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/lit/ - Literature

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7054877 No.7054877 [Reply] [Original]

Quality fantasy literature recommendations

>> No.7054891

>>7054877
If you don't read this book, you'll have missed out on something important and wonderful and all the cool people will laugh at you.

>> No.7054969
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7054969

>> No.7055011

Little, Big by John Crowley. Not fantasy in the most conventional sense, modern type setting, but it has faeries and magic and shit so I think it counts. One of the most moving and satisfying books I've ever read, with all the power of the best myths and fairy tales.

>> No.7055593

>>7054877
Honestly I've been enjoying Wolfe and Tolkien so much I haven't moved away from them yet. Read Tolkien's bibliography, which wasn't that big, but am still going through Wolfe. Have 10 or so impotant novels left. And TWK was wonderful, maybe a bit too subtile and simplistic in the same time to be as good as his other works.

>> No.7057513

Reading Wolfes Latro in the Mist and its everything I ever wanted from a fantasy novel holy shit

>> No.7057626
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7057626

I've never read Mieville, he's talked about a lot by my friends. Should I read him?

Would his first book be a good start?

>> No.7057792
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7057792

The Last Unicorn

>> No.7057794

>>7057626
He is a manchild Marxist who believes that misogyny is worse than Hitler.
Considering that and the lack of talent concerning writing people he is good.

>> No.7057949

>>7057626
I haven't read King Rat but I hear it is not as good as some of his other stuff. I started with The City & the City, which I would unqualifiedly recommend. Perdido Street Station was occasionally very good as well, but much more bloated and inconsistent.

Ignore the poster who is insanely mad that 99% of intelligent, politically aware writers are leftists. (Mieville is just a more specific and academic type of leftist than most.)

>> No.7058144

Watership Down
The Shadow of the Torturer
Nightside the Long Sun
Kappa
The Face of Another
The Invention of Morel
The Jungle Book(s)

>> No.7058182

>>7057949
I'm not mad that he is a leftist. And most aren't historically even if they are now. It's just that he has a really stupid political view and he can't write people. His only good trait is his imagination concerning the settings themselves.

>> No.7058194

If you went to reddit and asked for 'quality fantasy literature' you'd get recommended:
The name of the wind
Lies of Locke Lamora
Malazan
Mistborn
etc.

>> No.7058196

>>7055011
This, and actaully it is fantasy in a far more correct sense than, e.g., any of these >>7058194

>> No.7058202

>>7058196
But isn't Malazan THE ULTIMATE fantasy series?

>> No.7058204

>>7057949
>Ignore the poster who is insanely mad that 99% of intelligent, politically aware writers are leftists
LOL yes this is definitely historically the case

>> No.7058207

>>7058202
If you haven't grown out of Naruto and Attack on Titan, sure.

>> No.7058210
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7058210

>> No.7058211

>>7058202
If you think mediocre thrillers with wizards in them are fantasy

>> No.7058216
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7058216

>> No.7058225

>>7055011

Little, Big is one of those books I have no idea what to make of, other than that it's strange and beautiful. I really have to read it again.

>> No.7058273

No one has mentioned Gormenghast yet. I'm dissappoint.

>> No.7058284
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7058284

>>7054877

>> No.7058285

>>7058284
HEr short stories are better.

>> No.7058295

>>7058273
Most didn't read it.

>> No.7058296
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7058296

its better than people think

>> No.7058299

>>7058194

>tfw at bookstore the other day
>tfw qt recommends The Painted Man and The Name of the Wind
>tfw bought The Painted Man
>tfw I will never ask her out for coffee

>> No.7058303

>>7058299
did she work there?
go back and tell her it was good
ask when she finishes

>> No.7058307

>>7058303

I still haven't read it, I am working through Queen of Fire at the moment. After reading Sanderson it feels much more gritty and the lack of any real mystery is greatly noticeable.

>> No.7058317

>>7058307
>not reading what the qt recommends

>> No.7058320

>>7058317

I've awaited this third installment for over a year, I'm not going to start a new trilogy while the end of another is sitting in my hands. Fuck you man.

>> No.7058345
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7058345

>> No.7058353

>>7057513
>>7058345
I'm reading up on ancient greek and roman mythology and legends in preparation for this. Am I going overboard? Is the idea that you have some idea of what's going on when you read them or did he write with a 20/21st century reader in mind? Since it's Wolfe I'm 99% sure I know the answer but still it can't hurt to ask.

Peace was great but not fantasy.

>> No.7058375
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7058375

>>7058353
He wrote expecting the audience to be familiar with Herodotus Histories, the world is the world in the Histories where magical realism is fact + the events follows the Histories timeline, important people, etc

>> No.7058395

>>7058375
How familiar is familiar? I think I'll read it anyway once I've gone over the basics. This greek stuff is all pretty interesting. Kind of makes me wish I started with them.

>> No.7058488

>>7058299
>>7058303
>>7058307
>>7058317
>>7058320
mroning /lit/'s attempt to ruin thread has failed

>> No.7060057

>>7057794
Lol that sums him up exactly. Still though, if you can get past the straight up propaganda, he's pretty imaginative. Lots of filler but whatever.

>> No.7060065

>>7057949
> 99% of intelligent, politically aware writers are leftists.

That's just incorrect.

>> No.7060348

I have scoured /lit/ for years to get great fantasy books.

>The Magicians series (Lev Grossman)
>Sword of Shadows series (J.V. Jones)
>Bartimaeus series (Jonathan Stroud)
>Let the Right One In, Let the Old Dreams Die
>The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Neil Gaiman)
>Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman)

Those are ones that need more attention from the fantasy crowd in general, I think. You can always throw in the classics like Wheel of Time or Wizard of Earthsea.

>> No.7060411
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7060411

English is not my first language, Is the prose in this book difficult?

>> No.7060546
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7060546

>> No.7060581

>>7057794
>who believes that misogyny is worse than Hitler
Not sure about this part , but he's certainly quite the comedy-level socialist. One of his books finishes with the protagonists freezing into a social realism sculpture, would you believe.

>> No.7060582

>>7060348
>You can always throw in the classics like Wheel of Time
>Wheel of Time
Nope, sorry. Jordan is only a few steps above Sanderson in terms of prose, and the books drag on and on like a struldbrug's balls.

>> No.7060592

>>7058182
>he can't write people
He certainly isn't much good at making likeable people - they all seem like somewhat detached, distant dickheads.

>> No.7060607

>>7060581
I do not believe.

>> No.7060626

>>7060581
Yeah but that whole book was not his best. Just do what I do and read Embassytown over and over.
>>7060607
It's true, the book is Iron Council and if I remember correctly time shenanigans are involved.

>> No.7060633

>>7060607
I'd tell you which one it is, but I suppose that would be ruining the ending. Just read "Perdido Street Station" and "The City and The City" - they're his two best.

>> No.7060639

>>7060626
I've heard that's his most commie masturbation book. I'll probably read The Scar and be done with him. Pleb level propaganda.

>> No.7060646

>>7060626
Have to admit I never really got into Embassytown. It won awards, but everything he writes wins awards.

>> No.7060652

>>7060639
Yeah actually The Scar is fun as well.

>> No.7060669
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7060669

>> No.7060677

>>7060652
My favorite thing is broats. I have five broats.

>> No.7060695

>>7058182
>His only good trait is his imagination concerning the settings themselves.
That's what they said about Tolkien.

>> No.7060719

>>7060348
that is an awful list

>> No.7062558

>>7060592
Likable isn't relevant when writing a character. It's just that his are 2d at best.
>>7060695
And they were wrong, only people who say that are those who don't get him or haven't read him.

>> No.7062595

I've just recently discovered how great Le Guin is. I think I like her even better than Wolfe.

>> No.7062768

>>7062595
I've recently read her and was disappointed with Left Hand of Darkness. Interesting presentation and sociology, but really weak characters and it doesn't make something complete artistically and philosophically like Wolfe.

>> No.7063306

How is The Shadow of the Torturer?
I've never read anything by Gene Wolfe and I'm looking for a place to start, so that one seemed like the logical choice.
Latro of the Mist sounds really interesting too though.

>> No.7063326

>>7062595
>>7062768
Le Guin is my favorite SF/F author and one of my favorite authors. I like the characters in The Dispossessed better than in LHoD (and I'm also much closer to her sociopolitically than I am to Wolfe, so I'm sure that helps).

>>7063306
It's good and a fine entry point but it brings up lots of stuff that doesn't pay off until 2-4 books later so you've gotta commit to the whole thing (including Urth) if you're gonna read it. I recommend starting with The Fifth Head of Cerberus.

>> No.7063348

>>7063326
>including Urth
I disagree. Rereading will provide you with all of the answers Urth does and its only saving grace as a work is its third act.

>> No.7063379

>>7063326
>I recommend starting with The Fifth Head of Cerberus.


Thanks bruv, I'll look for it.
You bring up a good point and I would prefer something that is a standalone title just to see if I enjoy Wolfe's style before committing to reading several of his books.

>> No.7063403

>>7058317
I love my girlfriend and will likely marry her, but women's taste in books is terrible.

>> No.7063634

>>7063326
And I'm Catholic largely because of Wolfe so yeah. It's a bias on my side too.
>>7063306
It's 1/4 of the actual novel, published in 4 parts. And it's absolutely brilliant. Only authors who have affected me as much were Williams, Dostoevsky, Dante, Chekov and Tolstoy. Wolfe easily enters the masterpiece level.
And as the other anon said 5th Head of Cerberus and I'd add his short stories with it as the best into Wolfe.

>> No.7063674
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7063674

>>7063634
>And I'm Catholic largely because of Wolfe

HAHAHAHA

>> No.7063711

>>7063634
Holy popeshit, Meme Catholicism is real. What hath 4chan wrought?

>> No.7063724

>>7063711
I've read Wolfe before I found this place.

>>7063674

Yes, shithead. It's true. It's also because of Dostoevsky and Kierkegaard. Anything wrong with that?

>> No.7063768

>>7057792
I came to this thread to make this post

>> No.7064625
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7064625

Has anyone here read this?
I'm getting mixed signals from reviews, it gets consistently good reviews but the negative ones pretty much trash it completely.

>> No.7064635

>>7064625
u can't be serious

>> No.7064702

if you consider Borges to be a fantasy author (which he is, in the vein of Carrol or Swift or any other non-"high" genre fantasy was before Tolkien cemented our contemporary tropes), then I would also recommend Italo Calvino, Donald Barthleme and perhaps George Saunders. 3/4 of these non-parenthesized authors are short story exclusive, so you ADHD genrefags have no excuses.

>> No.7064788

>>7064702
thank you the cats

>> No.7065184

>>7064702
Calvino is a genius

Saunders seems horribly overrated to me having only read one collection. sub-Vonnegut

>> No.7065329

Are there any fantasy books set in an asiatic style/setting? everything is mostly like medieval english and such like that
I'm tired of knights man I want samurai for once

>> No.7065342

>>7060581
bullshit. The scar is very good, and Iron Council is absolute brilliant. Mieville himself is aware of the flaws of socialism/anarchism, if you don't notice that on Iron Council you're really a bad reader. He is sure a leftist, but not a blind one.

>> No.7065367

The Worm Ouroboros. If you haven't read this book you don't understand shit about fantasy.

>>7065329

Barry Hughart's Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox are good

>> No.7065385

The King of Elfland's Daughter
Vathek
A Voyage to Arcturus
Lud-in-the-Mist

>> No.7065394

>>7058296
It really is. Some stories are pretty boring, but some are great. I read Queen of the Black Coast earlier today and it was excellent.

>> No.7066702

>>7065329
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu seems Asia inspired. I have not read it so I can't recommend it, but you could perhaps check it out.