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The fantasy author/story teller you currenly like the most?

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  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873
    edited January 2013
    TJ_Hooker said:

    I really liked the Wheel of Time books back when I read them (I think I started when I was 13 or so), but man do they drag on after a while. I haven't read any of the ones published after Jordan died, but I remember that by the time I got to reading the 9th or so book I was reading them more out of habit/a desire to finish the series than anything, and almost it felt like a chore at some points.

    Yeah. I absolutely loved Wheel of Time when I was younger, was awesome stuff then. I even reread the whole series to number 9 back in the day. But I guess I simply grew out of it. My main issue with the series is that I find the charcters unbelieveable and, to be blunt, shallow. R.R. Martin and Erikson are the perfect example of the opposite in that respect.

    I love R.A. Salvatore too (just started reading about Drizzt!), but he is like a blockbuster movie - entertainment all over the place, but Wheel of Time just tries to be more than it is somehow. Depth without the people-knowledge that you need, or at least that I can relate to. Reading a book is a very personal experience in the end I guess.

    (edited typo)
    TJ_Hooker
  • moopymoopy Member Posts: 938
    @ajwz

    The first 2 books were originally meant to be one, and after reading the entire series more than once, they read like more of a prequel chapter. I know it is a rather large time investment but book 3 explodes into awesomeness all the way through book 9. It is pretty clear in the 10th and 11th book that Jordan wasn't writing as well (He was dying so perfectly understandable), and then the last three books are being written by another guy and I honestly don't feel that he is up to the task.

    I think I just managed to talk someone out of reading the series not into it.

    @SirK8

    Sanderson kind of sucks. He can't write Matt very well. I've ready through the series 6-10+ times and I can always tell when he is using something that was already written for Matt, and when Sanderson is expanding on it, because there are a few places where the wording Matt uses is completely out of character. That's true to a lesser degree for Rand, but I suspect he is being buffered there by the fact that Rand plot lines were probably more flushed out.

    @TJ_Hooker

    The 9th book is one of the best.
    SirK8
  • SirK8SirK8 Member Posts: 527
    @moopy - I agree with all you said about it exploding into awesomeness (I managed to convince a friend of mine to keep reading based on that and he's glad he did, he's loving it now). But I do disagree with how well you think Sanderson did continuing it. The difference in style is apparent, but overall I think he's done a great job keeping the spirit of the books the same, I quite enjoyed books 12 & 13, and I just found that Memory of Light (book 14 and final one) is available in one of the bookstores in Manila where I live, so I plan to buy it this week and complete the series. I haven't read it as many times as you of course (this is my first "read through) so the differences likely aren't as jarring for me - I started the series last June for the first time.
  • moopymoopy Member Posts: 938
    @SirK8

    I suspect, a lot of the parts where Sanderson did a really good job continuing it was already written or mostly written. The parts where I find the character interaction to be slightly off is in places, that due to the content being less important, I'm guessing Sanderson wrote 99% of.

    He has made his bias for Perrin known, and in the new books the Perrin related content is much longer, and he cut Matt going up against the Eelfinn into one chapter, something that had been foreshadowed since Book 4.

    It is better than nothing, I just wish Jordan had been able to see it through.
    SirK8
  • SirK8SirK8 Member Posts: 527
    @moopy - have you started the final book yet? If so, how do you like it so far? No spoilers please :)
  • moopymoopy Member Posts: 938
    @SirK8

    I actually haven't got to pick it up yet. Work has been fairly busy after Christmas break, so I'm still playing catch up.
    SirK8
  • Awong124Awong124 Member Posts: 2,643
    Salvatore. But currently I'm in a Jim Butcher phase.
  • TJ_HookerTJ_Hooker Member Posts: 2,438
    moopy said:

    @TJ_Hooker

    The 9th book is one of the best.

    Yeah, it's been so long I can barely remember the series as a whole, let alone the individual books. I don't really remember which ones, but I think there was at least one book, maybe 2, that were a little tedious to read. I think that it could also be from the fact that there was a delay from when I read most of the series till when I read the last one or two (either they weren't released yet or maybe my library just took a while to get them). It's such a dense series that it may have been hard for me to get back into them.

    Yeah. I absolutely loved Wheel of Time when I was younger, was awesome stuff then. I even reread the whole series to number 9 back in the day. But I guess I simply grew out of it. My main issue with the series is that I find the charcters unbelieveable and, to be blunt, shallow. R.R. Martin and Erikson are the perfect example of the opposite in that respect.

    Yeah same thing happened with me. When I was a kid I absolutely lapped up fantasy, often what I'll call pulp fantasy. And by that I mean books that take place in a typical high fantasy setting (elves, dwarves, wizards, the middle ages, etc), and/or contained other fantasy tropes or cliches (you can usually spot these by their super cheesy looking covers).

    And I could be downright obsessive about reading if I found something I really liked. For example while I was reading the Wheel of Time I would read almost every waking minute I could spare (probably had something to do with me hitting puberty and getting super introverted all of a sudden). As in I'd take the book to school to read during breaks/recess, read on the bus, and then read till I went to bed, only taking a break for supper (and my mom would usually have to come tell me to go to bed before I'd stop). I'd always make sure to have the next book in the series with me so that I'd be able to start it the instant I was done the one I was reading.

    Sadly enough, I barely read anymore (novels, anways). In fact, I've probably only read a couple books in the last few years, besides a few that I had to read for school.
    Aristillius
  • NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520
    I knew the moment I read this topic that Robert Jordan would pop up at some point. >_>;;

    I don't do nearly enough reading that I should, but I did finish the Tears of Artamon trilogy by Sarah Ash recently, and I loved them to death. I've read up to book 5 of the Wheel of Time series, and I ended up stopping so I could read other things. I plan to pick up some Robin Hobb and Carol Berg one of these days.
  • OurQuestIsVainOurQuestIsVain Member Posts: 201
    I really like Patrick Rothfuss (even though he promised 3 books and it has been 6 years and we only have 2 books). I have also always liked Piers Anthony (now there is a prolific writer). I like Anne McCaffrey's Pern series as well.
  • RiolathelRiolathel Member Posts: 330
    glad to see no J.K Rowling votes so far >:D
  • Dr_AtomicDr_Atomic Member Posts: 50
    edited January 2013
    Tolkien, most definitely. I find most modern fantasy to be complete rubbish, with authors left and right falling over each other in a thoroughly buffoonish attempt to be more "DARK, MAN! DARK!" than each other.
  • CreslynCreslyn Member Posts: 2
    edited January 2013
    No Roger Zelazny or David Gemmell in there? Madness!

    Edit: Amber series and pretty much anything by Gemmell, though his Parmenion books are still my favorites.
  • Hor89Hor89 Member Posts: 118
    Steven Erikson and Andrzej Sapkowski
  • MoomintrollMoomintroll Member Posts: 1,498
    Russel Hoban - far from conventional fantasy and sci fi, when he's done it however.
  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873
    @Hor89

    Hey, can you tell me anything about Andrzej Sapkowski? Recomendations? Is it in english?
    Have not read anything or heard anything about him.
    Djimmy
  • Hor89Hor89 Member Posts: 118
    @Aristillius
    A. Sapkowski is a polish writer, very popular in middle Europe. He wrote Witcher saga (2 books in Eng. and two games based on it) and Hussite trilogy.
    For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrzej_Sapkowski
    Aristillius
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    Jim Butcher, Jim Hines (just finished his newest: Libriomancer) and Andre Norton are all high on my list of favorites, along with Mercedes Lackey, C.J. Cherryh, Marion Zimmer Bradley. Seriously, no women on that list?
    Aristillius
  • ReadingRamboReadingRambo Member Posts: 598
    Riolathel said:

    glad to see no J.K Rowling votes so far >:D

    To me the Harry potter novels are fantasy for the uninitiated. If u haven't read fantasy fiction before, it might seem new and unique. To most of us that frequent forums like these, however, I view as having read much better fantasy novels already . Potter seems kinda generic comparitively to those that know and love fantasy beforehand
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    @Riolathel, @ReadingRambo Remember, they started out being kids books. I like William Joyce's Guardians of Childhood series for kids, myself. And Harry Potter is hardly the only "Kid at Magic School" book there was. "The Worst Witch" being another such series. Of course, books like that abound now, but she wasn't the first one to write in that series, she was just the most popular for a while. IMO, her later books, especially the last one, needed SEVERE editing. The Deathly Hallows was a Deus Ex Machina and turned into "Three People arguing in a tent" for waaaaaaaaaaaaay too long. That last book was a slog, and it needn't have been.
  • DjimmyDjimmy Member Posts: 749
    LadyRhian said:

    Jim Butcher, Jim Hines (just finished his newest: Libriomancer) and Andre Norton are all high on my list of favorites, along with Mercedes Lackey, C.J. Cherryh, Marion Zimmer Bradley. Seriously, no women on that list?

    J. K. Rowling
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    I meant, besides her. :)
  • DjimmyDjimmy Member Posts: 749
    edited January 2013

    Riolathel said:

    glad to see no J.K Rowling votes so far >:D

    To me the Harry potter novels are fantasy for the uninitiated. If u haven't read fantasy fiction before, it might seem new and unique. To most of us that frequent forums like these, however, I view as having read much better fantasy novels already . Potter seems kinda generic comparitively to those that know and love fantasy beforehand

    Well, I disagree. From this list, she is my second currently. I find Harry Potter unique. I believe many find it unique but not everyone will admit it.
  • ReadingRamboReadingRambo Member Posts: 598
    edited January 2013
    Djimmy said:

    Riolathel said:

    glad to see no J.K Rowling votes so far >:D

    To me the Harry potter novels are fantasy for the uninitiated. If u haven't read fantasy fiction before, it might seem new and unique. To most of us that frequent forums like these, however, I view as having read much better fantasy novels already . Potter seems kinda generic comparitively to those that know and love fantasy beforehand

    Well, I disagree. From this list, she is my second currently. I find Harry Potter unique. I believe many find it unique but not everyone will admit it.







    I think I misspoke. That is only my opinion, I shouldn't speak for others
    Aristillius
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