Game of Thrones (definite book spoilers)

[Tis]

Here are 2 lists of the greatest sci-fi and fantasy novels of all time
First
Second

I've read about half of the books on the first list but most on the second. I find it funny that Terry Brooks would be on any "best of" list so the first list is probably better.

I found this really cool site a while ago What should I read next where you type in the name of a book you like and it recommends something similar. There are some hits and misses in there but I have found a few good ones through this site.

Re First, interesting to see Master and Margarita so high, I'm not sure I would consider it either fantasy or sci-fi, though I guess with a giant friendly cat demon walking around ... weird list.

Re Second, any list of Sci-Fi books that puts Ender's Game AFTER books by Anne "OMG DRAGONS!!!?!?!" McCaffery and Terry "Quality? When I can turn out 6 books a year?" Pratchett loses a lot of its credibility, even if I agree with most of its top 10 (at least from an importance perspective.) And what? No HG Wells?

Agree with regard to Brooks, but at least the Worst Books Ever Written did not make the list. That would be The Iron Tower, by McKiernan, which goes beyond Brooks Tolkien knockoff to completely duplicate the entire plot, setting, and characters, as written by what seems to be a 12 year old mentally challenged ESL student. Abysmal does not even begin to describe it.

[Tis]

Who are some other authors you guys like in the fantasy genre?

Do you want light reading or heavy? Do you want one-off or short series, or long, sometimes never ending series?

[fezzik]

Who are some other authors you guys like in the fantasy genre?

Mookie gave a good list, but I'll give it a shot. I haven't read with regularity for quite some time and I haven't read much Sci-fi, so I'll stick to mostly fantasy.

Lighter reads:
David Eddings - witty, funny, very good plot lines...generally enjoyable.
R.A. Salvatore - his books are primarily based in the Forgotten Realms D&D world. I would only recommend these to a young reader (12-17), otherwise it won't be very interesting...predictable plot lines and low-level reading ability required. His action sequences are detailed and very good though...characters are very likable. I have a soft spot for his writing because he was the first author that got me to enjoy reading. If you fit the referenced demographic, I'd recommend the Cleric Quintet or the Dark Elf Trilogy.
Brent Weeks - Night Angel Trilogy - very fun/fast-paced, quick and easy read despite it's size, doesn't require much brain power and/or higher education to read but still very enjoyable.
Raymond Feist - Haven't read him in 15 years, but thought he was pretty good at the time.

Medium reads:
Robin Hobb - More elaborate plots/themes...interesting characters. Solid writing.
Robert Jordan - The first 5 books of the Wheel of Time series are excellent (though the first 100 pages of the first novel are a bit slow just as a warning), with the next 6 getting bogged down in needless tangents and a plot that gets too large...with the passing of the author Sanderson is doing a fine job of finishing it off though. The books are large, but the content isn't too heavy.
Goodkind - A good far-reaching plot with some unpredictability, but something definitely annoys me about this series...I think it might be the romance element which I think is overdone.

Heavier reads:
George R.R. Martin - already said I think he's very good.
C.S. Friedman - Coldfire Trilogy - absolutely excellent series...actually a bit more Sci-Fi, but reads much like a fantasy series...I'd call it a hybrid.
Dan Simmons - Hyperion Cantos - On a side note, I found many similarities between this series and the video game Mass Effect...and I've found elements in the game which clearly pay homage to this series.
Tad Williams - solid epic fantasy and Sci-Fi.


Mookie touched upon many of the classics, so I thought I'd focus on more contemporary stuff. I've heard good things about Donaldson, but haven't yet read him.

[KPucks]

Really liked the books and am exicted for the TV show. I wish Martin would hurry up and actually finish the series though.

And I cannot give a strong enough second to whoever recommended Name of the Wind earlier. Just finished the second one that recently came out and it is easily my favorite series in a while. Can't wait for the next one.

[Mookie4ever]

Excellent episode

I just wonder whether anyone who hadn't read the books would have been able to follow it. Dozens of characters and several storylines introduced in one hour. Would have been confusing had I not read it already and already known who was playing which characters.

[Dan Lambskin]

Excellent episode

I just wonder whether anyone who hadn't read the books would have been able to follow it. Dozens of characters and several storylines introduced in one hour. Would have been confusing had I not read it already and already known who was playing which characters.

never read the books and i enjoyed it
i got the gist of the different characters and storylines and how they're related, but it will probably take a few episodes to fully get up to speed (or maybe more confused )

[jfg]

Does anybody still think this is good? I think the first two episodes were pretty good but now it might be the most boring show on TV.

[Madison]

Excellent episode

I just wonder whether anyone who hadn't read the books would have been able to follow it. Dozens of characters and several storylines introduced in one hour. Would have been confusing had I not read it already and already known who was playing which characters.

I didn't read the books and I'm following the show with no problems.

Pretty decent show.

Random fact: The queen is the same lady that played the queen in the movie 300.

[Dan Lambskin]

this is by far the best show on TV right now

[wake]

this is by far the best show on TV right now

It's taken some self control not to take advantage of their hbo go promotion where you can watch the next episode now through their internet streaming. I'd rather wait until Sunday so I don't have to go two weeks between new episodes.