Genre Series Primer for Newbies and everyone

[TiggerBear]

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lilithesque wrote:

I agree there is stuff of Mercedes Lackey I  don't like and others stuff that is fantastic.  She writes so much collaboratively it is not a surprise that varies greatly.  I read somewhere how she generally collaborates with others (her technique).  She said she outlines the stories and aspect of the story and then edits and an adds to her collaborators work.  Of course I read that years ago so don't quote me.  My memory may be distorting what she wrote. 

 Interestingly everyone loves the Vladimir world but I actually don't.  I think maybe I read enough of it I just lost interest in the world.  The characters felt too cartoon sweet or evil or predictable to me.  I haven't read the joust series for fear of a similar texture, but maybe I'll give it a spin.  I find I really like her urban fantasy more then much of her pure fantasy although some of it is outstanding.  I get your point Tiggerbear about unpredictability.  It does bring the question how much she actually does write in her collaborations, but her name is on the book so she must answer for what's in it, at least to herself.   

 None the less, for me, her urban fantasy really should be included in a "genre series primer".  She was the writer whose book built bridge for me to cross to urban fantasy.

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Alright so you're comparing her to the old masters. Master painters would have a school of student who do the vast majority of the painting. Then the master would come in add a few tweaks and then sign it and claim it as their own. Since it was done by their subordanates, they considered it their's. 

Fine in it's time and place. But NOW we're busy digging out which student did what and retitling paintings ownership. The few where it simply can not be determined get titled the school of ect..

So if that really what she's doing I call FOUL. Such pratices are just not exceptable. 

[lilithesque]

If the co-authors are not named, yes I would call foul, but these works are co-authors cited as co-authored.  Go to a list of her work and many of them have more than one author cited on the cover.  I am not insinuating she isn't writing books she is the sole author cited on.  I was just discussing how I read her method is on books she collaborates on--which is most these days.  

Lily

[TiggerBear]

Yep, but in the past I read books by her that had only one author name and they were just not consistent with her other works.

I'll put it this way. Each author has a voice that stands through. Some fierce, some soft; but each author has their own. 

I'm just not sure she's using hers. 

[osha341]

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paulgoatallen wrote:
TiggerBear:
You realize what you've done, don't you? You've opened Pandora's Box! I've got a few additions but instead of doing one or two at a time, let me make a list first then post it when I'm done...
Paul

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Just wondering where your list is.  I need some new authors, helppppppp

[paulgoatallen]

This is a harder task than one would think, mainly because paranormal fantasy has so many subcategories, as Tigger has already acknowledged. If I had the suggest "meat and potato" titles, I'd have to go with:

1. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's St. Germain vampire novels (at least the first few)  

2. Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series

3.  Algernon Blackwood's John Silence novels (Blackwood (1869-1951) is unarguably the the foremost supernatural fictionist of all time and these make for a great historical understanding of the genre)

and for a more contemporary overview,

4. Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan novels

5. Mario Acevedo's Felix Gomez saga

6. Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt series

Once tou have these all under your belt, I think you'll really have a much more insightful understanding at how dynamic this genre can be... as well as how far it's progressed from the days of Algernon Blackwood!

Paul 

[osha341]

But Paul what about Kelley Armstrong, Keri Arthur, Vicki Pettersson, Erin McCarthy, Lynsay Sands, Maggie Shayne and Rebecca York?  I use to enjoy Shannon Drake, aka Heather Graham but there aren't many or not writing anymore books left to read the same with Trisha Baker.  I even enjoy J.D. Robb, Dana Stabenow and Kathy Reichs, Max Allan Collins, Jeffrey Deaver, Anne Bishop and the anthologies of seasoned and new authors for paranormal, fantasy and mystery.

[paulgoatallen]

Lindy:

All of those authors are noteworthy in their own right but if you had to narrow it down to just a few – as a primer of sorts for newbies – the authors I listed, I think, would make a pretty good foundation for the dozens , if not hundreds, of other remarkable authors like Vicki, Kelley A., Jeanne Stein, Lilith, Yasmine, etc.  

If you're looking for some suggestions for "contemporary" authors, I'd check out the Top Ten Paranormal Authors thread. Since we started that thread  last August, I've discovered numerous authors that I previously have never read but who are some some of my all-time favs...

Paul 

[osha341]

Thanks Paul, I've gone through both threads and have come up with 160 books on my list.  A few of the authors didn't come up on my internet book rental site so will check bn.  Thanks again

[paulgoatallen]

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osha341 wrote:
Thanks Paul, I've gone through both threads and have come up with 160 books on my list.  A few of the authors didn't come up on my internet book rental site so will check bn.  Thanks again

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No problems – that's why I love this forum. Even if you're a crazy reader like me and have read your way through mountains of genre fiction, there is still so much more out there. It's so cool for me to read about authors and/or books that other bigtime readers cherish... like I said before, I've discovered so many writers and their works through all the frequent posters here, it's been amazing.

Paul 

[osha341]

I just wanted to put this thread back up at the top for the Newbies and myself so the thread can keep going.  People - Keep it going.

[Lynnn36]

This is completely tangential but Mercedes Lackey is an interesting author. I've read ...geez... more than two dozen of her novels over the years and while some are exceptional, some are really really bad (personal opinion, of course). If I had to suggest any Mercedes Lackey titles, I'd say her Valdemar novels are probably her best collective fantasy work – I particularly love "Take a Thief" and "Exile's Honor" –  and her Joust novels are pretty good as well.

Paul..I agree that her Valdemar series is some of her best work, but it also really pushes some envelopes, and some people <my brother>, really hated it because of that.

I'd add Ilona Andrews to the list of must be read, even with just the two books.

McKinley's Sunshine

Karen Chance

Vicki Pettersson

 I dunno..the list of new authors with really good stories is wonderfully long

[drthmik]

I'll just throw this out there

If you like reading about wizards:

Yound Wizards Series by Diane Duane

http://www.youngwizards.com/ 

[TiggerBear]

Ok, everyone it's past time I updated this. Happy to blend in sugestions that have been put forward, so keep um comming.

 

Vampire Series you have to read!

Anne Rice - Vampire Chronicles
Laurel K. Hamilton - Anita Blake
P.N. Elrod - Vampire Files
Jennifer Arimintrout - Blood Ties
Tanya Huff - Blood books
Charlane Harris - Sookie Stackhouse
Elanie Bergstrom
Susan Sizemore - Laws of the Blood

Chelea Quinn Yarbo - St. Germain

Lilith Saintcrow - Valentine 

NEW catagory

Vampire Romance Seires you have to read!

Jeaniene Frost 

Lynsay Sands - Argeneau

Ghost Series you have to read

Karen Chance - Cassie Palmer
Laura Anne Gilman - Retrievers

Fae Series you have to read

Laurel K Hamilton - Merry Gentry
Charles De Lint
Melissa Marr

Weres and Shifter Series you have to read

Patrica Briggs - Mercy Thompson
Rachel Vincent
Carrie Vaughn

Something Witchy this way this way comes Series you have to read

Jim Butcher - Dresden Files
Simon R Green - Nightside
Anne Rice - Mafair Witches
Kim Harrison - Hollows
Yasmine Galenorn

Rachel Caine - Weather Warden

Lilith Saintcrow - Watchers

Majorie M. Liu

[Nelsmom]

TiggerBear,

A catagorie you missed is

Demons Series

Jackie Kessler Hell's books

Jenna Black's Demon series

Anna Windsor's Dark Crescent Sisterhood series

Angie Fox's The Accidental Demonslayer

Richelle Mead's Succubus series

Stacie Kane's Personal Demon series

Just the few that I can think of right off the top of my head.

Toni

[KatRichardson]

Where would you put Rob Thurman's books?  They're Fantasies, they're Urban, but they have a strong Futuristic/techno/post-apocalpse feel.

By the way, Rob has a new series starting up soon, which is more fantasy and features a female lead--I expect she'll take some flak for having the audacity to write from a woman's POV until people figure out "Rob" is a girl.  (Personally I'm tickled that two of the writers with the strongest SF elements in the genre have gender-ambiguous names: Rob Thurman and Kelly McCollough.)

[Sinnie]

Nope, nothing new to add. Just wanted to thank you for these awsome lists...they will surely keep me entertained for the next couple of months =D

[TiggerBear]

Nope didn't forget demons. Magical things wiches, mages, demons, summoners, slayers, ect... are all listed under something witchy. Thanks for the sugestions, I'll check them out.

[Ariesjla]

Hi TiggerBear:

Starting this post was brilliant!  Thanks so much!  

You saved me a lot of research time and now I have a whole months supply of reading.

[rowenacherry]

Susan Grant has a new series with Harlequin, and just took first prize and second prize in the Prism awards for My Favorite Earthling, and its sequel How To Lose An Extra Terrestrial in 10 Days.

(My own Insufficient Mating Material came third in the Prisms.) 

Linnea Sinclair is a magnificent author, with  Bantam, and has recently won a RITA award, I think for Gabriel's Ghost. Other fine books by Linnea include Games of Command, Down Home Zombie Blues, and Shades of Dark.

 Another enchanting new author is Lisa Shearin, very strong on the adventure, not much romance.

For more dark and paranormal, try Cathy Clamp and Cie Adams.

Chinese paranormal... Jade Lee with her Tigress series. Jade had a special yesterday at The_Haunt_at_PNR@yahoogroups.com 

[rowenacherry]

I hope it is appropriate to post the list of PRISM winners on this thread (I have also posted it elsewhere). These titles have been judged the best of the best Paranormal, Fantasy, and Futuristic romances which were released in 2007 by volunteer judges in the FF&P genre chapter of Romance Writers of America.

FF&P president, Amber Wentworth has given me permission to post this list of Prism Award Winners.

Light Paranormal
1. Dead Girls are Easy by Terri Garey
2. More Than Fiends by Maureen Child
3. Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue

Time Travel
1. Wired by Liz Maverick
2. Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband by Melissa Mayhue
3. Forgiveness by JL Wilson.

Erotica
1. Mona Lisa Blossoming by Sunny
2. Pleasures of the Night by Sylvia Day
3. Double Dating with the Dead by Karen Kelly

Futuristic
1. My Favorite Earthling by Susan Grant
2. How to Lose an Extraterrestrial in 10 days by Susan Grant
3. Insufficient Mating Material by Rowena Cherry

Novella
1. Over the Moon by Sunny
2. Street Corners and Halos by Catherine Spangler
3. Wild Hearts in Atlantis by Alyssa Day

Dark Paranormal
1. Immortals: The Awakening by Joy Nash
2. Betrayed: A House of Night Novel by PC Cast
3. Touched by Darkness by catherine Spangler

Fantasy
1. The Eternal Rose by Gail Dayton
2. Lucinda, Darkly by Sunny
3. Voice of Crow by Jeri Smith-Ready

Best of the Best
Wired by Liz Maverick

Best First Book
1. Grave Illusions by Lina Gardiner
2. She Wolf by Teresa D'Amario
3. Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband by Melissa Mayhue