can anyone advise any good books to read (fantasy)??

Question

i like fantasy, magic and myth etc i have read the following to try and help you understand the types of books i mean.

dark materials trilogy, northern lights, the subtle knife and amber spy glass by phillip pullman that was excellent.

the old kingdom series, sabriel, lirael and abhorsen by garth nix

also the black magician trilogy, the magicians guild, the novice and the high lord by trudi canavan.

any books like the ones above i really want to know i love to read but never know what ones to buy.

thanks all

Answer 1

Try Neil Gaiman's books, he is really great. I like all his books, but Neverwhere and Stardust are my favorites (He writes graphic novels, too, by the way). Stardust resembles Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series-both deal with magical and non-magical worlds bordering on one another. Neverwhere has a different take on the borders thing.
http://www.neilgaiman.com/

Robert Jordan's books are great, too, and should give you a LOT of entertainment, given his Wheel of Time series has already had more than 10 books. According to him, he's going to finish the series really soon. His books are complex and absorbing, and his insights on human behavior, government, love & war make for interesting reading.
http://www.tor.com/jordan/

I also suggest the following books & authors:

Orson Scott Card - Enchantment
http://www.amazon.com/Enchantment-Orson-Scott-Card/dp/0345416872

Mercedes Lackey, Marion Zimmer Bradley & Andre Norton - Tiger Burning Bright (got mixed reviews from amazon readers, but i like it)
http://www.amazon.com/Burning-Bright-Marion-Zimmer-Bradley/dp/0380775123

Peg Kerr - Emerald House Rising (The first fantasy book I ever read. Really good.)
http://www.amazon.com/Emerald-House-Rising-Peg-Kerr/dp/0446603937

Sherryl Jordan - Winter of Fire (Is categorized as a young adult book, but is also complex and intriguing enough for older readers.)
http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Fire-Point-Sherryl-Jordan/dp/0590452894

Answer 2

Many of the books you listed fall into that YA category of fantasy. Because of that, I geared most of my recommendations to that reading level and style. Most of these are adult books, but should be suitable for a younger audience.

Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark: This is a witty, clever, and at times humorous tale about the last two wizards in Britain. Because of that, it does at first draw comparisons to Harry Potter, but the similarities are superficial. Clark's tale contains unique, engaging characters and she seems to have an intimate knowledge of her setting and time period, the Napoleonic Wars. It's a long book, but an easy read and very entertaining.

Dragon's Blood by Jane Yolen: I don't know if this one is still around. I read it when I was younger and thoroughly enjoyed it. It begs a few comparisons to Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series, as the setting is a foreign planet populated with alien lizards called dragons. But the comparisons end there. Yolen's characters are grittier and her world is a stark, barren desert. This is the first book in her Pit Dragon trilogy, and it's a great read for younger SF/fantasy fans. If you enjoy it, you should definitely check out McCaffrey's work.

The Dark Glory War by Michael A. Stackpole: This is a great piece of epic fantasy featuring the rise of a great evil and the call to battle. But while it carries that familiar theme from LoTR, it's set apart from the crowd by its darker characters and Stackpole's willingness to end things on an unsettling note. This is the first in a series and is really quite engaging. The characters are all well developed and intriguing, and the story is fresh enough to keep you reading.

Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts: This is a good fantasy tale about two half-brothers, the sons of a sorceress. They are each magical in different ways, though only one was ever really trained to use his gift. They're fathers are at war and thus they know little about each other, except that they're enemies. When they're thrust together into a foreign environment, though, drama ensues. It's a good, mostly character-driven epic, also the first in a series.

Dragon's Winter by Elizabeth A. Lynn: This is a beautifully written fantasy about a land peopled with humans and shapeshifters. The characters are all wonderfully written and the story is moving. There are some hints of adult themes, but nothing explicit. It's a very lyrical, almost poetic novel and one of my favorites. I first read it as a teenager and I still love it today.

Answer 3

Terry Brooks The Word and Void Trilogy (Running with the Demon; A Knight of the Word; and Angel Fire East) were neat stories which I wish there were more of.
Neil Gaiman's stories are all well done and very deep. American Gods, Anansi Boys are a little more mythological but the two Imajica books are really good and otherworldly, as is Neverwhere. For a great story and a good chuckle while you're at it Good Omens was brilliant.

Answer 4

If you're into the traditional fantasy thing, Tolkien-style, the above suggestions are ok.
Eventually I outgrew those (the themes kept repeating) and got into other stuff. Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint are good choices if you're looking for a blend of urban contemporary life and fantasy/myth/folkore. Also, some Stephen King is good that way, especially the Dark Tower series. Once you're familiar enough with the genre, you might also get a kick out of Terry Pratchett's stuff. He does for fantasy what Douglas Adams did for sci-fi.

Answer 5

Try Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones: A Song of Fire and Ice, or Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series.

Answer 6

The Belgariad and Mallorian series by David Eddings.

The Thomas Covanant Series by Stephen Donaldson

The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King

The Talisman and Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub

Answer 7

Lord of the Rings series are excellent books.
Sheri S. Tepper is also a wonderful fantasy/sci-fi author.

Answer 8

Any books by R.A. Salvatore. He also writes science fiction. I've never read those, but I have read all of his fantasy books and they are wonderful. I left you a link below. He has several series of books that have common characters, and I really enjoy the character development.

The first series I read of his was The Cleric Quintet. Excuse my spelling... lol

Answer 9

You need the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik.

The first book is called "His Majesty's Dragon".

Think of it like Dragonriders of Pern meets Horatio Hornblower (naval adventure during Napoleonic era).

Answer 10

Harry Potter series
Chronicles of Narnia series
Lord of the Rings
Bridge to Terabithia
That's a few.