Your Top 5
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@flannel-slut Fantastic to see a fellow fantasy reader come out of the shadows
have you read the Robin Hobb - Fitz novels? Or any of the Mark Lawrence - Thorns trilogy and its sequels? Genuinely bawled my eyes out a few times while the wife was shaking her head at the side of me while ploughing through the Robin Hobbs 
Good shout with the Dark Tower, I’m yet to read Patrick Rothfuss but I have heard very very good things…
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The Master & Margarita is absolutely one of my top 5 as well. Such an incredible book.
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@DeeDee85 ha! Love it. I have not read any Robin Hobb but have heard great things; your recommendation may have just pushed it to the top of my what to read next list.
Rothfuss prose is like poetry and is truly one of the more enjoyable fantasy reads out there but as I’m sure your well aware, has no end in sight… here’s a taste of those prose to tempt you some because I’m a bastard like that,
"Let me say this. It was worth the whole awful , irritating time spent searching the Archives just to watch that moment happen. It was worth blood and the fear of death to see her fall in love with him. Just a little. Just the first faint breath of love, so light she probably didn't notice it herself. It wasn't dramatic, like some bolt of lightning with a crack of thunder following. It was more like when flint strikes steel and the spark fades almost too fast for you to see. But still, you know it's there, down where you can't see, kindling."
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@flannel-slut Get ready for the long slog with the Robin Hobbs, think there’s 16 books in total in the “Elderlings” series.. 9 of which advance Fitz’s tale, but it’s worth tackling the whole series in order to get the whole picture I would say. I have family who have skipped books to see what happens to Fitz, which was mind boggling to my tiny, denim obsessed, OCD brain
Speaking about fantasy reading in general though, I pick a new one up when I’m sick of reading through the endless pile of crime novel cast offs my mother in law puts in front of me and they are genuine treats. Nothing has stuck with me quite like the Robin Hobbs though.. I’m just jealous you get to do it for the first time and I never will again!
Will definitely pick up the Patrick Rothfuss novels the next time I’m in Waterstones cos that looks fantastic! Is there news on the final instalment of the trilogy then? I’m guessing not
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Have you read any China Mieville, @flannel-slut ? Definitely near the very top for me in terms of fantasy/sci-fi with great storytelling/world building (usually the bar for entry) AND literary merit (much rarer). Perdido Street Station was the first one that pulled me in, but I'll say that The City and the City would also probably make my overall top 5 ever. Incredibly creative noir.
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@popvulture i have not but their name has definitely popped up on my recommendations based off my reading trends and who doesn’t like escaping w a quality fantasy/sci-if? Is “perdido street” or “the city” stand alone reads??
@DeeDee85 16, hot damn. That is both daunting and exciting at the same time. For sure going to give it a go but need finish off some unfinished reads before committing.
As for the king killer chronicles, it is said the third book to now be released next year but this has been the story for the last 5 years (not exaggerating) -
@flannel-slut Perdido St is what put him on the map iirc, first of a trilogy of books in a world he created called Bas-Lag. The books don't share a story arc, more just overall broad setting — I think some characters might pop up in more than one book, but as I remember it they're just sort of tangential. I've read the first two (Perdido St and The Scar), but still haven't gotten to Iron Council. He's got a lot of books, really kind of all over the place, think he's just sorta too imaginative to stick to one thing for too long.
The City and the City is totally standalone, and imo is really its own thing in terms of genre, too. Best thing I could describe it as would be fantasy noir. Definitely some Philip K Dick lineage, and very filmic.
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@popvulture thank you for putting him on my radar. Consider my head turned.
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You're welcome — I doubt you'll regret checking him out! The only thing I'll add is to avoid Kraken. Kind of an outlier in his catalog; I thought it sucked and didn't finish it.
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Also thank you for mentioning Rothfuss — I need to check him out!
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An author I love but rarely get to recommend is M John Harrison. His novels exist in the Sci-Fi or fantasy genres, but are kind of on the periphery and don’t follow expected tropes ( a bit like Mieville). He’s also a bit tricksy and plays around with the form - he did an amazing piece of worldbuilding with the Viriconium series, and subsequently deconstructed the world as the story progressed. It’s hard to pigeonhole and explain, but anyone who loves a bit of sleight of hand would likely enjoy. Oh and his writing is some of the best I’ve ever come across, but it admittedly leaves you feeling very weird…
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@jerkules said in Your Top 5:
An author I love but rarely get to recommend is M John Harrison.…
Yep, he's excellent. One of his first novels, "The Centauri Device" is hands down the dirtiest space opera I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
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@jimcasey awesome that’s actually one of his books I haven’t yet gotten round to. I loved the “Kefahuchi Tract” trilogy, the second book “Nova Swing” is close to straight SciFi and I thought it was astonishing. I’m currently ready the Sunken Land Begins to Rise and really enjoying it
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@jerkules loved Nova Swing, but haven't read that trilogy you mention. Thanks for the tip man.
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@flannel-slut they're my favourite books of all time. I've bought so many copies of TNotW as gifts over the years..
Most recently I listed to the Audio books on Audible, the voice acting was amazing and certain parts had subtle musical backdrops which really added to the immersion.
Beautiful is the best way I'd describe them too. Since learning about Rothuss' distain for the Kvoth character, I've reread with a more analytical eye, trying to understand why he feels that way, but I just can't...
The naive yet beautifully poetic passages around his feelings for Denna are just perfect. They capture exactly how somebody of his intelligence, wit and artistic prowess would see things, but clearly lack emotional intelligence, and a wisdom that can only be acquired by life experience, because at the end of the day, he's still a child.
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@T4920 ha! I gifted TNotW one of my good friends about 10, 15 years or so ago. Back when I was young and impressionable and believed authors to be good people who would never create such enjoyable works of art, earn legions can of fans and then abandon them
(that goes for you too GRR Martin cough)My apologies on the early morning rant!
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@flannel-slut I just knocked out 50 pages of The Name of the Wind — really killer so far, and I know I’m just getting started. Looking forward to getting into this one.
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@popvulture just put a big smile on my face. Enjoy your escape pal
