Best fantasy series I've read? Probably not. Hard to say since I'm in the middle of 3 fantasy series which, at one point or another, I considered to be the greatest of all time. Harry Potter certainly has the best, most satisfying finish of any fantasy series I've read. (Finished Series include Lord of the Rings; Dark Tower; Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn; and Amber, among others. it's thematically consistent, doesn't rely on any deus ex machina, and, to some degree, keeps you guessing. All and all, a stunning conclusion to a fantastic fantasy series.
And obviously one of the most important series of books in quite some time, since it actually managed to get kids to read. American kids, no less!
Now the question that remains is what will Ms. Rowling do next? Whatever it is, I'll surely pick up a copy as soon as it's available.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Best fantasy series ever?
The fantasy series I've been reading lately is the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. It's based on a world created by Erikson and his friend Ian Cameron Esselmont when they were both younger and playing D&D. After several failed screenplay attempts they parted ways. Eventually Erikson began writing a series of novels in the world they created together.
The first book of the series can be very difficult to get into. Basically Erikson throws you into what seems like the middle of the story, seemingly expecting you to pick things up as they go along. Enough terminology and mythos is thrown around in the first chapter to confuse even the most stalwart fantasy reader. Winning through to the next two books, however, is it's own reward.
The world building in this series is simply the best I've ever encountered, including Tolkien, Jordan, and all the rest. The world is well thought out with rules for magic, heroes, gods, shapeshifters, etc. The cultures are well defined and seem to give true motivation to the people populating this world. This is likely due to Erikson's training as an anthropologist. The nod to anthropology permeates the series, cities feel designed realistically with actual problems such as irrigation and shipping solved based on the technology available to each race. This idea even extends to the roles of the sexes, given that a female mage could easily be as powerful as a male.
One of the other seemingly core goals of the series is to turn fantasy convention on it's ear, which the book does with great humor and success. The seemingly innocent boy who seems destined for greatness probably isn't, and the evil empire that couldn't possibly sustain itself probably can't. Most of the somewhat silly fantasy conventions we've sort of taken for granted end up somewhat surprising with how things turn out in this series. This leads to several amusing moments, and it definitely keeps you guessing.
The characters tend to blend into one another a bit, but still there are many standouts. I wouldn't say the characters are as well developed as the ones in The Song of Ice and Fire, but it gives pretty much any other fantasy work a run for it's money. Many "badass" characters abound, and they're all badass for different reasons. Their conversations contain real humor, and each character doesn't quite neatly fall into a pre-defined fantasy archetype. There is also a real sense of danger to the characters since Erikson doesn't seem to be afraid to kill a character off here and there.
The plotting of the series is something I, personally, find very well paced. The world is slowly revealed to both the reader and the characters as the story progresses, finding climaxes and convergences frequently enough to keep things interesting. The way the world and history is revealed is something I really appreciate. Somewhat reminiscent of Rhuidean in The Wheel of Time, but more of it, and more consistent.
So, best fantasy series ever? Honestly I don't know, it's hard to say until it's finished. If you had asked me in book 4 of The Wheel of Time if it was the best, I'd have been hard pressed to disagree, yet by the 11th book it's worn pretty thin. The Song of Ice and Fire was going very well until the last book, where it all seemed to fall apart for me. I won't say Malazan is the best until it's finished, but I certainly am enjoying it immensely.
The first book of the series can be very difficult to get into. Basically Erikson throws you into what seems like the middle of the story, seemingly expecting you to pick things up as they go along. Enough terminology and mythos is thrown around in the first chapter to confuse even the most stalwart fantasy reader. Winning through to the next two books, however, is it's own reward.
The world building in this series is simply the best I've ever encountered, including Tolkien, Jordan, and all the rest. The world is well thought out with rules for magic, heroes, gods, shapeshifters, etc. The cultures are well defined and seem to give true motivation to the people populating this world. This is likely due to Erikson's training as an anthropologist. The nod to anthropology permeates the series, cities feel designed realistically with actual problems such as irrigation and shipping solved based on the technology available to each race. This idea even extends to the roles of the sexes, given that a female mage could easily be as powerful as a male.
One of the other seemingly core goals of the series is to turn fantasy convention on it's ear, which the book does with great humor and success. The seemingly innocent boy who seems destined for greatness probably isn't, and the evil empire that couldn't possibly sustain itself probably can't. Most of the somewhat silly fantasy conventions we've sort of taken for granted end up somewhat surprising with how things turn out in this series. This leads to several amusing moments, and it definitely keeps you guessing.
The characters tend to blend into one another a bit, but still there are many standouts. I wouldn't say the characters are as well developed as the ones in The Song of Ice and Fire, but it gives pretty much any other fantasy work a run for it's money. Many "badass" characters abound, and they're all badass for different reasons. Their conversations contain real humor, and each character doesn't quite neatly fall into a pre-defined fantasy archetype. There is also a real sense of danger to the characters since Erikson doesn't seem to be afraid to kill a character off here and there.
The plotting of the series is something I, personally, find very well paced. The world is slowly revealed to both the reader and the characters as the story progresses, finding climaxes and convergences frequently enough to keep things interesting. The way the world and history is revealed is something I really appreciate. Somewhat reminiscent of Rhuidean in The Wheel of Time, but more of it, and more consistent.
So, best fantasy series ever? Honestly I don't know, it's hard to say until it's finished. If you had asked me in book 4 of The Wheel of Time if it was the best, I'd have been hard pressed to disagree, yet by the 11th book it's worn pretty thin. The Song of Ice and Fire was going very well until the last book, where it all seemed to fall apart for me. I won't say Malazan is the best until it's finished, but I certainly am enjoying it immensely.
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