i need some recomendations for fantasy type stuff to read...

[queenrollo]

I'm currently re-reading The Hobbit, but i'm pregnant and I know my pregnancy brain will have a fit at me trying to follow on with Lord Of The Rings.

I recently read Stardust by Neil Gaiman which I loved.

I've read most of Clive Barker's stuff and Weaveworld and Imajica are two of my favourite books ever.
I recently read and enjoyed very much the whole Narnia series and Harry Potter too.
I'm quite happy for recommendations for books aimed at children as well as adults.

So - old classics, modern fantasy - I'm open to all sugstions please.

Definitely definitely Game of Thrones! They are fantastic.

Dark Materials trilogy Philip Pullman, I loved it.

On book 3 of Game of Thrones atm. Oh it's so good.

Not strictly fantasy in the traditional sense, but if you have not read any Jasper Fforde then you are missing out! Try reading The Eyre Affair!!!!!

I quite enjoyed Amanda Hockings....a sort of fantasy book about trolls but not trolls as you would think....modern and light reading but good. The first one is called Switched.

Switched
Torn
Ascend (I think)

Another vote for Neil Gaiman ... Neverwhere was the first of his I read and I was instantly hooked, maybe because it's set in London (or at least a fantasy version of London) and I'm a sucker for fiction which also manages to incorporate historical and geographical detail about the city. In a similar vein (ish) you might like the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch - there have been 3 books so far. Set in London again, and they revolve around a branch of the Metropolitan Police who deal with the supernatural (who'd have thought?) .... ghosts, spirits, wizards etc abound. They're quite an "easy" read .... fun, amusing but also quite spooky in places.

And of course the Game of Thrones series .... or to give it its correct name, A Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones is the 1st book, and the TV series name). Yes ..... they all get terribly complicated, so many characters and connections, but I really didn't find that detracted from the story too much. There's plenty of info on Wikipedia and other, devoted, Wikis, about all the families and individuals if you get confused about who's related to who, who's allied with who, where this is or that is etc. The books are brilliantly absorbing and I couldn't put them down. Am just desperate for the next, but goodness knows when that will be.

Have recently read the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. That was reasonably enjoyable too and really did conjure up a very wondrous picture of this fantastical circus though I felt it fizzled out a little bit towards the end.

Also Discovery of Witches if you like a good old witch/vampire type romp. It included quite a bit of historical detail if you like that sort of thing and for me, made it a bit more interesting and intelligent than the majority of vampire stuff of which there's been so much in recent years. Have just started Shadow of Night ... the 2nd in the trilogy - set in Elizabethan England, so can't comment on that yet but am hoping for good things.

Game of Thrones is great, but yes you do have to pay attention.

Agree wholeheartedly with Robin Hobb's Assassin books (and to skip the Soldier Son ones because they are rubbish)

WicketyPitch :o Have been poking around MY library bookshelves then?
It looks like we have very similar taste in books :o

I'd second most of those recommended by Yddraigdragon. Also throw in Robin Hobb, Farseer trilogy (Agree about Soldier Son, dreadful). The first book or two of Game of Thrones are tolerable (quite explicit, however), they do deteriorate somewhat (see general reviews) after this.

I rarely read fantasy nowadays, not since my teens, but R.A Salvatore used to be a favourite (too many titles to mention), even the Dragonlance (Weis and Hickman) books. And does anybody remember the Spellsinger (Alan Dean Foster) books? I'm not sure I could read those with the same enthusiasm now.

Other children's:
William Nicholson's Wind on Fire Trilogy
Chronicles of Chrestomanci (Diana Wynne Jones)
Duncton Chronicles (they're about Moles, would warn, just in case you're not already familiar with them).

Oh actually my old book club read a fantasy book called Rivers of London, by Ben Aaronovitch, that was likened to Gaiman.

I didn't care for it, but then I'm not a fan of Gaiman either.

I'll third (maybe fourth by now?) the Robin Hobb books, great reading. If you like historical fiction, then Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell are great.

I'm also a massive fan of David Gemmell - start with Legend, and if you like that then there's a whole universe of wonderful books opened up for you :)

I also like Joe Abercrombie, Manda Scott's Boudicca series. I think the Game of Thrones story is amazing, a real saga, but some of the books aren't as well written as others, and can get a bit boggy at times. I really enjoyed his latest book though.

Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

V good fun.

Try Alison Croggan The Gift, The Riddle' The Crow and the Singing
Also Trudi Canavan
And Peter V Brett

There's Terry Pratchett and Phillip Pullman.

Or some slightly less known.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

What about Alan Garner The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen and the rest.
Or the DargonLance books by Tracy Hickman and Margarat Weiss.

For adults anything by Michael Moorcock.

My favourites are George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire - just the best fantasy fiction ever.

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time - very long series and loses its way in the middle but last couple of books have picked up the pace a bit.

David Eddings - read The Belgariad and Mallorean as a teenager, loved them then, still love them now. These are a good place to start I think. The Elenium and Tamuli are good too but his later books are nowhere near as good.

Robin Hobb - second only to George RR Martin but give Soldier Son a miss. She also writes as Megan Lindholm and these books are not bad.

Katharine Kerr - started these as a teenager, a long series but very cleverly done. Not read by enough people.

Kate Elliott - Crown of Stars series is very good. Haven't read Crossroads series yet but it's in my to read pile.

Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn trilogy is very good indeed, Elantris and Warbreaker not bad. Way of Kings is in my to read pile.

JV Jones - Sword of Shadows series has been good as is The Barbed Coil.

I've also enjoyed Trudi Canavan, Elizabeth Moon, Anne McCaffrey, David Gemmell and Raymond E Feist.

There are a couple of books called Legends which have short stories by some popular fantasy authors that will give you an idea about their stories. I bought the first one bacuse it had a prequel to Wheel of Time in it by Robert Jordan and it also had a prequel to A Song of Ice and Fire in it which is how I got into George RR Martin, they're on amazon here book 1 book 2 book 3

*because

I blame the cat sitting on my keyboard!

Tanya Huff - Summon the Keeper trilogy and the Four Quarters books are v good and easy to read too.

Definitely echo the recommendations for Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Dianne Wynne Jones and David Eddings.

I'm guessing people have already said these but

Trudi Canavan - Can't recomend her books enough, can't even pick a favorite trillagy as i love them all so much!

Brent weeks - Fantastic, can't wait for the next book out!

Also as everyone has said robbin Hob - Just started out & i'm loving it so far

Noone has mentioned my most favourite series. The Kate Daniels 'Magic...' series by Ilona Andrews.

www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Bites-Daniels-Novel-ebook/dp/B0043M67BW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342813728&sr=8-1

Another vote here for
Anne Maccaffrey - I got hooked with the Dragon Singer books, then read the rest from then on in.

Pratchett of course.
Robin Hobb

The Mistborn Series is worth a try if you have plenty of time to read - they are good thick books.
www.amazon.co.uk/Final-Empire-Mistborn-Book-ebook/dp/B004N622EY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1342813751&sr=1-1

I haven't read the Tru Blood books, but the other books that Charlaine Harris has written (The 'Grave...' series) is excellent.
www.amazon.co.uk/Grave-Sight-Gollancz-S-F-ebook/dp/B003TO59UU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1342813782&sr=1-1

thank you everyone, this will keep me going for ages!

David Eddings rang a bell so I went and rummaged in a box in the spare room to discover I have two whole series of books in there gifted to me by friend.

Have read one Trudi Canavan Trilogy (The Black Magician) and did enjoy it, but gave them to my sister and then promptly forgot about her work.

Have read (and re-read) Philip Pullman's Dark Materials.

DH has some Jasper Fforde lying around so I'm going to round them up.

So I'm currently reading Neverwhere, and have Diana Wynne Jones Charmed Life to follow on.

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time - very long series and loses its way in the middle but last couple of books have picked up the pace a bit.

because he died and someone else picked up his notes and decided to just get on and finish the damn thing

Agree with Trills

Waiting for the last book to come out in paperback and will have to reread the last one before I start it.

I have a Wheel of Time shopping bag too

You need this ranting and swearing and fantastic fantasy work - the illuminati kid can save you. It has twisted me up and made me think and now I think I need to find a cave in which to meditate!

sandy it's described as David Icke on acid........i'm actually intrigued by a book that would gain such an odd description.....

is it? That is funny! Icke is a nut and this book goes on about such nuts and make them seem sane. And acid - yes, never taken it, but yes, much acid! Try it - it'll make you repulsed and then, a few days later, make you very paranoid! The spiritual stuff makes yo REALLY think about how you use your brain!