Surely we are kindred spirits here on WrA - I’d love to hear your fantasy book recommendations since I’m about to be between books.
Here are some of my recommendations:
Eyes of the Overworld by Jack Vance: A rogue named Cugel is cast across the world by a magician. He then backstabs, deceives, or steals from pretty much everyone he encounters on his long trek back.
Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe: A young man is raised from childhood to be a state-sanctioned torturer and executioner, but he is cast from the citadel when he helps a prisoner die prematurely.
The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie: Has anyone thought about how terrible of an ally a raging barbarian would actually be? Joe Abercrombie has.
I’m currently reading through Malazan: Book of the Fallen but I’m still too confused to really recommend it.
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I read more horror and nonfiction than fantasy but here goes.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. Fantasy set in Africa (or a world inspired by Africa) about succession and birthright told through the lens of a character that really is just there because he kills things.
The Radiant Emperor Duology by Shelley Parker-Chan. Starts with She Who Became The Sun. A queer retelling of the rise of Hongwu Emperor, this magical realism story is intense and dark. Features parallels between the hero and the villain, and a lot of morally dubious trans people. Does not use modern language for the queer characters. Feels a lot like a C-Drama, from what I’ve been told. The main character is a woman who steals her brother’s identity, becomes a monk, and then decides that “nah, greatness is what I’m owed” and decides to start climbing the ladder to become Emperor.
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This sounds interesting. There’s so much European, Asian and Middle Eastern inspired fantasy but I can’t say I’ve ever read a fantasy book that goes deeper than a surface level with African history/culture. I’ll have to look into this
The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy by Tad Williams is a classic. Definitely one of the better renditions of the hero’s journey.
The Last Herald-Mage by Mercedes Lackey is also great, but, uh, fair warning, it can get HEAVY. I don’t think anyone in fantasy has ever Gone Through It quite as much as poor Vanyel. Honestly most of Lackey’s Valdemar stuff is good, with Kerowyn’s Tale being a personal favorite.
Barbara Hambly’s Darwath Trilogy is also a favorite of mine. A multiversal isekai story written back before either of those things became tedious.
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Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Hobbit
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ye it’s a pretty great book. The main character is a stubborn jerk that really does not want to be there, and the story is told in very roundabout ways, but it has a feel of Real World Mythology to it that I found captivating. Also, the main character’s negative traits really were kinda funny in interaction with others.
Terry Brooks The Sword of Shannara (or The Lord of the Rings 2.0)
You asked for fantasy but I only have sci-fi. Whoops!
The Mercy of Gods is James S A Corey’s newest space opera book and the first in its series. It’s about these researchers who find out aliens exist when the aliens invade their solar system and bad stuff happens! Yikes!
The MoG is a departure from the largely human setting and the focus on space politics that is The Expanse, but there are some Belter themes emerging that I think will gain greater momentum as the series progresses. Corey seems to like writing about insurrectionists and how humans react when you put a boot on their necks. They also use a lot of similar phrasing as they did in their first series, so the MoG is both new but familiar, and for that reason, cool. I recommend.
Also, some time ago Zaeka turned me on to Annihilation, the first novel in the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. I’ve reread this book and the one immediately following it a few times now, and am now working through the third entry. They’re great reads. The story follows a research team sent into a mysterious zone, called Area X, and weird stuff happens both to the team and to the clandestine agency that organizes these expeditions. Give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed.
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Anything by author Chuck Tingle.
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I’ll read any fantasy book I can get my hands on pretty much. Does it have some sword, maybe some sorcery? Sign me up, don’t care if it’s the most pulp schlock I’ll enjoy it.
Let’s get a few heavy hitters out of the way first then I’ll move on to others. They are popular for a reason I feel.
R.A Salvatore’s Drizzt series but also the Cleric Quintent and anything in the Corona series of books.
Anything in Brian Jaques Redwall Series.
Echoing The Shanara Series as generally great.
For being such a mainstay of fantasy I find it surprising not much love is given to the MTG novels. THe earlier ones I feel are genuinely good and deserve more mention.
Anything Ed Greenwood as touched from Elminster to Eveningstar to the Band of Four series.
For Young Adult series, I genuinely enjoyed the Bartimaeus Trilogy. Lot of fantastic and interesting worldbuilding in there that sets it apart from many contemporaries.
Unwrapped Sky and The Stars Askew by Rjurik Davidson.
If you like Animal Fantasy The Sight and its follow-up Fell are good.
THe Godspeeker trilogy by Karen Miller
The Silvered by Tanya Huff
Merlin’s Descendants series by Irene Radford.
The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley.
The Shard Axe and Skein of Shadows by Marsheila Rockwell. These are eberron books and I think the noir fantasy style is delightful
Dries your forehead with a soft cloth
Good. Yes.
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Here’s a cross section of different types within the genre:
Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden series and Codex Alara series
Anything by Connie Willis (start with To Say Nothing of the Dog)
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
Anything by Terry Pratchett (Discworld), Neil Stephenson (start with Snow Crash) or Christopher Stasheff
If you like sci-fi type fantasy, I recommend Lois McMaster Bujold.
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I’ve read Small Gods and it was amazing, I keep meaning to get more into his work
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I been reading the Vampire Hunter D novels and been meaning to get into my Fighting Fantasy books.
I’d like to recommend the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson.
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Definitely on my list, I’ve been trying to get through most of the series that I see frequently recommended and Mistborn is way up there.
Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Le Morte D’Arthur sorta fits this, The Silmarillion. Pretty much all I have really.
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The book of swords collection. Fred Saberhagen is a great author.
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Gideon the Ninth and related novels.
Basically lesbian necromancers in space
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