I am wondering if anybody knows of any good books akin to “The wheel of Time” (the book series, not the film-adaptation), with a focus on charachter developement, great worldbuilding, an interesting take of magic, and, what I really loved about the books, Great distcriptions, in accordance with what the story needs/allows, where in a fast paced chapter/scene, the description of the surroundings is almost aasent, being just what the charachters can take time for to percieve, While in a slower setting, like sitting down, the charachters can take more time scrutinizing the landscape portrayed on a map, or the looks of those they’re meeting with.
David eddings books about spearhawk, the eldium and tamulia trilogies isn’t as good, but there is quite a bit of at least world building.
Some of the characters do grow, at least a little, but the world around them is pretty complex, different gov/cultures and such.
I haven’t read Wheel of Time. I guess I ought to, but I read an unflattering review over a decade ago, and I just couldn’t do it. BUT:
Robin Hobb has written several series that I conside epic adventures (epecially the Rain Wilds Chronicles). Her writing seems to fit your model: tight action, but also periods of slow description.
Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist is a contemporary series to Wheel of Time, and I loved those books when I read them over two decades ago. I dunno if they aged well, but they are among the most memorable books I’ve ever read. For example, there’s a simple scene of the protagonist cutting down a tree that I still remember for its vivid description of both the place and the action at least 20 years after I read it.
L.E. Modessit has a series called the Imager Portfolio. I really can’t describe how the writing is both epic and personal; slow but also fast. The characters may zip along with action, and then they’ll eat this really well described meal, or go on a date. It’s different. He’s also known for a series called the Corean Chronicles. Those are an epic fantasy and excellent writing; but it’s more like guns and sorcery, so you get more gunfights and not swordfights.
Those three are what I’d consider more along the lines of classic epic fantasy writers. You might also consider Stephen Donaldson or Terry Brooks (Shannara) - They also were writing epic fantasy to the same market when the Wheel of Time was written; they have that late last century adult fantasy style; although Donaldson is dense reading in my opinion.
Lloyd Alexander and Ursula K. Le Guin wrote some incredibly good fantasy books, but they are sparse authors when it comes to description, and I get the impression that Wheel of Time’s writing was more descriptive overall.
Obviously, consider some of the post-millenium fantasies: Sanderson has several epic fantasies, and he did, after all, finish Wheel of Time. Re Butcher’s epic fantasy Codex Alera, he has said he was explicity influenced by the older epic fantasies. Keeping in mind that those two don’t linger on the scenery very much, except Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. Sanderson is a cameleon of an author, so If you’ve read something else by him (like Mistborn), you’ll probabbly find the Stormlight books to be a different reading experience.
And, of course, I have to mention Patrick Rothfuss, who wrote two of the best books I’ve ever read (Name of the Wind and Wise Man’s Fear), and I consider them epic. But they are first person narratives, and that’s not as common in epic fantasy, and he hasn’t finished his triology so everyone loves and hates them at the same time. (Gah, its’ been over a decade! What is he waiting for?) While those are adventure stories, they aren’t epics the way Donaldson or Fiest is.
Good Luck!
It checks a lot of your boxes, but you best be ready to invest a significant portion of your life reading it: The Wandering Inn by Pirate Aba.
I’d be curious what you thought of Gene Wolfe. Try his Book of the Long Sun.
Do be aware that he doesn’t stint on unusual words. But even if you don’t understand them, they add atmosphere.
OH man, if i let unflattering reviews stop me from reading ha!
A lot of my friends have the same taste in books that i do and will shove a book in my face and tell me to read, i normally end up enjoying them.
The wheel of time series has some dry parts, and omg I do not like Perrin’s point of view most of the time, the TV series made him even worse x.x he wasn’t married already… he had a better conflict for being him. He was pretty well written, i just couldn’t stand being in his head.
that Jordan does one thing to emote females, and struggles really hard to show relationships aside, there is a lot of awesome moments and character growth. Add the super complex diversity of multiple countries that you can even hear when someone is speaking just because the word order which still somehow flows naturally while still conveying this is a different dialact.
I got handed i think the 4th wheel of time book to really get started and then went back to the begining of the series.
it also took me like 3 decades and 6 tries to finally finish the a wrinkle in time and enjoy that.
What really helps me enjoy the wheel of time series now is Audible narrators Kate Redding and Michale [c] do a pretty fantastic job, and having hte credits make the books so much cheaper.
Battlefield earth also has a start that I struggle to get past, but once the movie part of the book ends, about halfway, I really start to enjoy the fake politics and diversity that starts to appear. Knowing what i know now about scientology, I understand the preface at the start of the book trying to distance it away from religion.
I read the review before the series was complete.
The review was this: the most recent published sequel book in the series (before the one being reviewed) had several pages describing clothing. The series wasn’t done, and the book actually being reviewed was a prequel, which the reader liked.
So. For me, the review suggested it would be a daunting prospect of starting to read a big epic fantasy series that had seemingly stalled, and there seemed to be no prospect of it being finished.
My Dad liked Wheel of Time because it has the main characteristic of a good series: big fat books that provide good value for the money.
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I think I know the period you found said review
… I wouldn’t say that any any given point that there is several pages describing clothing. However, there will prob be 1-3 sentences describing clothing any time someone is introduced or changed something drastic about the appearance.
Except for maybe when Morine goes to the dressmaker/tailor in a new spring, book zero, the prequel, which answers a lot of questions while providing its own important key points in the series
But if stop and consider it for a moment, clothing can be a very strong description about a person.
Robert Jordan did a very good job building the world. The accents, the height description, very rarely is skin color described, but hair color might be, if they wear jewelry,tattoos, perfume, bells, the cut, color, marking of the dress and the material it’s made from…
There are some times when listening I know it’s a careening woman because she’s short and wears a dark high collar dress. If she has money it’s made from silk, if it has sashes she’s a noble.
One country likes to umm, well, they leave just enough to the imagination, however, think it’s tasteless to be nude.
One country puts gems on their daggers for children
One group of people wear the loudest color of clothing
Use to if you told me the number and location of piercings I could say job and rank
Much like in days of old, people dressed for their environment and what they had access to.
In a new spring, the main point of view that gets the most focus is a young noble woman who becomes a sister. She’s young enough that’s she’s still kinda obsessed with how tall people are compared to her, how the poor people should be better treated by their lords, … Let’s just say she is definitely a younger version of the Morine we meet in the rest of the series, doing most of her growing between zero and 1
If I recall correctly, book zero was the best way for him to answer all the questions people had about life in the white tower, along with how Morine and lan met, and a few others.
One of the reasons why I like the audible versions of the series so much is some of them have interviews with Jordan, and he can explain things so much better