda*

*reads Edge's fine print*


*CHOKE COUGH CHOKE GASP COUGH*

*wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze*

*gurgle*