mankytoes Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I'd never really read fantasy before I picked up Game of Thrones, it just never appealed to me. Having got ridiculously obsessed with the series, I've been trying to read more into it. Results have been mixed. I've read GRRM talk about how Jack Vance is a great writer, and there were loads of positive reviews, so I picked up one of the Dying Earth books, but I barely started it. As soon as people start fighting wizards with amulets and making twins out of potions, I just switch off. I'm reading the First Law series at the moment, and it's good, but I just tolerate the magical bits. What I'm really asking if anyone has had a similar experience, and turned around, or whether this sort of thing is something you love or hate, and I should just give up on this genre, barring the much less magic heavy books like ASOIAF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrum Aeternum Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I'd never really read fantasy before I picked up Game of Thrones, it just never appealed to me. Having got ridiculously obsessed with the series, I've been trying to read more into it. Results have been mixed. I've read GRRM talk about how Jack Vance is a great writer, and there were loads of positive reviews, so I picked up one of the Dying Earth books, but I barely started it. As soon as people start fighting wizards with amulets and making twins out of potions, I just switch off. I'm reading the First Law series at the moment, and it's good, but I just tolerate the magical bits. What I'm really asking if anyone has had a similar experience, and turned around, or whether this sort of thing is something you love or hate, and I should just give up on this genre, barring the much less magic heavy books like ASOIAF? If you get turned off by the fantastical you're probably not going to have much luck reading Fantasy, is my guess. I think for most people it's a love/hate thing. I also know plenty of people who read ASOIAF and won't even consider reading anything else in the genre, so you're not alone in feeling that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgambino Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Yeah, if you like First Law and ASOIAF but not the fantasy elements, you may be be better off going with historical fiction. All the blood and heroics of fantasy, none of the magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Well I wouldn't recommend jumping straight into Malazan but there's still plenty out there for you to read. I strongly suspect it also depends on approach. I mean, aSoIaF isn't particularly low magic, it just approaches that magic in a certain way and has certain focuses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterOJ Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I mean, aSoIaF isn't particularly low magic, it just approaches that magic in a certain way and has certain focuses. I've never understood the folks that think ASOIAF is low magic. I mean, there's zombies, dragons, skinwalkers, and even wizards of a sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wicked Woodpecker of West Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 And basically morale of series so far that those stupid people down the south are so busy with their politics and "historical" stuff their ignoring threat of elemental apocalypse going right into them. Use magic, you fools! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seli Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 The novels by K.J Parker might me something that appeals to you. Perhaps Robin Hobb (Farseer world mostly), the magic there is present but at a more natural and humane scale that might be easier to handle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Reckoner Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Good luck with Ice and Fire. It gets pretty magic heavy on down the road. The follow ups to First Law might be more your interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo498 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 LotR is fairly low magic. But there must be another element to it. As someone already said, SoIaF is not all that low on magic, so it's probably something else you dislike about the stuff you tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eponine Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I also dislike high fantasy and long fantasy series. I've gotten much less interested in asoiaf as it's moved away from KL politics. I do, however, enjoy standalones, new weird, non-romance urban fantasy, and low-magic fiction. There's nothing wrong with "giving up" on books that don't sound good to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Bernard Cornwell is the answer here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChampion Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Try Guy Gavriel Kay's low-magic historical fantasies, or Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels. Lots of magic in the Deryni books, but I suspect more palatable to you because a lot more GRRM like than anything else I've ever read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night's_King Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Like other people said, asoiaf is essentially high fantasy. I would even go so far as saying that there's more actual magic (in the sense of casting spells, etc.) than in lord of the rings.Sure, if you don't like other high fantasy than ice and fire, that's okI would second DRII's recommendation. Especially his Arthur books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Reckoner Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 OP, you might enjoy Perdido Street Station. Its in the new weird genre, and while there are some unconventional fantastic races, Mieville presents it more as SF than magical or high fantasy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemiNymph Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 You can try books which are more Sci-fi rather than fantasy. Often people only like one or the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Mankytoes, how do you feel about comic books stories, you know, the superpowers and all? What about The Little Prince? Zombies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolverine Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 I've never understood the folks that think ASOIAF is low magic. I mean, there's zombies, dragons, skinwalkers, and even wizards of a sort. Much of the focus early on is political in a land that does not appear to even have magic. Most people live their entire lives in Westeros not believing magic even exists. I would say magic is much less prevalent than other fantasy books, especially early on, so I understand people thinking it is low magic in comparison to other fantasy. Dragons don't necessarily mean magic to me either. It is just another type of animal. How they were hatched was pretty magical though. Bernard Cornwell is the answer here. Seconded. I also think there is a lot of great historical fiction you may be more interested in. You should start with Shogun by Clavell and can thank me later ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 People who tolerate or even like genre furniture (that is, the elements of a story that would qualify it as "fantasy" or "high fantasy") don't always notice how glaringly apparent it can be in genre fiction, especially to those who don't like it. So I'm also going to recommend that the OP try some historical fiction, rather than struggle through any more fantasy novels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 People who tolerate or even like genre furniture (that is, the elements of a story that would qualify it as "fantasy" or "high fantasy") don't always notice how glaringly apparent it can be in genre fiction, especially to those who don't like it.But he says he likes ASOIAF (though since he said "Game of Thrones" maybe he's just watching the series, possibly) to the point of obsession so clearly some genre furniture is not that glaring or problematic for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 It's not the OP I'm focusing on with that comment -- it's all of the well-meaning fantasy fans who claim "but there's not THAT much magic/wizards/amulets/trolls/dragons/farmboys/chickensthatareevilmanifest" in whatever book they're recommending because, to them, there might not be. But what might be benign-to-the-point-of-invisible to a genre fan can still be overbearing and awful to someone who hasn't bought into the genre. Just speaking from experience here, as someone who has very little patience for most fantasy, and who has spent a lot of time talking to people who have no patience for it. For all I know, maybe the OP will find a number of fantasy books that s/he likes. I certainly have, despite not generally liking the genre. Perhaps if the OP could elaborate what s/he liked about ASOIAF, the group could provide some more targeted recommendations. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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