Currently I am halfway through Cavern of Black Ice and I have to say it is the absolute best fantasy writing I have seen in the genre. Descriptive but not boringly so. The characters really make you care about them. I'm looking forward to finishing the series. Does anyone have any suggestions on dark fantasy aside from J.V. Jones? I picked up Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen book 1 and it is VERY hard to get into.

The first book was fairly tedious for me, especially with Ash in the castle and
Aside from the fact I was near yelling at the books about what a snake Mace
was and how everyone couldn't see it peeved me off. But overall
A thoroughly enjoyable series which I still would suggest to read.

Great Series. Read each book back to back and cant wait for the 5th book. J.V.'s created a brutal unforgiving world where you can't get to attached to certain characters. I will say the the first half of the first book was a bit hard to get through but after that things develope nicely and move along at a good pace.

Loved the series so far! actually read it thrice. Did have a slow spot with Ash in the first book but smooth sailing after that. Waiting for the next book is a big downer though. still all in all worth reading and one of my favourites. congrats!

Who would win in a fight: sull or elves(Lord of the Rings)

Also, the U.s. army has about 1.5 million marines, excluding the rangers and delta force and SEALs. Can they defeat the Unmade army?

My feelings about the series are mixed. I made it all the way to the middle of the third book before giving up.

The characterization is very good. The setting feels real with a harsh, cold land shaping fiercely competitive, tightly bound groups of hard-bitten warriors.

On the other hand the repetition and obsessive descriptions rival anything Jordan can throw at you, there is a distinct dearth of dialogue and most of the characters aren't doing much besides traveling.

Overall I'd recommend picking up "A Cavern of Black Ice" and seeing for yourself if it appeals. Just bear in mind that the series doesn't change drastically down the line when deciding whether to continue.

When can we expect this book?

I just finished the first one in this series, and am very impressed with the depth conveyed in the hearts of these characters. It took a bit to enter this world, but I am hooked. I've heard there are five of these, and wonder how people feel about all five?
The story is brutal, but so is our world...each character is a fully mixed bag and we can end up relating to all of it.
If you love fantasy epics, this is a good one!!

I have read the first 2 books of the Sword of Shadows series and The Baker's Boy; I am now working on A Man Betrayed. I know it's strange to read the books in such a fashion but the contrast between the two series is interesting. Although The Book of Words is not bad, the quality of the writing and characterization in Sword of Shadows is markedly improved over its predecessor. If I'm being honest with myself, the Book of Words series might not even be worth reading if not for the character of the disposessed knight, Tawl, who is one of the most engaging and sympathetic characters I've come across in fantasy fiction. Also I have to credit the fact that Jack and Melli's plotline is not the predictable love story you might expect. The Sword of Shadows books also have an incredibly strong sense of place; the wildnerness environments as well as the dangerous cities are described so vividly they seem to surround you.
Yes, the Blackhail clan is a pack of fools in how they react to Mace Blackhail's ascenscion (even when they realize their mistake they can't admit to it) but I saw this as a commentary about clan societal attitudes, something Raif becomes more and more cynical about as the story progresses. Also, I have seen similar, though of course not identical, events take place in real life, so such behavior, though infuriating, is not unbelievable.

The writing style was fine for me, better than most fantasy writers. I appreciate that. But I really didn't feel like the 400 or so pages told 400 pages worth of story. I felt very knowledgeable, in the end, about how to stay warm in the cold. But aside from that, not enough history, not enough plot advancement, and the characters were fairly bland. I've heard the rest of the series is similarly painful -- long descriptions of being cold, and not much happening.

just could not get into this series after forcing myself to read about 400 pages of the 1st book. i'm not saying it's horrible, the writing was decent (except for the pseudo-scottish accents that seemed to come and go without reason) but the human interactions among the clansman were preposterous. so many people had to act so stupidly for mace blackhail to become chief that it really bugged me. as i read, i found myself thinking, "these characters would not react like this, they just aren't that gullible and stupid." but they did and i couldn't take it. the characters were OK. i wasn't attached to or impressed by any of them- they were all a bit blah. oh well. there's plenty of other good stuff out there.

This series is amazing, the world is very realistic for a fantasy book, and the characters are simply superb.
I recommend it if your looking for mature, gritty fantasy with realistic characters and a original world.

There are going to be at least 5 books in the series.

Don't start them if you don't want to wait. The 4th book just came out in 2010.

Great Series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a great series. The plot is pretty interesting, but the depth of the characters is amazing. You truly feel for them. A little different than the generic fantasy, but you won't be disappointed.