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#76 | |
Literary elitist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,045
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You know, I know the guy's name (ha, pun there?), and I can't remember when it was mentioned to me, because I don't own a single one of his works and cannot, for the life of me, remember having read one. Found an awesome deal on Amazon for The Last Light of the Sun and will be giving that a read. |
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#77 | |
Side-Kick
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 836
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Last Light of the Sun was a fun read but certainly not Kay's best (in my opinion). That said I hope you enjoy it, and it's certainly better than most fantasy books I've read. |
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#78 |
The Mischievious Elf
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Under the Mistletoe
Posts: 19,896
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For those who want religious fantasy, read C.S. Lewis. Not just the Chronicles of Narnia but also his "Screwtape Letters".
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#79 |
Banned User
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Eastern Time Zone
Posts: 26,743
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I've been recommended the screwtape letters before. I should probably read that.
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#80 |
Banned User
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Eastern Time Zone
Posts: 26,743
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The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry.
Mix Sherlock Holmes with Inception an put a cooky guy with an umbrella on his bicycle as the main lead and you have this book. Very good. |
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#81 | |
Literary elitist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,045
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Simply, there is good writing, and there is bad writing. That we're dealing with fantasy fiction does not change that, nor does it change what classifies as good writing. Good fantasy fiction, like good western fiction, good crime fiction, good sci-fi fiction, good literary fiction, good ad nauseum fiction will have character and plot development that is not half-****ed nor half-***ed, is fully-realized, is not flat, blah blah blah. You know - the stuff that makes good writing good, which even transcends medium to comics, video game, film, and television. That's all that was being said. It's not about comparison, whether on our parts or the writer's part. It's not even about aspiration, because that's actually rather deamining, whether intentionally or not - the idea that, "Well, if he was really worth the paper he's being printed on, he'd try to write actual literature." Comparison can work within a sub-genre for works of related or similar natures, sure, but not across sub-genres. That kind of thinking has been prevalent for quite a long time, despite writers like Tolkien and Martin doing quite a lot, whether while alive or posthumously, to lift so-called "genre fiction," which has a demeaning connotation itself and is not wholly accurate, at least some ways out of the gutter. It's getting to be less a problem, but that divide still remains in professional, personal, and educational levels. I was lucky enough during my undergraduate years to work with an instructor who was willing to work past it, though even after two years I don't think she was quite willing to take "genre fiction" seriously, and will never try to do anything but write "serious literary fiction." |
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#82 |
Side-Kick
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 836
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I think it just takes time for genre fiction to get out of the "sci-fi ghetto". There's no way that something like A Song of Ice and Fire would be given the kind of press its been given in things like the NY Times, Time Magazine, or the New Yorker 30 or even 20 years ago. Maybe not even 10 years ago (and, well, indeed it was not). I guess it took a channel like HBO known for its dramas to convince people it was worth taking a second look at. And in things like crime fiction and so on there's a resurgence of interest in the pulp writers of the '50s, especially writers like Jim Thompson who are staring to be considered to be real literary writers.
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#83 |
Child of Mental Awareness
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 263
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Has anybody here read the Nagash series in the Warhammer world? I recently received the first one via Paperbackswap.com and I'm looking forward to getting into it.
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meh. Last edited by Two-Face Killer; 08-13-2012 at 08:49 AM. |
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#84 |
The Mischievious Elf
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Under the Mistletoe
Posts: 19,896
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If you're looking for World Building type fantasy involving a travelling Circus that searches for venues in space, check out the "Circus World" series by Barry B. Longyear (he also wrote Enemy Mine).
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#85 | ||
Banned User
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 6,810
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Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:
Quote:
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#86 |
Iron Captain
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 20,513
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Michael Moorcock's Elric saga needs to be mentioned. Here's the books:
Elric: The Stealer of Souls Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress Elric: Duke Elric Elric: In the Dream Realms Elric: Swords and Roses The Dreamtheif's Daughter The Skrayling Tree The White Wolf's Son The Metatemporal Detective The 1st six are omnibusi in Del Rey's The Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melnibone which were recently released and collect the Elric novels in order of publication.
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Goku Lands on Namek CEO ...no king but the King in the North whose name is BRADY... |
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#87 |
Literary elitist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,045
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Incorrect. You're either mistaking, or mixing together, good and like and bad and dislike. It's okay. Lots of people do this.
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#88 |
Side-Kick
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 36,484
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Are Jim Butcher's Dresden Files any good?
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#89 |
Side-Kick
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 36,484
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Are Jim Butcher's Dresden Files any good?
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#90 |
Literary elitist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,045
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I've never read any of it, as I'm typically not a big fan of first-person narratives. But considering his Codex Alera series was well-written, just not first-person, I would assume his Dresden stuff is good.
I do always hear it recommended, too. |
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#91 |
Iron Captain
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 20,513
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If you like Harry Potter's universe, you'll likely enjoy the Dresden Files. Harry Dresden is what I imagined an Auror (dark wizard hunter) would be like. Only Harry persues demons, werewolves, faeries, ghosts, etc. etc. Not just rogue wizards.
I've been reading Brandon Sanderson's first doorstopper, The Way of Kings. The world feels like its been built from the ground up, for the most part.
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Goku Lands on Namek CEO ...no king but the King in the North whose name is BRADY... |
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#92 |
Side-Kick
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Iceland
Posts: 1,771
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I've read the first three books and so far I've really enjoyed the series.
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#93 |
Eh? Custom Title?
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Las Cruces, NM
Posts: 477
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Yes, the Dresden files are very well written, IMO.
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#94 |
Banned User
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 6,810
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It's very popular, but I have no idea why. It's ok if you can't find anything else to read.
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#95 | |
Side-Kick
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 836
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1. Elric of Melnibone 2. The Sailor on the Seas of Fate 3. The Weird of the White Wolf 4. The Vanishing Tower (or, The Sleeping Sorceress) 5. The Bane of the Black Sword 6. Stormbringer I think chronological order works pretty well for Elric--much better than reading Conan in chronological order (publication order is the best for that, and I'm glad the recent collection put it in publication order, because unless you count the ones that were partially written by L. Sprague de Camp, some of the last ones would be like, Phoenix on the Sword which was pretty dull, haha). Of course, it didn't have The Fortress of the Pearl and The Revenge of the Rose (those two seemed like side stories, but anyway, I think they took place between Sailor and Weird) like the new collections, which also had some nice extras as well, plus they had The Dreamthief's Daughter, White Wolf's Son, etc. which were also part of the Von Bek universe (The War Hound and the World's Pain, City in the Autumn Stars, etc.), if I remember correctly. |
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#96 |
Iron Captain
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 20,513
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Order is 50-50. You can see a clear evolution in Michael's prose between The Dreaming City and The Revenge of the Rose. Regardless, get them!
Its not fantasy, but in Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn, there's a story called "Phase 1." If you enjoy it, track down the Cornelius Quartet. Its good sci-fi, though it gets slightly wierd at times. The first book reminds me of the plot from While the Gods Laugh combined with the scenarios/deteriorating world of Stormbringer.
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Goku Lands on Namek CEO ...no king but the King in the North whose name is BRADY... |
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#97 |
Side-Kick
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 836
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About that Monsieur Zenith collection of Michael Moorcock's, I'd have replied again, but your inbox is full. In any case, I think I was wrong about them not being from throughout his career, some are, and some were brand new for that collection. But anyway, I always considered the series pretty separate, and as much as I liked the chronological order, I originally read them all out of order. But in any case, reading his collection of Monsieur Zenith stuff, to me, is separate enough from any of the Elric stories, that even where they interlock it is not going to be in a manner that prevents you from enjoying the Monsieur Zenith stuff without reading those two or three Elric stories. A person could read the Von Bek books or the Eternal Champion/Erekose trilogy totally separately from anything else and each other and still enjoy them--I have and I did!
Yeah, I've heard good stuff about Jerry Cornelius, also the Dancers at the End of Time novels. I've been slowly reading everything of his I can find. |
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#98 |
Snow Wifey
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Magic City
Posts: 36,640
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Figured I'd ask here instead of starting a thread, is the Percy Jackson series worth reading?
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Eye Sea Ewe |
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#99 |
Eh? Custom Title?
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Las Cruces, NM
Posts: 477
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I've finishing up Dresden and Codex Alera right now, and I have to admit they are both fantastic series, IMO. Kinda looking for something else to read right now, and most of what's been said besides the Elric series.
Any other odd ball toss out there that folks recommend? |
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#100 |
Bozhe Moi
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Knowhere
Posts: 1,002
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If you're looking for something light in the vein of Harry Potter etc try the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud.
If something bigger, which i surprisigly havn't seen suggested yet, is The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R Donaldson. Last edited by Lucien; 10-20-2012 at 12:26 AM. |
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