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Recommend a book

    • 41 posts
    April 19, 2013 12:29 PM EDT

    The Night Angel Trilogy.

    It is a great series about assassins and has an interesting twist on magical effects. I have never seen magic portrayed this way in any other book.

    • 47 posts
    April 20, 2013 9:48 PM EDT

    I can't believe this thread has reached 3 pages without any recommendations for the Prince of Nothing series by F Scott Bakker. It is easily the best completed fantasy series I've ever read (ASoIaF still being written).

    • 6 posts
    April 21, 2013 2:51 PM EDT

    I personally enjoyed watching the movie adaption of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, although I'm not sure how the actual written piece is. As you can tell, I'm not an avid reader. Although I am an avid writer. If you really need something to read, PM me a general idea you have and I'll try to come up with a story for it. Now I want to write a story about Skyrim...

    If you're looking for a challenge in Skyrim, however, try to locate all 16 Accords of Madness (correct me if I got the title wrong) books. They're about dealings between Sheogorath and the other Daedric Princes. I've only found 2, but they're highly entertaining.

    • 1595 posts
    April 21, 2013 3:31 PM EDT

    I like the Accords of Madness too. Don't worry about not finding them all as I think there are only two or three to collect.

    Also, I encourage you to get writing and share your stuff with us all here. The fiction side of the blog doesn't get as much attention as the builds but there are plenty of us who care. If you prefer the challenge aspect then I'll happilly send you a pm, but why not create a discussion instead and open the "give me an idea and I'll write it" challenge to the entire group?

    Then pick the one that most appeals to you.

    • 6 posts
    April 27, 2013 2:33 PM EDT

    Thanks, Phil. I'd be more than happy to start a little fiction adventure once school's out. I have a sh*t ton going on right now, but as soon as summer hits, my schedule frees up. I'll have to take up your discussion idea.

    Also, you're right about the Accords of Madness. I checked it out and the books are spread out between a few games. Probably going to be a few in Elder Scrolls V (whenever that comes out).

    • 8 posts
    April 27, 2013 5:01 PM EDT

    Christopher Paolini's Eragon and so on and David Eddings' The Belgariad (a five book series then leading onto the Mallorean) are brilliant. If you're a younger reader try Curtis Jobling's Wereworld series, a great mix of fantasy and horror. (The guy is the creator of Bob The Builder, btw) Or Joseph Delaney's Spook's series ( The Last Apprentice in America) or Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. All are brilliant fantasy series.

    • 291 posts
    April 27, 2013 5:33 PM EDT

    House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

    I love this book.  There are three stories going on at once, and it's really fascinating to follow.  It's also very creepy without being overtly so.  I recommend reading it in broad daylight if you're easily disturbed like me.

    • 74 posts
    July 16, 2013 1:37 AM EDT
    Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, by R.L.Stevenson. It's about man's dual nature,
    The Great Gatsby, by F.Scott Fitzgerald, the movie was good too,
    Inferno, by Dange Alighieri,
    Lord of the Rings was awesome, but read The Hobbit first.
    • 69 posts
    July 17, 2013 6:46 AM EDT

    Perhaps the Elder gods by david eddings?

    • 1 posts
    July 17, 2013 7:21 AM EDT

    Some have already been mentioned of course but I'd suggest, in no particular order:

    • The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss (and The Wise Man's Fear)
    • A Song of Ice and Fire - George R.R. Martin
    • If you like heroic fantasy then practically anything by David Gemmell (of particular note is Legend and the Rigante novels)
    • The Belgariad / The Malloreon - David Eddings
    • Raymond E. Feist's novels. Particularly Magician.
    • If you liked Lovecraft then you may as well read The Complete Chronicles of Conan - Robert E. Howard

    Compared to Lovecraft and Sherlock Holmes, some of these books are extremely light-hearted and definitely not of the same quality of writing. For example, Eddings isn't a particularly great author - by his own admission before I'm savaged by some of his fans - and his stories are cliche but I consider him to be brilliant when it comes to writing his characters and writing humourously. Just don't be expecting too much from them and his books will be a delight. In Edding's own words he wrote these books for young adults, so if you're looking for a serious book I'd say overlook Edding's.

    Someone else here recommended R. Scott Bakker's works. They're good books however his failing is that he tries very hard to make them serious yet his main character is essentially a Mary Sue. Kellhus is unbeatable due to his mastery of the Logos. In books such as Edding's, which can have serious themes but aren't particularly serious books, a Mary Sue can be acceptable. In an epic like Bakker's Prince of Nothing it starts to feel a little stale. That's just personal opinion though. His writing style is very good nonetheless although Kellhus aside, I wouldn't say his characters are particularly memorable.

    The Name of the Wind is an excellent novel. I really like Rothfuss and his books are definitely worth the read. As for Gemmell, practically anything he wrote is gold if you're just looking for a silly heroic fantasy yarn. Probably my favourite fantasy author. His books aren't particularly serious yet they often include serious themes and he writes his characters well in a number of his books. Particularly Sword in the Storm. Feist is pretty much a mainstay in the fantasy genre, his book Magician is probably one of the few I'd consider iconic. Worth a read.

    Anyway, wow, sorry for that wall of text.

    • 116 posts
    July 17, 2013 4:58 PM EDT
    Steven kings Gunslinger books are great. If you haven't read them they are a must read
    • 1595 posts
    July 17, 2013 5:43 PM EDT

    Good suggestions guys, keep 'em coming. I keep forgetting this thread each time I finish a book. Since I last replied here I have read a few more, most memorably Lonesome Dove and The Wheel of Time Vol 1. I couldn't get into the second wheel of time book though and out of lack of ideas I turned to R.A.Salvatore's Ten Thousand Orcs. Yes, sometimes I have the reading tastes of a ten year old

    • 268 posts
    September 26, 2013 3:03 PM EDT
    This discussion could do with being started up again. It's what got me into the Kingkiller Chronicle and A Song of Ice and Fire! Thank you Zach and Chris for mentioning The Name of the Wind! :)
  • September 26, 2013 3:48 PM EDT

    I second this recommendation. Both books in the KingKiller Chronicles are sensational, and at times hilarious.  Brent Weeks' Night Angel series are a great read as well.

    • 661 posts
    September 26, 2013 4:06 PM EDT

    A.J. Quinnell's Man on Fire.

    • 25 posts
    September 26, 2013 4:13 PM EDT

    I LOVED that series.

    • 25 posts
    September 26, 2013 4:26 PM EDT

    I'll recommend the books about the Kingdom of Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey.

    There are 27 books,so you should be on it for awhile.

    The series is spread apart over different reigns of the kings and queens,so there is more than just 1 main character.

    I'm on the 5th book so far, and I'm loving it.

    In the first 3, the main character is a very cocky gryphon named Skandranon, and it occurs BEFORE the founding of the kingdom.

    The next 3, the trilogy I'm on right now,has to do with a Herald-Mage (they protect the kingdom from magic,I think) named Vanyel,about 2000 years after Skandranon

    Vanyel closed himself off mentally for most of the first book,and he also has dreams that may be connected to a big threat to Valdemar.

    Sorry if there are too many spoilers,I'm horrible at describing books.

    • 159 posts
    September 26, 2013 4:54 PM EDT

    Not A complex story but if you can ever get the illustrated please read dinotopia it's a interesting read

    • 159 posts
    September 26, 2013 4:56 PM EDT

    There's also deceived a star wars the old republic book a wonderful sc-fi read

    • 1483 posts
    September 26, 2013 5:09 PM EDT

    Having not read literature in English much and from the listed books I've only read The Island of Dr. Moreau that Kyrie mentioned - it is indeed awesome read. I want to add one fantasy series that I enjoyed very much and reread for quite many times - The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny.

    • 1595 posts
    August 1, 2014 10:24 PM EDT

    I'm so out of the loop with fantasy fiction these days. What is the best book in which elves are the main protagonists?

    • 1441 posts
    August 1, 2014 10:26 PM EDT
    Alright, recommendations, A Song of Ice and Fire, The Night Angel Trilogy, Dune, The Sword of Truth series, The Mistborn series, etc.
    • 1595 posts
    August 1, 2014 10:33 PM EDT

    Loved the Sword of Truth series, although the sequels never beat Wizard's First Rule in my opinion. Good call Chris! Couldn't get into Fire and Ice but that's because I didn't want to watch it and read it at the same time. Maybe in a few years. Dune a bit too sci-fi for me at moment but will put a pin in it for now.

    • 1441 posts
    August 1, 2014 10:35 PM EDT
    It's fun how it's a magical relic, that may or may not do anything at all. Also, three boxes, one kills you, another gives you ultimate power, and the rest might cause the end of the world as we know it. Good times.

    Hmm, what else. The Witcher books that the game is based off of, the game, from what I've read, is not an adaption of the books, just based off them, and Polish folklore.