Loooking for reading suggestions. Again.

Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons, a science fantasy take on The Canterbury Tales.

The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe (four books, beginning with The Shadow of the Torturer).

Joe Abercrombie's series that starts with 'The Blade Itself'

Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin features a great action heroine.

If you haven't read all of 'The Black Company' books, I say you need to do so, now. It's like Vietnam on crack. At least the first 3 books are. The rest are all great, though, and later on there is a strong female lead, too. You may like them.

efreysson said:

I also rewatched the Beowulf film today, and it left me with a thirst for the more epic, mythic fantasy stories. You know, larger-than-life characters and situations, but still well-told.

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No female leads, but I think the series I try to recommend as often as possible will fit into this part of your requirements: Robin Hobbs's Farseer series. It's three trilogies, each with its own story, but each also contributing to the overarching story of the return of dragons to the world. Seriously awesome, and so well told and so well described that you really feel like you are there.

Moon Called by Briggs (werewolves)
Dhampire and the follow-ups by Hendee ("Buffy meets Lord of the Rings"--Good stuff!)
All the Sevenwaters books by Marillier (Irish style fantasy--really beautiful stories)
Oh, and Swan Song by McCammon has a really strong female protag in it. I've read this book about a million times. I really love it. It's about the end of the world.

JimmyB27 said:

No female leads, but I think the series I try to recommend as often as possible will fit into this part of your requirements: Robin Hobbs's Farseer series. It's three trilogies, each with its own story, but each also contributing to the overarching story of the return of dragons to the world. Seriously awesome, and so well told and so well described that you really feel like you are there.

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I second the Farseer Trilogy as well as The Tawney Man books all by Hobb about a boy named Fitz. Just spectacular books. I've never read anything quite as good. Loads of strong female characters in the books, but they're all written from the perspective of the MC.

tarcanus said:

If you haven't read all of 'The Black Company' books, I say you need to do so, now. It's like Vietnam on crack. At least the first 3 books are. The rest are all great, though, and later on there is a strong female lead, too. You may like them.

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Seconded

Steven Erikson's 'Malazan Book of the Fallen' Series will keep you up nights plus take all your lunch hour. At least it has done that for me.

I believe it starts with Gardens of the Moon.

pixydust said:

I second the Farseer Trilogy as well as The Tawney Man books all by Hobb about a boy named Fitz. Just spectacular books. I've never read anything quite as good. Loads of strong female characters in the books, but they're all written from the perspective of the MC.

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Oh, I forgot, the second of the three trilogies (it goes; Farseer, Liveship, Tawny Man) has Althea Vestrit as an MC, and she's pretty tough, if a bit of a spoilt brat.
ETA: But you should really read the three in order.

Just for ease of finding these books, here are the series lists of Malazan and The Black Company:

Malazan
- Gardens of the Moon
- Deadhouse Gates
- Memories of Ice
- House of Chains
- Midnight Tides
- The Bonehunters
- Reaper's Gale
- Toll the Hounds
- Dust of Dreams(forthcoming, 2009)
- The Crippled God(forthcoming, probably 2010)

The first 5 books can pretty much be read in any order you like and not lose much. I'd recommend reading in publication order, but it's up to you. Keep in mind, this is only the main chronology and Steven Erikson's partner Ian Cameron Esslemont is writing more books in the Malazan world(2 released thus far: Night of Knives and Return of the Crimson Guard)


The Black Company
- The Black Company
- Shadows Linger
- The White Rose
- The Silver Spike(this is more of a spin-off to let the reader know what happened to a certain character from the first 3 books, but it's still a great read)
- Shadow Games
- Dreams of Steel
- Bleak Seasons
- She Is the Darkness
- Water Sleeps
- Soldiers Live
- There is also the possibility of two more called 'A Pitiless Rain' and 'Port of Shadows' that Cook hasn't written yet, but has proposed.

The first three Black Company books are published in the UK as 'Chronicles of The Black Company'

There's Heroes Die by Matthew Stover. It's an adult fantasy/sci-fi crossover.