EviLore said:
Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series seems to mostly infuriate its readers with every new book released. The first few books, from my understanding, engage the reader, and the next half dozen only create scores of impossibly convoluted plot threads that will never be resolved, amidst characters that are piled upon characters, often eschewing the entire base that the series was founded on for no apparent reason. Apparently the series starts out firm if deeply cliched in tolkien roots, then degrades into an abysmal pace, with nothing actually *happening*.
Jordan's works sold because there wasn't much around at the time. At the least, WoT was a massive compilation that could kill plenty of reading hours while waiting for something better. Other preeminent authors in the genre generally remained derivitive and "safe" with their creations.
In the midst of this, Martin spawned a series that was not a tolkien carbon-copy, that was not a simple money maker; he grasped the casual reader without making him feel like he was degrading himself simply by touching the genre, and the hard-core fantasy vets had something entirely fresh and unexpected. Martin's not only a good writer, but a vastly experienced one. Reading through RRetrospective, a large compilation of his works, a body of short stories show an appreciation for fantasy, but not a limitation to it. Martin doesn't use a genre as a limitation; there's no requirement for an unlikely farm boy to go on whatever the fucking tired old stereotype is. Martin's works are as they are through an appreciation of the characters. The stories are felt. One dimensional is not part of his vocabulary. With that general Fantasy fallacy turned aside, all the best elements are endeared, and to top it off the damned books improve with each iteration (instead of the reverse with most major fantasy series).
So I don't fall into the realm of fanboyism *too* much, I'll stop here. But really, if there's one fantasy series to read, genuinely screw Tolkien and make it ASOIAF. Thankfully no one has to make that sort of decision, but if forced I'd do so without hesitation.
The WoT series should, in my view, be read extremely early on in people's fantasy reading. In other words, read LOTRs first as everyone seems to (and it's easy to understand and follow), then read WoT. The only reason I say that is that you might as well read a good "farmboy saves the world" story before you get tired of the cliche.
Contrary to what I've just said, I wouldn't recommend reading it until the series is finished. There are only two books left to come, so you're probably looking at 4 years at most until the final one comes out. If you started reading now, your thoughts would probably go like this (most people seem to feel like this):
First 6 books:
Wow, this is awesome! Farmboy saves the world maybe, but the best attempt at it yet!
Next 2 books:
Oh. Loss of form, but not so bad. Bit disappointing after the start.
9th book:
Slow, but really picks up at the end. He's back on form!
10th book:
What the fuck's this shit?
As I say, there are only 2 books left and they pretty much have to be action packed because we know certain things have to happen. So maybe the series will get an ending the beginning deserves.
Martin's books are really great. They very much resemble historical novels based on the likes of the War of the Roses, only with fantasy elements thrown in. However we've been waiting over 4 years since the last book in the series, and it really does looks unlikely that we'll see it this year, so don't try them yet if you want a series that'll finish anytime soon. Plus they're pretty complicated books, the gaps will leave people lost with the storylines unless they read them again just before the next is released.
The Dark Tower series is a great choice as the final book comes out in about a month's time. Very different series though to anything else I've read, in terms of fantasy anyway. Takes some pretty crazy directions, but has pulled almost all of them off.
I would never recommend this series to someone who hasn't read quite a bit of fantasy before (they'd be so lost), but Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen books are fantastic. I get incredibly frustrated with some of his inconsistencies (mostly timeline based, sadly not exclusively), but unless you look into the books and discuss them as deeply as I do, I doubt you'll notice them. It's truly epic in scope (covers everyone, from the average soldier to the gods) and while you may initially feel some characters are ridiculously overpowered, you soon come to see that they'd only be overpowered in other series, in these they have plenty of rivals of their level(s). Well written too, it's sad, action packed and even hilarious.
I've not actually finished the first book yet (maybe 30 pages to go), but if the rest of The Prince of Nothing (Scott Bakker) series is as good as the first book, we're in for something special. Seems to retain the best elements from these other series I've mentioned, dropping the annoying things and adding original elements I can't recall seeing before. It's only the first book though, there are numerous series I'd have recommended at that point before they went downhill.
There's Harry Potter too, it's great fun and shouldn't be ignored because of it's popularity or kiddy image.
I hope you like fantasy....
