Best fantasy series from the last 20 years.
Mar 17 '00
To be honiest, I haven't seriously read any fantasy that goes beyond the last 20 years other then Dune, the first volume of which I truly enjoyed. I tried Tolkien because of how it was hyped and praised. I managed to finish The Hobbit despite a mind numbing boredom, and left the second book at 100 pages. Perhaps at the time when they were released, these books were indeed a phenomenon, but this series definitely wasn't for me. My favorite books have been written within the last 20 years. I suppose you could call them contemporary fantasy, but to me its more then that. Out of all the fantasy series I have read, a few of them stand out more then the others. I will include here what I consider to be the most enjoyable. I must warn you, however -- being so new, some of these series aren't complete yet.
#6 The Sword of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
Ahh, what a heart pounding start with characters bigger then life and mind blowing passion, and what a heart breaking downfall stained by repetition and unchanging characters. The story of Richard Cypher, a simple woods scout, and his love Kahlan, the most powerful woman in the entire land. Goodkind has become disturbingly repetitive, but the beginning few volumes of these series are pearls in a necklace.
#5 The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan
If I hadn't read the last volume, this series would have been the only one I would have included in this editorial. Jordan had a magnificant first 6 volumes, after which everything fell apart. The series have turned into a soap opera, and the last book consists of women bickering for chapters and the wheather changing. But, previously Jordan was undoubtedly the best. Expecially the volume called 'Lord of Chaos' has been the best fantasy book I have ever read. Hopefully, this overwhelmingly long series will come to the shocking conclusion everyone is eagerly waiting for.
#4 The Coldfire Trilogy, C.S. Friedman
I don't know if this is Sc-Fi or Fantasy. It occurs after space travel, but the stage is set in such an original way that the future is, indeed, the past. Sword and sorcery rules the day, and vampires and demons haunt the night. The Coldfire Trilogy has many issues, some of which are religious. Best part of these series are the 2 main characters, a priest and a demon, and how they learn to become more than they are.
#3 The Farseer, by Robin Hobb
The story of a loner. Completely different type of magic, unlike any other you would see on a fantasy book, and your most unlikely hero, Fitz Chivalry. Bastard son of a dead prince, the amazing story of Fitz unfolds within 3 powerful volumes. A berzerker, a magician, a wolf, and most sinister of all -- a royal assassin. Fitz is the most interesting character I have met inside the world of a fantasy book. The series ends with an aura of sadness that somehow manages to satisfy the reader.
#2 The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
Feist creates a land filled with magic and your classic Fantasy races -- elves, goblins, trolls, dragons and more. Magic and boyhood adventure are the greater aspects of this series. Characters such as Pug and Jimmy the Hand easily win the heart of the reader, as you start wishing you were one of them. Unfortunately, volumes released after the end of the riftwar saga turned up repetitive and uninsteresting.
#1 Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin
All right, all right, he only has two fantasy books out, and the series is far away from being complete. Regardless of that, at a time when Jordan and Feist have become repetitive, and when Hobb and Friedman are finished with their best series, Martin comes with a very classic fantasy. Its loosely based on a certain historical period in Britain, but swordplay and plot manage to crawl into your mind that you start eating and drinking his story. Everything is so grim, and those rare times when you find a sense of humor, you cherish it. Martin keeps magic at the background, always keeping it mysterious as magic should be. His characters are diverse and realistic, and his plot is inexplicably superb. If Martin continues to output such great books, this will be the best series I have ever read.
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skyth
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Skyth misses old Epinions -- where men were men and the sheep scared.
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