Hi all! I'm probably a fairly common occurrence in this sub, especially with my reading list.
Big fan of Sanderson, and have pretty much every book he's written. I'm a big fan of Jim Butcher as well and have been working my way through the Dresden Files.
The Malazan series however was what turned me on to fantasy books with magic that still feels magical, mysterious and strange. Yes, the worldbuilding in Malazan does sometimes feel a little smugly confusing, but I really enjoyed finding out about it little by little.
I've been slowly picking my way through the Book of the New Sun, but it is dense. I didn't enjoy Game of Thrones, and I still haven't finished the Farseer Trilogy, as it's bummed me out (but I will finish it eventually!). I finished the Poppy War out of spite
Other authors I like:
Brian McClellan
Robert Jordan
Trudi Canavan
Pierce Brown
Patrick Rothfuss
Scott Lynch
Thank you!
by Conselot
2 Comments
You are looking for Robin Hobbs’ the Realm of the Elderlings, starting with Assassin’s Apprentice.
A great, underrated, series is Riyria Revelations by Michael J Sullivan, starting with **Theft of Swords (The Crown Conspiracy/Avempartha)**. It follows a ‘rogues-for-hire’ duo in a classic-feeling fantasy world, who take on a job and are pulled into an adventure bigger than they could have imagined. A great cast of characters, fun banter/dialogue, lots of adventure, rich world building, and plenty of twists and ‘revelations’ along the way. It starts off fairly light/low stakes, but soon becomes quite epic, and if you enjoy it there are a number of excellent prequel series set in the same world that you can check out after Revelations (Legends of the First Empire, Riyria Chronicles, etc.).
The Cradle series by Will Wight is another fun one, with creative world building, a great cast of characters, and an epic, complete, story told over the course of 13 fast-paced books. In a highly magical world, Lindon is forbidden from studying the ‘sacred arts’ of his clan, and must set out on an adventure to forge his own path. The audiobooks are particularly good, if you’re into that, and really elevate the series, narrated by Travis Baldree. The first book is **Unsouled**. To me it has some really comfy anime vibes, and if you’ve ever enjoyed any shonen like One Piece or Naruto you’d most likely enjoy it.
You might also enjoy Joe Abercrombie, though I’d consider his books to be more focused on great characters than on world building first and foremost. Still, it’s there, and the series is a lot of fun if you click with the writing style. Dark, gritty, violent, but also quite funny, fantasy. Once again I’d highly recommend the audiobooks narrated by Steven Pacey. Endlessly quotable, featuring a cast of highly-flawed, cynical bastards you’ll come to love. The first book is **The Blade Itself**.
I also notice that you didn’t mention Tolkien, and on the off chance that you’ve never read his stuff, I’d highly recommend it. Whether you’ve seen the (excellent) films or not, the books are still some of the best for rich world building, mysterious magics, and beautifully-written fantasy. Start with **The Hobbit**, then **Lord of the Rings**, then if you’re really into it and want more, definitely check out **The Silmarillion**.