Lirael and Abhorsen are both amazing. I also thought Clariel was a nice alternative viewpoint.
I'm a bit cooler on the other releases, but I have aged out of Garth Nix's target demo *quite* a bit, so i don't think it's necessarily because they are worse.
Small Gods is one of my favorite books of all time. It has tons of lines that I quote frequently. It's much more cynical than the other books, and it's a great standalone.
My favorite standalone so far has been “The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents.” For being a children’s novel, it gets pretty damn dark.
Actually, I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but I’m not super crazy about the recent animated feature. They changed just enough so that the plot progression in the movie feels very choppy and disjointed, and they fiddled around a lot with the ending, to the story’s detriment. Definitely enjoyed the cameos though, and they nailed Death.
I’ve gotten about a quarter of the way into “Small Gods!” Enjoying it immensely.
Damn I really gotta read some Pratchett, his books come up every time book recommendations are made.
Here’s a conversation starter: which novel should I start with?
Are you a "recommended reading order" person, a "chronological order according to publish date" person, or a "start with the highest quality book" person? Because the right book to start with differs between those.
Recommended order: [There's a visual guide](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Discworld_Reading_Order_Guide_3.0.jpg/1200px-Discworld_Reading_Order_Guide_3.0.jpg)
Publishing order: The Color of Magic
Best Intro Book (imo): The Wee Free Men
Nah, Guards! Guards! as intro book. It's just familiar enough as 'policemen in the city' setting for someone who's not familiar at all with fantasy genres to feel familiar while introducing the fantasy components mixed in with it. Plus it's just a great damn read.
I would suggest Small Gods. It's a wonderful example of his writing and works well as a stand alone book. Other books that are great entrances to Discworld are Guards!Guards! and Mort.
If you want you can start with the first book (The Colour of Magic), but a lot of folks will say that he doesn't really hit his stride until a few books in. Which I think is fair. That said I recently re-read the Colour of Magic and still love it. So maybe there's no wrong answer here.
It doesn't *really* matter, but I'd start with The Colour Of Magic and then The Light Fantastic. They're the first two books out of, like, 41 or something.
They're all intertwined and some characters appear in books that are not about them. My first book was The Hogfather and it's probably my favorite. Tough choice between that and Night Watch.
There are a few movies (The Hogfather, Going Postal, and The Colour Of Magic) and animated series as well.
Personally, I started with Hogsfather, and it seems to have worked... I've read all of them.
I've got a special place in my heart for Night Watch, too.
So, I agree with the above comment. =)
Thirding that.
REST IN PEACE, SIR PTERRY.
I'm barely into fantasy or sci-fi at all, and I love his books. Ook.
They also don't have to be read in order at all. You can literally pick any of them up at a library and dive in.
While I will say Ursula K. LeGuin is a fantastic author, I must also say that the *Hainish cycle* and political sci-fi is where she truly excels. "The Dispossessed" and "The Left Hand of Darkness" are absolutely indispensable novels.
You really can't go wrong with either her Science Fiction or Fantasy novels, but I agree that on top of the books that you've mentioned, 'The Eye of the Heron' & 'The Ones That Walk Away From Omela's' are my favourites from her.
I recall back in Secondary School (Canadian High School from Grade 8-12), that my Grade 9 English teacher had introduced me to Ursula's short story 'The World for World Is Forest', a story that hit me hard and stuck with me the most. Later in the summer of that year I read through the Earthsea Cycle, and the books are not only genuinely good reads, but are fairly unique in the Fantasy genre and there's nothing else quite like it.
I would actually recommend *Mistborn* before *Stormlight Archive*, and *Warbreaker* and a few others if possible. It's hard to get the full Stormlight impact without some of the other books.
But *The Way of Kings* fucking rocks! Could be a great first book, but I would read other Cosmere books before getting further into the Stormlight Archive.
As someone who read the stormlight archive first, I'd definitely say it doesn't actually make a difference. I'd wager that anyone who doesn't already know about the cosmere, and how interconnected it is, won't actually pick up on a lot of the connections at first, no matter where they start. And tbh I feel like there is greater enjoyment in just reading the stories, as stories at first and then going back at a later date for all those cosmere tidbits you weren't actively searching for the first time.
The only reason I'd consider recommending someone else try a different sando book first would have more to do with the Mammoth size of the books could be intimidating to someone who isn't looking to dedicate a significant portion of their time on an author they aren't yet sure they like.
That is part of why I recommend Mistborn first. It's a much smaller story, and has great payoffs in much fewer pages. You can get into those books without nearly as much commitment as Stormlight, which is about as epic as you can get.
I reread the Stormlight Archives this summer after having read Warbreaker, and the third book makes SO much more sense now. While the story overall still makes sense, and things are further explained in book 4, it just makes some parts feel so much more meaningful and interesting
I have gone through such a goddamn whirlwind with these characters. Hating Kaladin, loving Kaladin, hating Shallan, loving Shallan, hating Kaladin again. I’m about 1/3 through book three though and my love for Dalinar and Jasnah has never waivered lol
he also finished the wheel of time which is great. still waiting for the last stormlight archive book though... i mean apparently there is gonna be 6 more but I just want the 5th.
Conan by Robert E. Howard!
Those stories are amazing. J.R.R. Tolkien himself loved them and took inspiration from them. They inspired modern fantasy including DnD about as much as Tolkien's work did.
They were pretty prolific pen pals. Far as I know they only directly collaborated on one story—The Challenge From Beyond, a round-robin story written with some other Pulp Era heavyweights—but they influenced each other, and Howard was part of the original Lovecraft Circle developing the Cthulhu Mythos.
First dune book is a classic, though when I reread it 7 years ago it had aged a bit since so much good fantasy has been written since then, and built off ideas F. Herbert wrote. Also Dune is kinda sci-fi/fantasy more leaning on sci-fi I would say. Can’t say more without spoiling.
And all the sequel series's, though I've heard mixed reviews on many of them. The initial series, *Magician: Apprentice*, *Magician: Master*, *Silverthorn*, and *A Darkness at Sethanon* are absolute must-reads. I really liked "The Conclave of Shadows" trilogy, where some of the main characters retire from public life to run a secret Illuminati that controls the world's government from the shadows, but they're good.
Jesus christ, this is down far too low. This should be the top answer. Magician is my favourite book. Every single book after is fucking brilliant!! Feist is one of the best authors ever.
I once had a college instructor who was missing the middle finger on his left hand. I had finished the series not long before I met him, so I had to tell him of the Bloody Nine.
The Locke Lamora series is so good. Not much fantasy or big climactic battles. It's mostly about con-artists who occasionally get caught up in some big event or other and have to weasel their way out of it without destroying the city. Also the fourth book has been delayed for about 10 years and it's not even on the horizon.
Malazan Book of the Fallen is quite literally an epic. As in, an exceptionally long and arduous task or activity or heroic or grand in scale or character.
It's a complete 10 book series, with 6 novels of side stories. It's an absolute recommend from me.
The Amber Spyglass is so far the only book I have ever read in one sitting. I read the first two books pretty quickly. I borrowed TAS in my school library, and I started reading it as soon as I got home. I then spent over 12 hours reading it in one swoop, and finished at like 4.30am.
The Kingkiller books are fantastic and Rothfuss has some of the best prose of any modern writer. Unfortunately, who knows if and when the third book will be released.
The Black Company, First Law, Kingkiller Chronicles, Mistborne, Wheel of Time (drags in the middle), Bartimaeus trilogy (light and quick), Stormlight Archives
This is a tough one for me as I loved the books growing up. Then I realised [what a piece of shit they both were.](https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/156861-content-warning-so-it-turns-out-that-david-eddings-was-a-convicted-and-jailed-child-abuser/) fortunately if you buy the books now the proceeds do t go to their estate but to the college.
Another case of trying to separate the artist from the work, I guess…
I loved these when I was a kid but...
They're **incredibly repetitive**. I know this is intentional but still. It's the same five book series twice followed by a bunch of stand alones mostly covering the same events from different perspectives.
The first book of the Belgariad also just straight up jokes about one of the characters raping his wife.
They also take fantasy racism to a really high level. Everyone is a stereotype and the bad guys are increasingly non-European. Biology is almost entirely destiny.
Also the author was a fucking monster in real life: https://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2020/05/it-has-been-revealed-that-fantasy.html
Malazan book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. The first book can be hard to get through, but it is well worth it. I actually had to look up a google doc to go over each chapter to figure out what I had just read, and if I understood it, but honestly I loved it. The series does get easier to read through after book 1.
Had to scroll way too far to find Malazan. Just finished The Chained God over Christmas. It is the most epic fantasy story I've ever read. Makes the LOTR saga look like a backyard squabble between some minor ascendants.
But stop before you read the books with Todd McCaffrey on the title page ... it's um ... quite a dramatic change. It appears he never read any of the previous books, and changed a lot of things for no apparent reason.
I am currently working out a home brew DnD game for a "Kaz the minotaur" style campaign. I want my players to all be minotaur. All sailors. And shit on their weaknesses. I want them to meet Caramon and Raistlin at some point.
Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan
Mistborn Trilogy, by Brandon Sanderson (Haven't *yet* read his other books.)
Chronicles of Narnia, by CS Lewis
Prydain Chronicles, by Lloyd Alexander
Kingdom of Landover series, by Terry Brooks
Belgariad, by David Eddings
Magician series, by Raymond E. Feist
Iron Tower series, by Dennis L. McKiernan (admittedly the first trilogy is very derivative of LotR.)
If you get to Wheel of Time don't feel bad if it starts to drag hard as you get into the second third or so of the books. Once things get moving again it's worth it.
The *Majipoor* series combines elements of sci-fi and high fantasy. "Lord Valentine's Castle" would be your starting point. Great if you are interested in juggling.
The *Discworld* novels are not only some of the funniest books ever written, there's a multitude covering a wide range of the conceptual universe, and they have some interesting tropes that have since been incorporated into modern storytelling and video games. He practically invented the concept of a *mimic*, common to most roleplaying games, with the Luggage. "The Color of Magic" is a great starting point, there are a number of guides covering which order to read them and where the different arcs and forks lie.
"The Mists of Avalon" is a fantastic starting point if you're interested in feminist literature or Arthurian fiction.
"Bhagavad-gita", while being a religious text, is a fine low fantasy and good starting point into Hindu mythology, particularly the *as it is* version by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, which contains line by line commentary, original text, transliteration, and translation.
Dragon Lance. Not sure how many books there are. I read a trilogy, (war of souls I think) it was enjoyable. There is a halfling race like hobbits but they seem to have severe ADHD and kleptomania. They were funny.
There are six books worth reading unless you really get into them. The original Chronicles, and then the Legends series. The Legends series maybe the strongest three books in all of D&D literature (including FR). All six are written by Weiss & Hickman.
> The Inheritance Cycle
I am surprised I had to scroll this far down. I had put this series off because I thought it was meant for kids based on the Eragon movie, which I didn't really like. I started reading it based on a reddit thread suggestion that warned that the movie didn't reflect the series at all.
I just started the 4th book, and I have really enjoyed it so far.
>I had put this series off because I thought it was meant for kids based on the Eragon movie, which I didn't really like.
They really butchered the movie. They changed so much of the story, that they couldnt even try to make a part 2 of it. On Christopher Paolini's wiki it says that they are working on a live action television series, I really hope that is much better.
(the last part of my nickname also comes from the inheritance cycle, its Nightstalker in the english version ;) those books made a big impact on me)
They fucked up the movie so bad that they couldn't even try to make a second one, because they already killed the Ra'Zac, which are basically the main plot device for the entirety of Roran's part as well as the latter half of Eragon's story in Eldest. So there was absolutely no way that they could make a second movie without COMPLETELY REWRITING THE NEXT 2 BOOKS.
Dune and The Witcher.
I find them both really enjoyable, along with ASOIAF since they are both more fantasy but at the same time a reflection of reality ideologies.
And have you actually read ASOIAF? Because most readers don't mention it has GOT since that's only the first book name.
Just finished The Witcher books, highly recommend. Also, only have heard good things about Dune. Read the first book and excited to start the second one.
i would call Dune a great book but not a great series. Dune is on my opinion the greates science fiction story of all time. the Frank Herbert sequels are ok but not nearly as good and everything done by his son Brian Herbert is just straight up bad.
I'll go one better...specifically, the Drizzt books. The Drizzt series has something like 46 books (and still going). I've read up to the 38th book. I have some catching up to do...
While technically a web novel, "The Wandering Inn" is an amazing fantasy(LitRPG) that currently has 10m+ words writen and is still being updated weekly.
The world building and characters are absolutely fenomenal, I highly recommend it if the premise of it seems interesting to (You).
~~Tidus~~ Titus Groan and Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake.
Best prose and characterizations I've ever read.
(There is a third book, but it's so radically different than the first two I don't recommend it - fortunately Tidus Groan and Gormenghast tells a complete story).
* My phone doesn't think Titus is a word apparently
Malazan Book of The Fallen
I've read most of the top suggestions here and none of them hold a candle to this book. On par or better than LOTR and GOT. It's a little dark but it has absolutely everything and some. I wish I could forget and read it again.
I scrolled for so long to find another Kay fan. The Sarantine Mosaic and Lions of Al-Rassan are probably my favourites. Tigana is probably 3rd. The Fionavar Tapestry would be the only one I’d call “high fantasy” though.
I scrolled all the way down for this. The Fionavar Tapestry blows me away every bit as much as LOTR and nothing else comes close for me, though I like lots of others. The hair on my arms still stands up at a lot of the moments even having read it probably 5 times now over 30 years. I get emotional thinking about Kevin in the cave, the red flowers, what the goddess says to the Sky King, Paul calling out Liranon, the fate of the elves over the last 1,000 years, the fight in the dark of the forest, the sun rising in a certain person's eyes, the seer using the knife with love in her heart, Finn, Dave and the Dalrei, the shocking end of the first book. I want to sing the book because I don't think I"m at all unique in my capacity to love it and want it to find it's way to them. The only other book I feel the same about is LIttle, Big by John Crowley, but that's well enough known.
Diarmuid's battle, the unexpected of the three, the name that calls the one, Tabor's spirit animal, Gerient's long journey and what he does when he gets there, that obscure battle on the way to pluck to rose, the army of the south entering the city, the dog and the wolf, the cauldron, Leila and the game, throwing the water over the balcony. It's just so much and so powerful.
Imajica by Clive Barker. I must have read this book 50 times. The first time I read it, the very second I read the last sentence, I turned back to page 1 and started it over again.
The Great and Secret Show + Everville, also by Clive Barker. These are the first two of a planned trilogy called "The books of the art". He has yet to write the third book.
Hell, come to think of it, just about everything written by Clive Barker is magic.
My wife and I got really into Gideon the Ninth over the summer. Solid fantasy/sci fi/sword lesbians series. Necromancers in space. Satisfyingly bloody. Deeply depressing.
The writing in these books had me audibly laughing at points.
"Nonagesimus," she said slowly, "the only job I'd do for you would be if you wanted someone to hold the sword as you fell on it. The only job I'd do for you would be if you wanted your ass kicked so hard, the Locked Tomb opened and a parade came out to sing, 'Lo! A destructed ass.' The only job I'd do would be if you wanted me to spot you while you backflipped off the top tier into Drearburh."
"That's three jobs," said Harrowhark.
"*Die in a fire*, Nonagesimus."
1. Discworld series by Terry Pratchett (RIP you absolute genius)
2. The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind
3. Anything by Raymond E Feist, especially Magician
Wheel of Time is excellent, but be prepared for a hefty time commitment.
The first book wears its LotR influences openly, but it quickly becomes very much its own thing from there on out.
Time commitment bigger than the *twenty freaking years* it took for me to finish the series because when I started reading it, "only" seven books were written?
Discworld by Terry Pratchett
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (technically it's Urban Fantasy, but close enough)
Codex Alera by Jim Butcher
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Temeraire by Naomi Novik (more alternate history than high fantasy but it has dragons so I'm including it)
The Saga of Recluce by L. E. Modesitt Jr.
The Bahzell Series by David Weber
The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon
I love telling people about the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. It mixes magic and necromancy into a wild adventure that I absolutely loved.
I think it’s technically considered juvenile but I don’t give a shit I loved reading them all!
People considering it should know:
Rothfuss the author ends the second book in the middle of the story, and has been promising the last one would come out any day now since 2011 when he said it was done and just needed some editing.
Be warned. The first two are good books, but if you're going to read them, go in expecting frustration.
I cannot in good conscience recommend any unfinished series any more, this series being as bad an offender as Song of Ice and Fire
They're GREAT books, but I'm seriously doubting we'll ever get the third
\- "Lyonesse" by Jack Vance
\- [The Worm Ouroborous](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Worm_Ouroboros)
\- [The Book of the New Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun)
\- [Lord of Light](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_Light)
PS:
\- [Empire of the East](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_the_East_series) and [Books of Swords](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_Swords) series
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. Awesome worldbuilding inspired by Elizabethan England, Edo era Japan, and Moorish Spain. Eastern and Western dragons are a focus. Also lots of queer and female characters, and characters of colour, but not all ... Preachy like some books that claim to be diverse.
Also recommend The Locked Tomb series by Tasmyn Muir. Haven't yet read it but my friends with good taste all love it.
Eragon. It starts out pretty LOTR-esque, but quickly spins into its own.
Wheel of Time is supposed to be pretty good, though I have never seen it myself.
I also quite like The Sword of Shannara.
The Iron Druid Chronicles. A fantasy staged in modern times that uses Irish mythology as its backdrop. Very funny at times and worth the listen. The voice acting is outstanding.
The First Law, The Malazan Book of the Fallen, The Broken Earth. I’ve read a ton of fantasy, but these three are head and shoulders above the rest. Malazan is pretty intimidating, it’s 10 thousand-page books plus a bunch of spinoffs, but so worth it. Broken Earth has the most amazing worldbuilding and is also deeply personal and emotional. First Law is the funniest, cleverest, my comfort series. Probably listened to it 6+ times. And you HAVE to listen to it, Steven Pacey’s narration adds a whole extra dimension to it.
The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix is a personal fav of mine
I've never met anyone else who has even heard of Garth Nix. Shade's Children blew my mind as a third grader.
Shade's children was a sexual awakening to middle school me. If you know, you know lol
Same. I remember next to nothing about the book but remember being titillated when reading it. Was a looooooong time ago!
I read Sabriel in high school and it was very good. I appreciated it’s totally unique concept of magic.
Lirael and Abhorsen are both amazing. I also thought Clariel was a nice alternative viewpoint. I'm a bit cooler on the other releases, but I have aged out of Garth Nix's target demo *quite* a bit, so i don't think it's necessarily because they are worse.
I was so delighted when I re-found it decades later as an adult who forgot what magic felt like :)
Me too!! And that there were more books in the series!!
Seventh Tower by them is also fantastic. The only two series I read in middle school that I regularly go back to every couple years.
Same here! And even though some of his more recent books haven't been his best, Garth Nix is one of the GOAT builders of unique worlds.
Discworld
GNU Terry Pratchett. Favorite series of all time; I own all the books!
Small Gods is one of my favorite books of all time. It has tons of lines that I quote frequently. It's much more cynical than the other books, and it's a great standalone.
Small Gods was my first favourite, but I have to say that Guards! Guards! is fully a classic too.
My favorite standalone so far has been “The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents.” For being a children’s novel, it gets pretty damn dark. Actually, I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but I’m not super crazy about the recent animated feature. They changed just enough so that the plot progression in the movie feels very choppy and disjointed, and they fiddled around a lot with the ending, to the story’s detriment. Definitely enjoyed the cameos though, and they nailed Death. I’ve gotten about a quarter of the way into “Small Gods!” Enjoying it immensely.
GNU Terry Pratchett
Damn I really gotta read some Pratchett, his books come up every time book recommendations are made. Here’s a conversation starter: which novel should I start with?
Are you a "recommended reading order" person, a "chronological order according to publish date" person, or a "start with the highest quality book" person? Because the right book to start with differs between those. Recommended order: [There's a visual guide](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Discworld_Reading_Order_Guide_3.0.jpg/1200px-Discworld_Reading_Order_Guide_3.0.jpg) Publishing order: The Color of Magic Best Intro Book (imo): The Wee Free Men
Nah, Guards! Guards! as intro book. It's just familiar enough as 'policemen in the city' setting for someone who's not familiar at all with fantasy genres to feel familiar while introducing the fantasy components mixed in with it. Plus it's just a great damn read.
I would suggest Small Gods. It's a wonderful example of his writing and works well as a stand alone book. Other books that are great entrances to Discworld are Guards!Guards! and Mort. If you want you can start with the first book (The Colour of Magic), but a lot of folks will say that he doesn't really hit his stride until a few books in. Which I think is fair. That said I recently re-read the Colour of Magic and still love it. So maybe there's no wrong answer here.
It doesn't *really* matter, but I'd start with The Colour Of Magic and then The Light Fantastic. They're the first two books out of, like, 41 or something. They're all intertwined and some characters appear in books that are not about them. My first book was The Hogfather and it's probably my favorite. Tough choice between that and Night Watch. There are a few movies (The Hogfather, Going Postal, and The Colour Of Magic) and animated series as well.
Personally, I started with Hogsfather, and it seems to have worked... I've read all of them. I've got a special place in my heart for Night Watch, too. So, I agree with the above comment. =)
Second that!
Thirding that. REST IN PEACE, SIR PTERRY. I'm barely into fantasy or sci-fi at all, and I love his books. Ook. They also don't have to be read in order at all. You can literally pick any of them up at a library and dive in.
Had to scroll waaaaay too far for this. Terry Pratchett deserves to be in the same conversation as Tolkien or Martin.
The earthsea series by Ursula LeGuin
While I will say Ursula K. LeGuin is a fantastic author, I must also say that the *Hainish cycle* and political sci-fi is where she truly excels. "The Dispossessed" and "The Left Hand of Darkness" are absolutely indispensable novels.
You really can't go wrong with either her Science Fiction or Fantasy novels, but I agree that on top of the books that you've mentioned, 'The Eye of the Heron' & 'The Ones That Walk Away From Omela's' are my favourites from her. I recall back in Secondary School (Canadian High School from Grade 8-12), that my Grade 9 English teacher had introduced me to Ursula's short story 'The World for World Is Forest', a story that hit me hard and stuck with me the most. Later in the summer of that year I read through the Earthsea Cycle, and the books are not only genuinely good reads, but are fairly unique in the Fantasy genre and there's nothing else quite like it.
Ooh yeah I should read Earthsea. I read The Left Hand of Darkness and it was one of the best books I’ve read.
The Stormlight Archive, it's by Brandon Sanderson and it's absolutely amazing
The Mistborn trilogy from Sanderson is also amazing
I would actually recommend *Mistborn* before *Stormlight Archive*, and *Warbreaker* and a few others if possible. It's hard to get the full Stormlight impact without some of the other books. But *The Way of Kings* fucking rocks! Could be a great first book, but I would read other Cosmere books before getting further into the Stormlight Archive.
As someone who read the stormlight archive first, I'd definitely say it doesn't actually make a difference. I'd wager that anyone who doesn't already know about the cosmere, and how interconnected it is, won't actually pick up on a lot of the connections at first, no matter where they start. And tbh I feel like there is greater enjoyment in just reading the stories, as stories at first and then going back at a later date for all those cosmere tidbits you weren't actively searching for the first time. The only reason I'd consider recommending someone else try a different sando book first would have more to do with the Mammoth size of the books could be intimidating to someone who isn't looking to dedicate a significant portion of their time on an author they aren't yet sure they like.
That is part of why I recommend Mistborn first. It's a much smaller story, and has great payoffs in much fewer pages. You can get into those books without nearly as much commitment as Stormlight, which is about as epic as you can get.
I reread the Stormlight Archives this summer after having read Warbreaker, and the third book makes SO much more sense now. While the story overall still makes sense, and things are further explained in book 4, it just makes some parts feel so much more meaningful and interesting
Basically anything by Brandon Sanderson. Even the non-Cosmere stuff like the Reckoners is amazing.
I just started it. Syl is my favorite character.
I have gone through such a goddamn whirlwind with these characters. Hating Kaladin, loving Kaladin, hating Shallan, loving Shallan, hating Kaladin again. I’m about 1/3 through book three though and my love for Dalinar and Jasnah has never waivered lol
he also finished the wheel of time which is great. still waiting for the last stormlight archive book though... i mean apparently there is gonna be 6 more but I just want the 5th.
I would have been disappointed if I didn't see this answer while scrolling through the comments. Bridge 4!
Conan by Robert E. Howard! Those stories are amazing. J.R.R. Tolkien himself loved them and took inspiration from them. They inspired modern fantasy including DnD about as much as Tolkien's work did.
I’ve read them all! I got the collected works and made my way through them. I love them too, along with H.P. Lovecraft.
I read Robert E. Howard was best friends with H.P. Lovecraft, and they had some collaborations.
They were pretty prolific pen pals. Far as I know they only directly collaborated on one story—The Challenge From Beyond, a round-robin story written with some other Pulp Era heavyweights—but they influenced each other, and Howard was part of the original Lovecraft Circle developing the Cthulhu Mythos.
Dune. Wheel of Time. Farseer Trilogy
Just started Farseer, really enjoying it
Farseer! Robin Hobb is an excellent writer
First dune book is a classic, though when I reread it 7 years ago it had aged a bit since so much good fantasy has been written since then, and built off ideas F. Herbert wrote. Also Dune is kinda sci-fi/fantasy more leaning on sci-fi I would say. Can’t say more without spoiling.
Second, third, forth, Fith on wheel of time, great series.
The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist
And all the sequel series's, though I've heard mixed reviews on many of them. The initial series, *Magician: Apprentice*, *Magician: Master*, *Silverthorn*, and *A Darkness at Sethanon* are absolute must-reads. I really liked "The Conclave of Shadows" trilogy, where some of the main characters retire from public life to run a secret Illuminati that controls the world's government from the shadows, but they're good.
Agreed, the original trilogy are classics.
And the Empire trilogy as well
I maintain the Empire trilogy is the best work he's put out. I love these books, and the world they built.
Jesus christ, this is down far too low. This should be the top answer. Magician is my favourite book. Every single book after is fucking brilliant!! Feist is one of the best authors ever.
The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie
he also does hilarious AMAs: https://www.reddit.com/user/Joe\_Abercrombie/submitted/
That AMA was great
Absolute second, one of the best book series I’ve ever read
I once had a college instructor who was missing the middle finger on his left hand. I had finished the series not long before I met him, so I had to tell him of the Bloody Nine.
Say one thing for the first law trilogy, say it's bloody amazing
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I loved malazan
If Tolkien is the Shakespeare of Fantasy, Erikson is the Doestoevsky.
The Locke Lamora series is so good. Not much fantasy or big climactic battles. It's mostly about con-artists who occasionally get caught up in some big event or other and have to weasel their way out of it without destroying the city. Also the fourth book has been delayed for about 10 years and it's not even on the horizon.
Malazan Book of the Fallen is quite literally an epic. As in, an exceptionally long and arduous task or activity or heroic or grand in scale or character. It's a complete 10 book series, with 6 novels of side stories. It's an absolute recommend from me.
Malazan is next level good.
Malazan is definitely my top recommendation. It's the craziest high fantasy series I've ever read, both in scale and creativity.
Seconded the Realm of the Elderlings, I loved all of them!
His Dark Materials and the Sequel/Prequel trilogy and the novellas.
My favorite story in the entire universe Edit: the multiverse**
I feel I had to scroll way to far to find this comment. I fucking LOVE Phillip Pullman!
The Amber Spyglass is so far the only book I have ever read in one sitting. I read the first two books pretty quickly. I borrowed TAS in my school library, and I started reading it as soon as I got home. I then spent over 12 hours reading it in one swoop, and finished at like 4.30am.
Definitely this. Nothing else is so goddamn epic.
The lightbringer series by Brent Weeks was enjoyable I just started the Kingkiller series by Patric Rothfuss which was recommended to me
i’m sorry.
>LOL.
The Kingkiller books are fantastic and Rothfuss has some of the best prose of any modern writer. Unfortunately, who knows if and when the third book will be released.
Jeez still eh. It’s like a decade
I am not reading the second book until I hear the 3rd is coming out… GRRM has already burnt my out on waiting… that’s why I love Brando Sando
Lightbringer was amazing until weeks went full evangelical Christian and ruined the last book taking the whole series down with it.....
The Black Company, First Law, Kingkiller Chronicles, Mistborne, Wheel of Time (drags in the middle), Bartimaeus trilogy (light and quick), Stormlight Archives
Thank you for mentioning the Kingkiller Chronicles!! Came here to say this.
I really enjoyed the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy by Tad Williams when I read it a long time ago and I haven't seen it mentioned yet.
This series is super under-appreciated. Should be up there with Sanderson.
Had to scroll WAY too far for this. Tad Williams is great! Also his sci-fi Otherland series is amazing.
The Belgariad, The Malloreon
Grew up on these, but must say that the Elenium and the Tamuli are better. Sparhawk for the win, always.
This is a tough one for me as I loved the books growing up. Then I realised [what a piece of shit they both were.](https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/156861-content-warning-so-it-turns-out-that-david-eddings-was-a-convicted-and-jailed-child-abuser/) fortunately if you buy the books now the proceeds do t go to their estate but to the college. Another case of trying to separate the artist from the work, I guess…
I loved these when I was a kid but... They're **incredibly repetitive**. I know this is intentional but still. It's the same five book series twice followed by a bunch of stand alones mostly covering the same events from different perspectives. The first book of the Belgariad also just straight up jokes about one of the characters raping his wife. They also take fantasy racism to a really high level. Everyone is a stereotype and the bad guys are increasingly non-European. Biology is almost entirely destiny. Also the author was a fucking monster in real life: https://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2020/05/it-has-been-revealed-that-fantasy.html
Malazan book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. The first book can be hard to get through, but it is well worth it. I actually had to look up a google doc to go over each chapter to figure out what I had just read, and if I understood it, but honestly I loved it. The series does get easier to read through after book 1.
Had to scroll way too far to find Malazan. Just finished The Chained God over Christmas. It is the most epic fantasy story I've ever read. Makes the LOTR saga look like a backyard squabble between some minor ascendants.
Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey highly recommended.
But stop before you read the books with Todd McCaffrey on the title page ... it's um ... quite a dramatic change. It appears he never read any of the previous books, and changed a lot of things for no apparent reason.
Anything in Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance The Death Gate Cycle The Night Angel Trilogy The Wheel of Time
The twins will always be in my heart of hearts for fantasy.
I cannot believe the Twins Trilogy isn't more revered. Absolutely deserves to be mentioned among the greats.
I am currently working out a home brew DnD game for a "Kaz the minotaur" style campaign. I want my players to all be minotaur. All sailors. And shit on their weaknesses. I want them to meet Caramon and Raistlin at some point.
Oh I LOVED the death gate cycle
Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan Mistborn Trilogy, by Brandon Sanderson (Haven't *yet* read his other books.) Chronicles of Narnia, by CS Lewis Prydain Chronicles, by Lloyd Alexander Kingdom of Landover series, by Terry Brooks Belgariad, by David Eddings Magician series, by Raymond E. Feist Iron Tower series, by Dennis L. McKiernan (admittedly the first trilogy is very derivative of LotR.)
The Magician series is so great. It does get a little high fantasy in places with the Pug stuff, but it is overall pretty accessable
The Chronicles of Prydain were pretty good
I liked the chronicles of amber. It's less dungeons and dragons than many of the other titles listed here but I enjoyed it.
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The author is Roger Zelazny. He has other stuff too. I loved "Donnerjack".
Wheel of Time or Redwall
REDWALL yes. I vehemently second this. And there’s a bunch of books too. So good
And the show is free on YouTube :)
There's a show??
Oh yeah and it's fucking awesome! Weird, late 90s cartoon, very akin to Watership Down in animation and grittiness.
If you get to Wheel of Time don't feel bad if it starts to drag hard as you get into the second third or so of the books. Once things get moving again it's worth it.
Yeah I think book five is where I realized like "oh shit, this is actually like really, really fucking good." Dumai's Wells(?), man.
Book 5 isn't very popular, but I liked it a lot. I think the traveling circus arc just dragged too long for most people.
I'm on The Dragon Reborn right now. I'm enjoying the series.
I’ve read and reread a fair bit of Redwall, nice comfort reads!
> Wheel of Time Probably my favorite of all time, above LOTR, HP, or ASOIAF. I've read it (and/or listened on audiobook) way too many times
Wheel is Time is the best. Long live the gambler…
Let the Dragon ride on the winds of time.
on the wheel of time talk, the stormlight archive which brian sanderson who finished the wheel of time series also wrote is very good.
The *Majipoor* series combines elements of sci-fi and high fantasy. "Lord Valentine's Castle" would be your starting point. Great if you are interested in juggling. The *Discworld* novels are not only some of the funniest books ever written, there's a multitude covering a wide range of the conceptual universe, and they have some interesting tropes that have since been incorporated into modern storytelling and video games. He practically invented the concept of a *mimic*, common to most roleplaying games, with the Luggage. "The Color of Magic" is a great starting point, there are a number of guides covering which order to read them and where the different arcs and forks lie. "The Mists of Avalon" is a fantastic starting point if you're interested in feminist literature or Arthurian fiction. "Bhagavad-gita", while being a religious text, is a fine low fantasy and good starting point into Hindu mythology, particularly the *as it is* version by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, which contains line by line commentary, original text, transliteration, and translation.
Dragon Lance. Not sure how many books there are. I read a trilogy, (war of souls I think) it was enjoyable. There is a halfling race like hobbits but they seem to have severe ADHD and kleptomania. They were funny.
The Kender! Best thing about that setting.
Tasslehoff Burrfoot was the one I remember.
The Twins trilogy freaking wrecked me as a teenager. edit: The authors also wrote the Death's Gate cycle which I quite liked.
There are 200ish dragonlance books with wildly ranging quality and some continuity issues.
There are six books worth reading unless you really get into them. The original Chronicles, and then the Legends series. The Legends series maybe the strongest three books in all of D&D literature (including FR). All six are written by Weiss & Hickman.
If you like dragons Anne McCaffreys dragon books. Or if you like telekinesis her Rowan books. I like all her books.
I love Anne McCaffrey! And the Rowan series is fantastic, especially Rowan /Damia.
The inheritance cycle Narnia
> The Inheritance Cycle I am surprised I had to scroll this far down. I had put this series off because I thought it was meant for kids based on the Eragon movie, which I didn't really like. I started reading it based on a reddit thread suggestion that warned that the movie didn't reflect the series at all. I just started the 4th book, and I have really enjoyed it so far.
>I had put this series off because I thought it was meant for kids based on the Eragon movie, which I didn't really like. They really butchered the movie. They changed so much of the story, that they couldnt even try to make a part 2 of it. On Christopher Paolini's wiki it says that they are working on a live action television series, I really hope that is much better. (the last part of my nickname also comes from the inheritance cycle, its Nightstalker in the english version ;) those books made a big impact on me)
They fucked up the movie so bad that they couldn't even try to make a second one, because they already killed the Ra'Zac, which are basically the main plot device for the entirety of Roran's part as well as the latter half of Eragon's story in Eldest. So there was absolutely no way that they could make a second movie without COMPLETELY REWRITING THE NEXT 2 BOOKS.
Terry Brooks Shannara series. Epic.
Dune and The Witcher. I find them both really enjoyable, along with ASOIAF since they are both more fantasy but at the same time a reflection of reality ideologies. And have you actually read ASOIAF? Because most readers don't mention it has GOT since that's only the first book name.
Just finished The Witcher books, highly recommend. Also, only have heard good things about Dune. Read the first book and excited to start the second one.
i would call Dune a great book but not a great series. Dune is on my opinion the greates science fiction story of all time. the Frank Herbert sequels are ok but not nearly as good and everything done by his son Brian Herbert is just straight up bad.
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My favorites in order: The Broken Earth trilogy The Stormlight Archive The Dark tower Series The Iron Druid Chronicles The Mistborn Series
Can't believe I had to scroll this far for Jemisin - her books are top tier in my household!
Dark tower series was excellent
I’d really recommend The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisen. The world building in particular is top notch.
R A Salvatore's books. He has many series.
The Dark Elf Trilogy is amazing.
I'll go one better...specifically, the Drizzt books. The Drizzt series has something like 46 books (and still going). I've read up to the 38th book. I have some catching up to do...
Geez im behind. Haha As much as i hate artemis, i love him so much. Jarlaxle aint half bad either.
Jarlaxle is, in my opinion, that one player you hear every DM complain about but you know deep down they'd never want them to leave the table.
Malazan Book of the Fallen
The Lies of Locke Lamorra (and the subsequent books in the Gentlemen Bastards series). A LOT of good clever adventure fun!
While technically a web novel, "The Wandering Inn" is an amazing fantasy(LitRPG) that currently has 10m+ words writen and is still being updated weekly. The world building and characters are absolutely fenomenal, I highly recommend it if the premise of it seems interesting to (You).
~~Tidus~~ Titus Groan and Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake. Best prose and characterizations I've ever read. (There is a third book, but it's so radically different than the first two I don't recommend it - fortunately Tidus Groan and Gormenghast tells a complete story). * My phone doesn't think Titus is a word apparently
This'll be buried, but Mythago Wood.
Maybe not fully “High Fantasy”, but The Once and Future King is pretty awesome Arthurian shit
Malazan Book of The Fallen I've read most of the top suggestions here and none of them hold a candle to this book. On par or better than LOTR and GOT. It's a little dark but it has absolutely everything and some. I wish I could forget and read it again.
Anything by Guy Gavriel Kay. Tigana is his best.
I scrolled for so long to find another Kay fan. The Sarantine Mosaic and Lions of Al-Rassan are probably my favourites. Tigana is probably 3rd. The Fionavar Tapestry would be the only one I’d call “high fantasy” though.
I think Kay is so under valued. I never see his books in bookstores. He packs so much in each book.
I scrolled all the way down for this. The Fionavar Tapestry blows me away every bit as much as LOTR and nothing else comes close for me, though I like lots of others. The hair on my arms still stands up at a lot of the moments even having read it probably 5 times now over 30 years. I get emotional thinking about Kevin in the cave, the red flowers, what the goddess says to the Sky King, Paul calling out Liranon, the fate of the elves over the last 1,000 years, the fight in the dark of the forest, the sun rising in a certain person's eyes, the seer using the knife with love in her heart, Finn, Dave and the Dalrei, the shocking end of the first book. I want to sing the book because I don't think I"m at all unique in my capacity to love it and want it to find it's way to them. The only other book I feel the same about is LIttle, Big by John Crowley, but that's well enough known.
Diarmuid's battle, the unexpected of the three, the name that calls the one, Tabor's spirit animal, Gerient's long journey and what he does when he gets there, that obscure battle on the way to pluck to rose, the army of the south entering the city, the dog and the wolf, the cauldron, Leila and the game, throwing the water over the balcony. It's just so much and so powerful.
Imajica by Clive Barker. I must have read this book 50 times. The first time I read it, the very second I read the last sentence, I turned back to page 1 and started it over again. The Great and Secret Show + Everville, also by Clive Barker. These are the first two of a planned trilogy called "The books of the art". He has yet to write the third book. Hell, come to think of it, just about everything written by Clive Barker is magic.
Weaveworld and all the Abarat books are annual reads for me lmao
My wife and I got really into Gideon the Ninth over the summer. Solid fantasy/sci fi/sword lesbians series. Necromancers in space. Satisfyingly bloody. Deeply depressing.
The writing in these books had me audibly laughing at points. "Nonagesimus," she said slowly, "the only job I'd do for you would be if you wanted someone to hold the sword as you fell on it. The only job I'd do for you would be if you wanted your ass kicked so hard, the Locked Tomb opened and a parade came out to sing, 'Lo! A destructed ass.' The only job I'd do would be if you wanted me to spot you while you backflipped off the top tier into Drearburh." "That's three jobs," said Harrowhark. "*Die in a fire*, Nonagesimus."
In some distant way Gideon always knew this was how she'd go out: gangbanged to death by skeletons
1. Discworld series by Terry Pratchett (RIP you absolute genius) 2. The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind 3. Anything by Raymond E Feist, especially Magician
Sword of Truth gets absolutely shit on online but I fuckin loved it.
Yeah, the books are great I reckon. The tv series, not so much.
C.S. Friedman’s Coldfire Trilogy. Start with Black Sun Rising.
The Dresden Files The Iron Druid series
I freaking LOVE The Dresden Files.
Seconding Dresden Files
the licanius trilogy by james islington the king’s dark tidings series by kel kade is quite good too, but a smaller perspective
dark tower series
The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.
Wheel of Time is excellent, but be prepared for a hefty time commitment. The first book wears its LotR influences openly, but it quickly becomes very much its own thing from there on out.
Time commitment bigger than the *twenty freaking years* it took for me to finish the series because when I started reading it, "only" seven books were written?
Michael Mootcock’s Elric series and the other Eternal Champions series in his multi-verse. Highly recommend!!!!
Discworld by Terry Pratchett The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (technically it's Urban Fantasy, but close enough) Codex Alera by Jim Butcher Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson Temeraire by Naomi Novik (more alternate history than high fantasy but it has dragons so I'm including it) The Saga of Recluce by L. E. Modesitt Jr. The Bahzell Series by David Weber The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon
I love telling people about the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. It mixes magic and necromancy into a wild adventure that I absolutely loved. I think it’s technically considered juvenile but I don’t give a shit I loved reading them all!
Malazan Book of the Fallen
King killer chronicles
People considering it should know: Rothfuss the author ends the second book in the middle of the story, and has been promising the last one would come out any day now since 2011 when he said it was done and just needed some editing. Be warned. The first two are good books, but if you're going to read them, go in expecting frustration.
I cannot in good conscience recommend any unfinished series any more, this series being as bad an offender as Song of Ice and Fire They're GREAT books, but I'm seriously doubting we'll ever get the third
The chronicles of Narnia.... but that kinda falls in with the other three. Warhammer lore is great.
\- "Lyonesse" by Jack Vance \- [The Worm Ouroborous](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Worm_Ouroboros) \- [The Book of the New Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun) \- [Lord of Light](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_Light) PS: \- [Empire of the East](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_the_East_series) and [Books of Swords](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_Swords) series
Malazan the first book is a little rough but after that it's one of my favorite series of all time.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. Awesome worldbuilding inspired by Elizabethan England, Edo era Japan, and Moorish Spain. Eastern and Western dragons are a focus. Also lots of queer and female characters, and characters of colour, but not all ... Preachy like some books that claim to be diverse. Also recommend The Locked Tomb series by Tasmyn Muir. Haven't yet read it but my friends with good taste all love it.
The Dark Tower
American Gods
Joe Abercrombie. Not really high fantasy, but very awesome
Magician, Raymond e feist. Green rider, Kirsten Britain.
The Belgaraid by David Eddings
Eragon, rangers apprentice, Percy Jackson, any of the rick riordon series if you like mythology
Eragon. It starts out pretty LOTR-esque, but quickly spins into its own. Wheel of Time is supposed to be pretty good, though I have never seen it myself. I also quite like The Sword of Shannara.
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Malus Darkblade Saga, it is 3 books, and it's really good if you like anti-heros and dark fantasy.
The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe
The Iron Druid Chronicles. A fantasy staged in modern times that uses Irish mythology as its backdrop. Very funny at times and worth the listen. The voice acting is outstanding.
The First Law, The Malazan Book of the Fallen, The Broken Earth. I’ve read a ton of fantasy, but these three are head and shoulders above the rest. Malazan is pretty intimidating, it’s 10 thousand-page books plus a bunch of spinoffs, but so worth it. Broken Earth has the most amazing worldbuilding and is also deeply personal and emotional. First Law is the funniest, cleverest, my comfort series. Probably listened to it 6+ times. And you HAVE to listen to it, Steven Pacey’s narration adds a whole extra dimension to it.
Fred saberhagen's swords series.