Reading List 2010
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1 DragonologyDugald Steer
2 The Anubis GatesTim Powers
3 Uhura's SongJanet Kagan
4 The Magic in the WeavingTamora Pierce
5 The Power in the StormTamora Pierce
6 The Fire in the ForgingTamora Pierce
7 The Healing in the VineTamora Pierce
8 TerrierTamora Pierce
9 BloodhoundTamora Pierce
10 The Dragon Booked. ( Read more... )
Where to start! I suppose it depends what kind of fantasy you're looking for.
If you like dragons:
Anne McCaffrey's Pern series are great - some are mediaeval esque, some have a more technological slant, depending on where in the world's timeline the book is. These dragons are telepathic and bond with their riders, protecting the world from falling thread, a highly destrutcitve and corrosive substance, by breathing fire on it. Some books focus on the dragon riders, other on the harpers, others on general people.
Naomi Novik's Temeraire series is fantastic - it's an alternative history. The Napoleonic wars (1790s) but with intelligent dragons as an aerial force! These dragons are highly intelligent, can talk and bond with their Captains, although more in the way a wild creature bonds with the one who rears it, not telepathically like on Pern. This series follows a ship's Captain who accidentally becomes a dragon captain, and his adventures on the Napoleonic wars and travels around the world.
Mercedes Lackey's Joust series is set in what is basically Ancient Egypt, and these dragons are animals, and have riders called jousters who rear them from the egg. Again, they are aerial warfare forces. There is also sorcery in this world. The series follows the story of a slave boy who becomes a dragon jouster.
If you like epic fantasy:
I haven't read Wheel of Time (and don't intend to, because they are dozens of them, and I hear they're rather slow going and the author died before the end), but that's as epic as it gets!
The Thomas Covenant series by Stephen Donaldson is good, but quite dark - the main character is not very likeable at first, and spends pretty much every book feeling very sorry for himself. but the world created is beautiful, and the description and characterisation is very strong. It sucks you in.
The Farseer and Twany Man series by Robin Hobb are very good. They follow on from each other. They are about a man who is an illegitimate prince, and as such is recruited as an assassin (although I don't recall him actually being an assasin very much!). He has the royal magic, which is a standard sort of telepathic magic, and he also has the Wit, meaning he can communicate with animals. Those with The Wit bond for life with an animal telepathically - his bond animal is a wolf. But those with the Wit are also hated and feared. He must learn to control his magics and hold the kingdom togther. In the Tawny Man books, he must protect the future heir to the throne, who is also Witted. Wonderful series, especially for the relationship between Fitz and The Fool (the two main characters). very complex. I'm not doing the story justice here!
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