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Every once in a while someone will ask me about the kind of books I enjoy reading. I'm a very multifaceted reader, I consume both fiction and non-fiction books with equal relish, and my reading habits are often dictated by whatever project I currently find myself working on. If I'm prepping a workshop my reading tends to revolve around that. If I'm in "hibernation" mode I tend to read more fiction (or at least not books about Paganism/Religion!).
When it comes to fiction I mostly read the "fantasy" genre. That's not to say I don't read other things, but when I'm fiction reading I'm often looking for escape, and worlds full of magic and elves tend to supply that. The last few years have supplied a treasure trove of fantasy, so I thought I'd write about my favorite series from the past ten years or so. Some of the authors I'm going to mention have been releasing books for the better part of a decade, some of them for just a year or two. All of them have now entered the realm of "Jason must read these authors right now!" which goes along with me fretting over release dates and making sure I get my reading started within days of release.
So all of the books and authors in this post have the Jason seal of approval. With summer coming along don't you need something to read anyways?
I just finished "The Warded Man" last week and it's been banging around in my head ever since. There were two things about this book that really stood out for me. The first was just that the characters rang true. Their reasons for being who they are, and doing what they do, didn't feel forced or contrived. I've read a lot of books where characters become heroic (or villainous) for reasons that just don't make any sense. That doesn't happen with Brett. There were also several amazing moments of suspense, worry, and tension. When an author leads you down a path where you actively worry about the main character . . .that's great writing! Brett did that to me a handful of times in under 500 pages. This is the best first novel I've read in four years or so. "The Warded Man" is also just the first book in a trilogy (the second book "The Desert Spear" came out in the last two weeks), so much more great reading to come!
Brent Weeks' "Night Angel" trilogy is like a video game translated into a book. It's full of gratuitous killing, and this kind of unconventional "Ninjas in late medieval Europe" thing that was absolutely gripping. While Weeks' main protagonist Kylar is good character, it's the side stories of the secondary characters that steal books two and three. So many authors have trouble telling one good story in a book, Weeks tells two or three in each book!
I did kind of feel that the third book was a bit sloppy. It could have benefited from some tighter editing, or even by being split up into two books. Even with that criticism, Weeks tells such a gripping story that you don't mind the problems too much. Night Angel was recently optioned for a movie too, so read the books before Hollywood spoils the story.
That's Vin, the main character in Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn" trilogy, and she's just so hot and the picture is just so stunning that I stole the original painting that makes up the cover to the first book. Just like Weeks' "Night Angel" trilogy, "Mistborn" was optioned for a film back in January. And while i can see "Night Angel" as a movie, "Mistborn" is another thing entirely. Unlike most fantasy worlds, the world of Mistborn is absolutely unique and original, and like nothing I've ever read before. The story is dark and depressing, but the writing is bright and engaging. There are a good dozen solid characters in Mistborn too, and I have a feeling that the Mistborn trilogy will become one of those "Must Read Essential" fantasy serieses.
Sanderson is currently finishing up Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series, and having read "Wheel" I have to say I think Sanderson is a better writer than Jordan. The characters, the magical system(s), the totally out of left field plot twists, and new fantasy creatures (kandras rule!) are going to make Sanderson a household name like Tolkein. (OK, maybe it won't go that far, but people will know who is!)
I started reading David Coe's "Winds of the Forelands" series about five years ago and once I got through the first two books I thought it would be huge! I has a feeling that every new book he released in the series would be a fantasy event! For reasons I don't understand, it didn't happen, but I still love the series. If you like "dense" series like George R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" or Jordan's "Wheel of Time" you'll love "Winds of the Forelands." It's full of big battles, politics, and a huge cast of players. The best thing about is that it's only five books long and it's all done! Unlike Martin and Jordan, Coe was able to write his epic quickly so you don't have to wait around for a decade to finish up.
Coe also recently finished a second series with a few of the main characters from "Forelands" called "Blood of the Southlands." While not quite as epic as "Forelands" it's still a good read, and the eight books in total should keep you busy all summer long.
Joe Abercrombie's "First Law" trilogy is the dirtiest, grittiest, and most adult fantasy series of last twenty years. Now I'm not using adult here to imply sex, I'm using it to imply that these books are for adults. There's no illusion that "First Law" is for teens, or is "cute." It's a violent, cut-throat fantasy series, full of petty characters that you'd be hard pressed to call heros. They're certainly "real" people in that they are believable, but they aren't all good, or even sympathetic, and as soon as you have one of them figured out they either do something reprehensible or surprisingly noble, sort of like real humans.
Abercrombie is the book I most pass recommend to friends these days because it manages to avoid nearly every major cliche that haunts the fantasy genre. While Abercrombie's books lack the cliched "orphan who grows up to realize a great destiny" tangent, there is an executioner named Glokta who has become one of my favorite characters in the history of fantasy. When you are ready to read a fantasy book that doesn't feel like a role-playing game, pick up "First Law" you'll be glad you did.
When it comes to fiction I mostly read the "fantasy" genre. That's not to say I don't read other things, but when I'm fiction reading I'm often looking for escape, and worlds full of magic and elves tend to supply that. The last few years have supplied a treasure trove of fantasy, so I thought I'd write about my favorite series from the past ten years or so. Some of the authors I'm going to mention have been releasing books for the better part of a decade, some of them for just a year or two. All of them have now entered the realm of "Jason must read these authors right now!" which goes along with me fretting over release dates and making sure I get my reading started within days of release.
So all of the books and authors in this post have the Jason seal of approval. With summer coming along don't you need something to read anyways?
I just finished "The Warded Man" last week and it's been banging around in my head ever since. There were two things about this book that really stood out for me. The first was just that the characters rang true. Their reasons for being who they are, and doing what they do, didn't feel forced or contrived. I've read a lot of books where characters become heroic (or villainous) for reasons that just don't make any sense. That doesn't happen with Brett. There were also several amazing moments of suspense, worry, and tension. When an author leads you down a path where you actively worry about the main character . . .that's great writing! Brett did that to me a handful of times in under 500 pages. This is the best first novel I've read in four years or so. "The Warded Man" is also just the first book in a trilogy (the second book "The Desert Spear" came out in the last two weeks), so much more great reading to come!
Brent Weeks' "Night Angel" trilogy is like a video game translated into a book. It's full of gratuitous killing, and this kind of unconventional "Ninjas in late medieval Europe" thing that was absolutely gripping. While Weeks' main protagonist Kylar is good character, it's the side stories of the secondary characters that steal books two and three. So many authors have trouble telling one good story in a book, Weeks tells two or three in each book!
I did kind of feel that the third book was a bit sloppy. It could have benefited from some tighter editing, or even by being split up into two books. Even with that criticism, Weeks tells such a gripping story that you don't mind the problems too much. Night Angel was recently optioned for a movie too, so read the books before Hollywood spoils the story.
That's Vin, the main character in Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn" trilogy, and she's just so hot and the picture is just so stunning that I stole the original painting that makes up the cover to the first book. Just like Weeks' "Night Angel" trilogy, "Mistborn" was optioned for a film back in January. And while i can see "Night Angel" as a movie, "Mistborn" is another thing entirely. Unlike most fantasy worlds, the world of Mistborn is absolutely unique and original, and like nothing I've ever read before. The story is dark and depressing, but the writing is bright and engaging. There are a good dozen solid characters in Mistborn too, and I have a feeling that the Mistborn trilogy will become one of those "Must Read Essential" fantasy serieses.
Sanderson is currently finishing up Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series, and having read "Wheel" I have to say I think Sanderson is a better writer than Jordan. The characters, the magical system(s), the totally out of left field plot twists, and new fantasy creatures (kandras rule!) are going to make Sanderson a household name like Tolkein. (OK, maybe it won't go that far, but people will know who is!)
I started reading David Coe's "Winds of the Forelands" series about five years ago and once I got through the first two books I thought it would be huge! I has a feeling that every new book he released in the series would be a fantasy event! For reasons I don't understand, it didn't happen, but I still love the series. If you like "dense" series like George R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" or Jordan's "Wheel of Time" you'll love "Winds of the Forelands." It's full of big battles, politics, and a huge cast of players. The best thing about is that it's only five books long and it's all done! Unlike Martin and Jordan, Coe was able to write his epic quickly so you don't have to wait around for a decade to finish up.
Coe also recently finished a second series with a few of the main characters from "Forelands" called "Blood of the Southlands." While not quite as epic as "Forelands" it's still a good read, and the eight books in total should keep you busy all summer long.
Joe Abercrombie's "First Law" trilogy is the dirtiest, grittiest, and most adult fantasy series of last twenty years. Now I'm not using adult here to imply sex, I'm using it to imply that these books are for adults. There's no illusion that "First Law" is for teens, or is "cute." It's a violent, cut-throat fantasy series, full of petty characters that you'd be hard pressed to call heros. They're certainly "real" people in that they are believable, but they aren't all good, or even sympathetic, and as soon as you have one of them figured out they either do something reprehensible or surprisingly noble, sort of like real humans.
Abercrombie is the book I most pass recommend to friends these days because it manages to avoid nearly every major cliche that haunts the fantasy genre. While Abercrombie's books lack the cliched "orphan who grows up to realize a great destiny" tangent, there is an executioner named Glokta who has become one of my favorite characters in the history of fantasy. When you are ready to read a fantasy book that doesn't feel like a role-playing game, pick up "First Law" you'll be glad you did.