Would you recommend The Symphony of Ages series?

I'm browsing around for fantasy books (preferably without elfs, dwarfs, dragons) and found some good ones. Yes, Raven, I know of Strange! I'm in the middle of The Second Sons Trilogy, but found this on Amazon. Is it recommended?

There is what looks like a cheap boxed set edition of the first three books too.

The Symphony of Ages
Rhapsody : Child of Blood, 2000
Prophecy: Child of Earth, 2001
Destiny : Child of the Sky, 2002
Requiem for the Sun, 2003
Elegy for a Lost Star, 2004

How long is this series going on for? There's already 5 books. It seems to have a unique way of eptomology that doesn't look easy to read . . .

 

Sorry---how about The Boreal Moon Tale 1: Conqueror's Moon too?

 

It?s pretty second rate. The main character is a major Mary Sue. Actually, most of the characters in the story are seriously overpowered. The wordsmithing isn't bad for the most part, but it's nothing impressive either. I?ve read the first three books, which are reasonably self-contained, but never bothered reading the short story in Legends II (even though I have Legends II) and I never bothered with the second trilogy. It?s not terrible, but neither is it all that good.

 

Apart from the lady on the cover looking a lot like that one from Pirates of the Caribbean, I think there fantasy heroes come in two forms: over powered, or underpowered. You just can't win; but I want to read more fantasy, so I might as well take a swim somewhere, even if this one has . . . dragons.

 

Have you read anything by the following authors?

Guy Gavriel Kay
Robin Hobb (If you liked the Second Sons trilogy, you should probably like Hobb ? the Second Sons trilogy is to her work what Shannara is to Lord of the Rings)
R. Scott Bakker
Stephen Erikson
China Miéville
Jaqueline Carey (though if you don?t like sex much, stick to her new Banewrecker rather than the Kushiel books)

Also, the Fables comic.

I?d read them all before reading the Rhapsody books.

 

I've heard of the Kushiel trilogy. Sadistic copulation and French diction isn't my forte.

Robin Hobb . . . I just can't. With names like FitzChivalry Farseer, it's quirking my mouth into a . Her storylines don't seduce me either.

The others I'll look into.

 

I've only read the first two books, and that was when they first came out, so probably closing on five years ago now. The first I really enjoyed when it came out. Don't remember how much I enjoyed the second, but don't recall being tempted to put it down.

As far as the Legends II novella, I haven't really had time to delve into Legends II, having only read part of Martin's entry, but I've actually heard more than once that Haydon's is the strongest piece in the book.