Suggested reading for Tolkien fan?

[xNoOnex]

While I haven’t read the whole trilogy, Shadow Prowler, by Russian author Alexey Pehov, the first book in his “Chronicles of Siala” is a lot of fun. It’s not deep or thought provoking but its one of the most fun fantasy novels I read. The hero is a master thief, who basically gets roped into being the chosen one and wants nothing to do with it - but ends up being heroic after all.

While set in the “real world”, you might like American Gods by Neil Giaman. It’s still very much a fantasy novel and has a lot of interesting concepts.

I’m also a large fan of both the Eisenhorn and Ravener trilogies, by Dan Abnett, set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. They are a bit more sci-fi, but like the entire WH40K universe are heavy on fantasy elements as well. They are ‘grimdark’ but the original definition (“In the grim darkness of the future, there is only war!”) and while they have some violence, all sex is pretty much off camera, and its more a detective story

Related, a lot of the novels of the Horus Heresy for 40k are fun as well. A nice, epic space opera. Again, not pure fantasy but great.

You have other classics; Robert Howard, Michael Moorcock. I’m not a fan for the former outside of Solomon Kane though.

The Dragonlance books, especially the ones by Tracy Hickman and Marget Weiss are good.

 

[jilly4ski]

Well, i’m not really fast. If I don’t like the way the books is going after getting around a quarter of a way through, I set it aside and go on to the next.

I don’t like critiquing, as it usually brings out a side of me I don’t really like, and can come off rude. Example, I wanted to really like Charles Williams, and the synopses for his stories sounded interesting, but the writing was dry and the characters so boring (I mean “realistic”) I couldn’t read him. So, I can criticize it, someone could argue against it, but it doesn’t really change the fact I didn’t like reading Charles Williams, or probably will ever like it.

Still, I can come up with a criteria that might help.

-Written in third-person narrative
-Preferably fantasy
-Something not written “down” to children
-No storylines with plot-devices that send people to a “fantasy world” (ex. Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, etc.)
-I generally don’t like Wagner’s Ring or Arthurian themed stories
-I don’t like stories dumbed-down disney style, with talking rats or singing tea-kettles
-Not allegorical
-Not one of those “grimdark” stories, or trying to shock me with super-violent/morally reprehensible rubbish to show me how “gritty” or “adult” the story is, or keeps shoving sex in my face
-Not centered around politics

I guess that will do I guess I sound pretty close-minded now, but if anyone still feels inclined to give a suggestion, thanks

That’s alright.

Hmm, I know it doesn’t meet all your criteria (it is an Arthurian tale, and it kind of reads like a political philosophy) but have you ever read The Once and Future King by T.H.White? I think you would like the writing style and the complexity of the story, despite the fact that the first “book” is what Disney’s Sword and the Stone, is based off.

 

[minion]

@xNoOnex - I am actually well acquainted with 40k. After awhile though, I kept noticing all the Catholic stuff it borrowed and being “grimdarked” (is that a word?) and pulled myself away from 40k. But I’ll give Shadow Prowler a shot.

Hmm, I know it doesn’t meet all your criteria (it is an Arthurian tale, and it kind of reads like a political philosophy) but have you ever read The Once and Future King by T.H.White? I think you would like the writing style and the complexity of the story, despite the fact that the first “book” is what Disney’s Sword and the Stone, is based off.

It sounds okay, so I’ll keep it in mind next time I visit the bookstore/library. My irk for Arthurian themed stories mostly comes from the romanticizing of the Lancelot-Guinevere affair I see so often, so maybe White’s take is more refreshing?

For the most part I think I’ll stick with Tolkien for now, though I did find David Edding’s whole “Elenium” series dirt cheap, along with Gene Wolfe’s Shadow of the Torturer, so I’ll give those a read someday.

 

[jilly4ski]

@xNoOnex - I am actually well acquainted with 40k. After awhile though, I kept noticing all the Catholic stuff it borrowed and being “grimdarked” (is that a word?) and pulled myself away from 40k. But I’ll give Shadow Prowler a shot.

It sounds okay, so I’ll keep it in mind next time I visit the bookstore/library. My irk for Arthurian themed stories mostly comes from the romanticizing of the Lancelot-Guinevere affair I see so often, so maybe White’s take is more refreshing?

For the most part I think I’ll stick with Tolkien for now, though I did find David Edding’s whole “Elenium” series dirt cheap, along with Gene Wolfe’s Shadow of the Torturer, so I’ll give those a read someday.

The Once and Future King is quite dark, and written in an older style, like the Lord of the Rings. It has been some years since I have read it, but that was my overall impression. The first “book” was my favorite, and the rest of the books get increasingly darker and a little depressing. In fact even the first book ends in a darker mood, when Wart is turned into an ant in an ant colony. I think it is considered somewhat a classic. (If you have seen the X-men movies, the first ones, when Magneto is in his plastic prison that is the book he is reading),