What are Good Adult-Oriented Fantasy Novels?

Question

I'm so tired of of sifting through Fantasy at the local bookstore and finding works that are little more than a string of cliches, marketed for the likes of children and teens, strung together on end. I'm tired of stories that center around the trials of a "ye auld rural peseant boy who must save world from ULTIMATEZ EVIL," or the interaction of children who embark on some sort of epic quest.

I want moral complexity, adult content, and a logical inclusion of events that should take place in a fantasy setting. See this list?
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~imcfadyen/notthenet/fantasy.htm

I want a book that breaks the cliches, which typify most fantasy literature, mentioned on that list. I'm sick of crap like the WoT, SoT, Farseer, etc.

The only fantasy that I have enjoyed in recent years was George Martin's ASoIF. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I agree with you...George RR Martin's fantasy novels are the most original and gritty fantasy novels available today.

That said, even some books that don't completely defy convention, like WoT, have a considerable amount of depth and entertainment value.

I would make a few suggestions based upon your likes/dislikes. Guy Gavriel Kay has written some excellent fantasy novels (The Fionvar Tapestry, The Last Light of the Sun) that are a heady mix of history and epic fantasy.

You might also enjoy, as a previous answerer mentioned, Stephen R Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, though he is trying to "save the world from ULTIMATEZ EVIL", he is far from your typical hero.

One final suggestion is Susanna Clarke's novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an excellent read that moves between our world and Faerie.

You can find more of my "Fantasy Reading Suggestions", along with brief reviews, on my website @ http://www.tolkien-online.com/fantasy-reading-suggestions.html

Answer 2

Try the works of China Mieville:

Novels
King Rat (1998)
Perdido Street Station (2000)
The Scar (2002)
The Tain (novella, 2002)
Iron Council (2004)
Un Lun Dun (February 2007)

Short fiction
"Highway Sixty One Revisited" (in Young Words, 1986)
"Looking for Jake" (in Neonlit Vol. 1, edited by Nicholas Royle, 1999)

"Different Skies" (in Brit-pulp!, edited by Tony White, 1999)

"An End to Hunger" (in Book of Internet Stories, edited by Maxim Jakubowski, 2000)

"Details" (in The Children of Cthulhu, edited by John Pelan and Benjamin Adams, 2002)

"Familiar" (in Conjunctions: 39, The New Wave Fabulists, edited by Peter Straub, 2002)

"Buscard's Murrain" (in The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases, edited by Jeff VanderMeer and Mark Roberts, 2003)

"Reports of Certain Events in London" (in McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories, edited by Michael Chabon, 2004)

Collections
Looking for Jake (collection, 2005)

Nonfiction
Between Equal Rights: A Marxist Theory of International Law (nonfiction, 2005)
"At the Mountains of Madness": An Introduction, 2005
"The Borribles": An Introduction, 2001

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Mieville

You will certainly get moral complexity and a definite scarcity of cliches. However, some would argue that he does not write fantasy - make up your own mind.

Answer 3

I am a huge fan of fantasy novels - not sure if the pun was intended or not - and have a couple of suggestions.

Myth Adventures - Robert Aspirin - not sure if that is how he spells his name. Yeah, they 'sort-of' follow the list you provided, but they are absolutely fabulous exceptions. I stopped reading by the 5th book in the series, but the first couple are real keepers

Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffery - again, not sure that is how she spells her name, but there are three books in the series that really kept me entertained. She is also the author of the Dragon Rider series - also good, but more in line with the list you provided, so perhaps, borrow from the library first?

Anything by Neil Gaiman. I first found him when reading Good Omens (co-authored with Terry Pratchett). I've been a huge fan since.

Alan Dean Foster - again, anything by him. Even if he does follow a 'formulaic' plot, he does so in such an original way that you have to forgive him.

Of course, this list is not complete, but it should give you a couple of good places to start. I'd have more, but they are in winter storage. What can I say, some women have seasonal wardrobes, I have books. lol.

Happy reading

Answer 4

Fantasy that isn't derivative?
Try Tim Powers.
He gets it wrong from time to time but when he hits form he's superb *and* different.
But fantasy doesn't have to be swords, elves, or even in a medieval past.
"Last Call"
About a man who lost his body and soul in a card game in Vegas, and the debt is about to come due.
"The Anubis Gates"
A time-travel-gothic-horror-literary-mystery-romance.
(I kid you not)
"The Stress of Her Regard"
An utterly different vampire tale that takes almost nothing from old or new traditions of that genre.
"The Drawing of the Dark"
A lighter tale: with the Ottoman empire besieging Vienna, another take on the King Arthur myth.

There's always David Gemmell:
"Legend" an aging warrior faces his last battle.
If you like him, watch out for the "Sipstrassi tales", as well as the "Drenai "

Simon R Green can be worth reading.
Blue moon rising/ Hawk and Fisher series/ Beyond the Blue Moon.
The first book starts light and gets darker.
The Hawk and Fisher ones are effectively detective stories in a Sword and Sorcery setting. But you need one or two of them to appreciate "Beyond the..." which is excellent.

But then I like Terry Pratchett. In a good number the humour doesn't at all disguise the solid plots and real issues being tackled. But the humour remains.
"Lords and Ladies" does not not feature *Tolkein's* elves.
"Elves are terrific: they provoke terror."

Edit: oh yes, "Good Omens" is just a thing apart.
Gaiman I like best for his Sandman graphic novels
I cannot decide whether I love "American Gods" or whether it annoys me intensely. (Settings and characters, yes, but I think the plot falls down.)

Answer 5

The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint

"Life is truly an act of magic in Canadian author de Lint's triumphant return to Newford, his fictitious North American city, with its fascinating blend of urban faerie and dreamworld adventures. When Jilly Coppercorn becomes a victim of a hit-and-run driver, her happy life as a popular Newford artist comes to a screeching halt. Half of her body, including her painting hand, no longer works properly, and the prospect of a long recovery, despite supportive friends, depresses her. Her dreams - the only escape she enjoys - connect her to friend Sophie's dreamland of Mabon."(From Publishers Weekly)

"A master storyteller, he blends Celtic, Native American, and other cultures into a seamless mythology that resonates with magic and truth. A good selection for most fantasy collections." (From Library Journal)

Warning: The middle of the book deals with the sexual abuse that two of the main characters faced (via flashbacks to when it happened). While I would say it isn't overly graphic, the topic is large part of the novel. For that reason I don't think that this book is for kids.

http://www.amazon.com/Onion-Girl-Newford-Charles-Lint/dp/0765303817/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-0899918-8634242?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181505847&sr=8-2

Answer 6

the great e book of Amber by potential of Roger Zelazny. it is 10 books packed right into a million! it is low priced and it is brilliantly written. The plot lines are dazzling! It suits into each class you are able to think of of: fable/heroes/sorcery/secret/action/advert... it is mind-blowing! The Lord of the jewelry sequence by potential of JRR Tolkien. You theory the action pictures have been solid? Psshhh! they simply spotlight what replaced into interior the books. even regardless of the undeniable fact that Peter Jackson did a pretty job with the action pictures the books are 10x extra relaxing. The Inheritance Cycle by potential of Christopher Paolini replaced right into a tremendously respectable sequence. do no longer base it on the action picture. the only element that i will learn b/t the action picture and the e book is that a boy properly-knownshows a blue egg. each little thing else is thoroughly distinctive. supply this sequence a try, i think of you will appreciate it. (fable/experience/magic) The Books of Pellinor by potential of Allison Groggon have been solid too. even regardless of the undeniable fact that they have got been for youthful person/young human beings that they had a respectable plot to them. supply it a circulate!

Answer 7

Try reading Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart saga for a really good, adult-oriented fantasy novel. That series has brought me hours of reading pleasure and fun.

Answer 8

Terry Goodkinds Sword of Truth series....have heard they are making a tv series of it.....so far 13 books.....I read a book a day for about 30 yrs......these are the best

Answer 9

Try Stephen R. Donaldson's "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant".
Thought provoking, to say the least.

Answer 10

U have to read the "Xanth" series the first book i have to admit is kinda kidish but then it speeds up to b Adult oriented. U just have to read them. the first book is called "A spell for Chameleon"