Board 8 > Fantasy book recommendations?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm talking pure fantasy with a good magic system. Nothing that takes place in the real world, I need a completely made up world (or worlds) where magic is a constant presence in every day life for the characters.

Also needs to be in third person, preferably limited. I know that's very particular but it's somehow the only way I can feel immersed? First person narrative takes me out of the story, I'm weird.

I've read all the cosmere books several times now. Even the ones that came out last year. I think it's finally time for something new.

The Malazan Book of the Fallen (10 book series) is pretty cool stuff that's reasonably heavy on the magic.

I was thinking Malazan myself but I haven't read too many in the genre outside it so take my rec with a grain of salt.

Oh yeah Malazan has been recommended to me before. It didn't pull me in immediately so I lost patience. Maybe something easier to get into first?

I know if I just force myself to read Malazan I'll enjoy it, just not at that point yet.

Malazan is tough to get into, but it's solid. It's kind of in the weird realm of magic that's powerful that you don't really understand (at least as of two books in), so if you liked Sando's magic hardness it may be a little unsatisfying

Wheel of Time is a very obvious suggestion. Strong and coherent magic that is core to the story and world, and of course Branderson finished it. Riftwar is perhaps a bit weaker than WoT in general, and in some of the later arcs a lot of the characters are more mundane, but it's also worth a shot. Vigor Mortis is 1st person so that's a no

and you can of course reread cosmere a bunch more. Maybe try my "The Kaladin Chapters Only" Stormlight reading order, or https://youtube.com/watch?v=6hmCAKlcr7M

It definitely takes a while to get into Malazan. The magic system's explained more heavily around book 5.

It's been quite a few years since I've gotten into a new author, so I can't really recommend any modern stuff, unfortunately (other than a couple which are first person). I assume you've read Wheel of Time already, since you've done Cosmere.

Oh duh also Realm of the Elderlings. It's in a bit of a weird place, with a ton of the world being built on softer, more Tolkien "wonder" magic while still having practioners learn their own styles and the magic of the world directly affecting the characters. Probably more than any world I've read save Roshar it really feels mystical, and it's a great series regardless (though the first arc can be divisive)

Pretty much any Brandon Sanderson fantasy book fits the bill for this

The Darker Shade of Magic trilogy is the first to come to mind

I THINK it's in 3rd person but not positive offhand

I mean he has books not in the Cosmere...!

But yeah, I was speed reading the topic and missed that part.

Guess I'll recommend Hyperion then, although that might be more sci-fi than fantasy.

https://faq.brandonsanderson.com/knowledge-base/what-books-would-you-suggest-to-your-fans/

honestly Sandersons answer to this is really really good

idk, Discworld is amazing and a must-read but very different than the request, I've read the first few Dragonriders books and I didn't think they were anything special, and Rothfuss is not a genius until he FINISHES HIS SERIES IT'S BEEN 13 YEARS

Wheel of Time is good but very long and kind of drags in the middle.

NFUN posted...

idk, Discworld is amazing and a must-read but very different than the request, I've read the first few Dragonriders books and I didn't think they were anything special, and Rothfuss is not a genius until he FINISHES HIS SERIES IT'S BEEN 13 YEARS

I mean magic is very much constant and they set up the world is differential, I dont know what else it is except the tone is way more straight comedic for discworld (and I think they are relatively easy reads)

McCaffrey just feels like an influence choice, which makes sense because most of this fantasy wave was influenced by her. I havent actually read the books myself so I cant speak on the quality.

Rothfuss I generally just treat as finished for the most part. The first book l is truly great. The second book less so but its really only the one section I didnt like.

Can you give an example of what type of 'magic is present in people's lives' do you want? 'People use spells to light up candles' is very different from 'divine spirits are real, we know they exist, and their existence affects how we lead our lives' a lot, for example.

NFUN posted...

Maybe try my "The Kaladin Chapters Only"

Already done that once or twice, he's my favorite character so it was natural.

Wheel of Time is another suggestion that's always brought up. It's also a difficult series to get into though, so that along with Malazan is on the back burner. I have tried to force myself to get into WoT on a few occasions now and it just hasn't yielded positive results so far. I know I just gotta push through and I'll love it, one day...

I have a real tough time with the beginning of any story, even the Way of Kings was a challenge at first, took me a year to finally get through it -- although the last quarter went a lot faster since that's when it got super intriguing. And every reread since then has been a breeze.

Malazan is incredibly tough to penetrate. I've read 4 or 5 books I think. I'd say overall I like it but it's not a must read for everyone. It's awesome - a lot of the things that happen are just really fucking metal. But you gotta be prepared for being confused for awhile before things start to make sense, and any given starting of a new book might be just as confusing with a different cast of characters. Best way to describe it is that it feels like you are reading somebodies D&D ad hoc'd adventure translated into a full on fantasy novel/series. Which apparently is actually what it is.

Joe Abercrombie's First Law series is one of the most popular fantasy series these days. It's grimdark for sure. It's low magic though - magic definitely exists and there are magic users, but its uncommon and main characters aren't magic users. I think they are incredible books - as a huge fan of the cosmere I would say they are just as good, but I don't like them as much because I'm just not a big fan of grimdark and pessimism. I prefer Brandons hopeful optimism that flows underneath most of what he writes. But I could see somebody that leans more towards the grimdark tone and aesthetic preferring him for sure, and I still love reading his books. They are great to alternate from Brandon.

Discworld - this series has a lot more wry tone to it - if you've read Sir Chris's writings, a lot of it feels very much like discworld. Dr Doom is very inspired and feels like Death from Discworld. There is definitely magic and a sense you are in a strange fantasy world basically all the time. The first book the Colour of Magic implies that a lot - but a lot of people say its not a good entry point since even though its okay, it's not as good as the vast majority of the series, and since its so large there are other good entry points. I liked the Colour of Magic when I read it recently but I see what people mean. I'm just starting Guards! Guards! now actually which is one of the jump on points so I suppose I'll see how good that is. I already feel like this is a classic series any fan of fantasy should give a shot to though.

Wheel of Time - the GOAT and my favourite series. 14 book long running epic. the first book feels a bit derivative of LOTR but thats all good. Very complex magic system and huge cast of characters. love it. The show isn't that good.

Tigana - one off book by Guy Gavriel Kay. Sanderson always quotes it as his favourite standalone fantasy novel, so I gave it a shot. I absolutely loved it. It's about small continent that has been conquered by a wizard from two different foreign nations - each wizard controls half of the 9 or so provinces that make up the continent and have enacted pretty brutal rule on the populations as they maneuver to take out the other and rule the entire area themselves. Story follows a few of the residents of continent and how they sure don't like having those wizards around. Story is fairly low magic as there isn't many magic users aside from the two conquerors but obviously it's hugely part of the story still. I think this is worth reading, and I plan to read more GGK in the future

Random fantasy novel that I'd recommend -

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence. Part of a trilogy. Here is the first passage of the book:

It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy Convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.

Wheel of Time you are not allowed to drop until you finish Book 2. The first book is pretty different than the rest of the series. I wouldn't call the series tough to read when you get committed, unlike Malazan which has a very dense writing style (though book 2 was already noteworthily better than 1 in this regard).

Riftwar and Elderlings are both long but they're divided into arcs which makes it easier. I don't think it takes too long for either to get going but Elderlings is extremely character focused, so maybe skip if you're not into two characters talking to each other for several chapters in a row (they're good chapters though!)

NFUN posted...

Wheel of Time you are not allowed to drop until you finish Book 2. The first book is pretty different than the rest of the series. I wouldn't call the series tough to read when you get committed, unlike Malazan which has a very dense writing style (though book 2 was already noteworthily better than 1 in this regard).

Riftwar and Elderlings are both long but they're divided into arcs which makes it easier. I don't think it takes too long for either to get going but Elderlings is extremely character focused, so maybe skip if you're not into two characters talking to each other for several chapters in a row (they're good chapters though!)

so with Elderlings I remember Farseer is first person which TC doesnt want, are the others in the series like that?

also realized this scrubs Kingkiller

LiquidOshawott posted...

so with Elderlings I remember Farseer is first person which TC doesnt want, are the others in the series like that?

also realized this scrubs Kingkiller

Oh you're right. I had completely forgotten. Well Liveship Traders is third person and my favorite arc so that's still legal, and Rain Wilds is also ok. Haven't read further than that to know though

I'll sift through y'alls recommendations in a minute, very much appreciated! But I just remembered something I wanted to inquire about, since I was reading the wiki of Dante's Inferno (it was the end of a rabbit hole) and it had me wondering if there was any well made modern adaptation of that story.

Maybe one that enhances the supernatural aspects? I doubt something like this exists, but figured I'd ask anyway.

You might want to look up the old book by Lyndon Hardy, Master of Five Magics, where the entire story wraps around said laws of magic.

An Outcast In Another World, just don't check the author name

More seriously, Wheel of Time is very good if you can look past some idiosyncracies

Seriously read Wheel of Time if you haven't yet. Sanderson's definitely highly inspired by it, and I absolutely love the magic system. There's way more magic use than in most series.

KamikazePotato posted...

An Outcast In Another World

Here I thought that was first person :p

CoolCly posted...

the first book feels a bit derivative of LOTR

Maybe that's why I have struggled getting into WoT, I don't much care for Lord of the Rings for some reason. I think because it's the baseline of high fantasy and has all the regular tropes you'd expect. I love it for all the inspiration it's given to so many authors, but nowadays it's just sorta... boring I guess.

And that's how it feels reading the first book for Wheel of Time. I think I'll just have to try and speed read it until it starts grabbing me. Yeah that's what I'll do, it feels shameful to not read such a highly praised and influential series.

However I could still use more easily digestible books. Currently reading the second Xanth book and it's alright, but certain aspects are very dissatisfying which is what drove me to make this topic. Wanted something better.

Just remembered that I did read through the Mage Errant series within the last few years, and it was an enjoyable if sometimes messy ride. What I enjoyed most about it was the creative world building, not as dense as Sando's, but every location and power was imaginative. Played well with established tropes, with neat little spins making them feel fresh.

I recommend Orconomics for something in the light hearted dungeon fantasy realms.

CassandraCain posted...

Maybe that's why I have struggled getting into WoT, I don't much care for Lord of the Rings for some reason. I think because it's the baseline of high fantasy and has all the regular tropes you'd expect. I love it for all the inspiration it's given to so many authors, but nowadays it's just sorta... boring I guess.

And that's how it feels reading the first book for Wheel of Time. I think I'll just have to try and speed read it until it starts grabbing me. Yeah that's what I'll do, it feels shameful to not read such a highly praised and influential series.

It's really Book 2 where WoT comes into its own. My personal favorite of the series. At 14 books long, it's a lot, and there's certainly different phases as it goes along but if you're looking for epic and finished fantasy stories and you enjoy Sanderson, well, c'mon now.

Seanchan posted...

It's really Book 2 where WoT comes into its own. My personal favorite of the series. At 14 books long, it's a lot, and there's certainly different phases as it goes along but if you're looking for epic and finished fantasy stories and you enjoy Sanderson, well, c'mon now.

wtf i didnt know you liked wot

What about something old, the D&D Forgotten Realms books like the The Avatar Series or the Cleric Quintet? Or something obvious like the Drizzt books.

I finally got around to reading some Drizzt books after Baldurs Gate 3! For the very first trilogy published, the Icewind Dale trilogy, I read the first book the Crystal Shard and it was extremely basic fantasy pulp. I didn't think it was very good.

The second trilogy though, the Dark Elf Trilogy... I really enjoyed that. The first book, Homeland, is his childhood and early adult life growing up in Menzoberranzan, a major city of the Drow where the spider goddess Lolth is worshipped, males are second class citizens to the matriarchs, and there was intense politicking between the major Houses. Destroying another house is a crime - but only if there's someone left around to accuse you of doing it, so just be thorough in your backstab! It was fascinating seeing the life of someone growing up in a society where everyone literally is Evil aligned by default. Drizzt himself is set with a good alignment so we don't really have to be challenged with thoughts about if he's bad or not, he chafes against the evil society the entire time but it was still fantastic. The second book, Exile, is his time after departing Menzoberranzan and living in the Underdark, and the third book, Sojourn, is after choosing to depart the Underdark and try live on the surface - where Drow are a kill on sight race.

I loved Homeland and thought Exile and Sojourn, while not quite as good as the tightly paced structure of Homeland, were also great. It was fascinating to see Drizzt go through those different stages of figuring out what to do with his life. The Crystal Shard, on the other hand, he was just an action hero mowing through situations. I might finish the Icewind Trilogy at some point but I'm not holding my breath on them being very good.

In general, the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance can provide some good pulpy fun. I read a lot of Dragonlance as a teenager, I haven't gone back but I think I wouldn't quite love it as much, but it'll probably still be fun. If you just want to see someone go on an adventure with some magic and some fantasy races, they are an easy bet to just jump into.

The Edge Chronicles
The Saga of Recluce

Oh I just read the title, may need to double-check if either fit what you're looking for.

NFUN posted...

wtf i didnt know you liked wot

I KNOW! Shocking, right? ;)

The Saga of Recluse is a good one that fits the criteria. Its another long series, but every book is self-contained.

I'll throw in a rec for the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.

I tried Lightbringer and couldn't get into it for whatever reason. Don't think I even finished the first book?