I've read the first 2 and will be reading the third. That first one wasn't the most enjoyable read but book 2 improved and I'm definitely looking forward to book 3. I LOVED the idea of the Black Castle. So interesting!
@@adamdarren2659 these were some of my earlier fantasy reads, but I just remember being completely taken in by the creativity. Cook has a very natural way of writing that really helps transport you into the world.
The Black Company is my favorite series. I kind lost myself in reading all of them cause it is a LOT but like I think I mostly remember everything, but can't remember how I had the time to read them all or remember much of actually doing them.
I’m currently reading dune and I’m surprised by how much it has held up. I’m reading a chapter a night (so extremely slowly) and it has made me appreciate it so much
I also want to read Dune. I have been pushing it for quite some time and the movie coming soon is making me going for it. The only thing is that im already investing reading the Stormlight Archives, so Im hoping to finish the series of sanderson and be able to read dune by the time the movie comes out.
R. Scott Bakker is amazing his prose and world-building is second to none, but his books are very psychological driven and the themes are dark which makes the book seem even darker. His Second Apocalypse series is high fantasy that plays with horror elements. Would definitely be interested in hearing your reaction as it is not the type of book I've seen you review before.
Spot on, Bakker's world building is fantastic. Really get a sense of getting sucked into the world and dragged along with the characters on their epic slogs. Weird, I didn't necessarily think of it being that dark until I finished the Prince of Nothing series and thought back about it... and talking about dark, there's still parts of The Aspect-Emperor series that haunt me
Um Elle ...I loved Kushiel’s Dart series and one of my favourite series of all time but it is hard core BDSM. Her super power is how much pain she can take thus enthralling her patrons or lovers. So if sexual violence is not your bag I think you might want to give it a miss. But! I recently re-read the Poison Study series and fell in love with it all over again. A little closer to YA on the spectrum which made it a great easy read but not lacking in world building or story by any means. ✌️
If anyone is interested in Kushiel books but not comfortable with sexual violence - I really preferred the final 3 books in that world (Namaah's trilogy). It takes place long after the end of the first 6, in the same world but totally new and quite different characters. One of my favorite trilogies ever. the original 6 were too much for me, personally, and I resonated much more with Namaah who is basically a bisexual forest witch? :)
If you liked the Black Company, check out www.goodreads.com/book/show/400904.The_Swordbearer it is a standalone and I enjoyed it more that some of the Black Company books. Also, try his Noir Detective set in a fantasy world series... www.goodreads.com/book/show/400878.Sweet_Silver_Blues I enjoyed it more that some of the Black Company Entries. You could tell he had fun writing that book. ^_^ Happy reading!
I was hooked on the Realm of the Elderlings series after reading "Royal Assassin" and loved the first book more on the reread. The Farseer trilogy is first person and is always Fitz telling his story, but if you don't like that you can always try the Liveship Traders trilogy which has multiple POVs and the events are happening in the present. The only grimdark series I seem to like is the First Law. I also liked the first book in the ASOIAF series, but have tried 2 Mark Lawrence books and another one I forgot the title and the author and it was not my thing. From what a friend told me I gave up on reading the Black Company but I am interested in hearing your thoughts. I also have Kushiel's Dart to read. I actually tried it a few years ago but put it down and forgot about it when an info dump about religion and angels happened... Yes, Tolkien!!!
Naomi Novik is an incredible author! His Majesty's Dragon series is SO good; it takes you around the world. Some parts are drier than others but ultimately its amazing. I both read the entire series and then re-listened to it on audio book; Its narrated by Simon Vance!! AH She has since written a two new takes on old fairy tales that are very good* (still finishing the 2nd one).
I also really need to read some of these backlist books I read one of Trudi Canavan series, starting with the Magicians Guild and really enjoyed it. I need to continue with her other books.
So many people are reading LOTR for the first time this year! I've read it lots of times but I'm always pleased when someone is introduced to it for the first time. Be great to know what you think of it!
There are some great older female authors out there. I've discovered Katherine Kerr. Her books draw you in! Also Janny Wurts.. Sherri S. Tepper. Some older gems I've discovered in charity shops. :)
Kudos to you for reading Paksinarion even though that person was a jerk about it. I've never heard of it either 😅 I am so excited about you wanting to read Lord of the Rings! I knew you hadn't and just thought you weren't interested, so that was really a pleasant surprise for this list 😄 (I say that like I'm a huge fan, I read it in July lol) As for recommendations for you: Discworld and Earthsea 😊
I LOVED the Alanna books as a young teenager, about 17 years ago! I recently reread them, in English this time instead of the translation, and still found them to be great :) Of course there is probably some nostalgia in play here and it has a slightly different tone and style than adult fantasy, but regardless - I would definitely recommend them. I remember when I first read them a lot of grown ups around me did as well and we all became addicted and read the two series from this world completely.
So happy to see Tamora Pierce on this list! I love practically everything she's written. Her books tend to start out feeling middle grade-ish, but they turn more YA as you get further into her worlds.
I am on the second-last book of The Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher and I adore it! I think it's super clever and unique. I hope you do give it a go soon 😊
Bakker is my favorite writer!! Yeah it’s super dark and nihilistic but remains intelligent and has a very intriguing philosophy portrayed through out. And his characters have more depth than many I’ve ever read before.
Just FYI : Kushiël's Dart is about a girl who's a natural masochist. She's a daughter of the Night Courts aka the courtisans of the society. So it's quite sexual and there is definetly sexual violence. There's also a lot of political intrigue. I'd call it erotic fantasy. So be warned. I liked it tho.
I disagree. The Hobbit has a completely different tone than the Lord of Rings Trilogy. IMO, The Hobbit reads with a YA tone whereas the tone of the LotR trilogy books have an adult tone and voice.
@@andrewberenson5717 I agree that the hobbit does read more like a YA book, but it's still the prequel to the lord of the rings and meant to be read first. Will it tell her something she doesn't already know? Probably not. But while reading the fellowship of the ring, it's nice to know Bilbo's backstory why the ring is so important to him
I love Mercedes Lackey! The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory is my fav series. The very beginning of book 1 is a little rough but if you keep with it you won't be sorry. Also there are dragons and other fantastical creature companions!
I highly recommend you Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams. It counts among the best that classic fantasy can offer and its an important turning point from classic to modern. Many things Martin used for Game of Thrones later like Court Intrigues and grey characters are already present there. Plus he wrote a sequel trilogy of which the first two books are already out and they’re great! Pretty dark and modern all the way.
You got some really good ones there! I too am looking forward to trying/continuing the work of Mercedes Lackey, Codex Alera/Hobb respectively. I can personally attest to the the wonderfulness of The Black Company (top five all time, for me!!), I will note though that the first book adopts an atypical "chapter" style where it really is just seven jumbo "parts". Subsequent "Books of the North" use the more typical structure you would expect. I finished up the first trilogy in the Second Apocalypse series not to long ago, and enjoyed it a far bit. It is definitely the most grimmdark work I have read, everything is just so... bleak. However this bleakness is nicely counterbalanced with just how addictively easy it is to keep on reading. Once you build up momentum in a reading session with it, the chapters blaze by (during such sessions, I'd know in the back of my mind that I'll be browsing cute animal photos afterwards to compensate). Also... Tolkien, definitely sits comfortably at the top of my list of favorite fantasy works (I would recommend reading The Hobbit before Fellowship, but it's not a must).
I'm with you on enjoying revisiting fantasies you loved as a kid. I'm re-reading the Redwall series...and discovering it's a LOT darker than I remember it being
I've been doing a Valdemar reread this year and the series has held up overall. Publication order is probably the best order to read it in, at least for the original storyline. As it were. Arrows Vows & Honor (can be skipped if wanted) Last-Herald Mage By The Sword Black Gryphon (can read entire Mage Wars trilogy, but should at least read this one) Mage Winds Mage Storms I'm excited to hear your thoughts on this Arrows of the Queen. Also Alanna, she was one of my formative heroines as a child.
The Black Gryphon and it's sequels are my favorite Valdemar books. I read them before Arrows. Totally a series that, as long as you read the individual trilogies in order, you don't have to worry about overall series order.
@@robertblume2951 I have never managed to finish White Gryphon or Silver Gryphon. When I was younger I owned copies and would try every time I did a series re-read and just not manage to get through them each time. Love Black Gryphon though. So weird. I will be trying again on this go round. You don't have to read the trilogies in any order, but publication order makes sure you know what exactly is going on and who everybody is by the time you get to the Mage Storms trilogy.
Fortress in the eye of time by C.J.Cherryh (Book 1 of the Fortress series). The political machinations and magical threats will keep you interested, but it is the main character Tristan that will steal your heart. Easily one of my top five most loved characters of all time.
Robin Hobb is amazing, and Fitz is an all-time favorite character. I hope you continue reading as I am interested to know what you think after the first three.
Side note about Dresden Files: the first audiobook is fantastic and I heard the same narrator (Buffy actor?!) reads the whole series. I hear the books get better and in 2017 I think the r/fantasy crew voted it favorite fantasy audiobook! If you ever want to keep going that might be a great, easy route.
Hooray for Robin Hobb! My experience with Farseer was that the books got better and better as I kept reading, and then I looked back and appreciated the character building in Assassin’s Apprentice. I’ll be curious to see what you think! I’m also going to read Bakker (he pronounces it “Baker”) soon.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy erm... to be fair, I picked up his first book in the sequel trilogy, and I got a third into it before realizing that I need some serious backstory, then I found out it was a sequel series... However, that third of the book I read was interesting and well written and had me thinking about points he raised and the action scenes were vivid and on point, so based on that I made the comment, lol... I still want to get around to reading the first trilogy then rereading the second. It is on the ever growing TBR!!! lol.
@@VicRibeiro777 Ha ha! Thanks! Well, that’s still a positive sign if that taste made you curious for more. I’m looking forward to dipping my toes into the first book.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy are you going to read "The Darkness That Comes Before"? www.goodreads.com/series/40519-the-prince-of-nothing Hope you love it ^_^
Alanna takes me waaay back, I practically grew up in Tortall. lol For middle grade fantasy I always have to recommend Robin McKinley's Damar books and both the Songs of Eirren and East by Edith Pattou.
it’s just so hard to read older series because of how many new books come out every year😭 this video is so smart though, i really have to make an effort to sit down and put together all the older books on my tbr
Yes Kushiel’s Dart!! My favorite fantasy series, I have signed copies, her tattoo, LOVE this! There’s a secondary series that plays off the secondary characters.
OMG yes poison study! Definitely give it a read. I read the first couple of books in the series and loved them. I've been thinking of re-reading them and also completing the series.
1. The Lord of the Rings is great! One of my favorites. But, as I've heard some other booktubers also say, the writing takes some getting used to. It can take the whole first book for people to get used to it and really sink into it. Please don't give up too early if you find the writing hard to mesh with! 🙏 2. Tamora Pierce was my favorite author when I was growing up! Alanna is one of my favorite series of hers - along with the Beka Cooper trilogy. 🤍 (Also, as I only just realized this year, her name is pronounced like "camera." See reference below. I pronounced it the same way you did until just recently. 😅) - www.teachingbooks.net/pronounce.cgi?pid=234#:~:text=Tamora%20Pierce%3A%20Hello%2C%20my%20name,Tamora%20pronounced%20like%20camera. 3. Have you ever tried reading the Belgariad by David Eddings?? That was also one of my favorites growing up.
I'm going to be reading The Fellowship of the Ring for the first time as well!! I'm doing a buddy read with a friend for it and Dune. Awesome to see you interested in Deeds of Paksenarrion. I tried to read Sheepfarmer's Daughter awhile back, but stopped reading it. Recently, I've thought about giving it another go.
I have loved everything I have read by Tamera Pierce! I definitely think the Becca Cooper series is my favorite of her Tortall world though, much longer, reads older, and just so good!
Every night I read with my 11 year old & 13 year old kids (we just finished Starsight by Brandon Sanderson). They were in the room while I was watching this & when they heard you talk about His Majesty's Dragon & Alanna, the wanted me to add those books to our family tbr. So thank you. I'm always on the look out for series we can all enjoy together.
I have finished R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing and am now on book 3 of the sequel "Aspect Emperor" series and now Bakker is currently my second favorite author second only to Tolkiien. I searched Bakker's name on your channel and this video came up, so I hope you get to this series and post your thoughts. Stunning dense prose, amazing characters and dialog, it's deeply philosophical and yes very, very dark, but so worth it.
The Chronicles of Prydain by Llyod Alexander, the first book, The Book of Three, is the worst of the series, so if you like it well enough you are good to go. They are childrens books and very quick reads.
I would suggest The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. It came out in the 70s and is in that style of rewriting Lord of the rings but I never see anyone talk about any of his books and this is the one that got me into Fantasy.
If you've not read the Earthsea Cycle by Ursula Le Guin you should definitely add that to the list. It's one of my favourite series of all time! Absolutely beautiful writing
What a great list! I honestly can't decide if I think you'll like BC or not...could go either way! I have Warded Man and Sheepfarmer's Daughter because I thought they looked cool as well. Good to see them getting some play! Great video!!
My dad gave me The Warded Man years ago. It’s sat on my shelf since and never really picked it up. He gave it to me during a period where I didn’t read a whole lot. I’ll probably just pick it up and do my own “buddy read from afar” when you start reading it!
I would definitely recommend reading through the Farseer trilogy, it gets progressively better! LOTR is a no-brainer too in my opinion, though I will say this: I enjoyed the movies better (I know, how blasphemous!). I actually preferred The Silmarillion to the LOTR, which I feel is a very unpopular opinion. 😆 If I can also add a recommendation: The Mists of Avalon, the best re-telling of the Arthurian legend/mythos I've ever read. I've read it twice now, each time it has moved me to tears. But fair warning, she's a chunky gal, coming at about 1100 pages!
I think I liked Silmarillion more as LOTR. From LOTR I loved the first book of the first book and then it kind of gets worse and worse for me 😂 I still love it though and Tolkien is my favorite author. No one comes even close to him (Maybe if Martin finishes SoI&F but I am doubtful he ever will).
so I actually found The Mists of Avalon at my local Goodwill and was super excited to read it, but when looking it up I found out apparently the author was abusive to her daughter? so unfortunately it kind of set me off of wanting to read the book (I know, separate art from artist, but for some reason I couldn't do that with this one)
@@thepagesofsamantha Yes I know. Personally it hasn't precluded me from enjoying the novel (and from it being one of my all-time favourites). The author is long dead, so there's no financial contribution, and the novel itself doesn't reflect the author's perversion/criminality. But I understand people's mileage varies on this.
Feel like we have similar tasts, Mists of Avalon is my all time favorite, I read it about 10 times. I love it. The same author also has Storms over Troy. It's also very nice, it's about the Troyan War. It follows the daughter of the king, Cassandra, who predicts the ploy of Odysseus but isn't believed. Farseers trilogy is also one of my favorites. And yes it gets better and better and the Liveship Traders Trilogy is so different, but equally fantastic!
Every time you post a new video I hope it's about The Black Company because you mentioned wanting to read it months ago. I love that series so much. The first 3 books are amazing and by far the best. There's a bit of a slump in the middle but the last few are extremely strong as well. Glen Cook creates great characters and an interesting setting with a very blunt and utilitarian writing style.
I have the Assassin's Apprentice and His Majesty's Dragon on my shelves to read soon! I was a little iffy about Temeraire until you described the baby dragon. Now I need to read it!
HMD is an incredible series; I hope you enjoy it and get hooked XD The audio-books are voiced by Simon Vance who has a mesmerizing voice and was enjoyable as well.
I just re-read the Alanna series! I also read it originally as a kid and now that I'm in my mid 20's I needed some comfort and picked up all the Tamora Pierce books. I highly recommend re-reading them/finishing them and I'd love to hear your opinions on the series.
I suspect the amount of sex in the Kushiel's Legacy series makes a number of people shy away from talking about it. You'll want to be cautious about reading the book descriptions of the later books, because I remember that they contain spoilers. Good luck with LotR. For me, that's a series I don't feel people should feel too bad if they don't make it through/never read. Tolkien's pacing and style aren't for everyone.
Gah the Aninal Magic series is Wild Magic, one of my first and favourite fantasy reads. It was so special to read about a female main character with my name (traditional a boy's name) who loved wolves and animals and had magic! What an amazing series 😊
Awesome recs, Elliott, I hadn't heard about many of these. Have you read The Last Unicorn? It's an older one too, which I just picked up a few days ago. It's amazing. Also please pick up The Hobbit soon! It's my favourite book ever and I'd love to see your thoughts on it :P
I read Alanna when I was in middle school and it straight up changed my life. As an adult, I finally connected with my sister, whose life was changed by another of Pierce’s Tortallan series, the one about Verilidaine, aka Daine. So I read it and enjoyed it as well. Pierce’s whole Tortall Universe has held up to time. She even wrote a duology based on Alanna’s daughter, and a prequel trilogy based on an ancestress of the King of Thieves George Cooper (from Lioness Rampant Series) named Beka Cooper. Titles of the Provost’s Dog Series in order: Terrier, Bloodhound, Mastiff. They are much longer books than the other Tortallan series she has written. It gives a background to why the world and the societies got to be the way they were in Alanna’s, Daine’s, and Kel’s times... Okay. Just really passionate about Tortall... I think I’ve read Alanna: The First Adventure at least 6 times over the course of the last 28 years since the first...
I'm really glad you're picking up the Farseer and Black Company books! Hope you really like them :D There are a couple you mentioned, I've never heard before. Have you ever read Acacia trilogy by David Anthony Durham? I know it's not a classic/old series. Haven't read it yet, but really want to pick it up.
Also by Glen Cook is another great series: Garrett , P.I. He's a hardboiled detective in a fantasy setting. His best friend and mentor is a dead man. It's a really great series !
Oh have you heard about the Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K Le Guin? It's one of those.. 'grand epic grandmother of high fantasy everyone should read' type of series, but I haven't started yet. I only heard good things about it, and really emotional reviews of it. There's an illustrated edition you might find really pretty.
Love this! I see so much about the newer fantasy series. I love hearing about those but I also want to check out more older works! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts! Realm of the Elderlings is currently my favorite fantasy series! Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for these books. I have to admit that there are more books I haven't read in this list than those I did read. I read the first volume of Lord of the rings and in my opinion, Tolkien's writing is really hard to read. There is soooooo much descriptions. But I want to re read it to carry on with the two others. Can't wait for hearing your opinion about this so famous saga ^^ PS : I'm French and thus I read it in French. The translation was maybe the "problem" for me. In fantasy, Brandon Sanderson's books are to read as well according to all the opinions I've collected. I only heard positive review for each of his books/sagas. There is also The wheel of time saga by Robert Jordan (for the first volumes at least). I only read the first volume for now of this saga and the pace is a bit slow but the magic is really interesting.
I screamed when you brought up Alanna! Tamora Pierce got me into fantasy books as a middle schooler and I reread her books every year. She has published more in the Tortall Realm that shows Alanna after her quartet. It would be amazing to see some reviews about how you feel reading them as an adult.
So many of my favorites in this video Temeraire is just the most lovable, Alanna paving the way for all Tortall women ❤, and ❤❤ all the Valdemar books!! The Lord of the Rings is my all time favorite, my go to comfort read, when I reread it, it's like coming home!
It would be cool if you could add books that you are talking about to your description with links to goodreads. I always want to check almost all of them and then I have to check and rewind your video for couple of minutes just to get all the names.
I highly, highly recommend “Memory, Sorrow and Thorn” 😊 I think it’s the best classical fantasy series, there are a lot of different nations, prophecies, an unlikely hero, mysteries and lore. It’s absolutely brilliant ❤️The Bakker series is very philosophical and, in my opinion, a bit dry 🙈I hope you enjoy it more than I did 😊
first, farseer trilogy was great for me but i understand many people don't like it if you turned out to be one of them please don't let it discourage you from continuing fitz's arc it only gets better. second, the black company (the first book in the omnibus) is not th best so at least finish the second aswell before you make your mind up on this series. and last but not least the prince of nothing trilogy was great for me but it's abit heavy on the philosophical aspect in comparison to your regular readings so take your time with it because it can be unlike anything you 've ever read, after all the author is a philosopher. good luck :)
I love Tamora Pierce. Would love to see you reread and give your opinion on her now plus try some of her newer stuff like the Beka Coper trilogy. I need to read more Mercedes Lackey. Her Oathkeepers series is currently on my list. I read the first book of Paksenarrion a while back. I liked it and want to finish that series too. You said something interesting about Ambercrombie that may be the thing to finally get me to try his work and that is the mixture of humor in the grimdark. It's part of what I like about GRRM's take on grimdark. Don't EVER feel bad about never having read Tolkien yet. I haven't read LOTR either, but have seen the movies (and did read and liked The Hobbit as a kid). It's possible to have great respect for the huge influence of Tolkien on the fantasy genre without having read him or (gasp) not considering him a top ten favorite. Like you, I want to read LOTR someday, but I am no less of a fantasy fan and my opinion is no less valid because I haven't. I enjoyed Poison Study. I want to finish reading that series too, plus her even more interesting "glass" trilogy set in the same world. Also, don't forget to finish The Queen's Thief series! The second book is a total game changer.
Yes, I always see Mercedes Lackey everytime I go to a used book store, but know nothing about where to start! I really need to read more Hobb too. Temeraire sounds absolutely perfect! This was a great video, I hadn't heard of some of these books before! Thanks for putting them on my radar!
Most Lackey stuff is either stand alones or trilogies. Most of her trilogies are self contained so as long as you do book one you are good. Valdemar is the most stuck together of her works. Winds is a continuation of Arrows and so on but its not so interconnected you have to read every story. Owl and gryphon are almost completely separate plot wise. As to what series to read? Serrated Edge: if you liked urban fantasy but are tired of Vampires Bardic Voices: Song Magic and dnd fantasy. Elemental Masters: Romance and Victorian Fantasy 500 Hundred Kingdoms: Fairy Tale retellings James Mallory collaborations: Epic Fantasy Valdemar: classic epic fantasy. Secret World/invasion: Superheroes vs Space Nazis. Heirs of Alexandria: Renaissance Historical Fantasy Fiction. (My current favorite series). Sanctuary: Egyptian Dragon Rider fantasy. Dianna Tregarde: Urban fantasy.
Tamora Pierce's books were everything to me when I was growing up! They are definitely books I go back to when I need those warm, fuzzy nostalgia feelings. I'm excited to hear your thoughts on the Codex Alera series as well as the Arrows of the Queen series. Codex Alera was the first major adult fantasy series I read as I was getting out of my undergrad reading slump, and I ended up loving them! I picked up the Mercedes Lackey books and enjoyed the first one, but as the trilogy progressed there were some events in the story that totally turned me off from them. . As for older books to recommend, I think I remember you mentioning in a previous video that you have read Sabriel by Garth Nix but never read past that. That series is amazing!
gatekeeping in the book community is exhausting :/ you don't need to have read anything for your opinion to be valid. how can we reduce the joy and magic of reading to the numbers of books you've read? so how many books do I have to read before being "approved" as an avid reader, or fan of fantasy books? :// anyway, love this video, you mentioned so many books that I haven't heard before that I'm eager to read! I've only read up to volume 4 of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series back in middle school, but now you have renewed my interest!
So far, no booktube person has ever read anything I have sent them. So I am greatly pleased that you are at least interested in the Mercedes Lackey book I sent! :) I tried to read the Naomi Novik book you mention. I didn't think I was dumb, but I felt like I had to read every other sentence multiple times to understand what she was writing. I ended up dropping it. I really enjoyed Kushiel's Dart. I did not enjoy the follow up. Haha And I'll admit that I was never able to make it through The Lord of the Rings. I enjoyed the Hobbit, but was never able to get through any of the other books.
Codex Alera starts slow perhaps, but as the series picks up it gets so, so good, I love it. If there's one fantasy series I would really like to see given a beautiful new edition, it's that one, because I only have it on Kindle and would love some great copies on my shelves.
You mentioned so many good oldies! Mercedes Lackey is compared to Tamora Pierce quite frequently. She writes some feel good fantasy that is appropriate for YA or Adult crowds. There are so many older works that have been forgotten or are under the radar. Authors like Kate Elliot, Janny Wurts, Katherine Kerr. Kathrine Kurtz, Martha Wells (Murderbot has had attention but her older works are also great), Tad Williams (some attention to MS&T series but still under the radar compared to influence), Sean Russell, and so many more.
What about Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling? The first book is called Luck in the Shadows. It was written in the 90s, yet the main characters are gay which was not usual back then.
So many good books on this list (and many that are also on mine!). Codex Alera is SO GOOD. Book 1 is good, but 3-ish is where it really starts to kick you in the gut in the best way. Kushiel's Dart is *rough* to read. Slow build start, lots of content warnings (sex and violence, sometimes mixed), but it was really, really worth it.
Kushiel's Dart is amazing! I think it's a very refreshing character-driven plot. Phedre and Jocelyn are wonderful. I think Phedre is such a powerful female character. I hope you love the trilogy!
ok, I know everyone and their moms goes "read Lord of the Rings now" when one says they like fantasy xD that being said... I'm sooo exited that you plan on reading it because I love it so so much, it may be my favourite book of all time! I love your channel and I love hearing you talk about books I read, though your opinions are often different to mine (I loved Uprooted). So I'll be very exited to see you react to Lotr :D
I can’t wait for you to continue Hobb. Plus my fave character is introduced in book two. I get what you mean about the narration haha. Maybe you’d like Liveship more, since it’s multiple POV. :) My partner recently watched an interview of Jim Butcher who talked about the first Dresden book and how he wrote it to pander to specific tropes and descriptions to prove his professor wrong. Then when he brought the manuscript to her she was like “this’ll sell”. So he wrote the first book out of spite, almost? 😂 He really builds on what he initially sets up, though. That said, I quite enjoyed pieces we saw in the start of the series and I’m now into book 8+. It’s quickly become a fave to me. I can’t wait to try his other works! And oof, I’m someone who gave The Warded Man a 1 star and hated it. Premise was amazing but sexual violence was just a nope for me. I REALLY hope that you’re not the same as me!!!
Kushiels Dart is great, it's unfortunate not many people talk about it. I would personally put it in my top 10 fantasy books/series of all time. Sex is an important aspect in the books but it's not presented as erotica or porn, it's handled well from what I remember.
yes the sex is part of the plot always. Not for shock or even fun lol. Suchhhh an awesome series though. The world building was phenomenal, everyone felt so real. It is def based on our world but still unique and creative.
I think you would love Tad Williams, i never hear anyone speak about his works.
@Danielgreene
The Black Company is incredible. For sure a must read.
Black company is one of my favorite series, epic fantasy series!
I've read the first 2 and will be reading the third. That first one wasn't the most enjoyable read but book 2 improved and I'm definitely looking forward to book 3. I LOVED the idea of the Black Castle. So interesting!
@@adamdarren2659 these were some of my earlier fantasy reads, but I just remember being completely taken in by the creativity. Cook has a very natural way of writing that really helps transport you into the world.
The Black Company is my favorite series. I kind lost myself in reading all of them cause it is a LOT but like I think I mostly remember everything, but can't remember how I had the time to read them all or remember much of actually doing them.
Before The Black Company, there was The Dread Empire. Also by Cook and worth checking out.
I’m currently reading dune and I’m surprised by how much it has held up. I’m reading a chapter a night (so extremely slowly) and it has made me appreciate it so much
I also want to read Dune. I have been pushing it for quite some time and the movie coming soon is making me going for it. The only thing is that im already investing reading the Stormlight Archives, so Im hoping to finish the series of sanderson and be able to read dune by the time the movie comes out.
The last renshai by reichert, symphony of ages by haydon, banned and banished by clements, runelords series by farland.
Anne Mccaffrey, Dragon Riders of Pern! Terry Brooks, Magic Kingdom of Landover! Piers Anthony, Incarnations of Immortality! All series worth reading.
R. Scott Bakker is amazing his prose and world-building is second to none, but his books are very psychological driven and the themes are dark which makes the book seem even darker. His Second Apocalypse series is high fantasy that plays with horror elements. Would definitely be interested in hearing your reaction as it is not the type of book I've seen you review before.
Same! I dont think is the kind of books she usually reads. So it will be interesting to see her reaction.
Bakker and Tolkien imho are the best picks from the list in the video.
Spot on, Bakker's world building is fantastic. Really get a sense of getting sucked into the world and dragged along with the characters on their epic slogs. Weird, I didn't necessarily think of it being that dark until I finished the Prince of Nothing series and thought back about it... and talking about dark, there's still parts of The Aspect-Emperor series that haunt me
Omg I have never seen ANYONE mention The Deeds of Paksenarrion EVER on booktube. I LOVE that series. I hope you enjoy it!!! It needs more hype!
I really like Trudi Canavan's books. I recommend starting with Black Magician Trilogy. :-)
She has a new series out. It is sat on my bookshelf waiting for me to finish the last two Brent Weeks books
Um Elle ...I loved Kushiel’s Dart series and one of my favourite series of all time but it is hard core BDSM. Her super power is how much pain she can take thus enthralling her patrons or lovers. So if sexual violence is not your bag I think you might want to give it a miss. But! I recently re-read the Poison Study series and fell in love with it all over again. A little closer to YA on the spectrum which made it a great easy read but not lacking in world building or story by any means. ✌️
If anyone is interested in Kushiel books but not comfortable with sexual violence - I really preferred the final 3 books in that world (Namaah's trilogy). It takes place long after the end of the first 6, in the same world but totally new and quite different characters. One of my favorite trilogies ever. the original 6 were too much for me, personally, and I resonated much more with Namaah who is basically a bisexual forest witch? :)
Yes!!!! Kushiels Dart! So happy you’re going read it.
I read all of The Black Company this year and I loved it. His best of short story collection is also worth reading through.
If you liked the Black Company, check out
www.goodreads.com/book/show/400904.The_Swordbearer
it is a standalone and I enjoyed it more that some of the Black Company books.
Also, try his Noir Detective set in a fantasy world series...
www.goodreads.com/book/show/400878.Sweet_Silver_Blues
I enjoyed it more that some of the Black Company Entries. You could tell he had fun writing that book. ^_^
Happy reading!
I was hooked on the Realm of the Elderlings series after reading "Royal Assassin" and loved the first book more on the reread. The Farseer trilogy is first person and is always Fitz telling his story, but if you don't like that you can always try the Liveship Traders trilogy which has multiple POVs and the events are happening in the present.
The only grimdark series I seem to like is the First Law. I also liked the first book in the ASOIAF series, but have tried 2 Mark Lawrence books and another one I forgot the title and the author and it was not my thing. From what a friend told me I gave up on reading the Black Company but I am interested in hearing your thoughts.
I also have Kushiel's Dart to read. I actually tried it a few years ago but put it down and forgot about it when an info dump about religion and angels happened...
Yes, Tolkien!!!
I am here to double tap on how good Liveship is ahaha def a different vibe than Farseer!
Naomi Novik is an incredible author! His Majesty's Dragon series is SO good; it takes you around the world. Some parts are drier than others but ultimately its amazing.
I both read the entire series and then re-listened to it on audio book; Its narrated by Simon Vance!! AH
She has since written a two new takes on old fairy tales that are very good* (still finishing the 2nd one).
Trudi Canavans books are great! Highly recommend
I also really need to read some of these backlist books
I read one of Trudi Canavan series, starting with the Magicians Guild and really enjoyed it. I need to continue with her other books.
So many people are reading LOTR for the first time this year! I've read it lots of times but I'm always pleased when someone is introduced to it for the first time. Be great to know what you think of it!
You could try David Gemmell books.
There are some great older female authors out there. I've discovered Katherine Kerr. Her books draw you in! Also Janny Wurts.. Sherri S. Tepper. Some older gems I've discovered in charity shops. :)
Patricia McKillip's books read so much like The Kingdom of Back that I think you'll love them.
I loved The Riddle-Master of Hed series and Forgotten Beasts of Eld as a kid back in the late 70's/early 80s
I love Trudi Canavan books, especially the Black Magician trillogy.
Kudos to you for reading Paksinarion even though that person was a jerk about it. I've never heard of it either 😅
I am so excited about you wanting to read Lord of the Rings! I knew you hadn't and just thought you weren't interested, so that was really a pleasant surprise for this list 😄 (I say that like I'm a huge fan, I read it in July lol)
As for recommendations for you: Discworld and Earthsea 😊
P.S. I highly recommend the audiobook narrated by Robert Inglis for lotr :)
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is so good! Its whimsical and fun
I LOVED the Alanna books as a young teenager, about 17 years ago! I recently reread them, in English this time instead of the translation, and still found them to be great :) Of course there is probably some nostalgia in play here and it has a slightly different tone and style than adult fantasy, but regardless - I would definitely recommend them. I remember when I first read them a lot of grown ups around me did as well and we all became addicted and read the two series from this world completely.
So happy to see Tamora Pierce on this list! I love practically everything she's written. Her books tend to start out feeling middle grade-ish, but they turn more YA as you get further into her worlds.
I love Alanna's series and others by Tamora Pierce. I think they are still good reads for adults. More people need to read these!
@@Rachelsjourney Agreed!!!!!! :)
Same. I love all of her books and go back to them often when I need something fun and light.
@@blaketouchet6925 me, too! I think she's super under-rated.
I am on the second-last book of The Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher and I adore it! I think it's super clever and unique. I hope you do give it a go soon 😊
Bakker is my favorite writer!! Yeah it’s super dark and nihilistic but remains intelligent and has a very intriguing philosophy portrayed through out. And his characters have more depth than many I’ve ever read before.
Sounds interesting!
It's really the best there is out there for the time being, yet so few people have read him...highly underrated.
Just FYI : Kushiël's Dart is about a girl who's a natural masochist. She's a daughter of the Night Courts aka the courtisans of the society. So it's quite sexual and there is definetly sexual violence. There's also a lot of political intrigue. I'd call it erotic fantasy. So be warned. I liked it tho.
If you’re going to read “The Lord of the rings” I really recommend to start with the hobbit
I disagree. The Hobbit has a completely different tone than the Lord of Rings Trilogy. IMO, The Hobbit reads with a YA tone whereas the tone of the LotR trilogy books have an adult tone and voice.
@@andrewberenson5717 I agree that the hobbit does read more like a YA book, but it's still the prequel to the lord of the rings and meant to be read first. Will it tell her something she doesn't already know? Probably not. But while reading the fellowship of the ring, it's nice to know Bilbo's backstory why the ring is so important to him
Hard agree - it is also one of the best books written so... there's that
Meh, you don't need to start at the hobbit
@@DARTHeeek it was a friendly suggestion.
I love Mercedes Lackey! The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory is my fav series. The very beginning of book 1 is a little rough but if you keep with it you won't be sorry. Also there are dragons and other fantastical creature companions!
I highly recommend you Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams. It counts among the best that classic fantasy can offer and its an important turning point from classic to modern. Many things Martin used for Game of Thrones later like Court Intrigues and grey characters are already present there. Plus he wrote a sequel trilogy of which the first two books are already out and they’re great! Pretty dark and modern all the way.
You got some really good ones there! I too am looking forward to trying/continuing the work of Mercedes Lackey, Codex Alera/Hobb respectively. I can personally attest to the the wonderfulness of The Black Company (top five all time, for me!!), I will note though that the first book adopts an atypical "chapter" style where it really is just seven jumbo "parts". Subsequent "Books of the North" use the more typical structure you would expect. I finished up the first trilogy in the Second Apocalypse series not to long ago, and enjoyed it a far bit. It is definitely the most grimmdark work I have read, everything is just so... bleak. However this bleakness is nicely counterbalanced with just how addictively easy it is to keep on reading. Once you build up momentum in a reading session with it, the chapters blaze by (during such sessions, I'd know in the back of my mind that I'll be browsing cute animal photos afterwards to compensate). Also... Tolkien, definitely sits comfortably at the top of my list of favorite fantasy works (I would recommend reading The Hobbit before Fellowship, but it's not a must).
I'm with you on enjoying revisiting fantasies you loved as a kid. I'm re-reading the Redwall series...and discovering it's a LOT darker than I remember it being
I've been doing a Valdemar reread this year and the series has held up overall. Publication order is probably the best order to read it in, at least for the original storyline. As it were.
Arrows
Vows & Honor (can be skipped if wanted)
Last-Herald Mage
By The Sword
Black Gryphon (can read entire Mage Wars trilogy, but should at least read this one)
Mage Winds
Mage Storms
I'm excited to hear your thoughts on this Arrows of the Queen. Also Alanna, she was one of my formative heroines as a child.
The Black Gryphon and it's sequels are my favorite Valdemar books. I read them before Arrows. Totally a series that, as long as you read the individual trilogies in order, you don't have to worry about overall series order.
@@robertblume2951 I have never managed to finish White Gryphon or Silver Gryphon. When I was younger I owned copies and would try every time I did a series re-read and just not manage to get through them each time. Love Black Gryphon though. So weird. I will be trying again on this go round.
You don't have to read the trilogies in any order, but publication order makes sure you know what exactly is going on and who everybody is by the time you get to the Mage Storms trilogy.
@@amaresuify I'll be honest I only read half the series and never had a problem knowing what was going on or who people were.
Fortress in the eye of time by C.J.Cherryh (Book 1 of the Fortress series). The political machinations and magical threats will keep you interested, but it is the main character Tristan that will steal your heart. Easily one of my top five most loved characters of all time.
"I understand. You can come back when I pick it up. "
MOODDDDDDD😂😂😊
Yay, Alanna! Looking back on that series, I've seen how it was the start of so many YA tropes, done much better than they usually are these days.
Poison Study is so good! One of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it whenever you get to it!
Robin Hobb is amazing, and Fitz is an all-time favorite character. I hope you continue reading as I am interested to know what you think after the first three.
Side note about Dresden Files: the first audiobook is fantastic and I heard the same narrator (Buffy actor?!) reads the whole series. I hear the books get better and in 2017 I think the r/fantasy crew voted it favorite fantasy audiobook! If you ever want to keep going that might be a great, easy route.
James Marsters "is" Dresden... He does a FANTASTIC job with the audiobooks. And I am not someone that likes audiobooks that much.
I'm a big fan of the Dresden Files, but I never thought about checking out the other series by Jim Butcher. Great video!
Hooray for Robin Hobb! My experience with Farseer was that the books got better and better as I kept reading, and then I looked back and appreciated the character building in Assassin’s Apprentice. I’ll be curious to see what you think! I’m also going to read Bakker (he pronounces it “Baker”) soon.
I think you will find a lot of interesting things in Bakker's work. It is dark, but he delves into some really interesting things.
@@VicRibeiro777 Yes! From what I’ve heard, Bakker’s books should be very appealing to me. I’m glad to hear you endorse them!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy erm... to be fair, I picked up his first book in the sequel trilogy, and I got a third into it before realizing that I need some serious backstory, then I found out it was a sequel series... However, that third of the book I read was interesting and well written and had me thinking about points he raised and the action scenes were vivid and on point, so based on that I made the comment, lol... I still want to get around to reading the first trilogy then rereading the second. It is on the ever growing TBR!!! lol.
@@VicRibeiro777 Ha ha! Thanks! Well, that’s still a positive sign if that taste made you curious for more. I’m looking forward to dipping my toes into the first book.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy are you going to read "The Darkness That Comes Before"?
www.goodreads.com/series/40519-the-prince-of-nothing
Hope you love it ^_^
Alanna takes me waaay back, I practically grew up in Tortall. lol
For middle grade fantasy I always have to recommend Robin McKinley's Damar books and both the Songs of Eirren and East by Edith Pattou.
it’s just so hard to read older series because of how many new books come out every year😭 this video is so smart though, i really have to make an effort to sit down and put together all the older books on my tbr
Yes Kushiel’s Dart!! My favorite fantasy series, I have signed copies, her tattoo, LOVE this! There’s a secondary series that plays off the secondary characters.
You should read Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber. It's old, but really good.
It's not even that old. Plus glad to see new members of Yggdrisal's crusade to get people to read Amber.
OMG yes poison study! Definitely give it a read. I read the first couple of books in the series and loved them. I've been thinking of re-reading them and also completing the series.
1. The Lord of the Rings is great! One of my favorites. But, as I've heard some other booktubers also say, the writing takes some getting used to. It can take the whole first book for people to get used to it and really sink into it. Please don't give up too early if you find the writing hard to mesh with! 🙏
2. Tamora Pierce was my favorite author when I was growing up! Alanna is one of my favorite series of hers - along with the Beka Cooper trilogy. 🤍 (Also, as I only just realized this year, her name is pronounced like "camera." See reference below. I pronounced it the same way you did until just recently. 😅)
- www.teachingbooks.net/pronounce.cgi?pid=234#:~:text=Tamora%20Pierce%3A%20Hello%2C%20my%20name,Tamora%20pronounced%20like%20camera.
3. Have you ever tried reading the Belgariad by David Eddings?? That was also one of my favorites growing up.
Definitely Eddings. It gets some hate but I love it.
I'm going to be reading The Fellowship of the Ring for the first time as well!! I'm doing a buddy read with a friend for it and Dune. Awesome to see you interested in Deeds of Paksenarrion. I tried to read Sheepfarmer's Daughter awhile back, but stopped reading it. Recently, I've thought about giving it another go.
I have loved everything I have read by Tamera Pierce! I definitely think the Becca Cooper series is my favorite of her Tortall world though, much longer, reads older, and just so good!
Every night I read with my 11 year old & 13 year old kids (we just finished Starsight by Brandon Sanderson). They were in the room while I was watching this & when they heard you talk about His Majesty's Dragon & Alanna, the wanted me to add those books to our family tbr. So thank you. I'm always on the look out for series we can all enjoy together.
I have finished R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing and am now on book 3 of the sequel "Aspect Emperor" series and now Bakker is currently my second favorite author second only to Tolkiien. I searched Bakker's name on your channel and this video came up, so I hope you get to this series and post your thoughts. Stunning dense prose, amazing characters and dialog, it's deeply philosophical and yes very, very dark, but so worth it.
The Chronicles of Prydain by Llyod Alexander, the first book, The Book of Three, is the worst of the series, so if you like it well enough you are good to go. They are childrens books and very quick reads.
I love Chronicles of Prydain! I need to re-read it soon.
I would suggest The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. It came out in the 70s and is in that style of rewriting Lord of the rings but I never see anyone talk about any of his books and this is the one that got me into Fantasy.
If you've not read the Earthsea Cycle by Ursula Le Guin you should definitely add that to the list. It's one of my favourite series of all time! Absolutely beautiful writing
I read it 3 times now!
What a great list! I honestly can't decide if I think you'll like BC or not...could go either way!
I have Warded Man and Sheepfarmer's Daughter because I thought they looked cool as well. Good to see them getting some play!
Great video!!
My dad gave me The Warded Man years ago. It’s sat on my shelf since and never really picked it up. He gave it to me during a period where I didn’t read a whole lot. I’ll probably just pick it up and do my own “buddy read from afar” when you start reading it!
I would definitely recommend reading through the Farseer trilogy, it gets progressively better! LOTR is a no-brainer too in my opinion, though I will say this: I enjoyed the movies better (I know, how blasphemous!). I actually preferred The Silmarillion to the LOTR, which I feel is a very unpopular opinion. 😆 If I can also add a recommendation: The Mists of Avalon, the best re-telling of the Arthurian legend/mythos I've ever read. I've read it twice now, each time it has moved me to tears. But fair warning, she's a chunky gal, coming at about 1100 pages!
I think I liked Silmarillion more as LOTR. From LOTR I loved the first book of the first book and then it kind of gets worse and worse for me 😂 I still love it though and Tolkien is my favorite author. No one comes even close to him (Maybe if Martin finishes SoI&F but I am doubtful he ever will).
so I actually found The Mists of Avalon at my local Goodwill and was super excited to read it, but when looking it up I found out apparently the author was abusive to her daughter? so unfortunately it kind of set me off of wanting to read the book (I know, separate art from artist, but for some reason I couldn't do that with this one)
@@thepagesofsamantha Yes I know. Personally it hasn't precluded me from enjoying the novel (and from it being one of my all-time favourites). The author is long dead, so there's no financial contribution, and the novel itself doesn't reflect the author's perversion/criminality. But I understand people's mileage varies on this.
Mists of Avalon is so good. Such a complete story.
Feel like we have similar tasts, Mists of Avalon is my all time favorite, I read it about 10 times. I love it. The same author also has Storms over Troy. It's also very nice, it's about the Troyan War. It follows the daughter of the king, Cassandra, who predicts the ploy of Odysseus but isn't believed. Farseers trilogy is also one of my favorites. And yes it gets better and better and the Liveship Traders Trilogy is so different, but equally fantastic!
Every time you post a new video I hope it's about The Black Company because you mentioned wanting to read it months ago. I love that series so much. The first 3 books are amazing and by far the best. There's a bit of a slump in the middle but the last few are extremely strong as well. Glen Cook creates great characters and an interesting setting with a very blunt and utilitarian writing style.
I have the Assassin's Apprentice and His Majesty's Dragon on my shelves to read soon! I was a little iffy about Temeraire until you described the baby dragon. Now I need to read it!
HMD is an incredible series; I hope you enjoy it and get hooked XD
The audio-books are voiced by Simon Vance who has a mesmerizing voice and was enjoyable as well.
I just re-read the Alanna series! I also read it originally as a kid and now that I'm in my mid 20's I needed some comfort and picked up all the Tamora Pierce books. I highly recommend re-reading them/finishing them and I'd love to hear your opinions on the series.
I suspect the amount of sex in the Kushiel's Legacy series makes a number of people shy away from talking about it. You'll want to be cautious about reading the book descriptions of the later books, because I remember that they contain spoilers.
Good luck with LotR. For me, that's a series I don't feel people should feel too bad if they don't make it through/never read. Tolkien's pacing and style aren't for everyone.
YES PLEASE. Read the Study series. Also FYI it grows as you move through the trilogy
Gah the Aninal Magic series is Wild Magic, one of my first and favourite fantasy reads. It was so special to read about a female main character with my name (traditional a boy's name) who loved wolves and animals and had magic! What an amazing series 😊
I loved both Trudi Canavan's Black Magicians trilogy and Maria Snyder's Study series. I hope you enjoy both!
Kushiel's Dart is well worth your time! I agree about the covers, but the story is much more complex and interesting than the pics may suggest. ☺
Awesome recs, Elliott, I hadn't heard about many of these. Have you read The Last Unicorn? It's an older one too, which I just picked up a few days ago. It's amazing.
Also please pick up The Hobbit soon! It's my favourite book ever and I'd love to see your thoughts on it :P
I read Alanna when I was in middle school and it straight up changed my life. As an adult, I finally connected with my sister, whose life was changed by another of Pierce’s Tortallan series, the one about Verilidaine, aka Daine. So I read it and enjoyed it as well. Pierce’s whole Tortall Universe has held up to time. She even wrote a duology based on Alanna’s daughter, and a prequel trilogy based on an ancestress of the King of Thieves George Cooper (from Lioness Rampant Series) named Beka Cooper. Titles of the Provost’s Dog Series in order: Terrier, Bloodhound, Mastiff. They are much longer books than the other Tortallan series she has written. It gives a background to why the world and the societies got to be the way they were in Alanna’s, Daine’s, and Kel’s times...
Okay. Just really passionate about Tortall... I think I’ve read Alanna: The First Adventure at least 6 times over the course of the last 28 years since the first...
I'm really glad you're picking up the Farseer and Black Company books! Hope you really like them :D
There are a couple you mentioned, I've never heard before.
Have you ever read Acacia trilogy by David Anthony Durham? I know it's not a classic/old series. Haven't read it yet, but really want to pick it up.
You have got Hobb and FitzChivalry way off base, the series get's more adult quickly and then Liveship...well you'll love Althea and Malta!
Plus the fool. The best character ever written. And the ending. I still can't reread book 17
@@MsFocksy it is a fitting ending :) and now i want to read it all again hahah!
Also by Glen Cook is another great series: Garrett , P.I. He's a hardboiled detective in a fantasy setting. His best friend and mentor is a dead man. It's a really great series !
Oh have you heard about the Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K Le Guin? It's one of those.. 'grand epic grandmother of high fantasy everyone should read' type of series, but I haven't started yet. I only heard good things about it, and really emotional reviews of it. There's an illustrated edition you might find really pretty.
Love this! I see so much about the newer fantasy series. I love hearing about those but I also want to check out more older works! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
Realm of the Elderlings is currently my favorite fantasy series! Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for these books. I have to admit that there are more books I haven't read in this list than those I did read.
I read the first volume of Lord of the rings and in my opinion, Tolkien's writing is really hard to read. There is soooooo much descriptions. But I want to re read it to carry on with the two others. Can't wait for hearing your opinion about this so famous saga ^^
PS : I'm French and thus I read it in French. The translation was maybe the "problem" for me.
In fantasy, Brandon Sanderson's books are to read as well according to all the opinions I've collected. I only heard positive review for each of his books/sagas.
There is also The wheel of time saga by Robert Jordan (for the first volumes at least). I only read the first volume for now of this saga and the pace is a bit slow but the magic is really interesting.
I screamed when you brought up Alanna! Tamora Pierce got me into fantasy books as a middle schooler and I reread her books every year. She has published more in the Tortall Realm that shows Alanna after her quartet. It would be amazing to see some reviews about how you feel reading them as an adult.
So many of my favorites in this video
Temeraire is just the most lovable, Alanna paving the way for all Tortall women ❤, and ❤❤ all the Valdemar books!! The Lord of the Rings is my all time favorite, my go to comfort read, when I reread it, it's like coming home!
Temeraire ia my favourite series ❤️❤️❤️❤️ it introduced me to dragons and Fantasy ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I hope you enjoy it too.
LOVE Kushiel's Dart. This first one was my favorite!!
Omg I hope you continue the Lioness Quartet. That is the reason why I got into fantasy.
Codex Alera is Life!!! It’s my favorite of Jim’s works
It would be cool if you could add books that you are talking about to your description with links to goodreads. I always want to check almost all of them and then I have to check and rewind your video for couple of minutes just to get all the names.
Yes!!!! I love Tamora Pierce! And yes, The immortals series, where the main character talks to animals, is pretty good too. :)
I was hoping you would mention farseer!! I just ordered the trilogy & the first in the live ship traders.
Get ready for the ride of your life. The best 17 books ever written imho
I highly, highly recommend “Memory, Sorrow and Thorn” 😊 I think it’s the best classical fantasy series, there are a lot of different nations, prophecies, an unlikely hero, mysteries and lore. It’s absolutely brilliant ❤️The Bakker series is very philosophical and, in my opinion, a bit dry 🙈I hope you enjoy it more than I did 😊
first, farseer trilogy was great for me but i understand many people don't like it if you turned out to be one of them please don't let it discourage you from continuing fitz's arc it only gets better.
second, the black company (the first book in the omnibus) is not th best so at least finish the second aswell before you make your mind up on this series.
and last but not least the prince of nothing trilogy was great for me but it's abit heavy on the philosophical aspect in comparison to your regular readings so take your time with it because it can be unlike anything you 've ever read, after all the author is a philosopher. good luck :)
I love Tamora Pierce. Would love to see you reread and give your opinion on her now plus try some of her newer stuff like the Beka Coper trilogy. I need to read more Mercedes Lackey. Her Oathkeepers series is currently on my list. I read the first book of Paksenarrion a while back. I liked it and want to finish that series too. You said something interesting about Ambercrombie that may be the thing to finally get me to try his work and that is the mixture of humor in the grimdark. It's part of what I like about GRRM's take on grimdark. Don't EVER feel bad about never having read Tolkien yet. I haven't read LOTR either, but have seen the movies (and did read and liked The Hobbit as a kid). It's possible to have great respect for the huge influence of Tolkien on the fantasy genre without having read him or (gasp) not considering him a top ten favorite. Like you, I want to read LOTR someday, but I am no less of a fantasy fan and my opinion is no less valid because I haven't. I enjoyed Poison Study. I want to finish reading that series too, plus her even more interesting "glass" trilogy set in the same world. Also, don't forget to finish The Queen's Thief series! The second book is a total game changer.
Yes, I always see Mercedes Lackey everytime I go to a used book store, but know nothing about where to start! I really need to read more Hobb too. Temeraire sounds absolutely perfect! This was a great video, I hadn't heard of some of these books before! Thanks for putting them on my radar!
Most Lackey stuff is either stand alones or trilogies. Most of her trilogies are self contained so as long as you do book one you are good. Valdemar is the most stuck together of her works. Winds is a continuation of Arrows and so on but its not so interconnected you have to read every story. Owl and gryphon are almost completely separate plot wise.
As to what series to read?
Serrated Edge: if you liked urban fantasy but are tired of Vampires
Bardic Voices: Song Magic and dnd fantasy.
Elemental Masters: Romance and Victorian Fantasy
500 Hundred Kingdoms: Fairy Tale retellings
James Mallory collaborations: Epic Fantasy
Valdemar: classic epic fantasy.
Secret World/invasion: Superheroes vs Space Nazis.
Heirs of Alexandria: Renaissance Historical Fantasy Fiction. (My current favorite series).
Sanctuary: Egyptian Dragon Rider fantasy.
Dianna Tregarde: Urban fantasy.
@@robertblume2951 this is incredibly helpful! I’m going to save this comment for the future. Thank you so much!
Tamora Pierce's books were everything to me when I was growing up! They are definitely books I go back to when I need those warm, fuzzy nostalgia feelings. I'm excited to hear your thoughts on the Codex Alera series as well as the Arrows of the Queen series. Codex Alera was the first major adult fantasy series I read as I was getting out of my undergrad reading slump, and I ended up loving them! I picked up the Mercedes Lackey books and enjoyed the first one, but as the trilogy progressed there were some events in the story that totally turned me off from them.
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As for older books to recommend, I think I remember you mentioning in a previous video that you have read Sabriel by Garth Nix but never read past that. That series is amazing!
I've just started my (pretty much) first book on my free time and picked Mistborn. Damn it's good
gatekeeping in the book community is exhausting :/ you don't need to have read anything for your opinion to be valid. how can we reduce the joy and magic of reading to the numbers of books you've read? so how many books do I have to read before being "approved" as an avid reader, or fan of fantasy books? ://
anyway, love this video, you mentioned so many books that I haven't heard before that I'm eager to read! I've only read up to volume 4 of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series back in middle school, but now you have renewed my interest!
So far, no booktube person has ever read anything I have sent them. So I am greatly pleased that you are at least interested in the Mercedes Lackey book I sent! :)
I tried to read the Naomi Novik book you mention. I didn't think I was dumb, but I felt like I had to read every other sentence multiple times to understand what she was writing. I ended up dropping it.
I really enjoyed Kushiel's Dart. I did not enjoy the follow up. Haha
And I'll admit that I was never able to make it through The Lord of the Rings. I enjoyed the Hobbit, but was never able to get through any of the other books.
Codex Alera starts slow perhaps, but as the series picks up it gets so, so good, I love it. If there's one fantasy series I would really like to see given a beautiful new edition, it's that one, because I only have it on Kindle and would love some great copies on my shelves.
You mentioned so many good oldies! Mercedes Lackey is compared to Tamora Pierce quite frequently. She writes some feel good fantasy that is appropriate for YA or Adult crowds.
There are so many older works that have been forgotten or are under the radar. Authors like Kate Elliot, Janny Wurts, Katherine Kerr. Kathrine Kurtz, Martha Wells (Murderbot has had attention but her older works are also great), Tad Williams (some attention to MS&T series but still under the radar compared to influence), Sean Russell, and so many more.
What about Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling? The first book is called Luck in the Shadows. It was written in the 90s, yet the main characters are gay which was not usual back then.
So many good books on this list (and many that are also on mine!). Codex Alera is SO GOOD. Book 1 is good, but 3-ish is where it really starts to kick you in the gut in the best way. Kushiel's Dart is *rough* to read. Slow build start, lots of content warnings (sex and violence, sometimes mixed), but it was really, really worth it.
Kushiel's Dart is amazing! I think it's a very refreshing character-driven plot. Phedre and Jocelyn are wonderful. I think Phedre is such a powerful female character. I hope you love the trilogy!
I love Tamora Peirce's Tortall series, I'm in the process of rebuying them with the covers I like.
Weirdly, as a fantasy reader mostly, I did not like Elizabeth Moon's fantasy stuff but really enjoy her scifi! : )
ok, I know everyone and their moms goes "read Lord of the Rings now" when one says they like fantasy xD that being said... I'm sooo exited that you plan on reading it because I love it so so much, it may be my favourite book of all time! I love your channel and I love hearing you talk about books I read, though your opinions are often different to mine (I loved Uprooted). So I'll be very exited to see you react to Lotr :D
I can’t wait for you to continue Hobb. Plus my fave character is introduced in book two. I get what you mean about the narration haha. Maybe you’d like Liveship more, since it’s multiple POV. :)
My partner recently watched an interview of Jim Butcher who talked about the first Dresden book and how he wrote it to pander to specific tropes and descriptions to prove his professor wrong. Then when he brought the manuscript to her she was like “this’ll sell”. So he wrote the first book out of spite, almost? 😂 He really builds on what he initially sets up, though. That said, I quite enjoyed pieces we saw in the start of the series and I’m now into book 8+. It’s quickly become a fave to me. I can’t wait to try his other works!
And oof, I’m someone who gave The Warded Man a 1 star and hated it. Premise was amazing but sexual violence was just a nope for me. I REALLY hope that you’re not the same as me!!!
Kushiels Dart is great, it's unfortunate not many people talk about it. I would personally put it in my top 10 fantasy books/series of all time.
Sex is an important aspect in the books but it's not presented as erotica or porn, it's handled well from what I remember.
@Lakacia Lloyd did you say holy prostitutes?!?! I’m so happy I already have this on my shelf now 😂
yes the sex is part of the plot always. Not for shock or even fun lol. Suchhhh an awesome series though. The world building was phenomenal, everyone felt so real. It is def based on our world but still unique and creative.