Fantasy Fans Unite
Posted by Meg
It’s not news to the fans of Peat’s work or to fantasy fans in general that readers of epic fantasy are both looking for ways a book can emulate our favorite authors and, at the same time, break the mold those authors have put forth. We want another Lord of the Rings, but we don’t want the same exact book disguised in a slightly different world. We want something fresh that will give us the same feeling, that will do something similar for fantasy and for literature at large.
Big authors like George R.R. Martin have done just that for the fantasy community, bringing his series A Song of Fire and Ice to the larger public through its popularity and the highly successful HBO series.
But, since you are reading this, you probably know all that.
I will be one of the first to say how awesome it is when a fantasy series appeals to a larger fan base. But I also kinda wish, once folks see how excellent fantasy fiction can be, that they explored some other fantasy books.
A couple weeks ago, blogger Tara posted her top ten fantasy list for folks who like The Lord of the Rings and/or A Song of Fire and Ice. I am loving what she picked, recommending books that are grounded in traditional fantasy literature which is comfy and familiar feeling, but which blossom into unique creations with their own complex relationships, magic systems and story lines. The Warded Man is number 3 and keeps good company with books by Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, Tamora Pierce and Brent Weeks.
So, if you feel like you are in a funk with fantasy, I would recommend checking out her list instead of re-reading The Hobbit for the zillionth time. Although, you can bet that’s what I’ll be doing during the month leading up to the new movie.
Peat has a lot of traveling this month starting August 17th at Blackwell’s in London with Myke Cole and Joe Abercrombie. On August 20th, he will be doing a reading at the Otherland Bookshop in Berlin. To round things off, he will be the author guest of honor at this year’s Pol Con from August 23-26 in Wroclaw, Poland.
I agree with this list for the most part, but I’m amazed she chose Elantris over Mistborn. I loved Elantris, but I feel Mistborn was by far his best work. It has one of the best and most creative magic systems in any fantasy fiction and simply could not have had a better ending. I loved The Warded Man and The Desert Spear for the same reason. The ward system was incredibly well thought out and really feels like a natural part of that world.
Good to see Tamora Pierce on there ^-^ Hers were the first books I read all the way through, and the ones that got me into reading, haha. As well as The Warded Man, I must say 🙂