Beginner to Advanced Fantasy Books Sorted (All our favorites!) ft Daniel Greene
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2019
- Links to books I talked about in this video
(These are affiliate links. If you buy through these links, I get a small percentage of the sale):
Mistborn amzn.to/2xEyfEk
Elantris amzn.to/2FYweaI
Warbreaker amzn.to/2FYyKO3
Good Omens amzn.to/2Xv6Cbu
The Name of the Wind amzn.to/2G2MV4M
Narnia amzn.to/2LEzA6x
The Ocean at the End of the Lane amzn.to/2FZB4Vi
Stormlight amzn.to/2XAyRdJ
The Lies of Locke Lamora amzn.to/2XwLG8R
American Gods amzn.to/2LIApeE
First Law amzn.to/2JkI01g
An Unkindness of Magicians amzn.to/2xFkBAM
Lightbringer amzn.to/2XwD41S
Wheel of Time amzn.to/2Xx2LdN
A Game of Thrones amzn.to/2LECQP4
Broken Earth amzn.to/2LNpVux
Witcher amzn.to/2G1Cej3
Dark Tower amzn.to/2LIAMG4
Daniel's Channel: / @danielgreenereviews
WHERE TO FIND ME:
► My Patreon: / merphynapier
► Goodreads: / merphy-napier
► Instagram: / merphynapier
► E-mail: merphynapier@gmail.com - Krátké a kreslené filmy
“Brandon , go outside...” *Sanderson, holding a bottle of vitamin D tablets* “sunlight is for amateurs.”
Brandon can go outside once the Stormlight Archive is finished
He can go outside when we get The Lost Metal!
@Arthur Pilgram first elantris 2 , then he can proceed to warbreaker 2 , i need to see my dula friend
Yeah I don't want him to turn into grrm
😂He could just take his laptop outside and slap on some sunscreen and keep on writing like a madman.
This only makes me wish for a podcast with these two.
YES omg i would love that
they kinda just did that ...... start your time machine
What???MEEE really where
@@cartoonfreak9635 I was talking about the live stream they did a couple of hours ago
OMG Yes! These two should definitely start a podcast together.
2019: Brandon, go outside
2020: Brandon, stay home.
Little did we know that he writes everywhere. Yes, EVERYWHERE.
2021: Brandon, get vaccinated.
2021: Let's go Brandon!
@@ezioauditore6038 Heh.
Daniel: “Brandon, go outside!”
Also Daniel: *New video every day
this!!! 😂😂😂
the sun burnses
Merphy: I skip the song breaks... Do you read them??
Daniel: I read them, they are good poetry
Me: .... I sing them... I thought that was what every one did
Have you listened to clamavi de profondis ? They put them into songs, it's amazing.
I sing them, too! just inside my head, most times. They add to the atmosphere of the scene.
+
This comment actually made me laugh out loud
I do sing them
I still think it’s one of the greatest flexes in authorship ever that Tolkien wrote the LotR series because he thought the languages he invented as a linguist needed some background...😂
He basically created the greatest series of fantasy ever on a whim...
He actually wrote "Quenta Silmarillion" and other writings to explain how the languages came to be. He wrote LotR because his readers wanted more stories about hobbits.
@@zr5941 Hit reply to say this. Good on ya
@@zr5941 That was the biggest screeching "ACKshoeaaaalllY" I've heard in a while.
But, as a Tolkien fan, I raise my glass to you. Fair point.
He also wrote it while procrastinating something else
@@zr5941 thank you for illuminating this! ❤️
(I obviously didn’t know that!)
Still a flex since LotR still is a result of that wish, innit? 😜
16:45 As Merphy was falling, she was like "The book, Daniel, save the book!", not knowing how Dan treats his own books.
Or how heavily medicated he was
@@AleksandarIvanov69 What?
Um... Are you aware of how she treats HER books?
@@michaelcherokee8906 you don't wanna disturb them.
@@michaelcherokee8906h
The Mistborn series is one of the tighest I ever read. You get to the end of the last page in the third book and you feel as if the author knew exactly where he'd be and how he'd get there from page 1 of book 1. It just all came into play and you realize clues were laid out two books before for things that pay off in book three, and not in that "they threw a lot of mud at the wall early on so that they could make something pay off and look like a genius, even though a lot of things didn't pay off" way. It felt like every word had purpose and intent all the way through. It's impressive.
I completely agree. I think its because brandon kind of wrote all 3 books all at once so it all ties together really well.
Yeah the first thing I did after finishing the 3rd book was I read book 1 again. Mainly to examine Ruin's influence on the plot of the first book.
Beginner
1:01 Mistborn
3:50 Warbreaker & Elantris
4:50 Good Omens
5:45 King Killer
6:45 Narnia
8:25 The ocean at the end of the lane
8:40 Duel of Fire
Intermedite
9:10 Stormlight Archive
10:45 Gentleman Bastard
12:40 American Gods
14:00 Lord of the Rings
15:25 First Law
17:00 An Unkindness of Magicians
21:05 Lightbringer
Advanced
18:25 The Wheel of Time
22:30 A Song of Ice and Fire
23:47 Broken Earth
24:25 Dark Tower
25:00 Witcher
Actually, having read about half of these already, I don’t agree with this at all. Witcher is so easy to read through. Good omens as well. The stormlight archive I could barely put down.
Lord of the Rings however really was a struggle. Both because of not being used to the writing style and because of already knowing the story too much to have this strong drive to find out what will happen next.
Also the wheel of time is much easier to read than A song of ice and fire, but for both series I’m at book 5. Asoiaf b6 has been waiting on the shelf for almost a year and wot is an addicting I started not even two months ago that hooked me so much at the start of this year that I’ll finish the series before I know it.
I agree with your opinion sooo much!
I read a bunch of their list ... do agree with you though, for the books I read.
Yeah, I read Witcher when I was 13, first adult literature I read actually..not really difficult read, beforehand I read maybe Narnia series, Harry Potter and Eragon out of fantasy.
What about the malorean? It was a precursor to almost all of those books.
Thanks for the time stamps!
Levels of fantasy books based on reading difficulty:
1. Kid's first fantasy
2. Easy to get into
3. Intermediate
4. Advanced
5. Really advanced
6. What the hell is this????
7. Please help me!
8. Why, oh god, why?!!!
9. I just can't anymore....
10. Malazan book of the Fallen
lol Agreed. Still trying to discover the will to start on Memories of Ice.
:D :D I'm reading the second book in the Malazan series and I won't lie : English not being my mother tongue, I'm struggling quite a lot... I had read the first one few years ago, read it again a second time (easier once you know the story), maybe I'll do the same with Deadhouse Gates
LOL so true your list!
MrHaganenoEdward this made me laugh so much
Speed readers beware! Unless you are the kind of person who can speed read Differential Equations.
It's not a Daniel and Merphy crossover episode unless Daniel praises Wheel of Time and Merphy praises The Lies of Locke Lamora.
"Excited for book three" of the Kingkiller Chronicles. Oh sweet summer child..
Don´t trigger me......*sigh*.....
This is what holds me back from reading The Name of the Wind.....I read all of Game of Thrones thinking surely at least one more book would come out during that time....eh no. I refuse to even think of touching King Killer Chronicle until he comes out with the 3rd installment.....whenever that is.
@@calebmauer1751 Also the name of the wind is overrated in the first place so...
Legends say they were waiting for book three until the very end of their days.
Sure I'd like for it to come out soon, but if an author isn't ready to bring it out, they aren't, if they're way too much of a perfectionist, so be it.
A goat person is either called a satyr or a faun. A satyr is the name they used in the Greek mythology while faun is from the Roman mythology. Yay to Rick Riordan for educating me about mythology😂😂
I've only seen the Narnia movies and not read the books, but I believe they used the term "faun", yes.
I believe that in Narnia, at least the films(can't remember if it's talked about in the books), satyrs and fauns are different things. Satyrs being basically a humanoid goat, and fauns being goat legs and human torso.
@@knutolavbjrgaas1069 Oooh, yeah, I was thinking of James McAvoy's character, who was a faun, but you are right, I think he mentioned it as well, if I'm not mistaken..?
Sometimes a goat man is just a Goatman. Thanks Diablo.
how do you milk those things???
"Brandon, go outside...", who needs sunlight when you have Stormlight?
This is genius😄👍🏻
Wooooooop there it is 🙌
This is a bar
**ba dam tsssss!** 🥁😜👉
Pure Facts
Merphy: Kingkiller is Daniel’s favourite right now.
Wheel of Time: *Sad noises*
I missed the fact that it was a joke as well :D Ïn another video he puts the series very low on the list.
I tend to think of LOTR as Advanced but this is because I was introduced to it with reading the silmarillion as book 1... I regret nothing...
"If you haven't read Lord of the Rings I think you're a bad person"
I like him.
Daniel Greene is amazing. His channel is really good
@@zlee001 He did though :)
I read it like seven times, my alltime favorite.
Lock me up for wickedness.
I haven't read them yet, but I plan to. I guess I have some redemption in me, lol.
To get into Lord of the rings as a beginner, it might be better to read The Hobbit before the Trilogy.
@Arshia Rajabi It is a book for children...
I'd watch the films first. Gets you to know the characters then read the books. Do not watch the Hobbit films though (how do you get three movies out of such a short book)
Johnny McCann the dwarves fell into the background too though. like the only memorable dwarves were bombur and thorin from the books. fili, kili, oin, gloin, etc never did anything really so i feel even in the books they served little to no purpose.
The Hobbit comes before the trilogy in a chronological sense, but I read the trilogy first (nearly 50 years ago - God, I'm old!) and I never regretted not having read The Hobbit first. LTR was the "big thing" among college students in the late 60s. There were even T-shirts that read: "Frodo Lives!", so you had to have read the book to be in on what's happening.
edh yeah, it doesn’t really matter much what you read first, it would still make sense. IDK, the Hobbit is just my favourite book and would love more people to read it
I think reading the hobbit first in the LOTR series makes the books as a whole easier to read. I read the hobbit as a kid (which shows how easy it is to read/comprehend) and didn't read the rest of the series until high school after rereading the hobbit.
The Malazan book of the fallen series is hands down the most complicated fantasy series ever written IMO :)
I used to think so too, but since then I read a couple of series that, well I wouldnt say are harder to read, but more harder to get a grasp on. The second aocalypse and Gene WOlf's books of the new sun series are two good examples of that.
Gene Wolfe is so good. He never gets a mention
I had to look at the character index constantly, also one of the few book series to get actual tears from me.
Agree. Why is it hard/advanced?
Many books in the series, each book is large.
Massive cast. Keeping up with WoT or GoT is a piece of cake in comparison.
No easing into the story, you just join in at a point in time and try to keep up.
Non-linear time lines, the books jump around in terms of sequence of events.
Overall plot I found to be a little hard to keep track of. There's not really good guys and bad guys as such, there's just complex characters and their individual motivations
The reward for the pair of reading?
Some of the best characters and scenes in Fantasy
Bragging rights of actually having completed this series
"Sticking with out Sanderson theme-"
*Picks up Harry Potter*
lost in a booKCase i laughed so hard lol
complete opposite lol
LOL
To me, Tolkein's writing style is pure magic itself. It one of my favorite things about the whole LOTR world!
I really like that in LOTR the narrator has a real voice, it feels like you're being told a story. In some ways it also feels like you are reading an old primary source manuscript, and that adds a lot of immersion. I kind of hate that voiceless 3rd person limited viewpoint that has taken over in most modern fantasies: the authors don't care at all about style, only content. Lord of the Rings is poetic and quotable, Wheel of Time (as much as I love it) is neither of those things.
@@christopherrowley7506 ... You are correct. The styles are very different. LOTR's after all is really The Red Book of Westmarch written by Bilbo and Frodo in narrative form. Hobbits have very poetic souls, as did Tolkien.
@@christopherrowley7506 Hard agree!
Fully agree it's only growing as a gem since more and more modern fantasy adopt more accessible writing
YES
I'm also standing up for Terry Pratchett here. I'm now at 28 out of >40 Discworld books and it just gets better with every book
I was not disappointed with any of his Discworld books. I am still looking for a copy of The Carpet People, but I have every other book of his.
I read Hogfather as my first Pratchett. No regrets! I love the Wee Free Men and the Guilds and the Watchmen and the Witches and all the things that make up Discworld. I see his influence in other books and Tv shows sometimes
Beginner to advanced fantasy and ‘I’ve never read any Terry Pratchett’?
Pratchett is too subtle for skippy up there in the video...he obviously doesn't get metaphor and allegory (Narnia), so the brilliant satire of Pratchett will pass him right by...
Reading WOT on a kindle makes it a lot easier. When I forget who a character is, I just click on then name and bam! I have everything I need to know
I recently finished the first book and picked up the second. How are you liking WoT?
@@crestfallenwarrior6996 I’m hooked! In book two things really start to heat up.
shit i need to try that I am so dumb
@@crestfallenwarrior6996 I read wot and while the first few books were good I found the rest brutal. This is just my personal opinion though yours may differ. I am an avid fantasy reader and I honestly don't know how this series became so popular besides the length of it. The last few books when Sanderson took over aren't too bad and I wouldn't go back in time and tell my past self not to read them but not the hype as what people claim.
Personally i never had any problem following WoT when i read the series in early 2000s. I breezed though the books rather easily.
“Daniel posts videos 6 days a week, cuz he’s insane.” “Actually, it’s 7.” “Are you serious?!” Lolol
"Daniel...Go Outside!"
This was amazing, so happy my favourite booktubers are collaborating with each other in person now! :D
JK7. just came to comment the same thing 😂
JK7. Yes
yea the seemed to be having a great time and i was smiling along with them
Beginner: Hobb's Fitz nonology (Farseer trilogy, Tawny Man trilogy and Fitz and the Fool trilogy)
In my opinion one of the finest fantasy series and certainly one suited to novice readers. The magic system isn't complicated, the politics aren't too dense and the main character is highly relatable. Since the series consists of three trilogies, it's not very daunting to start with.
Intermediate: Jordan's WoT
Lots of reading material with a plethora of names, extended plot lines and grand scale events. However, the number of *prominent* characters is somewhat limited, the magic system isn't too complicated and plot is easy to follow.
Advanced: King's The Dark Tower
Long, bizarre, even more bizarre and requires knowledge of King's other books to be fully appreciated. Luckily the number of characters is limited, the magic system is barely existent and the separate events in the story are fairly straightforward.
Off the charts: Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen
Long, half a million characters and plot lines, difficult to grasp, complicated magic/god system and did I mention there are a *KAJILLION* characters?
Could you tell me the other King books I'd have to read before The Dark Tower series?
Perfection!
Three Trilogies for Hobb? Why are we ignoring the Liveship Traders trilogy and the Rainwild Chronicles?
@@nicholastaylor9687 Because, while those are series within the Realm of the Elderlings, they're not directly part of the Fitz series.
I personally think that while I adore hobbs fitz stuff, it's a intermidiate book because the first book is slow for a good couple chapters and I've read books way faster than it
But once it gets started omfg it's the best
The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin is a good beginner book. Set on a world with no connection to ours-- it's all small islands. Ged is a young man with magical talent-- magic comes from knowing true names. He makes one mistake early on, and spends the book dealing with it.
There are dragons.
the two of you have SUCH a great dynamic filmimg together omg im disappointed i'm seeing this video a YEAR LATER and adore these recommendations!
Same
@@divyanshutiwari6344 hello tiwari ji
@@indianflippingart9593 ji aap kaun?
Daniel's face when you bring out The King Killer series lol!
I know 😂
They are also my favourite and I was like him: "Yaaayyy Pat! Pat! Pat!". You both should try play Tak, the game of the book ;)
@@merphynapier42 that book got me into reading and since then i read 100s of books
I read almost every book in the video and they are all amazing but Kingkiller chronicle really captivates my heart, in a way no series ever has. Daniel's reaction is so relatable!
That second book though, ugh
Thank you for including Narnia. I feel a lot of people forget about one of the best series ever.
So true about Sanderson . I consider myself an ‘average’ reader, when I picked up The Last Empire, man I flew that! It was just such an easy, believable read, I really enjoyed it. I got so hooked, I wanted to know more about the author’s other works, enter Stormlight Archive.
Personally I recommend Earthsea to everyone who wants to get into fantasy. The writing is beautiful!
I loved Earthsea aswell😊❤️
It’s hands down the best fantasy writing besides Tolkien.
Agreed Ursula Le Guin was a genius- RIP.
Two other recommendations for stories whose authors have sadly died in the last few years.
Gene Wolfe- The Shadow of the Torturer and subsequent series- won the World Fantasy Award
Julian May - The Many Colored Land and subsequent series ( although categorized by many as SF it is essentially fantasy).
I love Earthsea, too. And that it isn't your typical plot for fantasy, either, which is very nice.
Sounds gay.
I grew up reading Pratchett, love so many of his books.
Yeah Pratchett is amazing!! Very much comic fantasy/satire though
@@erinaa9486 Pratchett is more of a fantasy/parody then a fantasy/satire.
A parody is laughing with the original, a satire is laughing at it.
@@squngy0 Pratchett did a fair bit of both. Lots of parody and satire though the satire is often far more subtle.
Daniel, "That is a fact of life."
Merphy, with a HUGE smile, "Disagree!"
Love it!
Just started the final empire in the mistborn trilogy because of this video. I listened to the first chapter through audiobook from the library, but now I own the novel and am really enjoying the second chapter. I’m glad you guys suggested it for beginners, otherwise I would have waited ages before attempting something so highly regarded
The lack of Jim Butcher (Dresden in particular) is really perplexing. I cant think of a more accessible fantasy book series than that. Funny, dark, intriguing; filled with extremely well written heroes, anti heroes, and villains, Dresden Files is one of the most well-read and popular fantasy books series in the genre. The books are basically "pulp-fantasy noir" (although that steadily changes over time as Harrys decisions continuously haunt him years after he makes them).
Sanderson, and Gaiman I get as recommendations--but Butchers work (3 separate series so far) are all great, if not phenomenal.
It's hard to include everything. We all have our favorites etc... I like the Dresden Files, it's kinda cheesy at times though, BUT.... The Codex Alera is one my favorite series of all time.
I could never get into dresden files but codex of alera has to be in my top 3 of series.
also if you never realized that the idea for codex started on a chat board where they were discussing what makes a book good. as in was it subject matter or the writing. so he took the concept of lost roman legion. which has been done successfully multiple times and combined it with something that at times is vilified in pokemon. you realize how great the series is.
I liked his Codex series more; Dresden... has some issues for me. It's interesting, lacks the world building of other fantasy. Yes, it's set in modern Chicago, but even American Gods had amazing world building. I dunno, the whole magical Roman thing caught me more haha
"His dark materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman is genious. Don't make the mistake of watching the movie-adaption of the first book, though. Awaiting the BBC/HBO series with terrified joy! :)
The movie was aesthetically beautiful, I loved it for that, separate from the books, the books will always be better.
I don't know why, but I didn't find that series particularly interesting. They were solid books, but not ones I would compliment or consider great.
They're average at best. Some SUPER boring parts of it that just dragged and dragged, and a ridiculously pathetic big bad
I have all the series just haven’t gotten to it. Also, the movie isn’t that bad :)
Totally agree, I read these books when I was really young so I don't remember enough to have a nuanced opinion but I remember loving them. I'm hoping the HBO show follows in the footsteps of my other favourite childhood books, A Series of Unfortunate Events. The movie for that was horrible, didn't capture the themes at all, made the most important character (Violet) completely useless and unimportant, and turned the villain into a completely comedic character with no dark/sinister side. The Netflix series completely made up for all that. It quickly became one of my favourite TV shows ever (although season 1 is a bit rough).
This was the first video I found on CZcams of people talking about books. THIS is when I discovered booktube 2y ago and decided to read all the books on this list and follow you and Daniel. I've never looked back since. I watch both your videos religiously and have loved coming back to this first video of yours that I watched to reflect on how much you have both grown and encouraged my love of reading ❤️ I love you guys.
She's just so damn cute. And he's Daniel. What a combo
Mordyth I know she always talks about how much she respects him, but when she does videos with him it seems like he annoys her. I don’t know for sure but that’s just how I see it.
@@coreyklaustermeier7329 Strange
Corey Klaustermeier
I reckon it's just them being playful. I constantly annoy my friends but they keep me around.
@@coreyklaustermeier7329 I don't get that vibe at all, pretty sure it's all just them goofing around
I agree with Tony Phan and Ozkan, I think that the tension is really them just trying to keep the video serious, but it makes them look like they can't stand to be in the same room.
Malazan book of the fallen is amazing.. gets really good from book 3 onwards (although book 1 is still one of my favourites on the re-read). I also love Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy, fantasy at its best.
Be sure to check out the video we did together on Daniel's channel too!
Also, if any of these books interested you, be sure to check out the links I left in the description! It took me a looooooong time to put them all there 😅
Merphy Napier 30 minutes of Daniel & merpht!!? Yes please
That was great, too bad you too live so far away
Hey Merphy, I'm trying to buy An Unkindness of Magicians through your link - the direct landing page is on the hardcover though? Do you know if it still counts as an affiliate sale if I thereby switch to a used paperback from that landing page? (I prefer to buy used books. It's an environment thing!)
stop buying books on amazon. go to your local book store!
Merphy Napier, Do you have a thing for Daniel?
Malazan should be labeled “beyond advanced”
Definitely should have included Malazan Book of the Fallen in Advanced, also think Tad Williams Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn would fit well in the Advanced category.
Both of them had not read Malazan at the time. And neither of them probably not read Tad Williams.
I started reading fantasy with ASOIF and then I got into Malazan ... I regret nothing , great reads , specially Malazan , I'm still reading into the Malazan world.
As someone who thinks the MBotF is an outstanding series I've read through twice and listened through twice, A.) I do not love the series. Those are not tears of joy it is milking, and B.) I never recommend it to anyone. I do say "it's a phenomenal series, but Erikson is like if Ayn Rand wanted you to be a good, compassionate person. Erikson hates cruelty, and wants you to hate it, too. Try it, start with the second and third books, and do it audio. Erikson is better heard than read. If you don't like those, you wont like any, and end the relationship."
@@Velsero Interesting. This is literally the first time I've seen anyone say that Malazan is even viable on audiobook, let alone better. The consensus is generally that it's complicated enough that keeping track of things in a one-shot format is tough - you generally have to scan back and re-read sections etc. I may finally be heading into a phase of my life that I can give Malazan a shot, but we'll see.
When I finished the video , I felt something strange about me because I have read 4 of the 5 advanced category series before reading a majority of the beginner and intermediate category books.
Pausing the video at Narnia to pass my two cents:
I kinda agree that it hasn't aged well in regards to what is currently on the market. However, I read the entire series, from beginning to end, to my fifth grade class two years ago. This class hated reading so much but they'd beg to bring their lunch to the classroom to hear more.
I just had a former student from that class find me on IG and send me a message that he is going through the hardest time in his life right now, but he remembered Narnia and has reread the series and now wants more fantasy. I think it is an excellent door for children, even if it fails in comparison as an adult reader.
WITH THE EXCEPTION of The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle. I think those two could team up and fight with some of the greats. :)
You guys have great chemistry! You can tell that your good friends and bounce off each other well which makes the video really interesting to watch! Thank you for the list I'm really looking forward to checking some of these out and I'm glad you guys don't agree with everything because it gives different perspectives based on each book. Thank you again!
First law world was my start into fantasy. I have reread them several times. Definitely my favorites
You shouldn’t skip the songs in LOTR! There’s a lot of history in them, and you get an insight into the cultures that produced them!
I knew I would get this comment 😂
There’s a channel called Clamavi de Profundis that does a great job of taking the songs from the books and singing them. Definitely check them out, they are great
@@merphynapier42 nah I skip songs and poems all the time :)
Oscar Nilzen love the songs, but I understand why a lot of people prefer to skip over them. But some of them are so beautiful, such as Bilbo’s “I Sit Beside The Fire”.
I would say reread with the songs after you’ve read The Silmarillion
This is the high quality friendship I need in my fantasy books.
The Witcher was my introduction into fantasy last year (if you don't count the childrens / YA books I read over 10 years ago). Really loved it and now I am enjoying other fantasy as well since the age of 25. Lot to catch up on :')
I was a casual reader for years until covid. Now 2 years later, I consume all spectrum of fantasy books. Finding your video now, in 2022, I will definitely read some of the recommendations. Especially since you'll listed The Witcher as advanced. I was just curious about it when the Netflix show was coming out. I apparently jumped off the deep end on that one. Lol. It was sooo frustrating at first with the time jumping but I got it. I did burn myself with the epic fantasy novels because of it and went down the road of a fairy tale retellings... and some fantasy smut. (Like I said I enjoy all spectrum of fantasy). Your video definitely inspired me to jump back into epic / complex tales again.
David Eddings is another who should be still counted among the great introductions to Fantasy. Especially if you've got young family members who you don't think are ready for more adult themes. I'm personally more partial to the Elenium and Tamuli series but I suspect the Belgariad and it's sequel Malloreon is the better place to start for a teenager looking to get into fantasy.
Other then comments i never hear a word about David Eddings! It is the series that got me into fantasy. My comfort read for decades!
Nah, start with Elenium... Sparhawk rules! His standalone The Redemption of Althalus is apparently decent too, on my tbr list.
Eddings is classic fantasy. I remember reading these in the 80s.
These millennials don’t know what they are missing.
@@mpjedi2355 , I know, right?
I didn’t know much about fantasy, but have read “Kingkiller” and “Gentleman Bastards”, before I got to Mistborn. I was in NY for a work trip, and stopped at a Barnes N Nobles. I saw Mistborn, picked it up, and it opened up my world to so many great stories! It led me to WOT and StormLight Archives (naturally). Best random pick up of my life!
I feel like we need an updated list for the two of you!!! or even sic-fi!
Thank you! For that!!
I've been struggling with books that I find kind of difficult to follow, which would make a 50 page run extremely difficult for me and hence made me sway away from reading because I only seem to choose advanced english books, and your description isdetailed enough for me to know where to start now... I love both your channels, both of you have been extremely helpful to me, and I find myself enjoying your opinions although I've not read most of these books yet, lol.
Peace!
Notice the shelves at 10:49 when she says "... Is up there with Sanderson" - Oathbringer and WoR tumble as if they heard it
“Brandon, go outside.” That particular comment didn’t age well
🤣
why? can you explain that please?
@@paulbreakable3302 Coronavirus .. you must be from Arrakis
You can still go outside; you just have to avoid people.
@@kohakuaiko my life. every day. :)
(Edit after feedback from @TresspassingToad)
It is interesting to watch people complaining about LOTR being hard to read! I have dyslexia and don't speak English as a first language. There is something about Tolkien s writing that seems elegant and flowing where as in other books i tend to "fall off" the lines because they feel jerky and ragged. Tolkien actually made me understand how badly written many things are.
And yet other people fall of the lines Tolkien wrote. I guess two things can be true at once.
@TresspasingToad Kommentaren min var både krass og elitistisk i språkbruket! Takk for at du påpeker det. Skal gå igjennom teksten og endre på den :-)
Love this vid! The chemistry between you two is amazing!
Perfect introduction in my opinion: Ranger's Apprentice
Read like 10+ of these as some of my first fantasy books, and it is still one of my favourite series
@ThePiedPiper And Piers It's set in a medieval setting with knights and rangers and monarchies and such, having, as you said, its own mythical creatures. It's set in another world with other sets of classes and professions and rules, so I'd say it's pretty much the archetype of a fantasy. A book doesn't have to be full of magic to be considered a fantasy.
@@tegelstenen4178 Its called medieval fiction...
OMG YES. I love Ranger’s Apprentice, although I’m not exactly sure if most of it classifies as fantasy. I still am not over it
Also a good book to get a young kid to read. Started reading it at age 10 and with harry potter it turned me into a lover of almost any good book.
Robin Hobb's three trilogies based on FitzChivalry and the Fool are excellent. In addition, Raymond E Feist's Riftwar series based on Pug and subsequent series are quite excellent too.
I read feists books 30 years ago
I hated Robin Hobbs ' books. Read the trilogy about the assassin's apprentice, and found them really lonely, sad, horrible books...
Sorry but I can't stand the riftwar books. The only goods ones are in the collab with Janny Wurts, The Daughter of The Empire books. Those are excellent.
@@pipparoberts7130 Then don't read any of the other series, cause there all lonely and sad. That's whats make 'em good. :-)
The Riftwar is a superb series. The problem I have with his later books is that they're very uneven. Both between books and in them. He's written some really good ones but also some "meh".
Tried The First Law series after this and loved it, my new favorite series alongside the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Currently trying to get into the Wheel of Time and look forward to seeing how it goes. Anyway, just came back to say thanks for the suggestions, have a good one!
love you guys together. your personalities work well for these types of videos. y’all could make a sweet podcast
LOVE the Wheel of Time! Found book 5 for sale used and thought it looked interesting. Then realized it was a part 5... so got the first 4 and read 1-5. Then re-read 1-5 when 6 came out. Then re-read 1-6 when 7 came out, and so on and so on. Read the whole series at least 3 times through, and have skimmed the series at least another 5 or 6 times. So great.
I read "The Eye of the World" on the plane back from Saudi Arabia after the first Gulf War (yea, I'm old, sue me!) and was hooked forever more. It is my second favorite series of all times behind LOTR. I'm scared of what Amazon will do with the TV series, but hoping for the best.
Loved Wheel of Time until I read more books. Good series, but gets bloated and repetitive and then just got plain bored. Sanderson finishing them picked the pace back up for me.
22:35 Actually it's " *A* Game of Thrones"
Sorry
Great job! I actually wanted to make that comment...
Who cares
*YES!*
@@BenDover-fo3bi lol I do
Finally! Someone did mention it because it irk me
Awesome list. Subscribed. I’ve read most of these and agree with the list with ONE big exception. I’m on book 6 of Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It absolutely deserves a spot on any list, especially if we are setting aside a category for difficult or advanced books. Series has everything: best magic system I’ve read, amazing plot, great characters, etc. My mind is blown book after book, and after careful research, I know enough to know the final entry stuck the landing.
Because of your video I started Mistborn and I have now completed all of the cosmere books..... in the past year... I NEED MORE!
Sanderson must have heard you. He revealed that he had a secret and was lying to us. So now we are getting a bunch more Cosmere next year.
I love these chill videos. You've both mentioned so many of these books before but I like how you explained why to read them in a casual way. Like anyone could connect to and like these books.
So glad you liked it!
I hear at Barnes and Nobles if you buy the first 2 Kingkiller books they give you the 3rd for free right then and there
Spencer Jones, ha ha....
I am so glad you added The Dark Tower! Brilliant, epic, hardcore fantasy like you said 🙏
Terry Pratchett, yes! I need to read Good Omens and Discworld, Merphy
I'm surprised that David Eddings or Raymond E Feist didn't appear on the list as beginner fantasy. They were my gateway into Fantasy when I was a teen (and to a lesser degree was Piers Anthony, although his books have not aged well IMHO).
They were eating PPJ's in grade school not that long ago - so...
Probably because they don’t hold up well today. Belgariad especially.
@@DM-fp8uw I kinda agree with Eddings but Feist series are still pretty good. The last few trilogies are bit out there but the rift war and serpent war are really good.
How the Diamond Throne didn't make the list is a travesty!
agreed - the Belgariad should have made the list too
As an introduction to urban fantasy the Dresden files is great, because it mixes your standard poke detective novel with a dash of magic
I read all the way up to Changes and got bored.
@@steveexotic1825 I threw my book when I read the last couple paragraphs of Changes.
both of them got into one piece, it's spreading
Yep, I searched for this comment xd
You guys should read Realm of the Elderlings. I've read most of the books in your list and I can safely say that (besides LotR which gave me the fantasy hunger when I was young) the most memorable series I've read would be this. I tend to forget most things I read but somehow a lot of it has imprinted in my mind through the years. Amazing characters, huge world and an extreme emotional rollercoaster.
Only 5 minutes into this video so far but it's already a really fun one with great recommendations! I love that Daniel gushes about Good Omens for a hot sec because it's also one of my faves! And Neil Gaiman is a writing god in my opinion, I will always read and recommend his books! They're just so enjoyable
Just got to Merphy's Neil Gaiman gush, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is one of those books that slowly seeps into you, i didn't realise how much I was truly loving it until about halfway through, but only because I was too engrossed to notice 💜
The Witcher is for me probably the best fantasy book series. Characters are well developed, story is complex, there are very well narrative tricks used in story and many more.
I agree
I really loved watching this video! It convinced me to pick up Mistborn and even though I am only on chapter 2 I am already seriously hooked- I forsee a whole lot more of Sanderson and other Fantasy in my future reading :))
I also disagree, Narnia is absolutely amazing! I've probably read it more times than Harry Potter as a child.
So did I, but Harry Potter didn't exist until I was an adult. And though I have read 2 of the books, I just never connected with them like I did 6 of the 7 Narnia books.
Ever since I got into BookTube, I've noticed how highly praised Brandon Sanderson has been. Will try to read the Mistborn trilogy next year, hopefully!
His writing gets better over time. Mistborn is pretty good, but his more recent writing is amazing. His latest book "Skyward" is spectacular. It's on another level compared to his previous writing.
If you like mistborn his other books are great too and they're all connected in a way so keep an eye out for similar characters
I’m reading skyward right now and it’s really good.
I love the Broken Earth trilogy! I read the first book last summer, then I read books 2 & 3 earlier this year back to back. Each book flows seamlessly into the next so that it really just feels like one long novel. Highly recommend it. Best adult dystopian I've read and it'd be hard to top it.
I know this is an older video, but I still enjoyed it. I am always interested in new fantasy worlds. Many of these series I've not heard of before. Thanks!
I usually read Horror stories and novels but found both of your analyses of the Fantasy genre interesting and now I'm wanting to start reading some.
"Christian fantasy" made me laugh, because even if it's...sorta....true, there are a bunch of Christians out there who have a lot of issues with Good Omens. think i'd call it religious satire?
Yes, Gaiman's work treats any religion as myth. Funny that they mentioned C.S. Lewis shortly after. Narnia really is Christian fantasy.
@@daviderwin4705 ohh yeah. Never really realized it when I read Narnia as a kid, just loved the idea of another world/the settings (esp. in The Magician's Nephew/The Dawn Treader)...the religious overtones didn't really bother me because they just felt like borrowed mythology/another part of the story, nothing overtly manipulative. Now that I'm older, what does bother me is the racism...
The sort of people who would have a problem with that are the same people who think the Left Behind series is good writing so I dismiss them
I feel like they are both atheists (which is a compliment) - and this book is a exposé of how religion is ridiculous
Heaven help us is a good satire about religion,
the author is good in general (but died last year in old age). I would say a nieche classic author, lovely but bizarre, and heaven help us is pretty much mocking christinity in that manner, but not really too mean.
love Brandon Sanderson i have the Stormlight Archives series, Mistborn series and the Reckoners series i'm a huge fan
The way of Kings has some of the best moments I have ever encountered in a book. Kaladin goes down as one of my all time favorite characters because of this.
Still following the series so we'll have to wait and see if he stays as great of a character as we all want him to be.
One amazing book series that I think is a great introduction to fantasy (although for a younger audience) is the Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. The series is quite long but all the books are fairly short and writing is both accessible and capturing. When I started reading the Ruins of Gorlan(the first book) I basically finished the entire thing in like 2 days just because I couldn't stop reading it.
(Do stop reading after the emperor of Nihon-Ja though everything else is terrible maybe except for Lost Stories.)
14:25 Lord of the Rings - "Ugh there are song breaks. I skip them. Do you read them?" - "I read them. They're great, they're good poetry."
I don't read them, I SING THEM!!! (Many songs have versions in the animated or live-action films. For the ones that don't, my mind tends to make up a melody while reading hahaha)
Malazan and Black Company. Both solid. Dresden Files is also worth reading through. Especially with the next book coming out soon.
Very surprised that the Malazan books are not in the list. Maybe the presenters haven't read them?
@@naseemnasir The list only goes up to advanced, Malazan is quite a bit higher than that. Though it might be because I started in the middle. Toll The Hounds, IIRC.
My first Xmas present from my parents ,who adopted my siblings and I in the early 80s, was the Chronicles of Narnia set...I loved it..my brother had gotten the belgariad series and he kept em from me for as long as he could lol...I had to sneak into his room to get em out of the box set one by one...those 2 series is still on my top five fantasy reads
So I was just watching this casually. But I enjoy both of you and together it’s magic!
Such a good video ! Having both your different perspectives on books give such a more complete portrait of the recommendations and makes it so richer (and entertaining). 💕
So glad you enjoyed it!
My top 5 not listed
1 Dragonlance Chronicles- Tasslehoff Burrfoot and Flint Fireforge, nuf said
2 Steven Brust- The Khaavren Romances
3 David Eddings- The Belgariad
4 Robin Hobb- Liveship Traders Trilogy
5 Michael Moorcock- Elric of Melnibone
Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings (of which Liveship is the second Trilogy) is amazing. I just finished Fitz and the Fool a week or three ago.
The guy has a "thing" against any book over 5 years old barring LotR so don't expect much from his "lists"
@@racer2c Not sure where you're getting that rom. He's talked about all kinds of ancient sci-fi and fantasy before in a very positive light. I think the worst you could say is that if it'sa LOTR copy / paste he finds it boring.
3 and 5 my personal favourites...
Ohh Dragonlance is sooo good. One of my favorit along with the Drizzt books('mainstream' I know, sue me).
I’m just now seeing this video but I am adding so many books to my TBR!!
Skiping the LOR songs is sacrilegious you must sing them out loud at full volume
I actually don't want my family to die
The fact that my two favourite booktubers are friends has me dYiNg I love you guys so much
The first time I read Lord of the Rings in my native language, I was ten years old and I think that version may have been condensed or simplified because I loved it. Then when I was 13, I read it in English. And my English was not good at all at the time. The old style description of scenery nearly did me in but I was just stubborn enough to struggle through it although I didn't enjoy it at all. I learned a lot - I had to keep a dictionary next to me while reading... re-reading it as an adult I did enjoy it, though I can see how people would not love the trilogy.
I've written a fantasy novel, that I'm querying for now. I hope to see you all discussing it (and its sequel) one day in the future. The short summary is below.
1824 Scotland - After losing his father, Lain’s love Adaira gets called into the sea by sirens. Shortly after, a fisherman tells that he hears Adaira in the water.
While running the family apothecary shop, struggling with grief, and learning about sirens, kelpies, and the caoineag (the wailing woman), Lain discovers his violin has an effect on the creatures and thinks he may be able to bring his siren home.
Maybe I'll come back and update when I've got an agent. I've had a full request, but not much else. Maybe I'll come back and update when I've got an agent. I've had a full request, but not much else. Unfortunately, the amount of agents accepting YA fantasy is much smaller than a lot of other genres. Seems contemporary, literary, and other commercial fiction are big on the list for many agents.
How's it going
I'm 18 years old. the last time I read a book for enjoyment was at the age of 13. I've had a sudden urge to get back into reading in recent weeks and the only book I own of interest is the first instalment in the dark tower series. I've never read a Stephen King book, needless to say I'm jumping into the deep end here. I'll be providing updates on this journey I'm about to embark on in the form of replies.
any updates?
How did it go?
tried harry potter?