Author Topic: 13 Fantasy novels that are good despite their covers  (Read 13107 times)

kibitzer

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I've read exactly two of these.

No, wait -- three! Just finished one because of seeing it in this article. :)

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/fantasy-novels-that-are-good-despite-their-covers


lowky

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Reply #1 on: June 06, 2013, 12:25:53 PM
I've read one, two if you include other editions of The Hobbit.  A fitting caption for the one pictured: A fat nerd kid is stalked by a pedophile in a gimp suit.

As for the one I have read, I highly recommend The Black Company series.  I didn't think I would care for it as much when told it was about a military company, but it is an excellent fantasy series without non-human races.  No elves, dwarves, orcs, etc. 


Talia

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Reply #2 on: June 06, 2013, 01:43:46 PM
I have no problem with most of those covers, and am faintly outraged that 'Way of Kings' and 'Dragonbone Chair' are on there, as I particularly like those. I mean 'Way of Kings' is Michael Whelan. Heathens!! (Chair might be too, I forget).

I've read six of them.

My contribution for 'bad covers but excellent books' are 'Melusine' and 'Corambis' by Sarah Monette. Wonderful, wonderful series, but the book covers, while well-executed, make them look like bad romance novels.




DKT

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Reply #3 on: June 06, 2013, 01:52:35 PM
Ha. Fun.

I'm surprised by the inclusion of some of the covers. Blinding Knife, Mistborn, Way of the Kings, even Gardens of the Moon - they don't look so bad to me! Others...like Robert Jordan or the Black Company, yeah, those are some hilariously bad cover art.

I'd be curious to see a similar list of kickass fantasy covers. Maybe none of the ones listed would make my own list, but I wonder what would make Buzzfeed's.


Scattercat

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Reply #4 on: June 06, 2013, 04:15:56 PM
That was an amusing list, but I have to warn you that "Lies of Locke Lamora" does not actually include any "heists" per se.  The Better-Than-Moriarty Master Criminal Mastermind Genius' super-duper double-secret ultimate plan to steal the MacGuffin is: They crash the party where it's on display by walking real casual-like, then grab it and RUUUUUUUN.

I mean, that's not even that bad  of a plan (having the key virtue of simplicity), but I wanted me some Ocean's Eleven craziness after all the buildup, you know?



eytanz

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Reply #5 on: June 06, 2013, 04:30:46 PM
That was an amusing list, but I have to warn you that "Lies of Locke Lamora" does not actually include any "heists" per se.  The Better-Than-Moriarty Master Criminal Mastermind Genius' super-duper double-secret ultimate plan to steal the MacGuffin is: They crash the party where it's on display by walking real casual-like, then grab it and RUUUUUUUN.

I mean, that's not even that bad  of a plan (having the key virtue of simplicity), but I wanted me some Ocean's Eleven craziness after all the buildup, you know?

This list is indeed amusing, but some of the entries (such as the The Lies of Locke Lamora one) don't really give the impression that the person who wrote the list read the books, just that they read synopses of the books. The Lies of Locke Lamora, for example, has a major tonal shift midway that is not mentioned at all.

How many people here read The Riddle-Master of Hed? I have a feeling it's somewhat of a forgotten classic these days, and it really deserves great exposure - it (and its two sequels) are some of the most satisfying and enduring fantasy that was written in the 1970s.



evrgrn_monster

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Reply #6 on: June 06, 2013, 11:12:57 PM
Oh Buzzfeed. What would I do with my limited free time if it weren't for your amusing lists and kitten gifs?

Maybe read more of these books, because I've only read two and one of them was The Hobbit, which is like fantasy 101.

(I may get kicked out the room for this, but I'm gonna put this out here....I didn't really like The Name of the Wind, which was the other book from this list I've read. I'm a bit tired of the magic school thing, being part of the Harry Potter generation, and a character who is pretty much perfect, with the only flaws of being cocky and having the wrong person dislike them does nothing for me. The writing was amazing, don't get me wrong, but when you don't care for the main character, it makes it hard to get into the story of their life.)


kibitzer

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Reply #7 on: June 06, 2013, 11:16:37 PM
(I may get kicked out the room for this, but I'm gonna put this out here....I didn't really like The Name of the Wind, which was the other book from this list I've read. I'm a bit tired of the magic school thing, being part of the Harry Potter generation, and a character who is pretty much perfect, with the only flaws of being cocky and having the wrong person dislike them does nothing for me. The writing was amazing, don't get me wrong, but when you don't care for the main character, it makes it hard to get into the story of their life.)

You're not the only one. Like you said, nice writing and I breezed right through to the end, but after that I didn't feel compelled to find out what happened next. And honestly, I found the framing device a bit creaky -- really didn't seem to fit.


kibitzer

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Reply #8 on: June 06, 2013, 11:17:20 PM
That was an amusing list, but I have to warn you that "Lies of Locke Lamora" does not actually include any "heists" per se.  The Better-Than-Moriarty Master Criminal Mastermind Genius' super-duper double-secret ultimate plan to steal the MacGuffin is: They crash the party where it's on display by walking real casual-like, then grab it and RUUUUUUUN.

I mean, that's not even that bad  of a plan (having the key virtue of simplicity), but I wanted me some Ocean's Eleven craziness after all the buildup, you know?

Umm... spoiler alert?


kibitzer

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Reply #9 on: June 06, 2013, 11:18:54 PM
I'd be curious to see a similar list of kickass fantasy covers. Maybe none of the ones listed would make my own list, but I wonder what would make Buzzfeed's.

See, for that I'd include whoever did Tina Connoly's covers for IRONSKIN and Copperhead (or is it COPPERHEAD?). They are seriously beautiful pieces of art.


DKT

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Reply #10 on: June 06, 2013, 11:50:17 PM
That was an amusing list, but I have to warn you that "Lies of Locke Lamora" does not actually include any "heists" per se.  The Better-Than-Moriarty Master Criminal Mastermind Genius' super-duper double-secret ultimate plan to steal the MacGuffin is: They crash the party where it's on display by walking real casual-like, then grab it and RUUUUUUUN.

I mean, that's not even that bad  of a plan (having the key virtue of simplicity), but I wanted me some Ocean's Eleven craziness after all the buildup, you know?

Umm... spoiler alert?

Heh. About halfway through the second sentence I started covering my eyes and going LALALALALALALA.

Also, I've read exactly one of these books. (Guess which one.) Man, I fucking suck.

Although I plan to read three others sometime soon-ish? And Epic Fantasy is maybe the subgenre I'm least drawn to, outside of some of the biggies. Guys? Guys?!?!

I'd be curious to see a similar list of kickass fantasy covers. Maybe none of the ones listed would make my own list, but I wonder what would make Buzzfeed's.

See, for that I'd include whoever did Tina Connoly's covers for IRONSKIN and Copperhead (or is it COPPERHEAD?). They are seriously beautiful pieces of art.

Yeah, those rock. I need to think more about what else I might add to my own favorites list.


eytanz

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Reply #11 on: June 07, 2013, 12:05:53 AM
That was an amusing list, but I have to warn you that "Lies of Locke Lamora" does not actually include any "heists" per se.  The Better-Than-Moriarty Master Criminal Mastermind Genius' super-duper double-secret ultimate plan to steal the MacGuffin is: They crash the party where it's on display by walking real casual-like, then grab it and RUUUUUUUN.

I mean, that's not even that bad  of a plan (having the key virtue of simplicity), but I wanted me some Ocean's Eleven craziness after all the buildup, you know?

Umm... spoiler alert?

It's not a real spoiler; it's equivalent to saying that in Star Wars, Darth Vader force-chokes an imperial officer. It's true, and it's somewhat interesting when it happens, but it's in no way what the story is about (which I think is part of Scattercat's complaint).



eytanz

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Reply #12 on: June 07, 2013, 12:11:40 AM
I've read five of the books on the list, by the way (Hobbit, Locke Lamora, The Great Hunt, Dragonbone Chair, and Riddlemaster of Hed). Of those five, I'd strongly recommend Riddlemaster of Hed, and I'm pretty fond of the Dragonbone Chair. The Hobbit is the Hobbit and doesn't need my recommendation, The Great Hunt is a great book but it makes promises that the series that follows really fails to deliver, and Locke Lamora is a book I really dislike.



Scattercat

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Reply #13 on: June 07, 2013, 03:56:56 AM
I read Riddlemaster, but I was like 13 and probably did not appreciate it properly.  Also read Lies of Locke Lamora and was underwhelmed, though not filled with rage.

Others I've read:

Mistborn
Hated it.  Dull writing, cardboard characters, and the most annoying twist ending I've ever encountered.  (I'm told that it becomes slightly less appalling in the twist endings to the later books, but I tried to read the whole trilogy, which required me to reread Mistborn to remember what happened, and I got so bored I stopped halfway through.)

Dragonbone Chair
I am iffy on Epic Fantasy, but this series is one of my top-rated examples of the genre.  I am particularly fond of how Tad Williams made elves feel properly alien.

The Black Company
It was a very long time ago and I don't remember much except that it was really depressing.

The Hobbit
Duh.

I started The Name of the Wind, was underwhelmed, and my wife (who had read the whole thing) told me it wasn't really worth it, so I stopped.




Talia

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Reply #14 on: June 07, 2013, 05:48:35 AM
Oh man, I absolutely adored 'Mistborn.' Hehe. couldn't disagree more about 'dull writing.' I found it extremely engaging. But then, it's been a couple years since I've read it and I tend to think of the trilogy as a whole rather than any individual book. That trilogy has some of the scariest bad guys I've ever encountered in fantasy (powerful anti-paladins of sorts with nails jutting out where their eyes used to be *shudder*).



Scattercat

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Reply #15 on: June 07, 2013, 06:19:40 AM
Yes, but the problem was that he had to insert that silly rule about "metal that pierces the body is immune" in order to have them not also be the easiest bad guys in the world to defeat.  I'd complain about the arbitrary rules more, but the whole setup is just a bunch of arbitrary rules.  As I read, I could practically see the various meters on my first-person-shooter video game lighting up and ticking down as I pushed my keyboard shortcuts to activate the various powers.

For scariest bad guys in fantasy, I vote for the Dark from the Darwath Trilogy.  Or maybe the various awful not-quite-cats in Tailchaser's Song.



evrgrn_monster

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Reply #16 on: June 07, 2013, 01:10:05 PM
(I may get kicked out the room for this, but I'm gonna put this out here....I didn't really like The Name of the Wind, which was the other book from this list I've read. I'm a bit tired of the magic school thing, being part of the Harry Potter generation, and a character who is pretty much perfect, with the only flaws of being cocky and having the wrong person dislike them does nothing for me. The writing was amazing, don't get me wrong, but when you don't care for the main character, it makes it hard to get into the story of their life.)

You're not the only one. Like you said, nice writing and I breezed right through to the end, but after that I didn't feel compelled to find out what happened next. And honestly, I found the framing device a bit creaky -- really didn't seem to fit.

Oh thank heavens I am not the only person who felt like that. I was honestly annoyed at the main character (his name escapes me at the moment). Oh he's a great fighter, that's cool. Oh and he plays a musical instrument really well? Okay. He sings beautifully too? Well, I suppose...and he's handsome, you say? And witty? And instantly and amazingly good at magic? K.....and a ladies man, that's nice. How fun to read about a perfect person I can't relate to at all. He only ever messed up if someone else did something wrong. I was rooting for him to fail of his own actions just to see that he was human too and it never happened.

K, done ranting.

Love The Hobbit, though! So much fun.


DKT

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Reply #17 on: June 12, 2013, 05:37:35 AM
Damn. Before this thread, I'd planned on eventually checking out The Name of the Wind, Locke Lamora, and possibly Mistborn. But now you all are making a case for Riddlemaster of Hed and Dragonbone Chair. Double damn! (Although you're scaring me off Name of the Wind and Mistborn, which is kind of odd because I feel like up until now, I've heard nothing but praise for Rothfuss.)

I'm pretty sure I'll never read Wheel of Time. Just not interested. Might one day read The Black Company or Gardens of the Moon? But the size of the latter series intimidates me, and the style of the former hasn't won me over yet.


Scattercat

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Reply #18 on: June 12, 2013, 06:28:21 AM
My wife said Rothfuss wasn't bad per se, just not particularly brilliant and definitely overhyped.  I wasn't much in the mood for epic fantasy at the time, so I didn't bother to read further if it wasn't going to end up as brilliant as advertised.  I'm sure it's a perfectly fine book.  (Though apparently the protagonist is a huge Gary Stu who gets to sex with All of the Women.)

Now, one I read from that same library trip and which I really enjoyed was "The Light Ages" by Ian R. McLeod.  This has no connection to anything other than that I read it at the same time as my wife was reading the Rothfuss.  It's a fun, sprawling, kind-of-steampunk, slow-paced, old-fashioned bildungsroman novel.



Talia

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Reply #19 on: June 12, 2013, 01:22:59 PM
Aw, do give 'Mistborn' a shot. It's lots of fun. :) (Haven't read 'Name of the Wind' myself, but the opinions I've heard on it have been pretty much 50/50 liked/hated). 



lowky

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Reply #20 on: June 12, 2013, 03:44:42 PM


I'm pretty sure I'll never read Wheel of Time. Just not interested. Might one day read The Black Company or Gardens of the Moon? But the size of the latter series intimidates me, and the style of the former hasn't won me over yet.
Have you attempted Black Company at all?  I usually am much more into stories like Lord of the Rings, or similar, but I read Black Company on recommendation of a friend who loaned it to me, and I really enjoyed it. 


DKT

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Reply #21 on: June 13, 2013, 03:21:55 PM


I'm pretty sure I'll never read Wheel of Time. Just not interested. Might one day read The Black Company or Gardens of the Moon? But the size of the latter series intimidates me, and the style of the former hasn't won me over yet.
Have you attempted Black Company at all?  I usually am much more into stories like Lord of the Rings, or similar, but I read Black Company on recommendation of a friend who loaned it to me, and I really enjoyed it.  

You know, I really should give one of the books an actual shot. I have read a couple of the short stories, and while I thought the style was interesting, I can see how it might work better on a larger canvas.

I've read some of Erickson this way too, but...was less impressed with the style. Again, that might be a canvas issue.

So, adding a Black Company book to my TBR pile...how many am I up to now? Six. Sigh...

Thinking about this list and fantasy book covers I actually like, I realize again how weighted this list is to epic fantasy. But here are a couple - Wizard's First Rule is a crap book, but I loved that cover in high school.

But I tend to like books with more...I dunno. Subtle covers, I think? Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. (Ocean at the End of the Lane looks beautiful and haunting.) Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (the original black and white one).  Robert Jackson Bennett's The Troupe. Pretty much any of China Mieville's books. I guess that describes a different subset of fantasy than the epic ones that are being displayed here.

(Even epic fantasy books that I love such as GRRM or Daniel Abraham have covers that leave me feeling pretty meh.)


lowky

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Reply #22 on: June 14, 2013, 12:46:12 AM

Thinking about this list and fantasy book covers I actually like, I realize again how weighted this list is to epic fantasy. But here are a couple - Wizard's First Rule is a crap book, but I loved that cover in high school.

I'd argue that it wasn't crap it was dragging the series on for ever that crapped all over Wizard's First Rule


danooli

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Reply #23 on: June 16, 2013, 12:50:27 PM
Huh...I'm in the midst of The Name of the Wind now, and I have to say I'm loving it.  I'm listening to Nick Podehl's narration and I spent all day yesterday cleaning the house with my ear buds in.  I'd occasionally find myself stopped in mid task, just staring off and listening...

So, if that counts, I've read 2 and 1/3 of the 13 books on this list...so far.



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Reply #24 on: April 06, 2014, 03:52:09 PM
Thanks for a suggestion.