please recommend novels that...

satyesu · Jul 26, 2009

have an amazing interesting city and/or creative magic system - preferably introduced relatively early. Basically I'm looking for inspiration without plaigarism and such. Thank you!

blacbird · Jul 26, 2009

For Fantasy, The Earthsea Trilogy, now grown to five or more books, by Ursula LeGuin.

For Hard SF, The City and the Stars, by Arthur C. Clarke, or City, by Clifford D. Simak.

caw

Parametric · Jul 26, 2009

The city of Ankh-Morpork in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is pretty cool.

Shoeless · Jul 26, 2009

If you're talking science fiction cities, I'd have to recommend William Gibson without reservation. His cyberspace trilogy of Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive depict an amazing urban sprawl. It's also highlighted in his short story collection Burning Chrome.

Canotila · Jul 26, 2009

Garth Nix has a cool magic system in his Abhorsen trilogy.

Wark · Jul 26, 2009

Canotila said:
Garth Nix has a cool magic system in his Abhorsen trilogy.

Hey, I just got Shade's Children from the library.

I really don't know any magic systems I've been impressed with. Make one up. Your betas will rip it apart if it's lame.

Liosse de Velishaf · Jul 26, 2009

Um... Let's see, creative magic, interesting city... I'm gonna say... Elantris?

Kitty Pryde · Jul 26, 2009

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

Liosse de Velishaf · Jul 26, 2009

Kitty Pryde said:
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

A little low on the magic, but full points on the interesting city.

waylander · Jul 26, 2009

Juliet McKenna's tales of Einarrinn series starting with Thief's Gamble

mlazzer · Jul 27, 2009

Parametric said:
The city of Ankh-Morpork in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is pretty cool.

I would propose Ankh-Morpork as well. If you want the city it's best reading the novels where the city develops such as Going Postal or The Truth.

tldr · Jul 27, 2009

Melusine by Sarah Monette. Best fantasy city ever created, so far as I'm concerned.

Link to read the first bit -->http://www.amazon.com/Melusine-Sarah-Monette/dp/0441014178/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248703723&sr=8-1

Straka · Jul 28, 2009

Brandon Sanderson is well known for creating worlds with structured magical systems. Elantris. Mistborn.

geardrops · Jul 28, 2009

satyesu said:
... preferably introduced relatively early.

Is this because you don't want to read a full book?

Some of the books listed are well worth being read from cover to cover. Actually, most. I suggest you read them if you haven't.

maxmordon · Jul 28, 2009

Is it necessarily traditional fantasy or sci-fi?

In One-Hundred years of Solitude you have Macondo, founded by the Buendia family and is an essential part of the novel. It becomes from a small isolated town that nobody can reach (at first not even Death can come) but grows with time and people from all over the world comes and goes, but after 4 years of rain the town falls onto dispair reflecting step by step the ruin of the Buendia family.

maxmordon · Jul 28, 2009

dempsey said:
Is this because you don't want to read a full book?

Some of the books listed are well worth being read from cover to cover. Actually, most. I suggest you read them if you haven't.

I concur, to have the complete expirience of a dinner you need to taste it from entrance to dessert...

Ariella · Jul 28, 2009

I quite like The City in Ellen Kushner's Swordspoint because it has a history and politics and economics, and they all serve the plot. The setting feels like France under the ancien regime, but at the same time it has its own unique features. You can get the feel of it just by reading the first few pages.

I suppose Swordspoint counts as having a unique magic system as well, since it's a fantasy novel with no magic whatsoever.

Patrice · Jul 28, 2009

The Lies of Locke Lamorra, by Scott Lynch. Amazing city with an amazing magic system. One of the best books I've ever read.

megan_d · Jul 29, 2009

Liosse de Velishaf said:
A little low on the magic, but full points on the interesting city.

A thousand time yes. The city in this book is AMAZING.

BlackBriar · Jul 29, 2009

Garth Nix's Sabriel. Pretty cool magic, and really cool cities (dead walking). I also back up Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn and will add The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (though the potential of it's magic system isn't really explored in the first book, and city detail is not that high).

IfNotNow · Jul 31, 2009

Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series and Tamir Triad are set in a pretty cool city with a fairly straightforward magic system.

please recommend novels that...

satyesu

blacbird

Parametric

Shoeless

Canotila

Sever your leg please.

Wark

Mark Brockman

Liosse de Velishaf

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

Liosse de Velishaf

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

mlazzer

New kid, be gentle

tldr

Straka

Bored Fanatic

geardrops

Good thing I like my day job

maxmordon

Penúltimo

maxmordon

Penúltimo

Ariella

...

Patrice

megan_d

Falling in the milk

BlackBriar

Bricoleur

IfNotNow