Fantasy Book Club discussion

So, I love fantasy, I've been reading it since I was about twelve.

I'm twenty-eight now, and I feel like all the good books are behind me, and everything I pick up these days is either too juvenile or full of cliches.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good Tolkien clone, it just seems like the genre is getting choked in a three-way between young adult fantasy, paranormal fantasy (which is not fantasy at all, nor is it a subgenre. Sorry.) and medieval shock-you-to-death series built upon the horrors of human nature.

I like the last one, in moderation. I can't stand it when an author just throws tragedy after tragedy at the reader, however (I'm looking at you, Martin.)

My point is, I just feel like there's not much left for me to read in fantasy. It's quite sad, I tend to read a lot more sci-fi and horror than I do fantasy these days, and you know it's bad when I'm considering picking up a Bronte novel.

Is there any good adult fantasy (as in, not YA, not the... other kind of adult...) out there? Intellectually stimulating, not too hung up on lechery and betrayal? But above all, full of wonder and an enthralling world?

I remember picking up Tolkien for the first time and being glued to it for a week. When I finished it, I knew I'd been changed forever by what I read, in a good way. I still get nostalgic about that, but I don't feel that about books anymore.

I finish them, and then I feel like that was mildly entertaining, but I don't feel changed like I used to.

If you haven't yet, try the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings is the first book). There's a lot of fresh worldbuilding, magic, and some brilliant characters to be had there. The books are longish, but totally worth it. Yes, there are some tragic points, but nothing to tip the scale towards the George R.R. Martin style of madness (beautiful madness, but madness nonetheless).
I don't think Sanderson ever puts sex in his books, but at the same time, they aren't really YA (Mistborn was slightly YA in my opinion, but Stormlight Archive is just traditional fantasy on an epic scale, that isn't held back by some of the medieval-isms of some other traditional fantasy). I was impressed by the first book (The Way of Kings) but I was absolutely wowed by the second (Words of Radiance, my favorite book of 2014).
Recently I also enjoyed some of the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb (Assassin's Apprentice), but it's definitely less optimistic than the Stormlight Archive.

I think you would like Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria books. Start with Theft of Swords.

Thanks guys, I'll check these out :D

Have you ever read the "Book of Words" series by J.V. Jones? This series is great, I really enjoyed it. The first book is called "The Baker's Boy".

I found it to be something fresh and unique in the Fantasy genre. It was an intriguing story, and fast-paced enough to keep me interested.

The Baker's Boy

Have you tried Patricia A. McKillip? I'm particularly fond of In the Forests of Serre, The Book of Atrix Wolfe and The Bell at Sealey Head?

You might also like The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher, Son of the Black Sword by Larry Correia, or Neil Gaiman's Stardust

Prince of thorns by Mark Lawrence The emperor's blades by Brian Staveley are both good. Both are the first books in trilogy/series.

The Goblin Emperor is a standalone and is about what someone can accomplish by basically being a decent person.

Have you read The Dagger and The Coin series from Daniel Abraham? It's a very good, fresh take on fantasy. Great characters and story, the last came out today

I find if you want something intelectually stimulating you should try some science fiction novels. I hardly ever find fantasy intelectually stimulating. I know sacrilege! I read fantasy for epicness and wonder. Unless I am reading the wrong type of fantasy.

Well, the problem is that modern day SF novels I rarely find intellectually stimulating. (Some. not many.)

Also, the fantasy ones are often more fun.

Mustafa wrote: "So, I love fantasy, I've been reading it since I was about twelve.

I'm twenty-eight now, and I feel like all the good books are behind me, and everything I pick up these days is either too juvenil..."

There is a tremendous load of excellent fantasy written for adult perspective, but it's admittedly harder to find amid the welter of coming of age.

I can be pretty fussy about that, myself - I like titles that dig a bit deeper, between lighter reads.

I would suggest these books, with adult protagonists - and proven to hold up over the years (when read at an older perspective, they did not lose their magic, one whit:

Guy Gavriel Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan

Anything written by Barbara Hambly - always adult protagonists, always adult perspective (by adult I don't mean X rated, I mean conceptually).

Anything by |10333]C. J. Cherryh

Anything by Carol Berg - do NOT go by the covers!! they are misleading; these books are not 'romance' or womens' perspective - they are extremely well done, well characterized epic fantasy. She's done several series, an excellent stand alone, and my favorite, the Lighthouse duet.

Check out R. A. MacAvoy's work.

Also Courtney Schafer's The Whitefire Crossing

Also The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein.

Also Scourge of the Betrayer by Jeff Salyards.

Stephen R. Donaldson is another who writes to extremely deep themes, to an adult perspective. Don't be put off by the loud detractors; there is nothing gratuitious in any of his works, he demands adult perspective and reckons fully with consequences, and delivers a very rich payoff. If you want a book without 'triggers' then go for his Mordant's Need duology.

If you have not 'heard' of these books - don't discount them! It is far harder to gain traction and awareness for books oriented for a more mature audience, with adult protagonists. Surely there will be something to your taste in this list.

Janny wrote: "Check out R. A. MacAvoy's work."

She is so good, and criminally underrated/neglected. A Trio for Lute was a masterpiece, Tea with the Black Dragon was delightful and the Lens of the World trilogy was a fascinating take on secondary-world fantasy.

Joseph wrote: "Janny wrote: "Check out R. A. MacAvoy's work."

She is so good, and criminally underrated/neglected. A Trio for Lute was a masterpiece, Tea with the Black Dragon was del..."

Exactly this.

I´m currently reading Guy Gavriel Kay´s River of Stars and even though I haven´t read the 1st book and am not finished with reading of this one, I recommend it. I can´t even describe properly how this book makes me feel: I guess "open" would it be. I wouldn´t usually even mention a book I´m still reading in here but this one is special. It´s just so beautiful that it made me cry.

It makes me extremely happy when a westerner makes a book about east.

If you haven't already read it, I recommend Jack Vance's Lyonesse trilogy - Suldrun's Garden, The Green Pearl and Madouc - a good continuing story, varied and interesting characters, and above all, a richly evoked fantastic setting.

I'm the same age & have been reading fantasy since I was a kid and I feel the opposite to you! There is SO much fantasy out there SO SO much that I don't think I could possibly read it all.
I especially enjoy discovering older, less known authors and reading through their back catalogs.

Some of my favourite authors are Robin Hobb, Guy Gavriel Kay and Joe Abercrombie

I second Barbara Hambly, her work is excellent.

If you want something more intellectually stimulating have you read any China Miéville?