On George R. R. Martin’s “Not A Blog“, he makes some reading recommendations for readers who just can’t seem to wait for his next book. You can read his full post at his site, but I’ve given you a summary below, if you are just interested in the recommendations.
For those who haven’t read the classics of fantasy literature, he recommends the following authors:
- J.R.R. Tolkien (LORD OF THE RINGS),
- Robert E. Howard (Conan the Cimmerian, Kull of Atlantis, Solomon Kane),
- C.L. Moore (Jirel of Joiry),
- Jack Vance (THE DYING EARTH, Lyonesse, Cugel the Clever, and so much more),
- Fritz Leiber (Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser),
- Richard Adams (WATERSHIP DOWN, SHARDIK, MAIA),
- Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea, the original trilogy),
- Mervyn Peake (GORMENGHAST),
- T.H. White (THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING),
- Rosemary Sutcliffe,
- Alan Garner,
- H.P. Lovecraft,
- Clark Ashton Smith
But, he emphasizes that, in his opinion, THIS is the golden age of epic fantasy. As some exemplars of the best that fantasy has to offer, he suggests:
- Daniel Abraham (THE LONG PRICE QUARTET, THE DAGGER AND THE COIN)
- Scott Lynch (the Locke Lamora series),
- Patrick Rothfuss,
- Joe Abercrombie (especially BEST SERVED COLD and THE HEROES).
While I have never been able to get into Rothfuss, I heartily agree with the other three.
Martin also recommends that readers of his “A Song of Ice and Fire” books (e.g. A Game of Thrones), also delve into historical fiction, and here are his recommendations:
- Sir Walter Scott,
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (THE WHITE COMPANY)
- Thomas B. Costain (THE BLACK ROSE, THE SILVER CHALICE)
- Howard Pyle,
- Frank Yerby,
- Rosemary Hawley Jarman
- Nigel Tranter
- George McDonald Fraser (FLASHMAN)
- Sharon Kay Penman,
- Steven Pressfield,
- Cecelia Holland,
- David Anthony Durham,
- David Ball,
- Bernard Cornwell
But he particularly wants to call attention to the reprint of Maurice Druon’s THE ACCURSED KINGS series. This is a translation from the French and will include all 7 of the books. The first volume, THE IRON KING, has just been published by Harper Collins.
The Iron King has long been out of print in English. Martin has mentioned previously that Druon’s work was an inspiration for A Song of Ice and Fire.
