(I was originally going to post this on the Fantasy sub, but decided against it as I don't want to risk removal for a low-effort submission.)
Hey guys!
Over the past few months/years, I've read quite a few of the "Essential" fantasy series, and I'm looking for my next read eagerly.
For reference, I have read and enjoyed the following:
– Lord of the Rings + The Hobbit, by Tolkien.
– The Witcher Series.
– Mistborn Era 1, by Brandon Sanderson.
– First Law, by Joe Abercrombie.
– Farseer, by Robin Hobb.
– Various standalones (Including Tigana, Kings of the Wyld, etc.)
Series that I haven't read, but have my eyes on:
– Faithful and the Fallen, by John Gwynne.
– The Greenbone Saga, by Fonda Lee.
– Gentlemen Bastards, by Scott Lynch.
– The Dark Tower, by King.
– The Burning, by Evan Winter.
– The Tide Child trilogy by R. J. Barker.
With all that out of the way I will say I'm not overly picky with genres/authors and am open to read pretty much anything, although; I have no interest in any romantasy/booktok series, like Fourth Wing or ACOTAR.
TIA!
by The_Kangaroo_Mafia
20 Comments
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.
Right now I’m reading The Stormlight Archives by Sanderson and I’m completely hooked!
Red Riaing by Pierce Brown
The Poppy War series by R. F. Kuang
Mistborn 2nd era were good books – fantasy western.
A Discovery of Witches – there is a little romance but not to the level of ACOTAR iirc
Wheel of Time
Terry Brooks – word and void series first, then Shannara series
If you don’t mind YA, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Fable, Amari and the Night Brothers
The Wheel of Time, Jordan
Saga of the Forgotten Warrior, Corriea
Symphony of Ages, Haydon
Dragonriders of Pern, McCaffrey
Valdemar, Lackey
DeathGate Cycle, Weis and Hickman
Elenium/Tamuli, Eddings
King’s Blades, Duncan
Codex alera- butcher
I’m going to say Dungeon Crawler Carl is a fantasy series.
Riyria Revelations is a fantasy fantasy series..it’s so underrated
I love how nobody is suggesting titles from your list 😂
It’s a good list though! At least the half I’ve read is. I definitely vote that you jump into The Gentlemen Bastards, and if you don’t love it (you will) the first book can always be read as a stand alone.
Honourable mentions for The Greenbone Saga and The Dark Tower, can’t go wrong with those either.
Also Harry Potter if you haven’t, it’s another that I’d consider “essential” and they are so easy to fall into.
They just rereleased the Dragonlance trilogy in a lovely hardback, and it’s well worth the read. You should read that!
I would not recommend *The Dark Tower.* All together, it is a hefty meandering tome. While it might be included in a “must read” fantasy series list, I would put it towards the bottom as there are so many better, more focused ones. For example, *Wizard of Earthsea* is a classic that uses a modicum of words and characters. If you want a great story that seemingly everyone has read and loves, but is incomplete, try Rothfuss’s *Kingkiller Chronicles*. On the humorous/satire side, I think everyone should give Terry Pratchett a go. The *Guards*! series is good, as is the *Tiffany Aching* arc. Finally, my personal recent favorite is *Dungeon Crawler Carl.* You’ll have a blast with the series.
The Landover books by Terry Brooks
It starts with Magic Kingdom For Sale:Sold! – a burnt out lawyer with depression answers an ad in an exclusive catalog offering the kingship of a magical land
It’s old, so the prices are ridiculous and they use payphones and read magazines, but it holds up and is a great read. Amazing world building and it has almost every magical creature you can think of – dragon, witch, kobolds, gnomes, dozens of kinds of fae, and a talking soft coated wheaten terrier who used to be a human royal advisor
Jim Butcher Codex Alera series,
Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar books. There are loads of them and they’re fantastic. Start with Magic’s Pawn.
Give The Sword of Truth series a chance. It’s written by Terry Goodkind and starts with Wizard’s First Rule.
John Gwynne’s new trilogy is really good. “The Bloodsworn Saga”. Probably my favorite of all his works. Takes place in a Viking inspired fantasy setting.
Lois Bujold Five Gods books. The Curse of Chalion, et al.
I would suggest other series that are part of The Realm of the Elderlings. The Farseer Trilogy is only the first series in a larger series that is all interconnected. The next series is The Liveship Trilogy, Book 1 Mad Ship.
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams. There are several accompanying series as well.