Fantasy Books Recommendations

[Silver]

Hello there.

I'm building a list of fantasy series I wish to tackle and book YT recommends are cursed. (or I haven't found a decent channel)
Please do not suggest Brandon Sanderson here, thank you very much.

Tolkien, Pratchett, Moorcock, Howard are already covered as well.
I'd appreciate any suggestion be it high fantasy or something easier and more light hearted.

Thanks!


-- Roger Zelazny "The Chronicles of Amber"
-- Timothy Zahn "Thrawn Trilogy"
-- Fritz Leiber "Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series"
-- David Edding "The Belgariad & The Malloreon"
-- Clark Ashton Smith "Zothique"
-- Gene Wolfe "The Book of the New Sun"
-- Jack Vance "Dying Earth"
-- Michael Swanwick "The Iron Dragon's Daughter"
-- E. R. Eddison "The Worm Ouroboros"
-- A. A. Attanasio "Radix" , "The Last Legends of Earth"
-- Ernest Bramah "Kai Lung series"
-- C. S. Lewis "The Chronicles of Narnia"
-- David Gemmell "Legend" , "Morningstar"
-- Raymond E Feist "Magician trilogy"
-- Christopher Buehlman "Between Two Fires"
-- Poul Anderson "The High Crusade" , "Three Hearts and Three Lions" , "The Man Who Came Early" , "Operation Chaos/Operation Luna" , "A Midsummer Tempest"
-- Randall Garrett "Lord Darcy"
-- Tim Powers "Declare" , "The Anubis Gates"
-- Manly Wade Wellman "Silver John stories"
-- John Whitbourn "A Dangerous Energy"
-- Charles Williams "All Hallow's Eve" , "War In Heaven" , "Descent Into Hell"
-- Lawrence Watt-Evans "Ethshar" books
-- Lois McMaster Bujold "Five Gods series"
-- Celia S. Friedman "Coldfire Trilogy"
-- Rachel Neumeier "The Gryphon Mage"
-- Naomi Novik "Temeraire"
-- Barbara Hambly "The Dragon Mage series"
-- Kate Elliott "The Prince of Dogs series"
-- Orson Scott Card "Tales of Alvin Maker"
-- R.S. Bakker "The 2nd Apocalypse series"

[WhiteShark]

Roger Zelazny in general but particularly the Amber series.
If you consider Star Wars to be fantasy, the Thrawn trilogy.
You could probably find many good suggestions by consulting Appendix N. (I don't know if there's a better listing somewhere; that was just the first that came up on a search.)

[Silver]

You could probably find many good suggestions by consulting Appendix N

This section looks interesting!
I'm not exactly a dnd junkie that wishes to consume every dnd media, but I'll look into this, thank you.

[Goblin_Hammer]

I'd suggest David Edding's The Belgariad & The Malloreon it's a pretty straight forward classic fantasy series with a child of prophecy that's destined to defeat an evil god. Hopefully no one recommends Patrick Rothfuss, he's in the same vain as George R. R. Martin and is a terribly lazy writer refusing to finish his King Killer chronicles series.

[Silver]

Hopefully no one recommends Patrick Rothfuss, he's in the same vain as George R. R. Martin and is a terribly lazy writer refusing to finish his King Killer chronicles series.

Martin is already in my "ban list", so Rothfuss can join as well.

Thank you for the recommendation!
Just from a quick glance "The Belgariad & The Malloreon" looks like something I'd enjoy greatly.

[Emphyrio]

Chronicles of Amber is also the first thing I thought of. Fast-paced action and mystery in an original setting.

Others: Xothique, Book of the New Sun, The Dying Earth, The Iron Dragon's Daughter (it's not as stupid as the book flap makes it sound), The Worm Oroborous, Radix, The Last Legends of Earth, Kai Lung.

[Silver]

Any thoughts on Wheel of Time?
I've been cautious because of the amount of time it'll take to read through all of it and... also recent attempt at making series.
Haven't really heard anything good about the tv series, so I'm wondering if it's a book fuck up or adaptation fuck up.

[Oyster Sauce]

I have known her longer, my smile said. True, you have been inside the circle of her arms, tasted her mouth, felt the warmth of her, and that is something I have never had. But there is a part of her that is only for me. You cannot touch it, no matter how hard you might try. And after she has left you I will still be here, making her laugh. My light shining in her. I will still be here long after she has forgotten your name.

[Goblin_Hammer]

Any thoughts on Wheel of Time?
I've been cautious because of the amount of time it'll take to read through all of it and... also recent attempt at making series.
Haven't really heard anything good about the tv series, so I'm wondering if it's a book fuck up or adaptation fuck up.

The book series is good but the adaptation is a piece of shit like the LOTR Amazon show. The Wheel of Time it's very character driven and lore heavy and a bit overwhelming in the sense how much stuff is going on all at once but it's still a fun series. The ending I didn't hate it but I didn't care for it but that could be do to Brandon Sanderson taking over and writing the last few novels after Robert Jordan passed away.

[Hauberk]

Any thoughts on Wheel of Time?

Never read it myself, but an old friend of mine once told me that "initially, it was a good read, but then the author figured out that he was paid per word..." Take that as you will. If Robert Jordan was or wasn't paid as such is beside the point.

[WhiteShark]

I got bogged down in the third or fourth book and quit reading. I remember my exact feeling was that the author described every twig they stepped on during the protagonist's travels.

[Goblin_Hammer]

You could probably find many good suggestions by consulting Appendix N. (I don't know if there's a better listing somewhere; that was just the first that came up on a search.)

Looked at the Appendix N from @WhiteShark and saw Fritz Leiber, his Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series is very D&D like, you basically have a barbarian and a thief that go on crazy adventures, so I'll recommend that also.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I've read a lot of fantasy novels, but few I considered good enough to warrant keeping on my bookshelf to maybe reread one day or pass down to my kids. I clear off my bookshelf every couple years.

The Chronicles of Narnia. I'd lump all of them in one here, but if I had to pick just one, it would probably be The Last Battle, which is very hopeful, but I'm a Christian so I have hope for the Second Coming and being raised up on the last day so it might not ring for non-Christians.


The Final Storm (3rd book of the Door Within trilogy): again I'm thinking of the final act here, when the heroes lose their final stand and and the bad guy's army destroys and conquers the kingdom, and then the protagonists choose to be executed rather than submit, and then the King returns. Again might not ring if you're not a Christian. The rest of the book (and the trilogy) was forgettable, though.

Dragonriders of Pern (7 books) was good. I began to sour a little on F'lar and Robinton in the later novels when they were forming their one world order and robbing the oldtimers, but overall I found the characters likeable and the story engaging enough to finish.

[aweigh]

Hello there.

I'm building a list of fantasy series I wish to tackle and book YT recommends are cursed. (or I haven't found a decent channel)
Please do not suggest Brandon Sanderson here, thank you very much.

Tolkien, Pratchett, Moorcock, Howard are already covered as well.
I'd appreciate any suggestion be it high fantasy or something easier and more light hearted.

Thanks!


-- Roger Zelazny "The Chronicles of Amber"
-- Timothy Zahn "Thrawn Trilogy"
-- Fritz Leiber "Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series"
-- David Edding "The Belgariad & The Malloreon"
-- Clark Ashton Smith "Zothique"
-- Gene Wolfe "The Book of the New Sun"
-- Jack Vance "Dying Earth"
-- Michael Swanwick "The Iron Dragon's Daughter"
-- E. R. Eddison "The Worm Ouroboros"
-- A. A. Attanasio "Radix"
-- A. A. Attanasio "The Last Legends of Earth"
-- Ernest Bramah "Kai Lung series"

"Morningstar" and "Legend" by DAVID GEMMELL.

[Jordy]

Magician trilogy by Raymond E Feist.

If you enjoy them you can decide if you want to read all of the books.

[Nemesis]

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

[Silver]

Thank you kindly for all the suggestions!

The list is thoroughly stuffed I would say

[Silver]

The Chronicles of Narnia.

I enjoyed reading them as a kid, don't actually remember how many book I've covered though.
And they were not in english, so I might take a look at them again.

[Acrux]

No, the list has not yet begun to be stuffed.

Here's my recommendations:

Brandon Sanders-- oh

Poul Anderson: I've read nearly all of his fantasy, he wrote a lot. The High Crusade, Three Hearts and Three Lions, The Man Who Came Early, Operation Chaos/Operation Luna, A Midsummer Tempest.

Randall Garrett: The Lord Darcy stories are an alternative history where the timeline diverged during the Plantagenet rule and magic is real.

Tim Powers: I think he's the greatest living fantasy writer. Declare and The Anubis Gates are probably his most well-known and liked books, but just about everything he's written is fantastic.

David Gemmell: I think of him as the Anti-Sanderson. Don't ask me to back that up with reasons why, as I couldn't give them. He's just a fun read.

Clark Ashton Smith: Mostly his Averoigne stories

Manly Wade Wellman: His Silver John stories, about a demon-fighting bard who travels around Appalachia.

John Whitbourn: A Dangerous Energy . Another story where magic is real, this time the timeline diverges when Elizabeth I dies and Mary rules instead, and he reformation never happens. This book is really a morality play that shows the depths one person can sink to over their lifetime.

Charles Williams: All Hallow's Eve, War In Heaven, Descent Into Hell. He might be an acquired taste. The books I mention here are all sort of psychological fantasy horror novels.

[Rand]

Lawrence Watt-Evans.
Has a whole bunch of mini series, fantasy and some SF as well, but the Ethshar books are the best, IMO.
The first two "The Misenchanted Sword" and "With a Single Spell" I would recommend to everyone.

[ManjuShri]

Lois McMaster Bujold's Five Gods series. An interesting take on imminent gods, saints, demons, sorcerers, and shamans in a middle fantasy setting. Zero series fatigue when I went through the novels and the Penric novelettes in a row.

[Silver]

Thank you all again! The list be thicc.

[orinEsque]

If I suddenly disappear from supporting mods, you have this thread to blame

I'll add Coldfire Trilogy to this list.

[Kalarion]

I'll add Coldfire Trilogy to this list.

I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, Friedman's world and characters are pretty interesting, especially because she didn't flinch from making a truly horrific anti-hero. On the other hand, her actual writing was so horrendously bad that Coldfire was the first trilogy I actually stopped reading in the middle of the final book. I hear the words in my head when I read, and my internal narration follows the rules of grammar/punctuation. So a continuous flow of really awfully constructed sentences completely kills a book for me. Friedman never improved through all three novels.

Rachel Neumeier - anything she's written is fun to read, as long as you're okay with feminine romantic sensibilities. The Gryphon Mage series is a good start. If you're a serious anti-Semite stay away from Spinning Silver, it's a ridiculously in-your-face pro-jewish allegory.

Naomi Novik - Temeraire is fantastic, the entire series. It's about 18th-century Europe, only dragons are real and they coexist with humanity. The only one I didn't like (especially with the benefit of hindsight) was Empire of Ivory. It had a cruelly nasty end to one of the Christian characters, in service to a WAKANDA STRONK! storyline that I didn't find believable even back when I read it.

Barbara Hambly - the Dragon Mage series.

Kate Elliott - The Prince of Dogs series.

Edit - forgot to add Orson Scott Card - Tales of Alvin Maker. Everything by OSC is good, but this specifically fits your request. It's about a boy who's born seventh son of a seventh son during the early 19th century America, where magic is real and commonplace.

[Nooneatall]

Hello there.

I'm building a list of fantasy series I wish to tackle and book YT recommends are cursed. (or I haven't found a decent channel)
Please do not suggest Brandon Sanderson here, thank you very much.

Tolkien, Pratchett, Moorcock, Howard are already covered as well.
I'd appreciate any suggestion be it high fantasy or something easier and more light hearted.

Thanks!


-- Roger Zelazny "The Chronicles of Amber"
-- Timothy Zahn "Thrawn Trilogy"
-- Fritz Leiber "Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series"
-- David Edding "The Belgariad & The Malloreon"
-- Clark Ashton Smith "Zothique"
-- Gene Wolfe "The Book of the New Sun"
-- Jack Vance "Dying Earth"
-- Michael Swanwick "The Iron Dragon's Daughter"
-- E. R. Eddison "The Worm Ouroboros"
-- A. A. Attanasio "Radix" , "The Last Legends of Earth"
-- Ernest Bramah "Kai Lung series"
-- C. S. Lewis "The Chronicles of Narnia"
-- David Gemmell "Legend" , "Morningstar"
-- Raymond E Feist "Magician trilogy"
-- Christopher Buehlman "Between Two Fires"
-- Poul Anderson "The High Crusade" , "Three Hearts and Three Lions" , "The Man Who Came Early" , "Operation Chaos/Operation Luna" , "A Midsummer Tempest"
-- Randall Garrett "Lord Darcy"
-- Tim Powers "Declare" , "The Anubis Gates"
-- Manly Wade Wellman "Silver John stories"
-- John Whitbourn "A Dangerous Energy"
-- Charles Williams "All Hallow's Eve" , "War In Heaven" , "Descent Into Hell"
-- Lawrence Watt-Evans "Ethshar" books
-- Lois McMaster Bujold "Five Gods series"
-- Celia S. Friedman "Coldfire Trilogy"

The Man Who Came Early
Lol

[Element]

The 2nd Apocalypse series by R.S. Bakker. Be warned - lots of cruelty and viciousness, a very bleak world. Lots of deviance as well. It's seven books, broken up into the opening trilogy and a quadrilogy set 25 years or so later. The latter is considered to be much weaker than the former, but it has its moments. It can be quite hard to get to grips with in the beginning, but if you do it's one of the more unique stories and settings imo. Bakker really does convey morally grey characters and factions (or, one, at least). He has a long standing interest in the philosophy of consciousness and the inner workings of the mind and isn't afraid to incorporate such themes into the story.

Edit: the series also spawned years of intense discussion on the lore, the foreshadowing and the deeper themes that run through the series on the author's forums. Lots of effort posts.

Vast was the night. Great was the ground.
And yet they yielded. They yielded.
Step-step-leap. Incantations of space. World crossing world.
The hares darted from his path. The thrushes burst from his feet, hurtling into the stars.
The jackals raced at his side, their tongues lolling, their loping limbs tiring.
“Who are you?” they panted as their hearts failed them.
“Your master!” cried the godlike man as he outdistanced them. And though humour was
unknown to him, he laughed. He laughed until the sky shook.
Your master.


[Emphyrio]

The 2nd Apocalypse series by R.S. Bakker. Be warned - lots of cruelty and viciousness, a very bleak world. Lots of deviance as well. It's seven books, broken up into the opening trilogy and a quadrilogy set 25 years or so later. The latter is considered to be much weaker than the former, but it has its moments. It can be quite hard to get to grips with in the beginning, but if you do it's one of the more unique stories and settings imo. Bakker really does convey morally grey characters and factions (or, one, at least). He has a long standing interest in the philosophy of consciousness and the inner workings of the mind and isn't afraid to incorporate such themes into the story.

Edit: the series also spawned years of intense discussion on the lore, the foreshadowing and the deeper themes that run through the series on the author's forums. Lots of effort posts.

In the tenth year of Hrekd'iclah's reign over Tëidjibar, when the rivers of Sreithdividl overflowed into the valleys of Yeififįekwd, which were then governed by Hrideodol of the house of Rufivŭl, that Trekfogk the Ippgoj discovered the pleasures of his catamite's honeyed anus...

[Element]

The 2nd Apocalypse series by R.S. Bakker. Be warned - lots of cruelty and viciousness, a very bleak world. Lots of deviance as well. It's seven books, broken up into the opening trilogy and a quadrilogy set 25 years or so later. The latter is considered to be much weaker than the former, but it has its moments. It can be quite hard to get to grips with in the beginning, but if you do it's one of the more unique stories and settings imo. Bakker really does convey morally grey characters and factions (or, one, at least). He has a long standing interest in the philosophy of consciousness and the inner workings of the mind and isn't afraid to incorporate such themes into the story.

Edit: the series also spawned years of intense discussion on the lore, the foreshadowing and the deeper themes that run through the series on the author's forums. Lots of effort posts.

In the tenth year of Hrekd'iclah's reign over Tëidjibar, when the rivers of Sreithdividl overflowed into the valleys of Yeififįekwd, which were then governed by Hrideodol of the house of Rufivŭl, that Trekfogk the Ippgoj discovered the pleasures of his catamite's honeyed anus...

Yes, I have an intense dislike of the naming conventions in the book and the deviance, but reading about the Nonmen, the Inchoroi and especially the Dunyain, and how they connect to Bakker's blind brain theory, was worth it. I didn't find the ending satisfactory though, and the series did get worse in the latter books.