any fantasy fans out there? Robin Hobb/ lynn flewelling?

Lavitabellissima I have. I quite liked them.

Tad Williams is worth a read.

I did enjoy Terry Goodkind's series of books although the TV show was a real turn off.

Stephan Donaldson and The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant was a good series.

I've read the entire Dune series several times.

Brian Aldiss's Heliconia trilogy is an acknowledged classic.

J.V. Jones writes a good yarn.

If you want something thought provoking, what about mary doria russell's the sparrow? (And sequel)

I like tad williams too, and neal stephenson.

Has anyone read Graceling & Fire by Kristin Cashore?

Totally agree about the Soldier Son books, I didn't find them pleasant reading at all and I loved all her other books. Haven't attempted the new series yet though as SS put me off her a bit.

I've been reading WOT since I was 13, brilliant books. I thought Sanderson did quite well.... although it annoyed me that he didn't deal with all the characters like Jordan used to.... He didn't even touch on Elayne in book 12. I haven't picked up 13 yet though.

Feist is one of my all time favourites. Epic reading, not afraid to kill of characters, flawed heroes you fall in love with a little bit, monstors, demons and dragons..... everything a fantasy buff could want

His Empire series set on Kelewan written with Janny Wurts is paticularly good.

I'm reading George RR Martin atm, need to pick up the last couple he's written soon.... got so much study to do though I haven't much time for reading for pleasure these days

marks place

I'd love to get back into it, DP tends to read the more detailed fantasy but I'm not up to that after a long day and am reduced to reading 'chewing gum' at the moment! So I'm looking forward to new recomndations

Agree about Robin Hobb, I was an total fan (as I used to be with David Eddings) but the later stuff with the Fool (Fools God?) just went a bit off base for me.

The name of the wind, by Patrick Rothfuss, is one of the best fantasy books I've read in ages. Think there might be a sequel now too.

Agree that Robin Hobb is great, though liked the Soldier Son trilogy less than the others as found the protagonist too creepy to be able to sympathize with him properly.

I love the fantasy genre but it can be hard to find really good authors as the quality of writing is often truly awful. I was so happy to discover robin Hobb and am still on the lookout for another author to discover, with a big back catalogue!

Another author I discovered recently is Cassandra Clare, with her city of bones trilogy. Aimed at young adults I think and somewhere midway between fantasy and vampire/werewolf fiction, but really well written and definitely hard to put down.

I LOVE some of Tad Williams's books, but find others strangely uninvolving.

Loved the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn Trilogy and the standalone book War of the Flowers. Lovely mix of imagination and humour. Otherland left me rather cold and so did the most recent series, Shadow something?

Agree with StressedHEmum's assessment of Trudy Cavanagh - easy reads and fun but the worlds in which they are set seem to me a bit lacking, somehow boil-in-the-bag.

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville: thoroughly loved it until I started having nightmares - literally - about Slake Moths. And stopped reading.

Bear, I suppose it depends on what you like, really. I don't like Richard Morgan but I was in love with Sir Sparhawk as a youngster and have invested almost half my life in the Wheel of Time. I do tend to like my fantasy quite epic, tbh.

Oh yes, and I agree with everyone who reckons the Soldier's Son ones are dire.

There is very little good fantasy out there. The best I've read is The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan. It's actually really, really amazingly good.

www.amazon.co.uk/Steel-Remains-Gollancz-Richard-Morgan/dp/0575084812/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296424698&sr=1-4

And China Mieville - Perdido Street Station.

Did someone call?

Clearly, as a character from The Belgariad (sort of, am in 'the Rainbow Fairy books they couldn't publish' disguise), I am a bit of a fan of this type of fiction.

Agree with Trills, Soldier Son was dire - and waaaaay too happy ending for my liking. I likes my hero(ine)s to suffer a bit.

Ah yes Steven Erikson you have to really pay attention when reading his books.

Oh aye, Brent Weeks is pretty good and I liked the Painted Man one as well. I don't think that I've read any D.A. Durham.

My adult kids are followers of Stephen Erikson and Ian CAmeron Esselmont (MAlazan EMpire stuff.) They also liked Tad Williams and Anne Macaffery.

Oooh! Had forgotten Feist!!! They are brilliant!!

Hey it's not sad we live in reality what's the harm in fantasy

I liked the farseer one as well although I just felt sorry for Fitz he just seemed to have some seriously bad luck. I read all those you mentioned except Guy Gavriel Kay, Melanie Rawn James Clemens.

Have you read The painted Man by Peter V. Brett or Brent Weeks? also David Anthony Durham?

I do love a bit of fantasy or sci fi every now again...have also started ploughing through the Robert Jordan Wheel of Time ones (don't know if I'll have the stamina for thirteen of them though!)

I really like a lot of Sheri S Teppers books - "Singer from the Sea" and "Grass" are both great, (although possibly count as sci fi ?)
For a fairytale style one I absolutely loved "Thomas the Rhymer" by Ellen Kushner and one of my all time top books is "The Golden Key" by Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson and Kate Elliot - dealing with art and magic in a fantasy Italy setting and with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure.(I never thought a book with three authors would work - but it really, truly does)

But the best fantasy one I've read in a long time has got to be "The name of the wind" by Patrick Rothfuss - just brilliant, I cannot wait for the sequel. (which he keeps putting back for publication grrr...)

Haven't seen the Kushiel ones before, will definitely look them up now, they sound like just my sort of thing

Brandon Sanderson is all right, Mistborn trilogy is tolerable. Sadly, I can't come to terms with his WOT writing. I have been reading that for 20 years and he just doesn't have the characters right. I know that it's to be expected but sometimes the out-of-character dialogue really grates on me.

Robin Hobb is good. I love the Farseer one's (sad crush on Fitz)but didn't really like the live ships.

J.V. Jones is good. The Baker's Boy books were great and the Watcher of the Dead ones are good. Stephen DOnaldson's THomas Covenant books are awesome, at least until the last couple. I can't abide Linden Avery, the world's most useless heroine.

Raymond Feist if brilliant. I have never read a duff one of his. Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth books are fabulous until the descend into a platform for his own pomposity towards the end of the series. David Eddings Belgariad etc. and the SParhawk novels are lovely and his Redemption of ALthalus is really good. Steer clear of the Elder Gods ones, though, they are dire.

Trudy Cavanagh is an easy, is a bit predictable, read. I always liked Guy Gavriel Kay and Melanie Rawn as well. James CLemens Witch Star books are good.

I'll have a think and see what else I can come up with. AM a saddo who has been reading fantasy for more than 30 years, so some of it is a bit jumbled in my brain.

Has anyone read The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind? Another long series.

Kushiel books get darker - #3 is painful to read in parts.

Ooh yes there's a big billboard that I cycle past with Sean Bean looking all medieval and I thought oooh, then I saw it said 'Game of Thrones' and I thought oooooooooooooh

Funny I have book 2 of the mistobrn as well I have not actually read it yet though.

Also you should read his new one The Way of Kings it's pretty immense.

George R R martin has almost finished his latest one btw and also the game of thrones has been made into a series comes out April this year

Yup, sounds the right order to me.

Not a clue. I may have one of the books still . I got all buried under marriage and crap, then kind of forgot.

Did I tell you I got Kushiel's Chosen after that? Not read it yet as I kind of need a man in my life if I am starting in on it

On a very different vein - the Clan of the Cave Bear books are v interesting. 5 yr old girl found and raised by Neanderthals.