Book Recommendation for Sanderson Fan

[DarkJester]

Nailed it! Thank you!

[DSC01]

On 12/1/2016 at 1:57 AM, DSC01 said:

No, but I keep seeing ads for it. Orbit really wants me to buy that book. Do I really want to get snookered into getting myself caught up in yet another unfinished series? ...Probably. I bet I'll get an Amazon gift card or two for Christmas, so...

Yes, I am quoting myself. I just finished this book last night. I thought it was definitely pretty good. All the comparisons to Jordan and Sanderson are probably a little overblown--it's not that good--but it is a very good page-turner of a book. I mean, I finished it in two days, so it can't be too bad, right? For maybe the first half, I wasn't so sure, but it really gets interesting as time goes on. I saw some of the big plot twists coming, myself, but that wasn't necessarily bad. Things were set up so that if they had turned out differently, I wouldn't be surprised. 

[C1-10P (Chopper)]

A lot of the books here are dear to my heart and I agree wholheartedly.  I am an older gentleman these days and remember an excellent series and author from my days of yore that I don't hear here often enough.  That Author is Roger Zelazny and the book series is the Chronicles of Amber.  The story of the Kingdom of Amber and the Courts of Chaos and the Pattern are masterfully done.  Corwin FTW!

[A Secret Corner]

Hmm...All of Asimov's works are pretty interesting... If you were to read his, he has a little adult content in his books, but his Foundation/ Empire/ and whatever you call the stuff here universe has some rather interesting things going on. I would warn all that as he was a writer in 1940-s through the 80's. His prose is of an older style, and a bit difficult at first.

Orson Scott Card also has a lot of interesting science fiction and fantasy. (if you haven't read in all of his Ender's Game universe. It is extensive and is also very interesting. My recommendation would be to start with Ender's Game, then Ender's Shadow, then the Earth (x) series (about the first formic war), and Swarms. After that, you can read just about whatever, either continue with Ender, or read the Shadows series.)

[Yezrien]

The Belgariad (and other series) by David Eddings. It's not brilliant or original, but it's fun, easy reading. The first few books are pretty short (by epic fantasy standards), so you can give it a try without making a huge commitment. 

Dune by Frank Herbert. Basically the exact opposite. Widely recognized as the greatest sci-fi novel ever written. It's also, I believe, the greatest epic fantasy novel ever written. Epic worldbuilding. A great, perfectly-integrated magic system. Intrigue. Action. Romance. Betrayal. Swords and lasers and giant worms! This book has it all. (And even though it's technically part of a series, Dune stands alone. The sequels are optional.) 

I believe both of these have Brandon's seal of approval. Especially Dune.

[Flynn]

I second the Belgariad (and the Mallorean) by David Eddings. They have witty dialogue and are generally very good. As a bonus, I'm pretty sure Brandon has said his writing is partially inspired by David Eddings due to the witty banter and magic system that had something of a rule system. 

I like Old Man's War by John Scalzi (disclaimer: this is sci-fi, not fantasy (Other disclaimer: Scalzi is Brandon's nemesis, so read at own risk))

Neil Gaiman is cool. Especially American Gods. 

[Watchcry]

On 11/12/2016 at 6:19 PM, Radiant Returned said:

 

Anthony Ryan - First book was supposed to be Rothfuss/Abercrombie combined, just turned out being bad writing around a good story idea. Didn't buy the rest of them because Book 1 was apparently the best. 

Powder Mages Trilogy - it's actually not terrible, I will probably buy the sequels at some point, I just read book 1. I read it fresh off discovering Sanderson though and was massively disappointed. Combines magic and traditional fantasy with gunpowder muskets. 

The first Anthony Ryan book was AMAZING, but I heard the last two were horrible.

I also didn't mind the Powder Mage series, either.  It was entertaining and easy to read through but by far it didn't explain things too much in depth as does Brandon.

[jondoe]

Brian Stavely's Unhewn Throne Trilogy

Michael J Sullivan Ryria Revelations

Both are finished and great reads

[Draginon]

Here's ones I would recommend based off what I've read:

Dorothy Must Die: If you like dystopian like Mistborn along with YA (beware for the cussing is strong!) along with seeing a familiar world in a different light then this is for you. It's currently four books and three prequel collections.

Alexa Codex: I've only read the first book but it was so good! Romans, elements and great writing make this a great series (also it's by Jim Butcher so worth a look if you like Dresden)

Lunar Chronicles: A great fairy tales in the future story that takes Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Snow White and fits them all together into a story about a Moon queen trying to take over the earth. Also Cinderella is Chinese, Red is French, Rapunzel is a Lunar and Snow White is a black Lunar.

[Draginon]

1 hour ago, FiveLate said:

It is actually called the Codex Alera.

I always mix up the title for some reason. I don't know why since that was an awesome first book.

[Rasarr]

On 27.07.2017 at 3:06 PM, Draginon said:

Alexa Codex: I've only read the first book but it was so good! Romans, elements and great writing make this a great series (also it's by Jim Butcher so worth a look if you like Dresden)

Seconded, Codex Alera is great. The third book is the best one, IMO, though I guess that depends on your preferences, as each one is every so slightly different in just what subgenre it fits into. 

[Martin4os]

i would like to make a slighly more complex post, whit particular ratings about the plot/story, character, magic system and the language for the authors i have read so far (only the epic fantasy books are taken into consideration). Since its epic fantasy it is assumed all have decent or better than that, worldbuilding

Sanderson (there can be seen a lot of improvement on the box/language since he took the wheel of time project)

1. Plot 5*
2. magic sistem 5+* (ultimate best)
3. characters 4*
4. the box/language 4,5*

Joe Abercrombie

1. Plot 4*
2. magic sistem 1,5*
3. characters 5+* (the best from these here)
4. the box/language 5*

George RR Martin

1. Plot 5*
2. magic sistem 1*
3. characters 5*
4. the box/language 5*

Patrick Rothfuss

1. Plot 3,5*
2. magic sistem 5*
3. characters 3*
4. the box/language 5+*

Jim Butcher (here i took an the Urban Fantasy, Dresden files into account along with Codex Alera)

1. Plot 4*
2. magic sistem 3,5*
3. characters 3,5* (but fun)
4. the box/language 4*

 

All others, in my opinion, (barring those that i havent read yet), are a bit inferior. Sometimes a lot inferior

Steven Erickson is great at plot and characters but to tough to follow for the common reader (Malazan is trully an Epic)

Peter V Brett's Demon Cycle starts strong, lose a lot along the way, recovers somewhat, and we'll see how it will end in October

Brent Weeks with Lightbringer, his better series, can be seen as a Sanderson lite. Night angel hovewer, even if it has great ideas, it is badly written, espesially the first book

Mark Lawrence can be seen as a combination of Abercrombie and Butcher, just not that good

Anthony Ryan, Brian McClellan and Brian Staveley are honorable mentiones, and good enough to read

Michael J Sulliven started good enough to float above the water, and improved dramatically along the way, to warrant a place in the company of the previous three

Larry Correia had a solid start with the Son of the black sword (a better book than many of those from the previously mentioned authors)

All these mentioned, in my opinion, are worth spending your money and time reading

I started and stoped with Lies of Lock Lamora and wasn't very thrilled. Since Scott Lynch is a slow writter, i will wait for him to complete the series, so i can try again

I also started and stopped with Assassins Apprentice from Robin Hobb, but the writing style was jarring for me. Will try again in the future

 

 

[Draginon]

2 hours ago, Rasarr said:

Seconded, Codex Alera is great. The third book is the best one, IMO, though I guess that depends on your preferences, as each one is every so slightly different in just what subgenre it fits into. 

And I used it to see if I liked Butcher's style to see if I wanted to try Dresden. I know I will now  Hoping to get the other 5 books in the future along with Dresden and Aeronauts Windlass.

[Draginon]

Oh, one I would recommend if you want fantasy but not anything epic would be Mystic by Jason Denzel. It's a somewhat simple story about 4 young people training to become magic users, Pom being the only commoner since only nobility gets picked, with only one being picked. The ending will surprise you on who wins in the end.

[Stormrunner1730]

1. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin- If you don't mind the graphic nature of the writing, Martin is a genius.  Just know that books 4 and 5 (Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons) get pretty long winded.

2. Dresden Files by Jim Butcher- The best Urban fantasy series in my opinion.

3.  The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman- A standalone and probably his shortest book.  I like this because I think he gets too long winded with American Gods and Anansi Boys.  But the language and story of this book are awesome. 

[phoenix2563]

On 12/28/2016 at 0:22 PM, C1-10P (Chopper) said:

A lot of the books here are dear to my heart and I agree wholheartedly.  I am an older gentleman these days and remember an excellent series and author from my days of yore that I don't hear here often enough.  That Author is Roger Zelazny and the book series is the Chronicles of Amber.  The story of the Kingdom of Amber and the Courts of Chaos and the Pattern are masterfully done.  Corwin FTW!

I'll second the Amber series.  Very well written and he manages to juggle many difficult concepts (parallel worlds, time dilation, etc) nicely.  Don't see it recommended enough.  One of my favorite series of all time next to Sanderson.

I have also read and enjoyed (of which many have commented on) the works of Tolkien, the Wheel of Time ( which is how I discovered Sanderson), most of Eddings' works (Belgariad/Mallorean and others), LE Modesitt Jr (Imager portfolio, first 2 books of Recluse), Harry Potter, the Ender Quintett by Card, Rothfuss (though the wait is frustrating), some Tad Williams (though he can be hit or miss), some Lawhead, the Deathgate cycle by Weis/Hickman and the first book of Powder Mage trilogy by McLellan (which I plan to finish at some point later).

So I am wanting something to read and after reading up on all the fantasy authors out there, I am conflicted in who I should read first between the following:

Earth Sea Trilogy/Le Guin

Lightbringer series/Weeks

Demon Cycle/Brett

Disc World/Pratchett

Dragon riders of Pern/McCaffrey

Traveler's Gate Trilogy/Wight

Dragon Prince trilogy/Rawn

Dagger and Coin / Abraham

Craft Sequence/Gladstone

Old Kingdom/Nix

Codex Alera/Butcher

The Wars of Light and Shadow/Wurts

Farseer trilogy/Hobb

Gentlemen Bastard Sequence/Lynch

Pendragon cycle/Lawhead

Note that I don't want anything too dark/gritty (aka GRRM.  Had to drop the first book 1/3 of the way through).

Thoughts?

[StrikerEZ]

@phoenix2563 OLD KINGDOM!!!!

I know I'm late, but you need to read the Old Kingdom series. It's one of my favorites and it's absolutely amazing. And don't worry, it's not very dark at all. It's been awhile since I've read it, but I don't remember anything too dark.

Also, how much do people recommend me to read Powder Mage? I have it on my list, but I have no time for it.

[Farnsworth]

Powder mage is great, but not really on my top 10 list. On my top 100 for sure though.

[btcannon]

Brandon himself has posted a great "suggested reading" list that you can find here: http://faq.brandonsanderson.com/node/240

I personally recommend A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin; and anything by Orson Scott Card.

Also, the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix (also recommended by Brandon).

Edited September 18, 2017 by btcannon

[Ammanas]

Powder Mage series by Brian McClellan  (I personally was not a huge fan, but lots of Sanderson fans like him)

The Shadow Campaign series by Wexler (also very similar to Sanderson and a much better "flintlock fantasy" than the previous series I mentioned in my opinion)

Edited September 18, 2017 by Ammanas

[Shadowmancer]

On 12/12/2016 at 11:19 PM, Ironeyes said:

Willing to second this. I've read the whole thing and my only complaint is that I lost track of some of the characters due to the incredible complexity of the series. Oh, and book 9 drags. I didn't like it until the end. 

These may be a bit light compared to Cosmere books, but the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud is highly entertaining. It's an engaging story with an overly generous helping of humor. I'd read it just for the hilarious subtext notes. 

Yes to both of these. If you enjoy Sanderson, you'll likely enjoy Stroud. And Neil Gaiman is pretty entertaining, too. I honestly agree with your opinion on Warbreaker, I felt it had several fundamental flaws, but still well-written.

[SilverTiger]

This is an author who has written a lot of books, Mercedes Lackey. A lot of high fantasy, her Heralds of Valdemar series is the biggest and most famous. It is actually a lot of smaller series, all set in one world, mostly centered around around the kingdom of Valdemar. I liked the Exile's Honor/Exile's Valor duet and the Herald-Spy series the best of those, but By The Sword is good if you like woman-warriors, while Brightly Burning [standalone] and the Last Herald-Mage [trilogy] are really good, if tragic. It has a very good world-building and magic system, and the characters are very... different. Other series of her's (in other worlds) are the Bedlam's Bard books (urban fantasy), The Doubled Edge (historical fantasy, really good), and the Obsidian Mountain trilogy, which starts with The Outstretched Shadow. That last one is really good. It starts out classic elves, humans, and others against demonic hordes, but winds up very different. The male Knight-Mage is magically bound to a unicorn (and all that implies), the Elven Knight is in love with the female Wild-Mage healer, who is very independent and stubborn, and one of the pillars of human society, the Golden City, thinks elves are almost as bad as demons. And the demons may or may not be getting divine assistance very soon (they also like to torture people). Plus a few other twists. Try it.

I second the Dragonriders of Pern books, those are classic. Also, Decision at Doona, same author.

[Kairos]

Late to the party, but here are my recs: 

 

Tolkien: as others have already said, the foundation of fantasy. I've read LotR, the Hobbit, and the Silmarillion yearly for ages, and it never gets old. 

 

Megan Whalen Turner- the Thief. This series doesn't get much hype, but it's one of my absolute favourites. The worldbuilding is insane, the characters are amazing, and the writing.... while I really enjoy Sanderson's writing, Turner beats him here. Her craft... it's astounding. 

The story is pretty simple, similar to Emperor's Soul, a thief is recruited from prison to do the impossible. The first half of the book is pretty slow, lots of travelling and talking. But it's a short book, and when you hit the end, it's time for a reread. 

The series as a whole expands from there, gaining larger and larger perspective, and interweaving religion, politics, and characters. Go read it, you won't regret it. Note: it is either classified as children's or young adult, but I don't think that label really matters. 

 

 

 

[Slothspren]

I guess no one here has read Temeraire series by Naomi Novik? I had almost given up on reading and this series re-introduced me into reading fantasy. It is an alternate history series set around Napoleonic Wars era with DRAGONS. Every 2nd book has some travelling which shows the cultural differences around the world and how Dragons fit into society, like how in some cultures they are treated like caged animals and slaves while in some they are revered. There is no magic but different species/races of dragons have different abilities so I guess that kinda counts as magic?  

Edited October 7, 2017 by Slothspren

[jarc290]

Ryria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan.

This series was my first taste of fantasy books and i've never looked back.

 

 

Edited December 18, 2017 by jarc290