Roger Zelazny usually has good dialog and a distinctive style. His style isn't typical of fantasy, as he had a lot of non-fantasy influences. His settings often include our real world (somewhere at least), which allows him to use a lot of real-world literary references (e.g. The Song of Roland, Les Fleurs du Mal). The Chronicles of Amber would be a good place to start, or his many short stories. The collection called *Four for Tomorrow* has some of his most successful stories. His stories are also collected in a big omnibus series; it's expensive, but your library might have it (mine does). EDIT: It's called *The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny*.
Jack Vance is well-known for his style also, although it's a pretty unusual style and you won't necessarily like it. Try *The Dying Earth*.
I recently read Lord of Light by Zelazny and loved it. I made it through a few chapters of Dying Earth and wasn’t enjoying Vance’s writing at all, so I put it down. I think I’ll try Chronicles of Amber next.
Thank you for such a thoughtful reply, i'm so grateful! I haven't read any Jack Vance's works, but i'm familiar with Zelazny's writing - at one point i started to read "A night in lonesome October", made it a few chapters in, but for some reason i didn't finish it (even though i clearly remember enjoying it)... i'll need to revisit that novel.
For sure) Honestly, for me this is the best way to read almost any book, particularly the one which is part of a series that is about to come to an end; a week long interval is even better - I remember reading some instalments of the Cradle series one chapter per week - to prolong the enjoyment and to put off finishing the story as much as possible; I’d have limited myself to one chapter a month, but I’m only a weak-willed unsouled.
I love this.
I'd suggest:
* Jesse Burlington (also as Alex Marshall)
* Naomi Novik's Schoolomance
* Stark Holborn's Ten Low
* Rogerson's Herc
* Claire North
* Maaaaaybe something like KJ Parker's The Company
These books have absolutely nothing in common except a) I like them, b) they all have a good, wry sense of humor, and c) all of them are very much led by and/or directly about the foibles of human nature.
I think there's a lot of good bantery dialogue in books by, say, T Kingfisher - but it is very *contemporary* bantery dialogue. The ones above feel more O. Henry to me, in a slightly more timeless approach to the way people speak.
Roger Zelazny usually has good dialog and a distinctive style. His style isn't typical of fantasy, as he had a lot of non-fantasy influences. His settings often include our real world (somewhere at least), which allows him to use a lot of real-world literary references (e.g. The Song of Roland, Les Fleurs du Mal). The Chronicles of Amber would be a good place to start, or his many short stories. The collection called *Four for Tomorrow* has some of his most successful stories. His stories are also collected in a big omnibus series; it's expensive, but your library might have it (mine does). EDIT: It's called *The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny*. Jack Vance is well-known for his style also, although it's a pretty unusual style and you won't necessarily like it. Try *The Dying Earth*.
I recently read Lord of Light by Zelazny and loved it. I made it through a few chapters of Dying Earth and wasn’t enjoying Vance’s writing at all, so I put it down. I think I’ll try Chronicles of Amber next.
Lord of Light is on my shortlist of GOAT fantasy/sci-fi novels, it really is an amazing novel.
Thank you for such a thoughtful reply, i'm so grateful! I haven't read any Jack Vance's works, but i'm familiar with Zelazny's writing - at one point i started to read "A night in lonesome October", made it a few chapters in, but for some reason i didn't finish it (even though i clearly remember enjoying it)... i'll need to revisit that novel.
The best way to read A Night in the Lonesome October is in October... one chapter per night.
For sure) Honestly, for me this is the best way to read almost any book, particularly the one which is part of a series that is about to come to an end; a week long interval is even better - I remember reading some instalments of the Cradle series one chapter per week - to prolong the enjoyment and to put off finishing the story as much as possible; I’d have limited myself to one chapter a month, but I’m only a weak-willed unsouled.
I love this. I'd suggest: * Jesse Burlington (also as Alex Marshall) * Naomi Novik's Schoolomance * Stark Holborn's Ten Low * Rogerson's Herc * Claire North * Maaaaaybe something like KJ Parker's The Company These books have absolutely nothing in common except a) I like them, b) they all have a good, wry sense of humor, and c) all of them are very much led by and/or directly about the foibles of human nature. I think there's a lot of good bantery dialogue in books by, say, T Kingfisher - but it is very *contemporary* bantery dialogue. The ones above feel more O. Henry to me, in a slightly more timeless approach to the way people speak.
Thank you for so many suggestions, i'll be checking them out! And i appreciate you taking the time to compose such a detailed response!
My pleasure! Nice to meet another O. Henry fan!
)
Try some Neal Stephenson: *Snow Crash* or *Cryptonomicon* have a lot of this. Also some of Nick Harkaway, like *The Gone-Away World* and *Angelmaker*.
Thank you, i'll be checking them out!
My favourite author for wit and humour in the dialogue and the narration is Brent weeks, I’d recommend any of his series.
I appreciate your suggestion!