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[Imp the Dimp]

I didn't want to derail the reading thread so I figured I could just ask the entirety of GAF. I'm fairly new to fantasy and have read these books so far:

- Way of Kings
- Words of Radiance
- Mistborn 1
- Mistborn 2
- Mistborn 3
- The Name of the Wind
- The Wise Man's Fear (70% done with this; it's absolutely sublime)
- The Gunslinger (not a very good book; Steven King is honestly not for me, regardless of how much better the other Dark Tower books are)

and I'm craving for more.

Can you guys share your opinions on...

The Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
The Night Angel Trilogy - Brent Weeks
Dark Prism - Brent Weeks
The Black Company - Glen Cook
The First Law - Joe Abercrombie
The Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn - Tad Williams
The Shadowmarch Series - Tad Williams
The Gentlemen Bastards - Scott Lynch
A Song of Ice and Fire - George R.R. Martin (watched the first three seasons on TV sadly)
The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Codex Alera - Jim Butcher
The Riyria Revelations - Michael J Sullivan
Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (I understand it goes to shit at some point but how good are the good books?)
The Dagger and the Coin - Daniel Abraham

And anything else you want to share. I have seen the three LotR movies and have little interest in reading through them again as I didn't enjoy them that much.

 

[Scepta]

Can you guys share your opinions on...


The Night Angel Trilogy - Brent Weeks
Dark Prism - Brent Weeks

So these are big favorite for me personally. I absolutely love the night angel trilogy and I'll go back to reading it from time and time again. I'm a sucker for main hero is super strong but still flawed in many ways. Which is essentially both of these books.

I have to say that the night angel trilogy is a fun read, but the dark prism and follow up genuinenly had some curve balls that I didn't see coming.

I don't know if you mentioned it but I also greatly enjoyed "The lies of locke lamora" and the sequels to that series. Definetely all worth.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

When is the sequel to The Wise mans Fear coming out?

 

[hamchan]

I'd go for A Song of Ice and Fire next. It's on the easier side to read like Sanderson and Rothfuss.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

I'd go for A Song of Ice and Fire next. It's on the easier side to read like Sanderson and Rothfuss.

I actually own the first ASoIaF and read 30% of it but I did that a little too shortly after watching the show and the first book and the first TV show season were almost identical to be honest. It's been 3 years now and my memories of the GoT TV show are rather muddy so I could give it another shot I think.

 

[Yahsper]

The First Law - Joe Abercrombie
The Gentlemen Bastards - Scott Lynch


I haven't read the other series you want opinions on, but I thought the First Law series and the Gentlemen Bastards series are pretty enjoyable. A bit straightforward and simple maybe in comparison to Game of Thrones and Rothfuss' books, but I still read them at quite a high pace. I think they're more in line with the second Mistborn-trilogy in tone and style.

 

[Camwi]

Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (I understand it goes to shit at some point but how good are the good books?)

The good books are absolutely excellent. The series starts out fantastic, starts losing steam after books 3 or 4, gets insultingly bad in the 9 - 11 range, and then ends with a goddamn bang when Sanderson takes over for the final three books.

 

[iclash]

A song of fire and ice is amazing, I'm just worried that it's never going to be finished

First Law trilogy is also great, I've enjoyed everything I've read from Joe Abercrombie to this point.Half a King is fantastic

 

[Textured Monk]

First Law trilogy is brilliant. Cruel and cold and bleak as all hell, but you should read it.

Wheel of Time is definitely an experience. It does slog for a few books before rebounding in style, but even the good stuff can be surrounded by bloat. I'd recommend it but maybe not straight away - it will take a while. Maybe read one or two, read something else, and then come back to the next one, if you can do that.

If you're interested in A Song of Ice and Fire now's probably not a bad time to start, since the TV side has diverged enough that you won't just be reading stuff you've already seen. The series won't be done by the time you've got caught up though.

Malazan Book of the Fallen gets a lot of love here, but I'm only on the second book. It's rough going at first, but it is good and from where I am I can see a lot of potential. Stick with it. It has magic and significant high fantasy elements while still having a lot of main characters being regular (excellent) soldiers.

Sanderson churns out books like a maniac. I don't know when the next Stormlight Archive book is coming but he's probably got another series you'd be interested in going.

I'm a big fan of the Dresden Files. It's very... I don't know, kind of pulp-y, and the first book (maybe first two or three) are pretty weak, but it starts to take off after that. It does a good job of slowly introducing concepts or elements that come up again in a big way. They're pretty quick reads, in comparison to other stuff in this thread, and the progression of the dresden world goes well with the around-yearly installments. A series that inspired it, I believe, is Garrett P.I. by Glenn Cook. The reverse of the Dresden Files, Garrett is an ordinary PI in a supernatural world.

 

[Cabbagehead]

I didn't want to derail the reading thread so I figured I could just ask the entirety of GAF. I'm fairly new to fantasy and have read these books so far:

- Way of Kings
- Words of Radiance
- Mistborn 1
- Mistborn 2
- Mistborn 3
- The Name of the Wind
- The Wise Man's Fear (70% done with this; it's absolutely sublime)
- The Gunslinger (not a very good book; Steven King is honestly not for me, regardless of how much better the other Dark Tower books are)

and I'm craving for more.

Can you guys share your opinions on...

The Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson (Has that GOT barrier, way to many POV's for me to care)

The Night Angel Trilogy - Brent Weeks (Meh, could not stand the writing nor characters. But it may be good to most, largely forgettable for me)

Dark Prism - Brent Weeks

The Black Company - Glen Cook (Great first few books. Then it takes a nose dive)

The First Law - Joe Abercrombie (Decent not amazing. Got to the second book that's it. Could be you're cup of tea though)

The Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb (Have it on my phone, need to read it. Heard it's one of the best)

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn - Tad Williams (Need to read)

The Shadowmarch Series - Tad Williams

The Gentlemen Bastards - Scott Lynch (Yikes, tried two times and the second clued me in on the issue with story and characters. As i did not like neither but the setting was interesting enough. To many leaps in logic and over description...etc)

A Song of Ice and Fire - George R.R. Martin (watched the first three seasons on TV sadly)

The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher (Dresden is too much of a wannabe "Man's macho man" dick for me to like him. His views on woman are repetitive in the books at times and cringe in nature. But I need to give this a third try, only if i can get passed his shit characteristic, noir tropes since i like Butcher's work)

The Riyria Revelations - Michael J Sullivan (Fun Characters, but Mary stus that get dumb down to push plot at times.)


Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (I understand it goes to shit at some point but how good are the good books?) - Unless you're super invested, the middle part will make you stop reading it and you might not pick it back up until Sanderson ends the series. Or a little bit earlier. Still the first three books are masterclass though.

And anything else you want to share. I have seen the three LotR movies and have little interest in reading through them again as I didn't enjoy them that much.

Funny enough I can't through neither Rothfuss or Sanderson works. They aren't as solid to me as to other's and most definitely don't do much for me. (Like Brans writing podcast though)


Check out

Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher

Amazing from start to finish.

Imager Chronicles by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Still haven't finished (on 4 or 6) but the characters, setting, magic system, dialogue and story line are really, really good. An ongoing series.

Corean Chronicles by L. E. Modesitt, Jr another great series.


Tales of Kin by Douglas H

Love everything about it, super underrated. Ongoing aswell.

 

[massoluk]

and I'm craving for more.

Can you guys share your opinions on...

The Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn - Tad Williams
Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (I understand it goes to shit at some point but how good are the good books?)ch.

Well, I enjoyed these before Sanderson came along. Good binge reading. Robin Hobb is the best writer that somehow is very underexposed. Very consistent.
Wheel of Time's good is crazy good. To say its epic moments are epic is an understatement. The shittiness of the middle books are worth wading through to get to the last three. I felt it got more impact on me than any of the epic moments from SOIAF or Kingkiler Chronicles.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

When is the sequel to The Wise mans Fear coming out?

why ask me, brother

 

[GenericBadGuy]

Can you guys share your opinions on...

The Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
The Night Angel Trilogy - Brent Weeks
Dark Prism - Brent Weeks
The Black Company - Glen Cook
The Gentlemen Bastards - Scott Lynch
The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher

I've read all the above and can say:

Malazan has an incredible first book, but then the rest are approximately a small part fantasy and very large part excruciatingly detailed military campaigns.

The night angel and dark prism series are very good, but incredibly depressing. A lot of bad shit happens to the protagonists constantly. Kind of like Song of Ice and Fire. You know the whole trope of simple misunderstandings ruining people's lives?

The Black Company is an expositional military campaign but unlike Malazan is manages to stay interesting a majority of the time. It's very no-nonsense and gritty, but has a romantic side.

Gentleman bastards is fantastic and violent but lighthearted. However only 3 of SEVEN books are out and I doubt they'll ever appear.

Dresden files are wonderful. Very borderline guilty pleasure silly sometimes (am I reading some nerds wish-fulfillment?) but they're still a very fun read and very different than the other books on the list. This is like your fun action movie with great characters compared to a lot of gloom in the rest. The books tend to get better as you go.

Since you liked Sanderson so much, I would recommend reading one more from him first called Warbreaker. I just read it and liked it a lot

 

[SocksAndShoes]

Don't skip the Dark Tower series. It gets much better after the 1st book, seriously. If you like fantasy, you're going to enjoy it.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Don't skip the Dark Tower series. It gets much better after the 1st book, seriously. If you like fantasy, you're going to enjoy it.

I read 4 or 5 King books and while they were not bad, his works don't really have a lasting impact on me. Just not my kind of author honestly.

 

[GenericBadGuy]

Don't skip the Dark Tower series. It gets much better after the 1st book, seriously. If you like fantasy, you're going to enjoy it.

This too. The second book is actually my favorite.

 

[Neffarias_Bredd]

You're probably going to enjoy any one of the series you listed in the OP. Are you looking for a long series of books? Do you care if the series is finished?

I see the Malazan series has been brought up here a couple of times. It took me 3 or 4 years to get through the first book since I kept quitting, but after I got through it the series quickly became one of my favorite. If you decide to jump in, just keep this in mind.

Out of your list, ASOIAF is my favorite, followed by Malazan and then the gentlemen Bastard series (although each subsequent book has gotten worse imho)

 

[Sylas]

The Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
The Black Company - Glen Cook
The First Law - Joe Abercrombie
The Gentlemen Bastards - Scott Lynch
A Song of Ice and Fire - George R.R. Martin (watched the first three seasons on TV sadly)
The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (I understand it goes to shit at some point but how good are the good books?)

And anything else you want to share. I have seen the three LotR movies and have little interest in reading through them again as I didn't enjoy them that much.

Alright, these are the one's I've read. A short breakdown and recommendation for each:

The Black Company: Read it. It's the go-to for grittier, more "war-based" fantasy. The books are written in an intimate, interesting way that assumes you know about this world already--as much of it is written purely from a certain character's perspective and recollections--but it builds the world fantastically due to this. Be warned, it's long and the latter books are wildly different from the earlier books. Still very, very, good.

The Malazan Book of the Fallen: I couldn't get into this. There are a lot of terms that I feel weren't explained very well. Later books remedy it, but the first book was a slog for me. It's also long and the fact that I wasn't grabbed pushed me away due to it's length.

The First Law: A solid "eh" from me. It wasn't bad. It wasn't good. The characters are largely forgettable and the only real conflict is hard to follow. It escalates quickly and finishes on a wet fart. Interesting but not very fun to read after a point. It gets too caught up on making the world gritty. Grimdark is fun but it doesn't provide much in the way of contrast to show you how fucked up things are.

The Gentlemen Bastards: Both a treat and absolutely frustrating. It's the sort of book that should appeal to the person inside of us that really loves the rogueish type. The heists are fun to read and the planning is great--and I absolutely love the first book! I'm iffy on the next 2, and the 4th is happening... soon? I will say I think book 3 fumbled the ball a bit; We'll see if it recovers.

A Song of Ice and Fire: If you enjoyed the first 3 seasons of the show, read it and give it a shot. Book 4 and 5 are considered fairly weak, but I think the 3rd book is one of my favorite fantasy novels of all times. It's a bit slow at times, and Martin is notorious for just... not writing, so be prepared to never see the books completed.

The Dresden Files: Do you like comics? This series is essentially "Smarmy modern day wizard does crazy shit while snarking." I personally love it since it's a fairly easy read, so it makes for good palette cleanser between hopping into epic series'.

Wheel of Time: Haaaaaaaahahahahahahaha. Aha. Heh. Oof. This series, man. It starts off really strong. Like, really strong. Then it gets longer and longer and longer and longer. The quality is debatable, but I made it through the middle half of the series and came to enjoy the latter half. Everyone sorta agrees that the middle is a rough patch, mostly because Jordan gets caught up on describing his world and fleshing it out. Bonus points! Sanderson finished the series using Jordan's outlines and notes when he passed.

And a personal recommendation on my behalf...

The Dagger and Coin: I recently wrapped this series up. It consumed me from start-to-finish. It's a story that's not afraid to put female characters at the forefront and it has a fascinating setup and a diverse cast of characters. A ton of very interesting fantasy characters (that are all part of "humanity" which I thought was cool) and fairly strong throughout. I absolutely give this a recommendation if you're interesting in politicking, wars and a heroes journey that's incredibly different than most. Cithrin is a really fun character.

 

[Cabbagehead]

You're probably going to enjoy any one of the series you listed in the OP. Are you looking for a long series of books? Do you care if the series is finished?

I see the Malazan series has been brought up here a couple of times. It took me 3 or 4 years to get through the first book since I kept quitting, but after I got through it the series quickly became one of my favorite. If you decide to jump in, just keep this in mind.

Out of your list, ASOIAF is my favorite, followed by Malazan and then the gentlemen Bastard series (although each subsequent book has gotten worse imho)

Yea for my gut instinct.

Tales of Kin is in the same realm but does a much better job though it's more fantasy.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

You're probably going to enjoy any one of the series you listed in the OP. Are you looking for a long series of books? Do you care if the series is finished?

Honestly, I'm just looking to get entertained. I don't mind long or unfinished series. As a matter of fact, I find the fact there are still releases on the horizon to look forward to pretty appealing. And since I have so much left to read, I manage to bridge the time rather efficiently.

Thanks everyone so far.

 

[BigAT]

I'd recommend the Gentlemen Bastards series, especially if you like Rothfuss. Really loved the first two books. The third was a bit of a misstep as the author was going through some personal shit and it shows, although it still isn't awful. The fourth book is finally releasing in a couple of months.

 

[slightconfuse]

First law trilogy
Wheel of Time

 

[Draxal]

I didn't want to derail the reading thread so I figured I could just ask the entirety of GAF. I'm fairly new to fantasy and have read these books so far:

- Way of Kings
- Words of Radiance
- Mistborn 1
- Mistborn 2
- Mistborn 3
- The Name of the Wind
- The Wise Man's Fear (70% done with this; it's absolutely sublime)
- The Gunslinger (not a very good book; Steven King is honestly not for me, regardless of how much better the other Dark Tower books are)

and I'm craving for more.
.

Honestly, while I enjoyed The Name of the Wind, I thought the Wise Man's Fear was schlock that needed an editor, so your tolerance for schlock might be higher than most here.

I will also add Guy Gavriel Kay to the list of authors you should check up on.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Honestly, while I enjoyed The Name of the Wind, I thought the Wise Man's Fear was schlock that needed an editor, so your tolerance for schlock might be higher than most here.

I will also add Guy Gavriel Kay to the list of authors you should check up on.

I'm 70% into Kingkiller Chronicle 2 and found it to be a higher paced read than Name of the Wind. Currently,

Spoiler

Kvothe is meddling with Felurian which is dragging on a tad too long but I don't mind too much.

Indeed, my patience might well be above average when I expect to be rewarded once I manage to read through slower parts.

I'd say I'm enjoying Kingkiller 2 more than 1 actually, if only by a little.

 

[Jag]

Read all these, my reading order would be:

1. A Song of Ice and Fire - George R.R. Martin
2. The First Law - Joe Abercrombie
3, The Black Company - Glen Cook
4. The Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb
5. Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
6. The Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
7. Dagger and Coin - Daniel Abraham
8. Powder Mage Series- Brian McClellan
9. The Night Angel Trilogy - Brent Weeks
10. Drenai Series - David Gemmel
11. Dark Prism - Brent Weeks
12. The Gentlemen Bastards - Scott Lynch
13. The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
14. Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn - Tad Williams
15. The Shadowmarch Series - Tad Williams
16. The Riyria Revelations - Michael J Sullivan

I've been reading ASOIAF since 1996, so that's always going to be my favorite.

Added Dagger and Coin by Abraham, Drenai by Gemmel and Powder Mage by McClellan. Read everything in the Cosmere by Sanderson.

Also, Dune.

 

[Kin5290]

I would approach Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn with caution, as it is very much generic 80s fantasy and incredibly cliche and trope ridden.

Although I consider Rothfuss to be unreadable schlock. I generally prefer some plot movement in my fantasy. And I don't really care about the sexual accomplishments of Patrick Rothfuss's college aged fantasy self insert character that he whipped up after watching too much anime or how studly he is.

The First Law and Shattered Sea series by Joe Abercrombie are all excellent, although there is a substantial improvement going from the First Law trilogy to the three stand alone sequels that you might expect moving from an author's first published novel to his fourth through sixth. Abercrombie's books all share a dark, somewhat pessimistic tone and themes while still maintaining a sense of humor, and he is blessedly not nearly as rape happy as some of his fellow authors.

The Traitor Son Chronicles by Miles Cameron is also pretty good, although not great. The author is a historical reenactor and so vividly described the finer details of medieval combat (sans gunpowder). Like Abercrombie, this series has a darker, "more realistic" tone, with magic thrown into the mix. If I have any complaints it is that there are far more points of view in the book than are strictly necessary, and some of the Red Knight's supporting cast are substantially more interesting or compelling than the Red Knight himself, who is a little too amazing at everything.

 

[Sulik2]

Read the Wheel of Time. Its the greatest modern fantasy series. It highs are pretty much unmatched and the last three books are incredible. Its no where near a slow in the middle as people claim when you can read the books straight through without waiting years for them. The series was meticulously plotted 20 years in advance and it shows in how it all comes together at the end.

The Traveler's Gate books are an under the radar fantasy series by Will Wight that is incredible. Action scenes on par with what Sanderson writes too.

Everything Sanderson writes is a must read.

Rothfuss is garbage. Don't waste time on him.

War of the Flowers by Tad Williams is a standalone book as big as most trilogies and is fascinating. Its about a high fantasy world that has reached the information age.

Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is worth a read just for the insane twist at the end.

 

[MikeDip]

Mate you need to read the farseer trilogy by robin hobb (and then the other trilogies in the universe)

So good. Great characters, plot, world building, lore, ahh.....

 

[Jag]

Shattered Sea series by Joe Abercrombie are all excellent

I was very surprised by the Shattered Sea trilogy (which is now finished). The first book didn't grab me right away, but the series just kept getting better. Thorn was a fantastic character. Would love to see more of her.

Where Sanderson does great worldbuilding, Abercrombie does great character development.

 

[studyguy]

Brent Weeks Lightbrininger (Dark Prism) series without question if you're really enjoying the complex magic systems of Sanderson. You'll dive in immediately if the world building/magic system bit is what gets you going.

Would also recommend the Powder Mage series.

I'm 70% into Kingkiller Chronicle 2 and found it to be a higher paced read than Name of the Wind. Currently,

Spoiler

Kvothe is meddling with Felurian which is dragging on a tad too long but I don't mind too much.

Indeed, my patience might well be above average when I expect to be rewarded once I manage to read through slower parts.

I'd say I'm enjoying Kingkiller 2 more than 1 actually, if only by a little.

Book 2 has some real wonky parts that will throw people off for sure, I laughed my way through the entire section you mentioned. It's too ridiculous but I just chalk it up to Kvothe being an unreliable narrator who has to embellish everything.

 

[Camwi]

Read the Wheel of Time. Its the greatest modern fantasy series. It highs are pretty much unmatched and the last three books are incredible. Its no where near a slow in the middle as people claim when you can read the books straight through without waiting years for them. The series was meticulously plotted 20 years in advance and it shows in how it all comes together at the end.

The Traveler's Gate books are an under the radar fantasy series by Will Wight that is incredible. Action scenes on par with what Sanderson writes too.

Everything Sanderson writes is a must read.

Rothfuss is garbage. Don't waste time on him.

War of the Flowers by Tad Williams is a standalone book as big as most trilogies and is fascinating. Its about a high fantasy world that has reached the information age.

Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is worth a read just for the insane twist at the end.

Bullshit. I read through the series recently so there was no wait between books. Some of those middle novels DRAG on horribly.

Crossroads of Twilight was particularly bad. Nothing interesting happens throughout the entire book, then when you're expecting something epic to at least happen at the end, as Jordan tended to do, it just ends with a complete whimper.

 

[SpaceHorror]

Definitely start with A Song of Ice and Fire. Though you've watched the first three seasons of the show, enough is different in the books to hold your interest and books 4 and 5 aren't quite as bad as some say, especially if you enjoy the world.

By the time you finish the first five, maybe the sixth will have been announced.

Spoiler

Probably not.

 

[studyguy]

Only reason I don't actively push WoT anymore is it's a massive, MASSIVE commitment if you want to tear through it all. And fuck all else, it absolutely drags in the middle. The payoff is great but good lord. If you're going to do WoT, I'd recommending popping one book between other authors after the first 3 or in order to spice it up. It's way too much to just churn one after another.

 

[MikeDip]

People please read the farseer trilogy

 

[SpaceHorror]

People please read the farseer trilogy

It's definitely on my radar now. Thanks!

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Malazan book of the Fallen is my favorite fantasy series, but it is by no means for everyone. The first book is fairly slow and the worst of the whole series, and it's a series that does absolutely 100% no hand holding about its universe, lore and history.

If you ever want to read you need to come in with the expectation to invest yourself in it.

 

[Textured Monk]

Only reason I don't actively push WoT anymore is it's a massive, MASSIVE commitment if you want to tear through it all. And fuck all else, it absolutely drags in the middle. The payoff is great but good lord. If you're going to do WoT, I'd recommending popping one book between other authors after the first 3 or in order to spice it up. It's way too much to just churn one after another.

Very much this. And I think I must have posted this in the other thread, but for the sloggiest parts of the series I read through with the help of audio books, if that's something you have any interest in. I think I read the series over the course of about twelve months, and listened to maybe the equivalent of two books.

 

[studyguy]

Very much this. And I think I must have posted this in the other thread, but for the sloggiest parts of the series I read through with the help of audio books, if that's something you have any interest in. I think I read the series over the course of about twelve months, and listened to maybe the equivalent of two books.

I actually went back and did the whole WoT series with audiobooks. It's got fantastic production values with michael kramer and kate reading doing the narration. Same people who do Way of Kings audiobooks. Probably my favorite duo.

 

[Kinitari]

I think if you are looking for something similar, Brent Weeks stuff is the best bet.

 

[DarkChronic]

Dark Tower series shouldn't be missed. So good.

Can anyone comment on The Book of the New Sun? Have not read it, but I hear nothing but incredible things.

And this is cheating a bit since it's largely considered sci-fi, but the Hyperion Cantos has some elements of fantasy and it's truly excellent.

 

[studyguy]

I think if you are looking for something similar, Brent Weeks stuff is the best bet.

You could probably replace Sanderson's name on Dark Prism and no one would be the wiser.

 

[Draxal]

I would approach Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn with caution, as it is very much generic 80s fantasy and incredibly cliche and trope ridden.

Although I consider Rothfuss to be unreadable schlock. I generally prefer some plot movement in my fantasy. And I don't really care about the sexual accomplishments of Patrick Rothfuss's college aged fantasy self insert character that he whipped up after watching too much anime or how studly he is.

Honestly, I thought Kingkiller and Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn to be very similiar, as they both have some major pacing issues, and MST's main character was really self inserty as well.

I'm 70% into Kingkiller Chronicle 2 and found it to be a higher paced read than Name of the Wind. Currently,

Spoiler

Kvothe is meddling with Felurian which is dragging on a tad too long but I don't mind too much.

Indeed, my patience might well be above average when I expect to be rewarded once I manage to read through slower parts.

I'd say I'm enjoying Kingkiller 2 more than 1 actually, if only by a little.

Honestly, after reading my earlier post again, I didn't mean to shit on your taste, but more saying that your tastes might be a little different than the norm, which is not a bad thing at all. My favorite novel (Tigana) is loved by some; but hated by others.

 

[Textured Monk]

I actually went back and did the whole WoT series with audiobooks. It's got fantastic production values with michael kramer and kate reading doing the narration. Same people who do Way of Kings audiobooks. Probably my favorite duo.

Yes that's them! They do an amazing job with it, I can't rate those two highly enough. Best audio book narrators I've heard. OP if you've got a road trip coming up or gym regularly or something, check into this. I think it's under the Audible label.

 

[Therin]

The Farseer books are amazingly good, I blazed through them all in like a week & am dying for the next one. The world of the books is so well-developed with such diverse characters, and it has some of the most fulfilling character relationships I've read in fantasy.

 

[CitizenVectron]

The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie is one of the best fantasy series ever created. It takes the gritty fantasy genre...and completely subverts your expectations.

Trust me, this should be your next read.

 

[Kinitari]

You could probably replace Sanderson's name on Dark Prism and no one would be the wiser.

Exactly

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Can you guys share your opinions on...

The Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson

Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (I understand it goes to shit at some point but how good are the good books?)

Considering that the Malazan books were what got me interested in fantasy again after becoming bored of it all i'm going to say i love them. The world building is great, the stories are interesting and there's quite a few memorable characters and creatures. They can be a bit wordy but there's something there that i love so i'm a fan.
The first book is slow but don't let that put you off as everything just builds and builds. If they release an Icarium and Mappo series i'll buy the hell out of it

I started WoT years ago and i think i bogged down in the slow middle bit. I keep meaning to pick it up again but there's so much else i get distracted. Oh, thanks for the thread OP there's loads of suggestions for me to pick through also

 

[Fuzzery]

I didn't want to derail the reading thread so I figured I could just ask the entirety of GAF. I'm fairly new to fantasy and have read these books so far:

- Way of Kings
- Words of Radiance
- Mistborn 1
- Mistborn 2
- Mistborn 3
- The Name of the Wind
- The Wise Man's Fear (70% done with this; it's absolutely sublime)
- The Gunslinger (not a very good book; Steven King is honestly not for me, regardless of how much better the other Dark Tower books are)

and I'm craving for more.

Can you guys share your opinions on...

The Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
The Night Angel Trilogy - Brent Weeks
Dark Prism - Brent Weeks
The Black Company - Glen Cook
The First Law - Joe Abercrombie
The Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn - Tad Williams
The Shadowmarch Series - Tad Williams
The Gentlemen Bastards - Scott Lynch
A Song of Ice and Fire - George R.R. Martin (watched the first three seasons on TV sadly)
The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
The Riyria Revelations - Michael J Sullivan
Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (I understand it goes to shit at some point but how good are the good books?)

And anything else you want to share. I have seen the three LotR movies and have little interest in reading through them again as I didn't enjoy them that much.

I'm in the same boat as you, really enjoy sanderson and rothfuss as well.

Bolded my favs, very difficult for me to rank them in any order. I do like darker stuff in general, so that may influence things.

Dresden for easiest to read, malazan for you need to probably pay the most attention

Dark prism is much better than night angel IMO, the latter felt like he was learning the ropes and how to write

I would also add the short stories by Abercrombie that are set in the first law universe onto this list, read the first law...first though

Also recommend the powder mage series that people are suggesting too

Something I also enjoyed was Worm the Serial: https://parahumans.wordpress.com/

 

[DeadRockstar]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1215561

 

[Palmer_v1]

Scott Lynch
Joe Abercrombie