Need something new to read

[Gidde]

wasn't aware that warbreaker was out yet... read a teaser for it at the end of mistborn ... once again I'm lacking a function in Amazon to buzz me when my favorite authors put out something new

Sign up at Tor.com; they emailed me when it came out AND they have a few sample chapters up to read

This is indeed a fantastic thread. So many great recommendations! It'd probably be a bit off topic to make a db with a front page thing, but I'll happily go through the thread and compile it all into the top post - it'll make it easier for me to come back and grab books off the list anyhow

@Yandor: You hit the nail on the head. In writing my novel, I've thought long and hard about magic systems and had come to the conclusion that magic had already been done pretty much every way it could be done. Then I read Elantris and Mistborn and he'd managed to come up with new, fresh ones. I was intensely jealous

[Yandor]

Gidde, you'll need to read Warbreaker, haha he'll blow you away yet again with the magic system, hes a great author, still need to get his autograph considering he lives like 10 minutes away from where I live haha

[Jaxilon]

I have to third or forth that Warbreaker novel by Sanderson. It is excellent! My wife found it because she was reading the Wheel of Time Series and wanted to know about the new author. I think there was a time it was being offered as a free e-book but that may be done.

Since I'm here may as well kick in a couple more I don't remember seeing yet:

Terry Brooks - tons of books but Start with The Sword of Shannara
Piers Anthony - Xanth series <-- Read these in High School and remember that they were fun.
Fritz Leiber - Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series, first book is: Swords and Deviltry <--- I'd consider him one of the grandfathers of the genre and you will be laughing a lot with these. They are about a Barbarian from the North and a Swordsman/thief from the city who become a dynamic duo. Old style language might take a little bit to get used to, kind of like reading Shakespeare at first but you will adjust.

PS. If it were not for these stories from our youth I think a great many of us would not have the love for maps that we now have. So, in regards to having a book list it would seem to me to fall under map inspiration. I can also see that it might only have loosely linked relevancy so I support whatever decision is made on this matter.

[Steel General]

If you like the Chronicles of Amber by Zelazny I'd also recommend (by him) "This Immortal", "Lord of Light", "Creatures of Light & Darkness" & "Unicorn Variations" (Anthology of short stories).

[Aelyn]

If you want to go for something that contains a lot of magic, sex, blood and scheming, I'd truly recommend the Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop. That certainly is x-rated

But if you want something lighter, with some interesting supernatural abilities that are not magical, check Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore. She does have strange names for her protagonists, but you'll get used to it.

And, last but not least, I strongly recommend everything written by Walter Moers, especially The City of Dreaming Books. That book made me want to read again after studying literature for some years!

[Coyotemax]

Actually a darn fine series is the Thieves World anthologies (edited and some written by Lynn Abby). Collections of short stories from multiple authers in the same setting and using the same characters.

there's a fair number of them - if you can find them, I know there are a few collections floating around now.

[Midgardsormr]

Regarding the reviews database thing, we have a very nice blog system here now, and the blog posts can be rated, tagged and categorized. I'm not sure if the search system allows a search to be sorted by rating or not, though.

[Jaxilon]

Actually a darn fine series is the Thieves World anthologies (edited and some written by Lynn Abby). Collections of short stories from multiple authers in the same setting and using the same characters.

there's a fair number of them - if you can find them, I know there are a few collections floating around now.

I second that

[tilt]

Regarding the reviews database thing, we have a very nice blog system here now, and the blog posts can be rated, tagged and categorized. I'm not sure if the search system allows a search to be sorted by rating or not, though.

thought of that, and also using the forum - but I came up both times with it being hard to get a proper overview afterwards, I believe a little separate system would do the trick - doesn't even have to be hosted here - there could just be a link. I'd have no problems hosting it if needed

[tilt]

So I just made a quick search and found this http://www.reviewpost.com/indexpro.html ... it looks like something that could be used and its integratable with vbulletin. Question is if we can find 89 users that think this is a good idea and pay a buck to get it