Kevin's Watch

Now that I'm done with Martin's saga (and impatiently waiting for the next installment), I need to find something else to read! But there's nothing out there I can think of... SO, basically, I'm just asking for some recommendations. Thanks!

I can't remember if you were one of those who had read Ursula K. LeGuin's <I>Earthsea</I> books. If not, that's my highest fantasy recommendation.

Otherwise, I've previously recommended Eric Lustbader's <I>Ninja</I> books. Kinda fantasy elements, but put in our world.

And Hesse is as good a writer as this world has ever seen. (um... imho) The ultimate, and also the biggest, is <U>The Glass Bead Game (Magister Ludi)</U>. (<U>Das Glasperlenspiel</U> is the original title.) But he has many books.

Some recommendations:

Hart's Hope by Orson Scott Card, a single-book fantasy of great imagination and drama. Interestingly, Card revealed quite a bit about the creative process that led to this in one of his non-fiction books.

Tales of the Flat Earth by Tanith Lee, which focuses (in a variety of interconnected stories) on the embodiments of Death, Madness, Time--as well as the King of Demons.

The Dark Tower by Stephen King, which has a quasi-Western setting (how's that for original!). But as yet unfinished.

Personally, I'd also strongly praise Earthsea.

Sorry, wasn't too impressed by Earthsea. Go for the Amber Chronicles, now THERE'S fantasy!

THE HIS DARK MATERIALS SERIES!!!!
(The golden compass, the subtle knife, and the amber spyglass)

Or there's always Ender's Game, a good quick read.

Then the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy...

Or for something not fantasty... (so much)... THE PRINCESS BRIDE!!!

The Artemis Fowl books are ok. The first one is better, the 2nd (I am almost done with it now) is ok. They are also fast reads.

If you're looking for something meaningful and really engrossing the only one of those to go for would be the his dark material series, and maybe ender's game and ender's shadow.

The Dragonriders of Pern is a good read.

If you want something on par with SRD try The Book of the New Sun (Shadow & Claw for the first half) by Gene Wolfe. Reminds me, I've been putting off reading the rest of his ouvre off for too long... just as soon as I pick up and finish A Man Rides Through.

There's some new book out called The Briar King that's causing no end of excitement and ruckus on some of the boards where I go. I haven't read it yet, but am planning to...

Well, seems I've come upon my choice. After carefully considering some...and scanning over others *small snigger*, I've decided on The Briar King.

"...Keyes's work is no mere rip-off. This is excellent world building, applied with a dark, powerful touch that should convince Martin fans to become Keyes fans, too." --Jeremy Pugh

Anything like Martin is GOOD!

Please let me know if it lives up to all of the hype!!!

I can't quit recommending this....Abhorsen series by Garth Nix!!!! Really should be an RP or TCG about it...maybe I'll create one.,.

UPDATE:

I changed my mind after hearing that Briar King was high-fantasy and some of the characters cliche. Sorry, only the top quality beef for me in the world of fantasy reading. I've read very little fantasy, in fact...this is all: Lord of the Rings, Covenant, and Ice & Fire... I think those are the Big Three, if you ask me--but I've only read those three, so what do I know?

Right now I'm reading Grapes of Wrath; loved Cannery Row and Steinbeck's writing, so I checked it out at my school library. This talk of reading makes me want to confess a “deadly sin” I made as a Covenant fan...and I have not yet paid for... But no, it’s too horrible! *Covers face*

What in the world are you talking about? A deadly sin for a Covenant fan?

Not reading the Second Chronicles all the way through... I know what happens, how it ends in White Gold Wielder, etc. I have skimmed over all the great scenes and such and read literal chunks, but I got so tired of reading Donaldon's writing for nearly six straight books that it was like eating vanilla ice cream everyday... So around page 100 or so of The One Tree, I stopped reading-reading and just jumped back and forth... So...

Try Tad Williams - Memory Sorrow & Thorn. I really liked it (ask Duchess)
Also, Rhapsody by Elizabeth Hayden is good....

Might be a long while before I return to fantasy, but I've listed all recommendations for future reference/serious consideration. I need to start reading some contemporary stuff again, though; been so long... After Grapes of Wrath I want to read Sweet Tuesday, the sequel to Cannery Row, since I read Cannery Row last year and liked it. *Jumps the fantasy boat for a while and paddles to some far-off shore*

I 2nd that recommendation. If you're up to it, you could also try The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. Mostly sci-fi. And to plug it for Danlo, you could always try Neverness by Zindell.

Some non-fantasy or sci-fi, I recommend Chuck Palahniuk.

Sure, I've said most of these things already, but nobody ever says anything, so...

I was force fed Grapes of Wrath in H.S. and didn't like it then, and wince to try it again.

Atlas Shrugged is my next non SF/Fantasy book on the agenda.

There are times when it is, admittedly, INITIALLY hard to get into Grapes, but I think it’s actually some sort of ingenious device of Steinbeck’s, because once you get past that initial speed bump, it’s gravy. See, that “speed bump” is something you can only overcome by fully immersing yourself into the book, and once you do that it’s almost--I don’t know how to describe it. I guess the best way I could put it is like this: sometimes I stop reading the book and look up from it, and I’m like, “Oh, I’m back in 2003. Oh wow, things have changed!”

It’s a mix between a time capsule and a time machine, I’d say. It kills me how folks drive around, oblivious to the world of the Great Depression, probably truly knowing nothing about it or caring about such a recent, crucial event in our history. Okay, it was a long time ago by our generation’s standards, but aren’t we just some kind of blink compared to time as a whole, eh?

It all depends on your personal tastes, really. Some folks like to eat onions whole with a side of ketchup packets, so it's a crazy world. I myself tend to read Steinbeck and Faulkner and George R. R. Martin on a given weekend... What a mix--that's like eating your steak with milk! Crazy world indeed...

When it comes to the classics I've always been something of a Tolstoy fangirl myself...and some of the ancient Greek stuff is absolutely great.