SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

i'm looking for fantasy novels that have a lot of magic in a lot of detail. i've read the sword of truth series and the main character defiantly doesn't want to learn magic. lord of the rings doesn't get into it. harry potter has some details, but it would be great if the main characters were experts in magic. they're all good novels, but i'm just in the mood for lots of magic wielded characters who know what they're doing. a long series of books would be ideal. any suggestions???

Wheel of time, the Amtrak Wars series or the Renshai series:

The Shadow Rising

First Family

The Last of the Renshai

May not be the first books, but there are several in each of these series. The shortest is the Amtrak War series, with only give books. Renshai is at least 6 books, and Wheel of Time is twelve at last count.

Try the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson.

Try The Belgariad series by David Eddings

Sorcery and Cecelia, The Grand Tour, and The Mislaid Magician. Not epic-type fantasy, but interesting nonetheless. (IMO anyway.)

There are some Mercedes Lackey books that might qualify. (I'm mainly thinking of the Vows and Honor duology, but you could also make an argument for the Last Herald-Mage trilogy and definitely for the Mage Wars trilogy. Also, now that I think about it, there's her SERRAted Edge series and the one that starts with Knight of Ghosts and Shadows.)

Epic fantasy has never really been my thing, so sorry if these aren't what you're looking for. I hope you find it. :)

What about Harry Dresden? In Storm Front he doesn't know as much as we will by his most recent, Changes #12, but he knows quite a lot.

Thank you all for your advice. This site is exactly what I've
Been looking for.

Under Listopia there is a listing of books with the "Most Interesting Magic System" that include some you mentioned, like the Harry Potter series, but also lists several books I had never heard of.

I'll second Mistborn and the Dresden Files.

Another possible suggestion would be The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. Magic is extremely prevalent in this series with many high-powered characters. There's been nine books so far out of a planned ten, and I believe there's several side books planned as well. Personally, I gave up on the series as I didn't care for it anymore, but there are certainly plenty who do enjoy it.

For sheer quantities of magic I would say Andre Norton and Patricia McKillip. I just read The Bell at Sealey Head by McKillip and it was an excellent introduction to her books. I'm a big fan of most of them, especially Solstice Wood, her semi-urban fantasy. With Andre Norton the thing to go for is Witch World novels, but it is hard to tell which ones they are unless you know and most will be available only used. One of the newer, more easily available ones is Silver May Tarnish, which is very good. If you are up for used, I'd say Year of the Unicorn or Gryphon's Eyrie would be great choices.

While I love Patricia McKillip to the depths of my soul, she doesn't sound like a good fit for what Dan described. There is tons of magic, but it's very fairytale and dreamlike -- it just exists and imbues the world, there's absolutely nothing about the mechanics of it. And most of the characters don't use magic themselves (there are a couple of exceptions, I know) but rather are at its whim. Magic in McKillip novels feels much more like a force of nature that no one really understands, rather than something that plays by rules that are understood by the characters and that can thus be manipulated. There's no detail on how spells are cast or why they work or who can do what. . . it's just there woven through everything.

I would agree, The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson really gets into the nitty-gritty of the magic system.

The Chrestomanci Chronicles are my favorite magic series, and out of them, I think The Magicians of Caprona is most centered around magic. It's really easy to get into as well. The Circle of Magic by Tamara Pierce also has a lot of magic.

Barbara Hambly has two trilogies, well written and lots of magic.

The Windrose Trilogy:
The Silent Tower


The Silicon Mage
Dog Wizard

Sunwolf and Starhawk Series

The Ladies of Mandrigyn
The Witches of Wenshar
The Dark Hand of Magic

(Recent revies of these last three can be found on my books page)

I just realized that I forgot to mention A College of Magics. It's a Ruritanian adventure where the magical system of the world is important to the story.