re: On the last book of Wheel of Time. Need recomendations

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Reading the Malazan series is a process, not a leisurely stroll

But man oh man is the payoff ever worth it

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Dang it, you guys are killing me. I read the 1st book and started the 2nd and put it down, now you guys are making want to pick it back up. Bastards.

its a challenge, they aren't just fun little fantasy stories you can burn through but very rewarding in the end. I'm happy if i get through 100 pages in a day/session with Malazan. Don't read them one after the other, intersperse with some easy reader stuff or you will get burnt out.


I'd recommend reading with these breaks for other easier stuff to read to sort of re-set. You could read something else in between each book if you wanted, most of his books are self contained stories to a degree which fit into an overall arc, at least through the first 2/3 or so and it isn't too hard to figure out what is going on again.

Book 1
Book 2 (can switch this order)

Book 3
Book 4

Book 5
Book 6 (can take a break in between, but these are linked)
Book 7


Book 8 (hardest book to get through, most peoples least favorite)

Book 9
Book 10 (these are definitely best read together, book 9 is a bit slow but book 10 is great)

Honestly Books 6/7 and 9/10 are the only ones which, in my mind, are really like a two-volume story.

I enjoyed book 9, that ending was a bit rushed but overall liked it.

Book 8, ending was awesome and I liked it overall, but it was tough, tough reading.

My least favorite may have been book 6, but its a tough call.

Book 2, 3, 5 and 10 are my upper tier probably.

ETA: Sorry to turn this into a Malazan discussion.

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Sword of truth series

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Maybe the first few books....then Goodkind just goes off on a Randian rant for the rest of the series. Political theory can add to a book (see: Dune), but Goodkind is just ham-fisted with it.

...and I'm saying this as a rabid libertarian that has read all of Rand's books.

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Maybe the first few books....then Goodkind just goes off on a Randian rant for the rest of the series.

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The first 3-4 books are just ripoffs of Robert Jordan with some S&M and Ayn Rand mixed in. Then as you say they just become drivel.

And as someone who thought Atlas Shrugged was straight up terrible and can't stand Rand, you can only imagine how badly I think of Goodkind. Though somehow I think I made it through book 5 before quitting the series, I have issues not finishing series I start I think. Though I have gotten better over the years about that.

The author definitely writes in an unusual style - but his series is so well put together I far prefer it to GOT. There are certain paragraphs which explain something about a character that don't come fully into circle or have a major impact until 6 books further in.

I love that kind of stuff and just the scope of the world-building in WOT. I also think this is one of the better ways I've seen a magic-intensive series which gives you a real description of what is going on does it. Definitely high fantasy, a different audience, time and style relative to GOT. Jordan excelled in the overall scope / layout of the series and descriptive text while Martin I think is a strong author in terms of his prose, but the vision for the series is lacking and i just didn't find myself caring about the characters much.

That said, be prepared for a major slow-down in WOT around the Winter's Heart book or immediately after. I think the author getting sick and the story being so big hurts the mid section there. It also is sort of the inflection point, IMO, where instead of sprawling out, the series begins to shift in order to converge to an ending. But the ending of the series when Sanderson picks it up to finish off Jordan's notes is strong.

Ive never despised a series as much as Malazan. If you guys enjoy it good for you, but I’ve never been so bored or hated a book more in my life.

I mean its not an easy, stroll through the park typical fantasy read. Its an intensive world building and quasi philosophical book in terms of what it focuses on. You really have to pay attention closely to what you are reading and its a slow burn. But, if you like some of the more philosophical type questions he poses, it is well worth it in the end.

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Bob Series - We are legion we are Bob, For we are many, All these world

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The bobiverse is a really cool series. I wish it were longer.

Read the Ex Force series that starts with Columbus day.

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If you want a fun change from strictly medieval fantasy check out Jim Butcher's Dresden Files (I promise you won't be sorry).

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His Codex Alera series is also really good, with a pretty cool premise. The story is basically what happened to the "Lost Legion" from Rome, and the world that results from a mix of Roman technology and magic. And even the magic system is unique.