Surely an honourable mention must go out to Jack Vance! He can be at once concise and yet so evocative. And his dialogue is tons of fun: “What are your fees?" inquired Guyal cautiously. "I respond to three questions," stated the augur. "For twenty terces I phrase the answer in clear and actionable language; for ten I use the language of cant, which occasionally admits of ambiguity; for five, I speak a parable which you must interpret as you will; and for one terce, I babble in an unknown tongue.”
Such a wonderful video, as always, Sarah! Especially what you said about Rothfuss's prose, agreed completely! Also, I really should read Books of the Earthsea...
Sarah, just want to say thank you for this video. It’s truly remarkable how, if you search “best prose” or “top prose in fantasy,” there is so little content on booktube analyzing this topic. My personal theory about this is that prose is too difficult and nebulous a subject, but despite that you just clearly and effectively demonstrated that prose analysis can be done well. So thank you for covering it, and thank you for your insight. Subscribed!
That Mervyn Peake quote sounded amazing, he sounds like a challenge I'm up for and until now unaware of, thank you. I am almost done with book two of R. Scott Baker's "Prince of Nothing" trilogy which is amazing and contains the best prose I have read in a 21st century fantasy series. It's brilliant in many other ways too and somewhat inspired by the first crusade apparently . It is however an utterly bleak , repressive and largely hopeless world, even more so than say GRRM's song of ice and fire. This does not bother me, but it's not for everyone. I have also recently discovered Robin Hobb and Lois McMaster Bujold, who's books I did not like as much as Bakkers but did enjoy in large part because of the quality of their prose.
Great choices! I'm beginning to have such a deep appreciation for good prose. I love finding quotes that uplift and inspire me or make me reflect on certain themes. I know so little from a technical standpoint, but I do know when I feel moved. I didn't realize how much I appreciated Neil Gaiman's writing style until I listened to a couple of short story audiobooks. I plan to revisit Strange the Dreamer someday.
I think feeling moved is the whole point! So wonderful when you can connect to books in that way. And I’m glad your LOTR reread is such a good experience in that way. ❤️
Love this video because prose quality matters massively to me. In my opinion, the best fantasy prose I’ve ever read is by Marlon James in his books Black Leopard Red Wolf and Moon Witch Spider King. The words crackle with energy and just pop off the page. The voice is so intense and distinct. These books don’t read like written accounts; they feel like the narrator is beside you, telling you the tale - you can feel their spittle and smell their breath. But Marlon James has won the Booker Prize, so maybe this shouldn’t be surprising. Not many fantasy authors can put that on their resume. Other favorites of mine include Christopher Buehlman and Simon Jimenez. And most recently, I was deeply impressed by the prose in Gogmagog by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard. Wonderful stuff!
@@TysonVaughan I absolutely agree! There’s something so satisfying about reading beautiful prose ❤️ I haven’t read Marlon James, but I really need to! Simon Jimenez is a recent author for me, and I agree that his prose is stunning.
Great video Sarah! My first thought seeing the title was you have to talk about Rothfuss, he writing and use of language is so good. Also agree with GGK recs, Tigana is my favorite standalone fantasy, the writing and storytelling is so beautiful. Also N K Jemisin is another author that comes to mind, she writes so well. Everytime I reads one of her books, I'm completely I'm immersed in whatever world I'm reading about, its a wonderful experience.
I'm hoping to read Tigana soon - it's been on my TBR for so long. I've heard great things about NK Jemisin, and I do have a couple of her Broken Earth books on my shelf! And I definitely agree about Rothfuss. His language is lovely and I really do think that his choices are deliberate, almost at the level of each sentence. I really want to have a 10th Anniversary edition of Wise Man's Fear so I can go back and reread both!
@@TheBookCure 100% agree on a 10th anniversary edition of Wise Man's Fear. The Name of the Wind anniversary edition is so beautiful (i don't normally splurge on the fancy editions, but this one was so worth it). Doing a re-read with them both would be amazing.
That’s so kind of you to say! It’s always a bit stressful to upload these long videos, because it’s a lot of time to ask of someone, so I’m glad you enjoyed ☺️
I've not read everyone on your list, Sarah, but I'm one hundred percent with you on both Neil Gaiman and Ursula K. Le Guin. I'd argue, in fact, that at least some of that dreamlike quality to his prose is directly affected by Le Guin and someone like Gene Wolfe. Robin Hobb, Josiah Bancroft, Jeff VanderMeer are a trio of writers who do very, very different things in their prose but do all of them beautifully. Lovely video as always, Sarah!
I found the writing of Stephen R Donaldson to be difficult to read in his Thomas Covenant series, but when I read Mirror of Her Dreams (and A Man Rides Through), I could not put the books down. I was absolutely absorbed. This was the first time that I encountered a writer who changed styles.
Hey Sarah, if you've never read him, I'd really recommend you check out Gene Wolfe. I was rereading part of Shadow of the Torturer last night and my God, does that prose ooze with beauty. Neil Gaiman is quite vocal on his admiration for Wolfe, and it shows in the dream-like prose they share.
@@TheBookCure Awesome! Also, I can’t believe I forgot to mention it, but Ursula Le Guin was another big fan as well, having said that “Wolfe is our Melville.” His masterpiece is the four-part Book of the New Sun, and it’s usually sold in two-volume collections with the first being Shadow and Claw.
Thank you Sarah. This video has been very useful. I get very attracted to beautiful prose, apart from the content that pushes my imagination and understandings. My experience in Fantasy literature is very limited, so apart from that I find beautiful prose in works by Salman Rushdie (magical-realism) for his word-play, and James A. Michener (historical fiction) for its simplicity and its ability to make the setting and characters very vivid. 😊
Three who immediately spring to mind for me anyway, are Susanna Clarke, Tolkien of course, and Anna Smith Spark. Great call on Mervyn Peake. Gormenghast's characters I've always felt could have been lifted out of Dickens they're so wonderfully memorable (and I include Gormenghast Castle in that, arguably his greatest character of all).
Totally agree - Peake’s characters are a memorable lot! Tolkien is a master, undoubtably. I have heard great things about Clark, but Anna Smith Spark is a new rec! I need to go to Goodreads to add something of hers to the list! Do you have any suggestions for where to start?
@@imokin86 Nice! I’m soon going to record a video calling myself out for the books that have been on my physical TBR the longest, and Strange&Norrell will definitely be on that. 🙈 I’ve got to get started with that one!
@@TheBookCure it's quite far from a "typical" fantasy, it plays a lot with our notions of classical literature. It definitely rewards slow reading and draws on reading experience.
I just read Piranesi and loved it so much. Her prose is beautiful and accessible. She also wrote her characters sooooooo well. Looking forward to Strange&Norell
I love some of the elaborate, sometimes archaic writing of Lord Dunsany. A sample: "The next day, when the twilight was far gone and night was gathering fast, the magician went away to the forest's edge, and uttered there the spell that he had made. And the spell was a compulsive, terrible thing, having a power over evil dreams and over spirits of ill; for it was a verse of forty lines in many languages, both living and dead, and had in it the word wherewith the people of the plains are wont to curse their camels, and the shout wherewith the whalers of the north lure the whales shoreward to be killed, and a word that causes elephants to trumpet; and every one of the forty lines closed with a rhyme for 'wasp.'" At the other end of the spectrum, I love the very modern, sometimes clever writing of Lev Grossman in his "Magicians" trilogy, in which I have highlighted more passages than any fantasy I've read since Tolkien. A couple of samples: "Half the mountains in the Northern Barrier Range had just erupted, blown their tops off like ripe pimples. She hadn’t even known they were volcanic, but now they were lobbing big seminal gobbets of lava all over their lower slopes, like a drunk prom queen puking on her dress. Shit was getting geological, yo." "He wasn’t that boy anymore, that boy was lost long ago. He’d become a man instead, one of those crude, weather-beaten, shopworn things, and he’d almost forgotten he’d ever been anything else-he’d had to forget, to survive growing up. But now he wished he could reassure that child and take care of him. He wished he could tell him that none of it was going to turn out anything like the way he hoped, but that everything was going to be all right anyway. It was hard to explain, but he would see."
Haven't read Laini Taylor, but will certainly agree the others show a mastery of language in their books. I do find it hard to quantify good prose, as I don't consciously look for it while reading. And some of the best prose just gets out of the way of the story 😅 Someone like that is Jim Butcher. His writing is direct and accessible, and helps you just run through his books. Not flowery, not poetic, but there's still depth. Someone who I'd call an absolute master of language both written and spoken is Terry Pratchett. His books have many layers of meaning, yet can be read by anyone. Someone on a completely different level is Steven Erikson. His Malazan books might not be the most accessible in size, structure or language - but the layers of meaning and thought in pretty much every word, sentence and chapter is unbelievable. And is also present in his other works, like Rejoice - but that's sci-fi. Several others whose writing always stands out to me are Robin Hobb , Elizabeth Haydon , KJ Parker and Jacqueline Carey .
Robin Hobb is fantastic, for sure! Pratchett, Carey, and Erickson I’m hoping to read soon. I will say that I think that if the prose is well done, we often don’t pay much attention at all. It’s far easier to call out stilted/clunky prose, because it takes you out of the story. If the writing is fluid and clear, we can enjoy the other strengths of story (character, worldbuilding, action, etc). Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. ☺️
Great recommendations! I am fairly new to reading fantasy and am always looking for reading suggestions. Of my favorite prose, Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson sits well in the category of intricate prose, dense with philosophy. It is well worth the effort though, transporting me to a strange land, swept with chaos and intrigue.
I have read only Neil Gaiman and Ursula K. Leguin from those you mentioned, and I completely agree. Their writing make their stories feel grandeur and larger than life yet still being about basic human emotions and behaviour. I do find the plot of their stories not to my taste but their writing and excellent world-building make up for it. I only read half of the Sandman comics and Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and only the first Earthsea book by Ursula K. Leguin so I’m excited to read more from them. For my personal list I would add N. K. Jemisin and Tolkien.
Love those choices! I totally agree about plot - it’s why Neil Gaiman’s short stories are my favourite! That way his imagination/writing can shine without succumbing to his strange plotting 😅 It’s funny, I will read everything Gaiman puts out and count him amongst my favourites, but none of my favourite novels are by him.
Josiah Bancroft and Katherine Arden are a couple of writers who, I think, I have beautiful writing styles. N. K. Jemsin does an incredible job of having a particular writing style while shifting it to fit the narrative intent of the story (if that makes sense?). Outside of the SFF space, Stephen Graham Jones’ authorial voice blows me away: similar to Jemisin, he shifts his style to fit the needs of narration but it’s still so distinctly him.
So many people have recommended Jemisin; I really need to check her stuff out :) I have so many non SFF favourites as well! Harukai Murakami, Steinbeck, Hemingway. Any particular books by Stephen Graham Jones that you recommend?
@@TheBookCure I’ve only read Mongrels, The Only Good Indians, and The Least of My Scars by SGJ (so far!), but I’d recommend Mongrels or The Only Good Indians as the first foray into his works. He’s a primarily horror writer, so his stories can, actually will, get quite graphic.
@@TheBookCure I don’t think any of them are scary in a suspenseful kind of way, just more unnerving. But I’m a horrible judge of scare factor, because I’m still afraid of the dark yet I really, somehow, enjoy SGJ’s books. 😅
@@SheWasOnlyEvie I personally can't stand N. K. Jemisin's prose. Her world building and characters seem very interesting, but her prose is too off-putting for me to read. >> So he reaches deep [...] Then he reaches wide. [...] Lastly, he reaches up. For power. He takes all that [...] Everything. He holds it. He is not alone. The earth is with him. Then _he breaks it_ . It's so jarring for me to read using "then, then, and then, lastly, then, and then, later, late, and finally, and then" jarringly in present tense ("Late the next day, someone knocks [...]") with so many attention-grabbing sentence fragments and comma splices everywhere along with italicized text and three-word paragraphs.
Good one. I haven't read Titus Groan in about 30 years but I still have that imagery of the finger pointing blasphemously upward stored away in my imagination.
I’ve only read three of these authors but absolutely adore each of their writing styles. I’ll have to check out the other two soon. I’m in complete agreement with you about Laini Taylor. Her writing style reminds me of Erin Morgenstern’s whose writing I also find poetically descriptive.
I think she’s only written YA, and what I have read has definitely been tropey. Still, I love the magic in Daughter of Smoke and Bone and the language just hits the right note for me.
@@TheBookCure just read an e-book sample of Daughter. It's good. The Czech setting is just a little bit under-researched, I think, but the main character seems interesting. And, actually, I wouldn't mind even more metaphors in this one. Taylor seems to have a knack for succinct metaphors, her sentences are not heavy with them.
@@imokin86 Nice! I really liked them. I avoided them for a long time because of the covers, but I really ended up enjoying. If you keep going, let me know what you think of the magic/characters!
Good video overall and you communicated your thoughts well. That being said, I don’t think any list of great fantasy prose writers is complete if it lacks the name Guy Gavriel Kay.
You know I'm a simple man. I don't really think about prose. If I enjoy the story, or I'm entertained, I'm good. I read many different kind of prose, but in my lowly opinion , doesn't effect if I like the book, or not. Just my 2 cents....LoL...Knowing myself, it's probably just 1 Penny. Very nice video 😁👍
No, I totally understand! Sometimes great prose just means a vehicle for you to appreciate the other aspects of the story. Clunky, stilted prose takes you out of a story and is way easier to recognize! If you don’t think about it, that means it’s doing the job well! Worth the full two cents for sure 😉😂
Before watching: Tolkien should be at the top, not only in fantasy nor in English, but in any language and from any genre of all time. Tolkien has changed me even in translation and nothing has ever touched me in the same way, and I can't ever get enough of his writing and never found it anywhere else. Indeed everything else I've ever read in the realm of modern literature seems bland in comparison, not only in the use of language, but also in spiritual and philosophical depth; trendy writers generally sound emotionally disordered, superficial and beige to me, although that isn't an issue with writers from before 1800 who have evidently survived the test of time. EDIT (after video): As for myself, I've never had any trouble whatsoever in parsing any of Tolkien's sentences in any language; it's clear as water to me, but exceptionally rich and colourful, reminiscent of Homer or Camões. I specially admire his use of adjectives and adverbs. Now, for all of my verborrhagy, I must confess I've so far never read any of these five authors you mention -- actually, except for Rothfuss, whose name I oft see written down in my local library, there's no surety in my mind as for their spelling (as well as due to me being not a native English-speaker). Hence I shall thus refer to them by ordinals: in this video only the excerpts from your third selection didn't really impress me, as he seemed a little beige; as for the other four, I shall look for how to speel their name and add them to my reads, as they seem indeed capable of quite beautiful writing.
Surely an honourable mention must go out to Jack Vance! He can be at once concise and yet so evocative. And his dialogue is tons of fun:
“What are your fees?" inquired Guyal cautiously.
"I respond to three questions," stated the augur. "For twenty terces I phrase the answer in clear and actionable language; for ten I use the language of cant, which occasionally admits of ambiguity; for five, I speak a parable which you must interpret as you will; and for one terce, I babble in an unknown tongue.”
Such a wonderful video, as always, Sarah! Especially what you said about Rothfuss's prose, agreed completely! Also, I really should read Books of the Earthsea...
Thanks, Petrik. I hope the 10 year anniversary gets released so that we can do a reread. ☺️
The
Sarah, just want to say thank you for this video. It’s truly remarkable how, if you search “best prose” or “top prose in fantasy,” there is so little content on booktube analyzing this topic. My personal theory about this is that prose is too difficult and nebulous a subject, but despite that you just clearly and effectively demonstrated that prose analysis can be done well. So thank you for covering it, and thank you for your insight. Subscribed!
Thank you so much :) I’m glad you found this helpful! ☺️
Fantasy Masterclass? More like a video communication master class. Wow!
Thank you - that’s so kind of you to say ☺️
That Mervyn Peake quote sounded amazing, he sounds like a challenge I'm up for and until now unaware of, thank you. I am almost done with book two of R. Scott Baker's "Prince of Nothing" trilogy which is amazing and contains the best prose I have read in a 21st century fantasy series. It's brilliant in many other ways too and somewhat inspired by the first crusade apparently . It is however an utterly bleak , repressive and largely hopeless world, even more so than say GRRM's song of ice and fire. This does not bother me, but it's not for everyone. I have also recently discovered Robin Hobb and Lois McMaster Bujold, who's books I did not like as much as Bakkers but did enjoy in large part because of the quality of their prose.
You are very eloquent! This was a great analysis into prose
Great choices! I'm beginning to have such a deep appreciation for good prose. I love finding quotes that uplift and inspire me or make me reflect on certain themes. I know so little from a technical standpoint, but I do know when I feel moved. I didn't realize how much I appreciated Neil Gaiman's writing style until I listened to a couple of short story audiobooks. I plan to revisit Strange the Dreamer someday.
I think feeling moved is the whole point! So wonderful when you can connect to books in that way. And I’m glad your LOTR reread is such a good experience in that way. ❤️
Love this video because prose quality matters massively to me. In my opinion, the best fantasy prose I’ve ever read is by Marlon James in his books Black Leopard Red Wolf and Moon Witch Spider King. The words crackle with energy and just pop off the page. The voice is so intense and distinct. These books don’t read like written accounts; they feel like the narrator is beside you, telling you the tale - you can feel their spittle and smell their breath. But Marlon James has won the Booker Prize, so maybe this shouldn’t be surprising. Not many fantasy authors can put that on their resume.
Other favorites of mine include Christopher Buehlman and Simon Jimenez. And most recently, I was deeply impressed by the prose in Gogmagog by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard. Wonderful stuff!
@@TysonVaughan I absolutely agree! There’s something so satisfying about reading beautiful prose ❤️ I haven’t read Marlon James, but I really need to! Simon Jimenez is a recent author for me, and I agree that his prose is stunning.
Great video Sarah! My first thought seeing the title was you have to talk about Rothfuss, he writing and use of language is so good. Also agree with GGK recs, Tigana is my favorite standalone fantasy, the writing and storytelling is so beautiful. Also N K Jemisin is another author that comes to mind, she writes so well. Everytime I reads one of her books, I'm completely I'm immersed in whatever world I'm reading about, its a wonderful experience.
I'm hoping to read Tigana soon - it's been on my TBR for so long. I've heard great things about NK Jemisin, and I do have a couple of her Broken Earth books on my shelf!
And I definitely agree about Rothfuss. His language is lovely and I really do think that his choices are deliberate, almost at the level of each sentence. I really want to have a 10th Anniversary edition of Wise Man's Fear so I can go back and reread both!
@@TheBookCure 100% agree on a 10th anniversary edition of Wise Man's Fear. The Name of the Wind anniversary edition is so beautiful (i don't normally splurge on the fancy editions, but this one was so worth it). Doing a re-read with them both would be amazing.
Tigana is the perfect entry place to Guy Gabriel Kay. Prose, politics, fantastic characters.
@@shawngillogly6873 I’ve recently started Tigana and I’m already swept up in the prose. So, so good 😍
I wish I could speak and articulate my thoughts a fraction as well as you are able to. It's wonderful listening to you. :)
That’s so kind of you to say! It’s always a bit stressful to upload these long videos, because it’s a lot of time to ask of someone, so I’m glad you enjoyed ☺️
I've not read everyone on your list, Sarah, but I'm one hundred percent with you on both Neil Gaiman and Ursula K. Le Guin. I'd argue, in fact, that at least some of that dreamlike quality to his prose is directly affected by Le Guin and someone like Gene Wolfe. Robin Hobb, Josiah Bancroft, Jeff VanderMeer are a trio of writers who do very, very different things in their prose but do all of them beautifully.
Lovely video as always, Sarah!
Thank you! ☺️ I agree about Robin Hobb and have heard great things about the others!
@@UA-camPremiumDude as did many others!
I found the writing of Stephen R Donaldson to be difficult to read in his Thomas Covenant series, but when I read Mirror of Her Dreams (and A Man Rides Through), I could not put the books down. I was absolutely absorbed. This was the first time that I encountered a writer who changed styles.
Insightful inspection of the literary value Fantasy can provide. An angle sorely missing when the genre is usually discussed. Amazing video!
Thank you so much ☺️
Very late to this but wow, you hit it on he head with Gaiman and Le Guin. Those two opened my mind to the beauty of language.
Thank you!! 🥰
Hey Sarah, if you've never read him, I'd really recommend you check out Gene Wolfe. I was rereading part of Shadow of the Torturer last night and my God, does that prose ooze with beauty. Neil Gaiman is quite vocal on his admiration for Wolfe, and it shows in the dream-like prose they share.
That’s the best sell! I’ll definitely have to check out something by him ☺️
@@TheBookCure Awesome! Also, I can’t believe I forgot to mention it, but Ursula Le Guin was another big fan as well, having said that “Wolfe is our Melville.” His masterpiece is the four-part Book of the New Sun, and it’s usually sold in two-volume collections with the first being Shadow and Claw.
Really like your list. Really enjoyed the quotes you chose to share ;) Thanks for sharing Sarah
Thank you Sarah.
This video has been very useful. I get very attracted to beautiful prose, apart from the content that pushes my imagination and understandings.
My experience in Fantasy literature is very limited, so apart from that I find beautiful prose in works by Salman Rushdie (magical-realism) for his word-play, and James A. Michener (historical fiction) for its simplicity and its ability to make the setting and characters very vivid. 😊
Three who immediately spring to mind for me anyway, are Susanna Clarke, Tolkien of course, and Anna Smith Spark. Great call on Mervyn Peake. Gormenghast's characters I've always felt could have been lifted out of Dickens they're so wonderfully memorable (and I include Gormenghast Castle in that, arguably his greatest character of all).
Totally agree - Peake’s characters are a memorable lot! Tolkien is a master, undoubtably. I have heard great things about Clark, but Anna Smith Spark is a new rec! I need to go to Goodreads to add something of hers to the list! Do you have any suggestions for where to start?
Clarke is just brilliant! Reading Strange & Norrell now, it's exciting.
@@imokin86 Nice! I’m soon going to record a video calling myself out for the books that have been on my physical TBR the longest, and Strange&Norrell will definitely be on that. 🙈 I’ve got to get started with that one!
@@TheBookCure it's quite far from a "typical" fantasy, it plays a lot with our notions of classical literature. It definitely rewards slow reading and draws on reading experience.
I just read Piranesi and loved it so much. Her prose is beautiful and accessible. She also wrote her characters sooooooo well. Looking forward to Strange&Norell
I love some of the elaborate, sometimes archaic writing of Lord Dunsany. A sample:
"The next day, when the twilight was far gone and night was gathering fast, the magician went away to the forest's edge, and uttered there the spell that he had made. And the spell was a compulsive, terrible thing, having a power over evil dreams and over spirits of ill; for it was a verse of forty lines in many languages, both living and dead, and had in it the word wherewith the people of the plains are wont to curse their camels, and the shout wherewith the whalers of the north lure the whales shoreward to be killed, and a word that causes elephants to trumpet; and every one of the forty lines closed with a rhyme for 'wasp.'"
At the other end of the spectrum, I love the very modern, sometimes clever writing of Lev Grossman in his "Magicians" trilogy, in which I have highlighted more passages than any fantasy I've read since Tolkien. A couple of samples:
"Half the mountains in the Northern Barrier Range had just erupted, blown their tops off like ripe pimples. She hadn’t even known they were volcanic, but now they were lobbing big seminal gobbets of lava all over their lower slopes, like a drunk prom queen puking on her dress. Shit was getting geological, yo."
"He wasn’t that boy anymore, that boy was lost long ago. He’d become a man instead, one of those crude, weather-beaten, shopworn things, and he’d almost forgotten he’d ever been anything else-he’d had to forget, to survive growing up. But now he wished he could reassure that child and take care of him. He wished he could tell him that none of it was going to turn out anything like the way he hoped, but that everything was going to be all right anyway. It was hard to explain, but he would see."
I have The King of Elfland’s Daughter on my kindle and hope to get to it next year. Beautiful writing here ☺️
Haven't read Laini Taylor, but will certainly agree the others show a mastery of language in their books.
I do find it hard to quantify good prose, as I don't consciously look for it while reading. And some of the best prose just gets out of the way of the story 😅
Someone like that is Jim Butcher. His writing is direct and accessible, and helps you just run through his books. Not flowery, not poetic, but there's still depth.
Someone who I'd call an absolute master of language both written and spoken is Terry Pratchett. His books have many layers of meaning, yet can be read by anyone.
Someone on a completely different level is Steven Erikson. His Malazan books might not be the most accessible in size, structure or language - but the layers of meaning and thought in pretty much every word, sentence and chapter is unbelievable. And is also present in his other works, like Rejoice - but that's sci-fi.
Several others whose writing always stands out to me are Robin Hobb , Elizabeth Haydon , KJ Parker and Jacqueline Carey .
Robin Hobb is fantastic, for sure! Pratchett, Carey, and Erickson I’m hoping to read soon.
I will say that I think that if the prose is well done, we often don’t pay much attention at all. It’s far easier to call out stilted/clunky prose, because it takes you out of the story. If the writing is fluid and clear, we can enjoy the other strengths of story (character, worldbuilding, action, etc).
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. ☺️
Great recommendations! I am fairly new to reading fantasy and am always looking for reading suggestions. Of my favorite prose, Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson sits well in the category of intricate prose, dense with philosophy. It is well worth the effort though, transporting me to a strange land, swept with chaos and intrigue.
I have read only Neil Gaiman and Ursula K. Leguin from those you mentioned, and I completely agree. Their writing make their stories feel grandeur and larger than life yet still being about basic human emotions and behaviour. I do find the plot of their stories not to my taste but their writing and excellent world-building make up for it. I only read half of the Sandman comics and Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and only the first Earthsea book by Ursula K. Leguin so I’m excited to read more from them.
For my personal list I would add N. K. Jemisin and Tolkien.
Love those choices! I totally agree about plot - it’s why Neil Gaiman’s short stories are my favourite! That way his imagination/writing can shine without succumbing to his strange plotting 😅 It’s funny, I will read everything Gaiman puts out and count him amongst my favourites, but none of my favourite novels are by him.
@@TheBookCure I will definitely pick up some of his short stories then!
I was fascinated with her pronunciation of “Rothfuss.”
Hahaha, was the Newfoundland accent coming out? 🤣
Most, most excellent!
Thanks - glad you enjoyed ☺️
Josiah Bancroft and Katherine Arden are a couple of writers who, I think, I have beautiful writing styles. N. K. Jemsin does an incredible job of having a particular writing style while shifting it to fit the narrative intent of the story (if that makes sense?). Outside of the SFF space, Stephen Graham Jones’ authorial voice blows me away: similar to Jemisin, he shifts his style to fit the needs of narration but it’s still so distinctly him.
So many people have recommended Jemisin; I really need to check her stuff out :)
I have so many non SFF favourites as well! Harukai Murakami, Steinbeck, Hemingway. Any particular books by Stephen Graham Jones that you recommend?
@@TheBookCure I’ve only read Mongrels, The Only Good Indians, and The Least of My Scars by SGJ (so far!), but I’d recommend Mongrels or The Only Good Indians as the first foray into his works. He’s a primarily horror writer, so his stories can, actually will, get quite graphic.
@@SheWasOnlyEvieGraphic I can do - scary suspense I find tough. Are they really scary?
@@TheBookCure I don’t think any of them are scary in a suspenseful kind of way, just more unnerving. But I’m a horrible judge of scare factor, because I’m still afraid of the dark yet I really, somehow, enjoy SGJ’s books. 😅
@@SheWasOnlyEvie I personally can't stand N. K. Jemisin's prose. Her world building and characters seem very interesting, but her prose is too off-putting for me to read.
>> So he reaches deep [...] Then he reaches wide. [...] Lastly, he reaches up. For power. He takes all that [...] Everything. He holds it. He is not alone. The earth is with him. Then _he breaks it_ .
It's so jarring for me to read using "then, then, and then, lastly, then, and then, later, late, and finally, and then" jarringly in present tense ("Late the next day, someone knocks [...]") with so many attention-grabbing sentence fragments and comma splices everywhere along with italicized text and three-word paragraphs.
This was great! Very insightul and well presented
Thank you! ☺️
Good one. I haven't read Titus Groan in about 30 years but I still have that imagery of the finger pointing blasphemously upward stored away in my imagination.
It’s one that really sticks with you.
I’ve only read three of these authors but absolutely adore each of their writing styles. I’ll have to check out the other two soon. I’m in complete agreement with you about Laini Taylor. Her writing style reminds me of Erin Morgenstern’s whose writing I also find poetically descriptive.
Yes, I can definitely see similarities between the two. I love The Night Circus 😍
This Hobbit who wasn't tall enough to be fully in-frame has wonderful advice.
Thank you! Exactly what I was looking for. Where should I start with Laini Taylor? Preferably adult books.
I think she’s only written YA, and what I have read has definitely been tropey. Still, I love the magic in Daughter of Smoke and Bone and the language just hits the right note for me.
@@TheBookCure just read an e-book sample of Daughter. It's good. The Czech setting is just a little bit under-researched, I think, but the main character seems interesting. And, actually, I wouldn't mind even more metaphors in this one. Taylor seems to have a knack for succinct metaphors, her sentences are not heavy with them.
@@imokin86 Nice! I really liked them. I avoided them for a long time because of the covers, but I really ended up enjoying. If you keep going, let me know what you think of the magic/characters!
Good video overall and you communicated your thoughts well. That being said, I don’t think any list of great fantasy prose writers is complete if it lacks the name Guy Gavriel Kay.
I absolutely agree! Since making this I’ve had the pleasure of reading his work and it is beautiful 😍
good vid
You said in your recent video that you weren't chastised enough so i'm here to say this video should include GGK.
There, is that better
hahaha, I appreciate the dedication!
You know I'm a simple man. I don't really think about prose. If I enjoy the story, or I'm entertained, I'm good.
I read many different kind of prose, but in my lowly opinion , doesn't effect if I like the book, or not.
Just my 2 cents....LoL...Knowing myself, it's probably just 1 Penny.
Very nice video 😁👍
No, I totally understand! Sometimes great prose just means a vehicle for you to appreciate the other aspects of the story. Clunky, stilted prose takes you out of a story and is way easier to recognize! If you don’t think about it, that means it’s doing the job well! Worth the full two cents for sure 😉😂
@@TheBookCure Much 2 kind on the 2 cents .👍
Tolkien deserves to be on the list. seriously underrated as a stylist
Before watching:
Tolkien should be at the top, not only in fantasy nor in English, but in any language and from any genre of all time. Tolkien has changed me even in translation and nothing has ever touched me in the same way, and I can't ever get enough of his writing and never found it anywhere else. Indeed everything else I've ever read in the realm of modern literature seems bland in comparison, not only in the use of language, but also in spiritual and philosophical depth; trendy writers generally sound emotionally disordered, superficial and beige to me, although that isn't an issue with writers from before 1800 who have evidently survived the test of time.
EDIT (after video): As for myself, I've never had any trouble whatsoever in parsing any of Tolkien's sentences in any language; it's clear as water to me, but exceptionally rich and colourful, reminiscent of Homer or Camões. I specially admire his use of adjectives and adverbs.
Now, for all of my verborrhagy, I must confess I've so far never read any of these five authors you mention -- actually, except for Rothfuss, whose name I oft see written down in my local library, there's no surety in my mind as for their spelling (as well as due to me being not a native English-speaker). Hence I shall thus refer to them by ordinals: in this video only the excerpts from your third selection didn't really impress me, as he seemed a little beige; as for the other four, I shall look for how to speel their name and add them to my reads, as they seem indeed capable of quite beautiful writing.
Me.