I feel like a bit of a wanky fanboy for asking, but would you mind spouting out a few of your favourite books for us? What keeps me going back to GRRM's website is his "What I'm Reading" section; his recommendations are all solid so far.

I'm very much into Locke Lamora type books - not necessarily fantasy, more the adventure and fun characters - and have trouble finding the good ones. Ta!

When we did the interview, Scott said -- off the record, of course -- that he was a big fan of Terry Goodkind! :P

NOT!!! ;) He has much better taste!

Patrick

lol! He should have claimed that, just to see the expression on your face pat

lol !
i second that vote :P

Well considering the nod to Rise of a Merchant Prince in Lies, we can assume he likes some Fiest.

I also have seen him reccomend EE Knight's Vampire Earth series.

The Vampire Earth series is indeed excellent. One of the best thought-out alien invasion scenarios you can find, with a superb protagonist. It's not horror, as the series title might suggest. It's good old-fashioned sf.

E. E. Knight (Eric) is also one of, if not THE most accessible authors around. He pops up on his website almost daily.

I'll give you some fantasy recommendations to start out with--

Heroes Die and Blade of Tyshalle by Matthew Woodring Stover

Although he has a much-deserved cult following, in my opinion Matt is the single most underrated and underappreciated fantasist at work these days. Full disclosure-- Matt is a friend, but I fell for his work before I got to know him as a person. These books are dense, violent, gritty, exciting, and harrowing. Matt's grasp of narrative structure and plot may exceed that of anyone currently writing in the field.

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart

If you want adventure and entertaining characters, it's hard to top this-- set in a "mystical China that never was," this book is pure gleeful fun. Really, just a brilliant, witty, touching book.

The Riftwar Saga and the Serpentwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist

A nostalgic favorite. Feist isn't the most creative fantasist out there, and his prose is straightforward at best, but his stuff was the first 'epic fantasy' I ever read, and I think it holds up in a way that much fantasy from the period in which this series began (1982) just doesn't. It has a complex plot, an interesting mix of cultures, a truly epic scope, a neat multi-generational focus (years pass and characters age, often remorselessly), and a commendable sense of humanity in its set of main characters.

I haven't finished the Conclave of Shadows sequence, and sadly I can recommend against the "Riftwar Legacy" trilogy (starting with Krondor: The Betrayal). The computer-game roots of K:tB are so obvious the book suffers immensely as a result. Notwithstanding the fact that I'd sooner read Feist on a bad day than many other writers at their very best, all I can beg is that nobody judge the rest of Feist's work by it.

The Empire Trilogy by Ray Feist and Janny Wurts

After reading the Riftwar saga (seriously, don't start the Feist/Wurts series in a vacuum), treat yourself to this... IMHO, the best thing Feist has ever been involved in. A dense, fast-moving sequence chock full of political intrigue, espionage, bloody treachery, sinister magic, hardfought battles, and important secrets. I can't recommend it enough. My wife heartily recommends Wurts' solo stuff, and I haven't read it yet, but I eventually will, simply because this trilogy is so crammed full of great stuff.

The Eyes of the Overworld and Cugel's Saga by Jack Vance

Now, I do recommend The Dying Earth as well, of course-- it's one of the most beautiful, vivid, and unique things I've ever read. But it's a series of vignettes, while The Eyes of the Overworld actually follows the (mis)adventures of Cugel the Clever, a self-centered antihero whose idiotic malice counterpoints the fact that his nickname must have been granted more in irony than in earnest. Cugel's Saga, written a couple decades later, continues his quest to cross half the globe and take revenge on a powerful sorcerer, while deeply offending every single person he meets.

Jhereg and Yendi by Steven Brust

The first two books in Brust's Vlad Taltos series. Great little books (250 pages or so apiece)-- witty, twisty, and sly. Brust's prose in these books is quite different from my own; he's very, very light on description. All of the considerable atmosphere comes right out of the main character's narration and tone of voice. Be advised that the third book in the sequence is pretty dull, but things rebound in the fourth, which is as far as I've read.

Cheers!

SL

Thanks very much. I haven't read any of these, so I'll be making a little list to take to the library next time I go. B)

What!?!

No mention of Goodkind's The Sword of Truth!?! :P

I'm sure he's keeping it for his "crème de la crème" post later on. . . :lol:

Patrick

P. S. Sadly, Feist's Conclave of Shadows is probably as bad as Feist can get, Scott. Only the third volume, EXILE'S RETURN, ain't too bad. The next series, The Darkwar Saga, which begins with FLIGHT OF THE NIGHTHAWKS, is pretty damn good, however. I'm reading the second volume, INTO A DARK REALM, and it's good so far. Like you, Raymond E. Feist will always hold a special place in my heart! ;)

"Conclave of Shadows" is hardly Feist's best series, but it is still a lot better than the two Krondor computer game adaptations were.

Matt Stover is truly spectacular. His novels are amazing. Alas, some of them are out of print and hard to get ahold of. They are well worth the price and difficulty in locating them. Stover actually pointed out "The Lies of Locke Lamora" in his blog, which is how i found out about it.

Mike

Hi Mike (my real name is Mike, too)

What Stover books are out of print? The Barra the Pict novels, perhaps? I have the two of those in an omnibus edition from the SF Book Club. I also have his three Star Wars novels.

I'm just wanting to make sure I'm not missing any Stover stuff, and I'm pretty sure I have everything. :D

As long as you have Heroes Die and Blade of Tyshalle you do

Oh, absolutely, Heroes Die is one of my all-time faves, and Blade of Tyshalle was excellent, too.

I was just going to ask what books would you recommend/favorites. Although that's hit or miss with me sometimes, love the author, so so on the suggestions. I forgot how I stumbled upon LLL. I think probably through Amazon you might like this also feature...