Hyperion is truly awe inspiring. If you read it then you must read the Endymion books too which are just as excellent. They're all about the characters as you want but the ideas and technology that are encased within the stories are jaw droppingly brilliant.
SciFi equivalent of Game of Thrones
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You wouldn't want to be depressed reading it. But it is epic.
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Loved the Covenant books - still finishing off the last series (last book this year I think).
Yes it is very "introspective", but unique in it use of the protagonist as a metaphor for man's weakness. Would recommend this for sure...but maybe a little more cautiously.
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Oops, schoolboy error!
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Soldato
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For you maybe, but I hated the fact it started in the "real world" (I'm not a fan of the Narnia/Harry Potter school of parallel worlding) and then the first thing that happens in The Land is really nasty. I had to be persuaded very hard to keep reading, but was ultimately glad I did.
Both of us illustrate that samples can't tell you everything. But the first chapter is always very important to getting a book published, so I think they still have merit.
FWIW I think The Mirror of Her Dreams books are much better fantasy from Donaldson.
I agree, horses for courses. I think the series deserves to be a great but its sadly not one for me despite how I persevered with it.
To be honest I love the thought behind the book but the introspection was a little too much. I don't care what shape or size my protagonist comes in but the one thing I can't forgive is what covenant had in spades, indecision/whiny. Same with the Hobb books, its a personality type I hate in real life and I guess this translated to the written word for me
I agree, horses for courses. I think the series deserves to be a great but its sadly not one for me despite how I persevered with it.
To be honest I love the thought behind the book but the introspection was a little too much. I don't care what shape or size my protagonist comes in but the one thing I can't forgive is what covenant had in spades, indecision/whiny. Same with the Hobb books, its a personality type I hate in real life and I guess this translated to the written word for me
So what you are after is bad books with decisive (and thus unrealistic) heroes? Did you ever see Hamlet? Notice anything? I have bad news for you: pretty much all good books feature indecisive heroes. It's the villains who tend to be decisive - partly because we know less about them, but mainly because decisiveness stems from a mixture of zealotry and ignorance. Or bad writing. As soon as you any realistic person depth, then weaknesses flood out. Hobb is a far better writer than Donaldson, but it will take you another decade of experience to realise this. That's not to say that you will start to love her books, but at least you should by then know the difference between good and bad. Donaldson is one of those flashy writers who appears good to younger readers - I'll confess that I liked him in my early twenties - but later you realise that his style is really bad. I actually can't read the man's books any more, and haven't been able to for over a decade: I just turn into the editor that the man clearly needs.
As for the original question: I'll agree that Dune probably comes closest - it's just a shame that only the first part of each main trilogy is worth reading. SF tends to go in a different direction (SoIaF is about people, SF is usually about things) so that kind of huge saga is pretty rare. Where it happens, it's on a smaller scale. Roger Zelazny's Amber series is on the SF/Fantasy border, but it comes close. Some of C J Cherryh's early stuff, particularly Cyteen, might be worth a look - she takes rigid third-person PoV to the limit. I would actually aim more towards historical books - SoIaF is stolen (as everyone knows) from the Wars of the Roses.
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The Houses vying for power/subterfuge/politics and focus on characters - it's extremely far future but relatively soft sci-fi, although obviously only the Frank Herbert books exist and anything Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson wrote is some sort of horrible illusion.
If you haven't read Dune you owe yourself to give it a try
Are you purposefully trying to be condescending?
Grow up, I'm more well read than most but *gasp* I have a preference in what I like. Who could possibly have such a thing?!?!! Your opinion is that Hobb is good, I respect that I'm not going to be a troglodyte like you and suggest you are in some way less accomplished because you don't like what I like.
The fact that you suggest that only a bad person can be decisive is laughable, to suggest that no good person in history is decisive, or that no good authors have written decisive characters is quite frankly embarrassing and highlights either a lack of reading or the fact that you impose your preference over what you decide is good or bad. (Something you then criticise me for
)I suggest you take your condescension elsewhere.
Have you read much Peter F Hamilton?
Commonwealth Saga and Night's Dawn Trilogy should keep you occupied for a while
Yeah, hugely enjoyable books but the characters are all a little bit one-dimensional.
True true. the Ender and Ender's Shadow books? The Ender series gets a bit odd/meh but worth reading through anyway as it sets up nicely for the Shadow series which I think I preferred. Not really epic in scope like GoT but interesting if you haven't read them.
I actually kinda enjoyed the Dune prequels (HERESY!)
Takeshi Kovacs series? Bonkers but very enjoyable I might read them again now actually
I actually kinda enjoyed the Dune prequels (HERESY!)
Takeshi Kovacs series? Bonkers but very enjoyable
I might read them again now actually
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Not sure that I would share this recommendation. Red Mars was good, but to me the story seemed to have run out of plot by Blue Mars.