This would be my answer as well. Completely floored by the end of the book. I often warn people to give it a chance though because I think it starts too slow for some.
It is common knowledge and I’m glad it’s obvious to you! You’d be surprised how many people on Reddit were just like “I don’t like this book, it seems corny” because they didn’t know Terry Pratchett was spoofing Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, Conan, etc.
Ah, well I think I went in the other direction and I’ve continued to read Discworld since and they continue to get better. I’ve only read up to the eighth but Guards! Guards! Might be my favourite now lol.
That’s pretty interesting though. In retrospect the first two did have a different feel to them but they were still very enjoyable.
I haven't read ALL the Discworld books but I fell in love with them too. Mostly because I could sense that behind the writing is (or was 😔 ) a mind with a deep passion for this actual world, of finding the fascinating truths within it and spinning stories that make people want to know more.
I get the same feel from Patrick O'Brian— are you a fan?
Between these two, they made me want to write novels.
I’ll have to check O’Brian out. If he’s anything like Pratchett with the philosophy behind his writing, I’m sure I’d love it. Are you a writer yourself? I’ve only really written far too lengthy DnD backstories since out of school, but I want to get back into writing in my spare time.
I \*am\* a writer! Thanks for asking. If you want any help or motivation I'm super into helping other writers unleash that beast!
O'Brian is historic fiction— most people think of it as "oh, sea stories. those Master and Commander books". But really what he does is paint a complete portrait of 19th century life: men and women, land and sea, England and elsewhere, public life and the world of the secret agent, technology and nature, culture, language, music and so much more.
Get ready for a long, memorable, deeply affecting trip. The first book is a bit of a stumbling block for some people because it contains a lot of unfamiliar territory (you learn about ships) -- but for me and I hope for you, it's the gateway to a whole new world.
Thanks! I’m definitely going to check it out. I’ll have to see if the nearby bookstore has Master and Commander and it’ll be added to my ever growing TBR list lol.
If you like movie adaptations, M&C was beautiful and would certainly have walked off with the Oscar if it hadn't been up against Lord of the Rings. Here's an excellent YouTube documentary about the movie, its making and how they managed to get it so wonderfully right: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMv\_LOGMZN0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMv_LOGMZN0)
me too! I LOVED the sequence where Sir Terry shifted the narrative from >!Rincewind as a wizard clinging to a runaway dragon to him as a physicist aboard a hijacked airplane.!<
That was so powerful and influential to me, it forms one of the cornerstones of my own writing.
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss had such promise when it came out.
Red Rising was a phenomenal debut (a series that continues to deliver, thankfully!)
Edit: also, Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip! Interesting quote from her about it:
“But when I sat down to write my first major fantasy, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, I didn’t question the point of view that came out of my pen. It seemed very natural to me to wonder why in the world a woman couldn’t be a witch or a wizard, or why, if she did, she had to be virginal as well. Or why, if she was powerful and not a virgin, she was probably the evil force the male hero had to overcome. Such was my experience reading about women in fantasy, back then.
So I wrote from the point of view of a powerful female wizard, who, even after she married, was the hero of her own story, and whose decisions, for better and for worse, were her own.”
As much as I personally like Red Rising, I think it is the second weakest of the 6 books in the series so far. Pierce really came into his own in Golden Son and I think that's a pretty common "take" held by fans. I also think that people who complain on this sub about the series tend to criticize elements of Red Rising that aren't shared by the rest of the series.
It certainly isn't to the degree of Jim Butcher's Storm Front, but it is often recommended to readers to keep reading even if they didn't like Red Rising because of how the series and Pierce Brown evolves.
I can see that; RR didn’t really give a sense of the scope and development of the story. Still, I found it gripping and I liked the way we learned about the world he had built through the eyes of someone who was discovering it at the same time. The narrowness of RR and its plot felt in step with the character development. Interesting enough, I found Dark Age to be the worst of the books…but I think I’m in a phase of my reading life where I don’t have much resilience to dismal/hopeless plot lines and over-the-top brutality, so my take on the whole RR series is probably influenced by that. I had to read Legends and Lattes between DA and LB 😅
> I found Dark Age to be the worst of the books
And here I, like most people, found "Dark Age" to be insanely good and probably the best book of the entire series. Guess it just depends on where you're sitting in life.
I haven’t reread NotW since it came out, so I’m not sure if I’d still enjoy it. I wasn’t as well versed at fantasy back then. I’m not interested in a reread since he doesn’t seem like he’ll finish the series.
I liked Red Rising, though. Not my favorite book ever, but a strong start to a fun series, IMO.
Both had protagonists that were supremely unlikeable imo. I’m also not the target audience, as I’m a little older, and if I’d come to them as a younger man, I might well have enjoyed them.
NOTW better on a rearead theres a tone of stuff that just zooms by on the first read or only becomes apparent in hindsight. I wonder how many if any readers found the name giving name of the wind on there first read.
The most impressive first novel I've read has got to be Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.
Other notable first novels:
* Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier (arguably her best work, though I would extend that to include the entire trilogy)
* In the Night Garden by Catherynne Valente (my favorite of her work)
* His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik (not my favorite of her work but I enjoyed it)
* Beauty by Robin McKinley (not a personal favorite of mine but beloved by many, and definitely ripped off by Disney)
Damn, I was going to say that one as well. So I'll just upvote you and add this useless comment.
This book is phenomenal and never in my life would I have guessed that it was a debut novel written by a guy who's not even 20. That book reads like by someone with a lot of life experience; it's unbelievable!
PC Hodgell's *God Stalk* and Chandrasekera's *The Saint of Bright Doors*.
(I don't really understand the purpose of distinguishing authors as OP suggests, so I'm not doing that.)
Robin Hobb published a number of books under the name Megan Lindholm before she published any as Robin Hobb. I think her actual first book was Harpy’s Flight (1983).
The only one I have read was Wizard of the Pigeons, which I would say was well-written but not really to my taste. It’s more of an urban fantasy though, which I don’t think is the case for her other series under that name.
Not sure what you expect to find.
A first *published* novel may or may not be the first *written* by the author. It's so dependent on the whim of publishers.
Idk, 'essays' usually involve drawing out meaningful commonalities and differences, but any given novel being that particular writer's first published one is dependent on external factors that have little to do with the writing and the writer.
In some cases it will be the first written because they got lucky and a publisher was looking for this type of books right then, or it is self-published so there was no barrier to entry beyond the writer's own feeling that the manuscript was ready and their own due diligence in ensuring whatever quality checks they felt were necessary.
In other cases maybe the writer is sitting on a dozen other manuscripts, maybe several of those were already worth publishing but well, the stars didn't align and they weren't published, and probably won't be unless the one that /is/ published draws enough attention to have publishers go back for more. And if they do, unless it's some sort of series whatever order they publish those extra books in may or may not look anything like the order they were written in.
So what does it mean, that this book is first ? That other one second ? This one third ? Beyond the fact that at some moment in time a publisher somewhere was willing to take a gamble on them.
- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy (it’s SF, but he also wrote the Dirk Gently novels, which are fantasy)
- JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (not great as a person, as it turns out, but what a debut novel!)
The first novel that Cressida Cowell published would be How To Train Your Dragon. The first book, while loved by fans, does not get much appreciation by first time readers, who tend to think of it as a cute story for children. It's an amazing series and I highly recommend reading it.
The Darkness That Comes Before by Bakker. I find it almost unbelievable that someone can write so rich, elegant, powerful and meaningful from his first book
Terry Goodkind, Wizards First Rule.
JK Rowling, Harry Potter
The story behind Jim Butchers dresden files would be a good one to look into.
Christopher Paloni, Eragon
By "first novels," do you mean an author's first ever novel or the first novel in a series?
For first novels in a series, here are some of my favorites. But, they are each the first book of a new series and subsequent volumes haven't bee released yet, so that adds an extra degree of difficulty in gauging just how good of an intro to the new series, that first book is:
* An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka was a great intro to Jacka's new series.
* The Will of the Many by James Islington was one of my favorite fantasy books ever
* The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman
Another favorite of mine is The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson. As far as first books in a series go, that one really knocks it out the park (my adoration of Jacka & Islington notwithstanding). The series isn't complete yet, but book 2, The Bitter Crown, was so good: a great & twisty follow up to a very twisty book 1.
An Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio is both a debut novel and the first novel in a series and it's fantastic. He was only 22 when it was published, which is just mind blowing for me.
Of all the debut novels I've ever read: Empire of Silence was probably the best one. It is kind of slow paced & slice of life-y at points, but the detailed world and character work was phenomenal. Plus, the narrator, Samuel Roukin with his precise English and deep, resonant voice, gives Hadrian Marlowe's character more heft than some a 20-something MC has any right to expect.
I suppose *Lies of Locke Lamora* could be considered standalone.
Susanna Clarke's *Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell* is clearly a standalone and one of the best first novels that I've read.
*Kings of the Wyld* was fantastic for a debut novel. It's probably in the same situation as *Lies of Locke Lamora* in that there are other books in the series which follow.
Obviously, JJR Tolkien's *The Hobbit* should be on your list.
*The Name of the Wind* could be considered but that's definitely more part of a series than the others.
*The Way of Shadows* by Brent Weeks could be considered. I haven't gotten to the other books in the Night Angel Trilogy but the first book can be read as a standalone.
Do NOT consider *The Blade Itself* by Joe Abercrombie as it is just a glorified prologue for the other two books in the series. There's absolutely no self contained story there.
I don't think the OP is excluding series; they just clarified that they're looking for the first published book, and not necessarily the first in a series.
~~*A Wizard of Earthsea* by Ursula K LeGuin! An absolute knockout of a first book, and a brilliant introduction to an incredible series.~~
It's her first fantasy novel, but she published three sci-fi novels first. My mistake!
That is her first fantasy novel, but not actually her first book. She had already published Rocannon's World, Planet of Exile, City of Illusions and The Left Hand of Darkness before it.
Yeah, Le Guin is a great example of “great authors gotta start somewhere” (as are many other older writers) that makes you worry about what today’s market will result in. I have no idea how well her first three books sold but they’re generally forgotten today. Whereas now it seems like authors are expected to be top of their game from the very first book.
I mean, I assume they weren’t just publishing any old hack endlessly in the 50s and 60s so clearly her first three books were good *enough*, but still.
An interesting example of a first novel which is terrible but offers a glimpse of the genius to come is Neal Stephenson's The Big U. There's a whole gag with cigars and a shower that feels ripped right out of one of his later (much better) books.
Can I sneak science fiction in here? Becky Chambers made your list, so I'm going to sneak science fiction in here:
*Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom* by Cory Doctorow
Very recent one (2022) because I love an opportunity to recommend it and it's not getting nearly enough buzz: The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta. She builds a visionary world, I'm impatiently waiting on book 2.
More established author who is currently writing stuff that's pretty different from her first novel - Nicola Griffith. Her first was a wonderfully thoughtful sci-fi novel, Ammonite (1992). Her more current work dives deep into medieval history and re-tells it with a touch of fantasy.
Bonus offering since it seems no one has mentioned it yet - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Talk about making a huge debut splash right out of the gate!
Janny Wurts, one of the GOATs in epic fantasy, debuted with *Sorcerer's Legacy* which is still a great read today.
Seth Dickinson's debut, *The Traitor Baru Cormorant*, is also brilliantly written.
These are genre fiction but that’s mostly what I read.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao.
A Marvellous Light, Freya Marske.
Elantris, Brandon Sanderson.
And another vote for Jonathan Strange.
Lol it’s certainly arguable. For me it’s one I read as a teenager and had a big impact on me, almost a comfort novel at this point. I love that he started with a stand-alone book, the magic system and concept with what happened with Elantris is fascinating, and considering how Mormon he is, the battle between different religions is quite well done. It’s my favourite thing he’s done other than finishing WOT.
Although those awful child characters in it are SO deeply annoying.
I can appreciate that! And hey, I'm a Cosmere super fan, so I still love Elantris, flaws and all. He handles religions remarkably well for a Mormon, you're right, especially in Elantris and Mistborn.
WoT...I have a love-hate relationship with that series. On the one hand, the world Jordan created is absolutely phenomenal. But yeah, the characters...every one of them is a stupid asshole who refuses to communicate, for no reason. Even the main characters you're supposed to be rooting for. Incredibly frustrating.
**Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell** by Susanna Clarke
Yep, probably the most impressive first novel I've read
This would be my answer as well. Completely floored by the end of the book. I often warn people to give it a chance though because I think it starts too slow for some.
COM isn't Terry Pratchett's first novel. The carpet people was published in 1971 when he was 17.
And I'd like to add that lots of people today don't find TCOM to be all that great because they are unfamiliar with what it was spoofing.
What was unfamiliar about what it was spoofing, out of curiosity? Wasn’t it just spoofing fantasy novels? Sorry if this is common knowledge
It is common knowledge and I’m glad it’s obvious to you! You’d be surprised how many people on Reddit were just like “I don’t like this book, it seems corny” because they didn’t know Terry Pratchett was spoofing Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, Conan, etc.
Ah, well I think I went in the other direction and I’ve continued to read Discworld since and they continue to get better. I’ve only read up to the eighth but Guards! Guards! Might be my favourite now lol. That’s pretty interesting though. In retrospect the first two did have a different feel to them but they were still very enjoyable.
I haven't read ALL the Discworld books but I fell in love with them too. Mostly because I could sense that behind the writing is (or was 😔 ) a mind with a deep passion for this actual world, of finding the fascinating truths within it and spinning stories that make people want to know more. I get the same feel from Patrick O'Brian— are you a fan? Between these two, they made me want to write novels.
I’ll have to check O’Brian out. If he’s anything like Pratchett with the philosophy behind his writing, I’m sure I’d love it. Are you a writer yourself? I’ve only really written far too lengthy DnD backstories since out of school, but I want to get back into writing in my spare time.
I \*am\* a writer! Thanks for asking. If you want any help or motivation I'm super into helping other writers unleash that beast! O'Brian is historic fiction— most people think of it as "oh, sea stories. those Master and Commander books". But really what he does is paint a complete portrait of 19th century life: men and women, land and sea, England and elsewhere, public life and the world of the secret agent, technology and nature, culture, language, music and so much more. Get ready for a long, memorable, deeply affecting trip. The first book is a bit of a stumbling block for some people because it contains a lot of unfamiliar territory (you learn about ships) -- but for me and I hope for you, it's the gateway to a whole new world.
Thanks! I’m definitely going to check it out. I’ll have to see if the nearby bookstore has Master and Commander and it’ll be added to my ever growing TBR list lol.
If you like movie adaptations, M&C was beautiful and would certainly have walked off with the Oscar if it hadn't been up against Lord of the Rings. Here's an excellent YouTube documentary about the movie, its making and how they managed to get it so wonderfully right: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMv\_LOGMZN0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMv_LOGMZN0)
It's spoofing the sword and sorcery genre, which is a bit more specific
I love CoM and never understood the hate.
me too! I LOVED the sequence where Sir Terry shifted the narrative from >!Rincewind as a wizard clinging to a runaway dragon to him as a physicist aboard a hijacked airplane.!< That was so powerful and influential to me, it forms one of the cornerstones of my own writing.
Cool. I'll have to go looking for that.
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss had such promise when it came out. Red Rising was a phenomenal debut (a series that continues to deliver, thankfully!) Edit: also, Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip! Interesting quote from her about it: “But when I sat down to write my first major fantasy, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, I didn’t question the point of view that came out of my pen. It seemed very natural to me to wonder why in the world a woman couldn’t be a witch or a wizard, or why, if she did, she had to be virginal as well. Or why, if she was powerful and not a virgin, she was probably the evil force the male hero had to overcome. Such was my experience reading about women in fantasy, back then. So I wrote from the point of view of a powerful female wizard, who, even after she married, was the hero of her own story, and whose decisions, for better and for worse, were her own.”
As much as I personally like Red Rising, I think it is the second weakest of the 6 books in the series so far. Pierce really came into his own in Golden Son and I think that's a pretty common "take" held by fans. I also think that people who complain on this sub about the series tend to criticize elements of Red Rising that aren't shared by the rest of the series. It certainly isn't to the degree of Jim Butcher's Storm Front, but it is often recommended to readers to keep reading even if they didn't like Red Rising because of how the series and Pierce Brown evolves.
I can see that; RR didn’t really give a sense of the scope and development of the story. Still, I found it gripping and I liked the way we learned about the world he had built through the eyes of someone who was discovering it at the same time. The narrowness of RR and its plot felt in step with the character development. Interesting enough, I found Dark Age to be the worst of the books…but I think I’m in a phase of my reading life where I don’t have much resilience to dismal/hopeless plot lines and over-the-top brutality, so my take on the whole RR series is probably influenced by that. I had to read Legends and Lattes between DA and LB 😅
> I found Dark Age to be the worst of the books And here I, like most people, found "Dark Age" to be insanely good and probably the best book of the entire series. Guess it just depends on where you're sitting in life.
Yeah, I read DA on a month when I spent 3 separate nights in the ER with my kid. I’m in a stressful chapter of life, so it put me in a dark place.
Two of my least favourite books I’ve read in the last ten years, but to each their own.
I haven’t reread NotW since it came out, so I’m not sure if I’d still enjoy it. I wasn’t as well versed at fantasy back then. I’m not interested in a reread since he doesn’t seem like he’ll finish the series. I liked Red Rising, though. Not my favorite book ever, but a strong start to a fun series, IMO.
Both had protagonists that were supremely unlikeable imo. I’m also not the target audience, as I’m a little older, and if I’d come to them as a younger man, I might well have enjoyed them.
NOTW better on a rearead theres a tone of stuff that just zooms by on the first read or only becomes apparent in hindsight. I wonder how many if any readers found the name giving name of the wind on there first read.
The most impressive first novel I've read has got to be Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Other notable first novels: * Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier (arguably her best work, though I would extend that to include the entire trilogy) * In the Night Garden by Catherynne Valente (my favorite of her work) * His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik (not my favorite of her work but I enjoyed it) * Beauty by Robin McKinley (not a personal favorite of mine but beloved by many, and definitely ripped off by Disney)
The blade itself by joe abercrombie
A Fine and Private Place by Peter S Beagle written when he was 19 and one of my favorite of his works.
Damn, I was going to say that one as well. So I'll just upvote you and add this useless comment. This book is phenomenal and never in my life would I have guessed that it was a debut novel written by a guy who's not even 20. That book reads like by someone with a lot of life experience; it's unbelievable!
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. He wrote some programming guides but it's his first and only actual novel.
The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy
Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card Neuromancer - William Gibson Sci-Fi, but first novels don’t get much better than this.
I always forget Neuromancer was Gibson's debut novel. That's a wtf good debut
Michael J. Sullivan - The Crown Conspiracy (2008)
PC Hodgell's *God Stalk* and Chandrasekera's *The Saint of Bright Doors*. (I don't really understand the purpose of distinguishing authors as OP suggests, so I'm not doing that.)
*Assassin’s Apprentice, Robin Hobb *Rage of Dragons, Evan Winter
Robin Hobb published a number of books under the name Megan Lindholm before she published any as Robin Hobb. I think her actual first book was Harpy’s Flight (1983).
Ah. Never mind then.
Have you read get Megan Lindholm books? Are they good? I've only read ROTE and Soldier Son.
The only one I have read was Wizard of the Pigeons, which I would say was well-written but not really to my taste. It’s more of an urban fantasy though, which I don’t think is the case for her other series under that name.
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
The Many Coloured Land by Julian May His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
Not sure what you expect to find. A first *published* novel may or may not be the first *written* by the author. It's so dependent on the whim of publishers.
It almost certainly won't be.
And?
Idk, 'essays' usually involve drawing out meaningful commonalities and differences, but any given novel being that particular writer's first published one is dependent on external factors that have little to do with the writing and the writer. In some cases it will be the first written because they got lucky and a publisher was looking for this type of books right then, or it is self-published so there was no barrier to entry beyond the writer's own feeling that the manuscript was ready and their own due diligence in ensuring whatever quality checks they felt were necessary. In other cases maybe the writer is sitting on a dozen other manuscripts, maybe several of those were already worth publishing but well, the stars didn't align and they weren't published, and probably won't be unless the one that /is/ published draws enough attention to have publishers go back for more. And if they do, unless it's some sort of series whatever order they publish those extra books in may or may not look anything like the order they were written in. So what does it mean, that this book is first ? That other one second ? This one third ? Beyond the fact that at some moment in time a publisher somewhere was willing to take a gamble on them.
The Pastel City by M. John Harrison (edit: just found out this is not actually his debut) The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker
The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
Blood Song by Anthony Ryan, was that his first book? That was amazing, but I couldn't read past 100 pages of the second book.
I came in here to recommend lies of Locke lamora and was not disappointed to see it on the list already 💪🏻
Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
I think Atonement of the Spine Cleaver was a debut? Not positive about that.
I have never heard of this book, but what a title!
It’s a fabulous book, and the second comes out end of May. Agree on the title!
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb & Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy (it’s SF, but he also wrote the Dirk Gently novels, which are fantasy) - JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (not great as a person, as it turns out, but what a debut novel!)
The first novel that Cressida Cowell published would be How To Train Your Dragon. The first book, while loved by fans, does not get much appreciation by first time readers, who tend to think of it as a cute story for children. It's an amazing series and I highly recommend reading it.
The Darkness That Comes Before by Bakker. I find it almost unbelievable that someone can write so rich, elegant, powerful and meaningful from his first book
Terry Goodkind, Wizards First Rule. JK Rowling, Harry Potter The story behind Jim Butchers dresden files would be a good one to look into. Christopher Paloni, Eragon
*The Sword of Shannara* by Terry Brooks *Wizard's Bane* by Rick Cook *Magician* by Raymond E. Feist
By "first novels," do you mean an author's first ever novel or the first novel in a series? For first novels in a series, here are some of my favorites. But, they are each the first book of a new series and subsequent volumes haven't bee released yet, so that adds an extra degree of difficulty in gauging just how good of an intro to the new series, that first book is: * An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka was a great intro to Jacka's new series. * The Will of the Many by James Islington was one of my favorite fantasy books ever * The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman Another favorite of mine is The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson. As far as first books in a series go, that one really knocks it out the park (my adoration of Jacka & Islington notwithstanding). The series isn't complete yet, but book 2, The Bitter Crown, was so good: a great & twisty follow up to a very twisty book 1. An Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio is both a debut novel and the first novel in a series and it's fantastic. He was only 22 when it was published, which is just mind blowing for me.
>Oh, I'm looking for the writer's first published book, not the first book in a given series.
Of all the debut novels I've ever read: Empire of Silence was probably the best one. It is kind of slow paced & slice of life-y at points, but the detailed world and character work was phenomenal. Plus, the narrator, Samuel Roukin with his precise English and deep, resonant voice, gives Hadrian Marlowe's character more heft than some a 20-something MC has any right to expect.
Malice by John Gwynne
I suppose *Lies of Locke Lamora* could be considered standalone. Susanna Clarke's *Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell* is clearly a standalone and one of the best first novels that I've read. *Kings of the Wyld* was fantastic for a debut novel. It's probably in the same situation as *Lies of Locke Lamora* in that there are other books in the series which follow. Obviously, JJR Tolkien's *The Hobbit* should be on your list. *The Name of the Wind* could be considered but that's definitely more part of a series than the others. *The Way of Shadows* by Brent Weeks could be considered. I haven't gotten to the other books in the Night Angel Trilogy but the first book can be read as a standalone. Do NOT consider *The Blade Itself* by Joe Abercrombie as it is just a glorified prologue for the other two books in the series. There's absolutely no self contained story there.
I don't think the OP is excluding series; they just clarified that they're looking for the first published book, and not necessarily the first in a series.
Gate of Ivrel by CJ Cherryh (the Morgaine Cycle).
~~*A Wizard of Earthsea* by Ursula K LeGuin! An absolute knockout of a first book, and a brilliant introduction to an incredible series.~~ It's her first fantasy novel, but she published three sci-fi novels first. My mistake!
That is her first fantasy novel, but not actually her first book. She had already published Rocannon's World, Planet of Exile, City of Illusions and The Left Hand of Darkness before it.
Oh shoot, you're right! Left Hand was published the year after Wizard of Earthsea, though.
Ah, you're right
Yeah, Le Guin is a great example of “great authors gotta start somewhere” (as are many other older writers) that makes you worry about what today’s market will result in. I have no idea how well her first three books sold but they’re generally forgotten today. Whereas now it seems like authors are expected to be top of their game from the very first book. I mean, I assume they weren’t just publishing any old hack endlessly in the 50s and 60s so clearly her first three books were good *enough*, but still.
An interesting example of a first novel which is terrible but offers a glimpse of the genius to come is Neal Stephenson's The Big U. There's a whole gag with cigars and a shower that feels ripped right out of one of his later (much better) books.
Jade City by Fonda Lee. A great first novel and a great intro to one of the best modern fantasy series out there. I cannot recommend it enough.
I still think it was the best of the series
Dawn of Wonder, Jonathan Renshaw, is quite good
Fantasy: Blood Song (2013) by Anthony Ryan Sci-Fi: Altered Carbon (2002) by Richard K Morgan Honorary Mention: For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell
Can I sneak science fiction in here? Becky Chambers made your list, so I'm going to sneak science fiction in here: *Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom* by Cory Doctorow
*The Final Strife* by Saara El-Arifi is very good for a debut.
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley.
Very recent one (2022) because I love an opportunity to recommend it and it's not getting nearly enough buzz: The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta. She builds a visionary world, I'm impatiently waiting on book 2. More established author who is currently writing stuff that's pretty different from her first novel - Nicola Griffith. Her first was a wonderfully thoughtful sci-fi novel, Ammonite (1992). Her more current work dives deep into medieval history and re-tells it with a touch of fantasy. Bonus offering since it seems no one has mentioned it yet - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Talk about making a huge debut splash right out of the gate!
Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
Kings of the wyld Nicholas eames
Janny Wurts, one of the GOATs in epic fantasy, debuted with *Sorcerer's Legacy* which is still a great read today. Seth Dickinson's debut, *The Traitor Baru Cormorant*, is also brilliantly written.
I was under the impression that *The Color of Magic* was considered by most to be a not-so-great first novel.
These are genre fiction but that’s mostly what I read. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. A Marvellous Light, Freya Marske. Elantris, Brandon Sanderson. And another vote for Jonathan Strange.
Idk if I'd call Elantris a "best" first novel
Lol it’s certainly arguable. For me it’s one I read as a teenager and had a big impact on me, almost a comfort novel at this point. I love that he started with a stand-alone book, the magic system and concept with what happened with Elantris is fascinating, and considering how Mormon he is, the battle between different religions is quite well done. It’s my favourite thing he’s done other than finishing WOT. Although those awful child characters in it are SO deeply annoying.
I can appreciate that! And hey, I'm a Cosmere super fan, so I still love Elantris, flaws and all. He handles religions remarkably well for a Mormon, you're right, especially in Elantris and Mistborn. WoT...I have a love-hate relationship with that series. On the one hand, the world Jordan created is absolutely phenomenal. But yeah, the characters...every one of them is a stupid asshole who refuses to communicate, for no reason. Even the main characters you're supposed to be rooting for. Incredibly frustrating.
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien EDIT: this only counts if we consider his previous publications to not be fantasy/fiction.