The Second Apocalypse
Miscellaneous Chatter => Literature => Topic started by: MSJ on January 16, 2016, 05:36:24 pm
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Here is a thread for rec's of your favorite literature. I am always looking for that next great series out there, that will grab my attention like TSA has. It doesn't have to even be fantasy per se, I am just looking for something full of intrigue, good characterization, a dark tone is preferable, and I love a great mystery where you have to put the pieces together yourself. I like good world-building and generally anything that takes me to another world filled with wonderous things. If you can help me out please do.
I will add a few recs I think everyone who enjoys fantasy should give a go.
A Land Fit For Heroes- Its easily in my Top 5 fantasy series I have ever read. Morgan writing is fluid and I burned through the books in no time at all. It has great characters, decent world-building, mystery, but what sets this apart is the darkness of this series. Some of the grimmest stuff I've ever read and imagined is in these books. If that's your cup of tea, you'll love it.
Wise Man's Fear- by Rothfuss, is a series that is yet to be finished, but will have you itching for more When your done. The magical system is very cool. Kvothe, the narrator and main character is cut from the same cloth as a Kellhus. What really caught my eye was wether or not Kvothe is reliable as a narrator. Its a great series to read if you don't mind the wait for the final installment. And, if your reading this then your used to that.
The First Law and The Shattered Sea- both by Abercrombie. Quite frankly, Abercrombie is the funniest author I've yet to read. Its dark humor, but I found myself laughing out loud reading his books. All of them are quick, easy reads with a great story as well.
There are a few to get the thread going. I've read many more and will add to the thread as others ask for specific recs. Cheers!
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I just bought The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Has anyone read this and what are your thoughts? I bought it because it was rec'd on my Kindle and over at Westeros there is a pretty popular thread on it. Going to read it simultaneously while doing the slog.
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Posted this in the other thread but that seems to be dead so...
The Dread Empire series by Glen Cook really reminds me of Bakker. It's a very dark world with empires and sorcerers aplenty. It really has the tone of the Prince of Nothing series with religious fanatics and a Muhammad analogue vs and Asian themed despotism with magic nobility although that really does sell the series short at one point one of the main characters settles down to try and govern a small kingdom and the interaction of all the ethnic groups and classes that are shown puts most contemporary fantasy to shame.The one thing it lacks is the deep philosophy of The Second Apocalypse despite that it's tone is much closer to Bakker than George RR Martin, and I believe someone, maybe Pat? asked Bakker if he was influenced by it because of the similarities.
It's a great read and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who likes Bakker.
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What's the other thread called? I was under impression there were many threads concerning this or that particular author or series but no general recommendation thread, thus far?
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I just bought The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Has anyone read this and what are your thoughts? I bought it because it was rec'd on my Kindle and over at Westeros there is a pretty popular thread on it. Going to read it simultaneously while doing the slog.
Yes, I read it and it is what I would call "very good." It isn't amazing, or ground-breaking, but an absolutely solid read and well worth it.
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Hey MSJ
Well i'll tell you some series that I have really enjoyed that haven't been mentioned and you probably don't see on many recs. These aren't really like TSA but just something I thought you might enjoy:
Raymod E. Feist - Pretty much all of the Riftwar/SerpentWar/ChaosWar is worth reading although I enjoyed Riftwar probably the most. They can be pretty dark and the enemies are normally awful, crazy magic on all sides. The quality varies and slumped off towards the end but I still enjoyed them overall pretty much regardless especially the early stuff. The whole of the story (all of the plots and subplots) plays out over a larger all encompassing story. Feists only annoying tendency
Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts - Empire Trilogy. Again this ties in with the overall series and is a very good trilogy, arguably the best (along with riftwar - especially Magician).
Adrian Tchaikovsky - Shadows of the Apt This is a ten book series, next in the sequence for me is book 8. I really enjoy this series, it takes you to different places and not where you expect the story to go initially. Very creative and inventive and the Kinden and Apt/Inapt is some of the most creative worldbuilding around. Really fascinating world witha backstory you just really, really want to know (I'm not sure the series will ever actually reveal the complete backstory). This is fantasy meets steampunk.
Peter F. Hamilton Hamilton is fairly dark. His Commonwealth Series is great and Nights Dawn trilogy is pretty good. Fallen Dragon a standalone is a great read. Hamilton paints really big landscapes with great strokes. I have always been a fan of his storytelling.
Hope it helps.
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Hey, SR. Actually those are 3 I've never read. And, Shadows of the Apt is the only one I've ever heard of. Thank you, very helpful.
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Lots of recomendations from around the forum are coalesced into my thread here, but its a reading list so i left out anything I had read previously.
http://www.second-apocalypse.com/index.php?topic=1433.0
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What's the other thread called? I was under impression there were many threads concerning this or that particular author or series but no general recommendation thread, thus far?
The "Series as good as the second apocalypse" thread.
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Damn me, I was going to recommend Bakker until I remembered where am I.
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I just bought The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Has anyone read this and what are your thoughts? I bought it because it was rec'd on my Kindle and over at Westeros there is a pretty popular thread on it. Going to read it simultaneously while doing the slog.
Yes, I read it and it is what I would call "very good." It isn't amazing, or ground-breaking, but an absolutely solid read and well worth it.
I'm excited for the 2nd book whatever that is called. I think there is so many ways for this series to go.
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I just bought The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Has anyone read this and what are your thoughts? I bought it because it was rec'd on my Kindle and over at Westeros there is a pretty popular thread on it. Going to read it simultaneously while doing the slog.
Yes, I read it and it is what I would call "very good." It isn't amazing, or ground-breaking, but an absolutely solid read and well worth it.
I'm excited for the 2nd book whatever that is called. I think there is so many ways for this series to go.
The Obelisk Gate (http://www.amazon.com/Obelisk-Gate-Broken-Earth/dp/0316229261) due on August 16th of this year.
I'm pretty excited too and I really hope we get more back story on the Tablets and other things ancient...
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What's the other thread called? I was under impression there were many threads concerning this or that particular author or series but no general recommendation thread, thus far?
The "Series as good as the second apocalypse" thread.
You're not right and you're not wrong :): Sci Fi series as good as The Second Apocalypse? (http://www.second-apocalypse.com/index.php?topic=760.0)
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1/3 through the The Wheel of Osheim, and this is by far the best of any books I've read of Lawrence's. As I said, all of his books are fast, fun reads. This is on another level. Really neat how he goes back and forth between two settings and there is plenty of intrigue. Highly recommend this book to anyone, but having read the previous two installments is necessary.
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The Obelisk Gate due on August 16th of this year.
I'm pretty excited too and I really hope we get more back story on the Tablets and other things ancient...
I'm really excited for the second installment, but as much as I appreciated the main character, I found myself longing more for the secondary character (I can't remember his name right now) than the main. I'm equally interested to see where things go from here--the ending of Fifth Season that is--as I am curious to discover more backstory leading up to said events. Jemisin pulled off a really good bate for the next book in my opinion
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I'm really excited for the second installment, but as much as I appreciated the main character, I found myself longing more for the secondary character (I can't remember his name right now) than the main. I'm equally interested to see where things go from here--the ending of Fifth Season that is--as I am curious to discover more backstory leading up to said events. Jemisin pulled off a really good bate for the next book in my opinion
Indeed, I have it preordered, so I hope maybe I get this one on the release date too. I think you are talking about Alabaster. I'd agree he is probably the most interesting character we're presented with, even though I know I am strange in that I usually dislike most characters in books I read. This one was no exception. I am really eager to learn more about stone-eaters though and things like the socket. I'm a world-building junkie, to me that is the most fascinating part.
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I heartily recommend Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It's hard to categorise - somewhere between fantasy and sci-fi, although the sci-fi aspects are on technology that doesn't seem so far away anymore. Anyone who likes RPGs should love it.
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I'm really excited for the second installment, but as much as I appreciated the main character, I found myself longing more for the secondary character (I can't remember his name right now) than the main. I'm equally interested to see where things go from here--the ending of Fifth Season that is--as I am curious to discover more backstory leading up to said events. Jemisin pulled off a really good bate for the next book in my opinion
Indeed, I have it preordered, so I hope maybe I get this one on the release date too. I think you are talking about Alabaster. I'd agree he is probably the most interesting character we're presented with, even though I know I am strange in that I usually dislike most characters in books I read. This one was no exception. I am really eager to learn more about stone-eaters though and things like the socket. I'm a world-building junkie, to me that is the most fascinating part.
I'm with H, I think there is a ton of potential in the world-building side of things.
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I have been hearing a lot of good stuff on Max Gladstone's, Craft Sequence. So, just wanting to know if any of you have read them and well, would you recommend them. Thanks