WOT/LotR...now what?

[JumboBeef]

About six months ago, I finished reading The Wheel of Time series for the second time (I read the whole lot before book 14 was out, and while I was waiting for it, I decided to re-read the first 13 books). I have just finished Lord of the Rings for about the 6th or 8th time. Currently demolishing The Hobbit (which will last me a week if I'm lucky).

Looking for the next big challenge. Recommendations for books in this genre please.

(I used to read a lot of King and Knootz, but recently I have gone off the whole death/destruction thing).

[897sma]

Game of thrones books

[rxtx]

You could try some China Miéville, I never got on with him just as I never got on with Tolkien but it might be a genre you'd be interested in.

[Gypsum Fantastic]

897sma said:

Game of thrones books

This. The 'A song of Ice and Fire' series is a fantastically rich world to delve in to.

[anonymous-user]

Gypsum Fantastic said:

897sma said:

Game of thrones books

This. The 'A song of Ice and Fire' series is a fantastically rich world to delve in to.

+1.

And outside this genre, the Patrick O'Brien/Master and Commander series is excellent.

[towser]

You could try some Joe Abercrombie stuff.....I enjoyed the Blade Itself and the other books in that trilogy....or....

The Name of The Wind series by Patrick Rothfuss.

As others have said Game of Thrones books are excellent, although personally I've found it's started to plod a bit in books 4 and 5.

[tertius]

Greg66 said:

Gypsum Fantastic said:

897sma said:

Game of thrones books

This. The 'A song of Ice and Fire' series is a fantastically rich world to delve in to.

+1.

And outside this genre, the Patrick O'Brien/Master and Commander series is excellent.

Oddly that was my first thought, as well. Not fantasy at all, but a brilliant re-creation of another world.

In the fantasy genre there is nothing that compares with Tolkien (that I have found). The density and depth of his work is pretty incredible.

[Nightmare]

If you want something on the scale of WOT, but MILES MILES better, then read The Malazan Books of the Fallen by Steven Erikson.

Brilliantly written and fantastically finished series. has such great characters throughout.

first one is a bit hard going

[bint]

Stephen King Dark Tower series
The Painted Man by Peter V Brett
Also try The Serrano Legacy series by Elizabeth Moon. Yes it's a space opera but it's a good read and more fantasy related than anything.

[Bennovon]

towser said:

You could try some Joe Abercrombie stuff

Be warned that Joe Abercrombie's writing is terrible, though; if you're used to Lord of the Rings and His Dark Materials then this falls far short. I'm not a fan of the genre, so it may be that the plot/pacing etc are great, but in terms of the writing style a friend of mine who devours this kind of stuff showed me The Blade Itself and I just thought it was horrible.

[towser]

Bennovon said:

Be warned that Joe Abercrombie's writing is terrible, though; if you're used to Lord of the Rings and His Dark Materials then this falls far short. I'm not a fan of the genre, so it may be that the plot/pacing etc are great, but in terms of the writing style a friend of mine who devours this kind of stuff showed me The Blade Itself and I just thought it was horrible.

Yeah, admittedly it's the story and the characters that dragged me along. It's not a work of literary genius...

[Bennovon]

towser said:

Yeah, admittedly it's the story and the characters that dragged me along. It's not a work of literary genius...

And there's nothing wrong with that. It's quite different to LotR, though, so I just thought it worth mentioning.

A lot of people don't care about the style of writing as long as the plot's good. The Da Vinci Code isn't for me, for example - I can't get past the writing, that's just how I am - but the millions of people who like it aren't wrong to do so.

And on the other side of that coin, no amount of style can redeem a bad plot...

[Halb]

The Discworld.

[Gargamel]

Stephen Donaldson Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

TAd Wiliams, Dragonbone Chair

Magician Raymone E Feist

Or if you fancy something different

Neal Stephenson, System of the world. or the Baroque Cycle

[Gargamel]

897sma said:

Game of thrones books

Not these, these are ultimately awful, heading nowhere and a confusion of about nineteen books crashed together with no attempt to edit or sort out.

Self indulgent in the extreme

[Halb]

Gargamel said:

Not these, these are ultimately awful, heading nowhere and a confusion of about nineteen books crashed together with no attempt to edit or sort out.

Self indulgent in the extreme

There's only five??
With two more (though maybe three) to come.

[Gargamel]

Halb said:

There's only five??
With two more (though maybe three) to come.

I mean there are too many competing story lines for the books. Ie he has completely over written the stories, and actually the plot hardly moves on.

Appreciate it is all well written and good stuff, but really annoying as with a good editor it could have been brilliant.

[Halb]

I think the glory in Martin's stories is the mystery depth aspect, and the three-fold reveal aspect which is helped by it's POV structure.
http://universe.suvudu.com/q-and-a/anne-groell#.U4...

I think the editing is pretty amazing. The plots and theories span decades. the whole thing is impressive.
It's the sort of thing where you can go back and on the fourth read spot something new.

[Einion Yrth]

Gargamel said:

Stephen Donaldson Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

Ye gods, no! Awful, badly written, whiney drivel.

[Nightmare]

Einion Yrth said:

Gargamel said:

Stephen Donaldson Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

Ye gods, no! Awful, badly written, whiney drivel.

I'm afraid I entirely agree. His use of language makes me want to physically hurt him.....and I will read nearly anything!