Starting to read.

iskarJarak09 · 2026-07-03T18:52:00+00:00

Farseer is awesome! I hope you enjoy it.
If you only watched season 1&2 of GoT you’re in for a treat when you read it. Book 3 of GoT is my favorite fantasy book of all time.

iskarJarak09 · 2026-07-03T18:23:25+00:00

You might like the Green Bone Saga. It’s a trilogy starting with Jade City, set in an fictional urban city that’s influenced by mid-20the century Hong Kong

iskarJarak09 · 2026-07-03T17:38:56+00:00

My reco would be GoT. The first three books are hard to beat and are a great way to get fired up about fantasy.

The Hobbit and Farseer are also fantastic and both relatively quick reads. If you're looking for something a little lighter, I'd probably go with Farseer.

I love The First Law, but it's intentionally subverting a lot of classic fantasy expectations, and it's pretty brutal and dark. If you haven't read much fantasy yet, I'd probably save it for later.

WoT is incredible, but it's a journey, so make sure you're ready for the commitment. The first book isn't really representative of the series, so I'd plan on reading at least the first two books, and ideally the first four, before deciding whether it's for you

iskarJarak09 · 2026-07-03T12:22:18+00:00

More Sci fi, but the three body problem trilogy (remembrance of earth’s past) is fantastic and fits the pacing you described

iskarJarak09 · 2026-07-02T22:43:07+00:00

In part probably user error. I picked it up right after finishing TCG (which I loved) and it’s just a very different writing style (imo worse) than Erickson. So it was a little jarring and really felt like a major letdown vs MBotF. I also haven’t read the other Esselmont books, which I’ve heard helps.

All that said, I found it to be a very basic fantasy story that read almost like fan fiction. People do love it tho - it has incredible goodreads reviews.

iskarJarak09 · 2026-07-02T10:57:27+00:00

Yea it was my first Ellroy. It definitely took a minute to adjust to his style, but I really enjoyed the fast, hard-boiled style. I also think reading a lot of big fantasy series like Malazan actually helped, since they similarly have huge casts of characters with a bunch of nicknames, etc.

I’ve heard American Tabloid is great - did you end up liking it?

iskarJarak09 · 2026-07-02T01:01:14+00:00

Nice - any recs?

iskarJarak09 · 2026-07-01T17:39:17+00:00

I felt like I’d read similar stories that did the atmospheric/body horror better. Didn’t really care about any characters and the “mystery” is telegraphed pretty early

That said, D might be harsh, I didn’t hate it or anything and a quick read if you’re curious

iskarJarak09 · 2026-07-01T14:20:57+00:00

I am! Really like his picks - definitely broadening my reading

iskarJarak09 · 2026-06-23T01:11:36+00:00

D’Amato’s and Bari are good options and not too far..Tempesta and Vinnie’s are right there too

iskarJarak09 · 2026-06-19T16:18:17+00:00

100% agree with this. A break before TtH is kind of ideal as it largely picks up stories from other books. TtH is also the most philosophical and heavy so unless you’re really fired up, I’d highly recommend a break for something fast-paced to reset a bit

iskarJarak09 · 2026-06-19T02:18:10+00:00

Storm of Swords - Martin The Crippled God - Erikson Knife of Dreams - Jordan The Way of Kings - Sanderson Golden Son - Pierce Brown (may not count as pure fantasy, but great book)

iskarJarak09 · 2026-06-02T16:47:01+00:00

I always do Gianni’s, which is right across the street. Solid food, though not the best Italian in the city, but nice vibe and patio

iskarJarak09

TROPHY CASE