I'm reading that right now. Compared to other fantasy books, it's a little above average, but not good enough to get me interested. There's a number of similarities to A Song of Ice and Fire, and I wonder how much of it was conscious copying.

I recommend The Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick. It's not a series or a pure fantasy story, but it is original; I've never read anything like it. It's not a great book, but it is a good read if you want something different.

Ok guys, thanks for your recommendations.
Here are the books I'm considering:

J. V. Jones : Sword of Shadows

Steven Erikson : Garden of the Moon

David Farlan : The Runelords

Glen Cook : The Black Company

Sara Douglass : The Axis Trilogy

Kate Elliot : Crown of Stars

Jennifer Fallon : one of her books - can't remember the titles right now...

Opinions?

Out of these, David Farland, no contest.

Sara Douglass is ok too but she's no Robin Hobb in my opinion.

I personally couldn't get into Glen Cook at all. I have two books of sitting only half read but he's very popular.

I don't know, I liked Neverwhere better. And of course Good Omens can't be passed up.

Good Omens would have been better without Pratchett.

I can't believe no-one has mentioned Dan Simmons:crazy:

The Hyperion series has got to be one of the best sci-fi/fantasy sagas ever:D

The Dragon Lance books are all pretty good, IMHO. I also liked Christopher Paolini's Eragon and Eldest books...the third and last one isn't out yet.

I've read it, but I would classify it as ScFi.

I've finally decided on trying J.V.Jones's Sword of Shadows.
I'm halfway through the first book, and I like it so far.

I haven't tried any on your list; I have heard of Elliot, Erikson and Douglass.
I'm hankering for a good series now, too. I found the Belgariad (David Eddings), all 5 volumes in omnibus form. I also got the Abhorsen trilogy patiently waiting for me.

I suppose it is, but I don't really see a great distinction between Sci-Fi and Fantasy:)

Sci-fi - fantasy, same thing right? :P

The Belgariad is fun and cute. Easy read.

Otherwise, well, I still recommend Hobb and Martin. :)


They're certainly very similar, but I don't know, they don't feel exactly the same to me, and I can't read ScFi when I'm in the mood for Fantasy.

There must be, because I definitely gravitate more towards fantasy than Sci-fi. However, it is probably a nebulous distinction, sort of like trying to define an adventure :devil: .

No doubt I'll be getting these eventually. I've been on a book buying binge recently. It reminds me of my early days of gaming when I just had to catch up on all the oldies I had missed.

Some bad news on the fantasy front: Robert Jordan is ill.

People always joked about how he would die before he finished Wheel of Time. I hope that doesn't happen.

I hope he gets better.

I did enjoy his earlier books.

Being told you have 4 years (More or less) to live is harsh.

Maybe it will light a fire under his ass and he'll finish up the series with the next book. I'm dreaming, aren't I.

I second the recommendation for George R.R. Martin.

I used to be a huge Terry Goodkind fan about five years ago, but not so much anymore. It's probably a combination of his writing style getting progressively preachier and my tastes maturing somewhat.

Elizabeth Haydon's Symphony of Ages was a favourite of mine as well at one point, but might be too estrogen-filled for some people here. There also used to be an excellent community surrounding these books, but it's declined in quality over the last year or so... too many middle-aged women and such.

Tolkien and Jordan bored me so much that I couldn't get past their first books, and so did Tad Williams, though slightly less so. Then again, I have a short attention span.

Gaiman is awesome (especially Neverwhere and his book of short fiction, Smoke and Mirrors), and Pratchett is funny but not really all that engaging.

I recently picked up Legends II from the bargain bin at our local Chapters. It's got new short stories by:
Raymond Feist
George R.R.Martin
Robin Hobb
AnneMcCaffrey
Robert Silverberg
Neil Gaiman
Tad Williams
Terry brooks
Orson Scott Card
Elizabeth Hayden
Diana Gabaldon
It's a great smorgasbord of fantasy, and its helping me get a little taste of each author.

So which ones do you like best? :)