Favorite book/series?

So to all the readers in the family what is your favorite book and or book series?  As for myself I really enjoy a couple different ones.  The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson, Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, and I have Two bookshelves full of Star Wars books.  Those are my favorites, although some star wars books I own are not very good I still own them because they are star wars :).

Also Name of the Wind and Wise Mans fear by Patrick Rothfuss are truely epic.  I would just warn people that it is an ongoing series so be prepared to wait for the third book and more to come. 

The Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan is pretty good also.  It is a finished series although she has writen and is writing more books that revolve around that storyline, ie going far into prequel teritory and into the future of what was the result of the story.  It is a bit different in that a female is the main heroine to the entire series so you get a bit of a different take on things.  Trudi is from Australia so all you ausie readers help support a local :)))

So what are your favorite reads and what would you recoment?

You should check out the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. The books are pretty long and drawn out in some places (book 3 for example), but they're amazing. Especially if you can get up to the flashback "scene" in book 4, which in true King style lasts for hundreds of pages. It's so good I can't even really do it justice.

» Edited on: 2013-01-06 09:16:59

Wheel of Time by Jordan are nifty books. I like his writing more than Tolkien (gasp!), I have only read his first 4 books in the WoT series though. Currently reading 'The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest' by Stieg Larson....book 3 in 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' series. Amazing series of books. Recently read 'Eaters of the Dead' by Michael Crichton. After reading it, I think the movie "The 13th Warrior" was based on it. Before that it was Salem's Lot. I tend to find myself reading a lot of Koontz, Crichton, Grisham, Stephen King, and Clancy (mostly his Ops Center books). Always love hearing about books people enjoy and authors I haven't tried yet. I still want to try Game of Thrones and the Thrawn Trilogy (Star Wars), but for some reason, I don't get immersed in sci-fi/fantasy as much these days. Hoping I will with these. Am also a big fan of comics like Gaiman's Sandman, Miller's Daredevil, Claremont's X-men, Wagner's Grendel etc.

» Edited on: 2013-01-06 09:22:54

ahhh you mentions Gaiman :)...neverwhere is an awesome book and if you have not read it yet i think you would thoroughly enjoy it if you like sandman. I am a fan of stardust also..it is a very short read tho.

Add Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series to any list to try, also anything written by David Gemmell.

» Edited on: 2013-01-06 10:13:09

Dresden is pretty awesome, generally anything by Sanderson... I also like the Ian Fleming Bond books, and the Reacher series.

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan for sure. Also enjoyed the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. The Dragon Riders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey was also interesting.

Jeff Shaara has a trilogy of WWII books based mainly from the German perspective, specifically Erwin Rommel, great books with an interesting perspective. I really enjoy some of the classics anything Dumas wrote is amazing (The 3 musketeers series and The Count of monte cristo). Also, its a really long book but War and Peace is a really great book.

I'm a huge fan of hard sci-fi and "space operas". Fave authors who have series are Stephen Baxter, Alastair Reynolds, Allen Steele, Peter F Hamilton, Gregory Benford, and currently reading Jeffrey Carver's Chaos series. It rocks.

» Edited on: 2013-01-08 04:05:49

Wheel of Time series, also Wayfarer Redemption by Sara Douglass. The Rhapsody series by Elizabeth Hayden is good. Same with the Malazan Book of the Fallen. There was a single book called Spirit Fox, that I really enjoyed as well. Made me sad that it wasn't longer. I tried to read the Game of Thrones books before watching the show, and the book was dreadfully boring. And I had originally thought the show would be as well, but decided to give the show a shot, and greatly enjoyed it (looking forward to season 3), so I might try to give the books another shot, to see if enjoying the show would make the books better.

Wheel of time is always a good read if your willing to invest some time. Chronicles of the black company is another good read if your willing to invest some time. I personally like some of the classics of mark twain and frank buam. I like old books the most to be honest. Riders of Pern series that started 67 was one of the better sets I've read. I'm not saying that new books are less inventive/creative but I will say that one should be willing to read some of the old stuff, your bound to find alot of gems that time has forgotten.

Of course as best series: A Song of Ice and Fire Best novel: The Forever War http://www.amazon.com/Forever-War-Joe-Haldeman/dp/0312536631/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357510405&sr=1-1&keywords=forever+war

Recently I read the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks and couldn't put those down :D Definitely my number one at present. I've read some of the books above (Sara Douglas for instance or the first Dark Tower novel) but Night Angel still beats those. EDIT: Just finished Cinder by Marissa Meyer and that one may well end up being a set of books that rivals even Night Angel.

» Edited on: 2013-01-06 14:33:05

Terry Pratchett is my all-time favourite. His Discworld series is super awesome, but so is everything he writes. My fave book of all time would have to be Redemption of Althalus by David & Leigh Eddings, though. I enjoy anything fantasy, really. Lots of authors are awesome, too many to name :)

Nice topic, Ruwund! Terry Pratchett and Jim Butcher are my favorite authors right now. I'm also reading old Philip K Dick novels and short stories.. it's suprising how well they hold up after 50-60 years. L. E. Modesitt's books and the morality of chaos and order are good reading as well.

:) Den. I have to admit I am a bit self serving in this thread. I really enjoy listening (or reading) to what people enjoy reading. It gives me new ideas of what to read. I was an ASM at Barnes & Noble for a while and have a pretty deep book knowledge but its great finding new stuff. Finding great new reads is like being a kid on Christmas morning all over again :)).

authors not mentioned or rarely mentioned so far: fantasy: brent weeks - dark angel series kristen britain - "green riders" series) Glen Cook - "chronicles of the black company" Diana Pharaoh Francis's books, david gemmel - drenai saga A Lee Martinez - silly books, not for everybody Richelle mead - I especially like the dark swan series Janny Wurts tad williams - scifi also john stasheff - earlier works were better in some ways than his newer jacqueline carey - very graphic in many ways if you read the kushiels series fred saberhagen - doubt he's writing anymore, but I liked his books 15 20 years ago piers anthony - I really really liked the mode, incarnations of immortality, and the adept series. xanth also was fun to read terry brooks - his books follow a pretty narrow formula most of the time, but are amusing to read normally raymond e feist - I mostly liked his first 3 or 4 series, after that, meh, not so much marion zimmer bradley - mists of avalon mary stewart - arthurian saga LE Modesitt - spellsong and recluse series, others are good as well juvenile fantasy: fablehaven series, John Flanagan - Ranger's apprentice series cs Lewis - narnia series Christopher wells - "the tripods" trilogy brandon sanderson - the alcatraz series - lots of his fans don't read them because they're juvenile, but they're just as good as his "adult" series. sci fi - orson scott card - ender saga series and many others john scalzi - old man's war series matthew woodring stover - Overworld series (warning... VERY graphic violence, not for the faint hearted) tad williams harry harrison - stainless steel rat and deathworld elizabeth moon - fantasy too other types of fiction bill wasik erik flint clive cussler iris johanssen have other recommendations but I'm getting tired of thinking of authors :)

Forgot to mention Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone series. Awesome anti-hero. Short books too. I will give several of these authors posted a try in the near future. N everwhere sounds interesting.

» Edited on: 2013-01-06 16:59:35

hmmm have several . Wish stones of shannara series terry brooks . Dragonbone chair series Tad williams Dragonlance series about the twins and Lord soth Elric of melnibone Michel moorcock

» Edited on: 2013-01-06 18:01:38

They're very different, but the Pendergast series by Preston and Child is fantastic.

Oh, so many good books. I'll be repeating some that were listed above. Sci-fi/fantasy: Wheel of Time series by Jordan/Sanderson Shannara series by Terry Brooks (including all the prequels, though I recommend reading them in order of publication) Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind (though I did stop reading them after book 7 or so) Pern series by Anne McCaffrey - her son continues to write in that world, he's not as good, but still entertaining Rowan/Damia & Petaybee series by Anne McCaffrey Witch World series by Andre Nortan The Belgariad and The Mallorean by David Eddings Valedemar series by Mercedes Lackey The Elvenbane series by Andre Norton & Mercedes Lackey Chronicles of Elantra series by Michelle Sagara Stardoc series by SL Viehl (got a little wierd after a while, maybe in book 7) Wayfarer Redemption series by Sara Douglass The Rhapsody series by Elizabeth Hayden Mix of sci/fantasy & non-PG romance: Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris (lost interest after book 9) Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews The Shifters series by Rachel Vincent Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey (very non-vanilla non-pg) Study series by Maria V. Snyder (I started to read the glass series but the whole Stockholm syndrome thing didn't work for me) Non-fiction: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (also like most of his subsequent books) Why I left Goldman Sachs by Greg Smith (just listened to, interesting autobiography of a career up to 34 in Wallstreet) Plutocrats by Chrystia Freeland (basically all about billionaires around the globe) The World is Flat 3.0 by Thomas Friedman (discussion of the evolution from the agricultural age to the industrial age to the information age and what it has meant and will mean for the US and the rest of the world) The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg (very helpful to achieve hard goals; read this if nothing else) How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie (some good rules about how to treat people) Quiet by Susan Caine (all about introverts) Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh (the story of Zappos, all about the impact that culture has on an organization) The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (haven't finished it yet, more of an easier to read science book on how genetics works) Venice by Peter Ackroyd (the history of Venice) Spark by John J. Ratey (all about the great things exercise does for your mind & body) Empire State of Mind (biography of Jay Z) It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership by Colin Powell (partially autobiography, partially life advice) The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (how major changes happen suddenly and unexpectedly) Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (mostly a study of very successful people and how they got to where they are) Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (how we make quick/instinctive decisions using our subconscious mind) The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle (the key to success has less to do with genetics and more to do with putting 10,000 hours of work into something to become an expert) In the Plex by Steven Levy (story of Google) The Snowball by Alice Schroeder (biography of Warren Buffet, the Oracle of Omaha) The Martha Rules by Martha Stewart (the biography of Martha Stewart)

» Edited on: 2013-01-07 08:41:42

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki - This should be in the fiction section. At best the story was embellished; a lot of folks think the author is full of crap and mostly interested in selling seminar tickets. Buyer beware.

Joe Abercrombie. Whether it is his initial trilogy, the stand-along "Best Served Cold," which I think is his best, or the others. Great stuff. Also among my favorites: Mervyn Peake, Guy Gavriel Kay, Steven Erikson, Steven Brust, Michael Moorcock.

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Kiyosaki - you should take everything you read with a grain of salt and not just blindly believe what the author tells you. For me, as someone who grew up with generally poor parents, it was eye opening to the different ways you can make and think about money, especially since I wasn't getting much of a financial education in school. The concepts are very basic, but that's where you start when you have very little knowledge. I first read the book well before any seminars existed, which is probably why it used to have such good ratings. People seem to be thinking much less of Kiyosaki and the book with those seminars that aggressively pitch you very expensive classes. But, I still think the book and some of his others is worth reading, even though I don't always agree with the way he looks at things.

I love this topic, It is giving me several new books to add to my reading list. As far as my contribution: 1) The Deathgate Cycle Books by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman 2) Dragonlance Trilogy by Weis and Hickman 3) Papillon by Henri Charrière 4) The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins 5) Into the Mouth of the Cat by Malcolm McConnell 6) Wayfarer Redemption series by Sara Douglass 7) Dead Witch Walking Series by Kim Harrison 8) The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara 9) A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin 10) Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon 11) Pillers of the Earth by Ken Follett 12) Brotherhood of War Series by WEB Griffin 13) Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien 14) Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult 15) My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Robert Jordan - Wheel Of Time George RR Martin - Song of Fire and Ice Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn, Wheel of Time, The Way of Kings (Only one book so far, and he plans on going for thirteen I think) Jack Whyte - A Dream of Eagles Sets - great read if you like King Arthur/Camelot with a completely different and realistic view

The Pendragon series by D.J MacHale. It's a 10 book series about a teen who travels to other worlds, other universes even at all different times, and will only go there during a major turning point that could affect the world. It's his job to make sure that the major turning point ends on a good note.

Shocked Nobody mentioned Terry Goodkind and the 'Sword of Truth' Series. First book 'Wizard's First Rule'. Series is excellent, and character development is amazing. I've personally read the series I'd wager... 10+ times?

A humorous read is "Grunts" by Mary Gentle.You'll never look at an Orc the same way again.

Bloodmaw i really enjoyed sword of truth until around the 8th or 9th book. Then it seemed get get very "ideologically" repetitive as well as wordy. I would suggest to you the new book that starts roughly a year after the last book in sword of truth series. It has all the same characters and it is basically a continuation of the series without it actually being part of the sword of truth series. Most of the reviews i have read say it follows along the same wordiness so i didn't pick it up. Not everybody has the same opinions so many other people enjoyed his new book..so i hope you enjoy it also if you pick it up. edit* oops forgot to tell you the title..hehe. The Omen Machine. Also he has the pre-prequel The First Confessor

» Edited on: 2013-01-08 07:30:01

Seems the last Wheel of Time book was released today. TO HASTINGS! (or Amazon)

» Edited on: 2013-01-08 08:44:42

Wow I am so going to be out in left field here but I read Christian Fiction. Although I have read some of what Rylssa posted Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris (I started but didn't finish) Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh (as well as her Psy/Changling series) Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon (read this a LONG time ago, she might have done new books since I last read them though) The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning (loved this series) I also enjoyed Nora Roberts (or J.D. Robb), I did enjoy the "In Death" series and finally that interest died out. I have been moving toward Nonfiction lately; reading biographies, homeschooling stuff, Bible studies, etc. Just the christian fiction _IF_ I read any fiction. Thinking about reading some of the Great Books in Literture. You know like OLD SCHOOL stuff you read (or like me.... avoided like the plague) in High School LOL. Specially since I am gonna have my oldest reading some of it for homeschool soon. I figure I should have some idea what he is reading lol.

Am currently reading an older (2000ish) series "The Banned and the Banished" by James Clemens that I just recently discovered. Have also enjoyed The Sigma Force series by James Rollins (who happens to also be James Clemens!). Love the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz. Have read nearly everything written by Stephen King but preferred The Dark Tower series and the recent book titled November 22nd.

Wow, how is it possible no one mentioned R.A. Salvatore's books. He puts out a ton of stuff, almost entirely fantasy. He's almost solely responsible for one thousand Drizzt clones in every MMO (but don't hold that against him).

Boy's Life is a 1991 novel by New York Times bestselling author Robert R. McCammon. It received the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1992. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy's_Life_(novel)

Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive (aka: The Sprawl Trilogy) by William Gibson Virtual Light, Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (aka: The Bridge Trilogy) by William Gibson Pattern Recognition, Spook Country, Zero History (aka: The Modern Trilogy) by William Gibson Although any of William Gibson's novels can be picked up and understood/enjoyed alone I suggest starting at the beginning, the novels are listed in order. This provides interesting insights into our own society from both an anthropological perspective and a literary perspective. Crooked Little Vein, Transmetropolitan (yes a comic/graphic novel, it has a better plot than many mainstream novels do) by Warren Ellis (not for the feint of heart/easily offended, I'll leave it at that) American Gods, Neverwhere, Stardust, Anansi Boys, Sandman (yes a comic/graphic novel, it has a better plot than many mainstream novels do) by Neil Gaiman Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (actually read it before trashing it, it is a great piece of literature. I do not support H.H.'s actions but I can endorse reading it for the word-craft Nabokov displays) Some... and I stress only some of Kathy Reich's novels (the books the TV show Bones is (was) based on they jumped the shark now and don't follow science anymore) I have more complaints than most people might due to having a degree in Anthropology, and knowing where she fudges stuff/messes up.

I really like Stephen King, Dean Koonz, and John Saul. My favorite by SK is The Stand, DK is Cold Fire and John Saul is Creature. I had the honour to meet John Saul and get a book signed by him when he made a visit to Longview, WA. He's also a part-time resident of WA. DK, books are set in southern CA where I grew up and lived, and especially Cold Fire where I did live. I've read so many books, SF, Fantasy that my list would be to long to list. Also love Anne Mckaferty (spelling) Dragonsong series.

My favorite book series is the Dark Tower series from stephen King. They were going to make a 4 part tv series and a 4 part movie series to br9ing it really to life but it fell through during the recent hard times. There are rumors that it may become a first part movie and go from there if it catches on. But that series was one of the first longer series I ever read and is very captivating. Its a very long series also I think its actually SK longest book series. I even got worried because he was hurt when hit by a car and there were rumors he would never finish it. Thankfully he did. Its Over 3 books long and each book is quite large. The gunslinger is my favorite char in the series.

@ Toros Actually The Dark Tower series is 8 books if you count the latest released in 2012 which is The Wind Through the Keyhole and is considered to be Book 4.5 since the story line takes place between books 4 and 5.

I agree with a lot of them here my list with some from up top would be Anita Blake Series by Laurell K Hamilton Merdith Gentry Series by Same RA salvatore of course Terry Brooks Terry Goodkind The Space Wolf series by William King The first 7 books of the Gotrex and Felix series by William King. The rest of that series is by another author who completely ruined the characters and heart of the series. The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison Dresden Files Old series that is great is the Death Gate Cycle by Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman And two old kids fantast series i always loved The Enchanted Forest series I think is what it is called first book was Dealing with Dragons by PAtricia c Wrede great 4 part series and The Circle of Magic Series by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald Those are what is mostly in my library.

I forgot to mention a great series that starts with Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, he has quite a few series out there, which are mainly space fantasy. Ender's Game is going to be a movie released in November 2013.

I don't think anyone mentioned the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. If you like Dresden Files, you will like this series. They also fit well with our family theme! Fym

This thread has given me a lot of food for thought :) Also, another set to add to this: Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan/Behemoth/Goliath series. Absolutely fantastic mix of Steampunk and Darwinian. I remembered this one since got his newest book today that has the artwork of the trilogy and explanations in colour :D Manual of Aeronautics

I agree Jayvenpup. I have either read or have heard of many of the authors/titles listed but some have captured my interest. While reading peoples lists I wonder why I didn't add some of the same titles/authors other people remembered :). I will just add another one right now :)) Markus Heitz --- "The Dwarves" and all the subsequent books to follow in that series. I love his interpretation of the dwarves in the fantasy genre. It is originally written in German I believe but I have read the translations. They are some really great books :)

Enders Game by Orson Scott Card (Probably the best book I have ever read, the ending will blow your mind.) I havent read it since the 90s but it still leaves me awed in its awesomeness. Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan. Also started these back in the mid 90s and though this series was my favorite for a long time it has been replaced by others who in many ways have built on the ideas and concepts that Robert Jordan was so good at. My favorite current fantasy read is the King Killer Chronicles by Patrick Ruthfuss. Only two books written so far of the series and is a work in progress, though unlike Robert Jordan this guy is cranking them out every year and a half or so. But the writer Patrick Ruthfuss has broken out of the pack of amazing fantasy writers with his charcter named Kavolth. Kavolth tells his story in the first person, from his experience from being raised a performer in a troop with his family and friends, to being orphaned and surviving on the streets at a very young age, I think age 11. He overcomes his fears and difficulties with his drive to learn The Name of the Wind and avenge his parents who were slaughtered by mysterious murdering (magical bad guys). He eventually gets accepted to a school of magic(hello Harry Potter, nothing like Harry Potter and that series though) and becomes a powerful Arcanist at an amazingly young age. This is a coming of age/ fantasy genre that will leave you wanting to reread the book immediately and when you do realize you might need a third read because nothing else out there could be as good as this. :)

Ooooo! Ruwund, you are now my new friend ;) I'm looking up those The Dwarves books now since if given the choice in a game, dwarves are my go-to :D What can I say? I love the stubborn little buggers: When they get determined, you can't move the damn things, nor can you kick them, and they will generally swear back :D

Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, The Children of Hurin, Silmarillion. Tolkien The Dune Trilogy, Heretics of Dune Herbert Foundation series (including the empire novels and robot novels) Asimov Song of Fire and Ice Martin The Law Bastiat And don't laugh....But I read "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire" at least once a year. (call me crazy)

Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw wrote a book called Mogworld about a undead character in a mmorpg who realizes things aren't quite normal (a bug in the code) and tries to figure out what's really going on. It's a good read :)

Mogworld has been on my list of to buy for awhile and I kept damn well forgetting about it! Thank you for reminding me, again. I'll go add it to a wish list or something :P

For epic fantasy books: I really enjoyed the Malazan books by Steven Erikson.. except for the last book! I've never been so mad at an author! The last book seemed completely half assed and a deadline rush. They were probably my favorite books up until that point though. I recently read the Brent Weeks Night Angel books and while they started strong, the main character Kylar ended up so whiny and petulant, I really despised him by the end of the series! The ending was pretty awful too. I guess I wanted more dark themes and less Disney. Game of Thrones is great for the first few books. The TV show is amazing too! All the Dune books are phenomenal.

Oh.. super interesting list of reading material.. I've been slowly working my way through the various Dune books. The original is my favorite sci fi book of all time.

Now that the Wheel of Time is done I can say it is a great read. The audio book is also well done. If you have a long commute to work or school it's perfect. The Dresden files is excellent as well, easy to read and a LOT shorter than the Wheel of Time per book. It also wins on the laughs per book quotient. The Iron Druid series is OK.. It's not Dresden but worth reading.

No Clancy? Love the Ryan series.

Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash, Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon Joan D. Vinge - Snow Queen Barry Hughart - Bridge of Birds, Story of the Stone, Eight Skilled Gentleman Roger Zelazny - Amber Chronicles, Lord of Light John Varley - Titan, Wizard, Demon, Steel Beach Emma Bull - War for the Oaks Lois McMaster-Bujold - Vorkorsigan series Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, Theodore Sturgeon, David Brin, Robin McKinley, any Science Fiction by C.J. Cherryh. Just listing Authors people haven't mentioned yet...

Warhammer 40K: Anything Dan Abnett Warhammer: The Brunnor Omnibus, Blackhearts Omnibus, and the Dwarf Omnibus Brent Weeks: Prism series (i think he writes better in this series vs the Night Angel trilogy) James Rollis: Sigma Force series Preston and Child: Pendergast series (personal fav Cabinet of curiosities) Jason Tesar: Awakened Series Stephen King: On Writing Randy Alcorn: Lord Fulgrims letters, Edge of Eternity Ken Folet: Pillars of Heaven Ted Dekker: Color series Robert Ludlom: Jason Bourne series and Covert One Series

I have a personal rule now when it comes to fantasy series is that I refuse to even start reading book 1 until the entire series has been released. I got burned wirh Wheel of Time waiting for Jordan to finalize the story but he just kept adding new plotlines to sell more books. I stopped reading it roughly 15 years or so ago when he was on book 6. Game of Thrones may be the best fantasy novels I have read but Martin is in the same boat as Jordan was with failing health and he is at high risk of dying before he finishes his series. I was going to mention the Malazan books but someone beat me to it. Malazan is a 10 book series by and its complete. I am reading the first book now and the first thought that comes to mind is that its a cross between Black Company and Game of Thrones. The writer (Erickson) is similar to Raymond Feist's Midkemia in that the Malazan world is based on long running RPG campaign he and his friends developed. I'm also a big fan of the Warhammer world and there are a ton of Warhammer novels to choose from. My favorites are the Gotrek and Felix novels and Matthias Thullman: Witchhunter novels.

Has anyone read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom? I bought and finished it a few days ago. Loved it! It really got me thinking.

Dragonlance. Enough said. I every one written about Raistlin, Goldmoon, etc. group. Upset they're not releasing the third book of the trilogy they were supposed to. Now I have 2 of a 3 book set. Vampire Chronicles (Anne Rice). I have all of these. I have way too many books. I need a library :/

I would go with Raymond Feist's Magician series, George RR Martin Song of Ice and Fire, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time for modern literature, but my favorites will always be Fritz Leiber (Lankhmar), Robert E Howard (Conan) and HP Lovecraft. There's just something about the early 20th Century Fantasy Literature that draws me in, with Cthulu and Dagon cosmic horror and insanity, Conan's gritty life of the one true adventurer and Solomon Kane is still the best Witch Hunter story ever told. Then there is Lankhmar, the story of two often drunk thieves Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, I have been a Thief fanboy from the moment I first picked up the Swords of Lankhmar. They just don't write tales like this anymore.

Has anybody read "the picture of dorian gray"?? it is considered a classic by Wilde. I really enjoyed that book and it was the book that started me on the path to actually read some of the older books.

Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. The description at TV Tropes is pretty accurate: --------- One of the most seminal pieces of Sword and Sorcery was Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series of short stories and novellas. Set in the world of Nehwon (except for one story set on Earth), often in the city of Lankhmar, it starred Fafhrd, a seven-foot tall barbarian from the North, and the Mouser, a trickster thief and former wizard's apprentice, who find and befriend each other one day. A deconstruction of the Conan the Barbarian stories that Leiber had grown tired of, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser showed two heroes closer to actual human beings. To quote The Other Wiki: "They spend a lot of time drinking, feasting, wenching, brawling, stealing, and gambling, and are seldom fussy about to whom they hire their swords. But they are humane and - most of all - relish true adventure." A massive source for inspiration for much of modern roleplaying, specifically D&D, either directly or indirectly, and pretty much any swashbuckling - as opposed to Thud and Blunder - fantasy story written after about 1970 or so probably owes a debt to these stories --------- The final two collections dragged a bit for me, but the first five are good, with some of the stories in those being outstanding.

The First five lankhmar books will always hold a special place with me. The later books were okay but nothing like the true roguish charm of the first five. Anyone who loves playing a Thief or Rogue should read those books, they made me want to play a Thief in AD&D and are the reason I still play one to this day.

Steven Erikson "Malazan book of the Fallen" series. Best series I have read in 40 years. Characters are rich and deeply interesting. Plot and storyline weave a rich tapestry and he has no qualm with killing a character off to enrich the series. My next few favs. martins series,Brent weeks and gail martins series as well

I do not have a favorite per say but I am currently reading the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. Not my normal genre but I have to admit I love it and I am only on book 2. I usually read romance or drama and vampire series by P.c. Cast and Richelle Mead.

I will second The Dwarves by Heitz as being a fun read with a unique perspective.

Ruwind I enjoyed Dorian Grey also, and I like reading the classics. Anything by a Bronte sister, especially Wuthering Heights. Edgar Allen Poe. Tolkien's the Hobbit was one of my first books, and my mum used to have all the Brother's Hindenbrandt calendar's (they did Tolkien calendars for years) around the house growing up which I am sure lead to my fascination with fantasy worlds. Dean Koontz early works are some of my favorite, especially Church of the Twilight and Lightning. He really started churning out books in the 90's though and I stopped reading because they felt very formula. Anne Rice the Witching Hour series. Wheel of Time, but only up to when they killed off my favorite character. Plus, it's the only series I actually had to keep a notebook on who the heck was who...well, now I am reading the Game of Thrones and need to start a new notebook. Seriously. I read chapters and I'm like "that was nice, but WHO WAS THAT?" The Dune series. I thought politics was a four letter word until I looked at things though the eyes of Frank Herbert. After that politics has always fascinated me. Ender's Game. Talk about perspective. Wow. Sword of Truth Series, though I had to take breaks while reading because Terry Goodkin is VERY graphic in some of his writing with downright disturbing material. But I kept picking them back up *sigh*. I think all of these have been mentioned haha, fun thread.

» Edited on: 2013-01-21 13:03:23

Count me on the list of Dark Tower fans. Although I'm currently just reading "The Wolves of the Calla" and haven't actually finished reading the entire series, I can say it's definitely my favorite. Another favorite book that isn't part of a series is Stephen King's 11/22/63. And another series that I cannot get enough of is the Sigma Force series by James Rollins.