Fantasy Books - Non-Epic In Nature

[MageInBlack]

The three short novellas were recently compiled into “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” and are quite fun, quick reads. Dunk might be Martin’s only really, truly noble good guy character who succeeds more often than he fails.

Got this one in the queue now.

[jgbrowning]

[D]o you all have any modern fantasy book recommendations that fall into the simple adventure style? Modern being defined as the 90's+ (ok...not so modern) as I have a pretty good grasp on fantasy literature before that point.

Just in case you missed it in the 1980s: the Imaro stories by Charles Saunders.

The Imaro stories are great, IMO. Also, the Kane stories by Karl Edward Wagner.

joe b.

[Werral]

I don't think it's available in English (or I've not been able to find it online), but although it's technically Historical fiction this Italian comic sound very much like the kind of thing you might be looking for:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dago_(comics)

The name by the way is not the racial slur, but a reversal of the word "daga" - Italian for dagger, which Barbarossa uses to rename the titular hero whom he finds with a dagger in his back. In Italian names ending in "a" are usually feminine so it become "Dago" given that the hero is an outcast.

Anyway it very much fits the bill of a lone badass wandering the land, fighting on various sides as a renegade and meeting various sultry ladies on the way. It is pretty dark and gritty (especially the Sack of Rome). Although it's not in English it is available in French and Spanish if you happen to know either of those.

This came out in 1980 but I thought it might count since it's pretty unknown in the English speaking world.

[Zenopus Archives]

The Ethshar novels by Lawrence Watt-Evans are decidely non-epic.


(covers of the first three novels with art by Darrell Sweet)

Some of you may remember the first one, The Misenchanted Sword, from back in the '80s. He's still writing new novels set in that land, there being 14 now plus a short story collection: http://www.ethshar.com/novels.shtml

Here's what I wrote on DF back in 2010: (https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/view ... 11&t=43668)

"If you are not familiar with this series, the setting was originally created for RPGing in the late 70s. One key feature is the assortment different types of magic-users: wizard, warlocks, witches, sorcerers, demonologists, theurgists (sort-of clerics) and more, each with different spells/powers. Most of the stories revolve around problems created by the different types of magic. The setting is humanocentric with only a few monsters (dragons, demons, spriggans). Each novel is a stand alone story though some characters re-appear in later novels. These are quick, fun reads."

[Finarvyn]

While I don't think it quite fits in the fantasy niche you might be looking at but the first 6 or so books of the Dresden Files are rather enjoyable.

Somewhere around book 7 it shifts gears a bit but you can decide to bail out earlier when it starts getting to epic.

It's probably the pulpiest/goofiest thing I read at the moment. Very formulaic but it's fun. I haven't read any of the other stuff Butcher has written because it doesn't interest me in the least.

The short lived tv series based on the first few books isn't too bad either. I actually heard about the books via the series. It might be streaming.

I second the Dresden Files books, if you like urban magic style books. As gizmo noted, the first few are clearly written more in a pulp detective style, although in the modern world. As the series progresses and Dresden picks up more magic powers, the foes get stronger and a larger plot arc emerges. I enjoy the whole series but wish that Butcher would write faster -- he used to put out one book per year (early April, right around Spring Break) but he has gotten busy with other stuff and hasn't put out a Dresden book in around three years now.

The TV series was decent but different in many ways from the books. Still, different Dresden is better than no Dresden.

As to his other stuff, the one with the flying ships and aeronaughts is pretty cool but it's book #1 in a series and this one has stalled out, too.

[MageInBlack]

I second the Dresden Files books, if you like urban magic style books.

I just got a bunch of these from the library. I heard good things about them for years.

[TRP]

For Bogart style fantasy detectives, I like Glen Cook's Garrett P.I. series. They're slightly older than the Dresden stories, and they focus on how much Garrett really is an everyday Joe. It's D&D fantasy urban, in that his world is loaded with intelligent humanoids. He's got no magical abilities, not the toughest dude in town, but he's annoyingly tenacious (re: his adversaries, friends and sometimes they're both). Each book is a case, or cases, and most characters and some events carry over, but each book is completely self contained. So, a reader can start on any book and have everything they need to get through it. Of course, for best effect, I recommend starting at the beginning with Sweet Silver Blues.

There are 14 books in the series, but I was somewhat disappointed in the direction the Garrett character takes in the last couple of books. The cases are still interesting though. .

[Finarvyn]

For Bogart style fantasy detectives, I like Glen Cook's Garrett P.I. series.

Cook is the same guy who did the "Dark Company" books, isn't he? I tried one of those and just couldn't get into it. If he is the same guy, how does the writing style compare?

[TRP]

For Bogart style fantasy detectives, I like Glen Cook's Garrett P.I. series.

Cook is the same guy who did the "Dark Company" books, isn't he? I tried one of those and just couldn't get into it. If he is the same guy, how does the writing style compare?

Black Company, and his writing style is more or less the same across the board: smoke, beer and unrefined about sums it up. I like it.

[T. Foster]

For Bogart style fantasy detectives, I like Glen Cook's Garrett P.I. series.

Cook is the same guy who did the "Dark Company" books, isn't he? I tried one of those and just couldn't get into it. If he is the same guy, how does the writing style compare?

Black Company, and his writing style is more or less the same across the board: smoke, beer and unrefined about sums it up. I like it.

I'm currently reading the fifth Black Company book and enjoying it just as much as the previous four. I do remember that it took about 100 pages into the first book before I really grokked the author's voice and style, but once I did I was hooked, and have been ever since.

[MageInBlack]

I do remember that it took about 100 pages into the first book before I really grokked the author's voice and style

I have this problem with Vance. I started with the Dying Earth but it was just hard for me to get through it. The magic system was a bit interesting, but more of a D&D history way.

[grodog]

Cook is the same guy who did the "Dark Company" books, isn't he? I tried one of those and just couldn't get into it. If he is the same guy, how does the writing style compare?

Black Company, and his writing style is more or less the same across the board: smoke, beer and unrefined about sums it up. I like it.

I'm currently reading the fifth Black Company book and enjoying it just as much as the previous four. I do remember that it took about 100 pages into the first book before I really grokked the author's voice and style, but once I did I was hooked, and have been ever since.

The Black Company didn't click for me either the first time through; I read the 2007 pb omnibus The Chronicles of the Black Company, collecting The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose). I've thought about giving them a second try, may do that, but I think I'm going to give Karl Edward Wagner a shot first.

Allan.

[Finarvyn]

For Bogart style fantasy detectives, I like Glen Cook's Garrett P.I. series.

Black Company, and his writing style is more or less the same across the board: smoke, beer and unrefined about sums it up. I like it.

I'm currently reading the fifth Black Company book and enjoying it just as much as the previous four. I do remember that it took about 100 pages into the first book before I really grokked the author's voice and style, but once I did I was hooked, and have been ever since.

So maybe I need to track them down and give Black Company another shot. I know that it took me three tries to make it all the way through the first Game of Thrones book, so it's not like I haven't encountered this sort of thing before.

Actually, I should jump into the Garrett P.I. books before Black Company. Maybe that style works better for me in a detective setting.

[T. Foster]

I do remember that it took about 100 pages into the first book before I really grokked the author's voice and style

I have this problem with Vance. I started with the Dying Earth but it was just hard for me to get through it. The magic system was a bit interesting, but more of a D&D history way.

If you haven’t already, you might want to try starting with The Eyes of the Overworld, which is an easier read than The Dying Earth.

[Geoffrey]

A highly-recommended book that I gave up on early was Gene Wolfe's The Shadow of the Torturer.