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comment by user-inactivated
user-inactivated  ·  2911 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Hubski's intermittent, inconsistent, posted whenever, by whoever, bookthread

I'll have to look into that book. It sounds interesting. What other fantasy hooks have you read that you think are worth sharing?





snowgolem  ·  2909 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I may have misrepresented the book slightly. Yes, it's set in a fantasy world. Yes there's magic, and swords, and fantastical monsters. However, what makes the book interesting is it's basically about a con game set in the fantasy equivalent of medieval Venice.

As for other fantasy books, what sort do you like? Do you like epics? Gritty realism? Urban Fantasy? Humour?

user-inactivated  ·  2909 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Hmm. Well, I don't read much fantasy though I do have a soft spot for folk tales and legends. I think my favorite would probably be Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf. There's an ongoing comic series that I've been reading since I was a kid, Usage Yojimbo that sometimes has fantasy elements to it, usually in the form of ghost stories. Other than that, I think the closest I get to fantasy books are probably the cape comics I read.

So. Uh. Keeping that vaguery in mind, what do you have? ;)

snowgolem  ·  2909 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Hmm, I think I might have to answer your vaguery with an all-purpose list. Please, do not take this as exhaustive--these are merely some of the thing's I've enjoyed that are even remotely flavoured with fantasy.

Pseudo-Historical Fantasy: anything Guy Gavriel Kay

Actual Historical Fantasy: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Maybe Historical? Fantasy: The King if Ys series by Poul Anderson

Funny Fantasy: Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

Gritty Fantasy: the Black Company novels by Glen Cook

Mind-Numbingly Complex Fantasy: the Malazan series by Steven Erikson

Urban Fantasy: Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint

Epic Fantasy: A Song of Ice and Fire by GRRM (yeah, yeah, I know)

Work in Progress: the works of Patrick Rothfuss

Bonus, because everybody should read these guys (but they're not strictly fantasy): Umberto Ecco and Jorge Luis Borge.

Anyways, that's about all I can think of off the top of my head. Also, I'm exclusively a fantasy reader, so I'm sure there are more dedicated fans of the genre that could likely give you some better recommendations.

user-inactivated  ·  2908 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Dude. Thanks. I'll look into some of these. :)