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comment by snowgolem
snowgolem  ·  2665 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Hubski's intermittent, inconsistent, posted whenever, by whoever, bookthread

I just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora last night. Frankly, this is some of the best escapist writing I've read in years. Yes, it's fantasy, so you would need to like that sort of thing to get into this novel, but if you are inclined towards stories of magic, swords and such, you this one is worth it. Also, Scott Lynch's world building is great. I highly recommend it.





user-inactivated  ·  2664 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I'll have to look into that book. It sounds interesting. What other fantasy hooks have you read that you think are worth sharing?

snowgolem  ·  2662 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I may have misrepresented the book slightly. Yes, it's set in a fantasy world. Yes there's magic, and swords, and fantastical monsters. However, what makes the book interesting is it's basically about a con game set in the fantasy equivalent of medieval Venice.

As for other fantasy books, what sort do you like? Do you like epics? Gritty realism? Urban Fantasy? Humour?

user-inactivated  ·  2662 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Hmm. Well, I don't read much fantasy though I do have a soft spot for folk tales and legends. I think my favorite would probably be Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf. There's an ongoing comic series that I've been reading since I was a kid, Usage Yojimbo that sometimes has fantasy elements to it, usually in the form of ghost stories. Other than that, I think the closest I get to fantasy books are probably the cape comics I read.

So. Uh. Keeping that vaguery in mind, what do you have? ;)

snowgolem  ·  2662 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Hmm, I think I might have to answer your vaguery with an all-purpose list. Please, do not take this as exhaustive--these are merely some of the thing's I've enjoyed that are even remotely flavoured with fantasy.

Pseudo-Historical Fantasy: anything Guy Gavriel Kay

Actual Historical Fantasy: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Maybe Historical? Fantasy: The King if Ys series by Poul Anderson

Funny Fantasy: Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

Gritty Fantasy: the Black Company novels by Glen Cook

Mind-Numbingly Complex Fantasy: the Malazan series by Steven Erikson

Urban Fantasy: Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint

Epic Fantasy: A Song of Ice and Fire by GRRM (yeah, yeah, I know)

Work in Progress: the works of Patrick Rothfuss

Bonus, because everybody should read these guys (but they're not strictly fantasy): Umberto Ecco and Jorge Luis Borge.

Anyways, that's about all I can think of off the top of my head. Also, I'm exclusively a fantasy reader, so I'm sure there are more dedicated fans of the genre that could likely give you some better recommendations.

user-inactivated  ·  2661 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Dude. Thanks. I'll look into some of these. :)