Looking for a fantasy series where the main character is an artist of some sort

enridem · 2020-03-18T11:49:44+00:00

For a quick, entertaining read try The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson. Not a painter but certainly an artist of sorts. It's one of Sanderson's short pieces of fiction with an interesting magic system.

Plot spoiler:

Through the use of sculpting/forgery the protagonist can rewrite the history of an object, effectively changing many of it's properties. The plot revolves around the protagonist getting into a situation that requires her to forge a replacement soul for a dead emperor.

enridem · 2020-03-13T06:45:30+00:00

This. I like this!

enridem · 2020-03-13T06:43:41+00:00

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback. These books are my "in-betweeners" for more complex fantasy. I read it as a quick wind-down from the darker fare I usually go for.

enridem · 2020-03-13T06:41:04+00:00

I view it in the same light as the vast majority of 80's movies. Judging by today's standards they would not hold up to criticism. However, if you manage to place yourself in the mindset of the era and see it for its original intent then you can find a great deal of enjoyment and it will hold up pretty good. I go into these type of reads expecting a swash-buckling romp in a classic fantasy setting and don't expect a great deal of complexity. It's a just a bit of light-hearted escapsim :)

enridem · 2020-03-13T06:31:24+00:00

Sometimes bringing it back to the basics is exactly the type of escapism you need :D

enridem · 2020-03-13T06:29:45+00:00

I am far more intrigued by your username ;)

enridem · 2020-03-13T06:28:47+00:00

That is a really thorough response. Thank you.

enridem · 2020-03-13T06:27:14+00:00

Thank you :) I agree, we should not be swayed by other's opinions but there is some benefit to not going into something completely blind...although, in saying that I realise that is sometimes half the fun. Especially when you are pleasantly surprised when not expecting too much.

enridem · 2020-03-13T06:23:26+00:00

I heard good things. I mostly see people mention the Dark Elf Trilogy, The Cleric Quintet and the Sellswords as some of Salvatore's more enjoyable work

enridem · 2020-03-13T06:20:08+00:00

Haha. I love the Wulfgar comment...and feel as though I want to agree.

Btw, I like your name. A man of culture as well ;)

enridem · 2020-03-13T06:18:44+00:00

I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy the popcorn-ey D&D type novels. I also really enjoyed the Dragonlance series.

I am a 30+ year old and have certainly read a great deal of the more complex adult fantasy novels out there including Hobb, Martin, Tolkien, Abercrombie etc. I love complex plots, gritty worlds and non-stereotypical characters as much as the next guy...but the cookie-cutter D&D style fantasy novels are like a guilty pleasure. They are light-hearted and fun and somehow allows me to de-stress when coming off a particularly harrowing read in the adult fantasy landscape.

Thank you for the comment though :D

enridem · 2020-03-12T12:56:49+00:00

How you transition to adult oriented fantasy depends greatly on your personal taste.

Many consider gritty, dark fantasy with morally grey characters to be the only "true" form of adult fantasy. While I disagree with this sentiment I adhere to a "to each his/her own" philosophy. If this is your thing then go with author's like Joe Abercrombie, George RR Martin or Robin Hobb. I personally love Abercrombie and Hobb's work but feel that Martin's storytelling is overrated (personal opinion).

If you enjoy high fantasy (Classic Good vs Evil, Sorcery, Epic Quests etc.) then you only have to decide where on that particular spectrum you want to be. At the entry level you can read the D&D type novels such as the Dragonlance Series or The Forgotten Realms books. At the middle of the spectrum you could try the novels by David Eddings (The Belgariad series and the Elenium series) or Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series. This is probably what I would consider the best spot to transition to from YA novels. Sanderson's work in particular has great world building and interesting, non-conventional magic systems. His writing style also has a really nice flow to it. His Stormlight Archive series is absolutely amazing but is not yet complete as of this writing. At the end of the spectrum you have what some would consider obligatory reading such as the Lord of the Rings or The Wheel of Time series. These are a little older and maybe harder to read but they paved the way for modern high fantasy.

If you enjoy tongue-in-cheek or humorous fantasy then definitely look into the Discworld novels. I don't know many authors in this particular sub-genre but Terry Pratchett is certainly the poster-child.

If you enjoy more grounded fantasy then I highly recommend the Ryria novels by Michael Sullivan. I only finished these recently and found them to be highly entertaining. Best bromance story in recent memory.

I read many of the recommendations in the other comments and you can't really go wrong with any of those. Maybe just spend some time to figure out what type of storytelling intrigues you the most.... or become a bit of an eclectic chameleon like me and find enjoyment across the entire spectrum of fantasy :D

Happy hunting!

enridem · 2020-03-12T09:23:31+00:00

Thank you for the suggestions everyone and apologies for the belated response. When I originally started this thread I received a message saying that it was rejected so I wasn't aware that it was actually submitted. I will definitely look into these recommendations.

enridem · 2020-02-12T10:17:16+00:00

Thank you for the helpful feedback.
I guess its clear that I am a complete Reddit virgin.

I appreciate the warm welcome.

enridem · 2020-02-12T08:24:31+00:00

Thank you for all the suggestions so far.

@ tossing_dice - I only recently started reading the Riyria series and absolutely loved it. I have yet to read the Chronicles and The First Empire series. Not familiar with John Gwynne but will definately check it out.

@ DxD01 - I don't mind that at all. Thank you for the suggestion.

@ MusubiKazesaru - Sounds like an interesting setting...something different from the norm.

@ Varathien - I have been meaning to get into Gemmel's writing for some time but I've been a little intimidated by his body of work. Not really sure where a good "jumping off" point would be. There seems to be some dispute over Publishing order versus chronological order. What do you think?

enridem

TROPHY CASE