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Post by Legionnaire on Mar 4, 2009 20:56:32 GMT
Is it just me or does anybody else feel that they're loosing the will to live? I'm currently reading the bestseller Eragon, and I can't help but feel that:
A) There's got to be a Bakers Dozen of swineherders/ piss-poor people with no future/ struggling farmers out there that are DESTINED to become the next king/ Saviour of the Universe/ The Paladin of Humanity etc.
B) What a learning ability! At the moment Eragon's met up with a guy named Murtagh who's in his own age. Murtagh's been studying swordplay for the best instructor in the world ALL HIS LIFE. Eragon has been at it for a couple of months tops, but still they're EVENLY matched.
C) Don't stop there, whatever he's trying his hands at he's going to be the best in the world, unmatched. One wonders if he'd put as much effort in his farming and hunting, his family wouldn't have been so misarbly piss-poor...
D) Of course his family consisted of a cousin and a grand-dad, no parents involved whatsoever, his mother got herself killed I think. What will the Board of Education say about that? Splintered homes?
E) And of course bad things happen in the beginning to his family, grand-dad gets killed and his cousin gets married and moves away. Eragon runs off with an old geezer to exact revenge on the bad guys. Yadayada...
Maybe it's my age, but I've heard, seen and read it all before, bloody hyped book in my opinion, nothing new.
The last series I truly enjoyed to read was Tad Williams Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. That was epic, new and fresh. Especially that the main character Seoman wasn't infallable.
Nuff said.
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Post by Matt on Mar 4, 2009 22:00:18 GMT
Have you read the latest Shanara books ? Post Apocalypse meets pure fantasy - very good.
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Post by Stephen Mawson on Mar 4, 2009 22:29:39 GMT
I haven't bothered with Eragon, and I don't think I now will bother either, doesn't sound that great to be honest.
I like the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, although I did find it a bit slow and meandering in places.
Have you read any of Tad William's other stuff? The Shadow March series is similar in feel to Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, I also like the Otherland Series which is admittedly more sci-fi than fantasy, plus War of the Flowers is also very good.
In terms of fantasy I personally like the following authors/series:
David Gemmell - Heroic fantasy and very warrior oriented
Terry Brooks - Shanara series , Word and Void series, Landover series. I haven't got around to the latest Shanara books yet which appear to be a Shanara/Word and Void crossover.
Terry Goodkind - Wizards First Rule series (Lone Hero struggling against an evil empire, more or less, can be a bit bleak at times)
Katherine Kerr - Deverry Series (Celtic mythology based fantasy basically)
R.A Salvatore - Drizzt series
Tad Williams - As mentioned above.
Plus I own an awful lot of both the Forgotten Realms books and the Warhammer books, basically I'm a bit of a sucker for stories set in game universes that I'm interested in.
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Post by sapper on Mar 5, 2009 22:56:07 GMT
Ove
I know exactly where you're coming from. You have to plough through mountains of dross to find the gems. If you haven't already, try the following:
The Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson - first book "Gardens of the Moon" - very sophistocated, very innovative, packed full of new concepts and new slants on old.
The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin, first book "A Game of Thrones" - yes it does bear a distinct resemblance to the War of the Roses but superbly done.
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Post by joeoe18 on Mar 6, 2009 8:30:25 GMT
If memory serves the Scavanger series by K. J. Parker is very good. Also I think Eragon was written by a 14 year old, I've never thought it would be any good - thanks for confirming that  |
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Post by neuromancer on Mar 22, 2009 15:34:21 GMT
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Post by dave3 on Mar 22, 2009 22:20:14 GMT
Believe it or not, I am reading some FICTION  !! After reading one of the free novellas you get in White Dwarf, I dug out a book the mother in law got me for Xmas...years ago (since been trained to give GW vouchers, of course!) . Sten by Chris Bunch and Allan Cole. Seems OK ,I may even finish it! Dave |
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Post by Stephen Mawson on Mar 23, 2009 9:43:47 GMT
I quite enjoyed Ash, but did find it a bit slow and plodding in places, and it's very long, even by the standards of some of the stuff I read.
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Post by Mark Wightman on Mar 23, 2009 15:00:21 GMT
I quite enjoyed Ash, but did find it a bit slow and plodding in places, and it's very long, even by the standards of some of the stuff I read. Ash is a fairly typical Mary Gentle book. An excellent idea, played out in far too much detail. Sections of the book seem to speed by, whilst others go on forever without adding much to the story. Quite a few of her others have the same problem: Rats & Gargoyles, 1610 Sundial in a Grave. Even her classic: Grunts! Could have the same criticism leveled at it, although it's still one of the best Fantasy/SF comedy books ever. If you're having problems finding good "Modern" Fantasy then I've got to ask "Why bother?". Why not read lots of "Old" Fantasy? There's loads of it and I bet there's plenty of people at the club who could suggest a few you won't have read. For me I'd suggest: Fritz Leibers: Sword series - I think Swords vs Deviltry is the first chronologically, but try to find the SF masterworks edition which has all the stories in 2 large volumes. Glen Cooks: Black Company series - 1st is The Black Company. Roger Zelany: Amber series - 1st is Nine Princes in Amber Karl Edward Wagner: The Kane series - 1st is Darkness Weaves Jack Vance: The Dying Earth series - 1st is The Dying Earth The Jack Vance series will introduce you to where all the original AD&D spell names came from. The Dying Earth is a collection of linked short stories, as are the next two "Cugel's Saga" and "The Eyes of the Overworld", but the later two are more cohesive. |
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Post by Stephen Mawson on Mar 23, 2009 15:17:11 GMT
Agreed that is a bit of feature of Mary Gentle. Rats and Gargoyles wasn't bad, but again too long. Grunts I didn't really enjoy much at all, in fact I can't actually remember whether I actually finished reading it or just got bored with it and gave up.
I'm fairly sure I've ready some of Fritz Leibers swords books, but I don't remember which ones now as it was quite some time ago.
One problem with "old" fantasy is often getting hold of copies of them.
Given the often prolific nature of many currently active fantasy authors the continual release of new books tends to keep even quite a heafty back catalogue in publication.
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Post by Mark Wightman on Mar 23, 2009 15:28:38 GMT
The Millennium Fantasy masterworks series is your friend in this regard: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy_MasterworksThere's not many in the first 40 of this list that I've not read, and I can't think of a single stinker. Ooo - Tim Powers I forgot about him. The Anubis Gates is one of my favourite books of all time. |
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Post by Stephen Mawson on Mar 23, 2009 15:59:29 GMT
Some familiar stuff in there, but admittedly not much, perhaps 5 or 6 out of 50.
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Post by joeoe18 on Mar 24, 2009 8:42:38 GMT
I have some of the Science Fiction Masterworks series, very good.
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Post by cesspitt on Oct 1, 2009 18:11:31 GMT
Well the thread seems to have gone a bit defunct now but I am gonna add my penny in for some modern fantasy... Fiona McIntosh, her first series 'Myrrens Gift' excellent book with a clever twist you dont see coming half way throught the first book
As to the whole 'have I read this plot before' question, we all know many books do use similar plots cos thats exactly what the majority of fantasy readers 'think' (he says this loosely) fantasy is so we will continue to get kings that where farmers, orphans that are the the most powerful mages in the land and swordsmen that fear nothing (except the guy that killed their father/mother/ sister, uncle or obi wan kenobi) nuff said!
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!! After reading one of the free novellas you get in White Dwarf, I dug out a book the mother in law got me for Xmas...years ago (since been trained to give GW vouchers, of course!) . Sten by Chris Bunch and Allan Cole. Seems OK ,I may even finish it!
