Best fantasy action & adventure books according to redditors

We found 4,529 Reddit comments discussing the best fantasy action & adventure books. We ranked the 1,144 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top Reddit comments about Fantasy Action & Adventure:

u/QKninjaQK · 160 pointsr/DnD

Xanathar's Guide to Everything ($29.99)

Amazon Link

The latest official D&D book with 25 new subclasses and loads of alternate rules and DM tools.


Suitable for both players and DMs, it's suitable for everyone and new, so most D&D'ers may not have it yet.

u/7V3N · 138 pointsr/asoiaf

CAUTION! SPOILERS FROM A DANCE WITH DRAGONS AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK:

Here is textual evidence and hints at Connington's sexual orientation. Much of it is expressed through his guilt of how he felt he failed Rhaegar, and through holding on to memories of Rhaegar. Note that asterisk [](/s "") denote italicized text which does not work within spoiler tags. GRRM uses this to specifically denote thoughts of the POV character (though I did not correct this with all the below text). Please appreciate the limited amount I am giving you, since almost the entire chapter is filled with thoughts of Rhaegar, and I do not want to insert the entire chapter. Read at your own risk-major ADWD spoilers contained within!:

[ADWD-Tyrion](/s ""Lord Connington was the prince’s dearest friend, was he not?”
Young Griff pushed a lock of blue hair out of his eyes. “They were squires together at King’s Landing.”
“A true friend, our Lord Connington. He must be, to remain so fiercely loyal to the grandson of the king who took his lands and titles and sent him into exile. A pity about that."")



[ADWD-Connington](/s "Yet when they parted, Jon Connington did not go to the sept. Instead his steps led him up to the roof of the east tower, the tallest at Griffin’s Roost. As he climbed he remembered past ascents—a hundred with his lord father, who liked to stand and look out over woods and crags and sea and know that all he saw belonged to House Connington, and one (only one!) with Rhaegar Targaryen. Prince Rhaegar was returning from Dorne, and he and his escort had lingered here a fortnight. He was so young then, and I was younger. Boys, the both of us. At the welcoming feast, the prince had taken up his silver-stringed harp and played for them. A song of love and doom, Jon Connington recalled, and every woman in the hall was weeping when he put down the harp. Not the men, of course. Particularly not his own father, whose only love was land.")

[ADWD-Connington](/s ""Your father’s lands are beautiful,” Prince Rhaegar had said, standing right where Jon was standing now. And the boy he’d been had replied, “One day they will all be mine.” As if that could impress a prince who was heir to the entire realm, from the Arbor to the Wall.
Griffin’s Roost had been his, eventually, if only for a few short years. From here, Jon Connington had ruled broad lands extending many leagues to the west, north, and south, just as his father and his father’s father had before him. But his father and his father’s father had never lost their lands. He had.
I rose too high, loved too hard, dared too much. I tried to grasp a star, overreached, and fell. ...")

[ADWD-Connington](/s "He was young and full of pride. How not? King Aerys had named him Hand and given him an army, and he meant to prove himself worthy of that trust, of Rhaegar’s love. He would slay the rebel lord himself and carve a place out for himself in all the histories of the Seven Kingdoms. ...")

[Connington](/s "For years afterward, Jon Connington told himself that he was not to blame, that he had done all that any man could do. His soldiers searched every hole and hovel, he offered pardons and rewards, he took hostages and hung them in crow cages and swore that they would have neither food nor drink until Robert was delivered to him. All to no avail. “Tywin Lannister himself could have done no more,” he had insisted one night to Blackheart, during his first year of exile.")

[Connington](/s "“There is where you’re wrong,” Myles Toyne had replied. “Lord Tywin would not have bothered with a search. He would have burned that town and every living creature in it. Men and boys, babes at the breast, noble knights and holy septons, pigs and whores, rats and rebels, he would have burned them all. When the fires guttered out and only ash and cinders remained, he would have sent his men in to find the bones of Robert Baratheon. Later, when Stark and Tully turned up with their host, he would have offered pardons to the both of them, and they would have accepted and turned for home with their tails between their legs.”")

[Connington](/s "
He was not wrong, Jon Connington reflected, leaning on the battlements of his forebears. I wanted the glory of slaying Robert in single combat, and I did not want the name of butcher. So Robert escaped me and cut down Rhaegar on the Trident*. “I failed the father,” he said, “but I will not fail the son.”")



[Connington](/s "A bride for our bright prince. Jon Connington remembered Prince Rhaegar’s wedding all too well. Elia was never worthy of him. She was frail and sickly from the first, and childbirth only left her weaker.")

_

[ADWD-Kevan Lannister](/s "Ser Kevan wished that he could share his certainty. He had known Jon Connington, slightly—a proud youth, the most headstrong of the gaggle of young lordlings who had gathered around Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, competing for his royal favor. Arrogant, but able and energetic.")

A key thing to remember when reading from Jon Connington's POV is that he knows who he is. He is not going to come out and explicitly think "I am gay for Rhaegar." He knows he loves Rhaegar, and has known since he was a young squire. He does not need to reaffirm it to us as readers because we are simply getting the privilege to get into his head. This is part of what makes GRRM a fantastic writer. Despite what we may want to be told explicitly, he simply refuses to make the character act, well, out of character. JonCon knows who he is, what he is. He does not need to tell himself. Just like all of those times we want someone to go deeper into the Winterfell crypts, we have to think "why the hell would they?"

And that is all I will give you. There is more, to be certain, but if you wish to have the full experience please buy A Dance With Dragons and read it. I recommend e-books if you are a very big fan. That way you can, as I do, search through them on your computer when you wish to find evidence for a pet theory or discussion.

u/[deleted] · 135 pointsr/books

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

It's not really greek mythology though. It's super good.

u/shyguy1092 · 94 pointsr/books

I'm gonna say Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen sounds just about right for you. This series epitomizes climatic appearences and moments as there is a wealth of setting to be explored in this work. Figures of myth and legend descend into the story to guide and manipulate the lives of mortals. Mortals rise above the chains of fate to carve their own paths in this world's histories. It's a world filled to brim with interesting stories and they are really a bonus to what you're looking for. Some cautionary and advantageous notes about this series below.

Cautionary: This is a series that executes what your asking for incredibly well, but there is a caution. The series starts in media res and that has a lot of information to process and understand in the first few books. Yet, I found this to work to its advantage in creating moments of pure delight. Its worth it for the build up Erikson does alone. Another caution is that many are unhappy with the changing of story lines many times within the series. I did not have this problem and seeing as you carved your way through Martin's work I doubt you will either. Those are most of the significant concerns I've seen with the work. I'm sure others could think of more.

Advantages: There are a few other advantages this series might have over others for you. The first being that its main volume of work is complete. You will be able to read from start to end at your leisure and not worry about having to sit on your hands waiting for the next book. Likewise, there is still fresh material being amended into the larger world of Malazan at large. So if you enjoy it then there are other stories to follow, many of which are complementary. As a final note it has many interesting and varied applications of story telling. Some of which I'm even now learning to appreciate. If you decide not to pick this series up now, it might be something you want to check out in the future. I did, and I'm happier for it. Good luck and have a good read.


u/MichaelJSullivan · 82 pointsr/Fantasy

Brian's book is just one of the novels in the Orbit Cyber Monday sale. All are $2.99 and a list of the fantasy titles is provided here:

Title|Author|Book #|Series|Rating | # Ratings
:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:
The Fifth Season | N.K. Jemisin | 1 | Broken Earth | 4.31 | 34,271
The Black Prism | Brent Weeks | 1 | Lightbringer | 4.24 | 68,494
The Last Wish | Andrzej Sapkowski | 1 | Introducing the Witcher | 4.20 | 58,433
Blood of Elves | Andrzej Sapkowski | 1 | The Witcher | 4.23 | 32,039
The Shadow of What Was Lost | James Islington | 1 | Licanius Trilogy | 4.16 | 9,656
Sins of Empire | Brian McClellan | 1 | Gods of Blood and Powder | 4.47 | 3,727
Promise of Blood | Brian McClellan | 1 | Powder Mage| 4.16| 26,245
The Blade Itself | Joe Abercrombie | 1 | First Law | 4.14| 111,811
Theft of Swords^1 | Michael J. Sullivan | 1 | Riyria Revelations | 4.21 | 38,525
The City Stained Red | Sam Sykes | 1 | Bring Down Heaven | 3.68 | 1,088
The Red Knight | Miles Cameron | 1 | Traitor Son Cycle | 4.12 | 10,607
Skyborn | David Dalglish | 1 | Seraphim | 3.92 | 1,010

--------

^1 In full disclosure - this is a book that I wrote.

u/swtadpole · 58 pointsr/gaming

No need. I come bearing all the sources for my comment!

Games have lost him book sales (bonus including his quote about how his books are what made the games popular):

https://www.vg247.com/2017/04/19/the-witcher-author-thinks-the-games-have-lost-him-book-sales-metro-2033-author-says-this-is-totally-wrong/

Sapkowski not being on the NYT Best Seller list until the Witcher 3 came out:

https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/

Amazon page with the release date for The Last Wish being released in 2008 (You can cross reference this with the NYT Bestseller list to see that it didn't chart for years until The Witcher 3 released):

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Wish-Introducing-Witcher/dp/0316029181

Sapkowski not liking that people buy his books because they think they might be game novelizations:

https://forum.facepunch.com/f/pd/bgedm/Andrzej-Sapkowski-creator-the-Witcher-novels-The-games-made-a-lot-of-stink-and-shit/1/

u/GrumpyM · 42 pointsr/Fantasy

At over 10,000 pages, this is probably the longest, most complex, richest fantasy series ever written. Tons of characters, god, cultures, and plot lines with some of the most detailed world building ever created. It’s a monumental journey to read all 10 books, as they’re not light reading, but if you’re up for it, they are almost universally acclaimed.

The Complete Malazan Book of the Fallen https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HL0MA3W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_f-Z4CbPE4RZ6G

u/cebula412 · 41 pointsr/asoiaf

>The funny thing is that the Hobbit & Lord of the Rings combined were smaller than AFFC & ADWD

I had to look it up and holy shit, you're right!

LotR one volume edition has 1178 pages

Hobbit has only 300 pages

But A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons together consist of 2256 pages.

It's crazy.

u/ridik_ulass · 39 pointsr/DnD

I'm with you buddy, I used to tease my friend for playing, calling him a nerd and a dork, and so on... but once I played I haven't missed a game in 10 years.

There is firstly Leagues, D&D adventure leagues, they are often hosted at conventions or in stores that sell the material, either of those locations regardless of the league should have ideas, information, or social media social groups for which you can find out.

there is also /r/LFG

you might want to grab Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook Gift Set

Its cheaper than buying the books individually, cheaper than buying 2 books.


There are also other games, /r/rpg is a place for things that are not just D&D, vampire games, robots, D&D in the future (shadowrun) war-hammer fantasy and 40k...battle tech, exalted, traveller.... many many games. Some might be more or less for you than others.


D&D is the most popular by far, games everywhere, its easier to find groups, get material, use digital resources all kinds of stuff.


you might want to get your own dice too, you can get plastic, metal, rare metal, rare stone dice, all kinds.



You can even play with your friends online, using online group meet -up's


I played D&D first on skype and IRC, There is a thing called D&D beyond but its a bit pricey for not giving physical copies of the material. Roll20 is another (but the owners are assholes) and some others people might know of. I also played starwars edge of empire on google hangouts for a year, it had a dice roller app, and we displayed our digital character sheets as out profile picture.

u/Salaris · 28 pointsr/Fantasy

Some recommendations:

The Lies of Locke Lamora: I consider Locke to be a convincingly executed rogue/con artist. He's witty, charming, and his schemes generally tend to make sense. I found his plots less convincing in the later books, but the first one definitely shined.

Mother of Learning is an ongoing web novel. The main character, Zorian, demonstrates intelligence in that he's constantly evaluating his resources, new ways to solve problems, and re-evaluating his assumptions. The author never tries to sell us on how much of a genius Zorian is; he just comes across as bright due to his way of thinking.

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is a very divisive one. It's a fanfic (which already loses some people) with a Harry Potter that was raised with a scientific education. He spends a lot of time questioning the assumptions of people in Hogwartz and trying to learn more about how magic works. Fortunately, other characters have also been upgraded in competence, including the antagonists. The first several chapters have a tone that some people find condescending, and the ending disappointed a lot of people, but there's a huge chunk of middle section that I personally found enjoyable. For example, [major spoilers](#s "one of Voldemort's horcruxes is a Voyager probe, having been fired into space years before the story started, etc.")

u/Crawling_Chaos · 23 pointsr/Fantasy

Since no one's mentioned it yet, i'm going to recommend Michael Sullivan's Riyria Revelations series, starting with Theft of Swords , the author really tells a great story and though i wouldn't necessarily call it completely light hearted, its never grimdark

u/Mahale · 22 pointsr/NotAnotherDnDPodcast

Grab this... https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Essentials-Kit-Boxed/dp/0786966831/ref=sr_1_1?crid=8K0HB3UFPLS&keywords=dnd+essentials&qid=1569887219&sprefix=dnd+ess%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1 that should cover the basics of what you need to get started.

Also manage your expectations the folks on the show are professional actors so don't expect your friends to roleplay as well or do voices or for you to be able to be like Murph. Just relax and have fun!

u/MeekTheUndying · 21 pointsr/DnD

A few particular items of interest from Amazon :

u/GreenLightLost · 21 pointsr/todayilearned

A lot of the lore in the Witcher games is adapted from real folktales. Even more so in the first book, in which several of the stories are rather twisted interpretations of fairy tales with Geralt involved.

If you enjoy dark fantasy, definitely check out The Last Wish. One of my favorite books.

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Wish-Introducing-Witcher/dp/0316029181/

u/JayZeus · 20 pointsr/gaming

The Books are really good too! :)

u/JaskoGomad · 20 pointsr/rpg

Hi!

Most importantly - don't panic! It's OK. Every experienced RPG player was new once.

If you have a local RPG group - that's great. Do they play at a store? At someone's house? A community center? If it's a store, then you can just go to the store instead of to the group because - hey, they're a store - their whole job is to get you comfortably into the hobby so they can sell you stuff, right?

Also - just to be clear: There are many tabletop RPGs, not just D&D or D&D + Pathfinder. There are literally thousands of games available today. I mention this because "D&D" is kind of like "Kleenex" - sometimes one brand gets used to refer to the whole range of options. So you should know that there are LOTS of choices. And many of them are less about giving experienced players advantages than D&D / Pathfinder are.

If you want to learn and play D&D, that's great. Here are a few things I would point you towards:

  • The D&D Essentials Kit is designed to get you playing without any prior experience, and only requires ONE other player. It has everything you need except a pencil - it even has the dice! You could read the rulebook and be ready to play with your local group, or recruit a friend and jump right into the fun of being the DM!
  • The Basic Rules are free to download and have the real meat of the game. What you won't get are all the variants that the main rule books have - but the basic rules will let you understand all those variants. If you read just Part 1 (making a character) and Part 2 (playing the game) you'll have done more homework than most 1st time players do before they show up to play. These rules are fully playable, but you'll need dice at least.

    If you want to play TTRPGs but not D&D, then there's a whole world of games out there for you to choose from, but that's kind of a larger discussion.

    Welcome to the hobby!
u/blackbart1 · 19 pointsr/Fantasy

Riyria Revelations. A good sci-fi one that's more cerebral is Jean le Flambeur. Those are both thief types. For a great one that's more assassin oriented with tons of action is this sci-fi/fantasy crossover: The Acts of Caine.

u/FeralFantom · 18 pointsr/asoiaf

not in the US, at least
http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Fire-Book/dp/055338595X/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
amazon lists its release date as October 29, 2013

u/Afaflix · 15 pointsr/books
u/OrionSuperman · 15 pointsr/Fantasy

Hey! Loved Redwall and the other associated stories when I was growing up. I was an avid fan and owned the first 10ish, but the quality of story went down as more came out. :(

Now the real trick is figuring out what you're asking, so I'll take a few stabs. If there is a specific aspect about Redwall you really want to reflect in your new reads let me know and I'll expand the selection. :)

Like Redwall as in intelligent animals:

Light On Shattered Water:
Human finds himself in an alternate dimension where cats evolved instead of humans. I first read in around 2000, and last read it again this year, still very enjoyable.

The Chanur Saga:
Anthropomorphic cat aliens. Pretty decent adventure, though the tech is a little silly but not bad considering it was written in the 80s.

Watership Down:
Rabbits in England trying to live their life. And adventure type stuff happens. A classic for very good reason.

Like Redwall for epic adventure and battles

Malazan Book of the Fallen:
Epic in every way. Hands down my favorite book series. Never has any other book given such a sense of scale to the world. Everything has a history, and Erikson writes in a way that you want to know more, about it all.

His Majesty's Dragon:
I originally only picked up this book because the summary sounded like a joke. Napoleonic era England, insert dragons as the aerial corps. I brought it with to work, read it on my breaks and lunch, and after getting off at 9pm ended up staying at wprl until 5 am to finish it and the second book in the series.

u/theocarina · 14 pointsr/scifi

American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. Amazing book so far. I still have to finish Sandman, too, but already I can tell Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite active fictional writers of our time.

u/thorrend · 14 pointsr/asoiaf

I read it on the day of release and absolutely was one of those one stars. Had nothing to do with how long it took but because it was a meandering mess that needed an editor willing to call him out. It was part 2 of the worldbuilder books that barely nudged the plot along until the end then left it on cliffhanger for god know how long.

So please provide some type of evidence for your claim that's what those one stars were for as I was able to refute your 'no one remotely had a chance to read it'. Did ya know the reviews are still there for people to see? crazy huh?

u/crayonleague · 13 pointsr/Fantasy

Steven Erikson - Malazan Book of the Fallen

Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn

Brandon Sanderson - The Stormlight Archive

Peter Brett - The Demon Cycle

R. Scott Bakker - The Second Apocalypse

Joe Abercrombie - The First Law

Scott Lynch - The Gentleman Bastard

Patrick Rothfuss - The Kingkiller Chronicle

All excellent. Some slightly more excellent than others.

u/trimeta · 13 pointsr/Stormlight_Archive

Amazon will gladly sell it to you. The paperback version is $7.88, and the Kindle version (which you can read on any computer or mobile phone, not just a dedicated hardware reader) is $7.49.

u/tsularesque · 12 pointsr/dndnext

Oh, maybe that's the expected price?

I know Amazon is carrying them for $40. It says it's a sale, but it's been that price since release.

https://www.amazon.ca/Xanathars-Guide-Everything-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966114/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517864848&sr=8-1&keywords=xanthar%27s+guide+to+everything

u/SaneesvaraSFW · 12 pointsr/KingkillerChronicle

The Farseer Trilogy - The Liveship Traders Trilogy - The Tawny Man Trilogy - The Dragon Keepers by Robin Hobb.

10/10

Fantasy

Four trilogies that are loosely related. The overall arc of the stories are basic fantasy tropes (eg, royal bastards, being trained to be an assassin, magic, etc.) turned inside out into something very original. Hobb's characterization is awesome - her characters are very human and make many mistakes (and subsequently pay for them). Very solid prose, at times poetic. A lot of philosophical insights. The Liveship Traders has a couple of main characters from the Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies as secondary characters. The Dragon Keepers trilogy has some of the main characters from Liveship Traders as secondary characters.

Link to Assassin's Apprentice, the first book of the first trilogy.

u/Magicbison · 11 pointsr/dndnext

Here's the US link to Xanthar's Guide and US link to ToA.

Anyone know if they usually offer the pdf versions together with the physical books?

u/RoninShinigami · 11 pointsr/magicTCG

I've been wondering this as well given there will be 2 books put out. The first one is simply titled [Ravnica] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1984817450/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_r0mSBb2MWY7HZ)

u/mountainmoron · 10 pointsr/AskReddit
u/TheMagicalSkeleton · 10 pointsr/magicTCG

The comic you keep seeing references is probably the Chandra Comic that takes place post War of the Spark. As for getting a hold of it, check your local comic book store.

For the story going into WAR, here's a summary I wrote a few months ago. The rest will be in the Greg Weissman novel coming out this month.

u/AwkwardTurtle · 10 pointsr/gaming

I'm personally really excited for the perma-death difficulty level they're adding to the game, die once and the game is over. They talk about it in the 5th developer diary.

Also, if anyone enjoyed the first game even a little, or is curious about this one, read the books they're based off of. Only two have been translated to english so far: The Last Wish, which is a collection of short stories, and Blood of Elves, which is a full length novel. They're really fantastic, and have one of the most original and interesting fantasy worlds I've ever seen/read. They'll also help you appreciate the games more.

Edit: Oh, and just for the record, the new way they're doing combat is much truer to the way Geral fights in the novels than in the first game. The games stay incredibly true to the books, but don't follow any of the book's plots, both of which I'm grateful for.

u/APeacefulWarrior · 10 pointsr/gaming

I have to mention that anyone who liked Jade Empire, or even likes the idea of stories set in a fantasy pastiche of ancient China, should check out the novel Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart. It's a wonderfully entertaining and underrated fantasy novel, just a joy to read, and it and Jade Empire pull from many of the same sources in Chinese lore.

u/JefferyRussell · 9 pointsr/Fantasy

I happen to write novels with a lot of dungeon crawling in them :)

Apart from me, another redditor is writer /u/MichaelJSullivan and his Ryria Revelations has a big dungeon crawl.

Paul Kidd's Greyhawk series are some classic D&D dungeon crawl books.

u/majoogybobber · 9 pointsr/AskReddit

By Neil Gaiman:

Stardust

Neverwhere

And His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.

u/Pinky_Swear · 9 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Every time I see someone looking for something to read after GRRM, I suggest Robin Hobb. The storytelling is more compelling, and the number of books she has written, all within the same universe, far surpass GRRM. You can get deeply involved in her world, and learn about it from a dozen different perspectives.

Start with Assassin's Apprentice. After that trilogy, read Ship of Magic. When you're done with that, try Fool's Errand: Tawny Man. When you've read that trilogy, red eyed and late into the night, Dragon Keeper will be waiting for you.

Hobb has a new book in the works now. It's totally worth diving into her writing!

u/JuninAndTonic · 8 pointsr/booksuggestions

Agreed. I'm a fan of Gaiman but American Gods was just 'okay.' I highly recommend Neverwhere or Stardust if you want to try something else. Both are much more vibrant (not quite the right word for Neverwhere but it will do) and better paced I felt.

u/Phaeryx · 8 pointsr/Fantasy

BRIDGE OF BIRDS by Barry Hughart.

From the Amazon review: "Set in 'an Ancient China that never was,' it stands with The Princess Bride and The Last Unicorn as a fairy tale for all ages, by turns incredibly funny and deeply touching. It won the World Fantasy Award in 1985."

u/WTP07 · 8 pointsr/gaming

Start here.


See you in several months (depending on how fast you read) .


You are welcome.

u/Asmor · 8 pointsr/DnD

https://camelcamelcamel.com/Xanathars-Guide-Everything-Wizards-Team/product/0786966114

CamelCamelCamel keeps a price history on most (all?) Amazon products. It appears that this is indeed a recent price change for XGE.

u/SlothMold · 8 pointsr/booksuggestions

Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria books would probably fit nicely. It started off self-pubbed and it kind of shows, but they're a fun read.

u/Khartun · 7 pointsr/Malazan

It's here:


Malazan Omnibus

u/orzof · 7 pointsr/gaming

Google Play - 1, 2
,3

Amazon - 1, 2, 3

The order is not the actual release order of all of the books, but jut the three that have been translated from Polish. The first one is standalone, though I've heard that the second one is one part of an arc, and I have no clue about the third.

u/undergarden · 7 pointsr/Fantasy

Number Ten Ox and Master Li from Bridge of Birds. Perfect mix of the innocent and the picaresque, and a delicious undermining of the the mythical "guru" or sage figure.

u/GrassCuttingSword · 7 pointsr/Fantasy

Your best bet on this is Robin Hobb's Farseer novels, beginning with.
Assassin's Apprentice

http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X

u/sampling_life · 7 pointsr/Fantasy

Erikson's take on races is really well done. He gives great background in the lore and culture of several different races. Tiste is generally thought of his take on elves. There isn't a good and a bad elf race though the lines are blurry.

edit:
Erikson writes the series Malazan book of the fallen. Though I must warn you it is long and hard for some people to get into but I really enjoyed it. Book one is Gardens of the Moon.

u/Peregrine2K · 7 pointsr/magicTCG
u/SmallFruitbat · 7 pointsr/YAwriters

I am officially back stateside, and in the last 24 hours I have successfully fixed the water softener, shoveled a fine collection of oak logs, leaves, live plants, and raccoon shit off the roof, made bank tutoring o-chem, and taught the Verizon employee how to connect to their own 4G network. I was unaware the name of their APN was such a secret. Also, that 4 tiers of escalation would be so damn useless. I ended up guessing the name like some sort of movie cracking and then went back and made the guy write it down because I can't be the only person ever to have that problem and it was seriously a 10 second fix. See also: was feeling smug.

I also got a lot of reading done in the past month, apparently. Finished The Lies of Locke Lamora, The Name of the Wind, Matched, Graceling, Sapphique, Assassin's Apprentice, the first Circle of Magic book, and started a bunch of others.

If we're running out of discussion ideas, another book recommendation/rant/rambling thoughts thread might be fun.

Friends still have my MS and are being slow readers and I can't bug them about it because they have real work to do. Argh. I'm planning to cover my office in sticky notes and reorder some scenes that way while I wait on them.

u/TheGreatPiata · 6 pointsr/dndnext

$64 CDN on amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Xanathars-Guide-Everything-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966114/

A little too rich for my blood. I think I'll pass.

u/Ryngard · 6 pointsr/DnD

I think 5e is far better but your mileage may vary.

You can look at the Basic Rules here for free.

The buy-in for 5e is really slim. I HIGHLY suggest the Starter Set.

> You have the Core Rulebooks:

u/Cdresden · 6 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Sand by Hugh Howey.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

Startide Rising by David Brin.

Read the "Look Inside" excerpts to see if any of these is right for you.

u/serenityunlimited · 6 pointsr/booksuggestions

Is there anything in particular you're leaning to?

Author Cherie Priest has a couple excellent books.

  • Boneshaker, first book in her Clockwork Century series. It's a steampunk setting with zombies and all sorts of wonderful stuff. This book is actually on sale through the end of the month for $2.99.
  • Bloodshot, first book in her Cheshire Red Reports series. It's about a vampire gal who is a thief-for-hire.

    The Dresden Files series, by Jim Butcher, is a wonderful series. It's about a wizard-for-hire in the modern world, and delves into the wonderful magic environment that Jim has created. Jim likes to put his characters through trouble and turmoil, and it's good for character development! The series starts off with Storm Front.

    The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is another great series. It's a post-apocalyptic/oppressed setting, centering around something called 'The Hunger Games' - an annual battle that captivates the capitol and all twelve remaining districts. There is a movie releasing next year, as well.

    The Name of the Wind is a terrific book by Patrick Rothfuss, the first entry into his series The Kingkiller Chronicles. It's a fantasy setting, and is about a character named Kvothe recounting his life. The writing style has an absolutely artistic writing style that is captivating to read, and such interesting and progressing events that make you eagerly turn the page. I have not yet read the sequel, The Wise Man's Fear, but I'm told it's even better in every way.

    Terry Pratchett is an amazing and renowned author. He has been knighted, an event for which he created his own sword for by hand, battles against Alzheimer's in a most respectable and commendable way, and has created such an interesting and provoking world that provides a lot of laughs and curious perspectives on matters. Where you start is a more difficult choice. A couple choice options might be as follows (I haven't read others yet, so I can't attest to others, but there are many!).

  • Guards! Guards! which is the first installment to the City Watch sequence.
  • The Reaper Man trails after Death, after he has been fired from his job.

    I haven't started this book yet, nor looked into it, but I have heard terrific reviews. The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch, is his first book in his Gentleman Bastard Sequence series.

    And of course, if you haven't entered George RR Martin's world of Westeros, the series A Song of Ice and Fire could be a wonderful read. It's very complex and very long and not yet complete (five books so far). It starts off with Game of Thrones, which is what the recently-aired HBO series was based upon.

    In the science fiction sphere, I would recommend Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's the first in his Ender's series, and there are quite a few books set in the world. I have only read the first one, and it was an excellent read, insightful and thought-provoking.

    ...anyway, that should be a few to peek at!
u/MCubb · 6 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Oooo check out Stardust!

It's an awesome adventure with action, humour, love, and more! And it's written by Neil Gaiman, who's just awesome.

Thanks for the contest!

u/acdcfanbill · 6 pointsr/itsaunixsystem

If you're interested in them, the stories are all in the process of being translated to english. There are two books of short stories, and 5 books in a saga. The 2nd to last book is coming out this month, and the final book is due next year.

Here are the two short story collections: The Last Wish, and Sword of Destiny.

The US covers are kind of crap compared to the UK covers, but it's probably cheaper/faster for people in the US.

u/FromTheId · 6 pointsr/Fantasy

The Last Wish, the collection of Witcher stories by Andrzej Sapkowski.

About a Witcher (a monster-hunter, essentially) who knows exactly what he's doing at all times, is supremely competent, and is always looking for ways to prepare. Of course, that doesn't mean it's all easy--he has tougher problems than your average.

u/GastonBastardo · 6 pointsr/Berserk

Whole lotta reading recommendations in this thread. May as well throw my two cents in.

The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie. If you're into Guts' introspective-man-of-violence-looking-for-his-place-in-the-world-thing I'd think you find Logen Ninefingers to be an interesting character. If you're into audiobooks then I highly recommend checking out the audiobook versions. The guy reading them is practically a voice-actor.


The original trilogy:

u/Lubub55 · 6 pointsr/whowouldwin

If anyone wants to start reading The Witcher novels I made a guide over on the "Featured Character" comment section that I'll repost here:

Short stories:

  1. [The Last Wish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Wish_(book) - Amazon US / Amazon UK

  2. Sword of Destiny - Amazon US / Amazon UK

    Novels:

  3. Blood of Elves - Amazon US / Amazon UK

  4. Time of Contempt - Amazon US / Amazon UK

  5. [Baptism of Fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism_of_Fire_(novel) - Amazon US / Amazon UK

  6. The Tower of the Swallow - Amazon US / Amazon UK

  7. [The Lady of the Lake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_of_the_Lake_(novel) - Amazon US / Amazon UK

    Overall:

  8. The Last Wish

  9. Sword of Destiny

  10. Blood of Elves

  11. Time of Contempt

  12. Baptism of Fire

  13. The Tower of the Swallow

  14. The Lady of the Lake

    The short stories are a must-read before the novels because they introduce many characters and plot points for the main saga. There is also a prequel story called Season of Storms which hasn't been officially translated into English yet, but there are fan translations if you can't wait. I haven't read it myself, but I hear that it is best read after the others. If you want to know more about The Witcher lore there is always The World of the Witcher^UK which will give you more backstory and details.
u/HitAndRunAccount · 6 pointsr/gaming

meh..
books are way better :)

Blood Elves,
Last Wish

u/calidoc · 6 pointsr/Fantasy

The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan (/u/MichaelJSullivan) would fit the bill pretty well. Six books total, combined to three volumes. The first is Theft of Swords. The series is fantastic, fast paced, interconnecting old school fantasy series.

u/Sharkxx · 5 pointsr/gameofthrones

If you want to read a bit about the series here is the "first" book with some short stories in them if you come from NA https://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Wish-Introducing-Witcher/dp/0316029181 .

u/dresdenshadow · 5 pointsr/booksuggestions

Try Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart.

u/1D13 · 5 pointsr/DungeonsAndDragons

I wouldn't buy Xanathar's for $50. However over on Amazon Xanathar's Guide to Everything it's currently $30

u/Octavius_Verus · 5 pointsr/dndmemes

D&D Beyond is very expensive $300-500, but well worth it, especially if the whole campaign goes in on it.

For OP, you can start with just the Player's Handbook or the standard bundle of the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual bundle [link] (https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Rulebooks-Slipcase-Handbook/dp/0786966629/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?keywords=dungeons+and+dragons+5th+edition&qid=1564184932&s=gateway&sprefix=Dungeons+and+dragons+&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUkVIV1lNUzZGM0JBJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTIwODk3UjZHQzFLWDlGT1NCJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAyMjg3MDQxMks0VTJWTjc4V0ozJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=)

Just the PHB will get you started if you find a group to play with. The entire bundle will give you everything you need to start a group yourself.

u/Nelonius_Monk · 5 pointsr/dndnext

Amazon.

E: Honey says it can take off another $6.

u/GaiusOctavianAlerae · 5 pointsr/DMAcademy

Check out Running the Game, Matt Colville's YouTube series. You don't need to watch the whole series of course, but the first few videos will help you out a lot.

Your best bet if you're starting out is to get either the Starter Set or Essentials Kit. Both have everything you need to get started, and while I personally like the Essentials Kit more, either will work.

u/WarKittens28 · 5 pointsr/magicTCG
u/megret · 4 pointsr/books

Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch.

u/Forumferret · 4 pointsr/Fantasy

Leiber and Howard, for sure. After that:

/u/Paul_S_Kemp has written the BEST of modern fantasy's sword & sorcery tales with his series The Tales of Egil and Nix, which starts with The Hammer and The Blade.

Coming in JUST behind that, and with slightly more torture in at least one of their souls, /u/MichaelJSullivan has the also excellent Riyria Revelations, starting with Volume One: Theft of Swords.

Great topic, I look forward to seeing everyone else's recommendations.

u/p3t3r133 · 4 pointsr/Fantasy

It was publishes as Theft of Swords which is books 1 and 2 combined

u/Manwards84 · 4 pointsr/dndnext

I've been reading the Witcher Saga. Seven books in total; the English translation of the final one is out next month. They aren't the best books ever written, but they are solid fantasy stories with a lot of variety. There are elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, shapeshifting metallic dragons, a wilderness full of monsters, and roughly the same level of magic as the Forgotten Realms. It could easily be somebody's D&D campaign setting.

The first two books are short story collections, and after that a long story arc begins that delves more deeply into politics, with multiple character viewpoints. I'd recommend the first two (The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny). They're fun, witty, self-contained that slowly develop the main plot in the background.

u/bunnymonster · 4 pointsr/Fantasy

True, but I prefer both to having a photo of some random dude who doesn't look like the main character.

/u/MichaelJSullivan and I agree that the artist who did the posters for Hollow World was a much better choice than those photo covers of Theft of Swords
thankfully the artist did the French covers

u/thornae · 4 pointsr/gaming

Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart.


One of my top three favourite books of all time. Out of print for decades - I used to scour secondhand bookshops for copies to give to friends. Also one of Neil Gaiman's recommended books, which is possibly why it's back in print.


And, given your recommendation, I guess I'd better try this game...


(Edit: There are two sequels, The Story of the Stone and Eight Skilled Gentlemen, but they're not quite as sublime as the first, and thus have remained out of print.)

u/slightlystartled · 4 pointsr/books
u/jodythebad · 4 pointsr/suggestmeabook

I recommend Neil Gaiman's American Gods.

u/yohanleafheart · 4 pointsr/TumblrInAction

You should, it is a book by Neil Gaiman. Here is the link to amazon. It is a very, very good reading.

u/DarthSontin · 4 pointsr/asoiaf

According to Books-a-Million it's August 28: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Dance-Dragons/George-R-Martin/9780553385953

Edit: Amazon has it listed for the same date: www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Fire-Book/dp/055338595X/

u/FredWampy · 4 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiIM8L1oWmM

Thanks for the contest!

And I choose this.

u/flatcap_monty · 4 pointsr/AskMen

I really enjoyed Sapiens, and I'm picking up some more of the author's books soon. Fascinating theories on why humans developed language, money, art, religion... All of it. Well worth your time.

Becoming Who We Need To Be was a good (short) read. I'm a fan of the author's work already (particularly his podcast), and the book is a thought-provoking look at a wide variety of topics. More a collection of essays than anything.

Jordan Peterson gets a fair bit of stick, but I found 12 Rules for Life to be quite a powerful read. I don't agree with all of what he writes, but there are some very good lessons in here for sorting one's shit out. A lot of it very obvious now that I've read it, but sometimes you need things spelling out for you.

Religious or not, I would encourage anyone to read The God Delusion. Dawkins is quite militant in his atheism, but it does present a lot of good arguments as to why religion isn't necessary for a person to act morally.

How To Be Miserable resonated with me quite a lot. Bits of it are in a similar vein to 12 Rules for Life, but essentially it's a self-help book that's approaching the matter from the slightly tongue-in-cheek perspective of wanting to make yourself as miserable as possible (ie. don't do these things). Another fairly short, but quite enjoyable read.

​

Bonus fiction recommendation:

The Way of Kings. I just got finished reading this last night, and oh boy was it good. It's an absolute tome at 1200 pages, but it's a proper un-put-down-able. Really great work of fantasy, with some outstanding worldbuilding, fascinating characters, and one of the best climaxes I've read in years.

u/stackednerd · 4 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Fellow fan of series here! Let me see...

Young Adult
Percy Jackson series is fun (and finished, too, I think).
Artemis Fowl series isn't quite as good as Percy Jackson IMHO, but it's got a following.

Fantasy
Harry Dresden series This is one of my favorites. Harry is Chicago's only professional wizard. There are a ton of these books and they are still going strong.
Game of Thrones These are great...but unfinished. If you watch the show, reading the books does help you get even more out of the story, I think.
Wheel of Time Another good series. There is a LOT of this series and it's finished. (Thank you, Brandon Sanderson!)
Mistborn Speaking of Brandon Sanderson... This one is very good. I highly recommend reading the Mistborn books before trying the Stormlight Archive, but only because as good as Mistborn is, Stormlight Archive is even better.
Stormlight Archive Amazing. Man, these are good. The series isn't finished, but the two books that are available are some of my favorites ever.
Kingkiller Chronicles I loved the first book. I could not freakin' believe I enjoyed the second one even more. The third one is still pending.
Temeraire Dragons in Napoleonic times. Super cool premise! This one is not finished (I don't think, anyway).
Gentlemen Bastards Con men in a fantasy realm. It's pretty light on the fantasy elements. Very light, I'd say. I'd also say that it has some of the very best swearing that I've ever come across. :D

Scifi
Old Man's War I'm almost finished this one--it's amazing!

Horror/Thriller
Passage Trilogy I've heard these described as vampire books...maybe zombie books... It's apocalyptic for sure. Great books!

Mysteries
Amelia Peabody Egyptology + murder mysteries. Super fun, but trust me...go with the audiobooks for these. They are best when they are performed.
Stephanie Plum Total popcorn reads. If that's your thing, shut off your brain and just enjoy.
Walt Longmire These get particularly good as it goes along. The main character is a sheriff in modern day Wyoming. (Side note: The TV show is also great--just don't expect them to stick to the books.)

Graphic Novels (Everything recommended can be gotten in a "book" format instead of only in comic form, in case that matters. I've gotten most of these from my local library.)
Locke & Key Eerie as crap. Love the art! This one is on-going.
Y: The Last Man All the men on the planet drop dead in a day...except for Yorrick. REALLY good. This is the series that got me reading graphic novels. Plus, it's finished!
Walking Dead I am not a zombie fan...but I like these. They're not done, but I've read up through volume 22 and am still enjoying them.

Other
OutlanderI have no idea how to categorize these or even give a description that does them justice. I refused to pick it up for AGES because it sounded like a bodice-ripper romance and that's not my bag. But these are good!

I hope there's something in there that'll do for you. Have fun and read on!

Edit: Apparently, I need to practice formatting. :/
Edit 2: I forgot to add the Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen Bastards #1).

u/Kallistrate · 4 pointsr/asoiaf

Brandon Sanderson. He's a very prolific, steady author (puts as many hours per day into writing/editing/plotting as most people put into a 9-to-5 job, I'd guess) who's produced a pretty wide variety of fantasy and scifi stories, many of which exist in the same universe (kind of like GRRM's scifi short stories, in that the books don't really overlap except with for a name here and a traveling character there). There are tons of subtle connections and a sense of a much bigger universe, which is cool, but you don't pick up on it at all unless you're looking for it and you don't miss anything important in the story you're reading by being unaware of it.

He's working on an epic fantasy series called the Stormlight Archives, which starts with The Way of Kings. He's a very popular author, although his prose is very accessible and some people don't love that. He is very involved in keeping his fans updated on his progress (regularly progress bars for each series/book/story on his website, and I think regular podcasts and blog updates, too). He still tours a lot, but...wait for it... he writes while on tour. I know, crazy.

I'd say he's at the other end of the fantasy spectrum as Joe Abercrombie, in that his protagonists tend to be good people trying to do what's right instead of violent anti-heroes, although his work is far from black and white/good and evil and his characters still have interesting shades of gray.

He also pops up on reddit in /r/Fantasy pretty often, which is nice.

u/dshafik · 4 pointsr/books
  • David Eddings: "The Belgariad" (volume 1 and volume 2) and "The Mallorean" (volume 1 and volume 2) - these are two story arcs told across multiple novels in each volume, both are related and follow each other.
  • Terry Goodkind: Sword of Truth - 9 book epic fantasy, completed a couple of years ago (Books 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9)
  • Brandon Sanderson: Mistborn Series (The trilogy and the new spinoff)
  • Brandon Sanderson: Way of Kings (book 1) - This is a new series, book 2 is expected late in 2013 (grrr!)


    But by far, my favorite series:

  • S. M. Stirling: Nantucket Trilogy (book one, two, and three)
  • S. M. Stirling: Emberverse (amazon list of the 8 books so far)

    The first trilogy follows the Island of Nantucket, which is thrown back to the bronze age and loses access to high-energy physics. The Emberverse is the rest of the world (though mostly the US) who stay in present day, but also lose access to high-energy physics.

    If you want to go more Sci-Fi, I'm currently reading and enjoying:

  • David Weber: Honor Harrington (Honorverse) Series (Amazon List, 22 books!)

    Also on my list to read:

  • Eric Flint: Ring of Fire/The Assiti Shards Series (link)
  • Roger Zelazny: Chronicles of Amber (link)
u/BryceOConnor · 4 pointsr/Fantasy

Drizzt Do'Urden, of The Legend of Drizzt series the modering original Mary Sue.

I'm also very partial to Kylar Stern of The Night Angel Trilogy. Slum boy to badass assassin. Love it.

u/neoman4426 · 4 pointsr/DnD

In addition to what others are saying about the SRD and basic rules versions being free to use, next month a gift set containing the core three books (Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual, and Player's Handbook) along with some other goodies is coming out. It's a decent chunk of change, but if you guys decide you like the free version enough it might be something to save towards https://smile.amazon.com/Core-Rulebook-Gift-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966629 (or if you have a local gaming store sometimes they're cheaper there, and some are getting an exclusive version with some pretty sweet alt cover art). You can get a decent starter set of dice sets for pretty cheap, https://smile.amazon.com/Wiz-Dice-Bag-Devouring-Role-playing/dp/B01KP4T6TQ (20 complete 7 die sets for ~30 USD, might be a bit overkill for starting out) https://smile.amazon.com/Smartdealspro-Colors-Dungeons-Dragons-Pouches/dp/B01ABST9S4/ (5 complete 7 die sets for ~10 USD, might be a bit more reasonable)

u/dragontology · 4 pointsr/mattcolville

$15.69 on Amazon (US). (No referral link, but the Smile subdomain has Amazon donate a percentage of the purchase to charity, of your choice, if you're a member, at no additional cost to you. I have it on and don't bother to change it; if it really bothers you change the smile to www and reload it. It doesn't track like a referral link.)

u/pope_mobile_hotspot · 4 pointsr/magicTCG

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1984817450/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Check the formats listed, there is one for Kindle along with an audio book.

u/madmoneymcgee · 3 pointsr/Malazan

My cover (bought last year) is the same as yours except blue instead of purple.

http://www.amazon.com/Gardens-Moon-Malazan-Book-Fallen/dp/0765348780

But some of the later books I picked up at the library had similar covers to OP. Memories of Ice being especially egregious but at least clearly featured Gruntle and Stonny.

u/FalloutWander2077 · 3 pointsr/witcher

I'll post links so you can get an idea of what they're about. Apologies, I'm a bit tired, otherwise I would give you a rough synopsis myself

If you're looking for some good fantasy books I'd highly recommend the following:
1.) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle/dp/0756404746

2.) Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence - http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Thorns-Broken-Empire-Lawrence/dp/1937007685

3.) Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson - http://www.amazon.com/Gardens-Moon-Malazan-Book-Fallen/dp/0765348780/ref=pd_sim_14_12?ie=UTF8&dpID=51pDraZRUIL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR99%2C160_&refRID=1H0ZZ7MYMYZGKGQMEKTW

This next one has some fantasy elements, however, it's hard to pigeonhole into an exact genre (low fantasy adventure?), nonetheless, it's one of the better books that I've read recently.

4.) The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards) by Scott Lynch
http://www.amazon.com/Lies-Locke-Lamora-Gentleman-Bastards/dp/055358894X/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51tpIK8K%2BtL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR98%2C160_&refRID=1H0ZZ7MYMYZGKGQMEKTW

5.) The Way of Shadows: The Night Angel Trilogy: Book 1 by Brent Weeks -
http://www.amazon.com/Way-Shadows-Night-Angel-Trilogy/dp/0316033677/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=51tPZPp5dsL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR93%2C160_&refRID=1WERAT21ARWMVZN12V2P

(All books mentioned are the 1st novel of a larger series. If you're already aware and/or read these already than disregard, trying to pass along some great books for anyone who might come across my post)

u/GlueBoy · 3 pointsr/scifi

Prince of Nothing
Set in the middle of a holy war and on the verge of an apocalypse. Written by a philosophy/anthropology professor iirc, and it shows. Very good.

Sword of Shadows
4 books so far
Dark and gritty. No dragons or talking swords or whatever. So far pretty consistently good.

Malazan Book of the Fallen
Probably the best fantasy books i've ever read. The first isn't that good, but after that it takes off in quality, especially books 3 5 6. They're large complex novels with very little exposition, and some people despise that. Just to give you an idea, there are literally dozens of POVs throughout the series, and many many more meaningful characters. It's mind-boggling.

The author, Erikson, is a beast. He's been writing 1 major book a year since '99 plus 4 minor novels. The last will be released next year, and so far they're all been excellent.

u/NotSuzyHomemaker · 3 pointsr/AskWomen

That made me check! My oldest daughter & I always shared The Wheel of Time series, which my middle daughter never got into. So my middle daughter chose The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, who finished WoT, as a series we could all read and obsess over together. I'm waiting for book 3 in that series but it won't come out until November. Sadness.

u/Mellow_Fellow_ · 3 pointsr/Fantasy

Shadow's Son stars an assassin and opens with an assassination. I found the book a bit bland and stopped halfway through. Maybe you'd get more out of it than me, though. Different strokes for different folks. Eh, I'll probably give it another try eventually.
.

Next up is The Emperor's Knife, the first book of the Tower and Knife series. I know that it stars an assassin as a main character, but I haven't gotten around to reading my copy yet. I think I got it for free at some point.
.

The Demon of Cliffside is a book that you've probably never heard of before. It stars a nameless demon as the main character, and while she's not an assassin, she does a lot of "assassin-ey" things. It's the only book of these so far that I've read all the way through, and it comes with my stamp of approval. For what it's worth.
.

...and now for the obligatory The Way of Kings reference, because someone had to do it. One of the viewpoint characters is "The Assassin in White," and he has some very fun sequences. However, this is probably not the type of book you're looking to get out of this thread, and I imagine you've likely read it already anyway.
.

Well, I did my best. I'd probably recommend them in this order:

  1. The Demon of Cliffside

  2. The Emperor's Blade

  3. Shadow's Son
u/frenzyboard · 3 pointsr/funny

I recommend Way of Kings. It's really good. And when you're done with it, you can use it as a door stopper.

u/freedomfries5 · 3 pointsr/Stormlight_Archive

I'm not sure, this is the Mass Market Paperback Edition. Not too sure how it stacks up against the normal copy.

u/Valkes · 3 pointsr/AskMen

Homeland (26)

I read it in elementary school. It was the book that inspired my love of fantasy novels and the first REAL book I ever read.

u/titanemesis · 3 pointsr/Fantasy

Check out the Malus Darkblade series by Dan Abnett & Mike Lee.

They focus on a delightfully ruthless, fairly evil anti-hero who violently rails against being made a pawn of the Dark Elven ruling elite, his Highborn Family, and the darkest of evil forces themselves.

The books are part of the Warhammer universe, but do not require any prior knowledge of said universe.

On a much lighter, relatively PG-13 scale: you might also check out the first few books of R.A. Salvatore's Legend of Drizzt series. Also follows a young, extremely talented dark elf who rebels against the inherently evil society he is raised it.

u/LawfulStupid · 3 pointsr/DnD

The absolute best way to get started is the Starter Set. It's everything you need to get started including some dice and an adventure. As you get more into it, you'll want to pick up the Players Handbook, the Monster Manual, and the Dungeon Master's Guide (If you don't want to get them all at once, I recommend getting them in that order.) Also very useful is a Dungeon Master's Screen. Moving into more advanced stuff, Xanathar's Guide to Everything is a book full of a bunch of optional rules to spice up the game, and Volo's Guide to Monsters gives more monsters for players to fight, and some you can actually play as. If you need more adventures to run, Tales From the Yawning Portal is a nice big book of dungeons.

u/V2Blast · 3 pointsr/dndnext

Looks like HOTDQ and Rise of Tiamat are also on sale for around $20:

u/binarian · 3 pointsr/rpg

While the Essentials sets are pretty cool, I'll go ahead and mention that the three 5E big books box set is also on sale relatively cheap right now.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786966629/

u/ChristophColombo · 3 pointsr/DnD

There are tons of premade campaigns out there. I'd recommend kicking off with either the Starter Set or the Essentials Kit. They include basic rulesets, dice, and a short campaign. You can get started with just one of these sets just fine.

If you want to get more into the rules, I'd strongly suggest picking up the Player's Handbook at a minimum - it goes more in depth on the rules and lays out more race and class options for your players than the limited ones in the starter sets.

After that, whoever ends up as the DM may want to pick up the DM's Guide, which gives tips on how to run the game, random tables for lots of stuff (items, encounters, etc), and suggestions on how to make your own world if you're interested in that in the future. If you want to run other published campaigns or build your own homebrew setting, you'll also want to pick up the Monster Manual- the starter set rules only include stat blocks for the monsters that they use.

There are several other published sourcebooks out right now as well that add additional monsters, playable races, and class options to the game, but the three core books get you the vast majority of the content.

u/HereForInspiration · 3 pointsr/DMAcademy

This is an awesome surprise, he's going to love it.

The Essentials Kit has everything you need and is like $16 on Amazon. It has rules for just one DM and one player (sidekick rules), a map, complete adventure, magical item and quest cards, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Essentials-Kit-Boxed/dp/0786966831

u/zack1661 · 3 pointsr/preppers

Another link for those who are interested, $21.06 for that


Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit (D&D Boxed Set) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786966831/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_P3n0DbPN09X22

u/jmonteiro · 3 pointsr/rpg_brasil

Acho que você está um pouco confuso. NPC (non-player character) é qualquer personagem que não seja de um jogador. Se não é de um jogador, logo é do mestre, e é chamado de NPC.

Se você está questionando se é válido construir um NPC para acompanhar o(s) jogador(es), é claro que sim, é válido.

No caso do D&D 5e, a algum tempo atrás foi testado o conceito de Sidekicks do Unearthed Arcana (você pode baixar as regras na íntegra aqui), que é justamente isso: um personagem simplificado cujo objetivo é ser dado ao jogador para ele e é geralmente controlado pelo mestre (mas no geral respeitando ordens do jogador, já que é um colaborador do time). O D&D Essentials Kit recentemente lançado incluiu uma simplificação destas regras, e jogadores têm a sua disposição 9 sidekicks diferentes (cada um com uma carta que é dada ao jogador quando o sidekick é recrutado). Isso foi feito para facilitar o jogo para dois participantes (1 mestre e 1 jogador). As regras não estão disponíveis online, mas depois de ler a regra de Sidekicks do Unearthed Arcana, você pode ler este comparativo para entender como é o Sidekick do Essentials kit.

Outra coisa: jogadores podem ter mais de um personagem também. Já joguei partidas onde cada jogador tinha duas fichas por exemplo. Porém não recomendo isso para iniciantes, já que é bem mais trabalhoso.

u/Rammite · 3 pointsr/nextfuckinglevel

There are two starter packs that give you absolutely everything you need to play, and they're both under $20.

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Essentials-Kit-Boxed/dp/0786966831/

Pick one, grab some friends, pick a day, bring some snacks, and you're already well on your way. They come with dice, pre-generated characters, a full story to play along with, and instructions on how to be the DM. It is literally everything you need.

u/GreatDaneMMA · 3 pointsr/magicTCG

I didn't see it mentioned but there is a new book just for this set https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1984817450/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/Phooka_ · 3 pointsr/writing

These definitely aren't the worst-case-scenario, but I still wouldn't pick them up if I saw them on a shelf. They just don't spark my interest.

THAT being said, two of my favorite books - Theft of Swords and The Name of the Wind - are books that I would NEVER have picked up if a friend didn't recommend them. I don't think your examples are bad because (1) it looks like art rather than a photo, and (2) enough of the character's face is hidden (or their back is turned) to still let the reader imagine what the character looks like.

u/CycoPenguin · 3 pointsr/booksuggestions

Try the Gentlemen Bastard series. Start out with The lies of Locke Lamora

u/scynscatha · 3 pointsr/softwaregore

"The Republic of Thieves" by Scott Lynch. It's the third book in a series, The Gentleman Bastards. First book here.

It's a pretty decent series, if you're interested in heists or fantasy. Caveats: the main character is kinda whiny and self destructive, and there isn't any "period appropriate" speech. Lot of F-bombs, which is a little jarring for some people.

Well written and interesting characters, but doesn't really tread new ground, as it were.

u/TriscuitCracker · 3 pointsr/Malazan
u/old_dog_new_trick · 3 pointsr/booksuggestions

I loved The First Law series, and found the Gentleman Bastards series by Scott Lynch just as engaging.

u/Bachstar · 3 pointsr/books

Hmmm... paranormal/supernatural tween reads with strong girl characters (not that Twilight had a strong female lead in it, but you may as well steer her in a better direction).

You really can't go wrong with the Hunger Games. Or you could get her the Japanese novel Battle Royale. It's also a dystopian novel about teenagers forced to battle each other to the death.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is worth checking out. It starts to lose some oomph towards the end, but is still a solid read with actual substance to the storyline. I'd get the hardback - the photography in it is just genius. Male lead, but there's a pretty cool chick who throws fireballs.

I enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood. It's a bit like Supernatural, only with one male ghost hunter as the protaganist. He falls in love with a ghost, but she's a homicidal maniac.

The Rise of Renegade X - a boy raised by his evil supervillain mom discovers that he's the product of her one-night-stand with a superhero. That was pretty enjoyable...

Poison Study is a great book about a girl who's been sentenced to death and is offered a reprieve if she becomes the king's food taster. Her handler ends up subjecting her to a litany of poisons so that she can build up immunity. Didn't read the sequels, but the first book was pretty good.

Graceling is set in a world where certain people are born with random talents - the ability to hold their breath underwater for long periods of time, musical or dancing abilities, cooking the best food imaginable, etc. The main character is born with the talent to kill & becomes her uncle's assassin.

Stardust - Neil Gaiman... really nuff said, eh?

Howl's Moving Castle - A girl is turned into an old woman by an angry witch & takes refuge in the mysteriously moving castle of an "evil" wizard.

Okay. I'll stop now. :)

u/demeteloaf · 3 pointsr/comics

And if you get the book, make sure you get the fully illustrated edition.

Stardust was originally published as a fully illustrated graphic novel, with illustrations by Charles Vess, and it's really well done.

They later decided that the story was good enough to release as a standard novel without the illustrations, and while good, is nowhere near as awesome as the illustrated version. Both are still in print and you can find either in bookstores.

EDIT: And if you're ordering online and want to be able to tell the difference, the easiest way is that the illustrated edition is published by Vertigo, whereas the non-illustrated one is HarperCollins.

Amazon link for non-illustrated edition

Illustrated Edition

u/Psyladine · 3 pointsr/writing

Alan Rickman with a goofy smile.

Also:

Protege of Alan Moore, wrote one of the best comic series to come out of the industry, then did some books, including one co-authored with Terry Pratchett. Has a writing blog that's worth a look, too.

u/Dairgo · 3 pointsr/witcher

Agreed..... both can be had for $10.18 USD.... get both, and enjoy the updates, they enhance the game greatly. you will not regret your decision to get the game.... though you may regret decisions made in the games.

Also... get the books... The fan translations and the ones on kindle/amazon (The Last Wish, Blood of Elves, The Time of Contempt )

For the correct order in which to read:
Witcher Wiki

u/brianf408 · 3 pointsr/gaming

There are! And they are actually pretty good, especially if you enjoy the games.

The Last Wish is a good place to start.

u/KefkaFollower · 3 pointsr/witcher

If you looking for an answer for your teacher to defend your work you could say "witcher" is a neologism (new word) created for a fantasy work just like the word "hobbit" was once.

You could add this link:

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Wish-Introducing-Witcher/dp/0316029181

... to show the word passed revision by professional editors.

u/Dai_Kaisho · 3 pointsr/PS4

Seconding this, especially if you haven't played Witcher 1 and 2.

Not that they're derived from that novel, but it gives a really great sense of a witcher's place in the world. Can be found in most bookstores, new or used, or here http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Wish-Introducing-Witcher/dp/0316029181

u/ennead · 3 pointsr/tipofmytongue
u/unknownpoltroon · 3 pointsr/whatsthatbook
u/BIG_BLACK_COFFEE · 3 pointsr/PipeTobacco

Some of my favs:


The King Killer Chronicles


Gentlemen Bastard Series



The Dark Tower



Riyria Revelations



The Ender Quartet




Ummmm I know I'm leaving some out, but those are some of my favorite series off the top of my head.

Edit: Stupid formatting on mobile.








u/DiegoTheGoat · 3 pointsr/AskReddit
u/poops_mcgee · 3 pointsr/books

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hogart. I can't come up with a description that will do it justice... it's just a really fantastic and wonderful book.

u/workpuppy · 3 pointsr/booksuggestions

Sean Russell's Initiate Brother duology is very good.

Also the sublime, Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox by Barry Hughart...This one is out of print, but available on Kindle (And I note that my hardcover copy is apparently worth ~300 bucks. Lol.). There are three stories in this volume, the first of which The Bridge of Birds was recently re-printed, and is available in paperback.

u/eatingdust · 3 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

It was sad but im going to read American Gods next so.... I cant whine too much.

u/Corydoras · 3 pointsr/AskReddit
u/DickNickerson · 3 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Honestly I am not sure if this applies or not, but when I read your question I immediately thought of Gaiman's American Gods. Standalone novel that deals with the moving of gods/legends from other countries to the U.S. and their the effect modern culture/technology has on them. sorry if that is a little vague. Been a little while since I've read it and I didn't want to spoil anything. Perhaps the amazon listing would do a better job describing it HERE

u/victoriasauce · 3 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I would love American Gods by Neil Gaiman because the library wouldn't let me renew it again :( I'm a student with very little time for pleasure reading, so I prefer to own the books I read so I don't have to worry about due dates and renewal limits haha.

Buying a book is not about obtaining a possession, but about securing a portal.

u/EveryGoodNameIsGone · 3 pointsr/gameofthrones
u/Penaaance · 3 pointsr/writing

Anything from the Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb (Farseer trilogy, Liveship Traders trilogy, Tawny Man trilogy, Rain Wild chronicles). Start with this one.

Even on a re-read I'm dead to the world reading this series. Hobb is magnificent. George R. R. Martin says her books are 'diamonds in a sea of zircons'.

u/Magikarp · 3 pointsr/AskReddit

ugh i've finished everything worthwhile in my local library been reading e-books but running low on those as well

heres some off the top of my head.. be warned these are more character driven then anything else... I hate books with a giant cast of characters ( though malazan was an exception )

Old Shit:
The Fionavar Tapestry (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Tree-Fionavar-Tapestry-Book/dp/0451458222/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279523697&sr=1-2

Farseer Trilogy (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279523843&sr=1-1

New Shit:
First Law Trilogy (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Itself-First-Law-Book/dp/159102594X/ref=pd_sim_b_1

The Name of the Wind (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles-Day/dp/0756405890/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257193424&sr=1-1

Codex Alera (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Furies-Calderon-Codex-Alera-Book/dp/044101268X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279524012&sr=1-1


u/MustardBucket · 3 pointsr/gameofthrones

Currently, there is only a box set for the first four (amazon link). But the fifth is available on it's own.

The order of the books is

  1. Game of Thrones

  2. Clash of Kings

  3. Storm of Swords

  4. A Feast For Crows

  5. A Dance With Dragons

    Forewarning: Books 4 and 5 take place concurrently, unlike the first three, they are really just one book that was released in two volumes. So I wouldn't recommend starting book 4, unless you already own book five.
u/urboro · 3 pointsr/asoiafcirclejerk

Well, if you're going for the show love theme for automod, I think you should go full-out and get copypasta from threads like this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/47iv12/george_rr_martin_game_of_thrones_twist_will/

Also negative reviews of "Feast for Crows" and "Dance with Dragons" on Amazon (some of these are LOONG and critical nonstop, you could get paragraphs):

http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Ice-Fire/product-reviews/0553582011/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&showViewpoints=0

Then people could still post some of the anti-show jerking while getting trolled by automod, who hates the books.

Here's all five-star reviews of season 5:

https://www.amazon.com/Game-of-Thrones-Season-5/product-reviews/B00ZOSV5HU/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_five?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=five_star&showViewpoints=0

e: here's a couple:

body+title: ["winds of winter"] comment: | "I'm really sick of hearing about this book. None of it matters unless you finish it, george. My issue is the books have been taking longer to write while the quality has dropped significantly from the first three. I wouldn't mind the delay if they were actually worth the wait, but at this point the books have become drawn out and somewhat boring.

body+title: ["feast for crows", "dance with dragons"] comment: | "Feast & Dance should never have been written in their current form--or preferably not at all. Will somebody tell Tyrion where whores go? Yes, I get it--Jon Snow knows nothing. Jaime, did you know Cersei has been screwing Lancel & Osmund? One can cut 100 pages of text simply by removing all food references. If you remove all reminisces you could cut another 100 pages. Good lord! Did anybody edit this train wreck? Instead it's up to the reader to assess whether or not a paragraph is worthy of being read and then skipping to the next paragraph if the answer is "no" (which happens all too often--the vast majority of this book is mere "fill" the purpose of which is to extend the life of this series).

u/blasek0 · 2 pointsr/OkCupid

It's a book by Neil Gaiman. They made it into a movie and it's actually pretty good, and imo, one of the few cases where the movie is better than the book. Still a decent book though, fun quick little read if you like the high fantasy fantastical fiction worldsy stuff with romance.

u/herefromthere · 2 pointsr/booksuggestions

I would recommend Neil Gaiman. Stardust may be something you would like.

u/terciopelo · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

In 900 years of time and space, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important

A few years ago, I got a spotting scope for birdwatching. It is not a high-powered one, but as my first scope, it's perfectly adequate. That same week, I got my first pair of glasses. This will be important to the story later.

That week, I heard on the radio that the planet Saturn was going to be especially visible to people with small telescopes. Saturn has been my favorite planet, save Earth, since I was a little kid. I didn't have a telescope, but I had that spotting scope. 'How different can they be?', I thought.

So late that winter night, sporting my new glasses, I went out onto my front stoop and set up my spotting scope. Trying to ignore the cold, I started looking for Saturn. When I saw a promising celestial object, I looked through the spotting scope at it. But my glasses got in the way. I couldn't figure out how to use both glasses and the scope at the same time. So I took off my glasses, placing them carefully on the steps behind me.

I looked through the scope at the golden, glowing object. There, like a perfect jewel in space, was Saturn! Its rings were perfectly obvious and striated. I felt elated and incredulous. I could see Saturn! Then, I noticed a few steadily shining pearl-like objects near the planet. They were its moons! Titan! Rhea! It was like meeting celebrities. I couldn't believe it. I was freezing, but I wanted to keep watching. So I bolted back into the house to get a hat and some gloves.

CRUNCH. My glasses, directly in my footpath, were now flattened against the concrete. My joy at seeing Saturn abated somewhat, but I was so happy that I didn't really mope. I went and got my warmer clothing so I could watch Saturn a while longer.

TL;DR: Saturn broke my glasses.

I have the book Stardust on my books wishlist. I haven't read it, but it has "Star" right in the title! Thank you for the contest!

u/pineapplesf · 2 pointsr/santashelpers

In teen fiction or adult? I don't think I've read any adult books recently (published in last two years) that would be appropriate for a 13 year old.


Stardust: Quirky, fun and Neil Gaiman. His writing and stories are very strange so people either like them or they don't (I don't). However, my friends swear by this book.


Kingkiller: Badass hero, epic journey, epic story. Ultimately along the same difficulty as Sword of Shanara/LOTR and is probably super boring for a 13 year old.


Let me think: Game of Thrones is neither appropriate nor well written. Lackey is still amazing, but has strong homosexual and relationship themes. I think I waited to read her old stuff until I was 13, but her new stuff is just as -- well, her... Terry Brooks has a new series, but it is more political than Rothfuss. All the modern mystery/suspense is very sexual. I'm reading Abercombie right now, but don''t feel confident recommending it since I'm not done. Keyes reminds me of old-school high fantasy -- really, really dense and hard to digest for a 13 year old.

 

Popular

 

Divergent, as he already read, was quite good. Hunger Games and Maze Runner are in the same genre, but both are quite a bit darker than Divergent (stupid mind control and very Lord of the Flies-esque).

I think my best modern recommendation is:
Rick Riodran: Generally awesome teen male fiction. I've read the greek (percy) and egyptian series. They are fun and very similar to harry potter in tone.

Other

Throne of Glass: Not super popular, but definitely good! I haven't had the chance to read the sequels, but the first stuck with me.

Mistborn: water-downed Trudi Canarvan. Poor girl becomes a magician/assassin who totally kicks butt. Some almost-rape scenes (2 I think).

Intisar Khanani - I got a chance to read her newest book before it was released. She is the modern equivalent of Tamora Pierce and definitely someone to watch in the future. Great - Great author, but doesn't have an established series.

If he ends up liking the Dark Elf Trilogy -- The forgotten realms are STILL making books.

I'd say that Mortal Instruments (Girl meets demon hunter -- kind of a less cool version of Bleach), anything John Green writes (watered down Nicholas Sparks), Tiger's Curse (awesome epic adventure, but kinda creepy), and the Iron Fey series are too girly.

I recently read a free kindle book that would be awesome. It was a watered-down, less rape-y/fetishy version of The Sword of Truth. I can't find it. I'll have to get back to you on that. It had dragons and magic and bad-assery in a generic fantasy way. There was also another one with lots of dragons and he had power over them... hmmm... I might be losing my mind.

u/ST0NETEAR · 2 pointsr/The_DonaldBookclub

The Witcher Series

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Wish-Introducing-Witcher/dp/0316029181/

and the 40k universe is very much on the fantasy end of scifi/fantasy (with some definite lovecraftian horror elements), and I can't think of a single franchise universe more anti-SJW than 40k - I strongly recommend starting with The Eisenhorn Trilogy by Dan Abnett.

https://www.amazon.com/Xenos-Eisenhorn-Dan-Abnett/dp/1849708738

u/DN_Caibre · 2 pointsr/gaming

I've got about 600 hours in all three games. 300 hours in witcher 3 alone.

Yes, you can play it without having played 1 and 2. The Witcher games from minute one are sequels to the books by Andrzej Sapkowski. So even in the first game you're introduced to characters for the first time, but they react to Geralt as if they've known him for years, so you're just kind of thrown into this already running legacy of a character.

Honestly, if you wanted the backstory before playing witcher 3. I'd read the books (or listen to them in audiobook form), it gives you A TON of context to the game and you'll constantly recognize characters and names from Geralt's early adventures in the books.

Books are:

The Last Wish

Blood of Elves

Sword of Destiny

There's this animation which covers the events of the books, The Witcher 1 and The Witcher 2, so you could watch this after reading the books to prepare yourself for witcher 3's world state.

Recap (NSFW! Boobs and decapitation)

Green man gaming is sold out of the expansion pass codes, but you can get the base game for $22 here.

Witcher 3 on GMG

If you like it, you can buy the expansion pass on steam for 25 bucks, which is two expansions, the first is about 8-12 hours of content, the second is almost an entirely new game, easily with 25-40 hours content.

I can't explain to people how much I love this world and The Witcher 3 especially. If you like fantasy settings, this is a must play, and I bet that if you get into the game, you'll want to explore the books, and potentially play through the first two games as well.

u/Pharnaces_II · 2 pointsr/Games

The ones that have been officially translated are all available on Amazon:

The Last Wish: Introducing The Witcher

Blood of Elves

The Times of Contempt

There are also some unofficial translations around for the other books.

u/pneumatici · 2 pointsr/witcher

Sure, a couple notes while I'm downloading BaW :)

The book order is thus:

The Last Wish

Sword of Destiny

Blood of Elves

The Time of Contempt

Baptism of Fire

The Tower of the Swallows

The Lady of the Lake

There's no official english translation of the last book yet, but the one I've linked is the best fan translation I've found. It's the one I read, and I honestly would have had no idea it wasn't a "real" edition if I didn't know better. Fantastic work.

There's also A Season of Storms, which is sort of a midquel for the series. But it was written in the last two years, has no bearing on any of the game's canon, and contain some minor potential spoilers for later books since he expected his readers had finished the series at this point. I recommend you ignore it for now, and if you decide you want to read it down the road pick it up after the series.

The first two books are a short story collections. The series is in chronological order, but the actual novel arc doesn't begin until the third book. Definitely don't skip the first two though, they set up important characters and events in Geralt's life prior to the novel arc beginning.

Lastly, if you really can't be bothered to spend a bit on the amazon paperbacks here's a link to all of them in epub format. I can't vouch for the quality of the fan translations in this pack, nor do I recommend this format. Buying the books supports the author and reading a book is still easier than reading on a tablet in my opinion.

Good luck on your journey into the Witcher!

P.S. - Oh, here is the Witcher 1 recap video I mentioned. DO NOT WATCH THIS until after you finish the books. It will spoil the climax of the series and ruin your reading. You can buy the game dirt cheap if you can handle a playthrough on PC, but you really won't miss a ton of important info if you skip it. I don't want to spoil the end of the books either, but essentially the second and third game don't rely on the first one at all aside from knowing cursory details of the first game.

u/KoloHickory · 2 pointsr/witcher

Also, the mass market paperback(smaller version) is $3.62 for anyone that hasn't read it. Order it! You need to read it!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316029181/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_zfAxzb1ZHMZ00

u/SamBryan357 · 2 pointsr/Games
u/Griever114 · 2 pointsr/witcher

Yeah, bought the whole series on Amazon.

i got these versions since i dont speak other languages except for all the bad stuff in polish :P

u/meryrose · 2 pointsr/Fantasy

"The Last Wish" and "Blood of the Elves" book have been officially translated into English so far.

Info from Wikipedia: An English translation of the Ostatnie życzenie (The Last Wish) short story collection, was published in the United Kingdom by Gollancz in 2007 and was published in the United States by Orbit in 2008. "Krew elfów" (Blood of Elves) was published by Gollancz in 2008 and in the US by Orbit in 2009, and "Czas pogardy" (Times of Contempt) will be published by Gollancz in the UK in 2013.

Here is the link to Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Wish-Introducing-Witcher/dp/0316029181/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2

u/Misterberu · 2 pointsr/patientgamers

EDIT: I just noticed you were asking about the books and the game. Woops. The game takes place after the books, so if you read the books first, while the character you play will have amnesia, you sure as hell won't. :) That being said, reading the books makes the games all the more memorable, IMO.

The first 2 (The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny) are a collection of short stories, but they do have recurring characters, so it makes sense to read them in sequence. The rest are novels, and should be read one after the other. Mind you, the second book (The Sword of Destiny) was never officially translated (because publishers are dicks), but I definitely recommend reading it before Blood of Elves (the 3rd book, and first novel), since it introduces characters who are essential to the series. This means that you'd have to rely on an unofficial fan translation, assuming you don't speak Polish, or French (it was translated into French).

You can go here to access the unofficial fan translations. Honestly, they really aren't that bad, and I enjoyed the Sword of Destiny quite a bit. Also, in case you're confused as to the ordering of the books, this wiki page will break everything down for you.

u/sushi_cw · 2 pointsr/books
u/drewster300 · 2 pointsr/books

I'm sure there's a great abundance of books out there. Personally, I was really happy with the ending of the Riyria Revelations and would recommend it to anyone who likes to read about fabricated medieval-type worlds.

Edit: For anyone that wants to read them, Link is here.

u/CaptAwwesome · 2 pointsr/robinhobb

I think simple yet complex describes Riyria Revelations pretty well.

The first book is Theft of Swords.

https://www.amazon.com/Theft-Swords-Vol-Riyria-Revelations/dp/0316187747

u/HYGz · 2 pointsr/booksuggestions

I've really been enjoying The Riyria Revelations series by Michael J. Sullivan. It's nothing new in the realm of fantasy, but the world the author creates is so great and vast and watching the characters grow throughout the first 4 books has been a blast. There are more than 6 books out right now I think, but the author got a deal with Orbit, so they combined two books at a time into an omnibus for each installment in the series. Very good read.

http://www.michaelsullivan-author.com/MichaelSullivan_Series.html - more information

http://amzn.com/0316187747 - Link to the first book for reviews

u/spankymuffin · 2 pointsr/books

Bridge of Birds.

Buy it. It's apparently only eight bucks on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Birds-Novel-Ancient-China/dp/0345321383

u/Qxface · 2 pointsr/ifyoulikeblank

Bridge of Birds has a very Gaimanvibe.

u/redditcdnfanguy · 2 pointsr/booksuggestions

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart - best book I ever read. Better than The Princess Bride.

If you don't like this book check your pulse you might be dead.

u/mcherm · 2 pointsr/rpg

I had enormous success once, stealing the setting and plot of Barry Hughart's "Bridge of Birds" for a game I ran.

One thing that worked well was that the setting, mythological China, drew on different sources than the more common western European folklore that backs most fantasy (no elves or dwarves, but it's got emperors and alchemists) so it felt fresh and new to the players. But the best part was that over the course of nearly 2 years I manged to run the group through almost the exact plot of the story without making them feel particularly railroaded. It helped that the story has at all points a driving motivation (saving the children) and that scheming by the Gods is completely appropriate to the genre. And it was also essential that none of the players had read the book.

(But if you haven't read it, go do so. Now. Really.)

u/feigndad · 2 pointsr/books

I always recommend "Bridge of Birds" (a novel of ancient China that never was) by Barry Hughart. There's two good sequels but the first one is IMHO the best.

(edited to add link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345321383?ie=UTF8&tag=wishease-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0345321383)

u/Tsujigiri · 2 pointsr/pics
u/AkatoshChiefOfThe9 · 2 pointsr/reactiongifs

SPOILER ALERT read this book.

u/misslistlesss · 2 pointsr/OkCupid

I'm finishing up American Gods. In the last 60 or so days I've read that, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and The People in the Trees. All very good. All very different.

I've been so off my exercise jam lately, but obvi with this new free time I'm going to get back into the gym. I'm pretty artistic, but I'm not very handy. I wish I could make at least somewhat practical shit like that. I already have enough art on my walls.

u/somenobby · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

You could try American Gods

u/generalvostok · 2 pointsr/bookshelf

Top 5 off those shelves would be:
The Yiddish Policemen's Union - Alt History detective novel by a Pulitzer winner
http://www.amazon.com/Yiddish-Policemens-Union-Novel-P-S/dp/0007149832
The Atrocity Archives - Lovecraftian spy thriller and IT hell
http://www.amazon.com/Atrocity-Archives-Laundry-Files-Novel/dp/0441016685/
Books of Blood - A compilation of Clive Barker's nasty little 80s horror anthologies
http://www.amazon.com/Books-Blood-Vols-Clive-Barker/dp/0425165582/
Perdido Street Station - Steampunky fantasy with excellent worldbuilding that's apparently a good example of the New Weird, whatever that is and however it differes from the Old Weird
http://www.amazon.com/Perdido-Street-Station-China-Mieville/dp/0345459407
American Gods - Gaiman's mythology based urban fantasy; a modern classic
http://www.amazon.com/American-Gods-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0380789035

As for the Weird Tales collection, it's Weird Tales: 32 Unearthed Terrors. It sets out to present the best tale from each year of the magazine's original run. Published in 1988 and edited by Stefan R. Dziemianowicz (as if the eldritch gods didn't inject enough unpronounceable names into the mix) you've got everyone from Isaac Asimov to Seabury Quinn to good ol' HPL himself with "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"
http://www.amazon.com/Weird-Tales-32-Unearthed-Terrors/dp/0517661233
Not quite the $1 deal I got from the library sale, but not as outrageous as some of the out of print prices on Amazon.

u/mirage2k6 · 2 pointsr/motorcycles

Take a book with you. If you're going to all the roadside attractions, I'd suggest "American Gods".

u/krq316 · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I would use the $2500 for my trip to New York in July. I'd splurge and stay in a fancy hotel on the Upper West Side and spring for the nice seats to a few choice Broadway shows. I would definitely bring a book to read for the plane ride.

I'm currently planning the trip alone, but would love company! My best friend Mindy is my go-to travel partner, but I'd welcome the company of /u/chronos42 since we've been toying with the idea of a New York meetup.

u/Black_Bishop · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

I would suggest preordering the paperback version off of amazon.

u/slvr13 · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

First off, I think this is the most elaborate contest I've ever participated in, so congratulations for that :P Fear cuts deeper than swords. I hope some of my items are awesome enough for some extra credit ;) Also I wasn't sure if duplicates are allowed. I will revise if necessary.

1.) Something grey and it's been on my wishlist.

2.) Rain, well not technically rain, she is a water bender :P Previously on my wishlist.

3.) Unusual, I think this is something I would use like twice a year. With ice cream or cereal.

4.) Someone else My sister and I want to start playing tabletop games. Previously on my wishlist.

5.) "Book" I took a little bit of liberty with this one because it's a graphic novel. But it's Batman, so...(Previously on my wishlist).

6.) Under a dollar.

7.) Cats There's a catbus in it, which is pretty much the best part of the movie. Previously on my wishlist.

8.) Beautiful As a Star Wars fan having the original trilogy on Blu Ray would be beautiful to me. I love high definition movies, especially ones that are aesthetically pleasing. Previously on my wishlist.

9.) Movie As a Browncoat, I would encourage anyone who has a remote interest in Sci-Fi to give this a chance. Previously on my wishlist.

10.) Zombie tool I don't think this needs explanation.

11.) (Updated) Useful for future. I have a desire to create meaningful video games. Previously on wish list.

12.) Add on I actually had this on my wishlist but removed it because add-on items are lame.

13.) Most expensive As previously stated, I want to be a game developer/designer so not only would it be fun to play with, I could create with it too. Previously on list.

14.) Bigger than breadbox Total in the box it is bigger than a breadbox. Previously on wishlist.

15.) Bigger than a golf ball It's a large book. Previously on wishlist.

16.) Smells good As a guy...I enjoy the scent of lavender.

17.) Safe for children toy I don't think this needs any introduction of why it's awesome.

18.) Back to school drawing helps keep me sane. Previously on my list.

19.) Current obsession I'm a noob to tabletop games. But have been wanting to get into it obsessively within the past month or so. And this also takes my love of A Song of Ice and Fire into the mix. Previously on list.

20.) [Amazing] (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-XBR-65X900A-65-Inch-120Hz-Ultra/dp/B00BSREQI6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1376281533&sr=8-4&keywords=4k+tv) I've seen one of these in person at the mall and it literally made me stop walking the resolution was so incredible. I know it's as expensive as dicks...but man...when these are affordable...

Bonus 2) Made in Oregon I would have put Tillamook Ice Cream, since it's pretty awesome...but alas not on Amazon.

Edit: Changed an item because I saw it won't count because it's a duplicate.

u/MightyIsobel · 2 pointsr/asoiaf

Hello, this post was removed because it was promoting a link to Amazon with an affiliate tag in it.

You may repost this offer with a link directly to the Amazon deal:

u/mcoward · 2 pointsr/Fantasy

I kind of got a bunch of books at once, but they are all within a series, so I'll combine them.

The Raven's Shadow books (Blood Song and The Tower Lord) by Anthony Ryan are my most recent read. I read them back to back in less than a very busy month. It's the fastest I've read a book in a long time. I love the other books I've read recently, but these books have truly been the highlight of my 2014 reading list.

Why did I read it? It seemed to be the top of the underrated fantasy list and seems to be quickly growing to the respectable position it deserves as an incredible series.

The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence. The more I think on them, the more I like them. I wish I had spaced them out a bit, as reading them back to back was a bit much. It's not that there's something wrong with the books, it's just that I think they are best read not-one-after-the-other (sorry, that's wordy, I know). These were really good, well worth the read.

Why did I read it? As a writer ('aspiring,' is perhaps more honest as I have yet to complete anything publishable save one short story), I wanted a story where I rooted for the bad guy. I also wanted to support Mark Lawrence because he frequents /r/fantasy and /r/fantasywriters and I wanted to give back by buying his books. In giving back, I received three really great reads.

Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice is currently being read. I'm a chapter in, so I can't say much about it. I'm intrigued and the prose is impressive, so I look forward to getting into this one. The covers are truly atrocious, so this is a trial in me not judging a book by its cover. Like I said, it's off to a very good start.

Why did I buy it? I saw an interview of her with GRRM, and she seems to have a more-than-good reputation around here. Figured it was high time I give it a shot.

u/quick_quip_whip · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Fun fact: when the English first saw a platypus, they thought the Australians were playing a prank on them by stapling the bill and feet of a duck onto a beaver.

cool book

u/judogirl · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

How about this?

u/Cromar · 2 pointsr/asoiaf

Amazon has it as August 28th.

u/acciocorinne · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

a;sldk I would love the Fire. First of all, it seems really magical to have thousands of books at my disposal--that's seriously something that I can't even imagine, I want it so much. I always have at least one book in my purse, and it's such a struggle for me to pick which one(s) to put in there--with a Kindle I wouldn't have that struggle. I want the Fire rather than one of the less expensive kindles because I've never really had a fancy technological thing--I mean, my cell phone doesn't even connect to the internet hahaha. I'm actually saving up for a Fire right now because I just can't imagine anything cooler than a magic box full of books and internet.

I don't know what else to say about it--I know whoever wins it is going to cherish this cool gift, and I know if it gets sent my way I'll use it every day and take it everywhere. Thanks for the contest, you magnificent number!

If I win, I'd love any of the ebooks on books or Under $6 wishlists. If I'm really dreaming big, this would be the one I'd ask for--I'm so annoyed that he didn't have any Dany or Tyrion chapters in AFFC hahaha, and I need to know what happens to my two favorite characters!

u/NattG · 2 pointsr/RandomKindness

edit: I changed this, sorry. Just remembered.

Maybe this? I finished the fourth one today, and I'm in love with this series, but someone else has the fifth out of the library, and it's overdue already.

http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Fire-Book/dp/0553801473/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321515031&sr=1-1

u/brbATF · 2 pointsr/gameofthrones

And the 5th book costs as much as the other 4 combined... whee!

I bought all five last week *twiddle*

u/admiraljohn · 2 pointsr/books

> My favorite genres include science fiction and fantasy.

I'd highly recommend the "A Song Of Ice And Fire" series if you haven't already read it... it's an incredible series. That box set I linked has the first four books, and here's the fifth.

If you've already read it, I'd also recommend "The Wheel Of Time" series by Robert Jordan, especially since the last book is due out next year.

u/makenoapologies · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I would have to say that Shogun by James Clavell is my all time favorite - a really thick book and a little hard to get into (I almost died of boredom trying to get through the first chapter), but if you stick with it, it gets MUCH better. I've read it several times. It is a fascinating glimpse into historic Japan (circa 1600s).

If I win, I only have one book on my WL right now - A Dance with Dragons - A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5. I'm on book 3 in the series and it is GREAT!!!! I would LOVE to get this!!

Thank you so much for the contest! Hope you like My Favorite Book!

u/thepinaybarbie · 2 pointsr/booksuggestions

Sometimes, people don't want to revisit a story they've already experienced. Plus, OP stated his local library doesn't have the GoT books and wanted something else from there.

Edit: Forgot to suggest a book... The Malazan Book of the Fallen Series by Steven Erikson.

u/ngtstkr · 2 pointsr/booksuggestions

It's definitely a fantasy series, but try Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. It's a series that sprawls 10 epic books (the word epic is a huge understatement here).


Here's an Amazon link to the first book: Gardens of the Moon.

u/Kowzz · 2 pointsr/visualnovels

I got the first book in The Malazan Book of the Fallen series, Gardens of the Moon. I've been enjoying it so far. I'll probably be reading this series for a good bit of time considering it has ten books in the entire series.

I also got gifted some DotA 2 cosmetics from friends, and three steam games (one of which was Dark Souls 2! :D) which was nice.

u/lopl · 2 pointsr/WoT

As others have stated, comparisons typically lead you down a road of self-induced disappointment. Try it out, if you like it, you like it, if not, put it down.

I would recommend Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen Series. It's really quite good. Others have said it can be difficult to get into, but I had no issue.

Whatever you read, enjoy it.

u/mamallama · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson. This is the first book of the Malazan Book Of The Fallen series. it is a 10 book, super epic fantasy series. my favorite series ever. i laughed. i cried. multiple times on both accounts. all ten books are published, so no waiting. fantastic writing, this guy is super smart and it shows in his writing.


Thanks for hosting a book contest. i'm a huge bookworm.

<3

u/gotpaidtowrite · 2 pointsr/PHBookClub

I just finished reading Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson last night, which is the first book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It's a fantasy book that a close friend recommended to me after we'd been complaining about how GRRM is taking so long to release the next book in the series - the primary draw of this one is that there are already ten novels written in the Malazan series!

While I feel like some parts of it really drew me in, the way that the book is written is such a slog for me. The book begins in the thick of things and it was a bit difficult to get a handle on the characters and the plot lines. Right now, I'm waffling on whether I should purchase the second one, especially when there are other books in my TBR pile!

u/stankbooty · 2 pointsr/booksuggestions

First off, don't believe anyone who tells you that non-fiction books are the only worthwhile books. That is blasphemy. Non-fiction might make you more knowledgeable about certain things, but fiction allows you to entertain an entirely different perspective of the world for the duration of the book. I would argue that the latter is more beneficial to your development as a critical thinker and a human being.

Secondly, it sounds like you haven't really found your genre yet. You couldn't get through all of Harry Potter, maybe fantasy isn't your thing. Try historical fiction. What kind of movies and TV shows do you enjoy? Try finding books along the same vein. Just like anything else, you're going to have to sift through a lot of stuff you don't like to find the ones you do.

I like to have at least two books going at the same time, because sometimes reading just one book gets boring. At any given time, I'll be reading one book for pleasure (I really like fantasy - so something like Malazan Book of the Fallen), and one book for merit (anything from philosophy to psychology to a travel memoir).

Lastly, try getting your reading time in right before you go to sleep. It's less stimulating than watching TV or being on the computer. You can get a few pages in when you're taking a shit, too.

u/Eswft · 2 pointsr/books

I'll start by saying this is not my most read genre, though I do enjoy it. I tend to read contemporary lit. Still, some of my favorite series are in this genre.

Brandon Sanderson, anything by him. He has a few series in progress, the one that's finished is Mistborn. I'd start with that. He finished the wheel of time at the request of Jordan's widow by the way. Great author.

Fire and Ice (game of thrones). This one's obvious, but it has to be said. Again, the writer is not top notch, but he's pretty good. My main gripe would be with technical writing ability, as opposed to the massive flaws in the wheel of time.

Iain M Banks (not a typo). This man can write. The Culture series is a series that takes place in a persistent universe over millenia at times, though not with the same characters. However, this is one of the best sci fi/fantasy "series" there is. This man was a genius.

Ring World by Larry Niven. A series. Follows a few characters through an amazing series of events. A thought expanding series. Great.

The last one I'll mention is hands down my favorite. Stephen Erickson, the Malazan book of the Fallen. An absolutely MASSIVE series covering an empire, the Malazans. It covers dozens of characters, over the course of I think 10 books. It just wrapped up a couple years ago. Maybe 11 books.

These books are dense. There is a lot happening. The characters are robust. The settings span a continent and are varied. The author dumps you into the middle of it, right into a groups lives. There is no preamble, no backstory. you're just there. Some people find this off putting.

The main complaint I get about this series is there is too much happening and people can't keep track. It is worth it. The reward is being so heavily invested in characters that comparison in the genre is hard. People get upset about a death in Game of Thrones? In this, people are angry 8 books and 7500 pages later, still. Legendary warriors spark questions among people as to what would happen if they laid eyes on each other.

This is truly a literary masterpiece on par with lord of the rings, for completely different reasons. The first book http://www.amazon.com/Gardens-Moon-Malazan-Book-Fallen/dp/0765348780

I'll warn a final time, some people struggle with the complexity. It makes me so sad when that happens, that someone doesn't get to enjoy the epic tale because of the density, but alas. I'd really suggest to stick with it. Read that first book and you'll be hooked. Lose yourself in the world, don't worry about what you think you should know, if you forget something, wiki it.

I should have done them in order. But my fave in order.

Stephen Erickson, Malazan book of the Fallen

Brandon Sanderson Mistworld

Iain M Banks, The Culture series

Everything else is distant in comparison, for me.


**Edit, formatting.

u/KarlyPilkoids · 2 pointsr/books
  1. The Way of Kings

  2. 9ish/10

  3. Fantasy

  4. Good, long form fantasy. Really good world-building.

  5. Amazon
u/ktstarshot · 2 pointsr/CasualConversation

Here's the goodreads page on the series. And here's the Amazon page for book 1 (The Way of Kings).

It's epic fantasy, and the world building is amazing. :) It's hard to fully explain because the world Sanderson has built is so complex.

Essentially, it's about a world where a group of people (called the Heralds) wage war against these monsters (called Voidbringers) in order to protect humanity. If a Herald dies, they always resurrect and come back (bc the monsters keep coming back in cycles after many years). It's part of an oath they make.

After countlessly dying, they decide - screw this. We're tired. And they leave.

The book is about what happens thousands of years later, when people have forgotten what the Voidbringers are (or believe that the war is done). It follows multiple characters (none of which are Heralds) and the adventures/politics/learning of magic and war, etc.

There is magic, but it's sooo unlike any magic (in function and description), that it's absolutely intriguing. :)

Try it! If you're interested, PM me!

u/rahnawyn · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors. Both his Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive are among my top ten, probably. Hell, I've read every single book of his, even the children's, and they're all goddamn amazing.

u/Quackattackaggie · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

I have the perfect book for him based on that list. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Sanderson finished Wheel of Time when the original author died. This book, and the sequel, are well over 1,000 pages long. They're epic fantasy, just like ASOIAF. His writing is very very good. His world building is exceptional.

The book and the sequel spent multiple weeks (book 2 spent multiple months, I think) at number 1 on the amazon bestseller list. I really really think this book would be great for your dad. It's intended to be a 10 book series, and book 2 is already out, so it'll give him a series to look forward to as well.

u/OtterInAustin · 2 pointsr/Cardinals

Here's book one

Medium-to-high fantasy, very intriguing worldbuilding mechanics, and excessively well-developed characters. Starts slow, but I think it's worth the build.

E: Fucking hell, it's supposed to be a 10-part series. That finished series will weigh more than some houses by the time it's done.

u/FliryVorru · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Wat.

It's too quiet in here!

u/Drixislove · 2 pointsr/asoiaf

I picked up where I left off on the Drizzt series. I stopped after book 8. Let me tell you those books are awesome and well worth a read, I'm sure you've heard of them.

http://www.amazon.com/Homeland-Trilogy-Forgotten-Realms-Legend/dp/0786939532/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1318470456&sr=8-2

u/Fauchard1520 · 2 pointsr/dndnext

You know, I honestly can't remember now, but I'm pretty sure I read Homeland before I played D&D. Regardless of the order, that book definitely helped to shape my view of hte game. Funny how we assume everyone's experiences are the same as our own. :)

Anywho, I could see how a drow warlock would be a pretty slick character concept, especially with Lolth kicking around as an unofficial patron now.

u/AieaRaptor · 2 pointsr/DnD
u/afridgetofar · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

Maybe some RA Salvatore books, I suggest starting with Homeland

u/flinnja · 2 pointsr/DnD

Unless you know what books they already have it might be a bit risky getting a book, but if you do get a book I would suggest getting something not in the "big three" as someone who's really into D&D is likely to get the players handbook, monster manual, and dungeon masters guide on their own. Better to get them something they'd like but might not buy for themselves since theyre not as "essential", like Volo's Guide to Monsters, the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide or Xanathar's Guide to Everything I think. Also, any d&d player will always appreciate a new set of pretty dice, a cool bag to keep their dice in or a dice tray to roll on are also solid choices.

u/PerfectTortilla · 2 pointsr/DnD

If he has nothing, get the d&d Essentials set. It's got rules, dice, an adventure, and a dm screen.

Or if you wanna go big, get this.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0786966629/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_OpEvDbK919KCC

u/Unikatze · 2 pointsr/Pathfinder2e

I dunno. The D&D gift box I'm talking about is this one
https://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/dd-core-rules-gift-set

It has 3 books in it as opposed to Pathfinder's 3.
It retails for $169.00 but Amazon has it for $117
Couldn't find the Retail price for the special edition one, but it's $200 on amazon and looks amazing. I'd love for Pathfinder to have something like it. (Other than the deluxe editions I mean)

I made a mistake though, it doesn't come with a battle mat or dice.

(https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Rulebooks-Slipcase-Handbook/dp/0786966629/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=d%26d+gift+box&qid=1562353036&s=gateway&sr=8-1)

u/AdmiralCrackbar · 2 pointsr/tabletop

Buy some dice.

Buy some books.

Honestly, it depends what kind of game you want to play. I think here you're going to get a lot of weird niche games suggested but for starters you're better off sticking with the a more 'traditional' experience. D&D is an excellent starting point if you want to play a fantasy game, you can even pick up one of their adventures if you don't want to write your own material.

If you're unsure about spending that much just to get started you can pick up this starter set that will include the basic rules, a set of dice, some pregenerated characters, and a short adventure. From there, if you like the game, you can pick up the full rulebooks and some more dice and whatever else you like. Alternatively you can try out the free basic rules by downloading them from the Wizards of the Coast website. All you'll need is a set of dice to get started.

If you don't like or don't want to play D&D you can check out a bunch of other systems that will let you play other games or settings. [Edge of the Empire] (https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Edge-Empire-Rulebook/dp/1616616571/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=edge+of+the+empire&qid=1563883870&s=gateway&sr=8-1) is a really cool Star Wars game, but it requires custom dice. My personal favourite sci-fi rpg is Traveller though, and it has the advantage of only requiring six sided dice.

A lot of people really like Savage Worlds, it's fun, it's cheap, and it's generic enough that you can run almost any setting you like with it. Unfortunately there's a new edition due out really soon so take that in to consideration. If you want a more in depth generic system then I can recommend GURPS, although you'll also need the Campaigns book. This system is absolutely not beginner friendly, it slaps you in the face with tables and rules for all sorts of scenarios, but I adore it and it's not really all that hard to figure out.

If you want an alternative to D&D Green Ronin has the "Age" series of games, starting with Fantasy Age, continuing with Modern Age, and the recently released The Expanse RPG covers Sci-Fi. I will admit that I've not actually had a chance to play any of these games, but I've read the rules and like the system.

Honestly you can find a game to cover practically any genre you want, whether it's Grimdark Fantasy, Martial Arts, Space Exploration, Lovecraftian Horror, Anime Cyberpunk Space Opera, or almost any other thing you can think of.

Don't fall in to the trap of playing a game because someone suggests it's 'easy', play something that really grabs your interest and inspires your imagination.

u/Khuff540 · 2 pointsr/DMAcademy

The same thing happened to me just a couple of months ago. We are having our 4th session coming up. I was gifted the players handbook, dm's guide, monster manual, and dm screen which were all very helpful when deciding how to go about this. ( I never played anything beyond a oneshot basically at this point. As a player not dm no less.) So the idea of a continuous campaign was intimidating. I've watched alot of Matt Colville's running the game series, dm tips from geek and sundry, and another amazing tool is Piper (link below). Though Piper has alot of other resources the link I have on hand is if you decide to make your own world and not use a campaign setting. I still feel like a dog with protective goggles on at times "I have no idea what I'm doing". Though, my players are having fun and tell me they are excited for the next session. So remember to plan just enough to feel comfortable but not too much to overwhelm you and HAVE FUN it's a game still. Both going with a campaign setting or beginning your own world are great ideas. I chose my own world I've heard many other start with a campaign and go just as great.

Obviously as other people have said their is a free PDF on WotC website for starter set or you could purchase the hardcover.

This is a set that has the players handbook, dungeon master guide, monster manual, and a dm screen. It's not necessary for everyone but for me it was a huge boon. https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Rulebooks-Slipcase-Handbook/dp/0786966629/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=dungeons+and+dragons+core+rulebook&qid=1558880532&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Piper. http://www.welshpiper.com/hex-based-campaign-design-part-1/

And last piece of advice is this! Session 0 checklist https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/601awb/session0_topic_checklist_and_guide/ this was huge in setting everyone on the same page.

u/VisceralMonkey · 2 pointsr/dndnext

The Gift set is on sale for $90

u/DankDungeonDelver · 2 pointsr/DnD

No, but if you're getting the core rules there's a set that's the 3 core books and a DM scree‏‎n.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786966629/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_AaaZDbQBW1NAC

Really though the screen is just a nice add-on, anything would work, bit of cardboard, a book, whatever.

u/Invisachubbs · 2 pointsr/DnD

If you want to get into 5e, get the core book set. It is a good place to start. I'm partial to Eberron, and getting that setting book could be a decent way to get into the as well, with it having just released.

u/Brandothan · 2 pointsr/dndnext

Dragon of Icespire Peak is a neat adventure that's part of the Essentials Kit. It's not very story focused and has a bunch of relatively short quests for players to take on which you might find better for shorter sessions. While it's not free, you can get it on Amazon for about $20 (It comes with dice, a DM screen, the starter rules, and hand outs).

u/BrucephalusKrull · 2 pointsr/DungeonsAndDragons

Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit (D&D Boxed Set) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786966831/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mf4LDbQ7X29B9

u/aimeekitty9 · 2 pointsr/dndnext

Thanks! :) my kids want to be dragons and animal shapeshifters so I think dnd 5e will be ok as long as it’s not too scary. I figure I can tweak it with my descriptions if I need to. You mean this one right? Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit (D&D Boxed Set) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786966831/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XA3YDbKXTTTAD

u/Lord-Pancake · 2 pointsr/DMAcademy

Its not the same thing. There are TWO introductory box sets, so I can see where the confusion is from. The first and original is the DnD Starter Set which is this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Boxed-Game/dp/0786965592

This was released quite some time ago and contains a cut down set of rules, pregenerated character sheets, dice, and the Lost Mines of Phandelver short campaign. The box as a whole is enough to run LMOP all by itself, and LMOP is regarded as a very high quality introductory campaign and is a huge amount of help to a new DM.

The DnD Essentials Kit is a new thing that released only this year:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dungeons-Dragons-WTCC70080000-Essentials-Kit/dp/0786966831

This was created by request and in collaboration with a US retail company, as I understand, to basically fill what they saw as a gap in the market for people wanting to take the next step but without fully buying into all of the books, etc. Its very similar in design being a box containing a bunch of material to run a campaign (it has some extra bits over the original Starter Set such as including a cheap DM screen and cards for NPCs and items). The included campaign book is Dragon of Icespire Peak; which, as I understand it, is designed to be run either by itself or as a supplementary addition to Lost Mines of Phandelver.

From what I've read about it, however, and someone can correct me if this is wrong, DoIP isn't as good as a "coherent campaign" for new DMs as LMOP is. Because its really a series of loosely tied together mini adventures based on a kind of job board system. But I can't comment directly here because I don't have it.

u/ElementallyEvil · 2 pointsr/tabletop

Hi!

Being in /r/tabletop, I'm assuming that what you are looking for is a Tabletop RPG. I will go forward assuming that is the case, as I'm not a wargame player.

For anyone getting into RPGs (unless they have a very focused idea in mind already of what they want), I would recommend Dungeons & Dragons or a derivative. D&D is the Lingua Franca of RPGs, each of its editions have different leanings, and many people have made their own adaptations of various versions. The editions of D&D are varying levels of kid-friendly - the learning curve having shot up in the late 90s and is sorta coming down now.

Now, if you're wanting something more bordering the lines of power fantasy, sort of superhero-y, and very "Kill monsters, level up" as the baseline of the experience: Get the "Essentials Kit" for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. It's a very nice set and has everything you need for a good long while. This current edition is on the border of learning steepness, but with an adult to help along it wouldn't be too bad - especially with the Essentials Kit, rather than the full three core books.

If you want something with a more classic adventure feel (Maybe think Conan, The Hobbit, or even the Princess Bride), where survival is taken less for granted, there's some more challenge and some more creativity in solutions from players encouraged: You want something more in line with the 70s-90s D&D. It's still D&D - it still maintains that Lingua Franca status - it's just a bit different in terms of feel and can be a good deal less complex.

Down this line of thought, I usually recommend "White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game", which is a rewriting and modernisation of the original 1970s game. It's very easy to learn, runs very smoothly, and is great if you want that "Adventurer out to make a name and earn some treasure" feeling. It doesn't come with its own adventure like the 5e Essentials Kit, but it is compatible with basically any D&D adventure from the 20th century - and others written for games like it more recently - if you need one. If that's the case, for the purposes of a new player it pairs very nicely with "Tomb of the Serpent Kings" as a beginner's dungeon, and "Blackmarsh" as a premade setting (with its settlements, environments, and its own adventure prompts rounding out a nice adventuring sandbox for a campaign).

Everything I have mentioned here is absolutely free in PDF form, except the Essentials Kit - although the 5th Edition Basic Rules are also free.

If you like the rules of 5th Edition, but want more of the feel I described when laying out White Box - I would suggest checking out "Five Torches Deep" (Which isn't free, but here is an in-depth overview of it by its author).

Likewise, if you like the rules of White Box but feel that "actually it is a bit too lightweight even for my eight-year-old", perhaps check out its big brother: "Swords & Wizardry: Core Rules" (Its free PDF found separately here). It remains compatible with the same products as White Box.

u/Alucard20099 · 2 pointsr/MagicArena

All of the flavor text on planswalkers on arena from WAR and on is from War Of The Spark, Ravnica novel.

https://www.amazon.ca/Ravnica-Magic-Gathering-War-Spark/dp/1984817450

u/Euphyllia99 · 2 pointsr/magicTCG
u/whisperingsage · 2 pointsr/magicTCG

The actual books of course you have to buy, but the short stories are usually on the mtg story page for free.

In 2005-6 original Ravnica had a three book cycle named after the sets: Ravnica, Guildpact, and Dissention. In 2012-13 Return to Ravnica had a three book series called the Secretist Return to Ravnica, Gatecrash, and Dragon's Maze. For this set there will be a War of the Spark book, and some time in June or so there will be a series of short stories that probably will be released on the MTG site.

There's also a Story section to their site that has short stories for each one of the recent blocks. The most recent stories are at the top, and if you scroll down you can open stories for previous blocks back to at least Tarkir.

u/StefanieH · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

This book looks good it's the 1st in the series and the 4th in the series is currently on the best seller list.

The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards) by Scott Lynch http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JMKNJ2/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_F8Yttb1YGFJ00

/u/Morthy you shall be now dubbed Dr. Morthy-o. Let's play a pill version of Tetris.

u/zuhairreza41 · 2 pointsr/kindle

By the way, I highly recommend "Theft of Swords", by Michael J. Sullivan. It has conspiracies, sword-fights, action, adventure... the whole lot. I personally enjoyed it a lot. Here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XWBUKK/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

u/seane · 2 pointsr/TheDarkTower

If you want a similar feel of "epic" without committing to a GIGANTIC series (nothing wrong with them, just differentiating), check out "The Library at Mount Char" by Scott Hawkins:

https://www.amazon.com/Library-at-Mount-Char/dp/0553418629

If you want to read a (not finished) series that feels a lot like DotT (in terms of pacing and fun) check out The Gentlemen Bastard series by Scott Lynch. Start with "The Lies of Loch Lamora" (my fave non-DT book):

https://www.amazon.com/Lies-Locke-Lamora-Gentleman-Bastards-ebook/dp/B000JMKNJ2 (it's only $1.99 kindle!)

u/Terciel1976 · 2 pointsr/Malazan

I don't know what country you're in. I know things were wonky when I lived in Canada despite having access to Amazon.com and amazon.ca, issues would pop up.

Here's the link on Amazon.com, I bought this just a few weeks ago: The Complete Malazan Book of the Fallen https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HL0MA3W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_rA.PzbAVQF7JZ

u/kragarn · 2 pointsr/leafs

If you are willing to go a little heavy in your non-fiction you could try the Malazan Book of the Fallen, it's a series of 10 books and it is really well written. But it can be a harder read than Discworld. Author is Steven Erikson, https://www.amazon.ca/Complete-Malazan-Book-Fallen-ebook/dp/B00HL0MA3W

u/GracieBalloon · 2 pointsr/TrollMedia

I'm reading two right now. Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan and The King by J. R. Ward. They're both pretty fun. The Michael Sullivan one is the first in a series (actually, it's an omnibus of the first two in a series) and the J.R. Ward one is the newest in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. If you're interested in BDB, I recommend starting with Dark Lover, which is the first in the series. This isn't a series that you can jump into from the middle.

u/Wilmore · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Try the Riyria Revelations! Great banter between the two main characters, and it's very fast-paced and entertaining without being too light (though it's definitely towards the lighter end of the spectrum.) There's a lot of focus on the two main characters so it's not always like a typical RPG party, but they do fill very different roles in the same kind of way.

Edit: poor, lonely parenthesis.

u/oldhippy1947 · 2 pointsr/Malazan

Forwarned... This is an expensive book and it's gotten more expensive since I bought it a the end of January (about $60 then, more than $80 now -- And a really strange price at that)

Kindle Link

Search for "The Complete Malazan Book of the Fallen" at your favorite ebook store.

u/Breaking-Away · 2 pointsr/neoliberal

Oh are we recommending fiction too?

The Lies of Locke Lamora is my favorite Fantasy book

u/gemini_dream · 2 pointsr/Fantasy

I agree with a lot of the suggestions so far.

Fritz Lieber's Lankhmar books, while there are a lot of them, are quick reads, and well worth checking out if you haven't read them.

Jack Vance's Dying Earth stories are worth a read, too.

If you haven't already read Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea Cycle, you might enjoy them, and they are short and easy reads.

J.D. Hallowell's War of the Blades series is only two books, definitely quick reads.

Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria Revelations should definitely be on your list.

u/jamaicamonjimon · 2 pointsr/KingkillerChronicle

I'd recommend The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. It has a similar style to KKC but is more action-packed.

u/Kasrth · 1 pointr/Malazan

I had this same dilemma when I started. Got the first two books in paperback because a) well I just like the feel of the book, and b) felt like a series like Malazan would need flipping back and forth etc.

But ever since I finished DG, I've read the rest off of my Kindle and it's been great!

u/EpimetheusIncarnate · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Oooh nice a slow cooker! I've been wanting one of them for ages! Grats on the weight loss :)

As for me, I didn't have a good week last week, so I helped myself feel better by gifting myself this book, which I am devouring. It's right up my alley and I'm loving every second of it.

u/sleepinxonxbed · 1 pointr/Malazan

The Malazan Book of the Fallen is the main series with 10 novels written by Steven Erikson.

The Novels of the Malazan Empire are the side novels written by co-author Ian C. Esslemont (ICE for short) and are complementary to the main series (though Erikson says they hold just as much weight to the series as his own)

On the Amazon Kindle store, there is the Complete Malazan Book of the Fallen that has all 10 of the main novel series. Otherwise, there's no box sets or anything, each book is bought separately.

There is an ultimate reading order that includes ICE books and other Erikson novellas as an option. But I suggest only reading the 10 novel main series first because it's really long and a re-read is awesome.

If you have a Kindle, you can download the Fictionary for the Malazan series which is a custom dictionary for Malazan universe words.

Read this author's preface if the version you buy doesn't have it, to know what Erikson's intention and ambition for writing the series.

It's a huge world with a lot of characters and events happening all over the world. You'll feel like you just got attached to a group of characters and then forced to jump to a new set of characters. Happens every novel, sometimes several times per novel. Don't sweat it or feel stressed. It's necessary for the large scope of the series. But as large as the scope is, there is still a story everyone can follow. Enjoy it for what it is: an awesome Fantasy series!

u/GoldenGopherDad · 1 pointr/Fantasy

Go for the complete collection...

The Malazan Empire

u/pandahavoc · 1 pointr/Fantasy
u/layer8issues · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Annihilation (first in the trilogy) - a great mind-bender in the "new weird" category. Plus it's a quick read!

All-time greatest epic fantasy series (IMO blows away GRR Martin and Tolkien): The Malazan Book of the Fallen - 10-book compilation

I'd love to pick up The 11th Hour CISSP Study Guide :)

cheers, and happy Monday!

u/Low_Significance · 1 pointr/Malazan

I wanted them all in one ebook - they have that on the amazon store in the US and I wondered if I could buy it in the UK

this is what I mean

u/PSHoffman · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

Another star wars book that follows a villain: Darth Plagueis. Not the best book ever, not the worst.

You might like Prince of Thorns. That one is pretty well written.

Also, The Lies of Locke Lamora is about a rogue, an anti-hero who learns to do better things with his life (sort of).

I've only just started Thrawn... so it's hard for me to say if any of these are a perfect fit.

u/IHNE · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

Jeez Entire series for 90 dollars only on Kindle. Thanks for the recommendation, but I need to find an inexpensive way of reading this.

u/ReisaD · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I would love to read Theft of Swords as I watch fireworks! Thank you for this contest!!

EDITED FOR (Not so) FUN FACT:

Did you know that Cows actually eat more than grass? They have been known to eat baby chickens and birds. :(

u/Swordofmytriumph · 1 pointr/Fantasy

It's not any more than any other book, and less than some. Where are you looking? You could be looking at some of the older self published books, back before it was published by orbit. Here's a link to amazon for the current price. https://www.amazon.com/Theft-Swords-Riyria-Revelations-Book-ebook/dp/B004XWBUKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518632238&sr=8-1&keywords=riyria+revelations

u/emmadash · 1 pointr/audible

One of my favorites is The Lies of Lock Lamora by Scott Lynch. It's about a cult of teenage con artists who long for the big con. Mistakes are made. A lot. But they are hilarious and edge-of-seat freak-out-moments all through the book. The audiobook narrator is awesome.

From Amazon:

The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards, Book 1) (Jun 27, 2006)

by Scott Lynch

4.4 out of 5 stars (1,836)

$4.99

Sold by: Random House LLC

“Remarkable . . . Scott Lynch’s first novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora, exports the suspense and wit of a cleverly constructed crime caper into an exotic realm of fantasy, and the result is engagingly entertaining.”—****The Times (London)


An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying.

u/LittlePlasticCastle · 1 pointr/Fantasy

The link you posted has a "tag" value which means someone is getting commission for every purchase made from that link. If you update the link to be straight to the product without all the extra stuff (remove the ? and everything after it), I can approve it

(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JMKNJ2 - is the link direct to the book without the affiliation link)

u/Lukalock · 1 pointr/KingkillerChronicle

Those are gorgeous!

I've only ever seen the US covers that look somewhat like TV show posters.

u/circuitGal · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

ooo I wanted to try this book

Super, thanks :) And it is kindle!! Quotes I don't ever remember but maybe I'll look one up and put here later. :)

u/DominoFinn · 1 pointr/Fantasy

Strange. I'm in US logged into the .com site.
Where the price should be, it says, "Pricing information not available."
Where the buy button should be, it says, "This title is not currently available for purchase."

Also, this edition isn't linked to in the table with all the other formats. This is the actual kindle edition linked to within the table:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JMKNJ2/

I guess I am screwed (by that I mean I need to pay an extra $1.79).

u/cuddlefish333 · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I failed my first driving test, I was really nervous and the examiner was super strict and overly critical over little things. I took it a second time at a different site with another examiner and passed easily, maybe you could try a different examiner or place as well, sometimes it's not you but the ones testing you. Hope you pass next time!

I have a few books in that price range:

http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000JMKNJ2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3HDKJRK0CSGLH&coliid=IKO3UVC81C1PE

http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00MX1CBRO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3HDKJRK0CSGLH&coliid=I2F9IKNDRNHWX8

u/Massagemom · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I would love Theft of Swords

Fun Fact, each episode of Game of Thrones costs about six million dollars to create. Fireworks

u/jdylopa · 1 pointr/AskReddit

And don't go on the reddits until you've finished (if you try, which I totally reccommend; I don't like epic fantasy either and I love the books). The reddits all have spoilers, even /r/gameofthrones.

If you're not into the whole genre, start by watching the show. By the end of the second episode if you're not at least interested in how it goes on, then you're soulless and probably an Other (it's a GoT thing). After the first season, when you need to know more, READ THE BOOKS. DO NOT WATCH THE SECOND SEASON. I've found that it's easier to watch the second season after reading the books, since there is some deviation in the show.

Anyway, after you finish 'A Game of Thrones', 'A Clash of Kings', 'A Storm of Swords', 'A Feast for Crows', and 'A Dance with Dragons', you will finally be ready to watch the second season, and wait with baited breath for 'The Winds of Winter' (warning: links to Wikipedia, which has spoilers for the first five books and beyond), and Season 3 of HBO's Game of Thrones.

And now that I've gone to all the trouble to outline your next month of time, you had better go through with it. Believe me, I'll follow up.

u/Black-Rabbit · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Well i am missing A Dance with Dragons i ordered a box set with books 1-4 and even though they are paperback and this one isn't i want to know i have it. Weird eh? I'd like some butterbeer!

u/Condesln · 1 pointr/asoiaf

http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Fire-Book/product-reviews/0553801473/ref=cm_cr_pr_top_helpful?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0

I'm hard-pressed to find reviews that have kindle complaints.

There are tons of people on GoodRead that were reviewing the books before they even came out, which explains the higher score.

u/soundofmind · 1 pointr/gaming

Thanks for the info. I'll get it, and then get Witcher 2. The books sound interesting, but I'm getting A Dance of Dragons today, so that's the only reading I'm gonna be doing for a while!

u/TheBananaKing · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Disregard all other posts.

There is precisely ONE fantasy author/series on the planet in the same league as Martin.

Steven Erikson, The Malazan Book of the Fallen. Volume 1 is titled Gardens of the Moon.

It's vast, it's intricate, there's conspiracies and politics, there's elder gods, upstart gods, brilliant generals, footsoldiers, tribal warriors, ancient unhuman races, assassins, emperors, high mages, shamans, ancient undead unhuman tribal warrior shamans (no really)... dark and gritty, laced with gallows humour and surprising emotional engagement in places.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure it's available as an ebook. Buy it legit, this fucking genius deserves the money.

It's breathtaking. If you've ever read The Black Company, imagine it multiplied by Ice and Fire. If not, then hold onto your hat, it's going to be one hell of a ride.

u/drklnc · 1 pointr/hearthstone

Not sure what kind of genius she is but i bet some nice books would be awesome if she likes reading! I have been reading the Malazan series lately, nice multiple character "Game of Thrones style" fantasy novels, they are quite good. http://www.amazon.com/Gardens-Moon-Malazan-Book-Fallen/dp/0765348780

u/trolo-joe · 1 pointr/KingkillerChronicle

>That is the first book right?

Yep! Gardens of the Moon.

> I feel like i'm dropped in the middle and am just supposed to know who these characters are and whats going on.

That's exactly how Erikson writes. He drops you right in the middle of the story and says, "Figure it out, kids!"

And, as frustrating as that can be, you really do figure it out once you adapt to his writing style.

See - I think too often in fantasy we're forced to follow a helpless character who is figuring the world out. I mean, it's a pretty common tactic for exposition: you don't know anything about the world you're entering, and as a reader you are traditionally supposed to relate to the protagonist. So the best way to introduce you to the world is to take the protagonist and introduce him to the world.

That's how KingKiller is written, that's how Locke Lamora is written, that's how Mistborn is written, it's how HP is written...it's how nearly every book with a first-person narrative is written.

Now, for third-person fantasy, GRRM makes it easy on the reader by designating who he is following with each chapter in ASoIaF.

Erikson doesn't hold your hand like that. He just writes. And, trust me, it's a change in style, but very well worth it.

Don't get me wrong - you don't have to enjoy the Malazan series. No one is obliged to. But I can definitely relate to the frustration on trying to get into the series. It's not an easy read (at first).

But (and I sound like a broken record here) what helped me was this character sheet and even some fanart from YapAttack (I don't really like his style, but it's good to see other perspectives for characters - he's also pretty active on /r/Malazan).

I'm actually looking forward to a re-read of the series now that I know what's going on. I think I'll enjoy it much more, and I'll pick up on details that I missed. But it'll take some time.

Now I typically need a "break" after reading one book in the Malazan series.

I just did a re-read of KKC, actually!

u/ChainsawMLT · 1 pointr/books

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

The first book in a pretty epic series (more than 10 books). Books are awesome, if a bit long-winded at times. Giant empire, rebellion, magic...lots going on in this complex book and series. The author has a degree in archaeology or something so all the history in the world Erikson creates goes back "hundreds of millenia."

I highly recommend this book even if it does get a little dry in spots.

u/Coonsan · 1 pointr/RealityAlternative



As rumors swirl about a potential Game of Thrones spinoff TV series, we get to the bottom of whether spinoffs/crossovers/expanded universes are TRUE EXPRESSIONS OF ARTISTIC STORYTELLING or CAPITALIST CASHGRABS PREYING ON OUR CULTURALLY-PROGRAMMED COMPLETIONIST OBSESSIONS. It can only be one of the two.

Links we mentioned:

Star Trek Novels Inter-connected

List of TV Spinoffs

Recommendations:

Shadows of Mordor
Mechina - Conqueror

Rhapsody - Legendary Tales

Brandon Sanderson - The Way of Kings


Intro/Outro music courtesy PANDAS


If you buy any of our recommendations from the above links, we may receive a small commission.

u/Derkanus · 1 pointr/bookporn

If you want me to pitch you something, I'd way recommend The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson instead. It's only 2 books in so far (The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance), but they are seriously just so good that I can't even do it justice giving you a synopsis, but here goes: There are a few different POVs, but mostly it focuses on Kaladin, a slave who gets assigned to this bridge crew in the military where they have to carry these giant, heavy bridges around so the assault troops can cross these giant chasms to fight the Parshendi--creepy bastards with shell-like armor that grows out of their skin. Eventually Kaladin finds out he can suck in stormlight from certain stones and do some neat magic stuff with it (don't want to give too much away here). There are also these knights called shardbearers who can summon these giant blades from thin air, which cut through just about everything like a lightsaber through butter, and if they cut through a person, their eyes burn out and their soul dies. The book is just so imaginative and awesome--it's unlike most other fantasy books I've read--plus, it has artwork every few chapters detailing the creatures, plants, etc.

Wheel of Time on the other hand, supposedly really bogs down in the middle (before the original author died and the series was taken over by Brandon Sanderson). But basically it starts out as a kind of Lord of the Rings clone, where these 3 kids from a small village set out across the world after it turns out they're the only ones who can stop the Dark One, who sends trollocs (basically orcs) and Myrddral (basically ringwraiths) after them, and they've got an Aes Sedai witch along with them to keep them from dying. It comes into its own by the 2nd book, and I've really been enjoying it so far (I'm only on book 4/15), so if that sounds at all interesting to you, check out book 1, The Eye of the World (link to the first half of the book, free on tor.com).

There're plenty of good recommendations over at /r/Fantasy, and many people (myself included) have asked your same question there.

u/Ashiod · 1 pointr/books

You might also look into the work that Brandon Sanderson has done. His opening book to the Stormlight Archive series was pretty damn good imo. The downside is that it's still a work in progress, so The Way of Kings is the only book of the series available.

u/Quantumplation · 1 pointr/Stormlight_Archive

The paperback is 9.99 at my local bookstore, and it's been spread over the last 3 years. $50 a year to enrich the lives of my friends isn't that much. (It was more expensive close to launch, but several of those have been $5 amazon purchases http://www.amazon.com/The-Way-Kings-Stormlight-Archive/dp/0765365278/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 )

u/ProblemBesucher · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

Ah I've seen your comment below. read maybe:

Joe Abercrombie - Best Served Cold

Max Berry - lexicon

Dürrenmatt - Suspicion

Gaiman - Good Omens

Kafka - The Trial

Sillitoe - The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner

Adams - Hitchhiker's Guide ( no way you haven't read that - but who knows )

Branderson - Way Of Kings

Libba Bray - The Diviners

Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra ( there is a really ugly bible style translation - beware!!! )

Lynn Kurland - Star Of The Morning ( your sex and age is of interest )

Schwab - Vicious

Bakker - The Darkness That Comes Before

Robert Thier - Storm and Silence

Eco - Name Of The Rose ( no way you haven't read it but u know the drill ) + Foucault's Pendulum

Lord Of The Rings ( duh )

Sanderson - Mistborn

Sanderson - Alloy of Law

Harris - Hannibal

Rothfuss - The Name Of The Wind

Bukowski -Ham on Rye

Burroughs - Running With Scissors

Wong - John Dies at the End

u/PathToEternity · 1 pointr/AskScienceFiction

It's possible this is what prompted your question, but if not you might enjoy reading about shardblades in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.

u/MelanieMo · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

Two things jump to mind for me, both fantasy.

The Coldfire Trilogy is set on a really strange world with a kind of natural force that gives life to people's fears or desires. It's really unique, and a great story with a great antihero.

Brandon Sanderson has also created some pretty unique worlds, his Stormlight Archives is probably his best work so far and the world there is refreshingly different than your typical fantasy fare.

u/Fartti · 1 pointr/ImaginaryCharacters

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.

You can keep your Steven Eriksons and your Patrick Rothfusses, this is the most enjoyable new fantasy series I've read in years.

u/_Donald-Trump_ · 1 pointr/INTP

Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.

Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards.

Peter V. Brett's The Demon Cycle is just ok, nothing amazing.

u/Cagn · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

If you want to get in on the ground floor of an epic series, Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings is book one of the Stormlight Archive. Book 2 comes out early next year and I think he said he expects it to have about 9 or 10 books in the series.

u/Vazerus · 1 pointr/books

The Way of Kings, book 1 of the future series The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, is a good read. The second book is coming out March 4th, 2014.

I also agree with the many comments about the Dresden Files.

u/drowgirl · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I'm finishing a re-read of the Wheel of Time. Currently on Crown of Swords.

Next on the list after the WoT re-read:

u/ProfessionalHobbit · 1 pointr/DnD

The Underdark (or as I like to call them "The Sunless Lands") is your chance to do anything you want, mostly because if the PCs are being played correctly, they probably haven't heard much about it...or if they have, what they may have heard are wild tall tales or fanciful rumors that have very little basis in reality.

And blank slates don't come along very often, so you should make the most of it.

For source material, if you have access to previous editions of D&D, I would try any of the following:

https://www.amazon.com/Menzoberranzan-Famed-City-Drow-Revealed/dp/1560764600

https://www.amazon.com/Skullport-AD-Forgotten-Realms-Undermountain/dp/0786913487/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473797909&sr=1-1&keywords=skullport

https://www.amazon.com/Drizzt-DoUrdens-Underdark-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786915099/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473797970&sr=1-2&keywords=underdark+AD%26D

Or read some of R.A. Salvatore's novels such as

https://www.amazon.com/Homeland-Trilogy-Forgotten-Realms-Legend/dp/0786939532/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473798026&sr=1-1&keywords=r.a.+salvatore+drizzt+series

Or try http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052948/ -- you can turn the plot of that 1959 movie into a D&D equivalent and run wild with it. Bet they never expected a "Hollow Earth" would exist down there!

u/reseatshisglasses · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

Would you be down to follow a Dark Elf main character as he survives his brutal dark elf society to become ome of the greatest swordsman and hero?

If so, Homeland by R. A. Salvatore

u/Malkron · 1 pointr/Fantasy

No problem. I suggest starting with Homeland. There is also a book with the whole trilogy in one volume. Chronologically, it's the first in The Legend of Drizzt series.

u/tufeomadre24 · 1 pointr/DnD

If he doesn’t have much in the way of 3rd party content, I’d get him the [Tome of Beasts](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1936781565/ref=mp_s_a_1_1 ie=UTF8&qid=1523552464&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=tome+of+beasts&dpPl=1&dpID=61%2BwXcuEGfL&ref=plSrch) from Kobold Press. It’s full of enemies that are lacking in the Mm and VGtM, like high CR monsters and Fey.

Alternatively, if he likes reading, get him Matt Coville’s book [Priest](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0615512151/ref=mp_s_a_1_1 ie=UTF8&qid=1523553476&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=priest+matt&dpPl=1&dpID=41ZD3imHCkL&ref=plSrch). I haven’t read it, but I’ve heard nothing but good things. There’s also the Drizz’t series by R.A. Salvatore starting with Homeland, the Dragonlance series by Weis and Hickman, Discworld by Terry Pratchett, etc.

If he’s more into games, you could get him Divinity: Original Sin 2 on Steam. It’s basically DnD the game, if I had to describe it in a sentence.

All the books are normally around $6-10 dollars, and both the Tome Of Beasts and the game go on sale for around $30 fairly often.

u/0qualifications · 1 pointr/rpg

If you want to go all out I'd recommend these books:

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Monster-Rulebook-Roleplaying/dp/0786965614/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840456&sr=8-6&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons

https://www.amazon.com/Xanathars-Guide-Everything-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966114/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840456&sr=8-10&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons

https://www.amazon.com/Volos-Guide-Monsters-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966017/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840456&sr=8-14&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons

Enough dice for you and whoever you're playing with:

https://www.amazon.com/Wiz-Dice-Pack-Random-Polyhedral/dp/B01KN7REWQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840537&sr=8-4&keywords=1+pound+of+dice

If you want minis:

https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Codex-Pawns/dp/1601254725/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840982&sr=8-4&keywords=monster+codex+box

https://www.amazon.com/Paizo-Inc-Pathfinder-Pawns-Bestiary/dp/1601255616/ref=pd_sbs_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1601255616&pd_rd_r=d89745e3-2d8a-11e9-bc59-4fcf3b72f982&pd_rd_w=Ip8Jz&pd_rd_wg=d87AF&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=CQ2TM4MZQSVKFXX2GYRS&psc=1&refRID=CQ2TM4MZQSVKFXX2GYRS

https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Pawns-Villain-Codex-Box/dp/1601259255/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840982&sr=8-3&keywords=monster+codex+box

u/captainkeel · 1 pointr/DnD

Much of the extant Unearthed Arcana are going to be printed up as subclass options in the upcoming Book Xanathar's Guide to Everything.

https://www.amazon.com/Xanathars-Guide-Everything-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966114/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501711110&sr=8-1&keywords=xanathar%27s+guide+to+everything

No real specifics are confirmed, including the presence of revised ranger.

u/KarLorian · 1 pointr/DungeonoftheMadMage

My group and I have been using the Magic Item Purchasing rules from Xanathar's Guide to Everything

and Stronghold's and Followers from MCDM (Matt Colville)

In addition, I've given them extra incentive towards spending extracted gold by giving them XP for it.

So far the group has paid for 2 uncommon magic items.
Along with purchasing the deed for an abandoned dwarven manor house with a defunct tower.
They have also completely paid off the construction costs for a Wizards Tower and an Establishment from Strongholds, and they've put down 2000 gp into the construction of a Keep (5500 gp left on that).

We are still waiting on the construction of the Tower and The Establishment to be completed, 23 in-game days left on the Tower and 30 in-game days left on The Establishment. They just started construction on the Keep and have 109 in-game days left on it.

u/BrentRTaylor · 1 pointr/rpg

Yes, it's effectively both Player Handbook 2 and Dungeon Master's Guide 2. You can find it here.

EDIT: Between my posting my initial post and this one, I had forgotten you were new and just starting out with the Starter Set! No need to pick up Xanathar's just yet.

The other posters have given very good advice. If you only have three players, I'd try and remove one enemy from every encounter, specifically the weakest enemy. You'll have a great time with the starter set! Have fun!

u/Aperture_Kubi · 1 pointr/DnD

Huh, you are right on that.

All the recent reviews I looked at for Xanathar's Guide mentioned some manufacturing or storage defects; reversed and/or flipped binding, covers not being glued well, pages being glued together, moisture damage, etc.

u/nargonian · 1 pointr/DnD

Here is a link one many agree is the best starter set and it is cheap in comparison to many other ones out there.

Besides that, there is The Players Handbook. Which is the only book I would say is a necessity for playing dnd (even being a dm) as it goes over all the rules and mechanics and gives you a lot of classes and races to work with. After that there is Xanathars Guide to Everything and the Monster Manual that are good starts to expanding your knowledge and options when playing or creating a DND world

If you are looking for good things to watch in your free time to improve your knowledge and get new ideas, I like Dungeon Dudes or Critical Role. Both are on Youtube and provide lots of good material to work with.

Then (shameless plug) I actually have a website that does in-depth analysis on many dungeon and dragons items such as mechanics, spells, and races that go into their strengths lore and other stuff. So check it out! It's called wizardofthetavern. If you have any other questions feel free to message me I will be more than happy to help you out!

u/Rocketpotamus · 1 pointr/dndnext

I'm assuming you're young, since just the PHB is an acceptable expense (in my opinion) to begin as a player. As of right now it's not even $50, which was the typical price when I began playing in 3.5. So might I suggest this as a birthday or other holiday gift if you're not able to get together the money?

I'm definitely not digging on your for not being able to afford it, that's fine and people have reasons. I'm just saying, $30 entry point is damn good and there's so much meat in this game that I'd pay $50 gladly for the core book.

​

In addition, if you and your gaming group would go in on the core rule set, it's 50% off currently on Amazon, so you're getting each book for effectively $27.50 with a free DM screen.

​

PHB: https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=players+handbook&qid=1564688516&s=gateway&sr=8-2

​

3 Book Core Set:

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Rulebooks-Slipcase-Handbook/dp/0786966629/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=players+handbook&qid=1564688680&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFSNDJCRjExRFA0UkkmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTEwMDQwMzU2OUtKM1Y0MjRQRUcmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDQ5MDAwNDhJSUVBQTU2T0ZPUCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

u/MerroStep · 1 pointr/DnD

Awesome advice, thank you.

In regards to which books to invest in, do you think I, as a "player-first, potential DM second," I should just stick with buying the Player's Handbook now? Especially since I would only be DMing new players almost exclusively for the near future?

Or should I buy the Rulebook Gift Set which is cheaper on Amazon right now for about $8 less than the 3 books separately?

u/datrandomduggy · 1 pointr/DungeonsAndDragons

Yes i have found those I was just wondering if there is anywhere where they are cheeper as hero forge has them for 10 dollars I can't really afford that as I am planing on buying this set as a starter set https://www.amazon.ca/Dungeons-Dragons-Rulebooks-Slipcase-Handbook/dp/0786966629/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=dnd&qid=1567777868&s=gateway&sr=8-1

u/Savage_TaktiX · 1 pointr/DungeonsAndDragons

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Rulebooks-Slipcase-Handbook/dp/0786966629/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=D%26d&qid=1567754912&s=gateway&sr=8-4

This is a great deal which gives you everything you could possibly want to play and run a game!

If he already plays a lot then he may already have these and in that case I would search for supplemental books, cool dice, and miniatures to add to his game!

u/ImTryingSheesh · 1 pointr/DnD

Well, make sure you have enough dice but that's a given.

Since you're running two people in a premade module, you're probably going to need to nerf the encounters a bit, as they're designed for 4 players.

The wotc dm screen is pretty nice, it has a bunch of lists and tables. If you don't already have a rulebook set, I'd recommend this one, it's at $90 right now and includes a dm screen, the player's handbook, monster manual, and dungeon master's guide. It's totally up to you if you want to get it, the basic rules will work fine.

If you don't want the books the dm screen is like $15 on Amazon.

Also, something really nice to have is a dice tray to keep your dice from rolling off the table and under something.

Regardless of the above, I bet you'll do fine.

u/temporaltortuga · 1 pointr/dndnext

Hey guys,

I know that the physical books typically don't come with DNDBeyond codes, but I thought I read somewhere that the core rulebooks bundle (PHB, DMG, and MM) comes with a code to unlock all three books on DNDB. I can't find the post anymore, so it might've just been a fever dream, but if anyone could verify either way I would appreciate it!

u/Enventions · 1 pointr/DnD

For those that are interested: DND Core Books w/ Screen

They are also currently running a deal "three for the price of two" which has a bunch of DND modules and such included if you search "DND" or "Wizards of the Coast". Deal found here

u/HagPuppy89 · 1 pointr/dndmemes

$82 set for DMG, MM, and PHB w/ DM Screen



Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebooks Gift Set (Special Foil Covers Edition with Slipcase, Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual, DM Screen) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786966629/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lFq4DbH2MHEWH

u/drewthepirate · 1 pointr/dndmemes

The 3 core books and a dm screen are $80 on amazon right now. That's ~27 a book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786966629/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_WRh4DbAMT0J24

u/SynV92 · 1 pointr/DnD

So if you're willing to spend the coin


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786966629/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


These books are all on sale for the same price as buying all 3 of them individually. It comes with a DM screen, and all 3 books are foiled. Super cool.

u/ORANGJUlCE · 1 pointr/DungeonsAndDragons

so I was thinking about buying this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/reviews/0786966629/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8 is it worth the money for what it is?

u/MelissaJuice · 1 pointr/DnD

I suggest starting with a published adventure, such as this or this. Second link is available at Target now at, I think, a lower price.

Assuming you're playing 5E, the official subreddit is r/dndnext.

u/tomedunn · 1 pointr/DMAcademy

The Essentials Kit runs for around $16-25 depending on where you buy it.

u/PoseidonsHairyNipple · 1 pointr/DnD

If you and the bois haven't ever played before, one of you should pick up either the D&D Starter Set or the D&D Essentials Kit. They're each $12 on amazon and have a beginning adventure, basic rules set, and pre-gen characters to play. Solid place to start. The Starter set has the adventure "Lost Mines of Phandelver", which is a classic.

If you get through one or both of those, the next step would be for the group to decide who'd be the DM. That person should pick up the Core Rule Set books (Players Handbook, DM's Guide, Monster Manual). It'd help if the other players picked up their own copy of the Players Handbook.

u/ranhalt · 1 pointr/DungeonsAndDragons

This is all you really need, which you can supply in other ways, but it's dirt cheap. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786965592/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_uAQEDbMG4XSSR

New option https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786966831/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_9wQEDbCCJWREW

Otherwise there's audio podcasts and Youtube series that play in introductory ways to teach you the mechanics.

u/DaemianX · 1 pointr/DnD

The new starter box set, Dungeons & Dragons - Essentials Kit, enables users to learn how to play the game or become a Dungeon Master.

​

>• Play with groups as small as two players (one Dungeon Master & one adventurer) for the first time in D&D fifth edition with the introduction of “sidekicks.”

u/JakeEkiss · 1 pointr/DnD

Sidekicks are paired down helper NPCs that you can find either in the new Essential's Kit that was recently released (as well as on D&D Beyond, where you can pay a discounted price for *just* the sidekick options) or you can use the slightly less streamlined (but free) rules from unearthed arcana that were the prototypes for the essentials kit versions.

Basically sidekicks are like a monster statblock, but friendly, and designed to be helpful to players, but with fewer options to keep track of.

You *could* make them as full characters, but if so I'd make your sidekicks a level or two lower than the party. That said, a full PC character is a lot of detail to put in for a character that is only there in a support role.

u/PM_ME_UR_FAV_RECIPE · 1 pointr/Omaha

As others mentioned videos are great. Wizards has some good resources. https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules For campaigns to start with, I really liked the one in the starter kit https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592/ They also released https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Essentials-Kit-Boxed/dp/0786966831/ which I haven't played through the campaign yet but it looks promising. There are also tons of materials for purchase and some for free on the Dungeons Masters Guild site https://www.dmsguild.com/
Any questions, feel free to ask in this thread or dm, otherwise r/dnd may be a better subreddit to answer.

u/DyingDutchmanNL · 1 pointr/DnD

I recommend either the Starter Set adventure or the Essentials set adventure, as both are great at teaching the game to new players and DM's alike.

u/ToastLord78 · 1 pointr/dndmemes

Running the Game by Matt Colville is a great place to start. He explains generally what the game is, how to run it, builds an adventure for you, and then spends the next 80 or so videos going on beautifully long tangents about things mildly related to D&D. But the first few episodes are a goldmine for a beginner, if you ever feel compelled to take the spotlight and be a DM. Which if you ever want to start playing with friends, you likely will have to do.

Another option if you don’t want anything to do with that DM business for now is head to your local tabletop gaming shop. Not Target (although they actually do sell some relevant stuff I’ll mention later), I mean a shop specifically built to sell games like Magic the Gathering and D&D. They probably sponsor games you can join and get a taste of how the game works.

Or yet another option, buy the Starter Set which has everything you need to get started. I haven’t played the Essentials Kit but it also seems useful.

However you go about it, I highly recommend starting!

u/MCJennings · 1 pointr/dndnext

I would suggest the essentials kits of Ice Spire Peak or Lost Mines of Phandelver - though probably the former over the latter.

If you want the full books though, I would suggest DNDbeyond. You'd need a subscription to manage your full party, but that would also be splitting the cost 6 ways, give access to the party entirely all the time, let the DM easily see his player's sheets, and it's very user friendly to certain classes that otherwise are not - such as the druid having to manage wild shape and prepared casting.

My last suggestion is to consider the free Basic Rules to see if it's sufficient for you and if you enjoy using a digital platform. Players can make basic characters this way on dndbeyond for free as well- it'll be restrictive playing free but would be enough to see if they enjoy using the platform. Be sure to use the webpage on whatever device you'd be using in play as well.

u/Bamce · 1 pointr/rpg

the starter kit is 15$ on amazon and should contain everything you need to give it a shot one night.

The essentials kit is 16$~

you can get several extra sets of dice for 10$

the starter kit and the dice is like 25$ total and can easily get you started.

u/SmootieFakk · 1 pointr/DungeonsAndDragons

If you wanted to go with Magic the Gathering, there are packs called Duel Decks that come with a couple of pre-made decks so you can just start playing right out of the box. Here's one on Amazon, but feel free to search for others!

As for D&D, the Essentials kit has rules for playing with fewer people.

u/OneCritWonder · 1 pointr/DnD
        • -

          I highly recommend the Starter Set. It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs.

          The Essentials Kit is another great resource. It's usually $25 but looks like it's currently on sale for $16. It's full of all sorts of handy stuff like GM Screen, items/rules cards for quick reference, dice, and has an adventure that plays from level 1-6. It and the Starter Set take place in the same area of the game world and the kits work very well together actually.

          This unboxing video compares the content of the two boxes, notes the different style of the adventures, and might help you pick one if funds are tight.
u/mugenhunt · 1 pointr/NoStupidQuestions

Okay. So the first thing here is that DMing without any experience is HARD. Really hard. But you can do it. There's /r/DnD to give you additional help if needed.


Now, I'd say pick up the D&D Essentials Kit, a box set that includes a basic adventure meant to get a new DM like you into the game. That should be a decent start.

u/MarekWorem · 1 pointr/mtgvorthos

You have to keep in mind that they never printed the books themselves. Even the cards are printed in printshops they outsource. Making a book, a physical book, needs a bit more than just print an e-book. They would have to make the book significantly more expensive than the ebook and so it will sell much less, unless they make it into actual collectible, which would only increase the price and make the audience narrower.

Look at the War of the Spark novel - the e-book costs 10 USD, while hardcover 17 USD. (https://www.amazon.com/Ravnica-Magic-Gathering-War-Spark/dp/1984817450).

I don't think the whole hassle would be worth for them. It's like saying that Porsche should make buses. Sure, they technically could do that, but would it be worth it?

u/DataLoreHD · 1 pointr/brandonsanderson

Here is Ravnica novel's pre-order link:

https://www.amazon.com/Ravnica-Magic-Gathering-Greg-Weisman/dp/1984817450/

The 2nd novel (also written by Greg Weisman) will be coming in the Fall 2019.

u/Aerim · 1 pointr/magicTCG

I'm not in Great Britain, but I found the answer in 3 seconds by looking at Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ravnica-Magic-Gathering-Greg-Weisman/dp/1984817450/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=war+of+the+spark&qid=1556053409&s=gateway&sr=8-1

>Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (23 April 2019)

u/xdest · 1 pointr/magicTCG

What do you mean "in" German? You mean translated or that the English version can be bought in Germany? You can preorder from Amazon.de but apparently the books will not be available on release day. Currently, the delivery date is May 7th.

​

Edit: https://www.amazon.de/Ravnica-Magic-Gathering-War-Spark/dp/1984817450/

u/darqfaux · 1 pointr/magicTCG

I have high expectations for War of the Spark: Ravnica.

u/DrawerFullOfDicks · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Stardust by Neil Gaiman is a GREAT vacation book!

u/Nschneid003 · 1 pointr/PS4

Amazon

[Here's the first one](The Last Wish: Introducing The Witcher https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316029181/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_IIXBybF7GQVE3)

u/Generator22 · 1 pointr/argentina

Kel importa los libros, así que la calidad es la misma que en el exterior. El tema tal vez pase porque compraste ediciones mass-market paperback, que son los tapa blanda "económicos" (a diferencia de los trade paperback, que son ediciones en tapa blanda generalmente un poco más grandes y tienen mejor calidad de papel, pero salen más caros).

Fijate acá por ejemplo que para el mismo libro tenés la edición tapa blanda mass market a 7 dólares y la versión tapa blanda normal a $11.

u/Schildhuhn · 1 pointr/whatareyouplaying

>http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Wish-Introducing-Witcher/dp/0316029181

This is a collection of shortstorys about the witcher, I have read it in german and really liked it, there was also another of these shortstory collections but I don't think those are in English yet. I really loved the athmospere. I am now reading "the blood of elves" which is the first real book (it has one big story instead of shortstorys) but I am not finished yet so I can't recommend it because I don't know the ending.

u/BilisknerPL · 1 pointr/Games

It's really weird it is translated so slowly, cause in Poland it's like the most famous saga and personally i think that what Andrzej Sapkowski created is genius. Interesting fun fact: The Witcher (game series) take off where the books have ended and are officially approved by the author.
Anyway, you're in luck!

Ok, so i'll try to give You some help, whether You like it or not. Sapkowski first started to publish The Witcher stories in a magazine between 1986-1990. Then they've been assembled in books. So, to this day there have been 7 stories compilations released (In Poland), but what we're interested in are the following: The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny in that order (these 2 are the introduction to The Witcher world)

THE WITCHER - INTRODUCTION

  • The Last Wish (1993) was released in English in 2007. Here it is on amazon
  • Sword of Destiny - The book has been translated into Czech, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Spanish, Bulgarian and French. It has not been translated into English and there are no plans to do so to date. The publisher of the English edition of the Witcher books decided to skip The Sword of Destiny and publish Blood of Elves.
    But no worries, you already know what is going on and You're ready to jump in The Witcher Saga! (ok, you'll lose some of the flow, since there's a bunch of characters introduced here that later appear in The Blood of Elves.)


    THE WITCHER SAGA

  • The Blood of Elves(1994) - Here it is on amazon
  • Times of Contempt/The Time of Contempt(1995) - it was supposed to be June 27th, but on amazon it says August 27th - Here it is on amazon
  • Baptism of Fire(1996)
  • The Swallow's Tower(1997)
  • Lady of the Lake(1999)

    Well, with Witcher 3 coming soon and with the hype around it i guess they will continue the releases. I highly recommend it to everyone! Also it gives a better perspective on the game series, its characters, plots, etc.

    There's also one Witcher story (The Spellmaker) in this: The Polish Book of Monsters
u/varchord · 1 pointr/witcher

If you want to know about witchers and world in general then read this and this first


If you want to know more about events and characters present in games (Ciri, Zoltan, journey mentions in B&W) read Witcher saga from Blood of the Eles onward as said here

u/ForgottenKnightt · 1 pointr/GiftofGames

This might be good for the Weird/creepy stuff :P

This For the nerdy stuff.

Both pretty good books in my opinion.


I'd love FTL if I get choosen :D

Steam ID

u/TriesToMakeFriends · 1 pointr/witcher

I've bought the first 3 (all from Amazon) so far and they're all in English!

Link to first one

u/MyownLunasea · 1 pointr/Fantasy

The Green Rider series .I am on book 3 of this series and I have found them to be most entertaining. Her writing improves with each book and the story is solid all the way around. Not high fantasy but some wonderful use of magic without being over the top. I also think the woman who reads them is quite good without being overly distracting. .https://www.amazon.com/Green-Rider/dp/B0079UAGO4/ref=tmm_aud_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1478219558&sr=8-1

The Witcher Series. Yes even if you are not a gamer this fantasy series is fantastic. The story flows well with the start of short stories and contiues into novels with elegant grace. The characters are memorable and evocative.
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Wish-Introducing-Witcher/dp/0316029181/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478219745&sr=8-1&keywords=witcher

I have pretty varied taste and can gladly recommend a few others from children's series to some just fun trashy romance novels to some period work as well so feel free to shoot me a message. Oh and happy happy listening =)



u/JakePT · 1 pointr/witcher

>THE VOICE OF REASON 1
>
>She came to him towards morning. She entered very carefully, moving silently, floating through the chamber like a phantom; the only sound was that of her mantle brushing her naked skin. Yet this faint sound was enough to wake the witcher – or maybe it only tore him from the half-slumber in which he rocked monotonously, as though travelling through fathomless depths, suspended between the sea bed and its calm surface amidst gently undulating strands of seaweed.
>
>He did not move, did not stir. The girl flitted closer, threw off her mantle and slowly, hesitantly, rested her knee on the edge of the large bed. He observed her through lowered lashes, still not betraying his wakefulness. The girl carefully climbed onto the bedclothes, and onto him, wrapping her thighs around him. Leaning forward on straining arms, she brushed his face with hair which smelt of chamomile. Determined, and as if impatient, she leant over and touched his eyelids, cheeks, lips with the tips of her breasts. He smiled, very slowly, delicately, grasping her by the shoulders, and she straightened, escaping his fingers. She was radiant, luminous in the misty brilliance of dawn. He moved, but with pressure from both hands, she forbade him to change position and, with a light but decisive movement of her hips, demanded a response.
>
> He responded. She no longer backed away from his hands; she threw her head back, shook her hair. Her skin was cool and surprisingly smooth. Her eyes, glimpsed when her face came close to his, were huge and dark as the eyes of a water nymph. Rocked, he sank into a sea of chamomile as it grew agitated and seethed.

Ugh.. forget it. This will take forever. The rest is here: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Wish-Introducing-Witcher/dp/0316029181 and then there's more.

u/Iamnothereorthere · 1 pointr/Gamingcirclejerk

There are! Here's The Last Wish and amazon has the others as well. Thanks to the popularity of the Witcher video games, publishers jumped on the bandwagon and now the series is translated into English

u/JD_1994_ · 1 pointr/witcher

[I've only read/listened (to) the English versions ](The Last Wish: Introducing The Witcher https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316029181/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XGzrybQ2VD8CD). I really don't think you're gonna make a bad choice though. And I wouldn't be surprised if Sapkowski did say that.

u/Amator · 1 pointr/DnD

This one, right? I'm assuming it's worth a read just for the details of the magic system?

u/dutchoven21 · 1 pointr/witcher

Here's a link to the first set of short stories on Amazon. The other 4 translated books are easy to find from there.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316029181/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_KNOIwbX40SG2N

u/Spysix · 1 pointr/Eve

All the Witcher Novels, a webcam, and money.

Got my gf one of these coolheadsets though. Wish I had one for myself almost.

u/araneida · 1 pointr/promos

Yes, but before you must read this:
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Wish-Andrzej-Sapkowski/dp/0316029181

Too bad the english edition of the second book of the saga will be published only in the fall of this year.

u/4thguy · 1 pointr/witcher

Geralt and Triss met in the last story of The Last Wish, which chronicles the first batch of the Witcher's stories.

u/Incessant_Mace · 1 pointr/AskReddit

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher, a cunning sorcerer, a merciless assassin, and a cold blooded killer. His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world. But not everything monstrous- looking is evil, and not everything fair is good… and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316029181/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1413215507&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

u/tmoss726 · 1 pointr/Games

I bought this one and it was a legit copy http://amzn.com/0316029181

u/bringbackbreeches · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

The Blood of Elves is very entertaining, and there's a whole video game series based off it.

u/Oniwabanshu · 1 pointr/witcher

None, from what I can tell. The differences are that the publishers give different covers, letter size and book size. The issue seems to be with the translator, because for The Time of Contempt and Baptism of Fire, which I own (The ToC is from Orbit and BoF from Gollancz), have the same translator. David French is his name.

Now if you wish for a good translation for The Last Wish and maybe also from Blood of Elves, pick the one from Danusia Stok (Orbit). Which in my opinion was an excellent read. Here are the links:

u/4jcv · 1 pointr/witcher

If you're interested, here's the chronollogical order of the books (with links to buy them on Amazon):

  1. The Last Wish
  2. Sword of Destiny
  3. Blood of Elves
  4. Time of Contempt
  5. Baptism of Fire
  6. Tower of Swallows
  7. Lady of the Lake

    --------

    Season of Storms is an upcoming book set in between the short stories of The Last Wish. It will be released in English on March 2018.
u/Brodogmillionaire1 · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics and Angel graphic novels (and the respective tie-in novels) are all about demon hunting. As are the shows, which are amazing (if a little 90s-y). Also, in a similar vein, please check out the Witcher series, about a mutant monster hunter. First book. It's by a Polish author and is practically the national book of Poland. There are demon-y things in there too, like ghosts and sorceress's and ghouls. The video game series is based on the characters and setting in the books.

 

This is also kind of like Buffy in that it features vampires more often than other demons, but Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko is essentially about a war between demons and magic users of all different sorts. The main character takes on demons frequently. They made a movie of that, and I heard they're making a show?

 

Last thing, there are a ton of Marvel and Dark Horse comics that deal with demons. Hellboy for one fights demons frequently. Also, there is a comic by Devil's Due called Mercy Sparxxx about a devil lady who is employed by heaven to take in unruly demons/devils. Or that's the gist I got from the few issues I read. It was pretty good.

 

I know a lot of these are comics, but I hope this helped!

u/Fartin_Van_Buren · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

I would start with Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan.

  • Thieves? Check!
  • Stealth? Definitely!
  • Spys? um.. Probably!
  • Heist? Yes!
  • Assassins? Big time!
  • Adventures? You bet!
  • Fantasy! Of course!
u/chonggo · 1 pointr/books

Totally forgot about it, but he might really like Theft of Swords by Michael Sullivan. This is a great action/fantasy/medieval-ish series that gets better with each book.

u/Tim_Ward · 1 pointr/Fantasy

The squirrel tree in Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan. So touching I had to put the book down and savor the mental place he put me in.

u/the_Phloop · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

I love Abercrombie, it's what got me into fantasy reading, but it is seriously grimdark. I would suggest you start with Micheal J Sullivan. This is classic fantasy, but over the top high fantasy. The characters are likable and the author really ties things together well. Really easy, fun, just great read!

u/Rosemel · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

It sounds like the Riyria Revelations would be exactly what you're looking for, if you haven't already read it! It's very fast-paced, fun reading and the two main characters enjoy a lot of great banter. It can get darker at times, but it generally maintains a lighter tone.

Daniel O'Malley's Rook is more urban fantasty/sci fi, but it seems to be pretty overlooked and it's often hilarious. Speaking of urban fantasy, if you've never read the Dresden Files, that may be a safe bet as well. Lots of humor and pop-culture references even as the story becomes more and more dire and epic.

u/BigZ7337 · 1 pointr/Fantasy

Hm, here are some recommendations of my favorite Dark/Gritty Fantasies that immediately come to mind:

Joe Abercrombie is one of my favorite new authors, his books are incredibly gritty dark and original, but the characters are simply amazing. The best starting place is The Blade Itself, but you can read his two other books that aren't part of the trilogy and can be read without losing too much, though they are in the same world and there's more to like about it if you already read the First Law Trilogy. Out of his two stand alone books I'd recommend Best Served Cold which is a Fantasy revenge story in the vain of Kill Bill.

One really good book I read recently is Daniel Polansky's Low Town which is a really cool gritty noir fantasy novel. Where the main character is a former detective for a Fantasy city, but at the beginning of the book he's a drug dealer. Then when murders start to occur, he gets drawn back into the politics of the city, resulting in a great story and multiple plot twists and revelations.

One of my favorites books I've read recently has to be Brent Week's Black Prism. It has some really unique world building, where the magic powers are based on light/colors, and the different magic users have different really unique powers based on their color wavelength. His previous work, the Night Angel Trilogy is also great and it's a little more gritty, with the main character being an assassin.

Next I'll go a little indie here, with the author Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Sun. It features an assassin with slight magical powers and the conscience of a beautiful invisible woman (a real imaginary friend) that is always following him around. There's a lot of things to like in this book, even if they are a little shallow.

Two books from different authors (both of which I really loved) that have kind of similar settings featuring thieves running amok in the underbellies of fantasy cities with a decent amount of grit (without being too dark) are The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and Doug Hulick's Among Thieves.

There's also Ari Marmell's [The Conqueror's Shadow] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Conquerors-Shadow-Ari-Marmell/dp/0553593153/ref=la_B001JSDH98_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1340785404&sr=1-20), the main character is a former evil warlord who gave it all up to live a mundane life with a woman he kidnapped. He then has to put back on his fear inducing armor, when someone else is out in the world impersonating him. There is no evil force in this book, and there's a lot of interesting stuff here, the guy actually has a demonic amulet as a partner that provides him with magical abilities, and the demon is hilarious.

The next series isn't too gritty but it's awesome, so I'd still recommend the author Michael Sullivan, a DIY author that was so successful Orbit picked up his 6 book series to release as three larger books (he's also done some great AMA's on Reddit), the first of which is Theft of Swords. The characters in his book are absolutely superb. It's about these two master thieves that are brought into the conspiracy that they wanted no part of, but will see it to the end no matter what the cost.

Robin Hobb technically isn't real gritty, but she is one of my favorite authors, and in her books serious and horrible things can happen to the characters at times, but the endings of some of her trilogies are some of my favorite endings I've ever read. You could start with her first book about the bastard son of a king (that can bond with animals) being trained as an assassin, Assassin's Apprentice, or my favorite trilogy of her's set in the same universe but a different continent, Ship of Magic that has some awesome pirate settings, talking ships, and dragons. I also love one of her other trilogies set in a different universe than the rest of her books, Shaman's Crossing, the first book has kind of a Harry Potter-esque academy setting without the magic, and the rest of the trilogy gets into some really interesting stuff that's too weird to attempt to explain.


I think that's all I got, and you wouldn't go wrong reading any of these books, all of the pages I linked to are the book's Amazon page, so you can read further descriptions that I'm sure are better than mine. :)

u/tgheron · 1 pointr/Fantasy_Bookclub

Riyria Revelations trilogy, first book is Theft of Swords

u/Esmerelda-Weatherwax · 1 pointr/Fantasy

If someone tells you no for non-fiction and it has to be fantasy, check out Bridge of Birds - it's one of the funnier books I've read. Very light hearted and quick to get through. It's about ancient China, there's a disease that's going around and it's putting children into comas and killing off silk worms.

It's cheap too!

https://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Birds-Novel-Ancient-China/dp/0345321383/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485462192&sr=8-1&keywords=bridge+of+birds

u/davebrk · 1 pointr/Fantasy

Seconded.

I came into this thread with the express purpose of recommending this book. Light, funny, engaging, any superlative will do. I reread this book yearly.

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Birds-Novel-Ancient-China/dp/0345321383

u/depleater · 1 pointr/reddit.com

See, the trouble with this is that you spend too much time trying to think of a book title that makes you seem interleckchewal... well, I do anyway. :)

But I've now decided not to bother. So I'll just say Bridge of Birds.

u/dannighe · 1 pointr/Fantasy

And then there's American Gods.

This confuses the hell out of me, I really don't get how a book that's over 20 years old can have a more expensive ebook.

u/fireshaper · 1 pointr/whatsthatbook

Are you talking about American Gods by Neil Gaiman?

u/Cellophane_Girl · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

The last one I finished was Speak I just read it like last week.

I'm also currently reading American Gods But I'm reading that with a friend at a rate of 2 chapters a week, so I'm reading other books at the same time.

I'm about to start Godless Which I just got in the mail yesterday.


How about you? What was the last physical book you read?

u/Zoobles88 · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Hmm...well, the writer of The Circle wrote a memoir about his post-college days, with a really pretentious title. I have always really liked it, but the reviews are mixed.

The Stolen Child is pretty cool. It's a little different, I hadn't read anything like it before, and got through it quick.

My personal favorite is American Gods. Little weird, but if you're into it, it will really pull you in quick.

And if you're into something creepier, Heart-Shaped Box (not to be confused with the Nirvana song) is probably one of the scariest things I've ever read.

And then as far as YA is concerned, I just discovered Jennifer Hubbard last week - met her at a writing conference.

And then I had never heard of House of Leaves - but it looks SO cool, so thank you haha

u/writed · 1 pointr/fantasywriters

Other teasers give me more information. For example, American Gods:

>Shadow is a man with a past. But now he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life with his wife and stay out of trouble. Until he learns that she's been killed in a terrible accident.

>Flying home for the funeral, as a violent storm rocks the plane, a strange man in the seat next to him introduces himself. The man calls himself Mr. Wednesday, and he knows more about Shadow than is possible.

>He warns Shadow that a far bigger storm is coming. And from that moment on, nothing will ever be the same...

We learn about Shadow and we know he's been through some traumatic changes. His wife is dead -- we know he wasn't expecting it, since he wanted to live a quiet life with her -- and yet this isn't what turns his world upside down. What is it? And who exactly is this Wednesday?

There's a hint of conflict. I have some idea where the story's going: the coming storm that Wednesday wants to prepare for. I'm drawn in.

Now, look at yours. A thousand year old Valkyrie has been hiding in Canada for a hundred years. Someone finds her. And now she needs to deal with it. BTW: Wyld Hunt is a thing.

I don't have a good sense about the story or the characters involved. I don't know why she's hiding and why do both 1000 and 100 years should matter to me. And I really don't care. Is she trying to blend in with modern life? Like a coffee shop waitress with a warrior past? Or is she in a cabin in a woods? What draws her out of hiding, exactly? And there isn't enough hinting at what the Wyld Hunt is for it to mean anything to me.

Your excerpt drew me in much more. But I also couldn't get a sense of your writing style from it. If the entire book was written like that, I'd find it too jarring.

Not the casual first person part. But the gush of information hitting me over the head. And rather inconsistent information. Do I need to know that she claims to be from Florida now? Or that she has two names right there? And, why don't I get the name who she killed? What makes him a golden boy? And who's Lady?

The character seems cool, but she's the only thing I feel I understand.

u/readbeam · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

Have you read any of King's early fantasy? Eyes of the Dragon is one I can definitely recommend.

I think American Gods or anything by Gaiman would be of interest to you. Also look at Iain Banks -- I can't recommend a specific book as I've been told they would traumatize me (I'm a bit timid) but I occasionally hear friends raving about him and if you like King, you're probably braver than I am (IT horrified me).

Finally, if you're interested in fantasy still, you should look at Greg Bear's Songs of Earth and Fire. I remember it being quite haunting.

u/TangPauMC · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

American Gods by: Gaiman

u/SolipsistMisanthrope · 1 pointr/books

Great books, but American Gods? The 624 page American Gods? Might be a bit much for most people to read in less than two days.

u/IgnoreYourDoctor · 1 pointr/asoiaf

Book of the New Sun. Dense, awesome allegorical sci/fi-fantasy. Its my first read through and I'm already hooked.

Before that I read Pohl's Gateway and American Gods. Cannot recommend Gateway enough.

u/themleaks · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Well, from my wishlist I'd really like to have the book American Gods, because I'd love to read as much of Neil Gaiman as quickly as I can.

Thanks for the contest!

u/NukeThePope · 1 pointr/atheism

American Gods by Neil Gaiman. A captivating story, yet also a bitter spoof of god worship. It won a Nebula Prize and is claimed to be one of his best books, so it's not just some random trash.

Expecting Someone Taller by Tom Holt is not a prize winner, it's a very humorous little book making fun of the old Norse gods and modern culture at the same time. Chuckle at the Valkyries vacuuming Odin's apartment and other silly but fun anachronisms. Funny, not deep.

u/DrMnhttn · 1 pointr/movies

It's based on a Neil Gaiman book. He's an amazing author. If you like the movie, you'd probably love a lot of his work. He's well known for the Sandman comics and books like American Gods and Good Omens, which he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett.

u/blaaaaaargh · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

YOU AND YOUR KIDS ARE SO ADORABLE!

This is on I believe page 4 of my books list and used is always fine! I've got the first 4 and now I need that one! I prefer a physical copy!

Thank you for the contest!

u/feldman10 · 1 pointr/asoiaf

The American paperback of ADWD has not been released. GRRM has promised a preview chapter in it when it does come out, but the publisher keeps delaying it because the hardcover is still selling very well.

u/jmottram08 · 1 pointr/books

Check again. Here is the french amazon prices for that book.

http://www.amazon.fr/Dance-Dragons-Song-Fire-Book/dp/055338595X/ref=tmm_gpb_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1405463932&sr=8-1

and the american

http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Ice-Fire/dp/0553582011

The US has cheaper prices across the board, from hardback to paperback to audiobook to kindle edition to library binding.

u/Mespirit · 1 pointr/promos

It is in some areas, in fact, you get get it from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Fire-Book/dp/055338595X/ref=pd_sim_b_4

u/mertkcu · 1 pointr/gameofthrones

it's 1050 pages long with small letters. nothing hard to imagine actually.
see here : http://imgur.com/a/PcUhp
and here is the amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Fire-Book/dp/055338595X/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1344982900&sr=8-1

u/AxisOTW · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Game of Thrones

I'm in the middle of book 4, having book 5 ready to go would be great!

Imladris

u/Peterpolusa · 1 pointr/asoiaf

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/055338595X/ref=tmm_pap_new_olp_0?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=1344365548&sr=8-1

Well Amazon says it doesn't ship until March of 2013. But that sounds a little late. Personally I just gave up and bought the hardcover. But maybe one day I'll will own all the fancy hardcover ones. It costs WAY to much but you do get nicer maps, pretty little gold inlay, and it just looks better imo.

u/ASnugglyBear · 1 pointr/Fantasy

The Robin Hobb series Assassians Apprentice, etc are

http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X

u/Necoya · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

I recommend The Farseer Trilogy

After these three there is a follow up 3 'The Tawny Man'

u/1d8 · 1 pointr/Fantasy

You might like the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. The main character is a lawful good ranger/assassin with animal companions. Quite good IMO.

http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c

In the not quite fantasy department, I recommend the Grail Quest trilogy by Bernard Cornwell. Totally kick-ass archer main character in the gritty world of the hundred years war. Best archery porn evar.

http://www.amazon.com/Archers-Tale-Grail-Quest-Book/dp/0060935766/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318509234&sr=1-2

u/angelkimne · 1 pointr/asoiaf

I'll second your first mention; the Farseer trilogy.

http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X

Take a look at the reviews for yourself.

It shares plenty of the things that made ASOIAF great - a cast of intriguing and well-written characters, excellent and extremely readable writing style, plenty of political play, an author unafraid to veer away from the 'standard' fare in terms of story...

It strikes me as bizarre I don't hear more about it around here, especially considering its popularity IRL.

Certainly a notch or two above the Kingkiller Chronicles in my book, although Name of the Wind was well worth a read.

u/Shagga__son_of_Dolf · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

Fantasy books, specifically from first person (she liked hunger games). She would enjoy Alexey Pehov's work. Chronicles of Siala is a great place to start.

I can't comment on how good the translation is, but Pehov is one of the best russian fantasy authors (really popular here). So if they did a decent job at translating his books - the stories will go great with her.

Also from a first person perspective (and really good) are the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. Although this one might be a bit too dated for todays youth. A lot of characters smoke in it (I think all main ones smoke) and some of the descriptions are vague and abstract (almost surreal like) while others are clear and vivid.

And lastly (but not leastly?) I would recommend The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. First person perspective, fantasy, rich world, with a lot of intrigue. This might the most appropriate book, because even though the protagonist a boy, the novels were written by a woman (it has that vibe about them, a feminine quality). Also has a lot about interaction with animals if she's into that sort of thing (like certain people being able to communicate with them etc). Has a lot of romance elements too (not with animals, don't worry). I'm sure you can figure out if a book is appropriate by reading the synopsis.

I hope this helps. Have a glorious day!

u/Mardread · 1 pointr/Oathsworn

I haven't read anything good in years and the things I have read are usually due to finding new books for my kids or reading the books that have been adapted to tv/film.

One of my all time favorite series was from Robin Hobb. Starting with Assassin's Apprentice. This was a difficult read for me at the time, but I loved the story behind the characters.

I started reading less fantasy after reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Millennial Series. I read these after watching the original films. It is fantastic. Just don't buy the fourth book, it wasn't even written by him as he has been dead for a while now.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. I didn't start reading those until Game of Thrones premiered on HBO.

Now for some really old school, Dragonlance by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The fourth book came out years later and was fantastic. I have read more than a few of the side stories, but the main books are the best in my opinion, probably would not hold up well today.

Currently, I have The Martian by Andy Weir and Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan waiting for me to read.

The Five People You meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom is a book that I consider a must read. I don't consider it a spiritual book, but it did change my perspective on how I view my life in this world.

u/doranchak · 1 pointr/codes

"Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1)", by Robin Hobb.

https://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X

u/tigrrbaby · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

My favorite is Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice (and sequels).

My husband's is David Eddings' Belgariad, starting with Pawn of Prophecy.

u/mynoduesp · 1 pointr/books

You might like the Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams also, it has harsher realism to it's fantasy, if that makes any sense. It's a trilogy. It's enjoyable.


Also Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy has politics and intrigue it's also a trilogy. Different anyway! :)



u/tk425 · 1 pointr/Fantasy

I don't see Assassin's Apprentice on this list, that's also good.


Or if you want sci-fi: WebMage is great

u/JMFargo · 1 pointr/Fantasy
  1. The first book I read from cover to cover after my brain surgery: Flex by Ferrett Steinmetz.

  2. Start with Robin Hobb's Assassin Apprentice, fall in love with her world, and then read the rest of her books set in that world.

  3. Norrell and Strange; I just couldn't enjoy it.
u/javierNelson · 1 pointr/asoiaf

TWoW Chapters Old Bold Barry does not appear to be available online, supposedly only available in ADwD paperback edition link to amazon paperback edition with the barristan chapter here. It is supposed to be a "thrilling sneak peek"

u/aws1012 · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I'd definitely love an actual copy of any of them, but if I have to choose, I'd probably pick this one. I already have the e-books unfortunately, but I'd be more than happy with a cheap paperback. :)

Thanks for the contest! Also, I'm not just trying to win, but your kids are incredibly cute! :D

u/5picy · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Oh my goshhhh this is awesome. I haven't read ADWD yet, so I'll add it to my wishlist now! Here 'tis!

I prefer a physical copy, but paperback is fine and used is fine. :)

u/author124 · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I'd like some butterbeer!

I got a bundle of the first four Song of Ice and Fire books for the kindle app on my phone/computer, and would LOVE a paperback of the fifth (the main reason I got the kindle versions of the first four was that it was cheaper than getting all four in paperback or hardcover.)

EDIT: Also, my boyfriend's never read the HP books. I've read all of them. And yet, SOMEHOW, he often knows the plot of the books better than I do

u/margalicious · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

You also need to read The Tales of Beedle the Bard. :)

I need book 5 in the ASOIAF series!

I'd like some butterbeer! Thank you for the contest. :)

u/Jusscurio · 1 pointr/gameofthrones
u/SereneWisdom · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

This book would be great because I've done read the previous four in the series about 5 times now. I really would love to know... What happens to Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, and Sansa Stark? I got to know. Dx (Ok, I don't got to know. But I'd like to, haha.)

A room without books is like a body without a soul.

Thank you for this contest. :)

u/3rdPlaceYoureFired · 1 pointr/gameofthrones

Amazon Link Confirms March 2013 release date. Hoping he'll include a chapter from book 6!

u/jeff17237 · 1 pointr/gameofthrones

Well, in the USA it has one listed here.

u/Khuzud · 1 pointr/gameofthrones

"Well, unfortunately, any kind of exposure indirectly helps ratings. Of course, nothing will boost ratings more than the show itself being good, but the more people that can be attracted to it, the better chance there is of their ratings staying high or (I'm sure) even increasing."

Well, I don't know anyone who would start watching/reading because they saw a direwolf iphone skin, but since your so doggedly determined that keychains are going to sell the show more effectively than something legitimate like word of mouth, I take it that's how you became a fan. You can have that one, I suppose.


"It sounds like you're still stubbornly defending the idea that he "sold out" without offering enough support for that claim. If you can somehow demonstrate that the literary quality sharply decreased after he shared his writing with other types of ventures, I'll believe it."

I understand you're a newbie to the ASoIaF world, and therefore a little late to the party. I've been there for the 8 years of blog posts about the Giants and Wildcards and of him hocking his latest piece of craphenalia in real time. You haven't. I don't get into this "I've been reading since before it was cool, so I'm better than you" rhetoric alot of the old guard seem to - that's silly - but it does give me better insight to the things we are discussing here than someone who just discovered these were books last summer.

I'm not going to sit here and go through with you every piece of merchandise until you are satisfied. In fact, I won't go through any of them with you other than the things I've already mentioned. It is apparent that you can only find your way to HBO.com

Uh, AGoT ACoK ASoS AFfC ADwD

I don't really have the inclination to get too involved in this so I just gave you the Amazon links. There's a star rating near the book titles. These ratings summarize the quality of the product listed. As you can see the first three books of the series have exceptional ratings: 4.5+ stars, but then starting with Feast and continuing through Dance (current) you see these drop down to 3 stars. There's your demonstration. I'm not going to continue to take you by the hand and point to things as obvious as this.


"There's the Cyanide's track record, which is mostly just a bunch of cycling-related games, and it's pretty clear from the post you linked that GRRM declined Cyanide at the time because he basically felt they were too amateur a studio to be able to do a good job on the game. Years later, (years!) this little company is still determined to do it, especially now that they've opened up another studio and hired enough people to pull the game off"

That's pretty bold to pass that off as fact based on the information in the blog post. We'll go ahead and chalk that up in the "good faith" and "benefit of the doubt" column.

"I think AFfC and ADWD should be considered special cases given what it took to write them."

I don't know exactly what you're intending with this, but no. It shouldn't.

u/porterwomble · 1 pointr/gameofthrones

AGOT

ACOK

ASOS

AFFC

ADWD


Only A Dance With Dragons? Huh?

u/L_see · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

If you dropped Game of Thrones only because you knew what was going to happen, you know there are 4 more books in the series so far, right?

[First 4] (http://www.amazon.com/Books-Thrones-Feast-Crows-Swords/dp/0345529057/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334469763&sr=1-1) and the latest [Dance with Dragons] (http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Fire-Book/dp/0553801473/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334469812&sr=1-2)

u/MeishkaD · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I am going to assume the unicorn style rarity that is an actual night of at home ME time. No spouse, no kiddos. A quiet house.

On the rare occasion that I do this, I usually start by procuring food that I don't have to slave over first. Once I am settled in at home, I am going to need a good book. A Dance With Dragons would work quite well as I am fast approaching the end of this series and there is nothing worse than a cliffhanger ending and no desire to go get the next title. At some point in the evening a hot bubble bath would be required. Part of the key to a wonderful bath is tasty snacks, also a glorious aspect of me-time is not having to share a single bite. Mine, mine, mine. After the bath, it would be time to change into a soft t-shirt and a pair of my hubby's flannel pajama bottoms. To cap the night off, I may actually take the time to paint my nails. I don't do it often, but I love the look when I do. That would be a bit over your budget, but it would perfectly sum up a wonderful night for me.

Thanks for the contest!

u/0six0four · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

$25

$10

$5

I would say a big $20 item because those are rare.
don't go talking too loud you'll cause a landslide, Mr. Jones" for reddit raffle.

u/kandoras · 1 pointr/AskMen

Currently on my list and in no way expected to last out the month, much less the summer:

Stiff: The Curious lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. This is one of the toughest books I've ever read, barring anything by Dickens. One chapter on something like crash test dummies or organ donors will be OK, then I read two pages of the history of human head transplants involving some French Fuck who cut dog's heads off and sewed them onto other dogs and I've got to put it down for a few hours.

Bonk: the Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, also by Mrs. Roach. I certainly hope to find this more enjoyable than the one about cadavers.

And finally, A Dance with Dragons, book 5 of George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones series. Which, if the first four are any indication, promises to be a heady mix of both of the first two books on the list.

u/Piro42 · 0 pointsr/witcher

The number of ad personam remarks in this reply makes me doubt you finished your teenage times, at least when it comes to mental maturity.


I will show you the same thing as to the person below, it's a representative number of The Last Wish books sold in an international shop over Amazon.


https://i.imgur.com/o81yqF4.png https://www.novelrank.com/asin/0316029181


Guess what? After the release of games, the sales increased from fivefold to tenfold, when compared to the peak sales from earlier years. When you compare it to the number of sales in 2014, your argument becomes laughtable.

u/the_guradian · 0 pointsr/asoiaf

Part 1

> No you didn't

Why do you have this desire for spoonfeeding? Are you a baby?

"With it's active subscribers? Probably not, now with's grand total of subscribers? Of course"

> blah blah ideal, not a minimum threshold.

Ideal = better, something more concrete that will show the opinion of the community with more veracity

the numbers you used = not even close to the minimum threshold , 2k compared to millions? Not even close

> Keep talking at cross purposes, mate.

So you don't disagree? Good, guess that matter is over

> Even if it were right, you haven't established it, which is the bigger issue.

Go to the same site you gave me, witness how many people like the book compared to how few genuinely hate it

Those people I saw talking about ADWD being their favorite were in this exact same sub which is why I remembered it

> Aye, because I'm apparently significantly more honest than you.

As if that's a good thing when you're just admitting you truly behaved like a cunt while calling me one

Hypocrite

> If in the aggregate it's fourth, then it's not consistently second or third, else your usage of 'consistently' is so loose as to lack value.

The numbers you used have no value to actually be called an "aggregrate" because they are small compared to the size of the community, it is as I say ,we would need a bigger sample to say something with more certainty

If anything it only proves ADWD is more well loved than it's hated

> No, they're 9k. Do try to learn what aggregation is. I've said repeatedly it was received worse than the first three, which is demonstrably true.

http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Ice-Fire/product-reviews/0553801473/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_viewopt_srt?sortBy=recent&pageNumber=1

Please tell me you're not implying all the 9k reviews are negative (because they aren't)

You shouldn't be using the 9k as proof, the 9k is only the number of people that commented there and more than 60% thought it was a four or five star book

> Because a) we were talking about those characters specifically, which you conveniently ignore, and b) 2000 pages ought to be sufficient to advance every storyline.

A) You argued there is no development, I showed there is development just not with these characters you mentioned, their time is clearly for later so idk why you are so bothered by it.

B) So you know Martin's master plan now and how he could cut content to shoehorn what you want?

> Yey you proceed to do the exact same to me in your next point. Well done.

It's funny how the same thing could be argued regarding you, doesn't it?

Anyway, mine was clear from the beginning, yours was pretty straightfoward and I interpreted that way

> See above. Also [citation needed]

See above, also [stop wanting me to spoonfeed you when I already did so multiple times]


> Yes it is. This thread has repeatedly demonstrated you don't have any understanding of the term, so I'll hesitate to seek your advice on it.

This was always my point, pray tell how what I did fits in this:

" Moving the goalposts, similar to "shifting sands" and also known as raising the bar, is an informal fallacy in which evidence presented in response to a specific claim is dismissed and some other (often greater) evidence is demanded. That is, after an attempt has been made to score a goal, the goalposts are moved to exclude the attempt.The problem with changing the rules of the game is that the meaning of the end result is changed, too"

> Not accepting your undefended claim is not the same as a positive claim to knowledge.

Saying this when I have clearly defended myself with arguments he couldn't counter

Epic

> More words you don't know how to use.

I'm sorry if you don't know the meaning of irony and that I was ironizing you for relying so much on insults like a bothered little child

> Ignoring your insane screed here: yes. Because even if I had done that, that's not anything close to moving the goalposts.

I never said this was moving the goalpost here, aren't you keeping track of this discussion? I said you were butchering my arguments and only that

> Unclear antecedent, please revise. Also, Stannis is a major character and we do see his major movements in ACOK and ASOS chiefly through communications. It can and has been done.

Stannis' is not a POV, he has never been one and never will. He also isn't a major character in the same scale as Dany and Tyrion (unfortunately)

> No. Unlike the autist you've called me, I actually can read between the lines, pal.

You're reading too much into it, that was exactly what I meant

> I didn't call it exaggerated; I called it ill thought-out and irrelevant.

And I already said what you think is irrelevant, it fits the situation

> Sure. I don't, and yes it is.

You can't be serious

>Conveying intent and impressions matters. It quite evidently doesn't to you, though.

My intent was conveyed so no problem there. There is no problem with typos here and there, they're normal

Impressions are irrelevant in the internet because we're just using personas here as evidence by our username, I don't know you, you don't know me, this conversation will have no effect in our personal lives

Weak excuses you just used

u/CrotchlessSpeedo · 0 pointsr/books

I really like Homeland: The Dark Elf Trilogy By R.A Salvatore but only the first three, after that they really go downhill in quality
http://www.amazon.com/Homeland-Trilogy-Forgotten-Realms-Legend/dp/0786939532/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1

u/Peteyklop · 0 pointsr/rpg

I know you said no D&D, but 5th edition is definitely the easiest one to understand. The D&D Starter Set or the D&D Essentials are both good places to start.

u/badphish94 · -7 pointsr/television

I don't read enough books to know where to look for reviews, but I'll do my best. I got like 200 pages into ADWD before no longer caring, whereas with the first 3 I finished them all in days. It's like he looked at the last books and thought "hmm, people like seeing bad things happen to the characters. I'll just keep throwing bad things at them over and over again and they'll be so shocked they love it!"

AGOT - 4.5 stars. Top reviews are all of praise.

ACOK - 4.5 stars. Most of the top reviews are praise, some notice a dip in quality. I agree, though still a great book.

ASOS - 4.6 stars. Top reviews are praising it, much deserved.

AFFC - 3.8 stars. Top reviews say "it's okay, but..."

ADWD - 4.0 stars. Top reviews are even worse, despite the higher score.

Good books? Maybe, but they're not on the quality level of the Harry Potter books and the first 3 asoiaf books, which was what most people were expecting again.