Seeking

[ladysprite]

So for some reason, I have been let down lately by the new books that I've been trying. They all look so good in theory - they get good reviews, or the synopsis on the back cover sounds fascinating and cool, but when I get into the story itself, it just utterly fails to live up to what I want it to be and what it could be. Sometimes the writing style is weak, sometimes there's just no actual plot, and sometimes there are immortal invisible sentient shrimp men - and not in a good way. No matter what, though, they're just not good.

I'm coping with this at the moment by rereading old favorites - I've finally decided to throw myself back into the Wheel of Time series, given the promise that it really, truly, this-time-we-mean-it will be ending next year. But I'd honestly like to have some new stuff to intersperse with that; I can't survive on rereads alone. So it's time to pick the brains of my friends again.

Got any good new books or authors to recommend to me?

Oh, and just a warning - stay away from 'Fragment' by Warren Fahy. Unless you really like shrimp men....

Comments

[bkdelong.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed the "Prospero's Daughter" series by L. Jagi Lamplighter. Two books out with the 3rd (and final?) due out next Sept. The story is basically what happens if Prospero and Miranda live for "eternity", the wizard has a handful more kids and utilize his (and her) magic to grow a business doing both the magical and mundane while collecting artifacts from Christian (oh what's the right word here...) mythos to Greek, Egyptian, Muslim and other pantheons. The story starts with Prospero missing, Miranda really being the only one left to run the business with her far "younger" immortal siblings off on their own and a message that they are being hunted. I found it fascinated....very much like the "Sandman" series with the amount of different references it pulled from.

I've been seeking urban fantasy sans the oft cliche vampire/were-creatures and have really gotten into Rachel Caine's "Weather Warden" series - about humans with the power to manipulate three elements - Weather, Fire and Earth - with the Warden's existing as an Intl org like the UN to combat the out-of-control raw power of Mother Nature and quell natural disasters that would actually be far worse if they weren't putting their powers to work with their djinn companions (pseudo-slaves/batteries) to soften the blows). The "Outcast Season" series - a spinoff of the latter where one of the former djinn "servants" retains her powers to some degree but is shunted into a human body and how she deals with her former keeper, fellow djinn, the Wardens and the chaos of what is going on in the world from a weather perspective.

Also, Seanan McGuire's "October Daye" series about the overlap of the land of the fey with that of the mundane with the protagonist being a bad-ass changeling (half-fey, half-human) who is a private detective and knight to the local fey Baron. She'll be a guest at the brunch at Arisia this year.

Finally, Jennifer Estep's "Elemental Assassin" series - a world where human walk with giants and dwarves; the mundane with those who have the powers to manipulate Earth, Fire and Air with fine-tuned abilities of Stone, Ice, Metal and others. The protagonist is a bad-ass orphan-turned assassin who is about to retire when all hell breaks loose.

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

Also, Seanan McGuire's "October Daye" series about the overlap of the land of the fey with that of the mundane with the protagonist being a bad-ass changeling (half-fey, half-human) who is a private detective and knight to the local fey Baron. She'll be a guest at the brunch at Arisia this year.

I'm glad the Baron gave October leave to be the guest at a brunch, but won't this blow her cover to the general public?

(Sorry... couldn't resist.)