What to read after ASoIaF?

[Magnetite]

I read a lot, and pounded through the first four books in about 2 months. ASoIaF is the best series I've ever read, tied with James Clavell's asian saga series (everyone that loves ASoIaF should read these books).

Now, I'm not sure what to read. I just finished, "The Name of the Wind", by Patrick Rothfuss and it's extremely mediocre. About 8 years ago, I read the first couple of books in Steven Erikson's Malazan series, and ended up using them to prop up my futon. They were okay, but weren't amazing.

I've read Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, and it's good (3.5 out of 5), but the writing is not of the same quality as James Clavell or GRRM.

I enjoy reading books where both major and minor characters are well developed. They should have depth and be allowed to make mistakes, even ones that are fatal. The books also need to be written for adults. People can be vulgar and have a variety of sexual fetishes, which should be reflected in the story. I like unpredictable plots as well.

Any suggestions?

(Details with no significant spoilers please!)

[Errant Bard]

Go to the literature forum, read the stickied fantasy recommendation thread or westeros top 100 or Stego's list of SFF, then if you did not find what you seek, open half the normal threads, which happen to also be recommendation threads.

Also, in genre, read Prince of Nothing and the Long Price. And Discworld, Good Omens, and the Monarchies of God. Also Vellum/Ink and the lies of Locke Lamora, and Borges' Fictions and Lord of Light, Umberto Eco, Murakami and Dumas. Or Thomas Mann, Dostoievsky, Vian, Wolfe, Marquez, Chabon, Chiang, Mieville, Harper, the various mythologies like the Mahabarata, the Illiad, Water Margin, Stephenson, I don't know, there's so many books in "fiction" beside the two series you mention.

ETA: Also, your criterion are so broad as to be rather meaningless, they just mean "a book that doesn't suck". You also only mention two bad series but don't say why you stopped reading one of the two. People will list their favourites, while barely acknowledging there was to be a filter.

[oxmix]

I read a lot, and pounded through the first four books in about 2 months. ASoIaF is the best series I've ever read, tied with James Clavell's asian saga series (everyone that loves ASoIaF should read these books).

Now, I'm not sure what to read. I just finished, "The Name of the Wind", by Patrick Rothfuss and it's extremely mediocre. About 8 years ago, I read the first couple of books in Steven Erikson's Malazan series, and ended up using them to prop up my futon. They were okay, but weren't amazing.

I've read Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, and it's good (3.5 out of 5), but the writing is not of the same quality as James Clavell or GRRM.

I enjoy reading books where both major and minor characters are well developed. They should have depth and be allowed to make mistakes, even ones that are fatal. The books also need to be written for adults. People can be vulgar and have a variety of sexual fetishes, which should be reflected in the story. I like unpredictable plots as well.

Any suggestions?

(Details with no significant spoilers please!)

In fantasy, there are The Lord of the Rings, Dune, The Illiad, The Odyssey and Beowulf. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a good seires. For something Medieval, there is no beating Gawain and the Green Knight.

If you are willing to go outside fantasy, try War and Peace for a hundred pages, or I, Claudius.

[Silverx2]

if you are looking for something dragon related, but different from the typical dragon fantasy setting, check out the temeraire series. Napolean war fought with dragons. good stuff, also the first book that ever had something happen where i got a little choked up.

[arrowfan]

The Sword of Shanara... by Terry Brooks

I'm sure its in one of the lists Errant Bard suggested, but just thought I'd toss it in here anyway. It's a bit low brow but fantastic heroic storytelling nevertheless.

[corbon]

Abercrombie is very good - great characterisation, though the base plot isn't always particularly brilliant (although there is sometimes hidden depth there).

The Sundering series by Jaqueline Carey was very good. Not great writing necessarily, or great plotting, but a very poignant, deliberate and obvious turning of tLotR on it's head. A rare thing, well worth the read IMO.

KJ Parker is always brilliant. Characters (both people and organisations) that are both understated and overstated and the same time, complex yet simple plots.

Guy Gavriel Kay is perhaps the only storyteller I've read that is GRRMs equal. His stories are mostly smaller than ASOIAF, but magnificently done, especially the historico-fantasy novels (the Fionavar Trilogy was slightly less good IMO). I think he is a poet, more than any other writer, and it shows in his work.

Terry Pratchett is of course unmatched in his sub-genre of comic fantasy, but that is a somewhat different beast.

This group are (plus GRRM), IMO, in a class of their own as authors in any genre, that I have read (I read a lot, but not always widely).

I also think that a lot of older authors (as in books written decades plus ago) were very good for their time, but have dated in some aspects. They may have been groundbreakingly brilliant in their time, and have had depth and sophistication in their time, but they still have been surpassed. Much like an elite sportsman - Don Bradman or Babe Ruth would probably struggle in modern sport, (though if they developed in a modern environment they probably would still have been as dominant), I think that storytelling at the highest level has evolved. That doesn't make the older books or authors any less good though.

I also have a theory that niche authors, fantasy authors in particular, due to the nature of their fanbases have to be much better than mainstream authors to have the same success.

[Magnetite]

Thanks for the responses. I'll look into what was suggested (that I haven't read before).

[Errant Bard]

The Sword of Shanara... by Terry Brooks

I'm sure its in one of the lists Errant Bard suggested, but just thought I'd toss it in here anyway. It's a bit low brow but fantastic heroic storytelling nevertheless.

Actually, no, it's not recommended. Brooks is widely regarded to be insipid and unoriginal, maybe an entry-point to Fantasy, alongside the likes of Eddings, and Sword of Shannara is often mentioned as a shameless LOTR ripoff. But it gets mentioned in the crap books thread, that's that.

[Old Nan]

Actually, no, it's not recommended. Brooks is widely regarded to be insipid and unoriginal, maybe an entry-point to Fantasy, alongside the likes of Eddings, and Sword of Shannara is often mentioned as a shameless LOTR ripoff. But it gets mentioned in the crap books thread, that's that.

I've read Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, and it's good (3.5 out of 5)

:dunno:

[Errant Bard]

Doesn't change the fact that it's not among the list of recommended readings on this forum :P

[Phantom]

I've read Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, and it's good (3.5 out of 5), but the writing is not of the same quality as James Clavell or GRRM.

:bang:

Clothar the Frank (Also titled Lance thrower in countries outside of the U.S) by Jack Whyte. Historical fiction and superbly written. If you're a fan of ASOIAF, you'll love Whyte's stuff.

Summary ;

In Clothar the Frank, the first novel of a two-book miniseries called The Golden Eagle, Jack Whyte invites us to explore his cast of fascinating characters during the reign and tragic downfall of the Riothamus Arthur, High King of All Britain. From Gaul, now the land of the Franks, comes young Clothar, the son of one king and the nephew of another. He has just survived a fierce civil war in Benwick, the land of his childhood—a war involving his own family, pitting brother against brother—to discover that his fate is not in his own hands. Instead it rests with his teacher and mentor, the renowned and powerful Bishop Germanus; Germanus's old friend, the elusive and enigmatic Caius Merlyn Britannicus; and Merlyn's young ward, the future king, Arthur Pendragon. Clothar's story is the story of Lancelot—his past, his loves, his loyalty and his role as King Arthur's friend and betrayer.

[Liadin]

ETA: Also, your criterion are so broad as to be rather meaningless, they just mean "a book that doesn't suck". You also only mention two bad series but don't say why you stopped reading one of the two. People will list their favourites, while barely acknowledging there was to be a filter.

Is this not generally true, no matter how specific a rec request may be? ;)

In all fairness, I thought the preference for books that deal with sexual fetishes narrowed it down quite a bit. Lots of books will tell you the characters are doing wild or unusual things in bed, but rarely do they specify what. The only thing that's coming to mind for me right now is the S&M in Tigana--which is an excellent book aside from that, as well.

[Grack21]

Actually, no, it's not recommended. Brooks is widely regarded to be insipid and unoriginal, maybe an entry-point to Fantasy, alongside the likes of Eddings, and Sword of Shannara is often mentioned as a shameless LOTR ripoff. But it gets mentioned in the crap books thread, that's that.

Actually the sequels up til after The Heritage of Shanarra I always felt were pretty decent, but if you need rape and gore, I guess it won't suit you very much.

And really, insipid? That's a bit much.

Edit: I've seen both Dostoevsky and Tolstoy mentioned in some of the crap books thread, so that doesn't mean much. Not to compare Brooks to them at all, but some of the snobbery around here is starting to get to me.

[Cantabile]

Edit: I've seen both Dostoevsky and Tolstoy mentioned in some of the crap books thread, so that doesn't mean much. Not to compare Brooks to them at all, but some of the snobbery around here is starting to get to me.

Dostoevsky and Tolstoy listed as crap...?

This is the 114th time I've lost faith in humanity this year.

[Errant Bard]

Edit: I've seen both Dostoevsky and Tolstoy mentioned in some of the crap books thread, so that doesn't mean much. Not to compare Brooks to them at all, but some of the snobbery around here is starting to get to me.

What's difficult to parse in:

1. Sword of Shannara must be in this forum's recommended list
   
2. No, I don't think it is, and from experience Brooks is not really recommended. I fact <insert link to "insipid" quote> some people have been known to bash it.

Go take your beef with those who actually read the damn books, instead of those who just report how recommended they are.

A majority finding a book/series you like to be bad isn't snobbery, it's opinion. And you're on a literature board, what do you expect, people praising the Da Vinci Code or Twilight?

[drawkcabi]

To add my $.02,

Reading your original post I've got a feeling out of all the great recommendations you've gotten so far you should put Joe Abercrombie's First Law series and his follow up one shot Best Served Cold at the top of your reading list.

I could be wrong, there are people here who love ASOIAF but hate First Law, but I think it may come the closest to providing the storytelling style you liked in ASOIAF.

[wolverine]

I read a lot, and pounded through the first four books in about 2 months. ASoIaF is the best series I've ever read, tied with James Clavell's asian saga series (everyone that loves ASoIaF should read these books).

(Details with no significant spoilers please!)

Shogun and ASOIF are my favorite books also.

I would recommend things like:

Lymond Chronicles by Dunnet

Warlord Chronicles by Cornwell

Rome series by McCullough

Prince of Nothing by Bakker

[Stego]

I would recommend things like:

Lymond Chronicles by Dunnet

Rome series by McCullough

These are awesome, awesome suggestions.

[Grack21]

What's difficult to parse in:

1. Sword of Shannara must be in this forum's recommended list
   
2. No, I don't think it is, and from experience Brooks is not really recommended. I fact <insert link to "insipid" quote> some people have been known to bash it.

Go take your beef with those who actually read the damn books, instead of those who just report how recommended they are.

A majority finding a book/series you like to be bad isn't snobbery, it's opinion. And you're on a literature board, what do you expect, people praising the Da Vinci Code or Twilight?

It's not that people don't like/hate something that I enjoy. It's the attitude some people take with it that gets to me. "Oh you like brooks...well all the rest of your opinions must be crap, go back to college etc etc." Now, I apologize a bit, I'm, not saying that you specifically did this, it's just latent anger bleeding over from other topics. Also, i HAVE seen people praising both The Da Vinci Code and Twilight.

[Stego]

I like Brooks. It was awesome in 4th grade. That Lord of The Rings fanfic I wrote at the time was nowhere near as good.