Fantasy recommendations?

[AndHeaVanAnnNatureSing]

I love reading all sorts of books, but my favourites are GOOD fantasy. The problem is that a lot of fantasy is just tripe. Like the authors thought 'I know - Dragons, unicorns, elves and a long journey - hey presto! I'm the next Tolkien' So what would people recommend?
And while I'm here I'll take some time to pimp my favourite fantasy series - Steven Erikson's 'Malazan Book of the Fallen' is absolutely the most amazing fantasy I've ever read, what is everyone else into?

i absolutely love philip pullman (think thats how you spell it!) Northern Lights is an amazing book in fact Subtle knife also great book.

Robin Hobb - Assassin trilogy and Liveship trilogy in particular. The latest series (Something-Mage?) not so good though.

Oh, and Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, although if I was a bookshop I'd put it in historical fiction rather than the fantasy section.

The latest Robin Hobb (starting with SOlider Son) are not up to scratch at all.

I had a list of recommendations last week here

Have you read Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series? It is epic.

Epic = long, by the way. And (be warned) not finished.

I'm getting DP to read wheel of time at the moment, I think maybe by the time he's finished the final one will have been written.

Although sadly not by Robert Jordan.

Hmm, I'm a bit fuzzy on the SF/Fantasy borders. Are you looking for something with mythical creatures? Or just something a bit strange?

I can recommend a few that are not hard-SF, anyway.

• Rachel Pollack's Unquencheable Fire. Very odd.
• Julian May can be good fun
• James Tiptree Jr? If you can find anything by her
• Theodore Sturgeon?
• Geoff Ryman, particularly the Unconquered Country
• Somtow Sucharitkul - really stunning stuff, particularly Utopia Hunters, and other Inquestor books.

Depends what sort of fantasy you like - if you like kind of 'soft' fantasy I would recommend Mercedes Lackey's earlier books (particularly the Arrows of the Queen and Magic's Pawn series').
One of my particular favourites (though very un pc in places) is the Amber series by Roger Zelazney. I also like Ursula le Guin's adult books, though not sure whether you'd class her as sci-fi or fantasy?

I haven't read fantasy for a long time
but I used to read

The Amber Series didn't realise there was 10 of them, I think I stopped at 6 so will try rereading.

Marion Zimmer Bradley - Dark Over series

Katherine Kurtz - Deryni series

Elizabeth A Lynn

Can we have a definition of hard/soft fantasy? (no porn please)

The best book I have ever read is Weaveworld, by CLive Barker, don't let the fact that he wrote Hellraiser put you off (even though that is a good book too). Weaveworld is amazing, i'm on my 4th copy!

Tinselian - Did you know that Robert Jordan died? The 12th and final book is being written by proxy and is due out next year. Apparently he left a lot of notes and his wife has picked an author to do the job.

I got up to about book four of the Wheel of Time but then the characters started to annoy me. My Mum and DB have read them all to date. Loved the first three books though.
Didn't get on with Robin Hobbs at all tbh.
Am quite varied in fantasy tastes - I like trudy canavan, love Garth nix's Abhorsen trilogy, Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea, Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards, recently read a book called Winterbirth can't remember the author's name. Hate Modesitt with a passion though. Read a couple of Terry Goodkind's books and they're OK but not great. Don't mind strange - when I was little I used to read a lot of Diana Wynn Jones and some of hers are very strange.

I haven't read any Steven Erikson, so you need to give some more clues as to what you like, although I agree with your dislikes!

My favourites are:

Guy Gavriel Kay (very poetic)
Janny Wurts (esp the Mistwraith series)
R R Martin (Song of Ice and Fire)
Robin Hobb (but not the newest set, which are fairly pants)
Tad Williams (but NOT the high fantasy ones which I think are dire)
J V Jones (the juries out on the current series, it's a bit bloodthirsty for me at times)
Kim Wilkins (interesting Norse themes)
Sarah Ash (although I think her stand alone novels are better than the Tears of Artemon, which I don't think has the best ending)
Tim Powers ("real world plus" approach)
Charles de Lint (although I've only read Moonheart so far)
Gwyneth Jones (Bold as Love)
Jan Seigal
Robin McKinley (I especially like her retellings of fairy tales - she's in my children's fantasy section)

I have read lots of fantasy in my time, but most of it has ended up being recycled, especially those series which go on and on, and you wonder whether the author has any idea or intention of finishing them. Robert Jones is probably the best example of this, good characters but no resolution (I stopped at volume nine I think)

I read some Terry Goodkind, but he's a bit S&M for my taste (too much torture type stuff) although I have to admit I did enjoy Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series, and they do border into the erotic. Ursula Le Guin is fantasic, and has written some very good stand alone adult fantasies as well as the EarthSea series.

On the children's front, these all have a place on my bookshelf:

Dianna Wynne Jones (my all time favourite, although her later ones are not a patch on most of her earlier ones)
Garth Nix (both Abhorsen and the Keys to the Kingdom
Susan Cooper (the Dark is Rising)
Charlotte Hapte (Karmiddee)
Debi Gliori (Pure Dead series - these are just very silly )
Philip Pullman
Angie Sage (Septimus Heap, although this is one of those series where the first one is just by far the best)
Jonathan Stroud (Bartimaeous)
Rick Rhiordan (Percy Jackson, although I've only read the first and they could go downhill)

Yes, I know he's dead. I was laughed at a lot for my reaction. I heard he was talking into a dictaphone up until a few days before he died. I love the Wheel of Time so much, anyone looking for fantasy recommendations should read it.

I like the fact that instead of just the traitional 'boy from small village discovers big destiny' it's also the girls form the vilage who venture out, and they (while discovering the big destiny) are scandalized by the clothes worn by women in other countries. It;s funny.

I don't think Wheel of Time is at all a good introduction to fantasy. It does have good characters, and the women are feisty I agree, which can be a refreshing change from some fantasy (the sort I aim not to read). It's quite well written too. But it goes on and on and on and on, and to enjoy it you need to remember all the characters, and really give it a lot of time. I found after a while the story and people blended in together, and I am not surprised that the author left it unfinished to be honest (although obviously it is sad that he has died). I tend to avoid long series on principle now. Generally they have really disappointing endings, and you are left with a bit of a "is that it" feeling. For example I really enjoyed Kate Elliot's Crown of Stars series, but at the point when she should have finished it (about book four I think), it got really long and convoluted, and although I did read all seven books, I only got the last one when I had really run out of things to read, and was very disappointed. They all went in my last cull.

I like authors who know how to write a single stand alone story, as well as the trilogies etc. Otherwise you wonder about the capacity of their imagination, and the lure of the bank balance...

Oh Tinsel - will you be my friend! I think this is the second book thing on which we're the same.

I do agree with Nooka that it goes on for a very long time which can get annoying. But found I enjoyed it more and found it easier when I read all 11 in a row without gaps between (my friends didn't see a lot of me during that period and I had to see a physio for the pain in my back from lugging them around in my handbag! )

My sister and I did exchange multiple emails and links to news stories while he was ill and then after he passed away, So I understand where you're coming from. I just hope I remember enough of the detail to launch straight into the final one without having to read all 11 again!

Mark Chadbourn is great for mythical creatures/magic/mythology, and a bit different. They are on earth, and the age of reason (our reality) breaks down into the age of Magic.

Robert Jordan put me off part works for life. I think he was enjoying the story too much to finish it.

If you like childrens fantasy, can I suggest Jenny Nimmo and the Charlie Bone series. Very imaginative.

I think the problem with Wheel of Time is that it just bogged down part way through and dragged on and on. The characters became a little one-dimensional for my taste. Each one had one or two things that they kept maundering on about. Rand became unbearable, the girls wittered on about their clothes etc. My favourite character is mat though.
Tinsel I agree about Terry Goodkind. He loves the torture/S&M thing waaaay too much. It's put me off reading any more of his.
I also like Janny Wurts - not Mistwraith so much though, I found it a bit depressing. Love the Cycle of Fire Trilogy.
Quite like Feist's Riftwar saga, but the first book is by far the best, and I've only read the original three. Like someone else mentioned, I think the lure of the bank balance got the better of him.
Erikson's series is going to have a total of 10 books. They are seriously good, although after the brilliance of book seven (Reaper's Gale) book eight falls a little short.

nooka with Kushiel couldn't you just tel that they represented the French (in the weird European map that it seemed to be based on)? 'Oh, we are all just so much more beautiful and stylish and cultured than all the other races'. I did like them, although it got a bit much in book 3.

I agree that a 12-book series (especially an unfinished one) is not the best intoduction to anything, but single books are too short. A nice troligy is the best place to start, and I've got people hooked before by giving them Robin Hobb's Assassin books.

George R R Martin has writer's block too, so if you introduce him to anyone you'll also be condemning them to years of suspense.

DTHWB of course I'll be your friend, I'll be friends with anyone who doesn't mock me for my geeky reading choices. You might have to tell me who you are after Christmas though

And can someone pleeeeease explain to me about this high fantasy hard fantasy thing? I'd like to be able to talk as if I'm knowledgeable.

werewolves and witches? Kelley Armstrong and Patricia Briggs. Not brilliant but I have been enjoying them immensely. About as geeky as you get! [gfrin]

I LOVE BLING - you'll find me easily after christmas!

Tinsel would you be my friend too?? I'm about as geeky in my reading choices. Mind you I'm a bookworm full stop, though at the moment having a little baby is interfering with reading time
I'd also like to know about this high fantasy business.
Robert Jordan's death didn't affect me greatly, but I heard about Terry Pratchett's alzheimer's diagnosis on the same day, and that was faaaar more devastating to me He's apparently not writing any more books now because he's declined so quickly. RIP Discworld

Tinsel if you like the 'women venturing out' bit you should definitely read Mercedes Lackey (if you don't already) - sometimes she is so pc it makes me giggle but she really does have just as many female as male heroines (as well as gay & lesbian hero/ines, racism/homophobia, and lectures on why it is important to pay ones taxes). Good stories too though.
I love Diana Wynne Jones too, used to read her as a child but only just discovered some of her more grown up books.
Also, what about Marge Piercy, I've only read Woman on the Edge of Time but that is classic fantasy, and I always mean to get hold of others of hers.