Australian Members

[Decaz]

For the subdivision see below.

I'd be interested in mainstream works that satisfy this.

Eta: less antagonistic.

J.R.R.Tolkien Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
Raymond E. Feist - Riftwar and Empire trilogy
Ursula K Le Guin - Earthsea

 

[LonerMatt]

Published 2007.

Ursula leGuin's works.
Early Feist (which is really the only Feist worth reading)
Ian Irvine's first two series
Jennifer Fallon (not sure what was pre-2000)


... once again this conversation seems to be turning into the GoT vs all else bullshit I'm tired of. If you like it, fine, they're likeable books! but that doesn't mean that:
a) They don't have a plethora of flaws
b) They are particularly good fantasy

 

[Decaz]

Ursula leGuin's works.
Early Feist (which is really the only Feist worth reading)
Ian Irvine's first two series
Jennifer Fallon (not sure what was pre-2000)


... once again this conversation seems to be turning into the GoT vs all else bullshit I'm tired of. If you like it, fine, they're likeable books! but that doesn't mean that:
a) They don't have a plethora of flaws
b) They are particularly good fantasy

Definitely agree. When people say Game of Thrones are the best fantasy they've ever read, I wonder if they have ever read the likes of Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson and Scott Lynch.

 

[BaldwinP]

People who've been reading fantasy and/or scifi for years also got irked when the mainstream got onto Lord of the Rings (albeit LOTR was always the most mainstream hit fantasy ever had), when the mainstream declared Harry Potter the best thing ever and when the mainstream declared the Hunger Games books the best thing ever (and don't even start with the people who'd read Battle Royale before Hunger Games came out, whoa). It's only natural when the mainstream derides someone's niche for years to get annoyed when the mainstream decides it belongs to them.

Game of Thrones is a reasonably good fantasy series but not the best ever (especially since it's not finished and in fact has been creaking along for the last decade and 2 books and sooner rather than later the series is going to have to deal with the major flaws in the writing and simply overtake where the books are up to- I'm willing to bet that they mix up the two most recent books rather than have big characters not show up for an entire book/season like George did!). It's pretty accessible and is full of violence, twists and sex though- plus dragons- and they've done a great job with the series of making it cinematic and a visual feast, not that you couldn't have done that with a hell of a lot of fantasy series.

I'm vaguely wondering if someone will take a run at the Wheel of Time, which has the decided advantage of being complete thanks to Jordan dying and Sanderson taking over the last 3 books, plus it still has lots of sex, violence, intrigue, major characters dying and being tortured, all that kind of thing. If someone wants to copycat the success of Game of Thrones, and most TV networks copycat like they breathe, then Wheel of Time is the natural choice.

Outsider: Feist and Janny Wurts' "Daughter of the Empire" trilogy would also be an amazing set of books to adapt if they had the balls to realise that a female lead can do really well in these things...

Much as I'd love to see a modern TV adaptation of something like Earthsea or the Belgariad, I suspect they're both a bit PG-rated for the Thrones audience.

 

[Oli2012]

I don't read books. Life is awesome.

 

[fxh]

Like iSurg I've been a torrents man for years. Don't forget to leave PC on for a few days and feed them torrents.

Wrt GoT Ms. fxh has been addicted since we got the whole series on hard drive. I used to complain that every time I walked past I either saw someone humping or being killed. She reckoned I was missing most of it where they were humping and cutting heads off At The Same Time. I can't say I've watched an episode through.

 

[thebrownman]



I don't read books. Life is awesome.

You live in Newcastle man, I beg to differ..

 

[Prince of Paisley]

"I live in Newcastle. Heroin is awesome".

 

[thebrownman]

Nice gags, compliments.

 

[Oli2012]



"I live in Newcastle. Heroin is awesome".

Ice, TYVM.

 

[fxh]

Oli wouldn't the drug of choice be alcohol and choof? Like the rest of regional Australia.

 

[LonerMatt]

Reading books is basically the best thing possible.

Don't be ignorant Oli, it's not attractive.

 

[Oli2012]

Oli wouldn't the drug of choice be alcohol and choof? Like the rest of regional Australia.

Hmm. It would be a toss up between that and ice.

Reading books is basically the best thing possible.

Don't be ignorant Oli, it's not attractive.

I really don't like novels. The thought of reading Ian Irvine makes me want to gouge my eyes out.

I spent my entire English major skipping novel courses for poetry, film and Shakespeare units.

Last book I read was 'Independence Day' by Richard Ford a few years back.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]



I really don't like novels. The thought of reading Ian Irvine makes me want to gouge my eyes out. 

I spent my entire English major skipping novel courses for poetry, film and Shakespeare units.

Last book I read was 'Independence Day' by Richard Ford a few years back. 

Sigh no wonder the Labour Party is so fucked up.

 

[Journeyman]

Plestor,

I'm assuming that you've already read Ursula K. LeGuin's "Earthsea" trilogy (actually five books)?


Edited to add: Whoops - skipped the whole last page, where it was already mentioned a couple of times.