[Itwæs Nom]

Im closing to the end of Malazan books translated to Czech and I dont know what to read next. I dont wanna reread now,Im saving that option for later. So what do you guys like and why?
Ive already read Tolkien, Aoiaf and Rangers Apprentice (good book for children) and I defninitely find Malazan best of them.
I wanted to get Gentlemen Bastards, but then found out that there are no more Czech copies being sold (no idea why, everywhere out of stock), so my current favorit is The First Law. Stormlight Chronicles really interested me, but I dont want to read just 1st book of ten and then wait 10 year till end. I also thought about Farseer, Kingkiller chronicles, WoT and some more.
I would be glad if you helped me.

[Esa1996]

Wheel of Time is my all time favorite series alongside ASOIAF and Malazan so I'd recommend reading it. It's different in tone to ASOIAF/Malazan in that it is YA and not very dark and gritty but it's still pretty damn awesome. The Stormlight Archives is also great. It's the only book I've ever read that has endings consistently on par with Malazan (There's two books out so far). The world and plot aren't as interesting to me at the moment as the ones in WOT, but the series is just starting. WOT takes quite a few books to get big too. By the end of the 4th book it's around ASOIAF in terms of scope. By the end of the 7th book it's closer to Malazan. Kingkiller Chronicles is perhaps a bit overrated in my opinion. It has the best characterization I've ever read in a book but the plot is mediocre at best nor is the world as interesting as in the others I've mentioned so far. The Second Apocalypse might be worth a read too though I didn't find it to be on par with WOT/ASOIAF/MBF or even TSA (Which I rank just behind the first three at the moment). Very dark and gritty. Semi big scope but not as big as ASOIAF not to speak of WOT or Malazan.

[Itwæs Nom]

Thanks for reply!
I dont think Im gonna read WoT, It doesnt interest me enough to start such a large series.
Also you strenghtened my impressions about Kingkiller, of what I heard it just seemed a bit dull to me.
But thanks for mentioning TSA, I heard about it some time ago but I forgot about it and just couldnt recall of it. Though theres only Prince of nothing translated, I think it now stands right next to First Law on my list (I like dark stuff).

This post has been edited by Charlie Nom: 19 August 2015 - 11:46 PM

[Andorion]

Ok I get your question but the field of fantasy is so vast its kind of difficult to make a recommendation jus tlike that unless you tell us what your preferences are that is what are you looking for in a series?


Robin Hobb's Farseer books are supposed to be pretty good, excellent worldbuilding and good vharacters but the tone is very grim and bleak.

Kingkiller is brilliantly written. The use of language in those books is so good that it elevates otherwise very normal fantasy themes and makes them interesting.

You could try Brandon Sandersons first Mistborn Trilogy. its twelve books supposed to come out in four trilogies..

Richard Morgans A Land fit for heroes trilogy is excellent. Grim, lots of violence, interesting protagonists.

An ongoing series I highly recommend is Sebastien De Castell's Greatcoats, 2 books of whicha re out.

N K jemisin's Inheritance trilogy is also excellent.

[Abyss]

Couple of suggestions tho I can't speak to their availability in languages other than English...
Jim Butcher 's ALERA series. Complete in five, high fantasy, good fun magic system.
Joe Abercrombie's FIRST LAW trilo and subsequent books. A bit grimmer, less magic, the first book is slow but the series gradually escalates and the standalones after the initial trilo are pretty great.
Matt Stover's CAINE series. Not for everyone, it's sf and fantasy, can get severely dark as fuck sometimes, but... Damn... It's glorious.

[amphibian]

Brent Weeks' Lightbringer books are very good. They are new and popular enough that there may be Czech or Russian translations. Very action based with some high level politics and prophecy fulfillment mixing in.

I'd also suggest Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series and Codex Alera series. Also action based, with enjoyable characters and medium sized worlds.

If you can find them in Czech, Claire North's books are terrific. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August was very fun to read. So too with N.K. Jemison's Inheritance trilogy.

This post has been edited by amphibian: 20 August 2015 - 02:07 AM

[Lycaenion]

I'm just throwing whatever pops into my head out there.

• Basically anything David Gemmell has ever written. (There's a couple of series in there)
• James Barclay's The Raven series and his Elves series.
• David Zindell's The Ea Cycle.
• Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence.
• Glen Cook's The Black Company series
• J.V. Jones' The Sword of Shadow series - currently unfinished
• The Complete Elfquest pt.1 / pt.2 if you like graphic novels

Loads and loads more that I can't come up with at this very moment.

[Itwæs Nom]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your opinions.
I definitely have something to think about now. Im disappointed how many books lack Czech translate, its really narrowing my options. But atleast I have some good motivation for learning English.
Right now Im leaning the most towards Prince of Nothing (Ive read PoN vs FL thread here, and Im wondering whats wrong with you guys here, half of you hates one and loves another and second half is just vice versa. And then theres Abyss spreading love towards both)
As I said I like dark and bleak, where magic doesnt stand on 1st place, interesting characters, some kind of originality, plot I would care about and a nice, bloody world.
Hope this thread helps another poeple too and whatever I choose, Im defninitely gonna come back here in future. Fortunately I still have some time now.

[Gorefest]

Try Guy Gavriel Kay. 'Tigana' or 'The lions of Al-Rassan' are good starts. Heavy on characters, not so much magic. It's more alternative history stuff, but really well written.

[Maark Abbott]

Tough call. I'd not add the series I'm currently on to a favourites list (it's not finished) but my personal picks for series would be:

WoT
The First Law
Prince of Nothing
The Long Price (need to reread this sometime)
Mistborn
The Night Angel
The Blackbird Sequence (sort of proto-GRVMDVRK)

[Egwene]

 Charlie Nom, on 20 August 2015 - 08:58 AM, said:

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your opinions.
I definitely have something to think about now. Im disappointed how many books lack Czech translate, its really narrowing my options. But atleast I have some good motivation for learning English.
Right now Im leaning the most towards Prince of Nothing (Ive read PoN vs FL thread here, and Im wondering whats wrong with you guys here, half of you hates one and loves another and second half is just vice versa. And then theres Abyss spreading love towards both)
As I said I like dark and bleak, where magic doesnt stand on 1st place, interesting characters, some kind of originality, plot I would care about and a nice, bloody world.
Hope this thread helps another poeple too and whatever I choose, Im defninitely gonna come back here in future. Fortunately I still have some time now.

Well, your problem is that you have started at the top. After the Malazan series, everything else is a step down!


But... life has to go on and here are a few that might be readable:

*Given my name, obviously, the Wheel of Time - but I agree with it being much more 'young adult' then MBotF

*I would definitely second the suggestion of Robin Hobb and the Farseer Trilogy - that one
ticks most of your boxes

*Codex Alera is also one of my favourites - wouldn't say it is dark but it's fun

*Carol Berg is another author I have recommend a few times and have had positive feedback later. Especially the Rai-Kirah series

*Something completely different... Kelley Armstrong's 'Women of the Otherworld' series is about Werewolves and other supernatural races and set in the real world - not fantasy but pretty fantastic.


And if you are looking for epic non-fantasy... try Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series

[Itwæs Nom]

Guy Gavril Kay's books seem really interesting to me, unfortunately theyre one of those not being sold anymore, but I defnitely have to read them once.
Mistborn is also something I forgot about so thanks for reminding, now also in upper part of my list.
[/quote] Well, your problem is that you have started at the top. After the Malazan series, everything else is a step down! [/quote]
Yeah, thats something I was afraid of.
Farseer trilogy is here split into 9 books, and available only in one shop. Nowhere else. But only 3-9 book. First and second isnt even on their site. wtf. Oh, and its publisher main aim is partner relations, children education and popular psychology, there isnt any fantasy under them, just this... While liveship traders trilogy has another publisher and its all ok. So the question here is: Can I read it without reading farseer or reading it later?

This post has been edited by Charlie Nom: 20 August 2015 - 01:45 PM

[Gorefest]

'Liveship traders' in principle is self-contained, so you don't need to have read the Farseer trilogy beforehand. However, it does mean you lose a bit of the world building and the story arc of one character will probably seem a bit incomprehensible.

This post has been edited by Gorefest: 20 August 2015 - 01:51 PM

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

The Witcher series! It was written in Czech, so no need to read a bad translation

[Itwæs Nom]

I will probably have to wait with Hobb, but I have to read it once too.

Witcher was written in Polish, but its close tho
I played the new game (had too low fps) and heard about it something and I find other stuff mentioned here more interesting.

And Im not complaining about bad translations, just lack of translations. Or availibility of translated books. Translations were in the books Ive read ok, only thing bad about it is translating names. Im not saying I would do it better, I just wouldnt do it. These names are sometimes pretty weird. For example in Czech its not Anomander Rake, but Anomander Dlouhý Vlas (Long Hair). Possum is kuskus (couscous). Burnt is Přípal (its right, just sounds funny). Pale is Dřevnov (Woody?). Also Stonewielder is Mečonoš (Swordwielder) and that absolutely erases that joke by the end of Stonewielder. Well you can look at it on your own if you want (might be spoilers) http://malaz.legie.i....php?id=postavy

[Egwene]

Why do you want to read the books in Czech, Charlie? Your English seems to be pretty good and books are always best read in the language they were written in.

[Itwæs Nom]

lol, that flatters me, but google translator helps me (and google images)(I didnt know how to say "flatter"), and as you prob know its different to read/write here on the internet and then read something like Malazan. Ive read a sample of MoI in English and though Ive read it before, I still had to read some sentences few times before I understood it. And still too many words and phrases I dont understand. My English is not that good anyway, Im just heading to 2nd year of high school.

[Theman]

I would highly recommend the broken empire trilogy by Mark Lawrence it's very dark and gritty and matches what you want almost perfectly.

[Itwæs Nom]

Broken Empire seems interesting, but they havent trasnlated 3rd book yet. But I will ask them about that and will read that once too.


Wow, guys you really helped me here, I think I have what to read for long time ahead, thanks! I was really afraid that I will have no zest to read because everything will seem somehow worse compared to Malazan (I thought the same after ASoIaF, pff, shame on me), but even though I probably wont find these books better than Malazan, Im looking forward to read them.
My classmates keep telling "how can you read such a thick books and so fast" and "all the books youve read". Now I realize how amateurish Im in fantasy in real.

This post has been edited by Charlie Nom: 21 August 2015 - 12:25 AM

[worry]

Panda Sword, Panda Mage, and Panda Devastator is a pretty good trilogy set in the Panda World.