Why stop there? Choose Tolkien’s Middle Earth works, unpublished or otherwise. That’d be the 12 History of Middle Earth books, the History of Hobbit, the Great Tales books, Unfinished Tales, Tales of the Perilous Realms, as well as LotR, Hobbit, and Silmarillion, and the revised Letters, all of which contain LotR content. :)
Not a cop out. I reread this once every couple years (would do it more often but can’t read it too close to any other fantasy series, it’s like putting a 4 year old up against prime Tyson).
Have to also say LoTR. The impact the books and movies and just the general world of Tolkien has had on me is too big for me to say anything else. It’s also my cozy place, Middle Earth.
Checkout Codex Alera. It has some similar themes to ASOIAF with an icewall, political infighting, and an ancient enemy that has to be fought together. It’s definitely not as prosaic or complex reading as ASOIAF but very well done all the same and it’s actually finished
Its honestly ruined most fantasy for me. No twist can ever seem as big, no death as sad, nothing as meaningful. I want to put most books down halfway thru because no matter who dies / what shocker happens in the end i feel like i wont care :(
The high it took me to, I don't think any other fantasy book/series will ever achieve it and I don't know if I'll ever completely come to terms with that. The love I have for ASOIAF is unmatched, its almost toxic because I know the books will never give the the sense of completion or satisfaction that I wish to find because GRRM will never finish it.
Started reading Discworld when Colour of Magic was first published and there hasn't been a year since that I haven't been reading at least one of the books. Unlike me, they haven't got old.
Yep. Lots of pages, so many layers, different styles within the same story, lots of characters, many plotlines etc. I'm pretty sure Malazan would last the longest.
Malazan mentioned!
I feel like a fuckin cultist whenever I talk about it, but it's genuinely my favourite book series ever. I was crushed when my best friend gave it a red hot shot and didn't enjoy it. Granted, book 1 is fucking confusing for a new reader and book 2 is when I fell in love with Malazan.
Don’t skip Liveship Traders! People will tell you it’s fine to skip them and only read the Fitz books on your first read through but they are LYING TO YOU.
Liveship Traders is my favorite too. Here’s my hot take: Malta is one of the best written characters of the entire series and I’ll die on that hill. Come at me, haters!
I think this would be mine too, even though I’m not even halfway done with the RotE! I’m reading the last of the Liveship Traders next month, and I’m sad it’ll be over!
Stormlight was dethroned by this series as my favorite of all time, but they are extremely different. Hobb does tackle a lot of trauma and mental health (not in the same way Sanderson does) while pretty much doing an in-depth character study of one person in that world, focusing on his relationships and how our relationships are so important to being human while Sanderson is going for a much much grander scope.
Yeah, I think it's actually even better on reread. I especially love the part where Morgenes polishes the wooden armor in his chambers as he teaches Simon the history of the castle, and the part where the League is at sea, trying to figure out what Morgenes' book is telling them about the lost Swords, while the Niskies sing above on the deck.
Flame away but for me, it’s Wheel of Time. I grew up reading these novels, eagerly awaiting the next. Knowing Jordan wasn’t well and then hearing of his sudden passing. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to finish his work made me sad for him, his work, his wife and us fans. Learning that after a while Brandon Sanderson (I had never heard of him at the time) was going to finish the books and being nervous about if it would be good and finished the way Jordan wanted.
Finally The Gathering Storm coming out and I absolutely loved it (and getting some bloody answers Jordan said were so damn obvious but, were not 😐). Being disappointed there wasn’t a crowd and only myself at the bookstore on release day. (Bloody Harry Potter got crowds, I was outraged 😝) Finally getting the second last book and going through that long wait for the very last and finally devouring it and loving it. It may not be the best fantasy series ever written but, it has a very special place in my heart and really sent me hurtling into the world of fantasy novels and epic fantasy.
I am right with you. A little bit older so did not grow up with the series. I was in my twenties (47 now) and I think books 1-6 were out to that point and I fell so in love with the series and looked forward to each release with the same level anticipation you discuss. When RJ announced he was sick I was very worried the series would never get finished. Then on my birthday Tor announced RJ's passing. I panicked I was so freaked out about the series not getting finished. I had also never read any books by BS. Then Gathering Storm came out and I got the book read it and I loved it. I felt like BS captured RJ's style completely and it felt like melded together to the degree I would never have known it was two different authors. After BS finished WoT I got the Mistborn series and have BS solidified his role as my second favorite author. I wish BS would write some more stories set in the WoT universe.
I would love Sando to write more about WoT too. Finish off the New Spring novels to start. BS did such a great job. He really did RJ’s work justice. Nice to see a comment from someone else who lived the whole experience too! Geez it was one hell of a ride. Funnily enough BS then went on to become one of my favourite authors too 🙂
I tried to watch the series but I’ve had multiple series on the go, I’ve heard a lot of good things about the books though. I’m sad to hear the writer passed away though. :(
Not at all. It was all that I feared. I can count on one hand the number of series that I felt got adapted to TV or movies well. I was so worried they would screw it up but honestly, I was not prepared for how bad the fucked up the story. I tried a few weeks ago to give it another chance could not get passed the first episode.
It's weird how such a short series of small books can have so much of an impact.
They're a relic of a time when stories were told in a way that each part mattered, without regards to the length a publisher might want to generate the most revenue.
I need to finish that series. I read the first book and dropped off for some reason. Same with Zelazny's Amber series and Peake's Gormenghast series. And yes, Ursula LeGuin was an incredible writer.
It helps that she never intended it to be a series. Each book was written only when Le Guin had something to say about the world and characters. There’s a richness with that much forethought and care placed into each word and story.
I am on my second read through of the series. It has taken up a lot of my spare time for the last two or three years and I look forward to it taking up a lot more of it.
Probably the Chronicles of Narnia
Yeah it's a children's series yet it's the one I have reread many times. It's interesting how I take different readings from it each time. As I age different parts of the text jump out at me.
I enjoyed Robin Hobb, Tolkien, Feist, Jordan when reading them but now I think I have lost interest in reading overly complex fantasy. Motherhood has shifted my taste in many things. I want relatively light hearted stories and efficient world building.
Thats what I felt about Robert Jordan and had never heard of BS before he was brought on to finish WoT. I panicked when RJ died. But I was so impressed by BS when Gathering Storm was released. He felt like the natural successor to RJ. His styles matched so well and BS is my favorite author who is still alive. RJ is still my top number 1 with BS a very close second.
Start with Mistborn. The best entry point by far IMO. Elantris is his first book but being his first it's definitely not up to the standard of his other works and is better read when you're more invested in the Cosmere.
He is great, and the cosmere is huge. I started with Mistborn and then the Sanderlanche began. I have read his entire catalog so far, minus Alcataz and the Evil Librarian series.
But I digress. I hope you fall in love with the Cosmere. I don't think you will be disappointed.
I’m sure I won’t, thank you for all the recommends. :D
(Pray for me as I scroll through this entire posts add the recommendations to my reading list) :@
I’m in my first read of SA right now (early Rhythm of War), and I already know it’ll continue to be one of my favorites. I’m excited to dive into the rest of the Cosmere.
I stopped before Rhythm of War because I didn't feel like having to reread twice before book #5.
Currently early in Words of Radiance and I'm so hyped again!
Tbh I've forgotten so much because I've read a ton of books since (also my memory has gotten ridiculously bad, I barely remembered the names of the main characters), but I'm so glad that it really is as good as I remember.
I’m just going to generalize it and say The Cosmere, and it’s not even close. More than LOTR, more than WOT, more than Malazan. Nothing comes close to The Cosmere. It’s the only series I never plan to stop re-reading.
Yeah you right. The whole cosmere. And same. I am in the middle of my 3rd reread of Stormlight in anticipation of the new book. The only other series I felt this strongly about was the dark tower and even that is a distant second.
I know I’m gonna love this series so much. But I’ve held off on reading because I heard that it’s been ages since the last update. I like reading a series in full rather than in segments over the course of many years. I’ve felt this way about Mistborn as well, love the books but can’t stand the waiting and rereading and waiting and rereading game. I hope he comes back around to stormlight soon because I want to read them so so badly!!!
That’s awesome!! This may sound crazy, but I somehow appreciate them more the older I get. It took me some time to get into them as a kid partly because they’re kinda dark, LOL.
I’m in the middle of book 3 right now and it just feels like if more than half of these are as good as these just for the sheer amount of material this could be the call.
Western fantasy is what most people mean when they say fantasy: Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, etc.
Eastern fantasy can be called cultivation fantasy, or if you want to use the Chinese terms, you get wuxia, xianxia, and xuanhuan. You ever watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Kung Fu Hustle? That's basically Eastern fantasy (although there are other genres besides cultivation, of course).
Wuxia is like Western street level heroes, think Daredevil, Robin Hood, Tarzan, Conan, those kinds of guys. Basically martial artists who are peak human.
Xianxia is like Western superheroes, think Superman, Thor, Odin, those kinds of guys. Martial artists who have been practising so long and become so strong they can literally punch a hole in space and travel to other galaxies. They are near immortal, capable of fighting dragons hand to hand, and use qi as an energy source, kind of like Western magicians use mana for spells.
Xuanhuan is a blend of Western fantasy elements with xianxia.
Probably an unpopular answer but harry potter. I listen to the audiobooks every night to fall asleep for like 2 years now. I really enjoy Jim Dale's narration!
I put on the movies before bed when I can’t sleep — I’ve been doing this for 5 years now haha. Harry Potter is my go to as well. My grandma would buy a book for her and a book for me and we’d read them together — one of the better parts of my childhood.
Black Company. Croaker is my favoirte unreliable narrator in fiction. Which is funny, given Silver Spike is my favorite book in the series and he's not even in it!
Certainly, an extremely dark series, but that just makes the little victories and moments of levity so much sweeter.
Kingslayer trilogy (come on Rothfuss drop the third book... PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU)
Edit: Aperently the English name is Kingkiller and I should not mirror translate from hungarian...
Ah. You must be right. I just mirror translated the hungarian title. Idk the English one.
But also it is supposed to be a trilogy... At least it was advertised in my country as one.
I think because of what it meant for me as a child and how long I've been into them it's hard not to say Harry Potter, but genuinely could be ASoIaF. I have only read LotR twice through so saying that one might make me a poser haha
If you'd asked me this at the beginning of the year I would've said stormlight archives, but I've discovered a new level of obsession with the series The Wandering Inn lol. It's probably the longest series I'm ever going to read, and it's not even 2/3rds done yet and still it's so damn good.
The Realm of the Elderlings.
The Fool is my favorite character of all time and Fitz is a poor bastard. I adore this series. If you're a fan of pain and misery then this series is perfect for you. If you think your life is shit, then read these books, they will show you what true suffering looks like. This series can be emotionally hard to get through and you will want to slap the main character senseless at times but it's so worth it, the final book is the perfect conclusion to the series and it will leave you a broken mess.
While I do like some PTerry on a regular basis, I have to say the world of Valdemar edges out the Disc IMO There are 41 good thick novels plus several anthologies where Mercedes Lackey opened her playground to other authors.
My is, of course, already mentioned, but since nobody has mentioned my next two all time favorite fantasy series, I’m going to drop them here.
First is *The Chronicles of Prydain* series by Lloyd Alexander. Low fantasy fiction coming of age story, but easily the *best* coming of age story ever written.
Next is a series that I feel gets little mention these days but is among my favorite: the Books of Swords series by Fred Saberhagen. Just an interestingly built world that always captured my imagination and never really let it go, peopled by interesting characters
I’m torn between Earthsea, Discworld, and the Wheel of Time. The first because Earthsea was pivotal to my development as a writer; the second because Discworld has gotten me through hard times; and the third because the Wheel of Time was what really got me into what I consider to be real fantasy. And it’s the quintessential modern fantasy for me.
I really don’t know. It’s like trying to choose which of my children I could live without.
It has to be Malazan for me, I’ve read LotR, WoT, RotE and ASoIaF. Then I read Malazan. No comparison. The others are all fantastic series, but Malazan is different gravy. And definitely better on the second time through.
Kushiels saga. It's one of my all time favorites, and criminally underated. The first trilogy (technically 4 now) is absolutely top tier, the second excellent, the third ... eh.
Another vote for ROTE by Robin Hobb. I love all of her books and have read her Soldier Son trilogy as well. Don’t skip Liveship Traders and Rain Wild Chronicles!
It feels like a cop out but LOTR.
100% not a cop out, I cannot fault that :)
Why stop there? Choose Tolkien’s Middle Earth works, unpublished or otherwise. That’d be the 12 History of Middle Earth books, the History of Hobbit, the Great Tales books, Unfinished Tales, Tales of the Perilous Realms, as well as LotR, Hobbit, and Silmarillion, and the revised Letters, all of which contain LotR content. :)
Same. If I only get one, it has to be LOTR.
Just because it's an easy choice doesn't make it a cop out. LOTR is definitely my choice too.
Its literally a pillar of human culture
Unironically the best book in the past 100 years.
lotr gets better every reread
Honestly, it's one of my top choices too. Definitely a desert island book.
Honestly if you don't pick it there is something wrong with you.
No, that's the only correct answer
Not a cop out. I reread this once every couple years (would do it more often but can’t read it too close to any other fantasy series, it’s like putting a 4 year old up against prime Tyson).
I would have excluded it if I asked the question. Maybe I'd ask for second place instead.
Have to also say LoTR. The impact the books and movies and just the general world of Tolkien has had on me is too big for me to say anything else. It’s also my cozy place, Middle Earth.
10 years ago, that would have been ASOIAF. Then I learned to live without.
Checkout Codex Alera. It has some similar themes to ASOIAF with an icewall, political infighting, and an ancient enemy that has to be fought together. It’s definitely not as prosaic or complex reading as ASOIAF but very well done all the same and it’s actually finished
More like forced to live without. But nothing compares either.
Its honestly ruined most fantasy for me. No twist can ever seem as big, no death as sad, nothing as meaningful. I want to put most books down halfway thru because no matter who dies / what shocker happens in the end i feel like i wont care :(
Honestly fair, change is always good to varying degrees :)))
The high it took me to, I don't think any other fantasy book/series will ever achieve it and I don't know if I'll ever completely come to terms with that. The love I have for ASOIAF is unmatched, its almost toxic because I know the books will never give the the sense of completion or satisfaction that I wish to find because GRRM will never finish it.
Discworld
Started reading Discworld when Colour of Magic was first published and there hasn't been a year since that I haven't been reading at least one of the books. Unlike me, they haven't got old.
Can’t beat Terry Pratchett :o
Came here to say that. GNU Sir Terry
Keep the clacks going.
Agreed. A life without Vimes is a life I don't want to be part of.
GNU Terry Pratchett
Clay of my clay!
𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕤 𝕀𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥 ℂ𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝔹𝕖 𝕋𝕒𝕜𝕖𝕟.
Absolutely YES.
100%
1000% yes!
Malazan!
Yep. Lots of pages, so many layers, different styles within the same story, lots of characters, many plotlines etc. I'm pretty sure Malazan would last the longest.
As soon as I finish the series, I start again. Between SE and ICE I literally haven't read anything else in 10 years >_>
Malazan mentioned! I feel like a fuckin cultist whenever I talk about it, but it's genuinely my favourite book series ever. I was crushed when my best friend gave it a red hot shot and didn't enjoy it. Granted, book 1 is fucking confusing for a new reader and book 2 is when I fell in love with Malazan.
Seen Malazan popping up a lot, it is firmly on my list :)))
Does Book of the New Sun count? Not sure if it's strictly fantasy or not.
It’s fully several things at once.
I haven’t heard of it but I’ll look into it lol :)))
The Realm of Elderlings / The Farseer Trilogy
I’ve almost finished the Farseer Trilogy, Royal Assassin is probably my favourite book I’ve read thus far :D
Don’t skip Liveship Traders! People will tell you it’s fine to skip them and only read the Fitz books on your first read through but they are LYING TO YOU.
I preferred the Liveship Traders, but I know a lot of folks find that blasphemous lol.
Liveship Traders is my favorite too. Here’s my hot take: Malta is one of the best written characters of the entire series and I’ll die on that hill. Come at me, haters!
I agree, the most character growth Ive ever seen!
She’s one of my favourite literary characters!
My blasphemous opinion about Liveship is that Althea is the best character from beginning to end
I love this series so much
I think this would be mine too, even though I’m not even halfway done with the RotE! I’m reading the last of the Liveship Traders next month, and I’m sad it’ll be over!
Same, I’ve been re reading them for months. Love them all, even the less popular Liveship Traders and Rain Wild Chronicles.
This was my answer. If I could select one fantasy world at the expense of all others, Robin Hobb's vision is my favorite!
You think these are better than Stormlight? Been looking for good suggestions
Stormlight was dethroned by this series as my favorite of all time, but they are extremely different. Hobb does tackle a lot of trauma and mental health (not in the same way Sanderson does) while pretty much doing an in-depth character study of one person in that world, focusing on his relationships and how our relationships are so important to being human while Sanderson is going for a much much grander scope.
I'm finishing the Mad Ship today but Ship of Destiny won't arrive until Monday. What am I gonna do?!
Of the Tawny Man trilogy, Golden Fool is my favorite. Not a lot happens, yet the character-building is incredible.
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. I have loved those characters since 1988.
My choice as well, the only series I've read 3 times
Yeah, I think it's actually even better on reread. I especially love the part where Morgenes polishes the wooden armor in his chambers as he teaches Simon the history of the castle, and the part where the League is at sea, trying to figure out what Morgenes' book is telling them about the lost Swords, while the Niskies sing above on the deck.
My choice as well 😊
LOTR
Flame away but for me, it’s Wheel of Time. I grew up reading these novels, eagerly awaiting the next. Knowing Jordan wasn’t well and then hearing of his sudden passing. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to finish his work made me sad for him, his work, his wife and us fans. Learning that after a while Brandon Sanderson (I had never heard of him at the time) was going to finish the books and being nervous about if it would be good and finished the way Jordan wanted. Finally The Gathering Storm coming out and I absolutely loved it (and getting some bloody answers Jordan said were so damn obvious but, were not 😐). Being disappointed there wasn’t a crowd and only myself at the bookstore on release day. (Bloody Harry Potter got crowds, I was outraged 😝) Finally getting the second last book and going through that long wait for the very last and finally devouring it and loving it. It may not be the best fantasy series ever written but, it has a very special place in my heart and really sent me hurtling into the world of fantasy novels and epic fantasy.
I am right with you. A little bit older so did not grow up with the series. I was in my twenties (47 now) and I think books 1-6 were out to that point and I fell so in love with the series and looked forward to each release with the same level anticipation you discuss. When RJ announced he was sick I was very worried the series would never get finished. Then on my birthday Tor announced RJ's passing. I panicked I was so freaked out about the series not getting finished. I had also never read any books by BS. Then Gathering Storm came out and I got the book read it and I loved it. I felt like BS captured RJ's style completely and it felt like melded together to the degree I would never have known it was two different authors. After BS finished WoT I got the Mistborn series and have BS solidified his role as my second favorite author. I wish BS would write some more stories set in the WoT universe.
I would love Sando to write more about WoT too. Finish off the New Spring novels to start. BS did such a great job. He really did RJ’s work justice. Nice to see a comment from someone else who lived the whole experience too! Geez it was one hell of a ride. Funnily enough BS then went on to become one of my favourite authors too 🙂
I tried to watch the series but I’ve had multiple series on the go, I’ve heard a lot of good things about the books though. I’m sad to hear the writer passed away though. :(
I would certainly say the tv show isn't really a good representation of the books lol
Not at all. It was all that I feared. I can count on one hand the number of series that I felt got adapted to TV or movies well. I was so worried they would screw it up but honestly, I was not prepared for how bad the fucked up the story. I tried a few weeks ago to give it another chance could not get passed the first episode.
Don't watch the series and think it represents the books. It's only loosely based on the books, at best.
The TV show is a terrible representation of the books, to the point I'm not convinced that the showrunner actually likes them.
Earthsea
That’s next on my reading list :0
It's weird how such a short series of small books can have so much of an impact. They're a relic of a time when stories were told in a way that each part mattered, without regards to the length a publisher might want to generate the most revenue.
I need to finish that series. I read the first book and dropped off for some reason. Same with Zelazny's Amber series and Peake's Gormenghast series. And yes, Ursula LeGuin was an incredible writer.
It helps that she never intended it to be a series. Each book was written only when Le Guin had something to say about the world and characters. There’s a richness with that much forethought and care placed into each word and story.
I loved the first books but I am not such a fan of Tehanu.
The First Law
Gormenghast It's not an easy read, but it'll last. If I had forever, it would be this.
First Law, no doubt
That was my second choice. The books are fantastic and I loooooove the audio narrator for first law so much!
Dresden Files. Hands down. It's the only series I can read over and over and never get tired of it.
Dresden is great because there are so many books, each with a particular flavor.
Always good to hear people talk about the books they love having good re-readability :)))
I am on my second read through of the series. It has taken up a lot of my spare time for the last two or three years and I look forward to it taking up a lot more of it.
Probably the Chronicles of Narnia Yeah it's a children's series yet it's the one I have reread many times. It's interesting how I take different readings from it each time. As I age different parts of the text jump out at me. I enjoyed Robin Hobb, Tolkien, Feist, Jordan when reading them but now I think I have lost interest in reading overly complex fantasy. Motherhood has shifted my taste in many things. I want relatively light hearted stories and efficient world building.
Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. Can't get enough.
Yea I love all the big boys but if I found out something happened to Brandon and I wouldn’t get any more Stormlight I’d probably have to be medicated.
This is what happened with Wheel of Time. I lived through that. Still recovering. Luckily the big man Sando himself finished it off!
Thats what I felt about Robert Jordan and had never heard of BS before he was brought on to finish WoT. I panicked when RJ died. But I was so impressed by BS when Gathering Storm was released. He felt like the natural successor to RJ. His styles matched so well and BS is my favorite author who is still alive. RJ is still my top number 1 with BS a very close second.
I’ve added a bunch of Sanderson to my reading list, people are name dropping him a lot in this group and I’m excited to actually read some :•D
Start with Mistborn. The best entry point by far IMO. Elantris is his first book but being his first it's definitely not up to the standard of his other works and is better read when you're more invested in the Cosmere.
‘Invested’ in the cosmere. I like that
He is great, and the cosmere is huge. I started with Mistborn and then the Sanderlanche began. I have read his entire catalog so far, minus Alcataz and the Evil Librarian series. But I digress. I hope you fall in love with the Cosmere. I don't think you will be disappointed.
I’m sure I won’t, thank you for all the recommends. :D (Pray for me as I scroll through this entire posts add the recommendations to my reading list) :@
I’m in my first read of SA right now (early Rhythm of War), and I already know it’ll continue to be one of my favorites. I’m excited to dive into the rest of the Cosmere.
It's so good. Brandon is a machine and pu.ps out books like crazy. He is very versatile and leaves Easter eggs all over.
I stopped before Rhythm of War because I didn't feel like having to reread twice before book #5. Currently early in Words of Radiance and I'm so hyped again! Tbh I've forgotten so much because I've read a ton of books since (also my memory has gotten ridiculously bad, I barely remembered the names of the main characters), but I'm so glad that it really is as good as I remember.
I’m just going to generalize it and say The Cosmere, and it’s not even close. More than LOTR, more than WOT, more than Malazan. Nothing comes close to The Cosmere. It’s the only series I never plan to stop re-reading.
Yeah you right. The whole cosmere. And same. I am in the middle of my 3rd reread of Stormlight in anticipation of the new book. The only other series I felt this strongly about was the dark tower and even that is a distant second.
I’ll have to add the Cosmere and Malazan to my list, thank you :))))
I know I’m gonna love this series so much. But I’ve held off on reading because I heard that it’s been ages since the last update. I like reading a series in full rather than in segments over the course of many years. I’ve felt this way about Mistborn as well, love the books but can’t stand the waiting and rereading and waiting and rereading game. I hope he comes back around to stormlight soon because I want to read them so so badly!!!
The 5th book of stormlight is due this fall. And that will conclude this era of stormlight. So I would say it's prime time. Cheers!
Oh man that is good news! I’ll start reading around that time then. Yippee!!
Harry Potter. It’s an autistic special interest for me.
My grandma would buy one book for her and one book for me and we’d read them together. One of the best parts of my childhood.
I have an emotional attachment to the books because of the connection they give me with my childhood so…same 🤷🏼♂️
That’s awesome!! This may sound crazy, but I somehow appreciate them more the older I get. It took me some time to get into them as a kid partly because they’re kinda dark, LOL.
The Riyria books by Michael j. Sullivan.
Fantastic dynamic, well written. Love these!
Mistborn!!!
The Wheel of Time no question for me
Had to scroll too far.
I’m in the middle of book 3 right now and it just feels like if more than half of these are as good as these just for the sheer amount of material this could be the call.
Im stuck between LOTR and Realm of Elderlings. LOTR is the goat of all times but Realms of Elderlings is my fav of the “newer fantasy”
In Western fantasy, probably either Terry Pratchett or David Gemmell. In Eastern fantasy, probably either Emperor's Domination or the Er Gen stuff.
First time I've seen this classification. Can you quickly describe what you see as Eastern and Western fantasy?
Western fantasy is what most people mean when they say fantasy: Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, etc. Eastern fantasy can be called cultivation fantasy, or if you want to use the Chinese terms, you get wuxia, xianxia, and xuanhuan. You ever watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Kung Fu Hustle? That's basically Eastern fantasy (although there are other genres besides cultivation, of course). Wuxia is like Western street level heroes, think Daredevil, Robin Hood, Tarzan, Conan, those kinds of guys. Basically martial artists who are peak human. Xianxia is like Western superheroes, think Superman, Thor, Odin, those kinds of guys. Martial artists who have been practising so long and become so strong they can literally punch a hole in space and travel to other galaxies. They are near immortal, capable of fighting dragons hand to hand, and use qi as an energy source, kind of like Western magicians use mana for spells. Xuanhuan is a blend of Western fantasy elements with xianxia.
ASOIAF.
I am a Bit simple… Conan
Probably an unpopular answer but harry potter. I listen to the audiobooks every night to fall asleep for like 2 years now. I really enjoy Jim Dale's narration!
I put on the movies before bed when I can’t sleep — I’ve been doing this for 5 years now haha. Harry Potter is my go to as well. My grandma would buy a book for her and a book for me and we’d read them together — one of the better parts of my childhood.
Inkheart Without it, I wouldnt like reading. (Do you know there is 4th book coming out in October? (Its already out in German))
Such a good series!!
Oh that's exciting news, I LOVE that series!
I fell in love with fantasy (and reading) with the series back when I was 12 iirc. So many good memories!!
Same, it’s the book that got me into reading. I read it every year for a good decade. I need to pick it up again to prep for the new one!
Malazan for series or Realm of the Elderlings for trilogy (either Liveship Traders or The Tawny Man)
Obsessed with Robin Hobb atm :0
World of Five gods book by Bujold. SHe is a master
Black Company. Croaker is my favoirte unreliable narrator in fiction. Which is funny, given Silver Spike is my favorite book in the series and he's not even in it! Certainly, an extremely dark series, but that just makes the little victories and moments of levity so much sweeter.
Good choice
The Lord of the Rings and it's not very close... You see, I could not part with it, it is *precious* to me...
Not all those who read Tolkien, are lost :)))
His Dark Materials
underrated
Anything Middle-earth.
Now you’re Tolkien :))))
Riftwar..and all the following wars on the world of midkemia- Raymond E Feist
Does the Cosmere count as one series?
Malazan with zero hesitation.
Dragonlance. By the time I started a reread of the entire franchise, I would have forgotten everything. It's a numbers game.
Malazan, baby, Malazan
Malazan, easily. I can reread that series til death and beyond.
This is the second or third comment I’ve heard about people re-reading it, I’m more and more looking forward to reading it :)))
Green bone saga
Looking at your name I was not expecting you to recommend Green Bone saga lol
Kingslayer trilogy (come on Rothfuss drop the third book... PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU) Edit: Aperently the English name is Kingkiller and I should not mirror translate from hungarian...
> King~~slayer~~killer ~~trilogy~~
Ah. You must be right. I just mirror translated the hungarian title. Idk the English one. But also it is supposed to be a trilogy... At least it was advertised in my country as one.
Please don’t turn into the next GRRM, Patrick…
*Solar Cycle* by Gene Wolfe
I think because of what it meant for me as a child and how long I've been into them it's hard not to say Harry Potter, but genuinely could be ASoIaF. I have only read LotR twice through so saying that one might make me a poser haha
If you'd asked me this at the beginning of the year I would've said stormlight archives, but I've discovered a new level of obsession with the series The Wandering Inn lol. It's probably the longest series I'm ever going to read, and it's not even 2/3rds done yet and still it's so damn good.
Osten Ard by Tad Williams.
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn.
Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks
His Dark Materials or Discworld for sure :)
LOTR. It's peak fantasy and I can read it 100 more times.
The Wheel of Time Or Dune
Wheel of Time
"Daughter of the Empire" by Janny Wurts and Raymond E Feist for trilogy. "The Earthsea Cycle" by Ursula K Leguin for series.
Wheel of time. Endless re readability
The Wheel of Time
Cradle series by Will Wight. It could be debatably not entirely fantasy.
I love Cradle, but I'd be worried about the re-readability factor.
I'm on a reread at this very moment. I've reread this series more than any other. The second read is arguably better than the first.
The Realm of the Elderlings. The Fool is my favorite character of all time and Fitz is a poor bastard. I adore this series. If you're a fan of pain and misery then this series is perfect for you. If you think your life is shit, then read these books, they will show you what true suffering looks like. This series can be emotionally hard to get through and you will want to slap the main character senseless at times but it's so worth it, the final book is the perfect conclusion to the series and it will leave you a broken mess.
A song of Ice and Fire
Bahzell Banhakson, The Wargod series by David Weber. But it was a tight toss up with the Deed of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon.
The Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells!
The Acts of Caine
While I do like some PTerry on a regular basis, I have to say the world of Valdemar edges out the Disc IMO There are 41 good thick novels plus several anthologies where Mercedes Lackey opened her playground to other authors.
easy...LOTR
ASOIAF
Lord of the Rings
Thats a tough one for me. It's gotta be either the Lightbringer series or The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series
Toss up between Lord of the Rings and Discworld.
My is, of course, already mentioned, but since nobody has mentioned my next two all time favorite fantasy series, I’m going to drop them here. First is *The Chronicles of Prydain* series by Lloyd Alexander. Low fantasy fiction coming of age story, but easily the *best* coming of age story ever written. Next is a series that I feel gets little mention these days but is among my favorite: the Books of Swords series by Fred Saberhagen. Just an interestingly built world that always captured my imagination and never really let it go, peopled by interesting characters
Its gonna be diffrent type od anwsers but.... D&D books As in the Perfect drug to Hook friends on fantasy and pit all my readen books to use
I’m torn between Earthsea, Discworld, and the Wheel of Time. The first because Earthsea was pivotal to my development as a writer; the second because Discworld has gotten me through hard times; and the third because the Wheel of Time was what really got me into what I consider to be real fantasy. And it’s the quintessential modern fantasy for me. I really don’t know. It’s like trying to choose which of my children I could live without.
Vlad Taltos series.
It has to be Malazan for me, I’ve read LotR, WoT, RotE and ASoIaF. Then I read Malazan. No comparison. The others are all fantastic series, but Malazan is different gravy. And definitely better on the second time through.
Ooh, tough choice between CJ Cherryh's Faded Sun Trilogy or Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince series.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever.
Realm of the Elderlings, the only one that hits my feelings.
Even though it will never be a full trilogy, I HAVE to go for Kingkiller. These books are just too good.
Codex Alera! Pretty great character progression, a well thought out universe, interesting power system, and it’s finished
The inheritance cycle is my comfort series, and even though actually have many criticisms for it as I’ve grown as a writer, I still love the series
The Malazan
Kushiels saga. It's one of my all time favorites, and criminally underated. The first trilogy (technically 4 now) is absolutely top tier, the second excellent, the third ... eh.
Dragon Riders of Pern… or at least the original books.
Another vote for ROTE by Robin Hobb. I love all of her books and have read her Soldier Son trilogy as well. Don’t skip Liveship Traders and Rain Wild Chronicles!
Malazan just for the re readability, every time i dive in i find a new lil detail or connect a dot and im at 8 times and counting
Rigante Series by David Gemmell
David Gemmell's Drenai saga.
Wheel Of Time series by Robert Jordan and finished by Brandon Sanderson.
The Prince of Nothing Trilogy. Still one of the best fantasy series I’ve read in the past decade
Wheel of Time. Haven't read it 25 times for nothing.
Currently it’s the wheel of time, but man stormlight archive is trying to overtake it. Until it is completed though it cannot! 😅😅
Dresden Files
Discworld. All 41 novels. And then all the ancillary books, maps, etc