New fantasy series worth trying...

[Ian Sales]

I'll admit here and now that I read more sf than fantasy. And when some of my favourite sf novelists write fantasy, I'll happily read it. But there's a vast amount of heartland fantasy out there, and I find it hard to distinguish the good stuff. Now, I've read the big ones - Wheel of Time and A Song of Ice and Fire - and tried one or two from some of the other popular series - Malazan Book of the Fallen, Terry Goodkind, Perdido Street Station, Amber, Viriconium... And even some of the less popular ones - RA MacAvoy, Ricardo Pinto...

But.

If I were try something more recent, what should I choose? What would you recommend?

[Chaz Brenchley]

Daniel Abraham's work is ... meticulous. Highly recommended.

[Kari Sperring]

I'm now reading Sharon Shinn's new YA series -- The Safe-Keeper's Secret, The Truth-Teller's Tale and The Dream Maker's Magic (the latter isn't yet out, though). Very thoughtful, well-described world, with strong characters and plots. I'd recommend them to anyone who likes writers like Shannon Hale or Cassandra Clare.

[Steve J]

I've just started The Iron Angel by Alan Campbell, which is a sequel to his first novel, Scar Night. It is deeply weird and very dark. Certainly darker than I remember the first book, which suffered from being overwritten and lazily edited, but had some wonderfully evocative images. (I suspect the overwriting at least is typical of 'first book syndrome', witness Liz Hand's gloriously flawed Winterlong.) This one reads like Campbell has immersed himself in the New Weird in the meantime, especially Mieville's Bas Lag novels and perhaps Steph Swainston's 'Fourlands' novels.
Oh, and it's got killer angels and deranged gods in it. And a city hanging in chains over an abyss. What's not to like?