Now who do i read!?

[sn1gle]

With the sad passing of David Gemmell (and a complete re-read of his work now over) i find myself at a loose end.
Have been a Gemmell fan since before the Sparta books and have managed to get myself (happily!) sidetracked over the years into reading just his work on heroic fantasy.
In the past i have read a lot of fantasy books but this was all 20 years ago and i have really lost touch with more modern writers.
Who nowadays writes in the same spirit, style etc as David Gemmell did (or close to anyway)? - any recommedations greatly appeciated.

[dwndrgn]

I'll suggest Stephen Erikson's Malazan series - heroic, ironic, epic - lots of good characters and great world building.

[Connavar]

There are no current fantasy writer that is even near Gemmell style and specially not in the same spirit.

If you want read classics. I would recommend Robert E Howards Conan stories. They are not the same style but in the same spirit cause Conan is like the father of todays heroic fantasy.

Steven Erikson is very different from DG but he is closer to heroic fantasy than any other epic fantasy writer i have read.


If you want to read someone similar there is Conn Iggulden DG fan usually likes him cause he is similer but he writes historical Fiction. He is also a big fan of DG and even knew him.

[Nesacat]

I'll second Connavar on the Conan suggestion. The stories have been compiled into a Centenary edition and are well written. By there same writer there are also the Solomon Kane tales and the Kull stories.

As Connavar said they are not in the same style as Gemmel but they certainly come from the same heart.

As for contemporary works ... I'm going to go with the Malazan books, which I have just started reading myself. Thus far I'm enjoying myself.

It's very good epic fantasy and as a bonus the writer has got a timeline for the release of each book and a fixed number of books planned.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Try George RR Martin.

You wont be dissapointed.

[Connavar]

Dont read GRRM and expecting to it have heroic fantasy elements, that is BS and advertisment for epic fantasy to lure in heroic fantasy fans.

I know i was fooled by that when i read him.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Originally Posted by Connavar of Rigante

Dont read GRRM and expecting to it have heroic fantasy elements, that is BS and advertisment for epic fantasy to lure in heroic fantasy fans.

I know i was fooled by that when i read him.

Wow........where did that comment come from !

I have loved all David Gemmell's books and also very much enjoy Conn Iggulden and have read Conan stories for the last three decades. Books and authors others on this posting seem to have enjoyed.

I like GRRM, but dont expect everyone else to, the title of this posting is "who do I read now" It was just a suggestion, I am certainly not advertising for epic fantasy and dont particularly appriciate my opinion being described as BS !!

[Connavar]

No No i wasnt saying that cause of you.


I have seen it to be falsely talked about like Heroic Fantasy,adverstised that way.

Just saying its good to know what kind of story to expect from GRRM series.

[Rahl Windsong]

The thing is though there is plenty that is "magic" in GRRM's series..

the others
the bond between the wolves and the Starks
the Red Woman Melisandre

Not to mention the Dragons, though not magical they are beasts of magic in most stories. So there is plenty of things that are "magical" in Martin's story and personally I prefer it that way instead of the D&D approach.

I am sure I have missed some

[The LegendThe Damned]

I used to read R.A Salvatore before i started reading Gemmell, his books were pretty cool, fantasy and the whole nine yards, but not as cool as Gemmell of couse , but still cool none the less

[andrew.v.spencer]

Glen Cook and his Black Company series is good, a cross between Gemmell and Erikson.

[Connavar]

Originally Posted by The LegendThe Damned

I used to read R.A Salvatore before i started reading Gemmell, his books were pretty cool, fantasy and the whole nine yards, but not as cool as Gemmell of couse , but still cool none the less

Funny you should recommend R.A Salvatore.

He was my first fantasy writer. Months before i read DG for the first time.


I read R.A S and ran away from fantasy for months until i accidently ran into and read The Sword In The storm who changed everything and made me a fantasy fan.

[The LegendThe Damned]

Originally Posted by Connavar of Rigante

Funny you should recommend R.A Salvatore.

He was my first fantasy writer. Months before i read DG for the first time.


I read R.A S and ran away from fantasy for months until i accidently ran into and read The Sword In The storm who changed everything and made me a fantasy fan.

I picked up R.A S from a friend of mine. I read all of his books in the exception of the Dragonrider books i believe it was, but every book with Drizzt and companions . I found DG because i did a paper on R.A S and my English 102 professor told me that if i liked Salvatore then i would love Gemmell, (which was true lol

[sanityassassin]

I would recommend Raymond E. Feist while not the same as Gemmell I read him after I had finished DG and found him a reasonable substitute

[Wezman]

Like you, I am at a loss now that DG is no longer with us, but, at a suggestion from a friend, tried and read Trudi Canavan. No, she does not write like DG, but what a great writer she is. Ended up reading all her six books in quick succession. I have not found another writer who stacks up to DG in his field, but Ms Canavan does do a great job.

Wezman