So, let's do it here: What Fantasy authors do you like?

[lazarus]

My favourites are Tolkien, Steve Brust, and Stephen R Donaldson. I like McCaffrey's Pern books, which are really more SF, I guess.

[Skinner]

1. I haven't read a lot of fantasy (yet).

Am I a loser if I say J.K. Rowling?

Also, George R. R. Martin and Neil Gaiman.

[lazarus]

2. I love Rowling

Haven't gotten around to Martin or Gaiman yet, though I intend to.

[FloridaJudy]

11. Nope. Rowling's great.

A lot of really good Fantasy and SF is written for young adults. Gaiman's also written some young adult stuff - check out "The Graveyard Book" - along with his more adult works like "American Gods".

Also, I'm not sure if China Mieville is considered a fantasist: his books seem to straddle the narrow divide between Fantasy and SF, particularly the New Crubuzon novels, but he's written a terrific fantasy "Un Lun Dun" for older children. Alice in Wonderland meets dystopia. I recommend it highly.

[helenN]

70. Great choice

You named my favorite three authors. Absolutely great books that will become classic one day (I'm sure)

[LWolf]

3. I wish there were a way to archive my old post.

I'll bet it's one of the longest running active posts on DU, and it's got YEARS of fantasy author discussion. I'll miss it.

To get this one started, should we reply with one author per post in the subject line, to open up a sub-thread for each, or just dive in?

[lazarus]

4. Let's do a new sub thread per author

it'll be more fun that way.

[LWolf]

8. Okay. I'll start with one we just lost. nt

[catchnrelease]

23. I think this was done on another group

I also visit the Netflix, streaming video etc group, and someone there posted a link to a thread at DU2, where people recommended movies, series, etc. It is pinned, and gives the link and says it is not open for any replies. But you can read all of the posts people made there. Could you do this here, at the new group? I agree, there was so much good info on authors/titles in the old thread, it would be nice to have that archive here to refer to, as well as new ones.

[Mac1949]

5. OK, gang, bear with me, I'm old. You may not have heard of a few of these.

L. Sprague DeCamp (and of course Fletcher Pratt), Abraham Merritt, Jack Vance, James Branch Cabell, John Kendrick Bangs, Andrew Lang (perhaps better known as a folklorist), Lord Dunsany, George MacDonlad, Charles G. Finney, and Thorne Smith (and this is after I thinned out my list!). Does Edgar Rice Burroughs count? Burroughs is usually classed as science fiction, but I've always felt he would be better classified as fantasy

[white_wolf]

6. This is going to be a good group. Here are my thoughts

Robert Jordan is also really good. I'm a big Wheel of Time fan, I hate that he died. Sanderson, while a good writer, just isn't the same. I keep meaning to read Martin. As for Rowling, while I do find her story a little simple, I have a lot of respect for her and she is one of the reasons I started reading fantasy so I do like her a lot. Now, of course, I must mention the master, Tolkien. None of the authors I've mentioned can equal him and I don't think I'll ever find one who can. The man was a true genius.

[1monster]

16. Brandon Sanderson's THE MISTBORN Trilogy is really good. And his THE WAY OF

KINGS is stunning. I've only read the first book of KINGS, and am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

I've read one of George Martin's books (A Game of Thrones) and find that I'm ambivalent . The book held my attention, and was interesting, but I found I didn't care enough about the characters to continue on with the series.

[Glassunion]

32. I agree on Sanderson

Mistborn was awesome.

I really enjoyed Elantris.

[1monster]

33. The Way of Kings is even BETTER!

[Xyzse]

50. Definitely have to agree.

I've been a fan of his since Elantris. Though I can't figure out if Elantris was actually sci fi or fantasy.
Anything by him, I tend to highly recommend.

I have signed copies of the Mistborn series too!

[From The Ashes]

7. My favorite Fantasy Author...

...is Terry Pratchett. The Discworld series is inventive and fun.

[uppityperson]

21. I'm working my way through them again

Just got Snuff, hear he is now dictating his stories since can no longer do the actual physical writing/typing.

Some are so punny, some scathing takes on, well, everything. Love Discworld and Sir Pratchett

[From The Ashes]

27. Do you have a favorite?

I loved 'Going Postal' and 'Making Money'.

[getting old in mke]

28. You've asked a question that could bring on intra-familial warfare at our house.

Camp #1: Anything with Susan in it
Camp #2: Anything with Moist in it
Camp #3: Anything with Tiffany Aching in it
Camp #4 (the true camp...): Anything with Granny Weatherwax in it.

I'll leave you to read between the lines as to my loyalties...

[uppityperson]

30. None with Death in it?

shame on you.

I find it interesting to read them as they were published, see how it all changed, and then grouping by main character to follow that character.

[uppityperson]

31. No particular favorite. I am intrigued by how they changed over time

The first 2 are so different from the last ones, for instance. Then there are the punny movie and music ones that make me laugh. And it's fun to see characters popping up here and there, like the sweeper.

[blogslut]

52. I JUST discovered him!

blogslut jr. gave me a copy of "Night Watch" for my October birthday and I fell in love. So far, I've gone through seven books in his Discworld series. I would get them all but I have to budget my new addiction to one book a month now.

Such a damned shame, him being sick.

[LWolf]

9. Anne McCaffrey.

I just reread the original Pern trilogy to honor her memory.

[solara]

13. Did Anne leave us? That would be so sad... I love her Pern books

I would definitely call them Fantasy..

[LWolf]

15. Just last month.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/24/arts/anne-mccaffrey-dragonriders-author-dies-at-85.html?_r=1

[solara]

18. Thanks for the link.

I still really enjoy her Dragon series, which I keep reading.

[CaliforniaHiker]

20. One of my favorites

I read her Pern series all through high school. A very creative and enjoyable fantasy author.

[TZ]

24. I didn't know that.

I haz a sad.

[FloridaJudy]

10. My current favorite

[img][/img]

I'm also quite fond of MZ Bradley's "Darkover" series, and Anne McCaffrey's "Pern" novels. And I loved "The Hunger Games". I know the last is considered young adult, but it rocks.

[liberalmuse.com]

35. HA!

I didn't see that one coming.

With the picture, I mean.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

12. I'm kind of new to the genre but here's the authors I've really enjoyed so far...

Branden Sanderson

Robin Hobb

George R.R. Martin

Robert Jordan

I'm currently reading "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss. He may be added to my list if the rest of this series is as interesting as this one is so far.

[Luciferous]

19. "The Name of the Wind" is a great book! The second book in the series

was also pretty good, but I don't think it was as good as the first.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

36. I've decided I like Patrick Rothfuss

I agree The Wise Man's Fear was not quite on the same level as The Name of the Wind. Still, it was well written. It swept me away with it's prose and left me considering the evolution of the protagonist as the book moved along. Oddly, I still haven't decided if I even like Kvothe. I certainly find him interesting.

I'm looking forward to the conclusion whenever it's finished.

After The Wise Man's Fear I started on Robin Hobb's The Second Son trilogy. Which had the most annoying and unlikeable protagonist of any book I've ever read. I forced myself through the quagmire of despair that was the second book in hopes that the third would bring things back on track and be better. By the middle of the third book realized this was the track she intended for the book. I will admit I found myself appreciative for the excellent job Hobb's did in creating the beautifully detailed land, and the magic structure was fascinating.

I only mention Hobb's The second Son Trilogy as a warning to beware if you've not yet read it. If you do chose to read make sure you don't read them during a low point in your own life.

[Matariki]

48. Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear are awesome

There's a really great reread of both books at tor.com that made me realize just how much *stuff* is packed into those books. Rothfuss doesn't waste words - every sentence is important to the story. It's really very cleverly crafted...

I haven't read Sanderson, Hobb or Jordan. Which of their books do you recommend? Is Wheel of Time worth while?

[iris27]

14. Where to start?

As others have said:

- George RR Martin, though be prepared for sex, violence, and death.

- Rowling is among the best in YA fantasy.

- Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games" trilogy is also great, but I don't know if that's really fantasy...seems more speculative/dystopic fiction. Unless there are some elements I'm forgetting.

- Marion Zimmer Bradley is amazing. I haven't read any of the Darkover novels yet, but she has two books that are female-centered takes on classic legends, and both are amazing - "Mists of Avalon" which is Arthurian legend from Morgan le Fay's POV, and "The Firebrand", which is "The Iliad" from Cassandra's POV.

A few others that haven't been mentioned yet:

- Jacqueline Carey: I love the religion she created for her Kushiel/Naamah series. The first trilogy is in this series is excellent - the subsquent books get a little weaker, IMO, but are still entertaining. She also wrote a duology called The Sundering which is basically Lord of the Rings from the POV of Sauron and his crew...very intriguing. It reminded me a lot of Brust's "To Reign In Hell".

- Robin Hobb has a set of eleven books that take place in the same inter-related world. To me, the best are the Liveship Traders trilogy, though the others are decent. Stay away from her unrelated Soldier's Son trilogy though...it has the most whiny, least relatable main character I've ever seen.

- Naomi Novik's Temeraire series is a little thinly written, but still fun. Basically Horatio Hornblower plus dragons.

[1monster]

17. I don't see Sara Douglass or Katherine Kerr mentioned, both whom

spin awesom tales.

Sara Douglass: The Wayfarer Redemption Trilogy (which led into another trilogy making a series of six books), Darkglass Mountain Trilogy (which started out with two stand alone books: Beyond the Hanging Wall, and Threshold <my favorite&gt , The Troy Game Series, The Crucible Series, and other stand alone books.

She is currently suffereing from stage 4 ovarian cancer, but still writing.

Katherine Kerr's Deverry Series covers the four hundred years of Nevyn's life after he rashly vows to the gods that he will not rest until he makes right a wrong he inadvertantly caused. It took him quite a bit longer than he thought it would. The story then goes on into the future and is still being written. This series flashes back hundreds of years into the past and then forward again to what is the present in each book.

The books are Act One: the Deverry books proper Daggerspell, Darkspell, The Bristling Wood (Dawnspell), The Dragon Revenant (Dragonspell)

Act Two: The Westlands A Time of Exile, A Time of Omens, Days of Blood and Fire (A Time of War), Days of Air and Darkness (A Time of Justice)

Act Three: The Dragon Mage The Red Wyvern, The Black Raven, The Fire Dragon, The Gold Falcon (in progress)

Mercedes Lackey who is incredibly prolific. Her best-known work is her mythical world of Valdemar, but she has branched out to many other areas of fiction. Her bibliograhpy is here: http://www.mercedeslackey.com/biblio_series.html

Isobelle Carmody's Obernewtyn Chronicles is a good read.

[uppityperson]

22. Octavia Butler

She wrote a few short series and several single books. Unfortunately she died a few yrs ago.

[TZ]

25. My favorites have pretty much all been listed

Robert Jordan, Anne McCaffrey, George RR Martin, MZ Bradley, Terry Pratchett

[sibelian]

26. Does R A Lafferty count?

How about Ray Bradbury?

[Abin Sur]

29. Pratchett at #1. After that, Michael Moorcock and David Eddings.

[flying rabbit]

34. Just cause he hasn't been mentioned

Fritz Lieber

[theAntiRand]

37. I like Greg Keyes

He wrote the two Elder Scrolls novels. Wish there were more of them.

[McCamy Taylor]

38. Tim Powers no.1, Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker close second tie.

Tim Powers really belongs in the lump category "speculative" because he includes elements of sci-fi and horror, but I think fantasy is the best way to describe "Last Call" and "Declare" two of his best books.

[Melissa G]

39. Roger Zelazny

I have not read Fantasy in a while. Came here looking for books.

[FSogol]

43. Amazed that it took 39 replies before someone mentioned Zelazny.

My favs?

Jack Vance, Roger Zelazny, Philip Jose Farmer, L. Sprague deCamp & Fletcher Pratt.

[Melissa G]

44. I was surprised by the omission as well

I just thought I was old and out of touch. Have not read fantasy in a while.

Thanks for your author list. I'll look into them. I remember reading Farmer. Hazy on the others.

[Swede]

40. Ray Feist is my current favorite.

nt

[fe6252fes]

42. +1000

[LWolf]

45. Charles De Lint

I can't get enough.

[benld74]

46. Simon Green - My Current favorite

[Matariki]

47. Patrick Rothfuss!

Last edited Wed Jul 11, 2012, 09:41 PM - Edit history (1)

Name Of The Wind and The Wise Man's Fear are superb. As artful as Gene Wolf's Book of the New Sun, et al.

Also just finished and enjoyed Song of Ice and Fire.

[Xyzse]

49. Quite a few

In no particular order.

R.L. Modesitt - Chaos Series, bunch of other things.
Guy Gavril Kay - Tigana, Last Light of the Sun, Lions of Al-Rassan, Song of Arbonne, anything by him I highly recommend.
Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn Series, currently took over Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.(I even like the kid books of his with Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians)
Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time Series
Terry Goodkind - Sword of Truth (The Original Series - I have reservations against his new books)
Jacqueline Carey - Only up till the Kushiel series, am ambivalent on the Namaah ones
Anne Rice - I am not that happy with the Wolf Gift, but I guess it is ok.
Simon R. Greene - Probably more sci fi though
Jim Butcher - Dresden Files is AWESOME! However, we're talking about Fantasy so Codex Alera.

[MotorCityMan]

51. Piers Anthony, David Eddings, George RR Martin

JK Rowlings, and I'll even throw Stephen King in there for The Dark Tower series (which is a mash-up, but pretty close to a fantasy series.

[ChazInAz]

53. Fritz Leiber

Fritz was a friend and correspondent, as well as a mentor. I visited him a few times in his book-crammed Geary Street apartment, and we called back and forth rather a lot. He was a scholar, a gentleman and probably one of America's best writers.
I still miss him.

[jp76]

54. I'm sure I've missed a couple...

Lot of great authors mentioned!

Patricia McKillip (if I hade to pick ONE, she's it!)
Robert Jordan
Brandon Sanderson
Steven Brust
Patrick Rothfuss
Anne McAffrey
Jim Butcher
Anthony Ryan (newest on the list)
J.R.R. Tolkien

[S_B_Jackson]

55. Many of my favorites have already been listed...

Tolkien (of course), Terry Brooks, Andre Norton, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Raymond Feist, Fritz Lieber, Anne McCaffrey, Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, and George R.R. Martin, is pretty good as well...I was very surprised that it took so long for someone to get to Roger Zelazny.

Others I like Terry Goodkind, Robert Adams (Horseclans), the team of Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle, but no one has mentioned MZB's brother Paul Edwin Zimmer, or Ursula LeGuin? Others I've not seen mentioned: Lynne Abbey, Dennis McKiernan, Frank Herbert, Jack Chalker, Elizabeth Moon, Janny Wurts, Mickey Zucker Reichart, Barbara Hambly, Melanie Rawn, Paul O. Williams, C.S. Freidman...

[Xyzse]

56. Oh wow

I actually like and have heard of:
Janny Wurts, C.S. Friedman, Terry Goodkind.

Ursula K. LeGuin, was fine, though she did not hit my top 20.

I liked Melanie Rawn, but I fear that her "Captal's Tower" will never be done.
I think at some point, I will have to send her an excel sheet of the characters, descriptions, time line and other things that I compiled, just to see if she needs it to finish the last book.

I didn't get in to her Spellbinder series.

[S_B_Jackson]

58. On Melanie Rawn...

I really enjoyed her Sunrunner series, and it the model on the cover of "Dragon Prince" bears an uncanny resemblance to my first girlfriend.

I got about 1/2 way through the first book in the Exiles trilogy, but I found it a bit boring...she might appreciate the use of that spreadsheet.

On Wurts, I loved her Cycle of Fire trilogy. I'd love to see her take on a prequel series where mankind first encounters "demon-kind" and the capture of the Sathid crystals and the crash of the Corinne Dane.

[Xyzse]

59. Ah the Sunrunner Series

I enjoyed that as well.

I slugged it along the Exiles Trilogy... Where it only got up to 2 books.
The last book, I doubt will ever be written. I guess, I will send over that spreadsheet.

I'll have to find it now, it's been years since I've touched it.

[getting old in mke]

57. Nix on Duke Paul

Never was able to get him going.

I've always thought of LeGuin (I like Earthsea, but still identify her more with the Dispossed et al), but certainly Niven & Pournelle individually and together, Chalker, and Herbert as Science Fiction authors more than Fantasy authors. I recognize the significant overlap in genres, but still think a rough distinction is more valuable that an overall Speculative Fiction label.

My eldest, now 25, has started in on Elizabeth Moon--her first foray into Fantasy since YA days.

Goodkind, oy. I've been through Sword of Truth twice despite the fact that the last half is an objectist screed. I dunno--a car wreck I have problems looking away from?

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

60. I've just discovered this thread

I like Tolkien, who could write -- read the chapter on the Battle of the Pelennor Fields in The Return of the King aloud as if it were epic poetry.

I like George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, which is well written and has some very interesting characters -- my favorite is Tyrion Lannister. Daenerys Targaryen, who keeps trying to do the right thing, only to find that doing it (1) is not easy and (2) can have unintended consequences is also very interesting. She would certainly be a better queen of Westeros than Cersei Lannister. I also want to find out what happens to Arya Stark.

I actively dislike Stephen Donaldson. Donaldson seems to go in for unsympathetic protagonists. In the Thomas Covenant books, Covenant feels guilt. He goes on and on, endlessly kvetching about his guilt. In one place, he feels guilt because of something another character did. Donaldson also suffers from what I call "William F. Buckley's Disease", in that he has an immense vocabulary and wants to show it off. He uses the word "coign" where any other person would have "balcony". He has one character say to Covenant that he is uxorious; a claim that is meretricious. Indeed, the claim is completely mendacious (for one thing, the character is unmarried) -- but what can one expect from a man who is wearing a carcanet?

I really liked Steven Erikson's Malazan books. I will warn you that the first book of the Malazan series, Gardens of the Moon, does toss you in medias res, and lets you figure out for yourself what is going on. The glossary at the back of the book and the list of characters in the front of the book are very useful.

Keep track of the characters; for example, in Deadhouse Gates, (which should have the title The Chain of Dogs), there is a very minor character, Toblakai. His real name is Karsa Orlong, and he is a very important character in House of Chains and most of the succeeding novels.

The overall tone of the series is rather grim, although there are some bits which are quite funny; for example, the conversation Bugg has with his lawyer in Reaper's Gale just before he goes bankrupt is a first-rate piece of comic writing. Another bit I liked was Kallor having one of the best boasts in the history of boasts: "I walked this land when the T'lan Imass were but children. I have commanded armies a hundred thousand strong. I have spread the fire of my wrath across entire continents, and sat alone upon tall thrones. Do you grasp the meaning of this?" Caladan Brood immediately shoots back with "Yes. You never learn."

There are no guarantees that anyone survives. For example, Whiskeyjack, the main character in the first book, is (spoiler) killed in the third book. Although being killed in this series does not necessarily prevent a character from reappearing, since (spoiler) Whiskeyjack shows up again in two of the later books. And Toc the Younger (spoiler) manages to get reborn twice, and loses his left eye three times. Hood, the god of death, is killed in Toll the Dogs, but reappears in The Crippled God. When someone says to him "I thought you were dead", Hood replies that being the former god of death gives certain advantages with regard to leaving the land of the dead.

There are also some novels by Ian Esslemont set in the same world at the same time. These novels are canonical, and do give necessary information; for example, we find out what happens to Lasseen in The Return of the Red Guard. Unfortunately, Esslemont is not as good a writer as Erikson (who can write a bit clunkily at times).

There is a unique system of magic, "warrens" from which a magic user can draw power. A character can "ascend" to godhood, sometimes involuntarily. The Crippled God makes Karsa Urlong a demigod (Knight of Chains) without consulting Karsa, and both Karsa and Heboric (a former priest who has accidentally killed his god) realize that the Crippled God is going to come to regret it. Similarly, Ganoes Paran becomes Master of the Deck of Dragons (a Tarot-like card deck which can be used to divine the future and has some aspects of control over the warrens) and doesn't want the job, since he feels that it gives him more power than he can deal with.

One character I should mention is Kruppe, who wants people to underestimate him as a minor magic user and fence who is interested mainly in good food and good wine. He is, in fact, probably the most intelligent character in the novels, and is a friend of the Elder god K'rull (not a worshiper of K'rull, nor K'rull's disciple or priest, but K'rull's friend). At the end of the first book, K'rull owes Kruppe a favor, something which Kruppe is not sure is a good thing or a bad thing. Kruppe also has an annoying habit of referring to himself in the third person.

I have very mixed feelings about Raymond Feist. He can write, and the trilogy he wrote with Janny Wurts, Daughter of the Empire, Servant of the Empire and Mistress of the Empire are really good. However, he just seems to go on and on, book after book, and never comes to a conclusion. In the latest of his books, he has a character who is the great-great grandchild of someone who is a boy in the first book.

I started reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. However, after about the eighth book, in which everyone seemed to going to and fro but not on, I lost interest.

David Eddings started well with The Belgarion, but the next series, The Malloreon is the same story retold. Eddings seems to believe that people living in one country are all exactly alike, which is simply laziness on his part. Eddings' last series, The Dreamers, is total crap. Much of it consists of the same incidents as seen by two different characters -- and since the two have very similar reactions, why bother? The series ends by a god "hitting the cosmic reset button", which is cheating.

[Oakenshield]

61. There are plenty I like....but favorites? That's a bit difficult.

I'm a big fan of Dan Abnett, Garth Nix, Clive Barker, Eoin Colfer and Stuart Hill to name a few. Brian Jacques really got me hooked to reading fiction, so he'll always hold a place of prominence where my favorites are concerned. I also enjoyed J K Rowling and Terry Goodkind, although the former is more talented. I'll always be grateful to George RR Martin for the Game of Thrones TV series, but the book themselves I find to be very dry where as I love the world Tolkien created but I personally find his actual writing ability to be pretty poor.

To conclude this short post, thanks lazarus for making this thread. I'm sure I'll be enjoying some great new books from the authors listed here. Cheers!

[azul]

62. Might have missed these

authors. Taste is mysterious in itself.

William Morris, ER Eddison,

And if strange is fantastic, Robert Aickman.

[murpheeslaw]

63. Katherine Kurtz's Deryni series, and

Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence (Arthur Cycle - 5 books),
Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Series (Taran Pig Boy stories retelling Celtic myths)
Ellen Kindt McKenzie - Drujienna's Harp, Taash and the Jesters, etc.
Any Andre Norton - Witch World (early) Series, Dark Companion, The Ice Crown, etc.
Any Robin McKinley
Patricial McKillip's The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, or any thing else
Keith Laumer's Retief of the CDT series (yes it is more SF than Fantasy but it still makes me laugh).

I swear there was a book I read and re-read in the '70's called (The?) Sleepers Under The Hill (again Arthurian). Did the Google, Amazon and "out of print books" but cannot find it. I can picture the cover (purple background with black silhouettes of the sleepers).

It seems I am seriously addicted to YA - but good is good.

[sweetloukillbot]

64. Very late to this thread and group, but there are so, so many....

I'm currently geeking all over Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson and Scott Lynch. David Eddings has been a favorite since I was a kid, even if I recognize his work as complete hackery now, and Neil Gaiman is a perennial favorite ever since I discovered Sandman aeons ago.

[Amy-Strange]

66. Shirley Rousseau Murphy: Talking Cats!

--------------------

Ok, I'm biased, because I've also written some books on talking cats, but by far, my favorite fantasy writer is Shirley Rousseau Murphy.

Her Joe Grey series is amazing. I even wrote a blog piece about it, and if you want, you can read here:

http://www.amystrange.org/BLG-2019-02.html#051212a

I didn't even know that talking cats were considered fantasy, until I was trying to figure out what genre my books should be listed under.

Books about animals that can talk are considered fantasy, but that's only part of the story, because there are also hundreds of sub-categories, including one called urban fantasy.

An urban fantasy is a story that occurs in our own reality, rather than in an alternate one, and that fit my stories perfectly, but I also included some elements of science fiction (an invisible RV and two Planes) and lots of mysteries (missing persons and serial killers), that muddle it up even more.

Dave Ayotte
ATOMadness.com
--------------------

[captain queeg]

67. A couple that may not be too we'll known

Weeks with the Lightbringer series. Robin Hobb (I think that’s it) a female author that is very good. Can’t think of her books off hand, my brain is useless nowadays, but she weaves dragons in sometimes in very unusual ways. I think she did the assassins apprentice but not sure. ThT was a good book whoever wrote it.

[getting old in mke]

68. Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb

Is a series of 16 books (4 trilogies, 1 tetralogy) that I like a lot. It is finished at this point, so no waiting for any more necessary.

Assassin's Apprentice is indeed the first book of the first trilogy.

I do read a fair amount of fantasy these days and my current favorite is Joe Abercrombie with the First Law books. The character work is just amazing.

[captain queeg]

69. thanks, didn't know she'd written that many

I often find a writer I like and then read everything they have. I'll come back a few years later and see if there's anything new. Some of the real prolific writers aren't really that great, but worth a read. Just got one by Raymond Feist and another by the Shannara guy (Brooks?). Salvatore is another. These guys are OK, I think maybe they just churn out books too fast. I'll give Joe Abercrombie a try next time I'm at the book store.