Fantasy Authors - Suggestions Needed

[Kinslayer]

Hi, I've just finished reading my latest book and am looking for a new author who's work I can devour. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've read pretty much all of the books by the below authors so anything in a similar vein will probably be enjoyed:

David Gemmell
R. A. Salvatore
Robert Jordan
James Barclay
Robin Hobb
David Ferring
Terry Brooks
George R. R. Martin

Opinions on Raymond Feist, Juliet McKenna, Terry Goodkind and David Eddings would be appreciated [img]smile.gif[/img]

[IronDragon]

I would be happy to recommend:
Kate Elliott
Sara Douglass
Sharon Green

Terry Goodkind’s Sword of truth series was just awful. I know he has a lot of fans out there but I can’t understand why. It took me several tries to actually finish ‘Wizard’s first Rule” and the only reason I did was because I always finish what I start. The book contains every bad fantasy cliché you can imagine but very little in the way of interesting characters or plot. Skip it.

[Larry_OHF]

<font color=skyblue>Elaine Cunningham and Troy Denning.

Two of the best.</font>

[Curlcurl]

David Eddings
Raymond Fiest

[Legolas]

From the books you've read and like, I would guess you're going to like Eddings' works best. He's got a very well worked out world and quite interesting characters. The story is told in a simple, sometimes childish way, which may or may not be a good thing depending on the reader, and the one major drawback is that he tends to stick to stereotypes a bit much (as in: almost all the people in a nation bar the characters with names have similar clothes, stature, interests and personality). The way the plot is going is also predictable to a certain extent, but that doesn't draw away from the exitement too much.
Feist would be a second choice, his characters are less developed, as are the worlds. Personally I think it is better told, with politics adding more of a twist than they do in Eddings' books. It is, however, much more magic-heavy, which can be a good thing but does not have to be. From the books you've read I would guess you prefer the standard medieval approach instead.
The first book, Magician, is the best in my opinion, so you can always read that one and decide whether or not you like it after.
Although I personally am a Goodkind fan, I'd put him on third place here. In his world, magic is practically everywhere. In some aspects it's more of a fairy tale than serious fantasy, in others it's more of an action movie (lots of scenes, but actually catching/killing the badguy or saving the princess doesn't happen until the last five minutes of the movie). The characters are not as developed as those of Eddings or Martin, but more along the lines of Gemmel's. Which means they have certain traits and stick to them, and that's usually good for a laugh. The telling is in my opinion superior to Eddings and Feist, very fastpaced as well. Downside is the number of cliches, but the plot is only slightly more predictable than that of Eddings' work. It seems to be a somewhat less serious story than the other two, although both Eddings and Feist have introduced the notion of humour in their books as well.
As with Feist, the first is the best (actually, the sixth is, but no. 1 is best after that), so read it and decide if you do or don't like it then.

McKenna I haven't read so far, so I can't help you there

[antryg]

I think that you might enjoy the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey. The focus of each book or groupings of books usually centers on 1 or 2 characters. The entire series encompasses hundreds of years of time so that once you understand the basic framework of this "world" then you are able to understand how things tie together. I really enjoy her character development and the interplay of politics, religion, and economics with the plots "main Problem". The variety of people and the "Companions" make this a unique series of books.

[Sir Degrader]

Laura Weis and Tracy Hickman. read Dragonlance Chronicles, you won't regret it.

[Sir Degrader]

Sorry, make that MARGARET WEIS and tracy hickman.

[Night Stalker]

Add Frank Herbert.

Also Micheal A Stackpole.

[Luvian]

Sara Douglass is my second favorite author after George R.R. Martin.

The Axis trilogy is the first to read. It is then followed by the Wayfarer: Redemption trilogy.