Book recommendations: Fantasy

[Temet nosce]

I found my favorite color in the Kushiel books...The same author also wrote the Sundering duology composed of Banewreaker and Godslayer. (It's not erotic but it deals with serious philosophical issues in interesting ways...It's still for a more mature audience though.)

[Mistress Guendolen]

I haven't read those yet. I need to do that at some point, given how much I loved Carey's writing style. Am I right in assuming that your favorite color is sangoire, the shade of Phedre's infamous cloak?

[Temet nosce]

Mmm...Indeed. Though I thought it was spelled sanguire... "The color of blood at midnight." great description...I can't wait to see what she comes up with in her next book.

[Mistress Guendolen]

The spellings are kind of tricky. We'll find out in due course, though, won't we? As I said before, her most recent one got a VERY laudatory review in a magazine not too long ago. I'm asking for it for my birthday.

[Temet nosce]

Well hopefully most book stores are carrying it by now...I'm visiting my favorite Barnes and Nobles store in a few days... (I'll probably need to make several trips between the store and my car...I'm bringing a few hundred dollars to spend.)

[Alissa of Someday]

Well, for humorous fanatsy, I'd reccomend Teryy Pratchett's Discworld Series.

It's wonderful, but a bit hard to describe very well...(for me, at least)

[Kuda]

For a bit of dark fantasy, I'd suggest Low Red Moon and Daughter of Hounds, both by Caitlin R. Kiernan. I've yet to read the latter, though the former was a really good read in my opinion.

I'd also suggest American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

[xeno]

I don't read many books(meaning not manga, and even with manga, its rare), but when I do read a book its usually either Sherlock Holmes, or another detective story...
and I advise Sherlock, particularly I would say the NON-edited version of A Study In Scarlet...

[Mistress Guendolen]

I have to admit to having a marked partiality for The Hound of the Baskervilles. Didn't even realize there were edited versions of the books.... I mean, there's not exactly anything one would feel would be truly bothersome, is there?

[Tala]

Dreaden files. magic, murder, and vampires/werewolves.

[Mistress Guendolen]

I've been hearing good things about those. In this vein, I would also recommend Kelley Armstrong's "Women of the Otherworld" series; the books come in the following order: Bitten, Stolen, Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic, Haunted, and Broken. I've read the first three (and can't find four in any bookstore, which is why I haven't progressed further). But it's contemporary urban fantasy exploring the notion that supernatural "races"- werewolves, vampires, witches, sorcerer, part-demons, etc.- dwell in the modern world, concealing their true natures under a surface. The first one deals with Elena, the only female werewolf (you'll find otu why quickly in-book). Two expands the cast to a variety of other characters, and three starts dealing with the witch and sorcerer sides of things. Excellent, thus far.

[xeno]

maybe some stores can order it for you, they did for me and the Ghost in the shell books...

[Queen Octavia]

I've read Wheel of Time. Meh.

I've read Sword of Truth. Meh.

I read LotR ages ago. Meh.

I read A Song of Ice and Fire. Meh.

I've read fantasy. Meh.

Then I read "Gardens of the Moon" by Steven Erikson, first of the books which are "A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen" (Planned series of 10, I have read 5, 6 or 7 are already out).

Oh. My. God.

I didn't even think I had a God. But now I do, and His Name is Steven Erikson.

The books are amazing. As someone who reads much, much more than he should I have difficulty explaining how good these books are in my opinion. I thought the Hitchhiker's Guide was the funniest book possible. I thought Dune's setting and plot were the most intricate possible. I thought lengthy series such as Wheel of Time were doomed to become dull.

All of these ideas were shattered. I recommend the books to anyone over the age of twelve who is literate.

[Metroidvania]

Ditto on the Sundering duology, and Ditto times 10 on the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.

The man....can write.

The dry humor, the political drama that's not overbearing, the mentions to past details not actually in the books which are explained enough to make me go "ahhhhh" when I read about them later on....

And on that note, check out his Codex Alera series as well, they're a bit rougher around the edges than the Dresden files, but I found them to be keepers.

Kelley Armstrong is good as well, though I've been limited to just Dime Store magic and Industrial Magic.

Eragon and Eldest are good the first time through, but one, or at least I, can tell they were written by a 17-19 year old. I'll probably buy the third, like the 7th harry potter book, but won't read it more than once or twice.

But I shall have to check in on some of the other books mentioned here, this is a nice feature to have.

[Mistress Guendolen]

Make sure you read Bitten and Stolen. The latter is where Paige, narrator to the two you've read, is introduced. Elena narrates the first two. You find out a lot of good stuff in there.