I don't think I've started a discussion and I apologise if this has been done before. I was going to post a status asking this but it occurred to me it might start a debate, which would be cool.
I have just finished reading H. P. Lovecraft, before that it was Bernard Cornwall and Sherlock Holmes. I need a new book to get into but am so far uninspired. I was thinking about reading fantasy literature again but could really do with some input as to what is good since it's been such a long time.
So, anyone got any recommendations?
Aside from what has already been mentioned...
I recommend American Gods by Neil Gaiman.
As well as The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. (Generally science fiction, but still very good. Read his other works if you can.)
And Sabriel by Garth Nix (along with the rest of the Abhorsen Trilogy).
And of course, it's always good to get back to your roots with Beowulf.
Anything by Neil Gaiman. Literally anything. If you want a single book, I'd probably start with "American Gods" or "Neverwhere". If, after reading Lovecraft, you'd instead prefer some more short stories, his anthologies "Fragile Things" and/or "Smoke and Mirrors" are both really good, and even have a few Lovecraft-inspired stories. In fact, the 2nd short story in "Fragile Things" (called "A Study in Emerald") is a Sherlock Holmes-like story set in the Cthulhu mythos. Win-win.
I'm also a fan of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, if you want some urban fantasy. Related, I've been reading a book called "A Madness of Angels" by Kate Griffin, and it's pretty good too.
At least one person has already said "A Song of Ice and Fire" (i.e., A Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin. While I second this, I also recommend checking out his short stories, collected in the 2 "Dreamsongs" books.
I recommend The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Simply the best fantasy novel I've ever read, including the Wheel of Time series and the Lord of the Rings. It's the first book of a trilogy, the second book being The Wise Man's Fear and The Doors of Stone, the last of which is due to be released probably next year. Together they complete the Kingkiller Chronicle trilogy.
To give it a bit of a summary, The Name of the Wind is set with a frame narrative of the Chronicler, a well respected biographer, finding Kvothe, a man who now calls himself Kote and who owns an inn. Kvothe is, or rather was, one of the most famous and controversial heroes of all time, and has retired from adventuring into obscurity for reasons unknown. The Chronicler offers to write down Kvothe's story, with the intent of finally setting the record straight on his adventures, which have been inflated over the years despite the fact that Kvothe is apparently only in his mid to late twenties when the Chronicler meets him. Each book is one day of Kvothe reciting his past adventures, starting from childhood and moving on from there.
The world is incredibly vibrant and full of interesting and memorable characters, but Kvothe is ultimately the reason you read the story. He's a genius, extraordinarily charismatic and reckless to the extreme at times, a performer and scoundrel who nevertheless manages to uphold his own code. He's also a bit of an idiot at times and has terrible, awful luck, and twice as bad when it comes to women. He's an absolute joy to read about, and despite his talents never falls into 'Mary Sue' territory. He's a man who has bought and paid for his talents in blood, and more, and you can always maintain a very human connection to him from the first page to the last.
Another great reason is the magic of the world, which is very interesting and has a very 'low fantasy' feel to it. There's two kinds, Sympathy (basically manipulating thermodynamics and kinetic energy to do cool stuff) and Naming (literally saying the True Name of a thing and having power over it), and they're both incredibly interesting to learn about as the story progresses.
I highly advise you give The Name of the Wind a try. The writing is simply superb, and the only regret you'll have is that the last book is yet to be released.
Anne Mc Caeffreys Dragons of Pern. There are like 14 books in the series and I have been hooked the first one is called Dragon Flight I think or Dragon Quest. They are the titles of the first two books in the series not sure which way round they are lol
Sci Fi fantasy set in the future but also the past very clever how she has done it.
Yes! The Abhorsen series is one of my favorites.
I recommend the King Killer Chronicles by Patrick Rufuss, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear. They are fantastic novels, unfortunately there are only two so far. He seems to write rather slowly. The next one will be well worth the wait.
Damn students! Only messing Emer
I've always wanted to read the first two you mentioned but have been put off out of a strange sense of class boundry. Britain has a slightly snobbish attitude toward classic works and a person status actually limits them in terms of education (in practice, though not officially of course.)
As for Shakespeare, would you hate me if I said I've only ever read and liked A Midsummer Night's Dream and Macbeth? I don't think I'd want to tackle Julius Caesar for fun.