Spec me a fantasy fiction series

[fastwunz]

Hi guys - recently finished The Wheel of Time series - 14 books!!! - it was quite frankly a complete and utter masterpiece.

Ive read the LOTR novels but now have the hanckering for another multi book series, NOT SCI FI!!!

Elves, Dwarves and all that kind of things are my bag.

Can you guys give me some pointers?

thanks

 

[Jano]

Music, Film, TV & Books is a little further on, and I think your after fantasy, not science fiction...

 

[fastwunz]

Sorry yes - fantasy

 

[cheesyboy]

I read Sword of Shannara (Terry Brooks) series when I was a teenager. Seemed pretty good at the time.

Also, as a teen, I went through the Dragonriders of Pern series (a bit more Sci Fi than fantasy, perhaps, despite the dragons), and the Redwall series (though that's a bit more for kids).

Plus the Discworld books, for a parodical take on the genre.

 

[fastwunz]

yes ive read loads of Pratchett books but if you have read the Wheel of Time series, you will know what I mean. It was always worth going out and spending the 8.99 on the next book just to keep it going - spectacular those books are.

My wife threw them all out one day after I had finished the last one - apparently as I wouldn't likely be reading them again, there was no point keeping them.

I went for a loooooooong walk that afternoon.

 

[Jano]

Try Steven Erikson's Malazan books, or Glen Cooks Black Company books, David Gemmel, James Barclay. Raymond E Feist. Theres loads of them to chose from to be honest, theres also a what are you reading thread here with a huge amount of recommendations.

 

[Bickaxe]

There are the Dungeons and Dragons books (RL Salvatore) which fans seem to like. Not read any myself so can't comment.

Robin Hobbs Assassin trilogy (and then all the other trilogys connected to it) which does not have Dwarves and Elves but is low fantasy (I think thats the term) so its quite a bleak, medieval setting but a great read/adventure.

 

[HungryHippos]

Some recommends from me:

Not a series, but fantastic stand alone sci fi book: Andy Weir - The Martian
Steven Erikson - Malazan series 10 books.
Glen Cook - Black Company. This is like 10 books long
Terry Goodkind - Sword of Truth. Also many books long.
Robin Hobb - Assassin + Liveship books.
Stephen King - Dark Tower. So far so good but only a bit of the way into book 2 atm.
Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn Trilogy. Dystopian world where allomancers can ingest metals to give them special abilities. Same guy who finished the last WoT books
Joe Abercrombie - First Law trilogy.
Mark Lawrence - Broken Empire trilogy.
Peter F. Hamilton - Night's Dawn trilogy (futuristic sci-fi but fantastic!).
Brent Weeks - Night Angel trilogy.
Raymond E.Feist - Enjoyed Riftwar trilogy + Empire trilogy so far.

Also enjoying (but not yet finished being written):

Peter Brett - Painted Man series
Anthony Ryan - Raven's Shadow
Brandon Sanderson - Stormlight archives
George R.R. Martin - Game of Thrones books. They were fantastic reads so far.
Jim Butcher- Dresden Files

 

[fastwunz]

Some recommends from me:

Not a series, but fantastic stand alone sci fi book: Andy Weir - The Martian
Steven Erikson - Malazan series 10 books.
Glen Cook - Black Company. This is like 10 books long
Terry Goodkind - Sword of Truth. Also many books long.
Robin Hobb - Assassin + Liveship books.
Stephen King - Dark Tower. So far so good but only a bit of the way into book 2 atm.
Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn Trilogy. Dystopian world where allomancers can ingest metals to give them special abilities. Same guy who finished the last WoT books
Joe Abercrombie - First Law trilogy.
Mark Lawrence - Broken Empire trilogy.
Peter .F Hamilton - Night Angel trilogy.
Raymond E.Feist - Enjoyed Riftwar trilogy + Empire trilogy so far.

Also enjoying (but not yet finished being written):

Peter Brett - Painted Man series
Anthony Ryan - Raven's Shadow
Brandon Sanderson - Stormlight archives
George R.R. Martin - Game of Thrones books. They were fantastic reads so far.
Jim Butcher- Dresden Files

thank you that's brilliant!

 

[Old Man]

I put this on earlier and hey, if I'm wrong and you don't like it, I'll buy you an ale.

Author: Eric Van Lustbader (very good imo)

Book 1 - The Sunset Warrior

Book 2 - Shallows of Night

Book 3 - Dai-San

Book 4 - Beneath an Opal Moon

Book 5 - Dragons on the Sea of Night

 

[jakspyder]

Raymond E.Feists entire saga is amazing. Starting with "The magician" as the first book in the riftwar series, i believe its about 30 books in total. Amazing characters and universe. Some of the later books are a little weaker than the earlier ones but by then you're well invested, and now they're all out, you dont have years to wait between books.

 

[memyselfandi]

I would +1 Raymond E Feist (personally I prefer the * of the Empire trilogy to the original Magician books ... although I have them too). Also Terry Brooks and Anne McCaffery (although the latter is more Sci-fi)

 

[No1newts]

Steven Eriksen wins at dark, gritty, complex and down right mind bending amazing fantasy gloriousness with so many grey areas it's got more than fifty shades.

Some people find a little complex and daunting though so know what you are letting yourself in for.

Joe Abercrombie has all the grittiness and darkness of Eriksen with less complexity and so may be a preference, really good series.

There are plenty others but can't go far wrong with those two.

 

[No1newts]

Raymond E.Feists entire saga is amazing. Starting with "The magician" as the first book in the riftwar series, i believe its about 30 books in total. Amazing characters and universe. Some of the later books are a little weaker than the earlier ones but by then you're well invested, and now they're all out, you dont have years to wait between books.

I loved Feist up until the end of the Serpent War saga (the one with Erik as a main character) but I cannot forgive him the later books.

They are so bad, so lazy and just offensive to his own world building continuity (what he did to Erik Von Darkmoor still rankles to this day) that I gave up on the series right after book 12 or 13 when the book had more grammatical and spelling errors in the first 100 pages than I had read in the first 12 book.

Honestly though read the Riftwar, Empire and Serpent trilogies (with the small series in between Rift and Serpent) and that is classic high fantasy at its best.

 

[ThePainBarrier]

Going old school but I really enjoyed the Dragonlance books back in the day. Probably what got me into fantasy in the first place.

You should start off with Dragons Of Autumn Twilight which is the first book in the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy. After that there are so many spin off books, it'll keep you going for years.

 

[Dano]

Some recommends from me:

Not a series, but fantastic stand alone sci fi book: Andy Weir - The Martian
Steven Erikson - Malazan series 10 books.
Glen Cook - Black Company. This is like 10 books long
Terry Goodkind - Sword of Truth. Also many books long.
Robin Hobb - Assassin + Liveship books.
Stephen King - Dark Tower. So far so good but only a bit of the way into book 2 atm.
Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn Trilogy. Dystopian world where allomancers can ingest metals to give them special abilities. Same guy who finished the last WoT books
Joe Abercrombie - First Law trilogy.
Mark Lawrence - Broken Empire trilogy.
Peter .F Hamilton - Night Angel trilogy.
Raymond E.Feist - Enjoyed Riftwar trilogy + Empire trilogy so far.

Also enjoying (but not yet finished being written):

Peter Brett - Painted Man series
Anthony Ryan - Raven's Shadow
Brandon Sanderson - Stormlight archives
George R.R. Martin - Game of Thrones books. They were fantastic reads so far.
Jim Butcher- Dresden Files

Peter F Hamilton is the Nights Dawn trilogy, the Night Angel trilogy is Brent Weeks.

Both worth reading

 

[Lupis]

Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn series and Stormlight books
Steven Erikson - Malazan book of the Fallen (hard going to start off with, it took me most of the first book before I could really finally start to get to grips with it, but it's worth hanging in there.)
Brent Weeks - Lightbringer series
Peter Brett - Painted Man series.

 

[rotters]

The Belgariad by David Eddings is very good.

 

[jasonmorris]

R.A. Salvatore and Drizzt D-Urden is a must.

 

[HungryHippos]

thank you that's brilliant!

You're welcome, plenty to keep you going there tbh!

Peter F Hamilton is the Nights Dawn trilogy, the Night Angel trilogy is Brent Weeks.

Both worth reading

R.A. Salvatore and Drizzt D-Urden is a must.

Thanks for the correction, updated my post