Hello fellow bookworms,
I used to be an avid reader when I was younger and as time went on and ADHD got worse, my attention span shortened and I turned to faster dopamine than reading. BUT that is not who I am, and I want to return to what I knew.
I’m a big fantasy fan, my favorite series being Lord of the Rings or anything Tolkien. I’m not that interested in smut books to be honest with you, I’ll read them but it doesn’t really scratch the itch that I have right now.
I’ve noticed my brain feeling slow or groggy as of late, and my only conclusion is that I need to pick up reading again.
I’m looking for a fantasy novel that borders on literature with profound writing that will stop me in my tracks and expand my perspectives. Please give suggestions!
by Designer-Cats
15 Comments
Maybe *The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making*? It’s a beautifully written, profound, children’s book. So the plot might move fast enough for someone getting back into reading.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. If you don’t mind science fiction, try The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.
The Buried Giant is a fantasy novel written by Nobel Prize winner Katsuo Ishiguro. A bonus is that brains feeling groggy is a bit of a theme of the book!
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimanez.
Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea
I just finished *Masters of Death* by Olivie Blake and it might scratch that itch. It’s confusing at the beginning as you follow the stories of several different characters, but the author gradually draws all of the threads together into a coherent climax and conclusion. It’s very dialogue-heavy but also very philosophical. I’m still thinking about it. I borrowed it from the library but I might need to own this one.
Try:
Gene Wolfe — Book Of The New Sun
Nnedi Okorafor — Who Fears Death
Susanna Clarke — Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
As a start, see my:
* [Beautiful Prose/Writing (in Fiction)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18fqso4/beautiful_prosewriting_in_fiction/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
* [SF/F, Philosophical](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18ae6jg/sff_philosophical/) list of Reddit recommendation threads and books (one post).
The three (modern) writers whose prose I have to work at reading are [Gene Wolfe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Wolfe), [C. L. Moore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._L._Moore) (the author of the [Jirel of Joiry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jirel_of_Joiry) stories), and [Patrick O’Brian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_O%27Brian) (the [Aubrey–Maturin historical fiction series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey%E2%80%93Maturin_series); obviously not speculative fiction). To which I add [E. M. Rauch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Mac_Rauch)’s [*Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League, et al.: A Compendium of Evils*](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56656523-buckaroo-banzai-against-the-world-crime-league-et-al) because of the density of historic and literary allusions, which I felt compelled to look up.
I feel like “Magical Realism” is almost used as a code word to describe exactly this: Fantasy with high literary value.
*De re dordica* by J.B. Jackson flirts with profundity but doesn’t quite achieve it by Book 2 even if it is literary and exceptionally entertaining. There is something in it for Tolkien fans, which I won’t reveal. Recommended if you like the idea of librarians, witches, and imps in 1977 Texas.
If you want amazing writing, I recommend Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast trilogy
THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING by TH White
The first book, THE SWORD IN THE STONE, is how JK Rowling *wishes* she could write.
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
The Once and Future King
The Princess Bride
NK Jemisin fits this bill for me. Beautiful world building, epic journeys – but with all the character development, thematic nuance and beautiful writing you’d expect of literature. I’d start with the broken earth trilogy for the closest to Tolkien vibes