Nathan Bransford - The Forums

My friend and I always exchange books for our birthdays. We try to find books that the other hasn't yet read.

Here's my problem. My friend only likes to read YA or adult fantasy with a male protagonist. I've run out. I can't think of any more.

We've done Harry Potter, Neil Gaiman, Pratchett, Percy Jackson, the Bartomelus (sp?) trilogy, Garth Nix.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated! So, that's YA or Adult fantasy, male protagonist, only.

Thanks in advance!

I really enjoyed The Belgariad, a five-book high fantasy series with main character Garion, by David Eddings.

And why, why, why is The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (and now Brandon Sanderson) not in your list?

Wheel of Time - you HAVE to read this or you might as well walk back into the sea
Mistborn Trilogy is highly accomplished and entertaining
Joe Abercrombie's first law trilogy is different and also very accomplished.
Lies of Locke Lamora (Fantasy heist book...excellent!)
If you want something achingly beautiful and heart wrenching - Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy is worth the effort. It's not traditional buckling of swashes but packs a mean punch
Brent Weekes Night Angel Trilogy is so-so....gets worse as it goes along which is a shame as it started really well
Adrian Tchaikovsky's Empire in Black and Gold is interesting. Worth a read!

Go Quest, Young Man by K.B.Bogan is brilliant and hilarious. Be lucky if you can find a copy though - I'm almost tempted to let the entire world borrow mine just so more people know about it.

Do everyone a favour and stay as far away from Terry Goodkind as possible - somewhere on the other side of the rings of Saturn should do the trick. Certainly don't go past the first book Wizards First Rule.

That'll keep 'em going

THE DEATH GATE CYCLE begins with DRAGON WING and stars Haplo, an interesting sort of anti hero, and Alfred, a great supporting role who ends up being right at the center of things. It's a 7 volume series and would probably be considered adult fantasy but my teen daughter read and enjoyed it as well.

Margaret Wiess and Tracy Hickman have written other great fantasy novels, several with male protagonists, but they usually have several main characters and this is the only series I know of that focuses on one or two characters.

Another great read is THE GUNSLINGER series by Stephen King. I've only read the first four (haven't found the time to get back to it yet after he stopped writing them for a while when I was a teenager). They're a great fantasy series and definitely focus on the MC.

You've covered the great YA novels I know of (it's Bartimaeus BTW), but a great middle grade is Artemis Fowl. Some of it was slightly juvenile for me but I otherwise enjoyed it all the way through.

THE INHERITANCE CYCLE begins with ERAGON and is fantasy that could be considered adult but is widely enjoyed by YA readers. Christopher Paolini was only like 17 years old when he wrote the first but has grown up a lot since then.

My daughter also suggests the RANGER'S APPRENTICE series. I have not read it so I can't concur, but I have read good reviews.

Hope that helps.

I personally like the idea behind Michael Scott's The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. Story-wise, it's okay, I guess.

Read Brent Weeks's and it's okay. The MC does get a little boring and a bit excessively naive at times though.

Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan got good reviews. Like the idea behind the story.

My husband and his brother both love Dan Simmons's books. Their favorites are DROOD and ILIUM. They're both fans of the other authors you mentioned, Mira, so you might want to give Simmons a shot.

Wow - these are all wonderful!! Most of them are completely unfamiliar to me, so what a gift this is. I'll have presents for the next 10 years (and maybe some things to read myself :)

Thanks all! Much appreciated.

Clara Callan is an awesome book, by Richard Wright I believe. It's in a format of letters between two sisters. He makes it seem like it would be simple to write a book in this format. It's not.

I liked both sisters and its interesting to try to place which sister has the "better" life.

Worstwriterever - thanks! I'll check them out.

Can I just mention I love your name! Very clever. :)

George R R Martin's SONG OF ICE AND FIRE if your friend doesn't mind pretty adult material. The series is far from over, but is good. Also, seconding the David Eddings, but only the early stuff. THE BELGARIAD, THE MALLOREAN, THE ELENIEUM (sp?) and THE TAMULI series' will provide you with 16 books, then add on BELGARATH THE SORCERER for fun. Last I knew BELGARIAD and MALLOREAN were available in omnibus (so you'd only have to buy 4 instead of 10!). Ignore POLGARA and, quite honestly, anything else he's written since then.

For light fare, there's Robert Asprin's MYTH books. Funny and fun. Some of the early ones are available in omnibus editions. Back to heavier stuff, there's Gene Wolfe's THE WIZARD KNIGHT, an amazing two book work. By the same author THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN is technically sci-fi, but reads more like fantasy. The LATRO stories are historical fiction, but feature appearances by gods and mythic beings so could be considered fantasy.

HTH,

~Serzen

THE PIT DRAGON CHRONICLES by Jane Yolen is fantastic, especially if you dabble a little in SF or have burned through ERAGON already. Good luck, happy hunting!

Yay! Thanks serzen and lightelement94. These are great.

I'm not only getting a list for birthday presents by for myself as well. Very cool -thanks! :)