@bookstodon I need #BookRecommendations please! I’m looking for low #fantasy recommendations. Romance can be there but I want plenty of adventure & banter to go along with it. Nothing epic- magic should take a back seat and it’d be amazing if the main character did not have magic at all. Best if MC is not royal/deity/etc.
The closest thing I’ve read to this is Intisar Khanani’s The Dauntless Path series (which is amazing and I highly recommend). Anything else like it?
Wonderful slice-of-life fantasy. Both of the main characters are healers, with one of them using a form of magic to heal - which is the extent of the magic in the books.
@jarulf@bookstodon I adore those books! They're a little more high fantasy than I'm looking for this, but they are one of my all time top favorite books ever. Robin Hobb is incredible.
@skaeth@bookstodon Oh, no! Now you've done it. I thought I knew what to read next, but but ...
I'd already decided to finish The Realm of the Elderling series this year, but thought I'd do it a little later.
;-)
@skaeth@bookstodon right, it's terrible. Good thing I have a four day weekend now, hopefully I'll be able to finish a few of the books I'm reading now. Then I will have to find that elusive thing called 'discipline', about as common as a unicorn round here, and actually not get distracted by suggestions here on Mastodon.
Some books make it impossible to pick another one up at once after you've finished it. They have to settle in you a bit first, before you're ready for the next.
@jarulf@bookstodon Oh, wow, thank you! I wasn't at all intending to get eyes on my own books with this.
But what sort of thing are you feeling like right now? Windward is faster paced with fire and fury, dragon riders and dragons and internal-cave-strife. Single POV.
Between Starfalls (and the series it kicks off) is set in the same world (same island) but's slower paced with a much more epic scale and some sci-fi elements spattered in more and more as the series progresses. It's multi-PoV.
@skaeth@bookstodon Oh, I really didn't think you were. Please don't worry about that. I'm always happy try a writer that is new to me.
Both sound interesting but I'm not generally that interested in epic fantasy, I usually prefer more down to earth stuff, so Windward probably sounds more like my thing.
I'll just fire up my computer and nab a copy then.
@skaeth@bookstodon I suspect neither book would fit that exactly (definitely not one about dragons!), but I usually like books that are about fairly normal people, having dangerous but ultimately not too grand adventures. A focus on relationships and character development is something I often enjoy.
That said, I absolutely read things that tends to more High Fantasy Epic storytelling too.
It sounds like Windward is more likely up your alley then-- Palon has no special magic apart from her dragon bond, which is 100% usual for her community. She happens to excel at dragon riding because she's talented like that. Definitely there's danger, but nothing too grand in scope, and relationships and character are the center.
For the epic series, the MCs are all superheroes but also they have no idea what they're doing. Lots of relationships and development though.
@skaeth@bookstodon Well, since you're basically giving the ebooks away for free right now, I picked up both. Just waiting for them to arrive now.
So now I have a few more books to agonize over trying to decide what to read next. 😉
@jarulf@bookstodon Oh yes, I had just finished a sale and hadn't gotten around to changing the price yet-- lucky for you! They should arrive soon if they haven't already! Hopefully you can carve some reading time to tackle that TBR mountain lol
@jarulf@bookstodon Mastodon is my favorite social network I've ever tried (unless you count Discord, in which case it's a strong second)! I'm very bad at social media-ing but it's just nice here.
@skaeth@bookstodon I was recommended here the Greatcoats series by Sebastien de Castell, four books inspired by the Three Musketeers. Lots of banter and adventure, and up to the point I got there is only very little magic and it's not essential to the plot
@skaeth@bookstodon Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series is great rich low fantasy.
Ellen Kushner's "Swordspoint' is also great.
Guy Gabriel Kay writes some of the best very low-magic historic fantasies (they're mostly history in an analogue world, but there are hints of magic here and there)
@jarulf@fskornia@bookstodon I ADORE Guy Gavriel Kay! His writing is right along the lines of what I'm looking for. I can't believe I forgot about him. Thank you both!
Also I've read one of the Kushiel books and it's just not for me. I'll check out Swordspoint! Thank you again!
@skaeth@jarulf@fskornia@bookstodon I love all of Kay's books and really enjoyed the Swordspoint books. Like you, I didn't care for the Kushiel books but Carey's 2018 Starless was very good. Sharon Shinn is a SFF romance writer and the Angel books don't have magic and the series has an unexpected trajectory.
@paul_ipv6@fskornia@bookstodon
Guy Gavriel Kay writes like he's painting with words. It's been a while since I've read something of his, but I love his books so much!
svaha, mulengro, yarrow are great. he's got a couple of long series of interconnected short stories in a shared environment, newford and ottawa. i haven't hit anything of his that wasn't worth a read.
@skaeth@bookstodon
How about space opera with a lot of fantasy elements? Liaden Universe series by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, adventure, romance, spaceships, psychic powers, 8 foot tall knife-throwing space turtles, mind-reading chinchilla-ish critters, witches, dragons, healers, evil spy agency, sentient space stations.
I have not-- yet! It looks like he's got a series, Vlad Taltos. This looks super interesting-- not exactly what I was looking for on paper but it actually might fit really well from this description. I love the idea of this whole other-planet, sorcerer race plotline! Thank you!
@paul_ipv6@zakyfarms@bookstodon I’ve heard mixed things about Harry Dresden, but I don’t usually enjoy urban fantasy, so I haven’t tried it. I’ll have to see if I can get my hands on the Vlad Taltos series!
@BunRab@skaeth@bookstodon I enjoyed that trilogy very much, but I was thinking the Vlad Taltos series might be more what the OP was looking for. But you really can’t go wrong either way!
@Da_Gut@bookstodon These sound wonderful, especially the Steerswoman! I knew about T. Kingfisher but her books completely slipped my mind--I haven't gotten around to them yet so I'll bump them up in my TBR, but The Steerswoman looks like the type of book I was looking for! (The Penric novellas also look interesting).
Let me know if you think of any others! Thank you so much!
@skaeth@bookstodon The Steerswoman series has some science fiction elements that enter into later books. But the first book or two should fit the bill nicely.
I know there is one niggling around my head, but its staying hidden.
@bookstodon@Da_Gut@skaeth Piping up with love for The Steerswoman books, a perennial favourite - there’s a link to a review of the first one pinned to my profile and to say don’t be put off by the word “wizard” that appears in them ; )
@CommonMugwort@bookstodon@Da_Gut@skaeth Just headed over to Kobo and grabbed a copy of Steerswoman. And it was really cheap too.
I have a mile high TBR pile (who doesn't?) but maybe I can squeeze it in somewhere. I have a long weekend in front of me with nothing planned after all.
@jarulf@CommonMugwort@bookstodon@Da_Gut Yes, I saw it wasn't very expensive! I love that my question got you to pick up this book too! The contagious aspect of reading is fantastic.
I also got Paladin's Strength and Paladin's Hope by Kingfisher. I'd already listened to Paladin's Grace, which I thought was ok at the time, but sometimes you want to give a writer some extra time before you decide what you think.
The Penric Novellas are interesting. While he uses magic, it's not like your standard European lore. It's more Mediterranean in feel. And its considerably more grounded than fantastic fiction. It has a very low fantasy flavor. Don't overlook it.
@Da_Gut@CommonMugwort@bookstodon I am very much on board for the non-standard-European lore! Definitely going to check these out, especially knowing that!
@skaeth@Da_Gut@bookstodon More theology than magic, I feel. The whole 5 gods universe, of which the Penric stories are the…lightest, I guess? They all feel like they’re grappling with death and what it would feel like to have gods who were palpably involved in the question of the afterlife
@CommonMugwort@skaeth@Da_Gut@bookstodon The Penric stories are among my absolute favourites, and definitely worth looking into imo if you want something that's more about people than epic high fantasy.
@Da_Gut@skaeth@bookstodon
Wizard's Guide was great - long live Bob! The latest one of hers, Thornhedge, is great. For sparkling repartee, though, can't beat the Paladin books and Swordheart!
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