Authors like Brandon

[Bort he/him]

I'd like to add my name to those suggesting China Meiville, Orsson Scott Card, and Terry Pratchett.

 

For my own suggestions, try the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb, or the Temeraire books by Naomi Novik.

[CarolaDavar she/her]

Shannon Hale and Cristopher Poalini

Edit: and Erin Hunter

Edited January 18, 2016 by CarolaDavar

[ChickenPlague he/him]

Try out Joe Aberombie's 1st law. It might not be for you, but I loved the book and wanted to punch the characters. Great book!

[KaIadin he/him]

Emily Rodda was probably my first fantasy author, but you may find some of the books for younger readers. I recommend the Three Doors series by her. Also axcellence, you missed "The Seventh Tower", "To Hold the Bridge" (the story not the compilation) and "The Ragwitch" are all great books by Garth Nix as well. Also Keys to the Kingdom is where I got my name. (Sir Thursday)

Edited January 18, 2016 by ClockWork PoleAxe

[Oversleep]

Well, with the Asimov on the list you should also try Philip K. Dick. I have read only Blade Runner as of now, but it was good.

And I haven't seen anyone recommend Ursula Le Guin - Wizard of the Earthsea is mandatory. It's one of the fundaments of the fantasy along with The Lord of the Rings. So expect the style to be closer to Tolkien than to contemporary authors like Brandon, but nevertheless it's good.

[Kynedath]

My favorites have already been mentioned, but I do recommend David Dalglish. He wrote the Shadowdance series. Nice anti-hero story. Non-magic user protagonist is always refreshing.

[DSC01 he/him]

I can't think of anyone that I would really compare to Sanderson that isn't already on the list, but I notice that there is one ridiculously good fantasy author who hasn't made it there yet--R. Scott Bakker.

 

So far, Bakker only has 5 epic fantasy books out (the sixth has been delayed forever because the manuscript was too long for his publisher, but it's finally coming out this year--the first half, anyway, as it was at last split into two volumes), but they are really good. The Second Apocalypse is the name of the overall series, which was going to be three trilogies, a plan that isn't going to work now that the second is going to be a quartet.

 

Anyway, the first trilogy, The Prince of Nothing, is complete. The second series, The Aspect Emperor, has two volumes that are currently out (The Judging Eye and The White-Luck Warrior). The third volume was going to be The Unholy Consult, but that is now going to be the title of the 4th book, and the third with be The Great Ordeal, with a probable release date in July.

 

Now, it's pretty dark stuff. I generally get tired of bleak grimdark books, but somehow, this series has a quality to it that makes you want to keep reading and invest in the characters. The thing is, the characters aren't necessarily all that likable. They're morally grey, sometimes (or often) do terrible things, but while that usually makes me despise a character and not want to read the book anymore, it works really well here. I dunno. Just read it. Unless you can't handle violence and sex and stuff.

[pfranklin51]

I'm shocked that no one has recommended David Eddings. I haven't read all of his books (specifically any of his books from the 2000s), but I would suggest his 2 5-book fantasy epics: The Belgariad and The Mallorean. The trilogies The Elenium and The Tamuli are also high quality. 

[+Wax he/him]

I'm shocked that no one has recommended David Eddings. I haven't read all of his books (specifically any of his books from the 2000s), but I would suggest his 2 5-book fantasy epics: The Belgariad and The Mallorean. The trilogies The Elenium and The Tamuli are also high quality.

Eddings is cliche and fantasy by the numbers writer.

Also, restate my earlier post about avoiding orson scott card other than for Ender's game. He recently ruined his new gate thief series. Apparently, 14 year olds want to impregate themselves just because the protagonist has some time travel powers. :thumbsd:

Edited January 19, 2016 by axcellence

[DSC01 he/him]

I don't know if Eddings was quite so fantasy-by-numbers when Pawn of Prophecy came out 34 years ago. Of course, I mostly read newer fantasy, so maybe it was totally stereotypical. The Belgariad on tons of best fantasy lists, so when I read it, I assumed that it just seemed unoriginal because it influenced stuff I had read before. I honestly don't know.

 

I definitely agree with The Gate Thief not being good. I didn't read the latest book, but the second one just wasn't particularly interesting. 

[+Wax he/him]

I will definitely check it out! Always looking for a good read.

Thanks, btw. I did finish Lies of locke lamora as I promised. Thankfully, it did have some redeeming features. Still, it wasn't enough to interest me to try the next volume if there was any.

Have you had a chance at trying Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (as per my original post).

Edited January 20, 2016 by axcellence

[DSC01 he/him]

An author that's not very big but a personal friend of mine is David Walton. He's a recipient of the 2008 Philip K. Dick Award for his first novel, Terminal Mind. His latest book, SUPERPOSITION, is a quantum physics thriller with the same mind-bending feel as films like Inception and Minority Report. He is also the author of Quintessence, a science fantasy in which the Earth is really flat.

 

If any of you have read his books, let me know.

 

Oh, that's cool. I checked Quintessence out from the library a year or two ago, but I never got around to reading it and just ended up returning it. Just a few weeks ago, my girlfriend bought the book. I suppose I'll have to get around to reading it one of these days.

[The Invested Beard]

Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman's Death Gate Cycle. One of my all time favorites.

[Oversleep]

If you have this translated or you can read in English...

Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski. You probably have heard of the game, but game is set after the finale of the books and its kind of alternate continuity.

I can't recommend it enough. Really, I can't.

P.S. you should probably start not with the "Blood of the elves" but with one of the short stories collection, since they were the first chronologically and lay some fundations for the saga. But of course you can start with the "Blood of the elves", you will catch on pretty quick.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Oversleep

[lizbusby she/her]

Agree with the recommendation of Lois McMaster Bujold. Her fantasy series as mentioned above is great (three books now), but where she really shines is her Miles Vorkosigan series. Space pirates, mysteries, and a lot of interesting questions about cloning and other reproductive technologies. The sense of humor in them reminds me of Warbreaker.

As to the Orson Scott Card controversy, yes his latest two series are poorly done and basically philosophical dialogues in the mouths of some nominal plot. Remember, he had a stroke recently and is getting on in years. However, a lot of his back catalog is worth a look. The Ender series and early Shadow series are good. I recommend the Worthing Saga (which is just one book) as similar to Brandon for its exploration of religious questions in a scifi fantasy way. It's a bit Dune-ish. Tales of Alvin Maker is pretty unique, being an American folk fantasy. I just don't see much like it. And Enchantment is serious fun as well.

[pfranklin51]

I don't know if Eddings was quite so fantasy-by-numbers when Pawn of Prophecy came out 34 years ago. Of course, I mostly read newer fantasy, so maybe it was totally stereotypical. The Belgariad on tons of best fantasy lists, so when I read it, I assumed that it just seemed unoriginal because it influenced stuff I had read before. I honestly don't know.

This is exactly right. I read them for the first time 15-ish years ago. At that point in time, they were solid works. I wouldn't say they were world-alteringly original, but nowhere near the trite mass produced novels of some of his contemporaries (*cough* Piers Anthony)

[jondoe]

How about Anthony Ryan? I really enjoyed Blood Song

[Sunbird she/her]

I know Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Codex Alera have already been recommended, but I would also like to add that his newest novel, The Aeronaut's Windlass, is absolutely phenomenal--better than any of the Dresden Files, I would even say.

 

I mean, just look at how beautiful the prose is:

 

"The rapid winds and rising shrieks suddenly blended into a single harmonious tone. Lines in the rigging and the yards and the masts themselves quivered in time, and began giving off their own notes of music, in harmony with one another. As the speed increased, the chord rose and rose, and built and built, until it reached a crescendo of pure, eerie, inhuman fury.

Grimm felt the music rise around him, felt the ship straining eagerly to her task, and his own heart raced in fierce exultation in time with her. Every line of the ship, every smudge upon her decks, every stain upon the leathers of his aeronauts leapt into his mind in vibrant detail. He could feel the ship's motion, forward and down, could feel the wind of her passage, could feel the rising terror of his crew. One of the men screamed--one of them always did--and then the entire crew joined in with Predator, shrieking their battle cries together with their ship's. The ship would not fail them--Grimm knew it; he felt it, the way he could feel sunlight on his face or the rake of wind in his hair."

 

My full review of the book can be found here.

[Guest]

How about Anthony Ryan? I really enjoyed Blood Song

 

Blood Song is a very good book and a rather enthralling read. It tackled with the theme of gruesome training and brotherhood. Sadly, the subsequent sequels didn't quite lived up to the expectations.

 

Tower Lord was just boring, even the main protagonist became boring. I haven't bothered with Queen of Fire and I likely won't. The author managed to removed what worked in the first book and replace it with plot lines which weren't bad, but didn't work out in the story he tried to tell.

 

However, Blood Song reads well as a standalone and apparently Ryan's new series is actually worth a read.

[Bugsy he/him]

I would highly recommend Pierce Brown's Red Rising series. It, along with the 1st Mistborn trilogy, make up my 2 favorite series

[DSC01 he/him]

Anyone read The Moontide Quartet by David Hair? The magic isn't nearly so meticulously planned out as anything in the Cosmere. It's most reminiscent of generic D&D-type systems. Honestly, there's nothing all that innovative about anything in the series. It's just well-crafted and interesting. I think it's a rare example of something that is deeply rooted in elements that have been done before in the genre but doesn't feel derivative. It's like a good pop song: there's no experimentation or anything new presented. It's just enjoyable. 

[jondoe]

Couple more...john gwynne, joe abercrombie and mark lawrence. Abercrombie and Lawrence are more GRRM than Brandon though

[IndigoAjah he/him]

For the questions about godhood and other similarities as well as a fantasy-sci-Fi blend, I thoroughly recommend Roger Zelazny's Lord of LIght. Masterpiece.

 

 

I also second many of the authors above, and would like to recommend, though quite different to Sanderson, as I do to everyone, that you try Neil Gaiman (maybe start with Anansi Boys, but eventually the end-game is the Sandman)