Books like the Broken Sword?

[debo]

Hey everyone,

I'm re-reading the Silmarillion for the first time in a decade, and I just finished up the Turin story. I've seen this story/theme over and over again (cursed sword ends up causing incest and doom), in Eric Brighteyes and the Broken Sword.

The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson is one of my favorite books of all time -- greater than anything Tolkein, to me -- and I've tried and failed to find solid analogues to it. Howard's Conan was similar in tone, and they were sort of neat. I tried the Melnibone books, and they were terribad.

I figured I'd ask here, given the fantastic/old-school bent of most Angbanders. Any good nihilistic Viking-esque fantasy that I might be missing out on?

[Mikko Lehtinen]

I just happened to read this:

http://grognardia.blogspot.fi/2012/07/pulp-fantasy-library-tale-of-hauk.html

The blog post is about a great viking short story by Poul Anderson. Maybe you have already read it?

[Mikko Lehtinen]

Are you familiar with the real Icelandic sagas? Many of them are a lot like the gritty fantasy stories based on them: fast, violent, and grim. If you happen to find good translations, they're really enjoyable to read.

For the Finnish speakers out there, I can recommend Antti Tuuri's translations.

One of my all-time favourite books is a collection of short sagas, including these three:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnlaugs_saga_ormstungu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrafnkels_saga

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%ADga-Gl%C3%BAms_saga

[Malak Darkhunter]

David Eddings- The Belgeraid series- my all time favorite, it's about a Dark God, prophecy, a powerful stone that nobody but the heir of Riva Iron-Grip can touch, and ancient legendary sorcerers who are the disciples of Aldur who watch the world, and keep it safe from a Dark God named Kal Torak.

David Eddings- The Mallorean- a continuation of the first series, after the war.

Dennis L. Mckernien ( think I spelled that Right) - The Iron Tower trilogy, and the Silver call duology, kinda rare nowdays. Very good books with a wonderful story, very much like tolkien, almost similar in some ways, but with an altogether different story.

Othe than those I enjoy very much Forgotten realms books, and dragonlance novels.

[Timo Pietilä]

It has a beautiful background and amazing animation effects.

Animation in books? Do you mean some movie instead?

[Derakon]

He's a spammer. He'll replace his sig with some advertisement soon enough.

[Timo Pietilä]

He's a spammer. He'll replace his sig with some advertisement soon enough.

Seems to have disappeared, so I guess you were right.

[debo]

Thanks for the recommendations everyone! I've started reading through the icelandic sagas, and it's exactly what I was looking for. Awesome stuff.

Malak: I read Eddings chronically as a kid, and I read the Iron Tower when I was like 11 or 12, but remember nothing of it. Perhaps I should give it a re-read!

[debo]

I just happened to read this:

http://grognardia.blogspot.fi/2012/07/pulp-fantasy-library-tale-of-hauk.html

The blog post is about a great viking short story by Poul Anderson. Maybe you have already read it?

I've never heard of this before! I'm going to check it out.

It's funny -- Poul Anderson said that the Broken Sword was among the least favorite of his own works! Nothing like an author's comment to make one feel like a philistine.

[Derakon]

Malak: I read Eddings chronically as a kid, and I read the Iron Tower when I was like 11 or 12, but remember nothing of it. Perhaps I should give it a re-read!

Eddings' modus operandi is to play his fantasy tropes straight to the hilt, but to do so in as amusing a way as possible. It's a really weird juxtaposition of utterly unoriginal structure combined with absolutely original implementation.

[Mikko Lehtinen]

One of my all-time favourite books is a collection of short sagas, including these three:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnlaugs_saga_ormstungu

BTW, Gunnlaugr can be translated as Wormtongue. Tolkien must have been aware of this guy.

[Magnate]

Eddings' modus operandi is to play his fantasy tropes straight to the hilt, but to do so in as amusing a way as possible. It's a really weird juxtaposition of utterly unoriginal structure combined with absolutely original implementation.

Thank you. I've been trying to express that for years - the best I had managed was "Eddings is both really irritating and curiously compelling", but yours is much better.

While we're on favourite fantasy authors - David Gemmell, anyone?

[Thraalbee]

Of the more recent I find Lois McMaster Bujold three books set in "Chalion" quite exceptional. New ideas and good storytelling. Strongly recommended.

[Derakon]

Not fantasy, but I enjoyed the heck out of Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep. Oddly enough, I'd read the book before, shortly after it was published, though at the time I was too young to really understand what was going on. Every once in awhile I'd remember "Oh yeah, there was that book with the wolf-alien things that formed pack minds, I wonder what that was", so it's nice to get some closure. It also has some neat universe-building and some poking fun at Usenet culture.

[Jungle_Boy]

Thank you. I've been trying to express that for years - the best I had managed was "Eddings is both really irritating and curiously compelling", but yours is much better.

While we're on favourite fantasy authors - David Gemmell, anyone?

Gemmell is definitely one of my favorites, although some of his get a little wierd, Druss is very cool and I like Skilgannon as well. One author that I found recently whom I enjoy is John Ringo. His series starting with "There will be dragons" is very interesting and I just finished reading it for the second time. Best of all it is free to download from the Baen Library.