Books weaving magical longing .... for more

[artshiraz]

After reading the "****ed off" thread , I was wondering if the opposite had happened to some of you.

Is there a book, or a series, which makes you gnaw your fingers after finishing, ...because you want a follow up..... or that certain book which hasn't been released yet.

For me the magic started with MZB's Darkover novels. I read about comyn's and wanted more ... and more....
How where the first towers built/assembled? When did the comyn decide to make the council. True, a lot of questions were answered by closely following the books. Still, I always wanted to know more :bump:

Lately the books which stop with a craving longing for more are Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire . I can't help... as soon as I have finished one of the books ... I would like to shop... be it online, or in the bookstore next town ... and get the next book from the series.

About the only thing which makes me often sad ..are those comments about short stories having been published in this anthology... or that fanzine.... and I know I can't get my hands on one of those because they won't be published here.

Then there are those books where you suspect or know ..that there won't be a continuation. The Kidd Series from John Camp/Sandford fall into that range. I know of about two more books he could write [meaning here that I know of a lot of computer technology not yet covered in books but interesting enough to be exploited].... but after reading his last one with the death of one main though secret character... it doesn't seem as if there would be another Kidd novel.

A well... I rant now. Now what about you? Is there a book or a series which makes you long for more?

[Nathan Caroland]

There are several authors or series that I liked enough that I went out and bought the rest of the books immediately.

David Eddings; any of his Belgariad, Mallorean .. etc.
Simon R. Green; all of his Nightside novels, though I have to say, his last one disapointed.
Laurell K. Hammilton; all of the Anita Blakes, up until the last one, which just ****ed me off.
Jim Butcher; Dresden Files - I just plain like 'em.

I also have to admit that I have a weekness for Warhammer 40k novels. Some are wrote very well, others not so well, but the whole scenario just plain does it for me and I find myself picking up the novels all the time. Matter of fact, I just bought six of them yesterday at the book store (anyone here get discounts on novels - I could certainly use it!).

Robert Jordan USED to be a favorite of mine. I picked up his Wheel of Time series when there were five books out initially. I devoured them, went out and bought them all. By the time I got to book six, things were really 'political', book seven, everyone was scattered and more to the point, there were too many 'main' characters that it was hard to keep track of. When I read that he was going to take it up to 13 novels I flat out refused to buy anymore until the bugger finished them all or was dead.

[Gin1906]

FF,
Thats pretty funny about the Wheel of Time books, I almost posted that exact same thing on the ****ed off thead the other day, I really enjoyed the first several books, by the time I got to book seven, I never even finished it, and I have Never picked up another one, and don't care to.

Another series that had lot of promise was the Soothsayer, Oricle and Prophet books (can't remember the author and to effin lazy to look it up)
had a really good premise, and the first book had lots of promise, the other two Stunk! And the ending was total rubbish.

It has been a while since I have found a series that I have truely devoured, any suggestions would be great, I like fantasy and Sci-fi.
Gin

[Nathan Caroland]

Heh, I hear that from a lot of people about Jordan, I think personally the man has simply 'lost it' when it comes to the book. I think I would have been pleased with five books total and think he could have told the story in that time easily enough except he made things too complex. Ah well.

As for books - I really suggest Jim Butcher and his Dresden Files. Get them, you won't be disapointed.

[artshiraz]

Funny thing about WoT

I started reading the german release of "Rad der Zeit", but I went as far as to
"The path of Daggers #3 "... which got published as the 23rd german book. Neat huh? 23 times WoT. After that I wasn't keen enough for more Jordan.
WoT had a terrible (means good) start.... but somehow more and more sidethreads were opened and never closed.
Today I don't even know if there have been more books about the WoT after the last I have read.... and frankly I don't care anymore.

Did someone read the Assassin series from Robin Hobb ?

[Duende]

Did someone read the Assassin series from Robin Hobb ?

Yes! I have. The first three novels and the second trilogy that follows it (The Tawny Man trilogy) which wraps up all the loose ends. Also I've read her Liveship Traders books as well, they were excellent, too. Have you read those? Did you know Robin Hobb is also short-story writer Megan Lindholm, but I don't think either of those names is her real one.

Have you ever read C.S. Friedman? Her Coldfire Trilogy was outstanding and the first novel of that, Black Sun Rising is one of my all-time favorite books and have it in paperback, hardback, and even have a "advance reading copy" which is a larger paperback version, which says on the back cover,"Unrevised and unpublished proof. This copy is not for distribution to the public." Haha, seems you can get anything off of eBay!
Her other stand-alone novels are In Conquest Born, The Madness Season, and This Alien Shore. And her latest release is The Wilding which is a sequel to her first novel (ICB) which takes place 200 years later. I've only just got it and have yet to read it.
One thing I like best about her novels is that often there's elements of both science fiction and fantasy in them. For example, BSR takes place on a world that was settled by human colonists who arrived by spaceship, but when they settled there, they discovered a mysterious force called the fae which could make real the worst things in your imagination. Also in the book The Madness Season, modern-day Earth is being invaded by aliens and the main hero of the book is revealed to be a vampire, who is also a college professor. Great stuff! I really recommend her!

Also, anybody ever read Tad Williams?

:umbrella: Great reads for rainy days...

[RedDawn]

@FF - that's so funny you said that about the Anita Blake series. I read it, got Grumb hooked on it and he read that last one before I did. He was totally ****ed off too! I didn't mind it so much and I'm looking forward to the next one. I also really like her Meredith Gentry, Fairy Princess series.

@Duende - I'm sitting here looking at Black Sun Rising sitting on my desk. I started to read it, thought there was a book before it, so I read In Conquest Born - only to find out it's a completely different series! I'm planning on reading her other stuff as well. In Conquest Born didn't do a whole lot for me, but now that I've read your post I'll give the others a try. I hope I haven't blown a secret by reading that the character in The Madness Season is a vampire!

I've also read the Assassin series by Robin Hobb. I liked it, but I've enjoyed others more. I think part of the problem is the time between books.

I read a book by Melanie Rawn - the Exiles series - The Ruins of Ambrai and The Mageborn Traitor. Both were great books and I've been waiting YEARS for the third one to come out, but haven't heard anything about it. Also waiting for Rebecca Neason's third book after The Thirteenth Scoll (and something else).

Also, just about any book by David Weber - especially any Honor Harrington! I especially liked his March...series (March Upcountry, March to the Sea, March to the Stars and the fourth one which doesn't have "March..." in the title).

There are just soooo many books out there by great authors! Two of my favorite authors are Jennifer Crusie and Mary Janice Davidson - both "romance" authors. I NEVER read romance stuff - hated Harlequin as a teen, but I LOVE these two authors. They are funny as hell - especially MJ Davidison. Her books are less "romancy" than J Crusie, and they're about a vampire with a shoe fetish - right up my alley! I read those when I need a break from a long, "heavy" sci-fi book. I wait with bated breath for anything from them.

[Nathan Caroland]

@Dawn

Yeah, I am still mind scrubbing right now after that book. Same with her fairy books I have to say, I read the first one, but basically, I think Laurell Hammilton has simply tuned into her 'I'm seriously horny' mode because all of her stuff lately seems to make a woman completely air tight with the amount of men that she's tossing into a love scene.

Ack .. I'm thinking about it again. And yes, that was crude above what I said, but ... ack!

@Duende

Assassin ... isn't that where at the end of the series the guy had been so screwed up because he poisoned himself or some such and was basically useless as an assassin from there on out?

[artshiraz]

Assassin ... isn't that where at the end of the series the guy had been so screwed up because he poisoned himself or some such and was basically useless as an assassin from there on out?

Correct.. that's the one.
I wasn't so sure about the trilogy I read (the first one). It was ..different but the end spoiled a bit the whole series for me.

It is a bit like the Midkemia books from RJF. When Feist wrote Magician it was more than interesting. When he developed his Bitter Sea novels I followed by reading. But when Arutha, Jimmy and about everyone interesting died (old age, assassination, etc..) somehow the series lost its touch.

Also, anybody ever read Tad Williams?
Great reads for rainy days...

Wellll.... I know Otherland. Though I didn't read it, but do listen the audiobook. In another thread in another forum Otherland was told to be THE ultimate audiobook to listen to while painting.
I agree :vb_tongue it is a much more nice painting when there is some story running in the background .. and you're not tempted to look up because there's no movie running.

[Duende]

@Duende - I read In Conquest Born - only to find out it's a completely different series! I'm planning on reading her other stuff as well. In Conquest Born didn't do a whole lot for me, but now that I've read your post I'll give the others a try. I hope I haven't blown a secret by reading that the character in The Madness Season is a vampire!

I read a book by Melanie Rawn - the Exiles series - The Ruins of Ambrai and The Mageborn Traitor. Both were great books and I've been waiting YEARS for the third one to come out, but haven't heard anything about it.

@ Dawn - Well, In Conquest Born now has a newly released sequel The Wilding that I mentioned in my previous post. I think I may have to re-read ICB just to refressh my memory on what happened there.

The Madness Season shouldn't be ruined by giving away that "secret". It's revealed maybe about a fourth of the way into the book, so I didn't count it THAT big a secret. I did like TMS better than ICB.

If you like Melanie Rawn, also try her Dragon Prince and Dragon Star Trilogies. They're long novels and the main character in the first novels are grandparents by the last. Also, the third book in her Exiles Trilogy is titled The Captal's Tower, and I think she has yet to start writing it. :(

Also forgot to mention Kate Elliot's Crown of Stars series. The fifth (or is it sixth?) novel of it is out in hardcover now and it looks like it will be a six (or seven) book series (it was supposed to be trilogy, but she keeps finding more to add :D ).

@ artshiraz - The Otherland books are his venture into sci-fi. For a good fantasy story, try his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. It's technically a trilogy although the last book had to be broken up into parts I and II since it was so long, making it one book took too many pages! Also there was Tailchaser's Song a great story for cat lovers!

and @ anybody else reading this- here's a good link to find out more about some of these authors: DAW Books Authors' Sites

Enjoy! :vb_tongue