***Fantasy Book Recommendation Thread***

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Madmarttigan
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8:11a, 2/24/23
AG
So once upon a time we used this thread as our unofficial fantasy book discussion and people would post a lot of great book ideas

https://texags.com/forums/13/topics/2328229/1

I think we have all moved on from Rothfuss and it tends to annoy people when we bump that thread so I figure its time to make a dedicated thread where people can throw out new or old book recommendations.

Just as a summary here are a lot of the previous series recommended in that thread.

Fantasy -

Patrick Rothfuss - Kingkiller Chronicles (likely to never finish)
Jim Butcher - Dresden Files
Brandon Sanderson - Everything
Anthony Ryan - Blood Song (not so much support for rest of the trilogy)
Scott Lynch - The Gentleman B a s t a r d series
Brent Weeks - Night Angel and Lightbringer
Joe Abercrombie - First Law Trilogy
GRRM - ASOIAF
Robin Hobb - Farseer Trilogy
Robert Jordan/Sanderson - Wheel of Time
Stephen Erikson - Malazan Book of the Fallen series
Bernard Cromwell's the Saxon Stories
Stephen King - Dark Tower
Jonathan Renshaw - Dawn of Wonder
Mark Lawrence - The Broken Empire
Brian McClellan - Powder Mage Trilogy

SciFi -
Pierce Brown - Red Rising
James Corey - Expanse series

*I may have missed some since it's a pretty lengthy thread, but it's a good start for a new thread.



Would love to hear some new names that have come around in the past decade.

Also open to scifi as well since Red Rising was a great rec from the other thread.

Formerly tv1113
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An L of an Ag
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8:15a, 2/24/23
AG
If sci fi is included, then definitely the Expanse books by Corey.

Edit: didn't see that at the end of your post, OP. My bad. As penance, I'll also suggest the Revelation Space books by Alastair Reynolds
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Madmarttigan
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In reply to An L of an Ag • 8:20a, 2/24/23
AG
I probably added it after you posted, I've been meaning to do this thread for a while and don't want to lose everything I've listed already as I go through the old thread.
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bluefire579
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8:21a, 2/24/23
AG
Abercrombie's others deserve a mention, both the standalone and the sequel trilogy. You should also put asterisks by the ones that are only going to cause pain due to not being complete and possibly never going to be completed.

Other ones I'd recommend:

  • Bernard Cromwell - Warlord Chronicles
  • Brian McClellan - Powder Mage Trilogy
  • Samantha Shannon - Priory of the Orange Tree
  • R.F. Kuang - Poppy Wars Trilogy (I'm actively reading this one and it's fantastic)
  • Scott Hawkins - Library at Mount Char
  • Brian Stavely - The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne
  • Mark Lawrence - The Broken Empire
  • Lois McMaster Bujold - The Curse of Chalion



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amercer
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8:23a, 2/24/23
Faustus
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8:38a, 2/24/23
Great list OP.

Sci Fi
Neal Stephenson (Snow Crash, Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon)
William Gibson (Neuromancer)

Fantasy
Steven Erikson (Malazan Book of the Fallen series)

Edit: Missed that you already had Erikson there.

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jeffk
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8:39a, 2/24/23
AG
Andy Weir counts as sci-fi right? Just finished his Artemis yesterday - fun little read. Not as engaging as The Martian, but it was interesting and different. Heard good things about Project: Hailmary as well.

Footfall by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven has long been one of my favorite sci-fi novels as well. About earthlings mounting a guerrilla resistance against occupying aliens.
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HummingbirdSaltalamacchia
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8:40a, 2/24/23
AG
Thank you for doing this!! its a chore to go thru that thread.

ASOIAF is still the GOAT but damn you GRRM.

Sanderson, cant say enough good things about him and all his work. even his early work, like Warbreaker( which has one of my favorite characters in ALL of fantasy), but is certainly flawed and not quite at the level of Mistborn or Stormlight, are still fantastic reads.

And i know the series has its detractors, but i am super stoked for Pierce Browns next Red Rising book. i love that series. yes its evolved over time, and some of the original main characters have fallen into the background a bit, its still a fantastic read and some really interesting world building.


some random recos:


A Master of Djinn by Clark


A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine (HIGHLY recommend)


The Three Body Problem series by Cixin Liu (not quite as high on this as some, but was really interesting)


Pillars of the Earth (kingsbridge series) by Follett (if Cromwell is included, then so should this, esp if you love history)
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Madmarttigan
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In reply to HummingbirdSaltalamacchia • 8:54a, 2/24/23
AG
Book 4 and 5 of Red Rising were rough, however I think they could set up for an outstanding book 6.

Book 5 was kind of unnecessary with some of the graphic garbage in it though and the amount of characters dying is a little insane. Also the moral evolution of Darrow is a little off putting, but I understand why he is the way he is.
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Faustus
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In reply to HummingbirdSaltalamacchia • 8:57a, 2/24/23
Quote:
The Three Body Problem series by Cixin Liu (not quite as high on this as some, but was really interesting)
That was a rough read, but I thought possibly it was due to the translation.
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Claude!
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9:29a, 2/24/23
Glen Cook has multiple series - The Black Company; The Dread Empire; Garrett, P.I.; Instrumentalities of the Night. His writing style is pretty spare and straightforward (maybe a little rough in places), but I've enjoyed them all. He was a big influence on Steven Erikson.

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jkag89
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9:39a, 2/24/23
A few old school that are not the obvious ones -
The Once and Future King and The Book of Merlyn by T.H. White
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.
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Aggie_Outlaw
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9:40a, 2/24/23
AG
Joe Abercrombie's first law series is my favorite. If you liked ASOIAF you'll love it.
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bodaciousbood14
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10:07a, 2/24/23
AG
Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth Series is my go-to fantasy recommendation
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Faustus
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10:13a, 2/24/23
I liked Tad Williams when I was young.

I revisited the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series not too long ago, and it seemed more YA than I recalled. That's fine since I was a YA when I read them.

However his Otherland series (sci-fi), and Shadowmarch series (fantasy) were still great reading them again.
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maverick2076
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10:15a, 2/24/23
I'd remove Jonathan Renshaw, since he is proving to be another Rothfuss.

I would add Terry Mancour's Spellmonger series.

Peter V. Brett's Demon Cycle is great.

AC Cobble's Benjamin Ashwood and Cartographer series are both good.

Glen Cook's Chronicles of the Black Company are really good and gritty.

Bernard Cornwall's Last Kingdom series is more historical fiction, but it's close enough for me.

Larry Correia's Saga of the Forgotten Warrior and Monster Hunter International series are both awesome.
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StinkyPinky
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In reply to bluefire579 • 10:33a, 2/24/23
AG
bluefire579 said:
Abercrombie's others deserve a mention, both the standalone and the sequel trilogy. You should also put asterisks by the ones that are only going to cause pain due to not being complete and possibly never going to be completed.

Other ones I'd recommend:

  • Mark Lawrence - The Broken Empire
I still need to read the stand alone's from the First Law series. As I said on the previous thread, I originally had to fight hard through Blade Itself (almost DNF) but glad I did because books 2 and 3 finally hit their stride and the story culminated into something more and markedly better writing.

Funny thing is I love Broken Empire. I did not like the Red Queen trilogy near as much, even though most people think the exact opposite. Prince of Thorns was probably my first Grimdark book and I was absorbed in it and Jorg as a character.

Other recommend as already said is the Gentlemen ******* Series which is an extremely fun and immersive read.
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bluefire579
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In reply to Faustus • 10:35a, 2/24/23
AG
Faustus said:
I liked Tad Williams when I was young.

I revisited the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series not too long ago, and it seemed more YA than I recalled. That's fine since I was a YA when I read them.

However his Otherland series (sci-fi), and Shadowmarch series (fantasy) were still great reading them again.
Given the way I've seen people gush about it, my unpopular fantasy opinion is that Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is not good at all. Couldn't bring myself to finish it.
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G Martin 87
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10:38a, 2/24/23
AG
As mentioned above, Bujold's The Curse of Chalion is great. The sequel Paladin of Souls is even better, and won both a Hugo and a Nebula. Highly recommended if you enjoy well crafted prose.
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bluefire579
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In reply to StinkyPinky • 10:39a, 2/24/23
AG
StinkyPinky said:
bluefire579 said:
Abercrombie's others deserve a mention, both the standalone and the sequel trilogy. You should also put asterisks by the ones that are only going to cause pain due to not being complete and possibly never going to be completed.

Other ones I'd recommend:

  • Mark Lawrence - The Broken Empire
I still need to read the stand alone's from the First Law series. As I said on the previous thread, I originally had to fight hard through Blade Itself (almost DNF) but glad I did because books 2 and 3 finally hit their stride and the story culminated into something more and markedly better writing.

Funny thing is I love Broken Empire. I did not like the Red Queen trilogy near as much, even though most people think the exact opposite. Prince of Thorns was probably my first Grimdark book and I was absorbed in it and Jorg as a character.

Other recommend as already said is the Gentlemen ******* Series which is an extremely fun and immersive read.
There's definitely a noticeable improvement in Abercrombie's writing with each book he puts out. I do particularly enjoy the standalones because each one is so different (one is a revenge tale, one is a war story, and one is basically a fantasy western).
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Quad Dog
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10:43a, 2/24/23
AG
Ken Liu - The Dandelion Dynasty

Great Asian inspired fantasy that is more fantasy engineering than fantasy magic
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Flatlander
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In reply to Faustus • 10:45a, 2/24/23
Faustus said:
I liked Tad Williams when I was young.

I revisited the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series not too long ago, and it seemed more YA than I recalled. That's fine since I was a YA when I read them.

However his Otherland series (sci-fi), and Shadowmarch series (fantasy) were still great reading them again.
If you love to read 4-book trilogies, Tad Williams is the way to go!

I've read most of his books, and the Shadowmarch series is my favorite.

For those that don't know, he is currently in the middle of writing a sequal series to Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn.
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Philo B 93
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10:53a, 2/24/23
I'm just reading some of my first Fantasy books ever. They frustrate me because they're very long, and the names and locations have too many similarities and apostrophes. However, I'm really enjoying Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. How does that rank on the list of all the titles mentioned above.

Another series I've read recently that ties in with the Dungeons & Dragons movie conversation is the Guardians of the Flame series from the 80s by Joel Rosenberg. Its about a group of table top gamers who wind up in the fantasy world of their game. The books are short, so that's how it lured me in.
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The Dog Lord
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In reply to Philo B 93 • 11:23a, 2/24/23
AG
Philo B 93 said:
I'm just reading some of my first Fantasy books ever. They frustrate me because they're very long, and the names and locations have too many similarities and apostrophes. However, I'm really enjoying Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. How does that rank on the list of all the titles mentioned above.

Another series I've read recently that ties in with the Dungeons & Dragons movie conversation is the Guardians of the Flame series from the 80s by Joel Rosenberg. Its about a group of table top gamers who wind up in the fantasy world of their game. The books are short, so that's how it lured me in.
The only Sanderson I had read before this year was his contributions to Wheel of Time. I started with Elantris in January though and loved it. On book 2 of Mistborn Era 1 right now and have enjoyed both of those too. Some people don't like Elantris as much as his other works, but it's mostly because it was his first book. Myself and many others really enjoyed it though. I'm very excited to read the rest of his Cosmere books this year.
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The Dog Lord
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11:38a, 2/24/23
AG
Some notable ones not yet mentioned (I haven't read them all)

Fantasy
Tolkien - Lord of the Rings and Hobbit (and Silmarillion)
James Islington - Licanius Trilogy
Robing Hobb - entire Realm of the Elderlings (not just Farseer)
S.M. Stirling - Emberverse universe (trilogy starting with Dies the Fire especially)
David Gemmell - Legend (and others)
Guy Gavriel Kay - Fionvar Tapestry
Naomi Novik - Scholomance trilogy
R. Scott Bakker - Prince of Nothing trilogy
Andrzej Sapkowski - The Witcher series
Jonathan Edward Durham - Winterset Hollow
Robin McKinley - The Hero and the Crown; The Blue Sword (these are more YA/children's lit, but I always include them since they are the first fantasy books I ever read)


Sci-fi
Frank Herbert - Dune series
John Scalzi - Old Man's War series; Interdependency series
Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game (and sequels); Shadow series
Joe Haldeman - Forever War series
Isaac Asimov - Foundation series
Robert Heinlein - Starship Troopers
Ursula K. Le Guin - The Left Hand of Darkness
Arthur C. Clarke - Childhood's End; Rendezvous with Rama series
Richard Matheson - I Am Legend
Dan Simmons - Hyperion cantos
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Faustus
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12:05p, 2/24/23
Quote:
R. Scott Bakker - Prince of Nothing trilogy

Pretty dense and graphic stuff.

I really liked the first series, but struggled to finish the Aspect-Emperor four book sequel. Mainly I wanted to see how it all turned out with the Consult, but it wasn't fun reading and too much Esmenet.
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Ornithopter
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12:33p, 2/24/23
AG
Couple more I haven't seen yet:

Larry Niven - Ringworld/Known Space
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle - Lucifer's Hammer, The Mote in God's Eye
Steven Baxter and Terry Pratchett - The Long Earth
Robert Heinlein - The Moon is A Harsh Mistress, Orphans in the Sky, Tunnel in the Sky, Citizen of the Galaxy
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Definitely Not A Cop
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1:00p, 2/24/23
AG
Stephen King - The Dark Tower

Got one book left to read in the series.
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DallasTeleAg
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1:20p, 2/24/23
For Jim Butcher, the Codex Alera series is also very good. The first half of Furies of Calderon is a little slow to get through, but then it picks up and continues at a great pace for the rest of the series. It's also a 6-part series that is complete, which is always fun to think about when starting a new series.
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Definitely Not A Cop
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In reply to DallasTeleAg • 1:38p, 2/24/23
AG
Is that the series that Butcher started writing as a bet that no premise is ridiculous, as long as the writing is good? I had heard he got into an argument with a friend over that, his friend said ok, write a book combining Pokmon and the Roman Empire, so Butcher did it to prove him wrong.
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Aggie_Journalist
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1:59p, 2/24/23
AG
If you want old, trippy sci-fi, you can't go wrong with Philip K Dick. More of his stories may have been adapted into movies and tv shows than anyone else on this thread.

Movies / tv shows inspired by Dick include:
- Total Recall
- Minority Report
- Bladerunner
- Man in the High Castle
- The adjustment Bureau
- Paycheck
- Screamers
- Imposter (Oblivion was also arguably inspired by this idea)
- A Scanner Darkly
Thanks and gig'em
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DallasTeleAg
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In reply to Definitely Not A Cop • 2:23p, 2/24/23
Yes. He took Pokemon and the Lost Roman Legion, and wrote a story.

Again... Furies of Calderon takes at least half the book to get going, but it's well worth it for the rest of that book and series.
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maverick2076
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2:28p, 2/24/23
All of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books are great.

The original Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies should probably be on here too.
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Madmarttigan
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In reply to Definitely Not A Cop • 2:33p, 2/24/23
AG
Definitely Not A Cop said:
Is that the series that Butcher started writing as a bet that no premise is ridiculous, as long as the writing is good? I had heard he got into an argument with a friend over that, his friend said ok, write a book combining Pokmon and the Roman Empire, so Butcher did it to prove him wrong.



Yup and it's actually pretty damn good. The end of the series went too big for my tastes though. Like the ending of a comic book movie just big and stupid
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YouBet
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In reply to Philo B 93 • 3:06p, 2/24/23
AG
Philo B 93 said:
I'm just reading some of my first Fantasy books ever. They frustrate me because they're very long, and the names and locations have too many similarities and apostrophes. However, I'm really enjoying Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. How does that rank on the list of all the titles mentioned above.

Another series I've read recently that ties in with the Dungeons & Dragons movie conversation is the Guardians of the Flame series from the 80s by Joel Rosenberg. Its about a group of table top gamers who wind up in the fantasy world of their game. The books are short, so that's how it lured me in.
It was his first book. Average at best and I would put it near the bottom of all books mentioned on this thread so far. I've since read the Mistborn trilogy and it was better than Elantris but still just...ok. Way too much monologue and boredom especially in the second Mistborn book. Really cool concept though.

His early stuff just isn't that good IMO. Main reason why I haven't dove into his other books even though everyone says his writing in later works is much better than these earlier ones. Having said that, I did read a short story based on Elantris that was written later than these other works and it was very good.

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