So, a couple of us Broke and Bookish girls are a bit obsessed with the A Song of Ice and Fire series and I'm kinda dreading finishing A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin, because I'm assuming it will be AGES before The Winds of Winter will be released (Goodreads says 2015) and what will I do with my life until then??? Kelly and I have been agonizing over this and I'm sure pretty soon Kimberly will start getting worried as well, if she's not already.
This is where you come in. I need recommendations of amazing epic fantasy series that will tie me over until I can dive back into Westeros and all it's bloody awesomeness.
So PLEASE recommend me some books to read while I'm waiting for The Winds of Winter!
6/25/13: THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH for all the AMAZING recommendations! I'll be sure to check all of them out! Kelly, Kimberly and I are eternally grateful ;)
Oh, and if you have more, please do keep them coming!
The Gentleman Bastard series, by Scott Lynch. The Lies of Locke Lamora is my favourite fantasy novel ever, it's so halarious. Unfortunately, Lynch makes you wait forever between books too (the last one came out in 2007, next one is coming in October), but its worth it. Plus, George R.R Martin himself has recommended it in multiple places
ReplyDeleteHaha, the epic fantasy authors do tend to make their fans wait ;)
DeleteThe Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss, the Mistborn books by Brandon Sanderson and the Moorehawke Trilogy by Celine Kiernan.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Patrick Rothfuss! I'm so not patiently awaiting his next book as well ;) The Mistborn books are sitting on my shelf :) I'll have to look into the Moorehawke trilogy!
DeleteHave you read The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb? It's about a prince's bastard son who is being trained as an assassin.
ReplyDeleteI've also heard great things about the Gentleman Bastard series & the Kingkiller Chronicles that people suggested, and am going to be reading them soon.
I haven't yet read the Farseer Trilogy, but it's going on the list! :D
DeleteI second The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss!!! I recently listened to the first book on Audible, and The Name of the Wind was fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI also really love the first 12 or so book in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. They're fun and pun-y, the first one in A Spell for Chameleon.
LOVE the Kingkiller Chronicles!!
DeleteI hadn't heard of the Xanth series before, thanks!
Sword of Truth, by Terry Goodkind. I haven't read it (yet), but my Hubby says it's great.
ReplyDeleteI've read the first 5 or 6 books in the series, maybe I should consider reading the others as well :)
DeleteHave you read Maria V Snyder?
ReplyDeleteYES! OMG, SO MUCH LOVE!!
DeleteThe Wheel of Time has 14 books in the series! All about the length of George R. R. Martin's books. It's MUCH larger in scope, but if you read them relatively close together you shouldn't have a problem remembering what you need to. I really liked the series, I'm not sure If I like it more than A Song of Ice and Fire, but it's still really good. It is much more fantasy too than ASOIAF. Kind of like an Adult Harry Potter if I had to compare it to something :D If this sounds like your thing you should give it a try! (and then we can talk about it!!)
ReplyDeleteNicole @ The Quiet Concert
I've tried reading the first book in the WoT series, but it never really grabbed me, maybe I should try again ;)
DeleteWord and the Void trilogy or The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. The Dragon King Trilogy by Stephan Lawhead. Chalion trilogy by Lois McMaster Bujold. Green Rider series by Kristen Britain. The Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! :D
DeleteWord and the Void trilogy or Sword of Shannara series by Terry Brooks. The Chalion trilogy by Lois McMaster Bujold. The Dragon King Trilogy or the King Raven trilogy by Stephen Lawhead. The Green Rider series by Kirsten Britain. She is also an author that takes awhile between books. The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix.
ReplyDeleteThe Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist!!! It is EPIC!
ReplyDeleteI've read some of his books, I really liked them!
DeleteOh gosh, that macro! lol D= But I totally hear you, at times I'm totally cool that the 6th book isn't out yet but then after having detailed conversations about the series, I find myself wishing and wondering when TWoW will be released! lol
ReplyDeleteI second the recommendations for Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson and Scott Lynch (all fantastic books & writers) =D
I would also recommend Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy (a little more of a traditional fantasy epic but just as complex and fascinating IMO), Greg Keyes' The Kingdom of Thorn and Bone (which sort of flew under the radar; I think the books came out around the time of ASoS/AFoC) and Carol Berg's Lighthouse duology (if you're looking for something shorter).
Haha ;) Oh lord, I don't know how I will deal after I finish ADWD!
DeleteAnd thanks for recs! I had some on my TBR list on Goodreads but totally forgot about them! The series all sound really good!
I don't know if you've ever checked out Tamora Pierce?? She has I think 4 or 5 separate series set in the same world, with recurring characters and overlapping plot lines. The series starts with The Song of the Lioness Quartet, but you can read them in any order, really, it will just be like reading prequels. The Immortals might be my favorite, though. Either way, her books could definitely entertain you for a while! They're YA, though the characters grow and age throughout their series. Lots of action and romance and strong female characters (that's kinda her thing!), plus great world building.
ReplyDeleteI totally second Tamora Pierce, on all of those counts
DeleteI did read her Song of the Lioness Quarted and LOVED IT! I don't know why it's taken me so long to pick up another of her series, but I definitely will!
DeleteMe, too! I'll be paying close attention to the recs here. I'm in the same boat! Have you read the Song of Ice and Fire novellas yet? There are three so far (in three different anthologies): The Hedge Knight (in Dreamsongs v II), The Sworn Sword (in Legends II anthology ed by Robert Silverberg) and The Mystery Knight (in the Warriors anthology ed by GRRM and Gardner Dozois).
ReplyDeleteI haven't yet! I'm not much of a novella reader, but if you say they're good I'll give them a try :)
DeleteI second the Kingkiller Chronicles. Although the main character, Kvothe, can be super annoying sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Kvothe and Patrick Rothfuss' writing in general :)
DeleteI haven't read the Moorehawke Trilogy, but second everything else that Allison mentioned. If you want something light(ish) that's complete, I also enjoyed The Codex Alera by Jim Butcher.
ReplyDeleteOoh, nice! Thanks!
DeleteThis isn't Fantasy but it is time travel, The River of Time Series by Lisa T. Bergren. This is one of my favorites of all time maybe even my favorite!
ReplyDeleteI have the first book sitting on my shelf!! :D
DeleteHere are some of GRRM's own recommendations: http://grrm.livejournal.com/316785.html
ReplyDeleteI personally haven't read many of those yet, but I definitely will be trying them out, considering GRRM recommends them.
I saw that a while ago, but lost the link, thanks!
DeleteHere are some of GRRM's own recommendations: http://grrm.livejournal.com/316785.html
ReplyDeleteI endorse both The Gentleman Bastards and The Kingkiller Chronicles! Those would have been my recommendations as well and they are great for people who aren't necessarily fantasy fans.
ReplyDeleteSO much love for the Kingkiller Chronicles and I'll definitely check out The Gentleman Bastards!
DeleteI am an avid fan of Game of Thrones on HBO but stayed confused on everything that was happening. One of my instructors (I'm an Administrative Assistant at our local college) insisted I read the books. So excited! The 4-box book set was delivered Saturday. I could have kissed the FedEx delivery man...lol. Only have a few chapters to finish in a book I've been reading and then I'll start the series.
ReplyDeleteOoh, YES! START THEM! You won't regret it!!
DeleteCheck out The Eye of The World by Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson, anything by Ian C. Esslemont, Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles, Mercedes Lackey or Robin Hobb! All of them are amazing fantasy series that will keep you occupied for a really long time as they are HUGE!
ReplyDeleteI like huge books :)
DeleteMy favourite epic fantasy series is Crown of Stars by Kate Elliott:
ReplyDelete1. King's Dragon
2. Prince of Dogs
3. The Burning Stone
4. Child of Flame
5. The Gathering Storm
6. In the Ruins
7. Crown of Stars
One of the best I've ever read - and even better, it's complete!!
And I second Allison's recommendation of Patrick Rothfuss' series - I've still only read the first book, The Name of the Wind, but it was AMAZING, I absolutely loved it.
I loved the Name of the Wind as well!! The sequel was SO GOOD!
DeleteAnd I like the sound of a series that's complete :D
If you're looking for YA, Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes has been likened to Game of Thrones, though right now there is only one book out. It's a really good novel though!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you rec-ed this!! It's been sitting on my shelf for a while now :)
DeleteIt is a sad feeling when you finish Dance with Dragons, isn't it? Can't wait for the next one...
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be trying Mistborn as I've heard so many good things about it. Robert Jordan's wheel of to,e series is very good, too. I must reread them as I only got up to book 8 last time.
I'm so dreading reading it..
DeleteMistborn sounds like my kind of series as well :)
I second;
ReplyDeleteThe Rift War saga by Raymond E Feist - completely awesome!
The Gentleman Bastard series, by Scott Lynch,
The Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix,
The Belgariad and the Malloreon series by David Eddings.
Those should keep you busy for a little while ;)
:) I really liked The Belgariad! The others will definitely keep me busy for a while!!
DeleteI've been worrying since A Clash of Kings!
ReplyDeleteHahaha ;)
DeleteMy all time favorite epic fantasy series is The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and later Brandon Sanderson I've worn through a couple of copies of the first few books rereading them continuously over time while waiting for that next book to come out. Book 1: Eye of the World I can't recommend them enough! :)
ReplyDeleteSheri @ Tangled Up In Books
I really need to give this series another chance! The first time around didn't work so well for me, but maybe it'll be better now? One of my friends has been yelling at me for not really liking the first book...
DeleteI second the Lighthouse duet by Carol Berg...it's really great read! I also love the Eli Monpress series by Rachel Aaron, which is a bit more light-hearted (I'm guessing; I haven't actually read George R.R. Martin's stuff yet, although I keep meaning to!) but still really good! There's a charming thief-hero, a girl who's part demon, some political intriguing, and a really unique fantasy world.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I think basically anything will be more lighthearted than Martin's series ;)
DeleteAnd a charming thief-hero sounds REALLY good!
So glad you asked this question! I haven't read any of GRRM yet but I love reading all these awesome suggestions! Now I've got a whole lot to add to my TBR list!!
ReplyDeleteAren't all these recs awesome?? :)
DeleteWow, these comments make me so happy! To see Lynch, Rothfuss, and Sanderson so frequently recommended makes me feel warm and fuzzy. (Can I also add that the first two book of the Chalion series by Bujold are exceptional?)
ReplyDeleteIn terms of YA fantasy, Tamora Pierce and Garth Nix are perfect recommendations, too!
All the important bases covered. Very nice, commentators.
Me too!! :D
DeleteWe have the most amazing commenters here :)
EON and EONA by Goodman are good. They're thick, epic high fantasy novels about dragons. MC is a girl posing as a boy in a world where girls are not believed to be able to connect with dragons. I really enjoyed them. Only a duology, but it may work!
ReplyDeleteOoh, YAY! I actually already own those, I'll have to pick them up soon!
DeleteThese are both YA choices and they aren't really high fantasy but I loved them both. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo and Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder. :)
ReplyDeleteYES! SO MUCH LOVE FOR THOSE BOOKS!!! :D
DeleteI only have one recommendation to add: The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay. It's an older series (3 books), first released in 1984-1986 (reprinted in 2001) and seems to be out of print (both Amazon and BN.com have used copies, but no new ones.). I haven't seen it available in ebook anywhere either. I picked this up at a yard sale (in Nebraska, roughly halfway across the country from where I live/d) in the early or mid 1990s. I've read it over and over and over again. If I hadn't misplaced my books, I would probably still read it about once a year. ^_^
ReplyDeleteWow, I haven't read a single one from your list!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe no one has mentioned the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey! She took the history of our world and twisted it slightly. Instead of Christianity, most of Europe still follows their old tribal religions. But France is known as Terre d'Ange, because Blessed Elua (formed from some of Jesus' blood and the earth) and his angels found a home there. The worldbuilding is awesome--I'm slowly making my way through all 9 books.
ReplyDeleteI SECOND THIS.
DeleteI haven't read this author myself, but my husband also loves George (as I semi-fondly refer to him) and Patrick Rotfhfuss and has recently begun singing the praises of Guy Gavriel Kay. He finds him to be the perfect balance between these other two great authors, and not as prone to spinning out extremely long sagas with hordes of characters. On his behalf, I'd recommend Tignana and the Lions of Al-Rassan as excellent stand-alone introductions to his work.
ReplyDelete