Looking for actually good modern fantasy novels

Ikeren · Post by **Ikeren** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 5:17 pm

I reread that Wheel of Time thread and was generally appalled at some of the suggestions (though perhaps a result of the original poster asking for books of mediocre quality).

I just read the Lies of Locke Lamora (the 3 books out) and the Name of the Wind (the 2 books out). I want to read more books like this; clean writing, resistant to stereotypes, and working in aspects of post-modernism (non-linear narrative structures). My favourite literary genre is metafiction (Mark Z. Danielewski, Paul Auster, David Mitchell) and I've strong preference for intelligent pacing and writing.

So, suggestions for more things like this? Or is there a thread around here somewhere already?

erik · Post by **erik** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 5:23 pm

I just read the 6 book Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher and found it enjoyable start to finish.

Brent Weeks has a solid Night Angel trilogy starting with Way of Shadows

And yes if the previous thread you are referring to the one is what I recall the original poster specifically asked for shitty books/writing.

[edit]ah I forgot to continue listing more authors/series

Glen Cook's Black Company (or is this not new enuff?)
Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy
Greg Keyes Kingdom of Thorn and Bone- 4 book series ( started great but weaker follow thru)

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 5:26 pm

I rather liked the Obsidian Mountain trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory. It's very D&D-ish, even if D&D sadly lacks in the allowance of people to just pick up magic on the side.

Longes · Post by **Longes** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 5:57 pm

Do Zelazny's "Lord of Light" and "Creatures of Light and Darkness" count as modern and fantasy?

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:06 pm

Jim Butcher is good all-around, but he pretty much tells a story, start to finish. The Dresden Files start off rough, get better starting in book 4, and their main strength is the good characterization.

I'd also recommend Cathrynne Valente. I've only read two series of hers (one a duology), but so far they've been spectacular.

Look for the Orphan's Tales: In The Night Garden and its follow-up, Orphan's Tales: Cities of Coin And Spice (uses 1001 Nights-style nested storytelling; I made a chart to check and found the stories went 6 layers deep at one point. And everything ties into everything else, with some characters having their more or less entire histories put together piecemeal).

The other series I read is the Fairyland books, which are YA but have been very good so far.

There's also Terry Pratchett, if you haven't tried him yet, and he does a lot of deconstruction and satire cloaked in fantasy universe. I recommend Feet of Clay or Small Gods there.

How open are you to fantasy subgenres? High Fantasy pickings have been slim for the past ten years or so, as urban fantasy and the like have really showed up and spread out.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:18 pm

Oh, yeah, Pratchett is amazing. I recommend the entire Night Watch story line. The Wizards story line is good too, but the first book or so has some major differences in set pieces from the rest of Discworld, because Colour of Magic was literally the first Discworld book, and Pterry changed his mind about some things. Death is substantially different, and the Patrician is a completely different person from the rest of Discworld's canon.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:24 pm

Death is a rather likeable character on the Discworld.
And the Industrial Revolution Series is a good read in my eyes.

Also, what about this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_(novel)
TECHNICALLY it's science fiction . . doesn't read like it though.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:25 pm

Death is very likable. It's just that in CoM he's a more stereotypical figure of death who actually goes around murdering people, rather than showing up when their time runs out.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:30 pm

Where other people have Near Death Experiences, he has Near Rincewind Experiences.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:51 pm

I love that he starts showing up with a book to read when for people who are repeatedly just one wrong step away from dying.

I also love that wizards in Discworld get a personal visit from Death and are aware of the time of their death ahead of the moment as a professional courtesy. Hell, Pratchett's wizards are just kind of generally awesome.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:21 pm

He loves cats.
For the simple reason that he sees them several times a piece and they can see him always anyway

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:27 pm

Jilocasin · Post by **Jilocasin** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 8:41 pm

You might try the Doctrine of Labyrinths by Sarah Monette. Sounds like it might be what you're looking for.

radthemad4 · Post by **radthemad4** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 9:17 pm

Damnit guys, now I feel like reading my Discworld collection again. Also, try Neil Gaiman. Neverwhere and American Gods are pretty good. There's also 'Good Omens' by both Pratchett and Gaiman. Also, the Death there is pretty much the Discworld one.

Blicero · Post by **Blicero** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 9:45 pm

This dude named Hal Duncan wrote a two-part series called the Book of All Hours. It's very nonlinear and postmodern metafictional and shit. We get Sumerian myths and parallel worlds and Guy Fawkes and World War I and other exciting things.

It's been a really long time since I read it, so I'm just going to be lazy and link to the wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vellum_(novel) I really liked it when I read it, but it definitely suffers from a style over substance thing.

There's also the more obvious suggestions like Gene Wolfe and R Scott Bakker.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 11:43 pm

radthemad4 wrote:Damnit guys, now I feel like reading my Discworld collection again. Also, try Neil Gaiman. Neverwhere and American Gods are pretty good. There's also 'Good Omens' by both Pratchett and Gaiman. Also, the Death there is pretty much the Discworld one.

Hearing about the protests in the Ukraine on npr on my way home made me want to reread Night Watch.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 11:53 pm

Blicero wrote:It's been a really long time since I read it, so I'm just going to be lazy and link to the wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vellum_(novel) I really liked it when I read it, but it definitely suffers from a style over substance thing.

No. This is a terrible book. The rape was actually painful to read. And it was supposed to be a fucking trilogy, he never put out the third book.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 11:58 pm

Brandon Sanderson isn't at all bad. The Mistborn trilogy is pretty decent.

If you want stuff a little out of the norm, then Jeff Vandermeer's "Finch" and "Veniss Underground" are excellent.

It's a little hard to get your hands on but Samit Basu's Gameworld trilogy is a good mix of Terry Pratchett like humor (not as great), high fantasy that draws heavily on Hindu myth.

Blicero · Post by **Blicero** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:23 am

Ancient History wrote: No. This is a terrible book. The rape was actually painful to read. And it was supposed to be a fucking trilogy, he never put out the third book.

Are you sure that it was supposed to be a trilogy? I'd always heard that Ink was supposed to be the main conclusion. And brief googling does not turn up anything suggesting that there was meant to be a third book. Vellum and Ink seem to be very polarizing, but the OP asked for nonlinear narratives and metafiction. And Vellum and Ink both satisfy those criteria.

I would echo Cynic's Jeff VanderMeer suggestion. City of Saints and Madmen is excellent, although it's not really fantasy.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:27 am

I could have sworn it was supposed to be a trilogy, though I don't remember why. It might meet the base requirements, but they're still not great books. You'd do better reading Charles Stross' Laundry series.

Longes · Post by **Longes** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 2:57 am

Prak_Anima wrote:
radthemad4 wrote:Damnit guys, now I feel like reading my Discworld collection again. Also, try Neil Gaiman. Neverwhere and American Gods are pretty good. There's also 'Good Omens' by both Pratchett and Gaiman. Also, the Death there is pretty much the Discworld one.
Hearing about the protests in the Ukraine on npr on my way home made me want to reread Night Watch.

If you can find it in your native language, I also recommend Lukyanenko's "Rough Draft"

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 9:31 am

I'm watching this thread and every post with recommendations contains evidence of questionable taste.

I'll stick to FF.

OgreBattle · Post by **OgreBattle** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 11:22 am

Ikeren wrote: So, suggestions for more things like this? Or is there a thread around here somewhere already?

The Vampire Hunter D series could be summed up as "Japanese equivalent to Warhammer 40k". It's grim dark gothic post apocalypse with high technology treated like magical artifacts because they do crazy stuff like warping space such as a vampire's coffin containing a whole palace once you step inside.

Longes · Post by **Longes** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 11:30 am

Starmaker wrote:I'm watching this thread and every post with recommendations contains evidence of questionable taste.

I'll stick to FF.

Snobism, ho! What's "FF" and what are your suggestions to the OP?

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:25 pm

Longes wrote:
Starmaker wrote:I'm watching this thread and every post* with recommendations contains evidence of questionable taste.

I'll stick to FF.
Snobism, ho! What's "FF" and what are your suggestions to the OP?

* Actually, correction: your follow-up does. Both Lord of Light and Creatures... are good, too bad I know that from firsthand experience (although I won't go so far as to pronounce them the best books sans qualifiers, transphobic shit is transphobic).

1. Fighting Fantasy. Spectral Stalkers is legitimately awesome, but even the bad books are entertaining in a way bad non-interactive fiction isn't.

2. M:tG tie-ins that have to do with the Weatherlight, and Tom Holt.

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Looking for actually good modern fantasy novels

Looking for actually good modern fantasy novels

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