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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   2993 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for July 28, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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For some less known series that are still excellent, I'd recommend The Dagger and the Coin, and The Long Price Quartet.

Other good fantasy series in no particular order:

  • Chronicles of the Black Gate
  • The Weavers of Saramyr
  • Ash and Sand
  • The Craft Sequence
  • Divine Cities
  • Prince of Thorns
  • Magicians by Feist
  • The Night Angel Trilogy

If you're really looking to sink your teeth into an epic universe, go for Malazan Book of the Fallen, or The Traitor Son Cycle for a slightly less dense but similar style series. Lightbringer is also pretty epic in scope and length. The Second Apocalypse if you're really into dense worldbuilding and want to be sad.

I'm the same with the Malazan Book of the Fallen. I try it, I go "I should like it" but then - bounce right off.

Also all of these series are completed as well! I saw that the Sun Eater Sequence above is unfinished. That's always a pet peeve of mine when looking for recommendations.

Oh and if you do read The Second Apocalypse, please let me know what you think of my boy Kellhus.

Malazan will take up a significant portion of your life unless you have significant free time. It's good, don't get me wrong, but it has significant opportunity costs and Erikson is lucky I read Deadhouse Gates because Gardens of the moon wasn't a good enough hook for the entire series(as a whole novel!).

That's funny because when I read it maybe 10 years ago, Gardens of the Moon was my favorite one, and the returns seemed to diminish with every subsequent novel. I mean, I enjoyed them all. But that first one was just great. Humorous, adventurous, downright plucky, and everything tied up on a nice neat, satisfying bow. The characters that felt like they needed to get what was coming to them did, and the characters you wanted to have a nice moment did.

After that, it sometimes felt like the world building got out over the author's skis. To the point where there were major factions/events that needed their own explanations in side series. He also settled into a far more baroque tone which eventually wore me down.

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