I read a lot of fantasy books, probably upwards of 30 a year counting rereads. I've read so much that any time I head to B&N I spend hours just trying to find a title that appeals to me that I haven't already read. And recently I have been reading a bunch of crap. So GAF, help your fellow enthusiast out! I like GAF's tastes in games, I envision this thread being a thread where we give impressions and recommendations to each other.
I believe that the OP should make a huge contribution to the thread discussion and serve as a springboard for the rest of the thread, so what follows is a huge list (work in progress) of all the authors I have read. I am an opinionated asshole with very specific tastes, so feel free to write a counterpoint impression and I will be happy to include it in the OP alongside mine. I will also try to add impressions of books I haven't read to the OP if space remains.
If anyone cares, I like character driven fantasy with only a few characters developed from their point of view. I am turned off by sword & sorcery fiction that focuses on describing fantasy battles or stuff that's plot is focused on politics.
OP's Recommendations: The Best of The Best
Lois Bujold - The Curse of Chalion | Series - Yes (happy days are here again) only read Curse of Chalion
For Cazaril, life has certainly been a bitch. Unfortunately for him, things don't get any better when he takes the job of tutor to the young Royacy (princess.) Follow him through a character driven story about a man struggling to do his duty. Lois explores familiar themes such as predetermination vs. free will, duty, the hold of the past, sacrifice, and humanity's relationship with the metaphysical. What Lois absolutely nails, and what separates this book from the rest, is the sympathetic relationship that develops between the reader and Cazaril that leaves the reader unable to put the book down until the story is finished. Nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Wikipedia|OP's Impressions
Rating: Excellent
Jim Butcher - The Codex Alera | Series - 4 books so far and continuing
Tavi is a young man without magic in a world where everyone has it. In this series, we follow him from his late teens into his early 20s as his indomitable will and ingenuity time after time get him caught up in shaping the destiny of the human nation, even as he is looked down on for his deficiency. Great characterization, good dialogue, likable characters, and a vibrant world save this series from its plot straight from Beginners Guide to Fantasy Plots.
He is really the orphaned son of a dead prince! No FUCKING WAY!
Wikipedia|Op's Impressions
Rating: Excellent
The Rest
The Granddaddy - LoTR
We've all read it, not wasting our time.
Alan Campbell - The Deepgate Codex Series - 2 books and ongoing
One of my favorite new authors. Alan creates a world where humanity would probably be better off without the gods. The gods in his world seem to represent the worst in humanity: pettiness, jealousy, ambition, and indifference. In this world a descendant of a fallen angel and his female assassin friend get caught up in the politics of organized religion and the struggles between fallible gods and maybe something worse. Campbell paints a vivid world that is wholly unique and his own. One example being a city of chains hanging over an abyss containing a hungry god. Campbell is a master of ambiguity and nuance. No archetypes in this series. A must read for anyone who enjoys a darker fantasy setting.
Wikipedia|OP's Impressions
Rating: Excellent
David Eddings - The Belgariad and The Mallorean Series - 5 books in each series
A great starter fantasy from a very successful fantasy author. A great way to introduce the adolescent to fantasy. Follow Garion in his journey to manhood as he also battles the evil god Torak for all of humankind (universekind). Pretty generic when it comes to plot and characters: Thief (check), beautiful thief (check), princess (check several times), old grumpy sorcerer (check), dumb barbarian (check), gallant knight (check), poor kitchen boy (check), etc. etc. This would seem like a diverse cast, but that would be wrong. The main flaw of this series is that every one of the characters has the exact same personality, good natured sarcasm. I MEAN THE EXACT SAME PERSONALITY. Eddings apparently only knows how to write one character, so he thought if he through 25 at you with different job titles no one would notice. I noticed. If you are looking for a series that has mastered the boy-becomes-man-and-saves-the-world formula, this is a great series.
Wikipedia|OP's Impressions coming soon
Rating: Good
C. S. Friedman - The Coldfire Trilogy Series - 3 books
What if humanity's psychology and innermost thoughts had the ability to change the world around us? That is the question Friedman attempts to answer in this tortured tale of two men's souls. Damien, a holy warrior from the Church, and a sinister being known as the Hunter must save their planet from an evil born from the darkest depths of humanity's collective soul. A horror born from the strange magic that brings all of man's thoughts into play in reality. Can the hunter be redeemed? Or will his evil destroy the good man Damien once was and hopes to be again? Thematically compelling, the series sometimes struggles with making the reader empathize with either Damien or the Hunter. Yet strangely, many of the supporting characters are extremely compelling, especially the women and children. Perhaps Celia should have written a female lead instead. Overall a good read.
Wikipedia|OP's Impressions coming
Rating: Good
Terry Goodkind - The Sword of Truth Series - 11 books
First book is excellent, and largely stands on its own. Goodkind, oh Goodkind, where did you go wrong. Oh wait, it was when you decided to turn your fantasy series into an anti-communist manifesto, and I am a hardcore conservative and agree with you. It is Faith of the Fallen where this crap starts, so only read up to there if you want to give this series a shot. SoT is an epic fantasy in the vein of the Wheel of Time, except it doesn't make it past 2 to 3 good books before jumping the shark. The story focuses on Richard Rahl and Kahlan, and has its moments of emotional impact with the reader. We follow these two protagonists and a cast of supporting characters that all receive a little face time as they battle the Dark One(can't remember real name) and the Imperial Order as they both seek to destroy magic and individual capitalistic achievement (uhg.)
Wikipedia|OP's Impressions coming soon
Rating: Good early on, bad for most of the series
Robert Jordan - The Wheel of Time Series - 12 books or so, author died before finished, I wasted hundreds of hours of my life.
Selective quotes from my impression, full impression at the jump. ..." Anyway, the story is supposed to be the story of Rand, the savior of the world, and his friends Mat and Perin as they save the world from the evil Dark One."..."Uncountable" numbers of protagonists..." If you are an adolescent boy, like I was when I first started this series, this is definitely your wet dream."...."I am pretty sure that Jordan was the horniest man in the entire world."
Interested?
Wikipedia|OP's Impressions
Rating: Good
George R. R. Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire
I am not the man to write this impression. So if anyone wants to come up with a blurb or more in depth review, feel free. Let me just say that I hate books that don't have a main character and I also hate political intrigue plots. That pretty much sums up Martin. I hear a lot of people like him though.
Wikipedia|OP's Impressions never coming|Possible counterpoint goes here
Rating: Average
Update 1:
Steven Erikson - The Malazan Book of the Fallen Series - 8 books and counting (I have only read 3)
Erikson, for the most part, follows the adventures of an elite band of imperial troops for the Malazan empire, but he brings in many characters from many diverse backgrounds and even time periods to round out his cast. Good characterization is lacking, but The Book of the Fallen's strength lies in the complex and political interplay of mortals, gods, cultures, history, and religion set in a world where intrigue is around every corner.
Wikipedia|OP's Impressions
Rating: Good
Tad Williams - "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" and "The War of the Flowers" Series - Trilogy (Thorn) and 1 book (Flowers)
A boy becoming a man is one of the most common themes in fantasy, and Williams Thorn trilogy is one of the better tales. The plot is fairly standard and unremarkable, but the main character is likable and the story does elicit emotion from the reader. Overall worth a read.
Rating: Good
The War of the Flowers is William's better tale, however. William's takes the mythology of Western fairy tales and turns it on his head. What if the Fairy World wanted to be more like the human world? Join the protagonist on his adventure to save Earth and the Fairy World as he journeys through a world in the midst of an industrial revolution where the machinery itself is made up of pixies, gnomes, hobgoblins, and other Fairies (sp). The juxtaposition of the cheerful Fairy stereotypes in the midst of an Industrial revolution is humorous at some points, and jarring at others.
Wikipedia
Rating:Good
Christopher Paolini - Eragon Series - Trilogy, may or may not be completed, not worth the effort.
How this guy got published much less a movie deal is beyond me, especially at such a young age. The first two books, all I could stomach, read like the worst parts of a Dungeon Master's scenario in D&D and LARPing. Elvish Princesses need rescuing, dragons need riding, ultimate power artifacts need finding, dwarves need alcoholics anonymous, it contains every cliche that drags down the fantasy genre as a whole. Avoid at all costs.
Wikipedia|I refuse to write up more impressions of shit
Rating: Bad
David Farland - The Runelords Series - 7 books
This is really two series. One that is good and follows the father, and one that is bad and follows the son. Do not read Sons of the Oak and beyond. The father, a mighty runelord (someone who takes others abilities to enhance his own), must save the earth from the Reavers (giant spider things) and something more sinister. The central theme, and where the series shines, is the examination of the responsibilities of a leader to his subjects and vice versa.
Farland, you should have ended it there. Sons of the Oak and beyond really defines jumping the shark. Farland moves away from his unique Rune based magic system into more generic elemental fare with the story of his son. Farland shares a lot in common with CliffyB in his later books, (adding a chainsaw to a rifle is cool!!!!!!), except with Farland it is adding demon wings to main characters for more badassery and making everyone 9 feet tall for more biggery and multiple worlds for more epicery. None of this changes the fact that the reader hates the new main character and everyone around him sucks except for one exception. Avoid.
Wikipedia
Rating: Good at first, jumps the shark later.
Ok, I have been writing this OP and impressions for 6 hours now. I will return later to finish up. Authors to come include Robin Hobb (1 series good, 1 series bad), CJ Cherryh (average), Ed Greenwood (average), Elizabeth Hayden (good), Laura Resnick (good), Russel Kirkpatrick (good), L E Modesitt, Jr. (good), David Drake (good), Irene Bradford (average), Allan Cole (good), Robert Newcomb (bad), John Marco (good), Terry Brooks (undecided), and many many more.
