I am writing this post to hopefully get a little conversation going. I've written before about hoping to find some like minded literary fans here and it has definitely not gone exactly as I had hoped. I suppose the only way to make it happen is to keep trying though so I wanted to talk a little about what I am reading now and get some recommendations for future books.
Books I just finished-
The Lions of Al-Rassan is the 6th novel buy Guy Gavriel Kay and it came out in 1995. If you haven't read anything buy him before, he writes historical fantasy that is generally pretty light on the fantasy elements. This particular book draws from the history of the Iberian peninsula and the interaction between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Like I mentioned, it is pretty light on the fantasy elements almost bordering on historical fiction but it is still a really good read.
If you want to check out a book from Kay I would recommend starting with Tigana. It has a bit more fantasy and although it is one of his earlier works it still holds up as my favorite.
Books I am about to read-
OathBringer-
Lets start with Oathbringer, I've written about this series in the past but I can summarize it here again. For those unfamiliar with this book series, Oathbringer is the 3rd installment in the Stormlight Archives series by Brandon Sanderson. Sanderson is one of the best and most prolific fantasy writers out there today. He came to prominence when he was chosen to finish Robert Jordans epic Wheel of Time series and has put out a gaggle of great books of his own. Be it Elantris, Mistborn, Warbreaker or any of his cosmere stories, you really can't go wrong.
The Stormlight Archive is his first attempt at an epic series, a planned 10 books with Oathbringer picking up after the last release, Words of Radiance. I am rereading this one now before the 4th book comes out in November.
Deadhouse Landing-
So this book is a little bit different, its the 2nd book in a prequel series to the epic Malazan Book of the Fallen series. The Malazan world was created by 2 authors, Steven Erikson and Ian Cameron Esslemont. Erikson wrote the original 10 book series and then Esslemont added 6 books of his own set in the same world and using the same characters to fill in more background information. Deadhouse Landing is the 2nd book in the Path to Ascendancy series by Esslemont that serves as a prequel to both the original 10 book series and the 6 additional novels. It gives you a close up view of the background of a few of the main characters and details how the Malazan Empire was created in the first place.
You cant really jump right into this book and would probably have to read the other 16 books in the Malazan world plus the first Path to Ascendancy book before reading this one, a monumental dedication of time.
Books I will read next-
After I finish the 2 books listed above my reading schedule will be pretty open. Ive got the 4th stormlight book coming up but after that I am really trying my best to not read any series that aren't finished yet so that does limit some of my options. I would love to know what other fantasy book lovers out there recommend next. I wont list everything I have read already because I'd still like to know what books you enjoy the most even if I already crossed them off my to be read list.
So here is to hoping I can find some people to get a healthy discussion going about books that I enjoy/should read in the future.
