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Signor Finzione

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@Karsa Orlong, I can understand why Eddings got you into reading Fantasy, his books are wonderful. There is something about the way he writes that you just can't help but like his characters and want to know what happens with them.

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@Karsa Orlong: It's so easy to get carried away in conversation with people who share my interests. I've managed to turn this thread into less of an "introduction to me" and more of an "OH MY GOD you've read this? I'VE READ IT TOO!! You should read this, and this, and this . . ." :giggle2:

 

I will venture into the appropriate threads in the next few days. :D

 

@Vimes: Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. We all have our secrets. ;) I'm not sure I want the kittens to grow out of their habits - it's become part of their personality and they're just so cute when they look guilty. :D

 

@both of you: Thanks a lot for increasing my TBR. You had to recommend someone who's written loads, didn't you?  :P 
 

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@both of you: Thanks a lot for increasing my TBR. You had to recommend someone who's written loads, didn't you?  :P 

 

 

:lol:  That happens a lot on here  :giggle2:

 

My advice with Eddings, for what it's worth - have a look at 'The Belgariad' but try before you buy.  His books are wonderful, but they're aimed at a younger audience than your Eriksons, Martins and Abercrombies  :smile:

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It is okay :), kitty-cats always have that guilty or "I'm innocent!" look and never stop being adorable however big they get.

 

Yes we did, there no better recommendations than ones that one can get months of reading out of :P.

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:lol: That happens a lot on here :giggle2:

 

My advice with Eddings, for what it's worth - have a look at 'The Belgariad' but try before you buy. His books are wonderful, but they're aimed at a younger audience than your Eriksons, Martins and Abercrombies :smile:

I just have to add, if you are worried about them being to "young", look at The Elenium series, The Tamuli series or The Redemption of Althalus (my personal favorite.) They are more complex than some of his other books. Edited by Vimes
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@cuppycakes: (Love the name by the way.) The first books that got me hooked on fantasy were The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. After this it was the Empire trilogy (beginning with Daughter of the Empire) by Raymond E Feist, as well as the original Magician trilogy by the same author. Also, maybe try Hogfather, Going Postal, Night Watch or The Truth - these were the books that got me hooked on Terry Pratchett, even though they're not in anything even remotely resembling reading order. :D

Thank you!

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@chesilbeach: Many thanks for the welcome! :smile:

 

@Athena: Thank you - it's good to be in a place where people don't give you "the look" after announcing yourself as a fantasy fan :smile: . I look forward to participating here.

 

@Many8: Thanks! I honeymooned in Sorrento recently and loved it. I like how the language sounds, so now I use the few basic Italian words I learned at every opportunity! :D

 

@Karsa Orlong: The closest I've ever got to historical fiction is Alchemist of Souls by Anne Lyle, though I do own a few (unread) by Scarrow and Iggulden (bought when I worked in a bargain bookstore, a job which is responsible for many a book-buying binge and also my current book-hoarding complex). Any recommendations would be appreciated - I'm sure I'll come across you when checking out the HF pages on here. :smile:

 

I live near Sorrento, 40 minutes by the train :D

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I just have to add, if you are worried about them being to "young", look at The Elenium series, The Tamuli series or The Redemption of Althalus (my personal favorite.) They are more complex than some of his other books.

 

Yeah, The Elenium and The Tamuli are also pretty good :smile:

 

Bearing in mind that I first read The Belgariad thirty-odd years ago, when I was in my teens, I think the biggest compliment that I can pay Eddings (and not forgetting his wife and, at the time, uncredited co-writer, Leigh) is that I still remember all the characters so well.  The best description of his writing I've seen is that it's 'comfort reading', which I think is true - certainly in comparison to the newer, grittier breed of fantasy  :smile:

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Yeah, The Elenium and The Tamuli are also pretty good :smile:

 

Bearing in mind that I first read The Belgariad thirty-odd years ago, when I was in my teens, I think the biggest compliment that I can pay Eddings (and not forgetting his wife and, at the time, uncredited co-writer, Leigh) is that I still remember all the characters so well.  The best description of his writing I've seen is that it's 'comfort reading', which I think is true - certainly in comparison to the newer, grittier breed of fantasy  :smile:

I have to agree with you and whomever first said that Eddings books were like comfort reading :). If I am ever in need of something familiar to read I end up reading either Eddings or Pratchett.

 

And what do you think happened to fantasy? It seems to have gone to the dark side of the force!

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I liked The Redemption of Althalus but haven't yet read any other books by Eddings. I have a lot of them (though I plan to replace the Dutch ones with English ones at some point).

 

I feel like there isn't as much (new) fantasy being written by new authors compared to a while ago. Most of the fantasy I buy or that's on my shelves was published a while ago. These days you see more paranormal Young-Adult things (which I like too but I love fantasy). Maybe this is just what I see in the places I look, though, or what's more popular.

 

Anyway, I'm always up for more (fantasy) recommendations. Karsa, I look forward to hear what you think of Prince of Thorns.

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And what do you think happened to fantasy?

 

It grew up :smile:

 

 

It seems to have gone to the dark side of the force!

 

And is much better for it (in my opinion!).  There's only so many farmboys with a destiny one can take :D

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I feel like there isn't as much (new) fantasy being written by new authors compared to a while ago. Most of the fantasy I buy or that's on my shelves was published a while ago. These days you see more paranormal Young-Adult things (which I like too but I love fantasy). Maybe this is just what I see in the places I look, though, or what's more popular.

 

I think that's probably the case.  As far as I can see, there's as much - if not more - fantasy being published these days, it's just the bookshops don't seem to stock as much of it.  I think that's largely down to publishers wanting to squeeze as many books out of a series as possible, which takes up a lot of shelfspace as a result, so the shops will only stock the big sellers.  In fact, I'd go so far as to say there's almost too much new fantasy that I want to read, and I know I'll never get to read it all.

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And is much better for it (in my opinion!).  There's only so many farmboys with a destiny one can take :D

Well I never really read the ones that had that many farmboys with or without any kind of special destiny :P. I have always been far more into the kind of fantasy that has dragons and wizards and lots of magic and it seems to have all been replaced by vampires and zombies. Yuck!

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Well I never really read the ones that had that many farmboys with or without any kind of special destiny :P.

 

Well there's Garion for a start :D

 

But yeah, it was a generalisation, my point being that a lot of modern fantasy authors are trying to get away from the tropes of the past.

 

 

I have always been far more into the kind of fantasy that has dragons and wizards and lots of magic and it seems to have all been replaced by vampires and zombies. Yuck!

 

Yeah, that is irritating, but I think that's just the popular stuff that the bookshops choose to stock.  There are still dragons and wizards around if you look for them  :smile:

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Thank you Vimes and Karsa Orlong for the advice about Eddings; I will take it all under advisement on my next journey to Waterstones (I will brave the glares of the staff and sit on the sofas reading Eddings). :D

 

Karsa, I too look forward to hearing your thoughts on Prince of Thorns. I hope you have King ready to read when you've finished, as it's even better than Prince.

 

Athena, I find the best places for new fantasy are online sites like Amazon, although I don't know whether that's easier for me being in the UK and all. Every time you look at a book it recommends about 9 others, and then you click on them and it recommends others, and so on. It's actually a bit overwhelming, whereas in the bookshops you often tend to see the same series' every time you go in. (Or so I've found.)

 

Many8, I'm incredibly jealous right now! We didn't want to come home (let's face it, who would choose Rochdale over Italy?) and really hope to go back again sometime soon. I miss the food and the sun . . . and the lemons! :giggle2:

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I was thinking that :lol:  I shall probably get it tomorrow.  Or today.  :giggle2:

 

Today! Get it today! And buy Emperor while you're there . . . and then lend it to me (I'm waiting for the paperback). I'll finish it while you're reading the first two. :giggle2:

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Today! Get it today! And buy Emperor while you're there . . . and then lend it to me (I'm waiting for the paperback). I'll finish it while you're reading the first two. :giggle2:

 

:lol:  I was also thinking about Emperor.  I don't usually start on trilogies until they're all available in paperback.  I may have to Kindle it.  Or I could buy the hardback and then post pictures of it to taunt you :giggle2:  :D

 

I'm 65 pages into Prince.  Looks like I may have made it past the "I'm disgusted by it but I only read the first few pages" stage :D

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:lol:  I was also thinking about Emperor.  I don't usually start on trilogies until they're all available in paperback.  I may have to Kindle it.  Or I could buy the hardback and then post pictures of it to taunt you :giggle2:  :D

 

I'm 65 pages into Prince.  Looks like I may have made it past the "I'm disgusted by it but I only read the first few pages" stage :D

 

I have to say that would be very cruel and unusual of you. :o  It would also probably prompt me to go out and buy it myself . . . or get hold of one of these new-fangled Kindles.

 

You have earned the right to say what you want about it now! Are you disgusted? :D

Edited by Signor Finzione
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Not that I've noticed :lol:  Does that make me a bad person? :unsure:  Don't answer that  :giggle2:  

 

Haha, no comment. :giggle2:

 

To be honest, I think anyone who is disgusted with it (and with the author) should remind themselves that they're reading fiction, not autobiography. :)

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Well there's Garion for a start :D

 

But yeah, it was a generalisation, my point being that a lot of modern fantasy authors are trying to get away from the tropes of the past.

But is that entirely a good thing? IMO (and this is where I stick my foot in it :P ) the standard of writing has gone down dramatically in the last few years and unless it looks like something special, and special don't come around very often, I tend to stay way from the new fantasy books. I am not saying don't write new and interesting stories, but what I am saying is that there is a reason that the good old classic fantasy authors are/were as known as they are. Their books were good and had depth to them and I for one can't say that about a lot of the "new" authors.

Edited by Vimes
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^^  I'll let SF say whether he wants his thread to go down that road or not.  It would be helpful if you could give some examples, though.

 

 

To be honest, I think anyone who is disgusted with it (and with the author) should remind themselves that they're reading fiction, not autobiography. :)

 

It's a good point - I wonder if much of the debate has been as a result of it being written in first person?  <<ponders>>

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