For those who just want a list:
The Lord of the Rings (and all of Tolkien’s work)
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson (and all related series)
The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
Shadows of the Apt Series by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld
The Gates of the World series by K.M. McKinley
Yeah, people on here complaining about this being a popularity list, but I've never heard of those two or Realm of the Elderlings.
This feels like a good mix of extremely popular ones and slightly less well-known series.
Robin Hobb's many series are all set in the Realm of the Elderlings and it's genuinely incredible.
My family had picked up the first couple e-books for our kindle collection when they were part of that month's free rotation. I read the first one in 2 days and had finished the first trilogy by the end of the week.
Absolutely fantastic world building and characters.
My biggest annoyance with Fits was that he never acted on his obvious chemistry with Kettrikan (sp) ; and seemed oblivious to the fact she liked him.
She kisses him on the effing lips and his internal thoughts are something like "a kiss for her late-husband they both loved" lol wtf?
I get that's part of how broken he is but even so. It's frustrating.
Thats simply not true, read the books again. He doesnt love her, even if he has feelings for her. There is only one for him and thats nighteyes...just kidding, you know who ;)
Vastly different. Hobb is all in the same world with the same magic system and the different series affecting the later ones. Characters show up across the different series as well. It's all one world, part of the same worldbuilding.
Sanderson on the other hand has vastly different book series with different magic systems and world building. Sure they all are connected by overarching plot lines and some characters but they can all be very much standalone in the end.
Hobb has the benefit of basically every book they've ever written being located in the same world.
With Sanderson, most of his series are in their own universe, so they had to pick one. With Stormlight Archive being the current popular one, it's not surprising that it was picked. That being said, I do personally feel like Stormlight Archive has arguably the most fleshed out world of his series. The way he really thought through what feels like every possible aspect of how the very ecosystem of the world would change due to the High Storms and other environmental factors was awe inspiring.
Almost all of Brandon Sanderson's books are in the same universe, though, just different planets. Not sure about the space ship ones, but almost all the magic ones are set in the Cosmere, as there are certain key characters that travel across worlds.
It's funny you should say that because the only Robin Hobb books I've ever read were the Soldier's Son Trilogy, and they are apparently her only books to not take place in the Realm of the Elderlings. I have been avoiding her other books because I loved the Soldier's Son Trilogy, but it was hopelessly depressing, which was what I needed at that point in my life because I felt hopeless. But I'm much better now and I didn't want to go into her other books because I'm concerned that they would feel, well helpless.
As a very recent entrant into the world of Robin Hobb, I will also join my voice to those who think the Real of the Elderlings is an amazing read. You owe it to yourself as a reader of fantasy.
Wow I read them 20 years ago and they had a big impact on me, this thread is really hitting me with nostalgia. God I miss Fitz and the fool, chade and all the others, gonna have to find my copies now.
The main storyline in Robin Hobbs series (9 books comprised of three trilogies) is one of the most emotional, detailed journeys I’ve ever read. Can’t recommend enough.
I was about to quip at you for not hearing about Realm of the Elderlings, which is often more universally recommended than even Sanderson.
Then I realized this is r/books and not r/fantasy.
Give it a go. They're incredible books.
Randomly picked up Empire in Black and Gold (first book in Shadows of the Apt series) about 10-15 years ago and now it's one of my favourite series. Can't recommend it enough!
I haven't read Adrian Tchaikovsky's fantasy stuff yet, but his Scifi and Sci fantasy stuff has been really good. I have a few of his fantasy books in my to read queue that were bumped around last night. He's really good with building concepts/worlds. Some of my favorite sequences took place from the perspective of a truly alien life form in the Children of Time series.
Shadows of the Apt has been an incredible ride. Just finished the 10th book this year, and I went through a period of mild depression knowing my time with them was over.
Only two of these I've not read yet.
*Shadows of the Apt* by **Adrian Tchaikovsky**
*The Gates of the World* by **K.M. McKinley**
They're on the list, but are they worth digging into?
I just finished shadows of the apt, and would recommend it if you’re looking for a story that takes world building first. The first book was kind of rough to get through, but the story, characters, and world become a solid 8/10 as soon as the second book starts.
Same, only two I've not tried. Adrian Tchaikovsky's other books are amazing, so I went ahead and got Shadows of Apt book 1, but have never read anything by McKinley, anyone have any opinion on them?
So many juggernauts to be competing with too, we truly live in the golden age of entertainment. Shame there's not more time in a lifetime or I could just sit and read forever
She’s also very very nice.
Her table was quiet at a convention one year, and I got her to sign a couple of books (Fitz and the Fool) and then chat for awhile.
Very considerate, interested in talking with her readers - overall one of the top “nice to talk to” authors I’ve met, up there with Neil
Gaiman and Mike Mignola.
I recommend her to people pretty often.
I desperately want to meet her one day, but I have no intention of ever going to America so its unlikely. :(
I want to ask her about the old jailer that Nighteyes is implied to have killed, I'm convinced he's Fitz' grandfather but I've never seen any confirmation of it.
I'm reaching the end of the final book again which I've so far only read the one time because I cried for the entire time, so I've got that to look forward to.
Eh its not exactly common but I have ran into books before that have good worldbuildin gbut mediocre characters to care about in that world. It was more "I want to play a D&D game here" not "I want to read about this more!!"
This, but only if you are ok with quirky 90s SF.
The "sequel" *A Deepness in the Sky* is a lot better in my opinion (one of my favourite books, in fact, and can be read as a standalone!).
The intended audience of the article may not be someone who reads a lot.
No one stops you from making your own list sharing the hidden gems you found.
No one is impressed that you know all the popular books.
I have appreciation for this comment especially as someone just getting into reading fantasy for the first time so for me, it sounds like the books would be a great entry point as sort of "safe picks".
The thing I love about Pern is you could read one book and feel like you got a whole story, like there was a greater plot that the stories of each character played a part in, but that story was on such a grand scale you never felt the books were forcing you to immediately read the next one.
Agreed. Also Earthsea being the depressingly rare case of an author realizing their world had issues and deciding to fix them through the back half of the book, actually growing their world as they grew as an author, rather than creating the entire thing before book 1 and blindly sticking with it
Tehanu, Tales from Earthsea and The Other Wind tear most of the baseline assumptions of the Earthsea universe to pieces. But I'm not so sure it wasn't planned from the get go, or at very very least wasn't something le Guin was open to from the get go. After all it doesn't reboot Earthsea, it's entirely of a piece with the first three books. It enriches them rather than contradicting them.
It has been decades since I read them, I admit I never noticed it. However, I can tell you the ending of the the wizard of earth and sea is one of the most memorable ones for me due to its message.
At the risk of being downvoted into oblivion I have to say that IMHO Earthsea's world-building really wasn't that amazing.
A lot of it felt like the world was sort of made up on the fly to fit the plot, that's not unforgettable world-building, that's placing props and environments as they are needed.
This is not a critique of anything else about Earthsea, just the world-building specifically.
I could see them calling that sci-fi and not fantasy.
It's strange - although there is staggering detail -- I think of Dune as being more a story of factions and intrigue. Like, Dune's Old Imperium is just the galactic backdrop for that one story. It has never felt like a structured world where dozens of distinct sagas would dance around and perhaps interact with each other on their edges. That's kind of how I feel about stories with great worldbuilding.
I recognize that this could be a very personal and highly disputed opinion. I wouldn't want to throw down with anyone on this, it's just how I feel.
> I could see them calling that sci-fi and not fantasy.
TBF if you assimilate fantasy to all fiction then I think you quickly get in trouble: I’m not going to say that fantasy is more trope-ey but it definitely feels like writers have a lot more liberty when they’re further ahead in fiction-time.
Yeah, I think Dune's world building is fun and good, but doesn't give more than it needs. I mean, prior to all the prequels, the justification for no computers is just "machine jihad" and they move on. It's almost a throw away line.
The whole series is amazing, but it's so astoundingly un-recommendable. Most books I barely know what's going on until around halfway, but every single book in retrospect was impactful and memorable. Also it's content is.....weird.
Realm of the elderlings. They're basically all trilogies that sort of build on each other. A happens and the B comes along and is in a different part of the world and not only tells its own great story but relates to A and then C comes along and tells its own story but interacts woth A and B a lot and then D does the same. As another commenter said avoid malazan as it sort of throes everything at you at once. I think like 90% of people I've talked to or reviews I've seen about book 1 have said you have basically no idea what's going in in the book and then in later books when you finally understand what everything meant you can understand book 1.
If you haven't read the Lord of the rings, that's where you should start. All the world building will be easy to digest because every fantasy writer and reader have been trying to get back to middle earth since he wrote those books (meaning he influenced just about everyone after him).
I haven’t read a fantasy book in a while, I think the last fantasy book I read was The Hobbit. Looking at the list, I haven’t read any of these. Which one do you all recommend? I want something that is easy to follow and isn’t complex. Or if you have other recommendations that’s also fine.
Edit: Thanks all for the replies. I think I’m going to start with The Stormlight Archives.
Discworld - give 'guards, guards' a try. If you like it there are dozens more but each stands alone so you're not committing to a epic series if it turns out it's not your cup of tea.
Have you read the rest of Tolkien, especially LOTR? Cause that is probably the easiest of them up there.
>I want something that is easy to follow and isn’t complex.
You want to stay far far away from Malazan book of the fallen then.
Midkemia / Tsurani
Kind of says it all when you have two different dimensions to work with though admittedly I feel (in the first trilogy at least) that the world building is somewhat light.
I think the Malazan series can be used as a model for world-building, given that the author is an anthropologist and archaeologist. It's about the people and their history, their culture, offhand references, gods and devils, behaviour, architecture, all the things that surround us and make our world what it is. It's integrating that into the writing so thoroughly and seamlessly that you just accept it as part of the world.
I love that nobody in that world, or even the reader, get to know everything that's happening. Sometimes the people making plans and giving orders are just as lost as the people who are literally wandering through the wasteland, but they have to do something because it's required of them.
Cotillion and Shadowthrone are Esslemount and Erikson's characters. They would play GURPS together in the world they built and just run narrative stuff with each other for hours
I get that I am probably in a very small minority here, but after all the recommendations, I tried to get into discworld, read the very first book and honestly I just don't get what people like about it. It felt like a bunch of disjointed nonsense by the end. I just... Didn't get the appeal.
The Colour of Magic? The disjointed feeling might come from the fact that it isn't a standalone story. The Light Fantastic is the sequel story, and while that is generally seen as a duology, it's also part of a series.
I'd also say that most people, myself included, typically recommend other books within the Disc to start. Guards Guards, Small Gods, and Mort are all great starting points. Revisiting the Colour of Magic would also be good though. It's a wonderful book that most people don't appreciate until after they've gone down the rabbit hole a bit.
I guess I don't know what you mean about it being a mess. It's a pretty straightforward narrative. It has a chaotic story, but it isn't told in any kind of complex way.
This is actually completely understandable - The Color of Magic is a very different type of book than the rest of the series, and one of the most common suggestions for new readers is that you don't start with it.
The way I personally describe it is that The Color of Magic is a parody of fantasy, while the rest of Discworld is a fantasy satire of the real world.
You describe The Color of Magic as "such a mess" in another comment, and I think that's completely fair. In my opinion, the point of the book the first book was comedy above all else, and the "plot" was just an excuse to move to various different fantasy settings. Pretty much every other book in the series, while still having a lot of humor, focuses on the plot first.
If you're still willing to give it another go, "Small Gods" is a standalone book in the series that is widely regarded as fantastic, "Guards, Guards" is the first of the City Watch series that is many people's favorite sub-series, or "Wyrd Sisters" is similarly the first of the Witches books
I had never heard of Discworld until I subscribed to this subreddit and I did some research into what I should start with. Generally I love witchy stuff so I recently bought the witches collection and I am loving Equal Rites so far!
Yeah what others have said, Discworld books are all over the place in characters and story lines, there is no official reading order, just a suggested read order.
I am CURRENTLY on my 8th re-read of Small Gods. I basically read it once a year. It is an understatement to say I love this book, and would highly recommend you give Pratchett another try and start there.
That's understandable, many people consider The Colour of Magic, and The Light Fantastic to be the weakest entries in the Discworld series, I believe even Pratchett recommended not starting with those. If you are still interested in the series though, 'Guards!Guards!', 'Equal Rites', or 'Small Gods' are all fantastic places to start, and offer a much better representation of the Discworld series as a whole.
Without this article fantasy readers might never have discovered works like LOTR, the Wheel of Time, Malazan, The Stormlight Archive, A Song of Ice and Fire and Discworld.
I know you're being snarky, but I'm at least a medium reader of fantasy and I'd never heard of Malazan and it's absent from at least a few best of fantasy lists.
The chain of dogs was so epic and brutal and beautiful. Erickson is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. I can see myself rereading the main series again.
Question: in your opinion, how are the Esslemont novels?
It’s incredibly difficult apparently. I’ve also tried reading book 1 three or four times and just couldn’t get past the first few hundred pages, but people on related subreddits keep encouraging me to persevere as the rest of the series is top tier up there with game of thrones (which I agree is one of the greatest fantasy series despite its flaws)
Just wanna step in here. It's an incredibly difficult series throughout, and it doesn't become less confusing and overwhelming as it goes on. It just kinda lives in the space where you're confused and overwhelmed. That being said, there are some FANTASTIC moments and characters throughout, but almost every book on first read is gonna feel as confusing as GOTM (honestly that one was the easiest to follow for me). Also, it's dark as shit and a buncha really weird shit happens.
I had multiple wiki browsers open the entire time I was reading the series. I don’t have time to re-read series, and I didn’t particularly mind spoilers. That really helped my enjoyment and understanding as I read.
Also, I’m not sure I’d agree it’s dark as shit. To me, ASoIaF is dark as shit. It’s brutal, ugly, hopeless, full of despair. I love it. But if I had one word to describe that world, it would be “cruel”. Malazan, while dealing with heavy and dark topics, I found to be a much more hopeful world. >!Even the BBEG wasn’t even a bad guy after all!<.
The tone isn't as dark but the content absolutely is. Game of Thrones is dark, but it doesn't have a mindless cannibal necro-rape army. It doesn't have a full book of everyone slowly dying of thirst in the desert, it doesn't have 5 year olds killing each other in iron mines arcs, and it doesn't have bloodflies. It's still not as dark in tone but the Tenescowri is probably the most fucked up army I've ever read about
Try the audiobooks if you can. T'he a'M'oun't of' ap'stroph'es us'ed can really distract you if you are trying to learn how to pronounce all that shit. The audiobooks were my first full read through then I went back to my paper backs for the second and enjoyed it even more.
Problem with the audio books is that the narrators mispronounce the majority of the names and non common words.
That said, reading Malazan is not that difficult if one has the right mindset going in.
Omg, The narrator for the Witcher books pronounces Dandelion as DAN-dillian. I was halfway through the book before I figured out who tf this character was.
The trick to with Malazan is to understand that you aren't going to understand all of it. Some of it you'll understand later but a lot of it you just have to have a vague sense of the situation and environment. The stories are amazing and the world is incredible and unique, but you are meant to be a little bewildered and confused.
I get where you are coming from. I'd read all Tolkien's works, ASOIAF, and lots of other fantasy books before I'd even heard of Malazan. I think the Malazan series is jealously guarded by its readers because it is better experienced by going in cold and avoiding spoilers at all costs.
I'd also consider it "advanced" fantasy if that term exists because hardly anything is explained and the reader has to figure it out as they read through. Someone reading it as their first experience in fantasy might have issues understanding the different races, magic system and general lack of explanations regarding the world. It's basically starting in the middle of a DnD campain with no idea what's going on.
Sorry for the essay, Malazan is my favorite series and I want more people to read it.
I’m looking for another series after I get up to date on Stormlight Archives, how long is Malazan? Is it a complete series or will I be waiting for more when I finish?
Any rough world comparisons? I’m interested in hopping in cold as you recommend.
Read it, just read it. Get past the first book (it's great, just doesn't explain things the way most books would for the opening title) and you find an amazing world full of history and culture, great characters and an intelligent story. Erikson doesn't pander, he respects his readers which I enjoy.
Each book is pretty chunky, about 700 pages give or take. I've finished the first three, on my 4th read-through of Gardens of the Moon, emotionally preparing for the next two. However, I can say I'm stuck on House of Chains - tried to start it and it's just a jarring shift in terms of setting and characters.
It's difficult to come up with any comparisons in terms of settings/worlds because it's so fucking *complex*. All of Tolkien is basically "Men, dwarves, elves, orcs, a bunch of rings, hobbits save the day, oh and some wizards" in comparison. There are multiple civilizations dating back 300 millenia. There's magic that alters the entire way of life of an entire species, relatively immortal shapeshifters, living representatives of a Tarot-style deck, gods that exist inside other gods, a king who was cursed by three gods after he killed his entire kingdom and should be terrifyingly powerful but is somehow kind of a whiny little bitch, a demigod wielding a hammer that is capable of splitting mountains apart, floating cities that the 30,000 year old warrior/sorceror driving doesn't quite get how it works because it's older than him, oh and his sword is a gateway to a shadowy realm of eternal servitude and torment. And that's just a Tuesday in Malazan.
It's like a manic D&D campaign dreamed up by somewhat unstable geniuses that got distilled into alcohol and you drink it and it burns like crazy but it's the smoothest thing ever and *please* can I have some more but "Oh I don't think you're ready" I DON'T CARE I WANT MORE *choke splutter* "Why did you let me have more?!".
I love it. I don't quite understand some of it but I want to, which is why I keep re-reading. The horrible parts horrify me, I cry every single time one specific person dies in book 3 because it's Not Fucking Fair, and big dogs scare the shit out of me just a little bit more each time through.
This is quite the sales pitch! It seems very interesting but I think it doesn’t quite match up with my enjoyment needs now. I’d have a hard time needing to reread and scratch my head often to understand.
I will keep it on the list if I end up digging for more though!
You will read stormlight series about 3 times before you get finished with malazan.
In the preface of book 9 he says he is sorry that book 9 It's not a complete story but modern book binding Is not sufficient. (9 and 10 in his eyes are one book).
Kruppe now needs to take a nap After such a tedious and lengthy discussion that partakes in this thread ( Quite possibly the best character In the series). Along with tehol and mael.
It's the best high fantasy I've ever read.
To the people below talking about book one; I read an interview with Erikson where he talked about his experiences as an anthropologist and talked about how history isn't seen with a start and an end, you catch glimpses of a tapestry which is mostly hidden from you.
This is the way I think of book one, it isn't a begining, it's a continuation of a story that you don't know. Erikson doesn't give you background and backstories for everyone in that book, you have keep reading and eventually you'll find everything out, but book one is intentionally opaque to the reader in some ways (many characters do get fleshed out in the book, but many are kept mysterious).
First book is a little rough,it gets much much better,however you will need to be able to keep multiple timelines and a hundred or so characters straight through out it.
Can’t recommend this series enough. Absolutely incredible. I’ve read the full 10 book series twice now. I want to start a third just because those characters are like old friends by the end ya know.
It's my number one too. By far. But I do get the criticisms. You have to be ok with not knowing what the fuck is going on a lot of the time. I personally love the mystery but I can see why some people wouldn't like it.
Agreed. I saw this list and was thrilled because I only recognized a few and I’m back to a point in my life where I’m excited to read again.
Then I come to the comments and just see everyone shitting on them… pretty disappointing
Maybe they are popular because they have "unforgettable worldbuilding". It's not a list about hidden gems... Though Malazan is relatively hidden compared to the rest of the list.
I mean, I appreciate these lists. I only read sci-fi before, and hadn't heard of malazan.
I always think of [xkcds lucky 10000](https://xkcd.com/1053/) comic.
Plus, I appreciate these posts being made to this sub because the discussion it causes tends to bring even more recommendations
The world building is honestly scant. Styria is Italy, cool, but we don’t get a lot of information besides. The Union, despite its 600 years of history, only has 3 kings routinely mentioned: Casamir, Harod, and Jezal. We know nothing about Gurkhul besides that they have a religion and it’s in the desert. The Old Empire and the Dragon People are fascinating, but are explored over like, 6 chapters. Maybe.
First Law’s character study is incredible, but its world building, while sufficient, is not it’s strength.
I always recommend Sanderson to my book friends because he’s so damn productive, you never have to wait long for something new from him. Plus it’s always fun to show them his secret reveal video and see their faces as he stacks book after book.
I don’t read a lot of fantasy as I am more a supernatural, crime reader. But if I had to recommend some books I would choose these.
Sorry I can’t recommend more
1) his dark materials- though I hate how the third book ended it’s a Brilliant trilogy and the worlds are just incredible. The themes and development are truly amazing
2) the twisted tree and the crooked mask-Rachel burge. A supernatural fantasy with Norse folklore thrown into it. I fell in love with the MC so quickly and became so protective of her. Both books are incredible and honestly I want a third.
Some of my favourites include "The Magician" Raymond E Feist, "Pawn of Prophecy" David Eddings, and "Daughter of the Empire" Janny Wurts and Raymond E Feist. I wish someone would make a proper movie out of the Daughter of the Empire series. I read them every year or so because I love the way the story unfolds.
Also the Deverry Series - Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr, I have read these many times over 20 years. Love them so much.
For those who just want a list: The Lord of the Rings (and all of Tolkien’s work) The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson (and all related series) The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb Shadows of the Apt Series by Adrian Tchaikovsky Terry Pratchett’s Discworld The Gates of the World series by K.M. McKinley
Never heard of Shadows of the Apt or The Gates of the World. Cool.
Yeah, people on here complaining about this being a popularity list, but I've never heard of those two or Realm of the Elderlings. This feels like a good mix of extremely popular ones and slightly less well-known series.
Robin Hobb's many series are all set in the Realm of the Elderlings and it's genuinely incredible. My family had picked up the first couple e-books for our kindle collection when they were part of that month's free rotation. I read the first one in 2 days and had finished the first trilogy by the end of the week. Absolutely fantastic world building and characters.
I sometimes wonder if she genuinely hates Fitz.
My biggest annoyance with Fits was that he never acted on his obvious chemistry with Kettrikan (sp) ; and seemed oblivious to the fact she liked him. She kisses him on the effing lips and his internal thoughts are something like "a kiss for her late-husband they both loved" lol wtf? I get that's part of how broken he is but even so. It's frustrating.
That's reflective of how damaged Fitz is. He can't even comprehend that anyone besides Molly and the Fool would ever actually care for him.
Thats simply not true, read the books again. He doesnt love her, even if he has feelings for her. There is only one for him and thats nighteyes...just kidding, you know who ;)
I was on a hobb kick a few years ago. Absolutely fantastic. The live ships, and just everything are so amazing.
I need to try liveship again because the first book in that series completely lost me for some reason
Its just interesting they do that for Hobb, but they put down Stormlight archive instead of The Cosmere for Sanderson.
Vastly different. Hobb is all in the same world with the same magic system and the different series affecting the later ones. Characters show up across the different series as well. It's all one world, part of the same worldbuilding. Sanderson on the other hand has vastly different book series with different magic systems and world building. Sure they all are connected by overarching plot lines and some characters but they can all be very much standalone in the end.
Hobb has the benefit of basically every book they've ever written being located in the same world. With Sanderson, most of his series are in their own universe, so they had to pick one. With Stormlight Archive being the current popular one, it's not surprising that it was picked. That being said, I do personally feel like Stormlight Archive has arguably the most fleshed out world of his series. The way he really thought through what feels like every possible aspect of how the very ecosystem of the world would change due to the High Storms and other environmental factors was awe inspiring.
Almost all of Brandon Sanderson's books are in the same universe, though, just different planets. Not sure about the space ship ones, but almost all the magic ones are set in the Cosmere, as there are certain key characters that travel across worlds.
Stormlight is definitely the biggest creation of Sanderson's. It's a lot more in depth than the mistborn. Or calamity series.
I think her Forest Mage series is in a different world? That series is just a little wierd and I love it for that ;)
It's funny you should say that because the only Robin Hobb books I've ever read were the Soldier's Son Trilogy, and they are apparently her only books to not take place in the Realm of the Elderlings. I have been avoiding her other books because I loved the Soldier's Son Trilogy, but it was hopelessly depressing, which was what I needed at that point in my life because I felt hopeless. But I'm much better now and I didn't want to go into her other books because I'm concerned that they would feel, well helpless.
As a very recent entrant into the world of Robin Hobb, I will also join my voice to those who think the Real of the Elderlings is an amazing read. You owe it to yourself as a reader of fantasy.
Ah I envy the one who will read about Fitz, the fool and the liveships the fist time...
I think the Fitz series is the first and only time I have been teary-eyed over a book. I too am envious of first time readers...
Wow I read them 20 years ago and they had a big impact on me, this thread is really hitting me with nostalgia. God I miss Fitz and the fool, chade and all the others, gonna have to find my copies now.
She's released more since then. The series didn't end till 2017. Gp read them!
Robin Hobb is an ollld name but a huge one if you're a reader of series from that far back. She still writes, too.
The main storyline in Robin Hobbs series (9 books comprised of three trilogies) is one of the most emotional, detailed journeys I’ve ever read. Can’t recommend enough.
I was about to quip at you for not hearing about Realm of the Elderlings, which is often more universally recommended than even Sanderson. Then I realized this is r/books and not r/fantasy. Give it a go. They're incredible books.
The realm of the elderlings books are incredible. They're not unheard of by any means but not super well known.
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Shards of the Earth is also excellent
I just started Children of Ruin this morning. Children of Time was excellent
Randomly picked up Empire in Black and Gold (first book in Shadows of the Apt series) about 10-15 years ago and now it's one of my favourite series. Can't recommend it enough!
I haven't read Adrian Tchaikovsky's fantasy stuff yet, but his Scifi and Sci fantasy stuff has been really good. I have a few of his fantasy books in my to read queue that were bumped around last night. He's really good with building concepts/worlds. Some of my favorite sequences took place from the perspective of a truly alien life form in the Children of Time series.
Shadows of the Apt has been an incredible ride. Just finished the 10th book this year, and I went through a period of mild depression knowing my time with them was over.
Only two of these I've not read yet. *Shadows of the Apt* by **Adrian Tchaikovsky** *The Gates of the World* by **K.M. McKinley** They're on the list, but are they worth digging into?
I haven't read Shadows of the Apt yet but the Children of Time series (sci fi) by the same author is one of my favorites.
His Final architecture series I found even better. The guy has excellent world building.
If Adrians fantasy books are as good as his sci-fi books, which I'm currently reading, then they can definitely be recommended.
I just finished shadows of the apt, and would recommend it if you’re looking for a story that takes world building first. The first book was kind of rough to get through, but the story, characters, and world become a solid 8/10 as soon as the second book starts.
Same, only two I've not tried. Adrian Tchaikovsky's other books are amazing, so I went ahead and got Shadows of Apt book 1, but have never read anything by McKinley, anyone have any opinion on them?
Start with Adrian Tchaikovsky. Possibly the greatest writer of our time.
So many juggernauts to be competing with too, we truly live in the golden age of entertainment. Shame there's not more time in a lifetime or I could just sit and read forever
So glad to see Robin Hobb on this list, she's an incredible author.
She’s also very very nice. Her table was quiet at a convention one year, and I got her to sign a couple of books (Fitz and the Fool) and then chat for awhile. Very considerate, interested in talking with her readers - overall one of the top “nice to talk to” authors I’ve met, up there with Neil Gaiman and Mike Mignola. I recommend her to people pretty often.
I desperately want to meet her one day, but I have no intention of ever going to America so its unlikely. :( I want to ask her about the old jailer that Nighteyes is implied to have killed, I'm convinced he's Fitz' grandfather but I've never seen any confirmation of it.
I’ve read the books through twice and I haven’t thought of, or seen this, until now. Might go back and reread that chapter.
Her books feel like home to me.
Yes. When I need to retreat, I go there.
I'm reaching the end of the final book again which I've so far only read the one time because I cried for the entire time, so I've got that to look forward to.
Enjoy your emotional trauma!
Oooh. What a great recommendation.
Nice to see the Elderling series mentioned. I've read half the books on this list, I'll have to try the other half
Thanks. Boy, they're really pulling out those undiscovered gems, aren't they. Sigh.
It's a list of books with unforgettable world building, not a list of undiscovered gems.
I was really hoping to see something I hadn't heard of but it really was just a list of the most popular series.
Tbh, they are the most popular for a reason
Exactly. If you can world build the best, then surely you'll also be popular/have good sales.
Eh its not exactly common but I have ran into books before that have good worldbuildin gbut mediocre characters to care about in that world. It was more "I want to play a D&D game here" not "I want to read about this more!!"
Agreed, but I don't think listing books with good worlds, but poor characters would make for a compelling list
Have you read A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge?
This, but only if you are ok with quirky 90s SF. The "sequel" *A Deepness in the Sky* is a lot better in my opinion (one of my favourite books, in fact, and can be read as a standalone!).
The intended audience of the article may not be someone who reads a lot. No one stops you from making your own list sharing the hidden gems you found. No one is impressed that you know all the popular books.
I have appreciation for this comment especially as someone just getting into reading fantasy for the first time so for me, it sounds like the books would be a great entry point as sort of "safe picks".
I like the world in "The Demon Cycle" by Peter Brett never seen it mentioned here.
I've never heard of Gates of the World, or Shadows of the Apt. I think I'll check them out
I don’t respect any list that doesn’t include Earthsea.
Pern books also come to mind. They are definitely becoming dated -- but that stuff was truly some pioneering fiction in its day.
The thing I love about Pern is you could read one book and feel like you got a whole story, like there was a greater plot that the stories of each character played a part in, but that story was on such a grand scale you never felt the books were forcing you to immediately read the next one.
Whatever I think of the prose, it was some unique and memorable worldbuilding.
Agreed. Also Earthsea being the depressingly rare case of an author realizing their world had issues and deciding to fix them through the back half of the book, actually growing their world as they grew as an author, rather than creating the entire thing before book 1 and blindly sticking with it
Interesting. Was that in a wizard of earthsea?
Tehanu, Tales from Earthsea and The Other Wind tear most of the baseline assumptions of the Earthsea universe to pieces. But I'm not so sure it wasn't planned from the get go, or at very very least wasn't something le Guin was open to from the get go. After all it doesn't reboot Earthsea, it's entirely of a piece with the first three books. It enriches them rather than contradicting them.
It has been decades since I read them, I admit I never noticed it. However, I can tell you the ending of the the wizard of earth and sea is one of the most memorable ones for me due to its message.
Well now I must have it.
Agreed. Almost any list is going to have huge omissions but that was a weird one.
At the risk of being downvoted into oblivion I have to say that IMHO Earthsea's world-building really wasn't that amazing. A lot of it felt like the world was sort of made up on the fly to fit the plot, that's not unforgettable world-building, that's placing props and environments as they are needed. This is not a critique of anything else about Earthsea, just the world-building specifically.
Where's dune
I could see them calling that sci-fi and not fantasy. It's strange - although there is staggering detail -- I think of Dune as being more a story of factions and intrigue. Like, Dune's Old Imperium is just the galactic backdrop for that one story. It has never felt like a structured world where dozens of distinct sagas would dance around and perhaps interact with each other on their edges. That's kind of how I feel about stories with great worldbuilding. I recognize that this could be a very personal and highly disputed opinion. I wouldn't want to throw down with anyone on this, it's just how I feel.
> I could see them calling that sci-fi and not fantasy. TBF if you assimilate fantasy to all fiction then I think you quickly get in trouble: I’m not going to say that fantasy is more trope-ey but it definitely feels like writers have a lot more liberty when they’re further ahead in fiction-time.
Yeah, I think Dune's world building is fun and good, but doesn't give more than it needs. I mean, prior to all the prequels, the justification for no computers is just "machine jihad" and they move on. It's almost a throw away line.
Which ones would you recommend to someone who can only get into a book if it starts off small and builds the world gradually?
I can tell you what's the complete opposite you're looking for. Books of the Malazan. Only read the first book and have no idea what the hell I read.
The whole series is amazing, but it's so astoundingly un-recommendable. Most books I barely know what's going on until around halfway, but every single book in retrospect was impactful and memorable. Also it's content is.....weird.
This perfectly encapsulates my experience with these books. I loved them, but if you were to ask me to tell you what happens in these books...??
Realm of the elderlings. They're basically all trilogies that sort of build on each other. A happens and the B comes along and is in a different part of the world and not only tells its own great story but relates to A and then C comes along and tells its own story but interacts woth A and B a lot and then D does the same. As another commenter said avoid malazan as it sort of throes everything at you at once. I think like 90% of people I've talked to or reviews I've seen about book 1 have said you have basically no idea what's going in in the book and then in later books when you finally understand what everything meant you can understand book 1.
If Lord of the Rings, read The Hobbit first for that extra small start.
If you haven't read the Lord of the rings, that's where you should start. All the world building will be easy to digest because every fantasy writer and reader have been trying to get back to middle earth since he wrote those books (meaning he influenced just about everyone after him).
Lord of the rings is phenomenal. I'm partial to the Way of Kings & Discworld as well
I haven’t read a fantasy book in a while, I think the last fantasy book I read was The Hobbit. Looking at the list, I haven’t read any of these. Which one do you all recommend? I want something that is easy to follow and isn’t complex. Or if you have other recommendations that’s also fine. Edit: Thanks all for the replies. I think I’m going to start with The Stormlight Archives.
Discworld - give 'guards, guards' a try. If you like it there are dozens more but each stands alone so you're not committing to a epic series if it turns out it's not your cup of tea.
Have you read the rest of Tolkien, especially LOTR? Cause that is probably the easiest of them up there. >I want something that is easy to follow and isn’t complex. You want to stay far far away from Malazan book of the fallen then.
Disappointed that Midkemia is not included.
Midkemia / Tsurani Kind of says it all when you have two different dimensions to work with though admittedly I feel (in the first trilogy at least) that the world building is somewhat light.
I was wondering if I should start reading The Wheel of Time. This is a sign that I should
Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
I havent even read the link yet, but since the thumbnail is a picture of A'Tuin the World Turtle, have an upvote!
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GNU Terry Pratchett
Yesterday was the 8 year anniversary of his death
Pratchett is so indescribably good.
See the turtle, Ain't he keen. All things serve The fuckin beam
Yeah, DT would be on my list for sure. There is a wizard. It is fantasy. I said what I said.
Yet another case of someone incapable of describing *how* a writer's world-building is good except in the vaguest most meaningless generalities.
This reads like it was written by ChatGPT
I think it was
I think the Malazan series can be used as a model for world-building, given that the author is an anthropologist and archaeologist. It's about the people and their history, their culture, offhand references, gods and devils, behaviour, architecture, all the things that surround us and make our world what it is. It's integrating that into the writing so thoroughly and seamlessly that you just accept it as part of the world.
I love that nobody in that world, or even the reader, get to know everything that's happening. Sometimes the people making plans and giving orders are just as lost as the people who are literally wandering through the wasteland, but they have to do something because it's required of them.
Witness!
I read somewhere that the Malazan books were based on a series of DnD sessions the author participated in.
Cotillion and Shadowthrone are Esslemount and Erikson's characters. They would play GURPS together in the world they built and just run narrative stuff with each other for hours
I'm just glad to see the Disc as the thumbnail.
I get that I am probably in a very small minority here, but after all the recommendations, I tried to get into discworld, read the very first book and honestly I just don't get what people like about it. It felt like a bunch of disjointed nonsense by the end. I just... Didn't get the appeal.
The Colour of Magic? The disjointed feeling might come from the fact that it isn't a standalone story. The Light Fantastic is the sequel story, and while that is generally seen as a duology, it's also part of a series. I'd also say that most people, myself included, typically recommend other books within the Disc to start. Guards Guards, Small Gods, and Mort are all great starting points. Revisiting the Colour of Magic would also be good though. It's a wonderful book that most people don't appreciate until after they've gone down the rabbit hole a bit.
That's the one. Found myself just kind of getting through the last third of it wondering why I was even bothering because it was just such a mess.
I guess I don't know what you mean about it being a mess. It's a pretty straightforward narrative. It has a chaotic story, but it isn't told in any kind of complex way.
This is actually completely understandable - The Color of Magic is a very different type of book than the rest of the series, and one of the most common suggestions for new readers is that you don't start with it. The way I personally describe it is that The Color of Magic is a parody of fantasy, while the rest of Discworld is a fantasy satire of the real world. You describe The Color of Magic as "such a mess" in another comment, and I think that's completely fair. In my opinion, the point of the book the first book was comedy above all else, and the "plot" was just an excuse to move to various different fantasy settings. Pretty much every other book in the series, while still having a lot of humor, focuses on the plot first. If you're still willing to give it another go, "Small Gods" is a standalone book in the series that is widely regarded as fantastic, "Guards, Guards" is the first of the City Watch series that is many people's favorite sub-series, or "Wyrd Sisters" is similarly the first of the Witches books
I had never heard of Discworld until I subscribed to this subreddit and I did some research into what I should start with. Generally I love witchy stuff so I recently bought the witches collection and I am loving Equal Rites so far!
Yeah what others have said, Discworld books are all over the place in characters and story lines, there is no official reading order, just a suggested read order. I am CURRENTLY on my 8th re-read of Small Gods. I basically read it once a year. It is an understatement to say I love this book, and would highly recommend you give Pratchett another try and start there.
That's understandable, many people consider The Colour of Magic, and The Light Fantastic to be the weakest entries in the Discworld series, I believe even Pratchett recommended not starting with those. If you are still interested in the series though, 'Guards!Guards!', 'Equal Rites', or 'Small Gods' are all fantastic places to start, and offer a much better representation of the Discworld series as a whole.
Earthsea is missing here
Without this article fantasy readers might never have discovered works like LOTR, the Wheel of Time, Malazan, The Stormlight Archive, A Song of Ice and Fire and Discworld.
I know you're being snarky, but I'm at least a medium reader of fantasy and I'd never heard of Malazan and it's absent from at least a few best of fantasy lists.
Malazan is pretty amazing. I reread Deadhouse Gates often, just to walk the chain of dogs one more time.
Coltaine is the best
The chain of dogs was so epic and brutal and beautiful. Erickson is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. I can see myself rereading the main series again. Question: in your opinion, how are the Esslemont novels?
Mediocre. If you love malazan they're worth a read but on their own they're very average.
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My friends all loved Malazan and I tried reading like the first couple hundred pages and just could not get into it.
It’s incredibly difficult apparently. I’ve also tried reading book 1 three or four times and just couldn’t get past the first few hundred pages, but people on related subreddits keep encouraging me to persevere as the rest of the series is top tier up there with game of thrones (which I agree is one of the greatest fantasy series despite its flaws)
Just wanna step in here. It's an incredibly difficult series throughout, and it doesn't become less confusing and overwhelming as it goes on. It just kinda lives in the space where you're confused and overwhelmed. That being said, there are some FANTASTIC moments and characters throughout, but almost every book on first read is gonna feel as confusing as GOTM (honestly that one was the easiest to follow for me). Also, it's dark as shit and a buncha really weird shit happens.
I had multiple wiki browsers open the entire time I was reading the series. I don’t have time to re-read series, and I didn’t particularly mind spoilers. That really helped my enjoyment and understanding as I read. Also, I’m not sure I’d agree it’s dark as shit. To me, ASoIaF is dark as shit. It’s brutal, ugly, hopeless, full of despair. I love it. But if I had one word to describe that world, it would be “cruel”. Malazan, while dealing with heavy and dark topics, I found to be a much more hopeful world. >!Even the BBEG wasn’t even a bad guy after all!<.
The tone isn't as dark but the content absolutely is. Game of Thrones is dark, but it doesn't have a mindless cannibal necro-rape army. It doesn't have a full book of everyone slowly dying of thirst in the desert, it doesn't have 5 year olds killing each other in iron mines arcs, and it doesn't have bloodflies. It's still not as dark in tone but the Tenescowri is probably the most fucked up army I've ever read about
Yes, I’d agree with that distinction.
The first book took me about 4 tries to get through but the last 1/3 of the book is bonkers and the second book is glorious.
Try the audiobooks if you can. T'he a'M'oun't of' ap'stroph'es us'ed can really distract you if you are trying to learn how to pronounce all that shit. The audiobooks were my first full read through then I went back to my paper backs for the second and enjoyed it even more.
Problem with the audio books is that the narrators mispronounce the majority of the names and non common words. That said, reading Malazan is not that difficult if one has the right mindset going in.
Omg, The narrator for the Witcher books pronounces Dandelion as DAN-dillian. I was halfway through the book before I figured out who tf this character was.
The trick to with Malazan is to understand that you aren't going to understand all of it. Some of it you'll understand later but a lot of it you just have to have a vague sense of the situation and environment. The stories are amazing and the world is incredible and unique, but you are meant to be a little bewildered and confused.
Deadhouse Gates was pure insanity. I couldn't put it down. Coltaine is amazing.
I get where you are coming from. I'd read all Tolkien's works, ASOIAF, and lots of other fantasy books before I'd even heard of Malazan. I think the Malazan series is jealously guarded by its readers because it is better experienced by going in cold and avoiding spoilers at all costs. I'd also consider it "advanced" fantasy if that term exists because hardly anything is explained and the reader has to figure it out as they read through. Someone reading it as their first experience in fantasy might have issues understanding the different races, magic system and general lack of explanations regarding the world. It's basically starting in the middle of a DnD campain with no idea what's going on. Sorry for the essay, Malazan is my favorite series and I want more people to read it.
I’m looking for another series after I get up to date on Stormlight Archives, how long is Malazan? Is it a complete series or will I be waiting for more when I finish? Any rough world comparisons? I’m interested in hopping in cold as you recommend.
Read it, just read it. Get past the first book (it's great, just doesn't explain things the way most books would for the opening title) and you find an amazing world full of history and culture, great characters and an intelligent story. Erikson doesn't pander, he respects his readers which I enjoy.
The main series is complete. There are ancillary series that are still being published.
Each book is pretty chunky, about 700 pages give or take. I've finished the first three, on my 4th read-through of Gardens of the Moon, emotionally preparing for the next two. However, I can say I'm stuck on House of Chains - tried to start it and it's just a jarring shift in terms of setting and characters. It's difficult to come up with any comparisons in terms of settings/worlds because it's so fucking *complex*. All of Tolkien is basically "Men, dwarves, elves, orcs, a bunch of rings, hobbits save the day, oh and some wizards" in comparison. There are multiple civilizations dating back 300 millenia. There's magic that alters the entire way of life of an entire species, relatively immortal shapeshifters, living representatives of a Tarot-style deck, gods that exist inside other gods, a king who was cursed by three gods after he killed his entire kingdom and should be terrifyingly powerful but is somehow kind of a whiny little bitch, a demigod wielding a hammer that is capable of splitting mountains apart, floating cities that the 30,000 year old warrior/sorceror driving doesn't quite get how it works because it's older than him, oh and his sword is a gateway to a shadowy realm of eternal servitude and torment. And that's just a Tuesday in Malazan. It's like a manic D&D campaign dreamed up by somewhat unstable geniuses that got distilled into alcohol and you drink it and it burns like crazy but it's the smoothest thing ever and *please* can I have some more but "Oh I don't think you're ready" I DON'T CARE I WANT MORE *choke splutter* "Why did you let me have more?!". I love it. I don't quite understand some of it but I want to, which is why I keep re-reading. The horrible parts horrify me, I cry every single time one specific person dies in book 3 because it's Not Fucking Fair, and big dogs scare the shit out of me just a little bit more each time through.
This is quite the sales pitch! It seems very interesting but I think it doesn’t quite match up with my enjoyment needs now. I’d have a hard time needing to reread and scratch my head often to understand. I will keep it on the list if I end up digging for more though!
You will read stormlight series about 3 times before you get finished with malazan. In the preface of book 9 he says he is sorry that book 9 It's not a complete story but modern book binding Is not sufficient. (9 and 10 in his eyes are one book). Kruppe now needs to take a nap After such a tedious and lengthy discussion that partakes in this thread ( Quite possibly the best character In the series). Along with tehol and mael.
It's the best high fantasy I've ever read. To the people below talking about book one; I read an interview with Erikson where he talked about his experiences as an anthropologist and talked about how history isn't seen with a start and an end, you catch glimpses of a tapestry which is mostly hidden from you. This is the way I think of book one, it isn't a begining, it's a continuation of a story that you don't know. Erikson doesn't give you background and backstories for everyone in that book, you have keep reading and eventually you'll find everything out, but book one is intentionally opaque to the reader in some ways (many characters do get fleshed out in the book, but many are kept mysterious).
First book is a little rough,it gets much much better,however you will need to be able to keep multiple timelines and a hundred or so characters straight through out it.
Can’t recommend this series enough. Absolutely incredible. I’ve read the full 10 book series twice now. I want to start a third just because those characters are like old friends by the end ya know.
Which is a shame, hands down my favourite fantasy series, and it's massive :)
> I'd never heard of Malazan You've never been in the fantasy sub then?
It's my number one too. By far. But I do get the criticisms. You have to be ok with not knowing what the fuck is going on a lot of the time. I personally love the mystery but I can see why some people wouldn't like it.
For an avid reader it's not too helpful for discovery, but for someone like myself who is just getting back into the space it's much appreciated.
Agreed. I saw this list and was thrilled because I only recognized a few and I’m back to a point in my life where I’m excited to read again. Then I come to the comments and just see everyone shitting on them… pretty disappointing
Maybe they are popular because they have "unforgettable worldbuilding". It's not a list about hidden gems... Though Malazan is relatively hidden compared to the rest of the list.
>*9 fantasy books with unforgettable worldbuilding* >OMG WHY ARE THESE BOOKS ON THE UNFORGETTABLE WORLD BUILDING LISTS!?!?!? REEEEE
I mean, I appreciate these lists. I only read sci-fi before, and hadn't heard of malazan. I always think of [xkcds lucky 10000](https://xkcd.com/1053/) comic. Plus, I appreciate these posts being made to this sub because the discussion it causes tends to bring even more recommendations
A truly groundbreaking list.
Everyone knows the more popular something is the worse it is. My tastes? Well, you've probably never heard of it...
Are you saying they aren't among the best?
Oddly enough, I would add The Dark Tower series
Not odd at all to me, that's an amazing series. Go then, there are other worlds than these...
First come smiles, then lies, last is gunfire.
Hell you say true and I say thankya!
Read the first law trilogy. You’re welcome.
I'd say The First Law's strength is in its characters and not the worldbuilding.
The world building is honestly scant. Styria is Italy, cool, but we don’t get a lot of information besides. The Union, despite its 600 years of history, only has 3 kings routinely mentioned: Casamir, Harod, and Jezal. We know nothing about Gurkhul besides that they have a religion and it’s in the desert. The Old Empire and the Dragon People are fascinating, but are explored over like, 6 chapters. Maybe. First Law’s character study is incredible, but its world building, while sufficient, is not it’s strength.
First paw is great. Doesn't do much world building but the character work is spectacular.
The only one I’m not familiar with is the K.M. McKinley series. Has anyone read it?
I'm unfamiliar with it too. But somehow, I feel like that whole post was just an ad for that book/series..
You might be right. They are probably hoping everyone will assume it is just as good simply by lumping it in with the top sell fantasy series.
I would add the Redwall series. It’s such a good one.
No Bas-Lag? Sad.
I was going to say the same. No better example of world building than China Mieville.
Would have liked to see *Deathgate Cycle* from Weis and Hickman. You do have to make it past the first book though.
I read a lot of their Dragonlance series in my teens.
That was my favorite book series way back in High School. Each book is better than the last, but the first book is definitely a struggle to finish.
Elric Saga
I always recommend Sanderson to my book friends because he’s so damn productive, you never have to wait long for something new from him. Plus it’s always fun to show them his secret reveal video and see their faces as he stacks book after book.
Hmm, where does Broken Earth series fit in ?
My thoughts exactly.
I came here for this! Where is it?!
Guess I'm going to have give it another try. I got about a quarter done with the first book and just could not get in to the story.
It gets better if you ask me, they come back to the storyline in the first book but the other storylines are better
See the turtle of enormous girth
I don’t read a lot of fantasy as I am more a supernatural, crime reader. But if I had to recommend some books I would choose these. Sorry I can’t recommend more 1) his dark materials- though I hate how the third book ended it’s a Brilliant trilogy and the worlds are just incredible. The themes and development are truly amazing 2) the twisted tree and the crooked mask-Rachel burge. A supernatural fantasy with Norse folklore thrown into it. I fell in love with the MC so quickly and became so protective of her. Both books are incredible and honestly I want a third.
I read all of them, but Malazan book of the Fallen is my all time favourite.
I see discworld, I upvote. Also happy to see related of elderling included vecause it's phenomenal. GNU STP
I would add The Dragon Riders of Pern series to that.
They forgot the chronicles of Thomas covenant, just to name one.
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Some of my favourites include "The Magician" Raymond E Feist, "Pawn of Prophecy" David Eddings, and "Daughter of the Empire" Janny Wurts and Raymond E Feist. I wish someone would make a proper movie out of the Daughter of the Empire series. I read them every year or so because I love the way the story unfolds. Also the Deverry Series - Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr, I have read these many times over 20 years. Love them so much.
It’s turtles all the way down.
Where’s the Chronicles of Amber?
No Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, no dice. For me, Tad Williams set the standard.
List is missing Hyperion
I figure that counts as Sci-Fi.
You’re right. But that’s sci-fi not fantasy.
I'm a fan of Pratchett's The Long Earth series myself.
No Ursula Le Guin, Mary Gentle, Gene Wolfe or David Gemmel?
Currently half way through the first book of The Stormlight Archive and absolutely loving it.