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Aw man, I just started a comment saying how this sounds really promising and was going to ask about it. Turns out I have actually read them. I might have to rea

Aw man, I just started a comment saying how this sounds really promising and was going to ask about it. Turns out I have actually read them. I might have to read them all again. I would recommend them as well. I'm a big fan of the Malazan series as well. I still think of the hair jacket when I come across someone with a smelly jacket and it never fails to crack me up. My recommendation for epic fantasy that is a bit different and unexpected: The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Some very powerful stories in there. The first book is pretty short so it is a good way to try it out. Though I think it hooks from the very start.

elyobo 5y ago
I need to revisit The Dark Tower, I last read it when it was incomplete and have never read it through. Very different to his more famous works. Thanks for the reminder.
- climb_stealth 5y ago
  Depending on where you stopped, I feel like it is gets a little bit odd in the middle but it is very much worth reading to the end. There's also The Wind Through the Keyhole which slots inbetween the main books. Learning about this one is that made me read the whole series again only a few weeks ago. It's still as good as it ever was!
  - Andrew_nenakhov 5y ago
    Not worth reading to the end at all. King didn't even think of a proper ending, prefacing it with a suggestion to stop reading before it. The series got weaker and weaker after second book.
    - aethertron 5y ago
      The series did deteriorate, but I liked book 4. It's a romance. I recommend it to all young fools, or those who can fondly remember being such.
      - Andrew_nenakhov 5y ago
        Story of young roland is... Too formulaic. Writing romance is definitely not king's forte.
      - climb_stealth 5y ago
        Agreed. I feel like the whole series very much appeals to young teenage me.
Andrew_nenakhov 5y ago
In The Dark Tower, only first two books are good. Third is decent, the rest I've read only because I'm a very stubborn person.
- silexia 5y ago
  Very true! King disliked this series and only finished it because of fan insistence... And the ending is a middle finger to those fans!
  - trey-jones 5y ago
    Personal opinion I guess. I really liked the whole series, including the ending.
hutzlibu 5y ago
"The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Some very powerful stories in there. The first book is pretty short so it is a good way to try it out. Though I think it hooks from the very start. " I wasn't really hooked. I think it was a interesting read, but I got no motivation to read further. Might have been, because I read a note from King before, that he also did no knew yet, how the tower worked. And he just wrote freely to explore it, too. So I expected the story to have even bigger holes in the plot than his ordinary books and trouble to get the story lines together in a consistent way in the end, leaving too many logic errors. But maybe I should give the tower a second try one day.
- climb_stealth 5y ago
  Hmmm, if the beginning wasn't convincing then I somewhat doubt that the rest of the series is going to be a much better experience. And yeah, I don't think the tower mechanics really work out in the end. But it didn't bother me personally. I haven't actually read any other books by him.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - hutzlibu 5y ago
    "I haven't actually read any other books by him. " He's very good at coming up with creative plots and good storytelling - but after a while it all seems generic and kind of the same - and he is not good (or doesn't bother enough as people buy it anyway) to avoid lots of plotholes in the stories and logic gaps. Or rather to bring the story lines together in the end, he seems to use ductape. So I enjoyed his short stories much more, as they were much more consistent, than the big, blown up "masterworks" of him.
- hijp 5y ago
  I read the first book and like you thought it was just interesting, but it was the juxtaposition of book one and two that made me go “i have to finish this”. * not really a spoiler, it happens at the very start of book two [rot13] * ==== va gur frpbaq obbx gur thafyvatre svaqf n qbbe ba n ornpu gung bcraf vagb gur zvaq bs n urebva nqqvpg ba n cynar va gur 70f. vg jnf fb qvssrerag guna nalguvat yrnqvat hc gb vg gung v jnf oybja njnl. Obbx 4 jnf bar bs zl snibevgrf, vg pbzcyrgryl chgf gur znva fgbel gb gur fvqr naq tbrf onpx gb jura gur thafyvatre jnf nebhaq 14 ba bar bs uvf svefg zvffvbaf. gur jbeyq ohvyqvat vf vaperqvoyr. ==== some bits are a drag, some are so cheezy, but you just roll with it and it’s a fun ride with some amazing high points.
spamalot159 5y ago
Brandon Sanderson is my go to recommendation for fantasy nowadays. Mistborn is a great place to start but The Way of Kings is the real meat and potatoes. He also links all these books together in the same universe and it's fun to notice the connections.
- climb_stealth 5y ago
  I haven't heard of these, thanks for the recommendation! According to Wikipedia he hasn't finished writing them yet. Is it worth reading them already or does it feel unfinished? It's not clear from a quick glance, Mistborn and The Way of Kings take place in the same universe?
  - spamalot159 5y ago
    I'd say it's worth it to start now. Sanderson is writing at a blistering pace right now and doesn't seem to be slowing down. Mistborn and Way of Kings are in the same universe but separate worlds. I don't want to spoil too much but there is some crossover involved.
    - climb_stealth 5y ago
      Makes sense, thanks! I appreciate the non-spoiler. These days I don't even read the description on the back of books anymore to try and experience it openly. It just makes it a bit hard to work out where to start sometimes.
  - bhntr3 5y ago
    >Is it worth reading them already or does it feel unfinished? Mistborn is a complete trilogy although he continues to publish other novels set in the same world. Way of Kings is ongoing. It's on book four now. Each book is over a thousand pages so there's a lot there. I don't think it's a problem to start. Books 1-3 are great and stand alone pretty well. It's started to drag with book 4 in my opinion. Like so many other huge epic fantasies, it has too many characters, too many plotlines, too huge of a world, and it's difficult to maintain the epic feel with all that sprawl. I'm worried for book 5. > Mistborn and The Way of Kings take place in the same universe? They take place in the same universe (literally) but they are on different worlds. So they don't have anything (much?) to do with each other (yet?)
oldprogrammer2 5y ago
The Dark Tower is one of my favorites, probably because King doesn't feel constrained by convention or genre. And if you have read King's other works you will appreciate the connections to his universe throughout, particularly The Stand and Salem's Lot. Like others have said, the first 2 books are particularly good. But, be warned that the second book deals with a lot of racial and sexual issues, and King does not have a filter. The fourth book is a prequel, and really stands on its own as a novel, but really threw off the rhythm of the series for me. I had a hard time getting into it because I wanted to resume the primary storyline. The ending does come with a warning, but I think it was perfect.
SamoyedFurFluff 5y ago
If we’re recommending series in general, I recommend the Broken Earth Trilogy be NK Jemisin and The Poppy War series by RF Kuang. These series have a completely different approach to fantasy as a lens of society that I really adore. I’m also a big fan of the Daevabod Series by SA Chakraborty. That is also hella.
murph-almighty 5y ago
I fell off of Dark Tower during the flashback sequence in the 4th book, but up until that point I agree it was a solid and off-putting story.
spyrefused 5y ago
Of the last few years, the author I have enjoyed the most has undoubtedly been Joe Abercrombie, especially "The First Law".
- climb_stealth 5y ago
  Ooo, thanks for the reminder! I very much enjoyed those as well and should dig them out again. Did you read any of his other books? Would you recommend them? I was a bit disappointed with the fourth book set in the The First Law universe. Possibly it was Best Served Cold but I'm not sure. It felt more like a rehash and it was missing whatever made the first books special. And it put me off trying his other books ever since.
fredophile 5y ago
For people who like the character driven nature of Robin Hobb's work I'd recommend the Demon Cycle books by Peter Brett. Across the series you get to see characters from a variety of viewpoints which really fleshes them out as complete people.
- spery 5y ago
  I have such mixed feelings about the Demon cycle. I really like the characters and the first book is excellent. However it starts to be the same pattern for the later books and plot deteriorates rapidly as you near the end. Last two books ruined the series for me, I remember reading them during first lockdown last year and being super frustrated the way it ended.

elyobo 5y ago

I need to revisit The Dark Tower, I last read it when it was incomplete and have never read it through. Very different to his more famous works. Thanks for the reminder.

climb_stealth 5y ago
Depending on where you stopped, I feel like it is gets a little bit odd in the middle but it is very much worth reading to the end. There's also The Wind Through the Keyhole which slots inbetween the main books. Learning about this one is that made me read the whole series again only a few weeks ago. It's still as good as it ever was!
- Andrew_nenakhov 5y ago
  Not worth reading to the end at all. King didn't even think of a proper ending, prefacing it with a suggestion to stop reading before it. The series got weaker and weaker after second book.
  - aethertron 5y ago
    The series did deteriorate, but I liked book 4. It's a romance. I recommend it to all young fools, or those who can fondly remember being such.
    - Andrew_nenakhov 5y ago
      Story of young roland is... Too formulaic. Writing romance is definitely not king's forte.
    - climb_stealth 5y ago
      Agreed. I feel like the whole series very much appeals to young teenage me.

Andrew_nenakhov 5y ago

In The Dark Tower, only first two books are good. Third is decent, the rest I've read only because I'm a very stubborn person.

silexia 5y ago
Very true! King disliked this series and only finished it because of fan insistence... And the ending is a middle finger to those fans!
- trey-jones 5y ago
  Personal opinion I guess. I really liked the whole series, including the ending.

hutzlibu 5y ago

"The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Some very powerful stories in there. The first book is pretty short so it is a good way to try it out. Though I think it hooks from the very start. " I wasn't really hooked. I think it was a interesting read, but I got no motivation to read further. Might have been, because I read a note from King before, that he also did no knew yet, how the tower worked. And he just wrote freely to explore it, too. So I expected the story to have even bigger holes in the plot than his ordinary books and trouble to get the story lines together in a consistent way in the end, leaving too many logic errors. But maybe I should give the tower a second try one day.

climb_stealth 5y ago
Hmmm, if the beginning wasn't convincing then I somewhat doubt that the rest of the series is going to be a much better experience. And yeah, I don't think the tower mechanics really work out in the end. But it didn't bother me personally. I haven't actually read any other books by him.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- hutzlibu 5y ago
  "I haven't actually read any other books by him. " He's very good at coming up with creative plots and good storytelling - but after a while it all seems generic and kind of the same - and he is not good (or doesn't bother enough as people buy it anyway) to avoid lots of plotholes in the stories and logic gaps. Or rather to bring the story lines together in the end, he seems to use ductape. So I enjoyed his short stories much more, as they were much more consistent, than the big, blown up "masterworks" of him.
hijp 5y ago
I read the first book and like you thought it was just interesting, but it was the juxtaposition of book one and two that made me go “i have to finish this”. * not really a spoiler, it happens at the very start of book two [rot13] * ==== va gur frpbaq obbx gur thafyvatre svaqf n qbbe ba n ornpu gung bcraf vagb gur zvaq bs n urebva nqqvpg ba n cynar va gur 70f. vg jnf fb qvssrerag guna nalguvat yrnqvat hc gb vg gung v jnf oybja njnl. Obbx 4 jnf bar bs zl snibevgrf, vg pbzcyrgryl chgf gur znva fgbel gb gur fvqr naq tbrf onpx gb jura gur thafyvatre jnf nebhaq 14 ba bar bs uvf svefg zvffvbaf. gur jbeyq ohvyqvat vf vaperqvoyr. ==== some bits are a drag, some are so cheezy, but you just roll with it and it’s a fun ride with some amazing high points.

spamalot159 5y ago

Brandon Sanderson is my go to recommendation for fantasy nowadays. Mistborn is a great place to start but The Way of Kings is the real meat and potatoes. He also links all these books together in the same universe and it's fun to notice the connections.

climb_stealth 5y ago
I haven't heard of these, thanks for the recommendation! According to Wikipedia he hasn't finished writing them yet. Is it worth reading them already or does it feel unfinished? It's not clear from a quick glance, Mistborn and The Way of Kings take place in the same universe?
- spamalot159 5y ago
  I'd say it's worth it to start now. Sanderson is writing at a blistering pace right now and doesn't seem to be slowing down. Mistborn and Way of Kings are in the same universe but separate worlds. I don't want to spoil too much but there is some crossover involved.
  - climb_stealth 5y ago
    Makes sense, thanks! I appreciate the non-spoiler. These days I don't even read the description on the back of books anymore to try and experience it openly. It just makes it a bit hard to work out where to start sometimes.
- bhntr3 5y ago
  >Is it worth reading them already or does it feel unfinished? Mistborn is a complete trilogy although he continues to publish other novels set in the same world. Way of Kings is ongoing. It's on book four now. Each book is over a thousand pages so there's a lot there. I don't think it's a problem to start. Books 1-3 are great and stand alone pretty well. It's started to drag with book 4 in my opinion. Like so many other huge epic fantasies, it has too many characters, too many plotlines, too huge of a world, and it's difficult to maintain the epic feel with all that sprawl. I'm worried for book 5. > Mistborn and The Way of Kings take place in the same universe? They take place in the same universe (literally) but they are on different worlds. So they don't have anything (much?) to do with each other (yet?)

oldprogrammer2 5y ago

The Dark Tower is one of my favorites, probably because King doesn't feel constrained by convention or genre. And if you have read King's other works you will appreciate the connections to his universe throughout, particularly The Stand and Salem's Lot. Like others have said, the first 2 books are particularly good. But, be warned that the second book deals with a lot of racial and sexual issues, and King does not have a filter. The fourth book is a prequel, and really stands on its own as a novel, but really threw off the rhythm of the series for me. I had a hard time getting into it because I wanted to resume the primary storyline. The ending does come with a warning, but I think it was perfect.

SamoyedFurFluff 5y ago

If we’re recommending series in general, I recommend the Broken Earth Trilogy be NK Jemisin and The Poppy War series by RF Kuang. These series have a completely different approach to fantasy as a lens of society that I really adore. I’m also a big fan of the Daevabod Series by SA Chakraborty. That is also hella.

murph-almighty 5y ago

I fell off of Dark Tower during the flashback sequence in the 4th book, but up until that point I agree it was a solid and off-putting story.

spyrefused 5y ago

Of the last few years, the author I have enjoyed the most has undoubtedly been Joe Abercrombie, especially "The First Law".

climb_stealth 5y ago
Ooo, thanks for the reminder! I very much enjoyed those as well and should dig them out again. Did you read any of his other books? Would you recommend them? I was a bit disappointed with the fourth book set in the The First Law universe. Possibly it was Best Served Cold but I'm not sure. It felt more like a rehash and it was missing whatever made the first books special. And it put me off trying his other books ever since.

fredophile 5y ago

For people who like the character driven nature of Robin Hobb's work I'd recommend the Demon Cycle books by Peter Brett. Across the series you get to see characters from a variety of viewpoints which really fleshes them out as complete people.

spery 5y ago
I have such mixed feelings about the Demon cycle. I really like the characters and the first book is excellent. However it starts to be the same pattern for the later books and plot deteriorates rapidly as you near the end. Last two books ruined the series for me, I remember reading them during first lockdown last year and being super frustrated the way it ended.