Best 'Barbarian' Fantasy.

I'd like some suggestions for 'quality' Barbarian based fantasy. I know theres alot of out there. Anthologies as well as novels would be welcome.

Obviously I've read a bunch of Conan (and Pastiches), also 'Brak' by John Jakes I already know about.

Thanks

While he's a Virginia gentleman on Earth, John Carter is a warrior on Mars in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series. Great fun. There's a new movie featuring his character coming out soon.

While it may not be "quality" barbarian fantasy, the Richard Blade series by Jeffrey Lord (a pen name for whom I forget) is some good trashy fun. Secret agent, hops into a portal to another world, sexes up the local barbarian women and fights off the evil doers with his sword. It makes up for in quantity what it lacks in quality.

More towards the quality end is The Misplaced Legion and Krispos of Videssos series by Harry Turtledove. Both series set in the same world, hundreds of years apart.

I was going to mention the first quarter of Erikson's House of Chains, with the caveat that it belongs to, begins in the middle of, and is not entirely representative of, a much longer series. But it looks like you've already read that one?

The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie.

The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett (and every other Discworld book featuring Cohen and the Silver Horde).

2 jnwelch

I have read pretty much all of the John Carter Edgar Rice Burroughs stuff as a kid, It's really more Sword and Planet than I'm looking for ;-)

4 saltmanz

House of Chains is on my list to read when I finally attempt the Erikson. I have the 1st 9 books, can't face starting into it :-)

3 tottman

Richard Blade? I'll have a look.

I've heard good things about those Turtledove series, but then he is the man who delivered what reputation says is the worst Conan pastiche novel ever Conan of Venarium

5 Octane

I have the 1st Abercrombie book, but I've heard very mixed reports about it. I'll get to it at some point.

I'm less of a fan of Humorous fantasy, so Pratchett really isn't a good option for me. I read about the first 8 Discworld novels years ago.

Keep em coming..perhaps some more 'traditional/old school' Barbarian fantasy..

Fritz Leiber's series on Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser -- Swords and Deviltry, Swords in the Mist, etc. Great fun!

Also C.L. Moore's Jirel of Joiry books....

I'm wondering if the Gor series (or Counter-Earth, whichever), starting with Tarnsman of Gor fits. But then, I've only ever read the back cover, so I'm not the best judge on that.

Other than those stories by REH (Conan, etc.) my favorites not in any particular order:

Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion cycle - particular the Elric, Hawkmoon (not strictly barbarian), Corum and Erekose incarnations.
Karl Edgar Wagner's Kane series - some of the best
John Jake's Brak the Barbarian series (think you mentioned that and I liked them)
Lin Carter's Thongor series - not particularly good but it has it's moments
Robert Jordan's Conan stories are worth reading

A few classics by H. Warner Munn, Paul Anderson, Talbot Mundy and there's a few others but they're obscure and can't think of them right off my head.

7 rshart3

I picked up all the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser books, and they're stacked up ready to read.

I read C. L. Moores Complete Northwest of Earth earlier in the year and enjoyed that, it had a Jirel of Joiry crossover story.

8 Aldrea_Alien

Probably best to not read more than the back cover ;-) Very heavy on submissive slave girls..

9 johnnyapollo

I've read the entire Eternal Champion saga barring the last Elric Trilogy

I have some Wagner books, certainly his Conan pastiche Road of the Kings was among the best. I'll rummage around and see If I can find the Kane stories.

Brak, I've read a few of them years back.

Thongor, is definitely on my list.

The one Robert Jordan Conan that I read was a bit duff, but I have more, so I'm sure I'll get back to them.

I'm trying to spread out my Conan reading between the different pastiche writers at the minute. Currently I'm reading Conan the Swordsman by De Camp, Lin Carter, and Nyberg.

If you've read all the Conan stories, try the Kull stories as well. Another of Howard's great creations.

As others have mentioned, Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy has several barbarian type characters.

I just finished reading Legend by David Gemmell and one of the main characters, Druss the Legend, is exactly what you're looking for.

Druss ... duh! Been staring at my books for ages I never even thought of Gemmell's novels!

I must be in need of more sleep. -_-

11 JoshuaPSimon

Yah, read the Druss books years back. Gemmell always seemed more succesful in the U.K. when I lived there than he did in the USA.

Morgan Howell's Queen of the Orcs trilogy, starting with King's Property, has a definite element of "barbarianism" to it, but with a more sophisticated treatment of what it means to "be human," based upon Howell's much different depiction of Orcs. In contrast with John Norman's "submissive slave girls," Dar is very unsubmissive in Howell's series.

Although actually post-apocalyptic, Piers Anthony's Battle Circle trilogy has some of the fighting, etc that is very reminiscent of barbarian novels - more the flavor/feel than expected. There's also the Horseclans novels by Robert Adams and the couple of Barbarians novels by same.

15 johnnyapollo

Yes Battle Circle is a surprisingly good read for a Piers Anthony series. Written early in his career. Horseclans for some reason has never attracted me. I picked up the Barbarians II anthology a little while ago, still have to find a copy of Barbarians

For my money The First Law is where it is at. My fav books of all times.

how about silverglass by R.V Rivkin

Don't have much time for games. Need all my time for Fiction.

I watched Dave the Barbarian in high school, but I'm a cartoon junkie. ^^

Matthew Stover's Iron Dawn and Jericho Moon are quality, and as an added plus, feature a female barbarian.

>22 Billy_Wong: -- I also enjoyed those "Barra the Barbarian" books

Try the novel by Tecoa Washington. It is called "Medieval Bedazzle." This is a first time author but she wrote a good story and I hear she is coming out with a barbarian novel in 2014. Medieval Bedazzle is a mixture of battles as well as a storyline about King Richard III. I found the aboriginal in her novel highly interesting.