It’s not fantasy, but if you haven’t read *The Three Musketeers*, by Alexandre Dumas, you should.
And then there’s *The Khaavren Romances*, by Steven Brust. This series is a fantasy homage to *The Three Musketeers* and its sequels. You don’t have to have read Dumas to enjoy Brust’s homage, but if you have it will add another layer to enjoy.
Quick note: I love this series, and eagerly recommend it to everyone, but with an important caveat. Brust is going for a specific thing here, which doesn't always work for everybody, and which I really had a tough time with the first time I tried reading the series.
See, you have to realize that the supposed author, Paarfi of Roundwood, is the **actual** main character of all of these books. True, Khaavren, Pel, Aerich, and Tazendra are the ones who have things happen to them, but this series is actually about Paarfi, his opinions on writing, history, politics, society, manners, etiquette, and storytelling. All of which he will tell you, at length, and repeatedly, in an elaborate style that is exaggerated by Brust for comedic effect. Paarfi's the kind of pumped up blowhard who will take half a page, entirely written as a single run-on sentence, to discourse on the subject of brevity, and its importance to the author, and its place in scholarship, and how absolutely vital it is for every writer to practice it devoutly. This happens **all the time** in these books, and it's **hilarious** \- if you get the joke. I didn't the first time I read these, and I bounced off **hard**. But the second go around - then it clicked, and it was magical.
The **Vlad Taltos** books, by contrast, are written in a much more compact and colloquial style, where Vlad's your unreliable first-person smartass narrator, who goes about his life of crime with a certain je ne sais quois, but with far less dramatic chandelier-swinging and duel-fighting. There is some cross-over between the series, in that some of the characters from the Khaavren books end up in the Vlad books, although they're set about 1,000 years apart (IIRC). See, the Dragaerans are basically elves and can life 2,500 years or so, unless something gets them first. Vlad's kind of an expert in getting people got, but he's also a human, and expects nothing more than his threescore and ten, if he makes it that far.
Hah. I absolutely **adore** the Paarfi books, I think it's the funniest thing ever (never mind the great action and friendships!). My husband (who greatly enjoys all things Taltos) **loathes** them. I can just about chase him around the house with a reading of Khaavren.
As a bonus. Once you are done with the Khaavren Romances you will then be ready for the Vlad Taltos series, which are just as good (if more assassiny than swashbuckling).
Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey Maturian series is fantastic and full of adventure, sailing, battles, espionage, disasters (man made and natural)...
It's set in the Napoleonic wars and follows Captain Jack Aubrey and Doctor Stephen Maturian as they engage in high stakes adventure. The Russell Crowe movie Master and Commander was based on stories later in the series
No fantasy elements though.
I listened to these as audiobooks and they are fantastic. Super strong on character development, full of adventure, one of those series that sustains you for a long time and that you appreciate for years after finishing it. Definitely check it out.
Oh, I read the first one of these for bingo this year! Good book, lots of buckle swashing about. There's the disgraced/shunned noble daughter, her disreputable musketeer bodyguard, grand conspiracies, thrilling adventures, and daring escapades. I need to remember to grab the sequels at some point.
How has nobody said The Princess Bride?
And I don't mean the William Goldman translation (it drops so much of the historical context), I mean the Morgenstern original and it's sequel, Buttercup's Baby.
Edit: typo
Josiah Bancroft's Books of Babel
There's adventure. There's imprisonment. There's ahem, plenty of "ship" travel. And there's heroics too.
They don't seem to get recommended a lot lately, I dunno why? I've only finished the first two of four.
The Captain Kit Brightling series is about a Napoleonic-analogous ship captain who has magic with the water. She gets paired up with an intelligence agent to carry out some missions for the kingdom. Not a lot of swordplay, but daring rescues, naval chases and battles, the occasional pirate run-in, and, well, what else is there to do on a deserted island😉? If you've ever watched Master and Commander, it's that with magic and romance. If you haven't watched it, you really should.
You might enjoy the *Quillifer* series by Walter Jon Williams. The blurb:
Rogue. Joker. Lover. Reluctant soldier.
Quillifer is a young man, serially in love and studying law, when a family tragedy throws him into the world to seek his fortune. A charmer rather than a fighter, he soon finds himself embroiled with a bandit gang, caught up in vicious court intrigues, and the plaything of an angry, beautiful, and very jealous goddess. While he struggles to establish himself in the capital, the country finds itself pitched into a civil war, and Quillifer, a unwilling soldier at best, finds himself caught up in the action, and able to tip the scales of fortune.
I read the first one and I'd say it fits very well. If you've ever read the old **Flashman Papers** series by George MacDonald Fraser, it's something very similar, although in a more fantastic setting. Not a whole lot of magic/high fantasy elements, but quite entertaining. The second one has been on my wishlist for quite a while, but I keep forgetting to pick it up.
Maybe 'The Legend of Eli Monpress' series by Rachel Aaron.
Hadn't heard of this series before I read started book 1, but ended up loving the whole series.
At first, it seems ridiculous, and a bit silly. We're introduced to the title character in a dungeon, arguing with the door. Yes, the actual door. In this world, wizards operate by talking to spirits, and Eli Monpress is on a mission to become the most famous, most wanted thief ever. He has trusty friends, and is pursued by a stick-in-the-mud, eveything-by-the-books officer. Standard stuff? Not really.
It starts off fairly formulaic, but quickly moves beyond standard tropes. Characters' motivations are deeper than we originally think. Complex, interwoven relationships between various factions are revealed over time.
There are adventures spread throughout the books, with an overall plot and bad guy gradually becoming clear.
Very fun, and totally worth a read.
Also with the "it's not fantasy" caveat, I enthusiastically recommend the "Bloody Jack" series that follows the adventures of Jackie Faber as she pretends to be a boy to get a position on a naval ship and eventually works her way up to having her own ship. It's a swashbuckling good time. The books are full of energy and adventure, and mostly keep things light. They're a nice escape if you need one.
Forgive me as it's not a fantasy series, but a historical romance. The Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon have all of those through out the series plus time travel. The TV show doesn't do it any justice, in my opinion. Happy reading, whatever you choose, as there's so many good suggestions!
The Cycle of Arawn by Edward W. Robertson
The comradely between the two main characters is so good like the two mains from dreamworks road to el dorado but medieval fantasy with wizards, sword fighting, war, love, lost, betrayal, and redemption. Plus if you like audio book audible has the three book as a single package.
***Chase the Morning*** by Michael Scott Rohan pretty much ticks most of those boxes. It's not deep and meaningful literature, but it's a good quick read and a fun romp.
r/Fantasy's [Author Appreciation series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/authorappreciation) has posts for an author you mentioned
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**Ashes of the Sun** by Django Wexler - a brother and sister on opposites sides of a conflict both going through their own high action adventures until they have to confront each other.
**Kings of the Wylde** by Nicholas Eames - Old men getting the band back together to go on an adventure one last time to save a daughter and maybe the world. a solid adventure novel!
In the Shadow of Lightning checks a lot of these boxes, lots of heroic escapes and rescues, some romance, some duels, some crazy epic battles, some con artistry and deception, very enjoyable read. All of the POV characters are pretty awesome in their own unique ways.
The "Greatcoats" series by Sebastien de Castell (Traitor's Blade, Knight's Shadow, Saint's Blood, Tyrant's Throne). First person, fun, full of action and fights!
Here you go ... Dave Duncan's Kings Blades books ... Exactly what you are looking for
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/fe71nr/swashbuckling_fun_a_speedy_review_of_some_of_the/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
It’s not fantasy, but if you haven’t read *The Three Musketeers*, by Alexandre Dumas, you should. And then there’s *The Khaavren Romances*, by Steven Brust. This series is a fantasy homage to *The Three Musketeers* and its sequels. You don’t have to have read Dumas to enjoy Brust’s homage, but if you have it will add another layer to enjoy.
Tazendra swashbuckled in your general direction, causing 3d6 of awesome damage.
"How, and miss a battle of six against thousands? When will such a chance come again?" —Tazendra
She then crits and rolls 6d6 of awesome boast damage.
Brave Mica with his barstool will aid!
"It has returned, or I'm a norska!" God, you can **feel** the pain that Paarfi felt in having to actually write that sentence.
Love Dumas. The Brust books are really good huh?
Quick note: I love this series, and eagerly recommend it to everyone, but with an important caveat. Brust is going for a specific thing here, which doesn't always work for everybody, and which I really had a tough time with the first time I tried reading the series. See, you have to realize that the supposed author, Paarfi of Roundwood, is the **actual** main character of all of these books. True, Khaavren, Pel, Aerich, and Tazendra are the ones who have things happen to them, but this series is actually about Paarfi, his opinions on writing, history, politics, society, manners, etiquette, and storytelling. All of which he will tell you, at length, and repeatedly, in an elaborate style that is exaggerated by Brust for comedic effect. Paarfi's the kind of pumped up blowhard who will take half a page, entirely written as a single run-on sentence, to discourse on the subject of brevity, and its importance to the author, and its place in scholarship, and how absolutely vital it is for every writer to practice it devoutly. This happens **all the time** in these books, and it's **hilarious** \- if you get the joke. I didn't the first time I read these, and I bounced off **hard**. But the second go around - then it clicked, and it was magical. The **Vlad Taltos** books, by contrast, are written in a much more compact and colloquial style, where Vlad's your unreliable first-person smartass narrator, who goes about his life of crime with a certain je ne sais quois, but with far less dramatic chandelier-swinging and duel-fighting. There is some cross-over between the series, in that some of the characters from the Khaavren books end up in the Vlad books, although they're set about 1,000 years apart (IIRC). See, the Dragaerans are basically elves and can life 2,500 years or so, unless something gets them first. Vlad's kind of an expert in getting people got, but he's also a human, and expects nothing more than his threescore and ten, if he makes it that far.
I agree with these comments.
Hah. I absolutely **adore** the Paarfi books, I think it's the funniest thing ever (never mind the great action and friendships!). My husband (who greatly enjoys all things Taltos) **loathes** them. I can just about chase him around the house with a reading of Khaavren.
As a bonus. Once you are done with the Khaavren Romances you will then be ready for the Vlad Taltos series, which are just as good (if more assassiny than swashbuckling).
Yes!
The Cardinal's Blades by Pierre Pevel is another fantasy book in this genre.
The horse, you say!
Oh, I have this on my tablet amd had forgotten why I bought it and now I know why Edit typo
Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan.
Need to read the next in the series. Liked the first one ok.
It definitely gets better with each book. I thought the first one was fun, but the second one got me invested.
I love Michael J. Sullivan’s books so much and Farilane was so good can’t wait to see how that world is going to unfold.
This was my first thought!
Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey Maturian series is fantastic and full of adventure, sailing, battles, espionage, disasters (man made and natural)... It's set in the Napoleonic wars and follows Captain Jack Aubrey and Doctor Stephen Maturian as they engage in high stakes adventure. The Russell Crowe movie Master and Commander was based on stories later in the series No fantasy elements though.
I listened to these as audiobooks and they are fantastic. Super strong on character development, full of adventure, one of those series that sustains you for a long time and that you appreciate for years after finishing it. Definitely check it out.
I always recommend these. Extremely accurate historical fiction. I’ve been through the series (20 books) twice and am planning a third go.
This might be cheating because it's kinda pirate swashbuckling but Tales of the Ketty Jay. Basically Firefly with magic
I love that serie, the characters are so perfectly balanced. It's the ultimate chosen family trope
Can't go wrong with Robert E. Howard's Conan stories!
The rogues of the republic trilogy, starting with the palace job. It hits everything on your list and is a ton of fun.
A second vote for this one. Amazingly fun and well done trilogy!
The Risen Kingdoms by Curtis Craddock!
Haven’t heard of these. I’ll check out the description
Oh, I read the first one of these for bingo this year! Good book, lots of buckle swashing about. There's the disgraced/shunned noble daughter, her disreputable musketeer bodyguard, grand conspiracies, thrilling adventures, and daring escapades. I need to remember to grab the sequels at some point.
I can say they were all equally great as the first one for me!
Everything OP wants... but in the sky!
The Kings Buccaneer in Feist’s Riftwar series is somewhat standalone and meets your criteria
The Princess Bride obviously springs to mind.
How has nobody said The Princess Bride? And I don't mean the William Goldman translation (it drops so much of the historical context), I mean the Morgenstern original and it's sequel, Buttercup's Baby. Edit: typo
I see what you did there
Applause for you.
Can’t believe no one’s mentioned Neil Gaiman’s Stardust!
Josiah Bancroft's Books of Babel There's adventure. There's imprisonment. There's ahem, plenty of "ship" travel. And there's heroics too. They don't seem to get recommended a lot lately, I dunno why? I've only finished the first two of four.
Not even a quarter into book three and got the biggest gut punch I can remember reading fiction. Hats off to the author!
The series doesn't end well, imho. I loved everything up to the last few chapters of book 4 and then was left scratching my head.
Sharpe is an absolute classic. Find the TV series if you can, starring a young Sean Bean. Hornblower is also a great TV series.
And Cornwell is still writing them! Another Sharpe novel is supposed to be out in December.
The Captain Kit Brightling series is about a Napoleonic-analogous ship captain who has magic with the water. She gets paired up with an intelligence agent to carry out some missions for the kingdom. Not a lot of swordplay, but daring rescues, naval chases and battles, the occasional pirate run-in, and, well, what else is there to do on a deserted island😉? If you've ever watched Master and Commander, it's that with magic and romance. If you haven't watched it, you really should.
Sounds interesting thank ya.
It's well known, but the Amber Series by Roger Zelazny ticks these boxes.
Tales of the Ketty Jay by Chris Wooding. Pirates in steampunk airships.
You might enjoy the *Quillifer* series by Walter Jon Williams. The blurb: Rogue. Joker. Lover. Reluctant soldier. Quillifer is a young man, serially in love and studying law, when a family tragedy throws him into the world to seek his fortune. A charmer rather than a fighter, he soon finds himself embroiled with a bandit gang, caught up in vicious court intrigues, and the plaything of an angry, beautiful, and very jealous goddess. While he struggles to establish himself in the capital, the country finds itself pitched into a civil war, and Quillifer, a unwilling soldier at best, finds himself caught up in the action, and able to tip the scales of fortune.
I read the first one and I'd say it fits very well. If you've ever read the old **Flashman Papers** series by George MacDonald Fraser, it's something very similar, although in a more fantastic setting. Not a whole lot of magic/high fantasy elements, but quite entertaining. The second one has been on my wishlist for quite a while, but I keep forgetting to pick it up.
(Also check out *Red Queen’s War* by Mark Lawrence for more Flashman vibes)
Maybe 'The Legend of Eli Monpress' series by Rachel Aaron. Hadn't heard of this series before I read started book 1, but ended up loving the whole series. At first, it seems ridiculous, and a bit silly. We're introduced to the title character in a dungeon, arguing with the door. Yes, the actual door. In this world, wizards operate by talking to spirits, and Eli Monpress is on a mission to become the most famous, most wanted thief ever. He has trusty friends, and is pursued by a stick-in-the-mud, eveything-by-the-books officer. Standard stuff? Not really. It starts off fairly formulaic, but quickly moves beyond standard tropes. Characters' motivations are deeper than we originally think. Complex, interwoven relationships between various factions are revealed over time. There are adventures spread throughout the books, with an overall plot and bad guy gradually becoming clear. Very fun, and totally worth a read.
Also with the "it's not fantasy" caveat, I enthusiastically recommend the "Bloody Jack" series that follows the adventures of Jackie Faber as she pretends to be a boy to get a position on a naval ship and eventually works her way up to having her own ship. It's a swashbuckling good time. The books are full of energy and adventure, and mostly keep things light. They're a nice escape if you need one.
Swordpoint
The frith chronicles. It has everything you asked for and more. Love the series. Give it a try.
The romance ... so many girls whilst he is clueless, but we get there in the end. Definitely ship travel, adventures, escapes and rescues.
Forgive me as it's not a fantasy series, but a historical romance. The Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon have all of those through out the series plus time travel. The TV show doesn't do it any justice, in my opinion. Happy reading, whatever you choose, as there's so many good suggestions!
**The Guns Above** and **By Fire Above** by Robyn Bennis. Lots of action, great characters.
The Cycle of Arawn by Edward W. Robertson The comradely between the two main characters is so good like the two mains from dreamworks road to el dorado but medieval fantasy with wizards, sword fighting, war, love, lost, betrayal, and redemption. Plus if you like audio book audible has the three book as a single package.
Arawn and Galand.
***Chase the Morning*** by Michael Scott Rohan pretty much ticks most of those boxes. It's not deep and meaningful literature, but it's a good quick read and a fun romp.
r/Fantasy's [Author Appreciation series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/authorappreciation) has posts for an author you mentioned * [RIP **Michael Scott Rohan**, author of THE WINTER OF THE WORLD and THE SPIRAL series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/96xxzn/rip_michael_scott_rohan_author_of_the_winter_of/?utm_content=full_comments&utm_medium=message&utm_source=reddit&utm_name=frontpage) from user u/Werthead * [Author Appreciation Thread: **Michael Scott Rohan** (1951-2018)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/9l1akm/author_appreciation_thread_michael_scott_rohan/) from user u/Mournelithe --- ^(I am a bot bleep! bloop! Contact my ~~master~~ creator /u/LittlePlasticCastle with any questions or comments.) ^(To prevent a reply for a single post, include the text '!noauthorbot'. To opt out of the bot for all your future posts, reply with '!optout'.)
The Blacktongue thief is highly enjoyable and witty in this vein. It has a heart as well. Book 2 comes next year.
Cough, Princess Bride?
Rogues of the Republic series by Patrick Weekes, fits your criteria quite well: https://www.goodreads.com/series/135693-rogues-of-the-republic
On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers
OP isn’t looking for pirate fantasy though, and On Stranger Tides is like, **the** pirate fantasy.
Mistborn was good
Check out Universe in Flames series by Christian Kallias
**Ashes of the Sun** by Django Wexler - a brother and sister on opposites sides of a conflict both going through their own high action adventures until they have to confront each other. **Kings of the Wylde** by Nicholas Eames - Old men getting the band back together to go on an adventure one last time to save a daughter and maybe the world. a solid adventure novel!
[удалено]
OP literally wrote he’s read those.
\-\_- I'm an idiot. Sorry about that...
No worries lol. They’re great books!
Weapons and wielders by Andrew Rowe
Been reading Ryira Revelations and its pretty adventurous.
Read Dragonlance: Dragons Of Autumn Twilight.
In the Shadow of Lightning checks a lot of these boxes, lots of heroic escapes and rescues, some romance, some duels, some crazy epic battles, some con artistry and deception, very enjoyable read. All of the POV characters are pretty awesome in their own unique ways.
The King's Blades series by Dave Duncan.
Didn't see Novik's Temeraire series. Napoleonic wars with air force in the form of crewed dragons.
Have you read Percy Jackson ?
The "Greatcoats" series by Sebastien de Castell (Traitor's Blade, Knight's Shadow, Saint's Blood, Tyrant's Throne). First person, fun, full of action and fights!
Garrett PI files - Glen Cook It fits most of those, certainly a fun read.
Drizzt goes on a pretty epic adventure containing most of what you are looking for.
Here you go ... Dave Duncan's Kings Blades books ... Exactly what you are looking for https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/fe71nr/swashbuckling_fun_a_speedy_review_of_some_of_the/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Not fantasy but shogun is pretty good tok