Reploid Productions wrote:On the fantasy side of things, here's my recommendations:
-The Last Unicorn (and the quasi-sequel novella Two Hearts) by Peter S. Beagle. A fairly light read, but a very enjoyable one that you appreciate in different ways the older you get. Along similar lines, the animated movie is likewise recommended- it's a gorgeous adaptation and the voice acting, ESPECIALLY for Haggard is on point.
-The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. Solid and very fun fantasy romp with an amusing bit of a narrative twist: a historian has tracked the main character down well after his heroic, past exploits, and convinces him to relate the full story so that this historian can document an accurate account of events. Of course, with the main character telling his story, it's quite possible that he's not being an especially reliable narrator...
-Dragon Champion, Dragon Avenger, and Dragon Outcast of the Age of Fire series by E. E. Knight. NOTE: These first three books can actually be read in any order; each details the life of one of three dragon hatchlings as they grow up and face their own unique challenges in the world. Unfortunately, the latter three books of the series (the finale Dragon Fate especially) take what had been an intriguing and fascinating fantasy world and overarching storyline and completely botch it up.
-I tentatively recommend the Wheel of Time series as well, acknowledging that Jordan's writing has its many flaws and that the series suffers heavily from Loads and Loads of Characters, massive subplot bloat, and excessively wordy narration of scenes and clothing and the like. It is a good story overall, but the middle several books seriously start to drag and it may not be for everyone. (Plus you'll probably come to really dislike the main male lead by about the 2/3rd mark because he is going insane. His behavior makes sense in the context of the storyline, but you still really want someone to smack some sense into him more than once.) Those who can handle ASoIaF should be able to handle WoT.
Fantasy is my favorite genre and these are all new to me save Wheel of Time. Thanks for the intriguing recs!
The best book I've read recently is Neuromancer by William Gibson. It basically invented Cyberpunk. Fascinating and visionary. I haven't read the sequels yet and not sure if I will. It was such a good standalone book.
