Reccomend a modern fantasy

[Fox12]

I'm pretty well versed in fantasy. I've read my share of obscure mythologies, epic poems, and religious epics. However, after realizing most modern fantasy is just a Tolkien love letter, I basically quit modern fantasy cold turkey. Lately I've been wondering, though, whether I've missed any diamonds in the ruff.

So, ignoring the obvious choices, like LotR, GoT, Berserk, and their poor immitators, are there any great fantasy recommendations out there?

 

[DefunctTheory]

I suppose you have to mention the Dresden Files, which is a Fantasy series set in modern times.

 

[Elfgore]

My biggest recommendation is three book series from Glen Cook. The Black Company, The Dread Empire, and The Tyranny of the Night. This guy was the G.R.R. Martin of the eighties and early nineties. Characters you know will die, magic is almost completely a mystery, nobody is a perfect human, and elves and dwarves exist in only one of them. I could also recommend his stand-alone novel Swordbearer and his other series Garret P.I. which is a fantasy detective series.

Other than Glen Cook, I guess the Shadows of the Apt series tries something new. He creates races based of insects. The Ants are perfect soldiers, the Wasps are aggressive as hell, Bees are industrious and so on. The first four books were pretty good, but after that they kinda dropped in quality.

 

[mistahzig1]

Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks

Anything from Joe Abercrombie

Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson

 

[Little Woodsman]

Give Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword or The Merman's Children a try.

For a more contemporaneous setting I can't recommend Jack of Kinrowan by Charles De Lint enough. Also by De Lint the novella The Dreaming Place.

 

[Jacco]

I suppose you have to mention the Dresden Files, which is a Fantasy series set in modern times.

I think that at was my favorite Dresden book. It was just a good overall story and the t-Rex part was just pure awesomeness. Butcher can be kind of slow and meandering with his plotting sometimes but that book was not one of those times.


OT: I second the Dresden Files. It really is a cool series. There are a few books that follow more the traditional fantasy thing you're looking for. There's an entire book where he goes into the realm where Fairies and Ogres and stuff are all about to go to war. There's just a huge variety of settings, stories, and fantasy creatures throughout the series.

 

[DefunctTheory]

I suppose you have to mention the Dresden Files, which is a Fantasy series set in modern times.

Spoiler: For the Size and All

I think that at was my favorite Dresden book. It was just a good overall story and the t-Rex part was just pure awesomeness.

I think it probably everyone favorite, to be honest. If not the book, then that specific event (Which is probably why it's mentioned quite a few times by people in the book).

A big part of the Dresden Files is basically taking tropes and either cranking them to 12, or subverting the hell out of them, or just falling back on the Rule of Cool. And when it comes to the Rule of Cool, nothing quite beats...

Spoiler

trumping a bunch of professional Necromancers by resurrecting a millions of years old T-Rex and riding her into battle against the forces of darkness to the sweet, silky beat of Polka.

 

[Albino Boo]

You could try Stephen R. Donaldson's The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. It avoids most of the standard fantasy chilches and the characters are well drawn. The premise is that a person from the real world is drawn into another world but one of themes is does the world actually exist or is a sub conscious fantasy of the protagonist. The supposed hero is total shit most of the time, not in the dark broody way but a completely selfish bastard with very few redeeming qualities

 

[Twintix]

What counts as modern fantasy to you? Is it, like, restricted to 2000-now, or does the range start earlier? If I'm sounding rude, I don't mean to. I'm just curious.

Anyway...

Discworld, Discworld, DISCWORLD! I absolutely love Discworld, as unlike most fantasy stories, this one is a bit more of a parody/satire of all the Tolkien clones that existed at the time of the first books. (1985) The self-awareness, however, doesn't keep the books from having a very interesting world with a rich lore, deep characters and well-done emotional moments. The way Terry Pratchett writes these books is funny, and things are described in a way that gives you a vision of what places look like and characters act like without it feeling dragged out. (One of the reasons I couldn't finish the first LotR book is because everything was too detailed, and it got a bit boring to read) The first 2-3 books might seem a little wonky with characterizations once you've read the other books, since Pratchett was still figuring out how to write certain characters, but it doesn't stop the books from being a blast to read. I heartily recommend them!

...Unless you've already read them. And might've not liked them. Which is fine.

 

[gigastar]

I will suggest that you check out Shadows of the Apt. Its just something i feel deserves more attention than its actually getting.

Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson

Anything from Brandon, really. After i read Alloy of Law I went and checked out Elantris, and less than 6 months later ive bought and read all of his books.

On that note, read Warbreaker before Words of Radiance. It will make sense by the end of it, i swear.

 

[Zen Bard]

The "Night Watch" books by Sergei Lukyanenko. The forces of Good and Evil hold each other in check in modern day Moscow.

"The War for the Oaks" by Emma Bull. Probably the closest thing to a novelized version of "The Changeling" RPG by White Wolf. Fairies, elves, dwarves and other mythological creatures all stomping around modern Minneapolis.

"Imajica" by Clive Barker. It starts off in Modern London and then just goes balls out into one of the most bizarrely alien fantasy worlds ever conceived.

And speaking of London, "Neverwhere" by Neal Gaiman imagines another more fantastic London existing right underneath its modern counterpart.

 

[snappydog]

Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson

Anything from Brandon, really. After i read Alloy of Law I went and checked out Elantris, and less than 6 months later ive bought and read all of his books.

On that note, read Warbreaker before Words of Radiance. It will make sense by the end of it, i swear.

And speaking of London, "Neverwhere" by Neal Gaiman imagines another more fantastic London existing right underneath its modern counterpart.

Absolutely anything of Sanderson's and most of Gaiman's work is worth a read for sure. Both are masters of the internally consistent fantasy world.

 

[LongAndShort]

Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy (and the three books that follow based in the same world and include a certain drunken mercenary) are a fantasy series I always recommend. Brutally violent with an intelligent magic system and lore, and a moral ambiguity that goes from having a relatively clear set of good guys and bad guys to trying to figure out who the least intentionally evil character is.

Anthony Ryan's Raven's Shadow series has only had two books released so far (the second one recently), but they're both great books. Strong lore and solid characters, with a largely unknown and unseen enemy pulling the strings of a plan centuries in the making.

 

[Tamayo]

Emma Bull's The War for the Oaks has been mentioned; let me suggest anything more by her or her compatriots in the Pre-Joycean Fellowship, the most famous of whom is of course Steven Brust. Will Shetterly, Neil Gaiman and Jane Yolen deserve mention as well.

Richard K. Morgan's The Steel Remains and The Cold Commands are interesting variations on the Elric theme. (I presume, when you mention "modern", you have already read Moorcock.)

Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards series, beginning with The Lies of Locke Lamora, is lots of fun.

 

[zerragonoss]

Ok Long list time, all are books I quiet like, not all will be consider good by everybody, all are fantasies avoids being lord of the rings at all. Urban fantasy means set in the modern day with magic added. High fantasy means set in its own world only one is medieval and that one is a parody.

Spoiler: Dresden files by jim butcher (urban fantasy)

: excellent books with quick pace and fun fights, well thought out but basic magic system on book 15 with excellent quality the whole way through and a regular release scheduled.

Spoiler: Codex Alera by Jim butcher (high fantasy)

: finished series of six books high fantasy set based of the idea of mixing Pokemon with the lost Roman legion, Their is less spawning of the Pokemon and more internalize their powers but it makes for cool elmental magic based on the six element scale that come more form japan or china if I recall correctly namely wood, steel, earth air water and fire. They also have a number of different races will their own cool powers.

Spoiler: The iron druid chronicles by Kevin Hearne (urban fantasy)

: A two thousand year old druid is having a bear with Jesus who is telling him not to kill thor when he gets attacked by a bunch of Jewish priests with beard magic. Book seven just released

Spoiler: The Alex verus novels by Benedict jacka (urban fantasy)

: A mage with the ability to see the future tries not to get killed by a bunch of mages who with fancy powers by seeing himself die a lot. Four books are out.

Spoiler: A madness of angels by kate griffin (urban fantasy)

: "I am we and we are me, and we are the blue electric angels, creatures of the phones and the wires, the gods made from the surplus life you miserable excuse for mortals pour into all things electric". An excellent book with some strange langue arrangement. It uses magic based on the city and modern life that feels very organic. Four books have been released as well as two form a spin off series.

Spoiler: The way of kings by Bradon Sanderson (High fantasy)

: Set in an highly detailed world currently going through a renaissance equivalent time period Huge books with an epic scale and excellent battle scenes and world building. My favorite series on the list two books out but they are both over a thousand pages.

Spoiler: The mistborn trilogy by Bradon Sanderson (high fantasy)

: set in a society roughly industrial revolution time society (with no guns the tech available is controlled) again great fights and well thought out magic system that is reveled at a good pace but I feel the second and third book a weaker than the first. Three book original trilogy done, but the author is planing on fallowing the world through several ages. He is presently working on a western side story of which one book is out, but he is intending to also make a urban fantasy and scifi fantasy trilogy with the same magic system and world.

Spoiler: Npc's by Drew Hayes (High Fantasy?)

: Set in a game of dnd fallows a group on npc pretending to be a group player characters that got themselves killed in their town, so the king does burn down their village. Very funny the whole way through and a must read for table top rolepalyers. (In a similar vain I also recommend mog world by our very own Yahtzee Croshaw doing the same thing for mmo's)

Spoiler: Disc world by terry Pratchett (high fantasy)

: long running and very funny parody fantasy series. Not sure what to say other than just go read one and see if its for you they tend to be short and cheep.