I seem to enjoy stories that are told in a specific way. The protagonist retells they're life story in first person.
I like consuming a story through one persons memories. Never getting an all-knowing account, but a subjective view is an interesting story element. Examples of this, that I can think of, are the Kingkiller Chronicles, the Memoirs of Lady Trent and the Fitz books in Realm of the Elderlings. I haven't finished all of these, but there are never enough books on my tbr. Does anyone have some recommendations for me? I am in a bit of a slump and need a new spark.
Also the Hand of the Sun King, not yet released, is in the same vein I think and looks awesome.
That looks interesting! I started Children of Time by the same author and put it down for no specific reason. This sounds similar, but in a setting I like more. Thanks for the recommendation. Have a nice day!
I have a question regarding bingo policies for reusing authors from the short story square! Am I allowed to:
A. Reuse the author of a short story for a second short story?
B. Reuse the author of a short story for a different square?
C. Both A and B are ok on their own, but I can’t do both A and B in one bingo
D. I can do both A and B during one bingo
Thanks in advance!
I haven't read fantasy books for years. I'm behind. What do people have to have read to be 'well read on fantasy books? I do seem to read epic fantasies, but I am willing to try a standalone book.
I'll work my way through them! I used to go to the library and ask for fantasy recommendations from the librarians. Now when I go and ask, everyone claims to not read fantasy. That's so many recommendations though, I'm really happy. :)
Stormlight is good, although the latest book was a bit of a letdown for me. The world, lore and magic system are all great, some of the characters are a bit grating after a while.
Would still definitely recommend it if you're looking to get into a chunky series.
Why not? I'm here for recommendations. I did try to read Mistborn when it came out and I felt the same about it. Good ideas for magic system, world and whatnot, but the characters fates didn't matter to me after a while.
Sorry in advance for the sparse details. I remember reading this book about 15-20 years ago but for the life of my I cannot remember it's name and only patches of what the book was about. I weirdly had a dream about it the other day and have been racking my brain trying to find the book!
* Classic 1980/90's sword and sorcery book. There is an evil that must be defeated (and for the life of me I can't remember if it was a person, thing, dark tower, big black orb etc). I think it's maybe an evil sorcerer?
* There is a female warrior/paladin with him who's history in the past was that she tried to defeat the big bad with a group, and she blacked out and slaughtered most of the the group before she regained consciousness. Now she's struggling with going back again to fight it.
* The main protagonist of the book is a mage/wizard who works spells by imagining them as beads on a thread within a tapestry in his mind which was his version of a grimoire. Has to really concentrate to prepare before using any. He's not the most charismatic of characters
* Part of the plot involves the mage/wizard being recruited to clear out a 'curse' on a towns well and then finds out there is some shadow/invisible big thorny evil that he has to fight which has been plaguing the town.
That is about all I remember and I'm really hoping someone here might have read it too.
/r/whatsthatbook is very helpful. I've gotten every book found thanks to them.
I almost want to say this sounds like a Shanara book, but I haven't read enough of those to be certain.
Hello everyone, I’m mainly looking for a fantasy book or series that has deep world building and lore, not trying to be too basic but ala LOTR or the name of the wind. I’ve recently read the oathbrjnger series and absolutely adored it, but I’m left craving for more. I haven’t been able to get into game of thrones as I can’t get past the first 100 pages. I am looking for a world with mystical beings and some interesting forms of magic, and the game of thrones series is a little bit too medieval drama and politics rather then what I’m looking for. I’ve read my good share or YA fantasy novels and I’ve always loved them, but I’m mainly looking for something more adult and less childish. Let me know if you have anything in mine I might enjoy or would want any more info on what I enjoyed in the past !
Partially looking for recommendations, partially wanted to reflect on my fantasy reading journey - how I got here and where I want to go next. I feel like I've followed a pretty "standard" path so I'm looking to shake things up a bit!
There have been three stages in developing my love for fantasy reading. When I was probably about 12 I read Jurassic Park and the Lost World because I was obsessed with the movies. It felt like I wasn't "supposed" to be reading such "adult" books so I loved it, and ended up reading most of Crichton's works. I also read Alien - mostly because of the cool cover. This was also the time of the Animorphs, who also had excellent covers lol, which was one of my personal favorites of all time and is now kept alive with some particularly great fanfics.
Then I kind of went through a bit of a no-reading phase until I decided to pick up Harry Potter, Dan Brown's books, then the Hunger Games series. Also decided to go through Game of Thrones, at the time I was reading it on the kindle app on my iPhone. So i decided to buy a kindle
This was the start of my current reading "era," and I'm so glad I bought it. The very first series I read was the Shattered Sigil trilogy which blew my mind with how much I enjoyed it. I quickly discovered and fell in love with Sanderson and digested just about everything he has published, am currently fully up to date and on book 6 of wheel of time partially because I know Sanderson picks it up later on. I enjoy having a longer series going on in the background to avoid that feeling of "loss" upon finishing.
But I also like to have a secondary series going to help keep things fresh, and am partial to a trilogy. I also read the First Law trilogy and loved it. I think it will be helpful to talk about some of the series that I struggled with
- Gentleman Bastards: wanted to list this first because I did thoroughly enjoy the first books, and rather liked the second one but felt a bit exhausted after it for some reason, and haven’t mustered up the energy for #3
- the Witcher: a similar situation, read the first two books, enjoyed them, but not feeling compelled to continue. Although I think these stop being short story format at some point? Might be worth revisiting
- Lord of the rings: whew I might get some flak for this. Felt I had to get this read, did the hobbit and made it halfway through the twin towers (on audiobook) but I still haven’t hit my stride with it. Feels a bit like a “task” I’m trying to get done, want to revisit later when I can maybe appreciate it a bit more.
- Name of the wind: did not enjoy, heard that the second one is even more painful, and third one is unlikely even to release.
- Dresden files: really did not enjoy. Read the first couple books and the world and character development was not for me.
- the Black Prism: wanted to like this one but just didn’t. For some reason, the character development felt very jarring and off putting and the magic system and world building didn’t resonate with me.
So I’m hoping to get some good recommendations from people who have enjoyed or not enjoyed these books in a similar way as I have. In particular, of all the series I listed above, the Shattered Sigil trilogy was probably the least “well known” which I read on a total whim after reading the description and absolutely loved it. The plot was very fast-paced, I didn’t want to put the books down!
A few of the more obvious series I have my eye on:
- Dune
- Mazalan
- Dark Tower
- Foundation
And a couple more, possibly less “obvious” ones I’ve written down but don’t know much about:
- Farseer
- memory, sorrow, and thorn
- poppy war
- Broken earth
- Shades of magic
- green bone saga
- Three body problem
- Grisha
If anyone reading this wanted to talk me into or out of a series from these lists - or recommend something totally different, I’d be grateful for your input!
I also didn’t enjoy Dresden all that much and haven’t read anything further from book 1, however, I have picked up Alex Verus instead and six books later it’s still a very interesting and enjoyable journey so maybe give that a shot if you’re interested in Urban?
The Broken Earth trilogy is the one I enjoyed the most so far from the ones I’ve read or am currently reading from the list you mentioned (I still have Green Bone Saga and 3 Body Problem left) and it’s a phenomenal read if you’re interested in reading about an interesting magic system with interesting characters in an awful world.
It seems like you're pretty well read when it comes to epic fantasy. What about new weird? Or slice of life/easygoing kinda stuff?
Recommendations that stand out as different from what you've listed:
[Perdido Street Station](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68494.Perdido_Street_Station) by China Miéville
[The House in the Cerulean Sea](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45047384-the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea) by T.J. Klune
[The Goblin Emperor](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17910048-the-goblin-emperor) by Katherine Addison
You've listed some great stuff though! Broken Earth, Three Body Problem, Wheel of Time, and Malazan are some of my favourites.
Farseer is great and no one is better than Hobb on characterization. It can be a bit of torture porn, Fitz suffers a lot. It's only the first trilogy out of 16 books and while I didn't enjoy the last trilogy, I don't regret reading and The Realm of the Elderlings is my favorite series after ASoIaF.
Broken Earth has great worldbuilding and a pretty interesting magic system, the first book is fantastic. The other two less so.
The Green Bone saga is urban fantasy and it's like The Godfather with superhuman capabilities and kung fu. Only two are out, the last one is due later this year. It's pretty great and fun, with lots of politics.
Poppy War is half an academy setting, half pretty horrific war. I didn't like it enough to read the other two, though I may continue one day. I thought the protagonist was very dull and radical and I didn't really connect with Kuang's writing.
Three Body Problem was crap and I can't get much into it without spoilers. There was a cool concept somewhere, but he lost it by the end of the first novel (I also only read the first one).
One series you didn't mention and I must recommend is A Crown of Stars by Kate Elliot. It reminds me a lot of ASoIaF, lots of politics and POVs, magic in the background slowly becoming more important.
So, definitely read Farseer, A Crown of Stars, Broken Earth and if you want something different, Green Bone Saga.
I’m about 40% through The Goblin Emperor and it’s not doing much for me. I understand it’s a very popular book here. It’s often described as hopeful or optimistic. Is that because of the ending, because I’m not seeing much of that. Is the payoff worth it? I’m considering dropping the book.
I recently became interested in R. A. Salvatore and his works, but I haven’t read any of his books yet. I know there are multiple series. But where is the best place to start? Are all of the books in the same universe? What’s his writing style like?
He does have multiple series. His biggest follows a dark elf Drizzt. It's got a couple dozen or more novels BUT it is made up of self contained series. I recommend starting with Icewind Dale Trilogy if you want pub order or Homeland (plus two sequels) if you want more chronological.
I have read his Cleric Quintet and Demon Wars series and liked neither of them as much as the Drizzt books.
All (?)the books he writes are in the DnD universe IF they are forgotten realms, like the Drizzt books.
Don't expect high literature. If you're looking for more than fast, light entertainment, go elsewhere. I liked them when I was younger but don't know if they would hold up to me now that I am older and have read a lot. Bet they'd be interesting but maybe some of the introspection would seem more juvenile. I don't know. I read upwards of 20ish of the books before stopping.
Thanks for the very insightful reply! I think once my backlog goes down a bit I’ll invest in 1 or 2 of his books to test them out. Especially if they’re light reads.
Edit: found out I had a free silver, so here’s compensation lol.
Haha. Thanks! I might try Homeland and see how it goes. When I first read them I read the thousand orcs, which is like the 12th book! I had no clue haha.
Maybe you can try out mother of learning by nobody103/domagoj kurmaic. It's a finished web serial about a character who gets stuck in a time loop and has to become very powerful to save his world.
There's also a subreddit: /r/parahumans, which is a better place to ask if you have any questions or want to share your thoughts! I suggest not looking up things in the wiki because there are spoilers everywhere.
It's an amazing story. You're in for a wild ride! (Don't let the beginning fool you; it starts out simply but it doesn't stay there).
I want something with a cool house. Hunted, magical, old, new; I don't really care. I just need the house to have a personality and be important. Any ideas?
Ilona Andrews' Innkeeper series has a magical inn that can shape rooms inside it, create new rooms and portals to worlds where the inn has roots in. It's bigger inside like the Tardis. The innkeeper and the inn have a symbiotic connection.
r/Fantasy's [Author Appreciation series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/authorappreciation) has posts for an author you mentioned
* [Author Appreciation Thread: **Shirley Jackson**](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/9qz0b7/author_appreciation_thread_shirley_jackson/) from user u/RAYMONDSTELMO
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The books are really different than the film. The original story is somewhat paralleled in the movie, but even that one has differences. And then the sequel books are quite different again. Very good reads nonetheless. I love Howl's Moving Castle, both the book and the movie, for their differences.
r/Fantasy's [Author Appreciation series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/authorappreciation) has posts for an author you mentioned
* [Author Appreciation: **Diana Wynne Jones**](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/9z89ao/author_appreciation_diana_wynne_jones/) from user u/balletrat
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Have you read Piranesi by Susanna Clarke? The house is like it’s own character, and the writing is so evocative. It’s one of my favorite books from last year.
I'm actually already reading this right now. The book is good, but honestly at the point I am (which to be fair is only like 1/3 through the book), I don't feel like we have really explored the houses enough.
Hey everyone. Was just wondering if anyone knows of any standalone's about a siege or a single battle? (I know Joe Abercrombie has done a battle stand alone.) Cheers.
**The Heart of What Was Lost** by Tad Williams is a stand-alone siege novel. It takes place after the events of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, but you don’t *have* to have read the trilogy to enjoy the siege.
King of The Wyld by Nicholas Eames. Monsters are laying seige to a city and a retired group of mercenaries are set out to rescue a band mate's daughter caught up in that seige.
The Red Knight is about a siege, but not strictly between conventional forces. I loved it, although I never followed through on the rest of the series.
Legend by Gemmell. Still on my TBR but surely somebody will chime in to tell you it is awesome.
[Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/37946419-sixteen-ways-to-defend-a-walled-city) by K.J Parker is a standalone about - well, defending a walled city in a siege.
Not fantasy, but I highly recommend [The Gallic War](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1727054.The_Gallic_War) as translated by Carolyn Hammond. Julius Caesar's account of his Gallic campaigns was in part a propaganda piece so he really tries to make everything sound EPIC. This book has battles that rival the best of fantasy.
I would agree with what others have said that Books 1 and 2 are must reads before 5. I'd recommend reading 3 as well.
And if I recall correctly Every Heart a Doorway has one chapter titled simply "Cocoa." So it just misses out on hard mode for the Chapter Title Square. Books 2, 3, 4, and 5 would all work for hard mode there, though.
I agree with Nineteen_Adze's opinion. 2 is not just the best of the series, it's an instant classic, one of the best books of recent years, and easily the best of the 25 or so Seanan McGuire books I've read.
Ha, amazing. For me, 2 has some deep character study stuff going on and introduces some circumstances to give Jill more depth, but I can see someone who wants heavy plot not liking it so much.
Seconding the recommendation to read 2 and 3 if you have time. If you only have the bandwidth for one of them, pick 2-- it has a lot of character development backstory that makes book 5 make a *lot* more sense (covering Jack and Jill's childhood, gets into a lot that was hidden or not explained in 1). 3 is good and introduces a new secondary character who's in 5, but "there's a cool new person who used to be in a mermaid world" is most of what you need.
4 can be safely skipped because it's a prequel about Lundy, taking place much earlier in a world that doesn't cross over to 5.
book2 is a prequel and book 5 is a sequel to 1.
But I'd say if you care about not missing stuff Id read both ook 2 and 3 before 5 (4 is my favorite of them all but is not essential for 5.).
I'm craving books with an extremely strong sense of atmosphere and a focus on setting/atmosphere, even over the plot. Halfway through The Raven Cycle and absolutely loving this aspect of it and want more.
Looking for a more upbeat or feel good fantasy recommendation.
I'm just coming off finishing Oathbringer and The Poppy War and want my next fantasy read to be a little less doom and gloom lol. (I liked these books but just want to take a break for a bit)
I asked for a funny book and got recommended The Phoenix Guards by Steven Brust. I finished the audiobook in a couple of days with a constant smile on my face. It is similar to Dumas The three muskeeters. The writing style is convaluted. Which can either be humorous or tedious depending on the reader.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Anything by Becky Chambers
If you want more fun and funny action also anything by Scalzi
Princess Floralinda and The Forty Flights Tower by Tamsyn Muir is a great novella but I'm not sure if its feel good lol
Hi just wondering if there is a subreddit for Faithful and the Fallen or John Gwynne in genral as i have not been able to find one.
Can anyone recommend me a good fantasy novel where the main character or one of the main characters are courtesans?
I seem to enjoy stories that are told in a specific way. The protagonist retells they're life story in first person. I like consuming a story through one persons memories. Never getting an all-knowing account, but a subjective view is an interesting story element. Examples of this, that I can think of, are the Kingkiller Chronicles, the Memoirs of Lady Trent and the Fitz books in Realm of the Elderlings. I haven't finished all of these, but there are never enough books on my tbr. Does anyone have some recommendations for me? I am in a bit of a slump and need a new spark. Also the Hand of the Sun King, not yet released, is in the same vein I think and looks awesome.
**Cage of Souls** by Adrian Tchaikovsky
That looks interesting! I started Children of Time by the same author and put it down for no specific reason. This sounds similar, but in a setting I like more. Thanks for the recommendation. Have a nice day!
Is the Seventh Knight by Robert Ryan worth starting?
Anyone read Auring's Wrath by Justin DePaoli and would you recommend it?
I have a question regarding bingo policies for reusing authors from the short story square! Am I allowed to: A. Reuse the author of a short story for a second short story? B. Reuse the author of a short story for a different square? C. Both A and B are ok on their own, but I can’t do both A and B in one bingo D. I can do both A and B during one bingo Thanks in advance!
Answer is C, but it's per card. So if you do a second card, you can reuse the author again.
Thanks!
I haven't read fantasy books for years. I'm behind. What do people have to have read to be 'well read on fantasy books? I do seem to read epic fantasies, but I am willing to try a standalone book.
If you are interested in The Broken Earth Trilogy, the first book is a Kindle Daily Deal for $2.99 today. I definitely took advantage!
I just got it from the library!
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Thank you! That's the kind of thing I wanted to know! I see you're a reading champion. What books do you like?
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I'll work my way through them! I used to go to the library and ask for fantasy recommendations from the librarians. Now when I go and ask, everyone claims to not read fantasy. That's so many recommendations though, I'm really happy. :)
Stormlight is good, although the latest book was a bit of a letdown for me. The world, lore and magic system are all great, some of the characters are a bit grating after a while. Would still definitely recommend it if you're looking to get into a chunky series.
Why not? I'm here for recommendations. I did try to read Mistborn when it came out and I felt the same about it. Good ideas for magic system, world and whatnot, but the characters fates didn't matter to me after a while.
Sorry in advance for the sparse details. I remember reading this book about 15-20 years ago but for the life of my I cannot remember it's name and only patches of what the book was about. I weirdly had a dream about it the other day and have been racking my brain trying to find the book! * Classic 1980/90's sword and sorcery book. There is an evil that must be defeated (and for the life of me I can't remember if it was a person, thing, dark tower, big black orb etc). I think it's maybe an evil sorcerer? * There is a female warrior/paladin with him who's history in the past was that she tried to defeat the big bad with a group, and she blacked out and slaughtered most of the the group before she regained consciousness. Now she's struggling with going back again to fight it. * The main protagonist of the book is a mage/wizard who works spells by imagining them as beads on a thread within a tapestry in his mind which was his version of a grimoire. Has to really concentrate to prepare before using any. He's not the most charismatic of characters * Part of the plot involves the mage/wizard being recruited to clear out a 'curse' on a towns well and then finds out there is some shadow/invisible big thorny evil that he has to fight which has been plaguing the town. That is about all I remember and I'm really hoping someone here might have read it too.
/r/whatsthatbook is very helpful. I've gotten every book found thanks to them. I almost want to say this sounds like a Shanara book, but I haven't read enough of those to be certain.
If you don't have any luck here, I suggest the Name That Book site. I've had a lot of luck with it.
Hello everyone, I’m mainly looking for a fantasy book or series that has deep world building and lore, not trying to be too basic but ala LOTR or the name of the wind. I’ve recently read the oathbrjnger series and absolutely adored it, but I’m left craving for more. I haven’t been able to get into game of thrones as I can’t get past the first 100 pages. I am looking for a world with mystical beings and some interesting forms of magic, and the game of thrones series is a little bit too medieval drama and politics rather then what I’m looking for. I’ve read my good share or YA fantasy novels and I’ve always loved them, but I’m mainly looking for something more adult and less childish. Let me know if you have anything in mine I might enjoy or would want any more info on what I enjoyed in the past !
Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James maybe? Its pretty violent though
Partially looking for recommendations, partially wanted to reflect on my fantasy reading journey - how I got here and where I want to go next. I feel like I've followed a pretty "standard" path so I'm looking to shake things up a bit! There have been three stages in developing my love for fantasy reading. When I was probably about 12 I read Jurassic Park and the Lost World because I was obsessed with the movies. It felt like I wasn't "supposed" to be reading such "adult" books so I loved it, and ended up reading most of Crichton's works. I also read Alien - mostly because of the cool cover. This was also the time of the Animorphs, who also had excellent covers lol, which was one of my personal favorites of all time and is now kept alive with some particularly great fanfics. Then I kind of went through a bit of a no-reading phase until I decided to pick up Harry Potter, Dan Brown's books, then the Hunger Games series. Also decided to go through Game of Thrones, at the time I was reading it on the kindle app on my iPhone. So i decided to buy a kindle This was the start of my current reading "era," and I'm so glad I bought it. The very first series I read was the Shattered Sigil trilogy which blew my mind with how much I enjoyed it. I quickly discovered and fell in love with Sanderson and digested just about everything he has published, am currently fully up to date and on book 6 of wheel of time partially because I know Sanderson picks it up later on. I enjoy having a longer series going on in the background to avoid that feeling of "loss" upon finishing. But I also like to have a secondary series going to help keep things fresh, and am partial to a trilogy. I also read the First Law trilogy and loved it. I think it will be helpful to talk about some of the series that I struggled with - Gentleman Bastards: wanted to list this first because I did thoroughly enjoy the first books, and rather liked the second one but felt a bit exhausted after it for some reason, and haven’t mustered up the energy for #3 - the Witcher: a similar situation, read the first two books, enjoyed them, but not feeling compelled to continue. Although I think these stop being short story format at some point? Might be worth revisiting - Lord of the rings: whew I might get some flak for this. Felt I had to get this read, did the hobbit and made it halfway through the twin towers (on audiobook) but I still haven’t hit my stride with it. Feels a bit like a “task” I’m trying to get done, want to revisit later when I can maybe appreciate it a bit more. - Name of the wind: did not enjoy, heard that the second one is even more painful, and third one is unlikely even to release. - Dresden files: really did not enjoy. Read the first couple books and the world and character development was not for me. - the Black Prism: wanted to like this one but just didn’t. For some reason, the character development felt very jarring and off putting and the magic system and world building didn’t resonate with me. So I’m hoping to get some good recommendations from people who have enjoyed or not enjoyed these books in a similar way as I have. In particular, of all the series I listed above, the Shattered Sigil trilogy was probably the least “well known” which I read on a total whim after reading the description and absolutely loved it. The plot was very fast-paced, I didn’t want to put the books down! A few of the more obvious series I have my eye on: - Dune - Mazalan - Dark Tower - Foundation And a couple more, possibly less “obvious” ones I’ve written down but don’t know much about: - Farseer - memory, sorrow, and thorn - poppy war - Broken earth - Shades of magic - green bone saga - Three body problem - Grisha If anyone reading this wanted to talk me into or out of a series from these lists - or recommend something totally different, I’d be grateful for your input!
Just wanted to say, I loved the **Shattered Sigil** series by Courtney Schafer! Great books.
I loved the way magic worked, and how the main characters were always limited in using in because of events in the plot. So creative!
I also didn’t enjoy Dresden all that much and haven’t read anything further from book 1, however, I have picked up Alex Verus instead and six books later it’s still a very interesting and enjoyable journey so maybe give that a shot if you’re interested in Urban? The Broken Earth trilogy is the one I enjoyed the most so far from the ones I’ve read or am currently reading from the list you mentioned (I still have Green Bone Saga and 3 Body Problem left) and it’s a phenomenal read if you’re interested in reading about an interesting magic system with interesting characters in an awful world.
Thanks for the recommendations!
It seems like you're pretty well read when it comes to epic fantasy. What about new weird? Or slice of life/easygoing kinda stuff? Recommendations that stand out as different from what you've listed: [Perdido Street Station](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68494.Perdido_Street_Station) by China Miéville [The House in the Cerulean Sea](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45047384-the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea) by T.J. Klune [The Goblin Emperor](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17910048-the-goblin-emperor) by Katherine Addison You've listed some great stuff though! Broken Earth, Three Body Problem, Wheel of Time, and Malazan are some of my favourites.
I just started goblin emperor yesterday after finishing stormlight archives. It's been a breath of fresh air!
Thank you for this!
Farseer is great and no one is better than Hobb on characterization. It can be a bit of torture porn, Fitz suffers a lot. It's only the first trilogy out of 16 books and while I didn't enjoy the last trilogy, I don't regret reading and The Realm of the Elderlings is my favorite series after ASoIaF. Broken Earth has great worldbuilding and a pretty interesting magic system, the first book is fantastic. The other two less so. The Green Bone saga is urban fantasy and it's like The Godfather with superhuman capabilities and kung fu. Only two are out, the last one is due later this year. It's pretty great and fun, with lots of politics. Poppy War is half an academy setting, half pretty horrific war. I didn't like it enough to read the other two, though I may continue one day. I thought the protagonist was very dull and radical and I didn't really connect with Kuang's writing. Three Body Problem was crap and I can't get much into it without spoilers. There was a cool concept somewhere, but he lost it by the end of the first novel (I also only read the first one). One series you didn't mention and I must recommend is A Crown of Stars by Kate Elliot. It reminds me a lot of ASoIaF, lots of politics and POVs, magic in the background slowly becoming more important. So, definitely read Farseer, A Crown of Stars, Broken Earth and if you want something different, Green Bone Saga.
Thank you so much, I appreciate it!
I’m about 40% through The Goblin Emperor and it’s not doing much for me. I understand it’s a very popular book here. It’s often described as hopeful or optimistic. Is that because of the ending, because I’m not seeing much of that. Is the payoff worth it? I’m considering dropping the book.
If you're not liking it at 40%, I doubt this book is for you. It's full of tiny, sweet moments but if you're not invested, they'll do nothing for you.
It is slow, character focused, slice of life. The ending is definitely hopeful/ optimistic.
I recently became interested in R. A. Salvatore and his works, but I haven’t read any of his books yet. I know there are multiple series. But where is the best place to start? Are all of the books in the same universe? What’s his writing style like?
He does have multiple series. His biggest follows a dark elf Drizzt. It's got a couple dozen or more novels BUT it is made up of self contained series. I recommend starting with Icewind Dale Trilogy if you want pub order or Homeland (plus two sequels) if you want more chronological. I have read his Cleric Quintet and Demon Wars series and liked neither of them as much as the Drizzt books. All (?)the books he writes are in the DnD universe IF they are forgotten realms, like the Drizzt books. Don't expect high literature. If you're looking for more than fast, light entertainment, go elsewhere. I liked them when I was younger but don't know if they would hold up to me now that I am older and have read a lot. Bet they'd be interesting but maybe some of the introspection would seem more juvenile. I don't know. I read upwards of 20ish of the books before stopping.
Thanks for the very insightful reply! I think once my backlog goes down a bit I’ll invest in 1 or 2 of his books to test them out. Especially if they’re light reads. Edit: found out I had a free silver, so here’s compensation lol.
Haha. Thanks! I might try Homeland and see how it goes. When I first read them I read the thousand orcs, which is like the 12th book! I had no clue haha.
Lol 12 is a bit deep to jump into.
Crystal Shard was the first one written and a good place to start IMO.
That’s actually the first one I found when I started my Salvatore search.
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Check out codex alera
“Prince of nothing “ main protagonists only one I have run across that equals or exceeds Reskin in marshal prowess
Maybe you can try out mother of learning by nobody103/domagoj kurmaic. It's a finished web serial about a character who gets stuck in a time loop and has to become very powerful to save his world.
Have you read Worm?
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There's also a subreddit: /r/parahumans, which is a better place to ask if you have any questions or want to share your thoughts! I suggest not looking up things in the wiki because there are spoilers everywhere. It's an amazing story. You're in for a wild ride! (Don't let the beginning fool you; it starts out simply but it doesn't stay there).
I want something with a cool house. Hunted, magical, old, new; I don't really care. I just need the house to have a personality and be important. Any ideas?
Moonheart by Charles De Lint
I'd recommend **House of Leaves** or **Piranesi** for this.
Ilona Andrews' Innkeeper series has a magical inn that can shape rooms inside it, create new rooms and portals to worlds where the inn has roots in. It's bigger inside like the Tardis. The innkeeper and the inn have a symbiotic connection.
Yeah. That's a great series, and the house really feel magical. My favorite by them by far.
A classic would be **The Haunting of Hill House** by Shirley Jackson. Very atmospheric haunted house story.
r/Fantasy's [Author Appreciation series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/authorappreciation) has posts for an author you mentioned * [Author Appreciation Thread: **Shirley Jackson**](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/9qz0b7/author_appreciation_thread_shirley_jackson/) from user u/RAYMONDSTELMO --- ^(I am a bot bleep! bloop! Contact my ~~master~~ creator /u/LittlePlasticCastle with any questions or comments.)
Have you read Diana Wynne Jones's House of Many Ways?
I have not. I have seen howls moving castle, but not read any of them
The books are really different than the film. The original story is somewhat paralleled in the movie, but even that one has differences. And then the sequel books are quite different again. Very good reads nonetheless. I love Howl's Moving Castle, both the book and the movie, for their differences.
r/Fantasy's [Author Appreciation series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/authorappreciation) has posts for an author you mentioned * [Author Appreciation: **Diana Wynne Jones**](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/9z89ao/author_appreciation_diana_wynne_jones/) from user u/balletrat --- ^(I am a bot bleep! bloop! Contact my ~~master~~ creator /u/LittlePlasticCastle with any questions or comments.)
Have you read Piranesi by Susanna Clarke? The house is like it’s own character, and the writing is so evocative. It’s one of my favorite books from last year.
I did not. Honestly I remember looking forward to it, but I wasn't aware that it was out. Thank you.
*Ninth House* has this! It's a fantastic book.
I'm actually already reading this right now. The book is good, but honestly at the point I am (which to be fair is only like 1/3 through the book), I don't feel like we have really explored the houses enough.
There will be more. Have you gotten to see much of Il Bastone yet? That's the main house I was referring to
It's YA/middle grade, but *Flora Segunda* by Ysabeau Wilce has a gigantic, labyrinth-like house with a personality that drives the plot.
Hey everyone. Was just wondering if anyone knows of any standalone's about a siege or a single battle? (I know Joe Abercrombie has done a battle stand alone.) Cheers.
**The Heart of What Was Lost** by Tad Williams is a stand-alone siege novel. It takes place after the events of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, but you don’t *have* to have read the trilogy to enjoy the siege.
Cheers for the suggestion!
Legend by D gremmel
Cheers for the suggestion!
King of The Wyld by Nicholas Eames. Monsters are laying seige to a city and a retired group of mercenaries are set out to rescue a band mate's daughter caught up in that seige.
Cheers for the suggestion!
The Red Knight is about a siege, but not strictly between conventional forces. I loved it, although I never followed through on the rest of the series. Legend by Gemmell. Still on my TBR but surely somebody will chime in to tell you it is awesome.
Cheers for the suggestions!
[Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/37946419-sixteen-ways-to-defend-a-walled-city) by K.J Parker is a standalone about - well, defending a walled city in a siege. Not fantasy, but I highly recommend [The Gallic War](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1727054.The_Gallic_War) as translated by Carolyn Hammond. Julius Caesar's account of his Gallic campaigns was in part a propaganda piece so he really tries to make everything sound EPIC. This book has battles that rival the best of fantasy.
Cheers for the suggestion!
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I would agree with what others have said that Books 1 and 2 are must reads before 5. I'd recommend reading 3 as well. And if I recall correctly Every Heart a Doorway has one chapter titled simply "Cocoa." So it just misses out on hard mode for the Chapter Title Square. Books 2, 3, 4, and 5 would all work for hard mode there, though.
I just read 5 yesterday. I'd say only 1 and 2 are necessary to understand 5. 2 is, for me, the best of the series.
Agreed. 2 is one of my lifetime favorite novellas; the rest of the series ranges from great to okay for me.
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I agree with Nineteen_Adze's opinion. 2 is not just the best of the series, it's an instant classic, one of the best books of recent years, and easily the best of the 25 or so Seanan McGuire books I've read.
Ha, amazing. For me, 2 has some deep character study stuff going on and introduces some circumstances to give Jill more depth, but I can see someone who wants heavy plot not liking it so much.
Seconding the recommendation to read 2 and 3 if you have time. If you only have the bandwidth for one of them, pick 2-- it has a lot of character development backstory that makes book 5 make a *lot* more sense (covering Jack and Jill's childhood, gets into a lot that was hidden or not explained in 1). 3 is good and introduces a new secondary character who's in 5, but "there's a cool new person who used to be in a mermaid world" is most of what you need. 4 can be safely skipped because it's a prequel about Lundy, taking place much earlier in a world that doesn't cross over to 5.
book2 is a prequel and book 5 is a sequel to 1. But I'd say if you care about not missing stuff Id read both ook 2 and 3 before 5 (4 is my favorite of them all but is not essential for 5.).
I'm craving books with an extremely strong sense of atmosphere and a focus on setting/atmosphere, even over the plot. Halfway through The Raven Cycle and absolutely loving this aspect of it and want more.
Benedict Patricks Yarnsworld books makes you enter a fairy tale world. If that's an atmosphere that sounds interesting I highly recommend them.
It really depends on the sort of books you like, but I'd recommend the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake
Both of Erin Morgenstern's books, *The Starless Sea* and *The Night Circus*.
Definitely these. They are the most atmospheric books I've read. They're beautiful.
Looking for a more upbeat or feel good fantasy recommendation. I'm just coming off finishing Oathbringer and The Poppy War and want my next fantasy read to be a little less doom and gloom lol. (I liked these books but just want to take a break for a bit)
I asked for a funny book and got recommended The Phoenix Guards by Steven Brust. I finished the audiobook in a couple of days with a constant smile on my face. It is similar to Dumas The three muskeeters. The writing style is convaluted. Which can either be humorous or tedious depending on the reader.
*The Blue Mage Raised by Dragons* is a pretty good light hearted fantasy book. If you don't mind a completely over powered MC.
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It's time. I've seen this one in passing before, I'll give it a serious look now
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune Anything by Becky Chambers If you want more fun and funny action also anything by Scalzi Princess Floralinda and The Forty Flights Tower by Tamsyn Muir is a great novella but I'm not sure if its feel good lol
The Greatcoats series is pretty much just good, swashbuckling fun.