SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I am currently reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, but I think Ill be able to finish it off quite soon. So, I need something new to read, preferably fantasy. I am not really that familiar with fantasy, I have only read HP, LotR and WoT, so Im open for suggestions. I would really like to read something epic, with a large and intricate setting. :) Thanks :)

Two series immediately come to mind;

The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. The first book is Wizard's First Rule

and

The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. The first book is A Game of Thrones.

I'll second the suggestion of Martin. I also suggest:

The Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham, which begins with A Shadow in Summer.

The Prince of Nothing Trilogy by R. Scott Bakker, which begins with The Darkness That Comes Before.

I really enjoyed The Saga of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt Jr., which begins with The Magic of Recluce

Emily wrote: "If you want epic, long, and intricate, you can't go wrong with Martin! (Except that the series isn't finished. Join me in a collective fist-shaking. ;) )

...I really have to get around to reading..."

*shaking fists*

I suggest Martin's series as well... one of the best series Ive read.

Oh and *Shakes Fists*

Wheel of Time isn't finished either...

My favourite ever fantasy trilogy is The Fionavar Tapestry. And it's definitely finished.

Robin Hobbs' Farseer trilogy is a good place to start. If you want new and ongoing, Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastard Sequence and Patrick Rothfuss's Name of the Wind are both excellent. Neil Gaiman is always excellent. And Ken Scholls (Lamentation) or Brent Weeks (Night Angel Trilogy) are two other new authors who are very good.

Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind.

The Dragonbone Chair Book 1 of the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy. imho Tad Williams wrote one of the best fantasy series ever.

I would really like to read something epic, with a large and intricate setting. :) Thanks :)

Kate Elliott, definitely. The Crown of Stars series starts with King's Dragon and is a fantasy medieval Europe. Even better, imo, is her more recent Crossroads trilogy which starts with Spirit Gate and is in an islander-feeling / Asian setting. Talk about EPIC.

Also Inda by Sherwood Smith, which is complete now (4 books), another fantastic epic.

I want to rec A Game of Thrones but it would be cruel to, imo, until he actually publishes Dances with Dragons. *shakes fist*

I would strongly recommend Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series -- very long, very intricate, and with absolutely wonderful characterization and world-building. However, my recommendation come with these caveats:

1. Sado-masochistic sex, prostitution, and homosexuality are all portrayed in a positive way. All of these elements are necessary to the plot, but I know they aren't for everyone, so I mention that up front.
2. There is a LOT of politics and intrigue, and you WILL use the handy Dramatis Personae in the front of the books (it runs to several pages long).
3. It's told in a slightly high-flown first-person style, so if you like a more simple narrative voice it's not for you.

That's it. If none of those things bother you, pick them up, and you can be happy that even though the series isn't finished, every single novel has a beginning, middle, and end, AND Carey is wonderful at getting a new book out every year. :)

Tamora Pierce is my favorite. Alanna: The First Adventure is the first book in The Song of the Lioness quartet.