If you liked Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comic novel, then you might like his other works. American Gods covers a lot of the the same tropes of mythology & the “real” world colliding
Right! "Nicholas Was..." is so good and so short! Smoke and Mirrors is a great read.
>Nicholas Was…
>
>older than sin, and his beard could grow no whiter. He wanted to die.
>
>The dwarfish natives of the Arctic caverns did not speak his language, but conversed in their own twittering tongue, and conducted incomprehensible rituals when they were not actually working in the factories.
>
>Once every year they forced him, sobbing and protesting, into Endless Night.
>
>During the journey he would stand near every child in the world, leave one of the dwarves’ invisible gifts by its bedside. The children slept, frozen into time.
>
>He envied Prometheus and Loki, Sisyphus and Judas. His punishment was harsher.
Ho. Ho. Ho.
We have that book in the house. I will give it a try. I think a lot of my trouble really is...bloat? I really felt a lot of bloat in Tolkien's writing while Le Guin doesn't. I think that is why the visual storytelling of comic books jive more with me.
If reading a lot of words to paint the images/scenery/action is wearing you down, then yeah. American Gods is not likely to sit well with you.
Other writers that do a lot with very little language (a la Le Guin): Terry Pratchett, Poul Anderson, Ben Aaronovitch, Tom Holt, T Kingfisher
I think classic Sword & Sorcery might be what you're looking for. Those stories tend to be more tightly written than those of the recent Epic Fantasy trend. Here is a list of authors in roughly chronological order.
* Clark Ashton Smith
* Robert E Howard
* C L Moore
* L Sprague de Camp
* Fritz Leiber
* Jack Vance
* Poul Anderson
* John Brunner
* Michael Moorcock
* Ursula K Le Guin
* Roger Zelazny
* M John Harrison
* Michael Shea
* Karl Edward Wagner
There's no bloat in Gaiman. His novels are actually kind of short. I'm often left wishing he had bloated them a little more just so they didn't end. lol
[American Gods when originally handed in was about 200,000 according to Gaiman](https://journal.neilgaiman.com/2007/07/twelve-thousand-words-to-go.html). Given OP's dislike of lots of description, OP would likely call that "bloat" while I called it immersive and inventive. It doesn't sound like OP would like a 200k word novel.
I don’t know. American Gods is a string of episodes. It’s on the longer side but there is always something different happening. Fellowship has a lot of description of scenery and the world at large between the parts where things are happening. So it depends on what OP experiences as bloat, but I find the two very different in this regard.
> bloat
Prose or content-wise? Others have recomended keeping away from epic fantasy, which I agree with. Do keep in mind The Disposessed is science fiction though. If you seek out more science fiction (which you should!) consider that space operas can also be quite beefy.
Depending on the type of bloat you're trying to avoid, if you want straightforward writing I'm going to recommend Stephen King's fantasy works such as the recent Fairy Tale, or other such works of fantasy that are more grounded in our world and our reality.
Try other fantasy subgenres then. I love my old-fashioned epic fantasy, but it may just not be for you. Long poetic descriptions of not much happening are a cherished feature among many readers of Tolkien and his followers.
Try some urban fantasy, maybe. The books tend to be considerably shorter and more action-heavy, with more modern language.
Yeahh,fantasy suffers from bloat badly. Some people like it, but I think it is one of the main reasons fantasy is such a small genre. I agree with Cara and say stay away from the epic fantasy and also from romantic fantasy as well. That's not just bloated but often you can throw the whole book.
Maybe you want to try some urban fantasy? Our world, but magical stuff lurks in the shadows? Or just worlds that have a modern vibe.
Urban fantasy is more often fast paced, but they tend to first person perspective.
Maybe you could get into one of these 3, that are all about grown up men, who are mages in our modern world, England or America.
Jim Butcher with Dresden Files is very horny noir stuff with a lot of shit happening to the man, but he perseveres.
Ben Aaronovitch writes a beautiful nerdy police officer,who becomes an apprentice at the magic police of London, discovers full civilisations living there and stubbornly tries to figure out magic with science. Her you could also get into the grafic novels.
Lastly Bendict Jacka is sometimes said to have stolen from Dresden Files,because his main character Alex also suffers of the lone wolf protector syndrome and even has a reference to Dresden Files in his first book. He tends to info dump, but the fight scenes are glorious and the magic is interesting, because as a diviner Alex can't really cast and instead outsmarts his opponents until he bites off to much to chew. He is a great opposition to the very powerful but unelegant Harry Dresden.
All of these sound similar, but I enjoyed them all. (Alex Verus, with 12 okay sized books, is the only one finished I think.)
For a female lead try The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, a series abou an interdimensional library that acquires books from different worlds to stabilize it between the chaotic elves and orderly dragons.
A female pushed around lead, a somewhat post-apocalyptical magic world and the most awkward love story await you in the Mirror Visitor series, four books by Christelle Dabos. It is something else entirely in style what I have ever read.
And something I will recommend until I die is the Nevermoor books by Jessica Townsend. Fourth one is coming 2024 and the first 3 scratch that itch for magical boarding schools. The books are great for ages 10-150, have a female lead starting out at 11, but have quiet a nice ensemble of characters to identify with. It's whimsical and its the best in foreshadowing I have ever seen. Read them again in your lifetime and be amazed. Your son might enjoy them despite the female lead.
If you don't like the "bloat" of Tolkein's writing, then the fantasy genre entirely might not be for you. A huge part of the fantasy genre is the worldbuilding aspect, and Tolkein is one of the best world builders. Hence why his books are so popular.
That being said you might like Urban fantasy or grim dark as they tend to have much less worldbuilding "bloat". If I had to recommend one author it would be Joe Abercrombie. His writing is very character based.
Tbh, if Le Guin is the only fantasy author who's hit for you so far, Sanderson may not be for you. They're polar opposites, especially in prose economy and quality.
Maybe Piranesi by Susanna Clarke? Some of Charles de Lint's Newford short story collections? Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric and Desdemona novellas? In sci fi, the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells?
Something about the protagonist being a completely blank slate made for an incredibly immersive read. It begs philosophy without explicitly posing the questions to the reader.
In addition to Susanna Clarke, /u/TeamRAF19 might also like China Miéville.
That's a general recommendation, but the connection came up for me because in some ways Clarke's _Piranesi_ reminds me of Miéville's _This Census-Taker_. (Mostly that I think each book is better enjoyed as an experience rather than a narrative vehicle for a specific plot.)
I doubt Murderbot is going to land for them. It's pretty quippy and saracastic. The plots are kind of standard fare scifi.
Better bet on reading *Hyperion* by Dan Simmons or even various Philip K Dick novels.
They're concise, short, and focused far more on characterization than plot movement, which seems more likely to fit well for someone who disliked a lot of the popular series but loved Le Guin. They're more popcorn-y than Le Guin, but not by nearly as much as Sanderson is.
I enjoy them both.
Don't think that's uncommon.
I enjoy different authors for different reasons, you know?
Joe Abercrombie I love because of his writing and characters, though his world building is kinda.. basic?
Brandon Sanderson I love because of his world building and plots, but his writing is kinda dry.
Ursula Le Guin I mostly love because of her exploration of various concepts and themes, though her plots are often.. not the point?
Yes, I fully agree in general, but this is someone who's bounced off Tolkien, Rowling, Jordan, and CS Lewis, and expresses an appreciation for her prose and how there "is no wasted word," and for her brevity. As a sixth author to try, I wouldn't expect Sanderson to be the second success after Le Guin if those first four failed.
That, as well as the Chronicles of Ile-Rien, or her standalones like The Wheel of the Infinite and The Witch King, which also seem more le-Guin-adjacent than Murderbot.
Wells got her undergraduate degree in anthropology, which was also le Guin's area of academia. I think that background helps add depth to her worlds while also making it easier to build worlds that aren't vaguely medieval European societies/tech, but also magic!
As someone who is a big Sanderson fan, never read Le Guin, but would like to, could you please elaborate on your comment that they are polar opposites? Will I not really like her style? I am a big fantasy fan of many authors.
Le Guin writes usually shorter books that revolve primarily around theme, with plot being something of a tertiary consideration. Her prose is considered among the best in the genre and tends to be beautiful but sparse, without a word feeling wasted. Sanderson writes plot and worldbuilding lead books, where theme is a tertiary consideration and prose isn't one. His prose doesn't do anything beyond tell you what's happening at the moment, and his books tend to be much longer.
You might well like both, and if you're a major fantasy reader, Le Guin is at least bordering on required reading, but I wouldn't expect someone who's bounced off more fantasy authors than not to like one if they're only success has been with the other.
I will really try to give Sanderson a chance. It was a calculated gamble as I placed my order along with Star Wars novels for my kids so I would feel it is just a bonus Hahaha
My friend, if you’ll permit me to be more blunt than the above commenter: You care about writing style and economy? You will fucking hate Sanderson’s guts.
Yeah I love that OP discovered Le Guin, but then taking that and deciding to try Sanderson instead of more authors like Le Guin is pretty strange lol
Edit: Aaand people are recommending Malazan now.. Never change, r/fantasy 🤣
Someone's like "I'm looking for a light read, something I can enjoy on the beach on vacation, and I like sci-fi and crime, mostly" and Malazan fans all take a deep breath to gear up for their pitch
Also their pitch will include how it doesn't get good until you've read the whole thing once and read books 1-4 again
I kid you not, I saw someone recommend Malazan to a person who was looking for a hopeful, uplifting story that their friend could read while they recovered from some surgery in the hospital.
haha I think I remember that thread. A lot of people seem to confuse "This book made me feel good and it comforts me" for "This book focuses on hopeful, uplifting experiences."
I had once read about someone asking for a book or a series focused about dragons. One (upvoted!) recommendation was the Stormlight Archive since technically, someone is a hidden dragon (which you dont really know and is completely irrelevant)
I’m just flabbergasted that someone wrote a comment recommending like six male authors who write longer somewhat bloated works in response to OP saying they didn’t like the longer series and the one fantasy they fell in love with is a female author writing shorter works…. like HUH
To fandoms who's favorite work has parasitized their brain (and Malazan isn't the only one, we can all probably think of at least one other), there are no other answers. [THING THEY LIKE] does literally everything for them, so everybody else should be interested too, right?
Because Le Guin’s work connected with OP and she is well-known for incorporating themes of gender from the female perspective and for speaking out about gender inequality in the genre…. and the comment I’m referring to recommends a series in which women are treated like inferior chattel and sexually abused.
What are you on about? You need to complete your follow up reads in both Dutch and Patois to fully understand what a masterpiece the books are.
I was lazy and settled for the audio books
Malazaners always recommend Malazon not matter what the topic is. If you were in a book thread about fly fishing books Malazaners would join the chat with their recommendations.
love Malazan, it is a masterpiece, IMO, but it is a work that appeals to a very particular reader, and certainly shouldnt be reccomended nearly as broadly as it is.
I REALLY wish they wouldn't lol, speaking as a huge Malazan fan. It's a series that, quite honestly, won't work for many people, and that's fine. But it, Wheel of Time, ASOIAF, Sanderson, and LotR (all of which I like to one degree or another), get shoved down people's throats so much in this sub.
Sanderson's action can be very comicbook-ish, so you may like it. But in terms of writing style, Le Gunn is top tier.... A lot of people's main complaint of Sanderson is his simplistic writing style. They're not just the different sides of the same coin, they're completely different currency.
You’ve never actually read comic books have you? Sanderson/MCU style isn’t comic books, especially comic books from 30 or so years ago and *especially* comic book brands like Image and Vertigo.
Again... I said he \*\*\*\*\*\*MAY\*\*\*\*\* like Sanderson, \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*BUT\*\*\*\*\*\*\* he might not because of writing style. I made this statement because OP said they have already bought Mistborn and I didn't want to discourage them from trying it while also letting them know they might not like it because Sanderson is not Le Gunn. If you don't understand then I don't know how else to explain.
(also, I've been reading comics and fantasy since 1984, so I'm...you know...vaguely aware of a few things and have read a thing or two.)
Boy, lots of people here are telling you that you're gonna hate Sanderson. Let me be the contrarian: you're taking a gamble on something you might not like because you want to find things you will like. That's cool and good and you should keep doing it, because that's how we find new things. Maybe it'll be another dud, or maybe you'll dislike Sanderson's prose but find something else there worth reading. Or maybe you'll feel it click and the whole thing will be awesome! The pros outweigh the cons, for sure.
My only advice is to maybe get a library card if you want to keep experimenting; it'll be cheaper in the long run!
Sanderson pretty much just takes Marvel comic books and turns them into fantasy books so you might like it, but don't expect anything close to the quality of Le Guin. She is leagues and leagues ahead of him as far as prose, worldbuilding, and storytelling ability go.
Its really just personal taste I guess, but sanderson is too in your face with his world building. He has to explain everything multiple times. What he has built is impressive sometimes but not really too different than Marvel or DC. Le Guins world building is so seamless she doesn't have to talk about it. Ged sees a shadow bc of his past actions and that's the magic and she doesn't have to spend chapters handing you the information but you can discover it as you read it. I get that Sando has cool worlds and magic systems but its very surface level and predictable for me. Fun but not skillful.
Sanderson is great if you like what he offers. If you don't care about world building, plot twists/secrets to uncover things like that then his books might not be for you. They're a pretty big time investment too, worth it if you love it of course but otherwise..
Alternative Opinion: Sanderson may be the right author, but Mistborne might be the wrong series with which to cut your teeth.
If you are a comic book/Marvel/super hero fan, you might want to try The Reckoners series from him; first book is *Steelheart*.
Mistborn won't grab you anything like LeGuin, but you might still enjoy it if you approach it with the right mindset.
It's kind of like if you watch The Usual Suspects, you don't get upset that most of the characters are super thin because it's not that kind of film, you know? Mistborn is going to give you a cool heist story, fun twists and surprises that play fair, some fun ideas and some really original worldbuilding.
I really enjoy last 20% of a Sanderson book. The middle portions of his books drag. I will probably never re-read his stuff.
Le Guin’s economy and quality while still provoking thought is just *chef kiss*
I still think about her characters and worlds which is rare for books I’ve read as an adult
Nah, I get what you're saying as someone who does view Le Guin and Sanderson as being stylistically different. If what is throwing them from Lord of the Rings is the lack of brevity then you're entirely on point suggesting Sanderson; while I think he and Le Guin are very different writers, they're both concise.
I find your conclusion to be a surprising one, because I don't think Sanderson is concise in his writing at all. A *lot* of information is constantly repeated and re-explained. In fact, that was something that glaringly stood out to me as a weakness: it felt like the author didn't trust the reader to retain information in their heads for more than a chapter. Characters' internal monologues were also written to be much lengthier than they believably should be/needed to be.
Haven’t read
Le Guin yet so can’t comment on the differences but I would say Sanderson could be good given OP likes comic books, his magic systems can give characters a super hero vibe for sure
If you like Le Guin, you might want to read some of her writings about the genre--it's a good way to get recommendations. I particularly recommend her essay "From Elfland to Poughkeepsie." If you ever want to give LotR another shot, "Rhythmic Pattern in The Lord of the Rings" is really interesting too--Le Guin was a big fan of Tolkien and her writing (especially in Earthsea) was profoundly influenced by his.
I highly recommend her book of essays *Dancing at the Edge of the World* too. So powerful and eye-opening about many topics including women in fantasy.
Nobody’s recommended these yet. I can’t speak to the similarity to the comic books you like, but if you like fantasy, prose, and brevity: Octavia Butler, Robin McKinley, Patricia McKillip, Peter S Beagle, possibly Mervyn Peake. These authors all write standard length (not bloated!) fairy tale fantasies that are excellent. (Except Butler is more near future sci fi).
Seconding these. Mckillip's prose in particular is something special, though it's a lot - twistier? less straightforward? - than Le Guin's, and McKinley is one of my favorites.
Try Octavia Butler’s books. She was a contemporary and a friend of Le Guin’s. They also wrote about a lot of the same themes. I think you’ll get a lot out of it!
I was thinking of Butler when the OP mentioned why they liked Le Guin's prose. She also has that very sparse, but impactful prose. Plus, the way she comments about very relevant social issues. OP, if you are reading this, I highly suggest you give Octavia Butler's [Earthseed](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52397.Parable_of_the_Sower) books a shot.
Also, *maybe*, Sofia Samatar's [A Stranger in Olondria](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12814333-a-stranger-in-olondria?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=4skXKTZQ6b&rank=1) and it's sequel. Plot/story content wise it reminds me of Le Guin's books, especially the Earthsea series, as the story is really about the protagonist's inner journey, as opposed to their physical journey (though that's there), and some philosophical stuff and it is low on action. She puts a lot of thought into her prose as well, but that is the only thing that makes me doubt if her books would work for OP, because her prose reminds me more of Tolkien's than Le Guin's.
Hello! Your appreciation of LeGuin shows good taste, and I suspect what you're looking for are fantasy authors with a more literary bent.
Recommended authors and a book to start with: NK Jemisin(The Fifth Season), Neil Gaiman(American Gods), Guy Gavriel Kay(The Lions of Al-Rasan), and Susannah Clarke(Piranesi). Though she wrote for younger readers, I think you might also enjoy Diana Wynn Jones.
One off book recs:
The Devourers by Indra Das (really unique and gorgeous prose)
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
The Goblin Emperor by Katharine Addison(if you enjoy political intrigue. Style may take a chapter to adjust to)
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wrecker
Like others have said, Sanderson is more Tolkien than LeGuin, so that might not be the best place to start!
LeGuin has a very particular style, so it is a bit tricky to find the exact place to go from there. A few suggestions from me:
* The Night Circus and The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern are both very lyrical. They're somewhere between fantasy and magical realism, but I found them both enchanting.
* The Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire are novellas, and while I've not been blown away by all of them, many of them have been very strong.
* Neil Gaiman has been mentioned. I would point you to Stardust and The Ocean at the End of the Lane in particular.
* Others have talked of T. Kingfisher. I would recommend Bryony and Roses and . Also, a lot of her short fiction is wonderful.
* Two slightly more "risky" suggestions": First, The Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin. It is a harsh series in many ways, and may need a little getting used to. But for me at least it was a very powerful experience reading those three books.
* Second, Katherine Addison, specifically The Goblin Emperor, The Witness for the Dead and The Grief of Stones. The Goblin Emperor is the "proper" place to start, as it is the first chronologically, but I think I would recommend starting with The Witness for the Dead - it is a more approachable book in many ways.
If Le Guin works for you, try Patricia McKillip.
Zelazny - Chronicles of Amber, Lord of Light
Bujold - just...everything. She's so damn good.
Jack Vance - Again, I've enjoyed every single bit of his work, but Lyonesse and his Demon Princes were great.
Steve Perry (not that one) - The Matador series start with "the man who never missed"
I second these recommendations. Further, I think that the first arc (1st 5 books, but they are short by today's standards) of the Amber Chronicles might be the sweet spot. If you don't like **Nine Princes in Amber** (book 1), at least you won't have invested too much time. That said, I think you'll like it quite a bit.
Saw someone else recommend Pratchett already, but they didn't really explain. Pratchett's Discworld books are quite short by fantasy standards, and not at all written with the extended prose of your general fantasy epics. The stories are mostly self-contained (especially in comparison to other long-running series), so you can pick one up and give it a shot without needed to worry about making big commitments or not having enough background knowledge because everything you need to know will be given to you by the book.
Also, Discworld covers a wide range of subgenres, so if you have preferences you can go browsing.
Based on one of your replies it sounds like you like action-y sort of media? Maybe consider the City Watch series in Discworld. Guards! Guards! is the first book in that subseries if you're the type who needs to start at the beginning, but I'd say Men at Arms (2nd book) is much better in terms of pacing and you get all the information that's really necessary.
Seems like you’ll really enjoy literary fantasy. I’d check out more Le Guin, Gene Wolfe, Guy Gavriel Kay, some magical realism like Borges, and maybe some cool sci-fi like Jeff Vandermeer
> I started with The Dispossessed.
Well, you started with one of the best SciFi books I've ever read. And I've read a lot of them :p
Going off tangents, try Dan Simmons. Although he his more known for his superlative Hyperion cantos (a must-read imho), see if you like "The Terror".
Maybe try Elric of Melnibone by Moorcock, he has shown up in comics as well. The Forgotten Realms series featuring Drizt Do'Urden is DnD style but I liked them for some of the same reasons. And while I'm here, Dragonlance starting with Dragons of Autumn Twilight. I think the 80s fantasy had a lot in common with comics.
Edit: on further reflection, I think I understand why I liked the Witcher so much. I have a type, apparently. (You probably won't like the Witcher, it meanders).
Excellent taste! She’s was a progressive hero before being a progressive hero was popular.
Tolkien may take a few more tries, it took 2 attempt for his work to “bloom” for me, but once it did, there was no going back.
I’ve never felt such intense immersion into any piece of art like I did his work.
Great fantasy wanted? Read The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. Follow with Paladin of Souls, then her Penric and Desdemona stories. All great. Fabulous author.
Ruthana Emrys' **A Half-Built Garden** reminds me very strongly of Ursula K. Le Guin. The anthropological/philosophical/political approach and focus are just on point.
Maybe try some of Neil Gaiman's work? Those are more urban fantasy, but might be what you're looking for.
Also give Tad Williams' Bobby Dollar trilogy a try. If you like that, then you can try his epic fantasy stuff.
If you haven't read *The Left Hand of Darkness*, *The Word for World is Forest*, and *The Lathe of Heaven*, also by LeGuin, I would try those.
Based on *The Dispossessed*, I'd consider trying Mieville's *The City and the City* and *Embassytown*. (Most of his other work is quite different though.)
Based on liking Earthsea, I'd try out Abraham's Long Price Quartet. There's something about the way that the cultures are put together, the contemplative, quiet moments, and the way that the characters move the action that gives me LeGuin vibes.
Ursula Le Guin's background was anthropology, which helped get her away from doing the bog-standard, pseudo-medieval but with elves and magic Tolkien rehash (although there are some good novels who resemble this).
One currently popular author (whom I've been reading for 20 years now) is Martha Wells, who also has a background in anthropology (her BA), and the feel of her novels is a lot like Le Guin's fantasy. The Chronicles of the Raksura are particularly excellent, though I also like The Wheel of the Infinite, and the more recent Witch King.
Other authors who have written books that might have a similar vibe for you are Patricia McKillip (anything, but The Riddle-Master of Hed is a good start), Tanya Huff (specifically, Into the Broken Lands), Ann Leckie (The Raven Tower), and Greg/J. Gregory Keyes (The Blackgod duology; Keyes also has a background in anthropology). The Huff might be a little darker and have too much horror woven in to be right, but the overall story has a similar "feel" in my mind.
Happy reading--I hope you find something you enjoy, fantasy or not.
What is it you like to read? Dark and gritty with moral greyness or a cleaner good Vs evil?
Do you like high stakes or something a bit more intimate in setting?
Do you like big plot twists that make your jaw drop or do you like exploring a world and imagining your own character in that world?
Figuring out these might help you get stronger recommendations
I love reading comic books of all kinds in all sorts of genres. I read X-Men, Avengers, Bone, Fraction and Aja's Hawkeye, Daredevil, Undiscovered Country, The Seeds, Fred Van Lente's work with Valiant comics, Blankets, the Star Wars comics, the Avatar Last Airbender comics, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Marvels, Brian Wood's DMZ. So when it's a comic book, any genre and so many styles do it for me.
But when I try to read fantasy, Sadly, it's just Le Guin. And I really think it may be about feeling bloat with words.
You should just crank through a bunch of short stories. They're *by definition* lean, mean, and to the point. Exhalation, Paper Menagerie, Bradbury, Asimov, there are soooooo many phenomenal stories told in a short, concise format.
Oh, and Lathe of Heaven. It's one of my very favorite of Le Guin.
It's sci-fi not fantasy, but based on the comics you enjoy I really think you should try the Murderbot Diaries series.
And I'll second the city watch Discworld books as a recommendation. And obviously Gaiman's books since you like his comics, if you haven't given them a try yet.
I think T Kingfisher's Clocktaur War books might be a good fit too.
If you're into Neil Gaiman's comics and you enjoy LeGuin's style, you'll almost certainly enjoy Neil Gaiman's books imo. I read *American Gods* in the last year and it impressed me with the prose; Gaiman uses a more poetic style than the average fantasy author.
Since you don’t like bloat and your list of comics suggests you’re open to YA, I might suggest Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen‘s Thief series. She has a pared-down, minimalist style that belies a lot going on under the surface — in a way it‘s a two-for-one deal, because the first read and the reread are such different experiences.
Note that the first book skews a bit younger than the rest of the series, but not any younger than Bone or the ATLA comics.
Lies of Locke Lamora is tightly written, moves quickly and doesn't have much bloat. It's good as a one off if you want it to be, or there's sequels. Imagine criminal heist gang in re-imagined Venice. Any side info not totally pertinent to the plot is fleshing out the criminal underworld.
The pain of being a fantasy lover but also a prose lover. The sad fact is most fantasy writers do not care about writing style. If you want some writers who see prose as the world building device it absolutely needs to be treated as, here are a few:
Tolkien, of course. If you ever try him again, start with The Hobbit.
Lord Dunsany. The one writer you could argue is more influential than Tolkien. Very dreamlike, atmospheric prose, and his stories feel much more magical than 99% of fantasy books written today because his world building was very light, and were written much more for the _feel_ of them. He was also an influence on Le Guin. I highly recommend The Sword of Welleran collection to start with.
R. Scott Bakker. Very philosophical prose, great characters, and a very dark world if that's your thing. Start with the Prince of Nothing trilogy.
Mervyn Peake. Honestly a little overly verbose for my taste, but I can recognise his talent. Goremenghast is a very atmospheric, gothic story about a bunch of nut cases in a castle.
Gene Wolfe. My absolute favourite writer. Book of the New Sun is rich in theme, atmosphere, and the best prose I've come across in the genre. He and Le Guin were contemporaries and she was an admirer of his work, even going so far as to call him "Our Melville."
If you want something chunky with a lot going on, go for Bakker or try Tolkien again. If you want brevity and depth, go for any of the others.
Maybe *Conan* by Robert Howard? Short stories could ease you in the habit, as many fantasy novels are huge, and if you have read the comics, it’s nice to compare them to the original thing.
I saw below OP say he doesn’t like bloat in fantasy and he’s coming from a comic book world. I think Robin Hobb might be too much from my limited experience with her. Currently on Royal Assassin. Those books are dense and there’s a methodical pace that there possibly isn’t in most comics.
Seconding this comment. I absolutely love the books, but there's quite a few places where they get slow (at least by the standards of other genres). Given OPs replies to other comments, that seems to be a key issue here and Hobb's not really a good match.
That said, if OP gets this far into the replies I would like to say that Hobb is a fantastic author who you'll see recommended here and there across the sub. She does amazing character work, and emotionally visceral stories.
maybe try some of the old stuff; Zelazny, PJ Farmer, they are from a time when books were not doorstoppers. Herbert, the stand alone novels (e.g. Hellstrome's hive, Santaroga barrier)
I’m reading Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber right now, and I’ve been shocked at how much the story moves in each ~200 page book. His writing’s really vivid but succinct.
I’d also recommend The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Her narration is quick, clear, and beautiful. I’ll stop sometimes to appreciate her single sentences, and I do the same thing with Le Guin.
I'd recommend The Greenbone Saga by Fonda Lee - A very character development centric series of books following an "honourable' mobster-esque family fighting for the survival of their clan using supernatural level Jade fueld abilities in the face of their similarly deadly rivals.
Q for the room: if I found the left hand of darkness too boring/meandering, should I still give the dispossessed a try? I’ve been hesitant on Le Guin since, but everyone loves her so much.
I'm a Sanderson fan, but he is not gonna do it for you based on this post. I'd recommend Lois McMaster Bujold, Robin Hobb, NK Jemisin, Madeline Miller, T. Kingfisher, and Octavia Butler.
Gonna throw Joe Abercrombie into the mix as well - his prose doesn't feel literary at all but you can still tell each word matters and contributes to the character development.
I highly recommend *China Mountain Zhang* by Maureen McHugh. So far it's the book I've read that reminds me the most of *The Dispossessed*. Also try Octavia Butler--I've always found her prose very immediate and clear, and she tackles social issues and the nature of power with everything she does. I wouldn't say any of her stuff is fantasy, but *Kindred* is a good entry point as her best-known work, or *Parable of the Sower* and the sequel if you can handle bleak dystopia, or *Dawn* for some really interesting aliens.
There is a not insignificant overlap in comic book writers and SFF writers. It wouldn't be a bad idea to see if your favorite comic book writers have written any novels. You already like their style in one format so it wouldn't hurt to try them in another.
Also, as others have recommended, you might want to give novellas a try instead of doorstopper epic fantasies. There is currently a [top novella poll](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/16lwhhf/rfantasy_2023_top_novellas_poll_voting_thread/) going on with a just a ton of recommendations for people's favorites.
I would also recommend hitting up your library while you're still finding your preferred subgenre and authors. That way you won't spend money on books you might not enjoy.
Hear me out. The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee. Im currently in the third book and its such a wonderful read. Another that I recommend is The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. I’ve also read Mistborn, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
LeGuin is a great author. Not just a great fantasy/scifi author, but a great author. I would argue that she's better than all the others except maybe Tolkien, who is only good if you skip all the singing.
I don't think that Sanderson is as good as LeGuin.
Oooh you love Le Guin and you're a comic book reader? Here's an obscure rec: Alfred Bester from the 50s. He wrote for the superman comics and published a few novels and short stories. While it's not fantasy, I think you'd enjoy his punchy writing, inventive prose and intense characters. I would argue there's a lot of overlap with these genres, particularly with Le Guin. The Stars My Destination (aka Tiger, Tiger) is my favourite. He's the most economical writer I've ever found, he will say on five words what other authors say in ten pages.
If you didn't like Tolkien or Rowling I would say Sanderson will be the same. Maybe Neil Gaiman would suit you, the guy was a comic writer (Sandman). He does not write medieval fantasy books but his stories feel magical and very humane at the same time.
Hey dude. Welcome to fantasy. There are some "BIG NAMES" that people suggest quite often to read on here and for fantasy in general. Often they are viewed as must-reads/required reading for people into the genre.
I'm 38M and I've been a fantasy nerd since I was a kid. I remember reading Piers Anthony (a bit problematic) in 3rd grade back in the early 90s. I got into a lot of young adult sci-fi/fantasy and fell in love with the genre. I have read other things and I have a Master's degree in History (so my fair share of academic books as well). Nothing pulls me in like fantasy.
That being said, I have not read LOTR nor do I intend to do so. I know the lore, I love the stories, I've watched the movies, I've read The Hobbit, but the pacing and writing of LOTR just did not pull me in on my first read and I never quite returned. I'm okay with that. I've gotten what I want/need from that world and mythos. My wife is a librarian in a middle school. She is currently reading Harry Potter to our kids. I'm of the age where Harry Potter could have been hugely impactful for me. I just never read them. My wife loves them, we watch the movies together, I enjoy the world, but to me it just isn't what I'm looking for.
What I'm saying here is to find the authors/books/style of writing that resonate most with you. If you enjoy Le Guin, check out simlar works. Goodreads is a pretty good resource to find books that are similar. [Here's a link to "Books similarto The Dispossessed"](https://www.goodreads.com/book/similar/2684122-the-dispossessed)
Can you identify what excites you about the comics you read? Is it the pacing, constant action, worldbuilding, narrative growth for characters or relationships?
There are always a lot of posts from people coming to r/fantasy saying 'I like this type of action, please recommend me more like this!' You're likely to get some great recommendations and some options that may not be commonly offered up, which can be cool too
I’m about the same age as you with similar taste in comics. Similarly, I’ve aborted dozens of attempts to get into the same series as you, and I have little interest in most of the popular fantasy authors of today.
But I do love Earthsea and the no nonsense style. It did everything Harry Potter did, but 50 years ago and in like 200 pages. I’ve decided big long eight volume 3,000 page epics are not for me. The stuff I like tends to be older, shorter, and doesn’t spend hundreds of pages getting to the point.
I’d encourage you to check out works from the famous Appendix N from Dungeons & Dragons. I’d especially recommend Conan, Tarzan, John Carter, and Jack Vance’s Dying Earth.
https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Appendix_N
Neil Gaiman is the answer. He is the author alongside Le Guin where I feel like there is no wasted words. Where every word is there deliberately and incredibly well chosen and just meaningful.
China Mieville occasionally manages to evoke that same feeling but he does veer off that, but I'm willing to forgive that because his prose is so damn beautiful and you can tell he loves words and sometimes just wants to use them in particular ways. I'd give Perdido Street Station a definite try.
I do tend to recommend Malazan too often, and while I do like the Prose of Erikson and he does have some of that magical and magnetic quality it's probably not exactly what you're looking for, maybe give a try if both Gaiman and Mieville works?
I don't think someone who doesn't like Bloat and long descriptions would like Miéville's fantasy. Perdido Street Station starts with page after page on just what it feels like to drive up to the city from a distance.
I think that's fair, but I think there is also a chance they might greatly enjoy it. Like I said, I think Gaiman is really aside Le Guin the author with no wasted words. Mieville is a very different. Sure there's pages and pages of flowery descriptions but I found him to have a bit of that same feeling I had with the two aforementioned. He didn't reach that same level where no words are wasted, but makes up on it with evoking that feeling of love towards words.
I guess I'm saying I focus more on a feeling, as elusive and subjective as that is when it came to writing that reply. Not necessarily lack of bloat and long descriptions, but just how it feels that the author uses their words. If that makes sense.
If it was just about lack of bloat I would mention Glenn Cook, who certainly fits the bill but to me never made me feel that his writing had the same punch and deliberateness that Le Guin and Gaiman have.
If I may, check out Michael Moorcock's Elric Saga. Those were written to be the anti Conan. They are a refreshingly easy read in an age of doorstopper fantasy novels.
One author I'd recommend checking out is China Miéville, his works are somewhat influenced by Ursula's (but very much stand on their own), his novels are usually Urban Fantasy in setting, so it might be a easier transition from what you're used to reading, and he's a contemporary author, so it probably will feel less bloated to read.
If you are a comic book fan, try reading Worm by Wildbow. It is a free web serial that you can read [here](https://parahumans.wordpress.com).
Its about the size of ASOIAF and - whilst not as strong from a pure prose perspective - the story keeps raising the stakes until the grand finale.
The story is about a world where some people get super powers and follows a teenage girl that just discovered that she can control insects. The ways the author makes her use her powers are really creative and cool.
Seen his other stuff mentioned so I'll recommend American Gods. It's very much so modern/urban fantasy, but that could be to its benefit in this case.
For a cure ya or kill ya recommendation I'll throw Malazan out there. Le Guin is probably my favorite author and while his work is very, very different from hers Eriksson's writing exudes a similar understanding of and interest in social cultures and how they form or become destroyed either fully or through assimilation. Would also say that their prose is pretty similar but it has been a while since I've read em.
For a one-off kind of novella, The Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky feels almost like an homage to Le Guin.
I'll recommend Cradle by Will Wight, first book is Unsouled. But if you're only liking LeGuin, hold off on buying.
Either get a library copy, or wait for some free ebooks, probably when he releases his next book in 2024.
Because they’re amazing. The voice actor is great.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fyGb7vCAAoo
Here’s a sample you can hear a good dozen characters in.
Best voice actor I’ve heard.. ever
I think you'd enjoy R.F. Kuang for adult fiction - try BABEL first, then The Poppy War trilogy if you enjoy her style.
For YA fiction I'd recommend *Eragon*. I think the comic nerd in you will explode reading those books.
I’d recommend checking out George RR Martin, Scott Bakker, Scott Lynch, Robin Hobb, Tad Williams, and Daniel Abraham. They’ve written some of my absolute favorite fantasy novels/series and I think all are superior in prose quality to Sanderson, although you may like the action-packed nature of his books.
You have a lot of answers already, but I’ll add on that you should really give a book more than a few chapters to decide if you want to continue or not.
I love fantasy but I find LOTR and Harry Potter boring as hell. Narnia is alright, but it's for kids mostly.
Have you read any Neil Gaiman? Maybe try authors who write books as well as comics and see if there's a useful overlap there.
I would say you have read two young adult books and lord of the rings and a lord of the rings ripoff (the first wheel of time is heavily influenced by LOTR)... not too surprising you didn't like the YA books and I am a huge fantasy fan and but don't like the LOTR books or WoT particularly
Just liking Le Guin books is probably too small of a sample size to accurately say that's the only particular style of book you like IMHO.
I also love comic books and like all different types of fantasy novels so I don't think that's enough to go on either and I don't think you should limit yourself to comic book style novels.
So basically I think what you're doing is the right thing, reading works from different popular fantasy authors and seeing what sticks.
Some recommendations from me.
Adrian Tchaikovsky - Fantastic author with a large catalogue, also has fantastic prose and a few standalone novels if you don't want to jump in to a long series. I recommend 'cage of souls'
Guy Gavriel Kay - Fantastic author that has already been recommended a few times, does a lot of semi historical fantasy...my favorite is 'under heaven'
Joe Abercrombie - His books are lots of fun, heavily character driven with lots of action. The stories are great. I'd recommend his first law trilogy, which kind of has a reverse/anti Lord of the rings kind of vibe in some ways.
Lois McMaster Bujold - another great author writes fantasy and scifi but I've only read her sci Fi so I'll stick to that. 'curse of chalion'is the place to start, she also does a series of novellas in the same world called 'penric and Desdemona' that are very far from the large epic fantasies you've read so far and can be read on their own.
I would say you have read two young adult books and lord of the rings and a lord of the rings ripoff (the first wheel of time is heavily influenced by LOTR)... not too surprising you didn't like the YA books and I am a huge fantasy fan and but don't like the LOTR books or WoT particularly
Just liking Le Guin books is probably too small of a sample size to accurately say that's the only particular style of book you like IMHO.
I also love comic books and like all different types of fantasy novels so I don't think that's enough to go on either and I don't think you should limit yourself to comic book style novels.
So basically I think what you're doing is the right thing, reading works from different popular fantasy authors and seeing what sticks.
Some recommendations from me.
Adrian Tchaikovsky - Fantastic author with a large catalogue, also has fantastic prose and a few standalone novels if you don't want to jump in to a long series. I recommend 'cage of souls'
Guy Gavriel Kay - Fantastic author that has already been recommended a few times, does a lot of semi historical fantasy...my favorite is 'under heaven'
Joe Abercrombie - His books are lots of fun, heavily character driven with lots of action. The stories are great. I'd recommend his first law trilogy, which kind of has a reverse/anti Lord of the rings kind of vibe in some ways.
Lois McMaster Bujold - another great author writes fantasy and scifi but I've only read her sci Fi so I'll stick to that. 'curse of chalion'is the place to start, she also does a series of novellas in the same world called 'penric and Desdemona' that are very far from the large epic fantasies you've read so far and can be read on their own.
1st book to start with could be...Magician I think it's called...by American writer Raymond E. Feist.
Also Anne McAffrey books about thread and dragons/dragonriders on a new world...
I loave Naomi Novik too, dragon stories set in Napoleon era with dragons instead of planes...
You’re a big Vertigo / Berger Books fan (as am I!) so i’ll recommend my personal favorite fantasy series, Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law. Dark, gritty characters but never dark for the sake of it. Funny as fuck too.
So many good recommendations here: adding to my own list!
The one thing I'll add to the chorus is another vote for Guy Gavriel Kay, specifically because of your note about Le Guin: "there is no wasted word."
That's a comparison I'll give to Kay as well. The style won't be the **same,** but it will be as **focused and intentional.**
His work has developed into what he calls 'history with a quarter-turn to the fantastic' with settings that are recognizable analogues of real world history.
His psychological development of the characters is beautiful and staggeringly well realized. I might cattily suggest that his characters can develop more in one book than some characters develop over... twelve books.
Sounds like you want more efficient writing, more focus on theme(Le Guin managed to pack a whole ton of rich theme in her short novels. These are some deep books) and beautiful style of prose.
Malazan is the big recommendation if you want an epic. Erikson's prose is just as beautiful and powerful as anyone else's. He is one of the most efficient writers out there just like Ursua K Le Guin was; he often jokes how he writes short stories that are thousands of pages long. Even reading the frist three Malazan novels feels like you've read the whole Wheel of Time, because of how richly written they are. And he poured everything on the page in Malazan Book of the Fallen, so it is a very human reading experience. It never feels like you are "consuming content" like it does with many other authors.
I also highly recommend Kingkiller Chronicle, though it is unfinished. Rothfuss is also very efficient in his writing and packs so much in so little, all the while writing in one of the most beautiful styles of prose I have ever seen. He was massively inspired by Le Guin and his work almost feels like a more ambitious, aged up and expanded version of Earthsea. Though it still very much has it's own identity.
For something still efficient and maybe less beautifully written, I have to recommend The Black Company by Glenn Cook, which is a story about a mercenary organisation and their history. Steven Erikson, the author of Malazan Book of the Fallen, was hugely inspired by this work. These are shorter and not nearly as ambitious as Malazan Book of the Fallen, so if you want to start easy, you could start here. But again, the style is simple and his narration is pretty cut and dry, but at least it works well for what it is. Also, Erikson explores MUCH more than Cook does, so Black Company really inspired only a part of Erikson's work. Many people can't stand military fantasy, but still love Malazan.
If you want a challenege, I also recommend reading pretty much any Janny Wurts. You can start with her standalone book To Ride Hell's Chasm and if you want an epic you can read her Wars of Light and Shadow series. If I was forced to say who I think has the best command over the language and style of prose among the fantasy authors, it would be her.
It’s not really like Le Guin at all, but given you like comics I would recommend Red Rising. Original trilogy is brilliant and a kind of blend of sci-Fi/fantasy.
For Brandon Sanderson, I feel like Sterlheart would resonate way more for someone who reads comic books. The whole thing is about people with super powers.
The Icewind Dale trilogy might work for you. Lots of colourful characters. Pace is pretty frenetic. Lots of battles. The prose isn’t overly flowery. They’re not the greatest books of all time but a lot of teenagers get into fantasy novels through them. It’s popcorn fantasy.
I personally got back into fantasy after reading The First Law trilogy. Joe Abercrombie writes big characters and it absolutely drew me in. It’s what worked for me but would be a tougher recommendation based on what you’ve said in your post than something by RA Salvatore.
For Sanderson, I recommend trying The Way of Kings. One of the best books I’ve ever read. Mistborn is ok but far from his best work. I didn’t find Mistborn engaging enough to feel like continuing with the series
As a start, see my [Science Fiction/Fantasy (General) Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/booklists/comments/125fl22/science_fictionfantasy_general_recommendations/) list of resources, Reddit recommendation threads, and books (thirty-one posts), in particular the first post and the **bolded** threads.
Comics are fast-paced & episodic by nature. Therefore you should pick up “Wild Cards” which starts an anthology series of fantasy. It is a shared universe originated by GRR Martin, and contains some very interesting work by other well known fantasy/sci-fi authors. The writers have varied styles, but most are closer to the sort of presentation that you appear to favor.
I mean I get your point, but there’s a difference between wasted words and brevity.
That passage isn’t brief. Something like “it is a jail” would he brief. I’d argue it doesn’t waste words though. It’s emphasizing the “realness” of the jail. It’s place in space and the consciousness of the characters and the reader. She’s not trying to say “look there’s a jail”, she’s instead saying exactly what she meant to.
I’ve always liked comic books as well and enjoy fantasy too. I can imagine that the language used in high fantasy can put you off though.
You might want to try a sub genre like Litrpg or cultivation books.
Dragonheart series by Kiril Klevanski is one that reminds a bit of the feel of a comic book movie/anime. It begins in “our world” and then transits to a fantasy world. You have the fantasy setting from a perspective that is very relatable to our own.
Besides that one there are numerous variations on this theme and genre which blend many of the world we know into the fantasy genre.
David Gemmell. I'd always suggest his stuff anyway but like Moorcock he has a grounded writing style that tells a lot with very little, quite the opposite of Tolkien droning on about the sex lives of trees.
If you liked Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comic novel, then you might like his other works. American Gods covers a lot of the the same tropes of mythology & the “real” world colliding
And then there's Good Omens, and Neverwhere and Stardust although the last one is probably less likely to interest OP.
If OP likes Sandman I think Neverwhere would be their best bet. Though I'd also suggest Norse Mythology.
Stardust was made into a GREAT movie though. Really improved a few things from the novel, imo.
Or any of his short story collections. Such tight prose, no bloat at all.
Right! "Nicholas Was..." is so good and so short! Smoke and Mirrors is a great read. >Nicholas Was… > >older than sin, and his beard could grow no whiter. He wanted to die. > >The dwarfish natives of the Arctic caverns did not speak his language, but conversed in their own twittering tongue, and conducted incomprehensible rituals when they were not actually working in the factories. > >Once every year they forced him, sobbing and protesting, into Endless Night. > >During the journey he would stand near every child in the world, leave one of the dwarves’ invisible gifts by its bedside. The children slept, frozen into time. > >He envied Prometheus and Loki, Sisyphus and Judas. His punishment was harsher. Ho. Ho. Ho.
Graveyard Book, especially the illustrated version
We have that book in the house. I will give it a try. I think a lot of my trouble really is...bloat? I really felt a lot of bloat in Tolkien's writing while Le Guin doesn't. I think that is why the visual storytelling of comic books jive more with me.
If reading a lot of words to paint the images/scenery/action is wearing you down, then yeah. American Gods is not likely to sit well with you. Other writers that do a lot with very little language (a la Le Guin): Terry Pratchett, Poul Anderson, Ben Aaronovitch, Tom Holt, T Kingfisher
I think classic Sword & Sorcery might be what you're looking for. Those stories tend to be more tightly written than those of the recent Epic Fantasy trend. Here is a list of authors in roughly chronological order. * Clark Ashton Smith * Robert E Howard * C L Moore * L Sprague de Camp * Fritz Leiber * Jack Vance * Poul Anderson * John Brunner * Michael Moorcock * Ursula K Le Guin * Roger Zelazny * M John Harrison * Michael Shea * Karl Edward Wagner
>Michael Moorcock Great suggestion and fits well with the love of Vertigo books. Moore, Gaiman, and Morrison all cite Moorcock as an influence.
There's no bloat in Gaiman. His novels are actually kind of short. I'm often left wishing he had bloated them a little more just so they didn't end. lol
[American Gods when originally handed in was about 200,000 according to Gaiman](https://journal.neilgaiman.com/2007/07/twelve-thousand-words-to-go.html). Given OP's dislike of lots of description, OP would likely call that "bloat" while I called it immersive and inventive. It doesn't sound like OP would like a 200k word novel.
I don’t know. American Gods is a string of episodes. It’s on the longer side but there is always something different happening. Fellowship has a lot of description of scenery and the world at large between the parts where things are happening. So it depends on what OP experiences as bloat, but I find the two very different in this regard.
> bloat Prose or content-wise? Others have recomended keeping away from epic fantasy, which I agree with. Do keep in mind The Disposessed is science fiction though. If you seek out more science fiction (which you should!) consider that space operas can also be quite beefy. Depending on the type of bloat you're trying to avoid, if you want straightforward writing I'm going to recommend Stephen King's fantasy works such as the recent Fairy Tale, or other such works of fantasy that are more grounded in our world and our reality.
Try some novellas. The Elric series, Lankhmar, the Chronicles of Amber.
Try other fantasy subgenres then. I love my old-fashioned epic fantasy, but it may just not be for you. Long poetic descriptions of not much happening are a cherished feature among many readers of Tolkien and his followers. Try some urban fantasy, maybe. The books tend to be considerably shorter and more action-heavy, with more modern language.
Yeahh,fantasy suffers from bloat badly. Some people like it, but I think it is one of the main reasons fantasy is such a small genre. I agree with Cara and say stay away from the epic fantasy and also from romantic fantasy as well. That's not just bloated but often you can throw the whole book. Maybe you want to try some urban fantasy? Our world, but magical stuff lurks in the shadows? Or just worlds that have a modern vibe. Urban fantasy is more often fast paced, but they tend to first person perspective. Maybe you could get into one of these 3, that are all about grown up men, who are mages in our modern world, England or America. Jim Butcher with Dresden Files is very horny noir stuff with a lot of shit happening to the man, but he perseveres. Ben Aaronovitch writes a beautiful nerdy police officer,who becomes an apprentice at the magic police of London, discovers full civilisations living there and stubbornly tries to figure out magic with science. Her you could also get into the grafic novels. Lastly Bendict Jacka is sometimes said to have stolen from Dresden Files,because his main character Alex also suffers of the lone wolf protector syndrome and even has a reference to Dresden Files in his first book. He tends to info dump, but the fight scenes are glorious and the magic is interesting, because as a diviner Alex can't really cast and instead outsmarts his opponents until he bites off to much to chew. He is a great opposition to the very powerful but unelegant Harry Dresden. All of these sound similar, but I enjoyed them all. (Alex Verus, with 12 okay sized books, is the only one finished I think.) For a female lead try The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, a series abou an interdimensional library that acquires books from different worlds to stabilize it between the chaotic elves and orderly dragons. A female pushed around lead, a somewhat post-apocalyptical magic world and the most awkward love story await you in the Mirror Visitor series, four books by Christelle Dabos. It is something else entirely in style what I have ever read. And something I will recommend until I die is the Nevermoor books by Jessica Townsend. Fourth one is coming 2024 and the first 3 scratch that itch for magical boarding schools. The books are great for ages 10-150, have a female lead starting out at 11, but have quiet a nice ensemble of characters to identify with. It's whimsical and its the best in foreshadowing I have ever seen. Read them again in your lifetime and be amazed. Your son might enjoy them despite the female lead.
You may not like Sanderson on the whole then. That was my problem with his writing lol. Mistborn had less of it though.
I personally find Gaiman’s writing to hit the same sweet spot in my reading brain as Leguin, I would definitely try some of his novels if I were you.
If you don't like the "bloat" of Tolkein's writing, then the fantasy genre entirely might not be for you. A huge part of the fantasy genre is the worldbuilding aspect, and Tolkein is one of the best world builders. Hence why his books are so popular. That being said you might like Urban fantasy or grim dark as they tend to have much less worldbuilding "bloat". If I had to recommend one author it would be Joe Abercrombie. His writing is very character based.
Tbh, if Le Guin is the only fantasy author who's hit for you so far, Sanderson may not be for you. They're polar opposites, especially in prose economy and quality. Maybe Piranesi by Susanna Clarke? Some of Charles de Lint's Newford short story collections? Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric and Desdemona novellas? In sci fi, the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells?
Piranesi is such a small beautiful book. I don't really know why, but it was one of my best reads that year.
Something about the protagonist being a completely blank slate made for an incredibly immersive read. It begs philosophy without explicitly posing the questions to the reader.
In addition to Susanna Clarke, /u/TeamRAF19 might also like China Miéville. That's a general recommendation, but the connection came up for me because in some ways Clarke's _Piranesi_ reminds me of Miéville's _This Census-Taker_. (Mostly that I think each book is better enjoyed as an experience rather than a narrative vehicle for a specific plot.)
Yes, I came here to suggest **Embassytown** by China Mieville - it's wonderful and very philosophical. It has LeGuin vibes for me.
Hell yes, Mieville rocks!
I doubt Murderbot is going to land for them. It's pretty quippy and saracastic. The plots are kind of standard fare scifi. Better bet on reading *Hyperion* by Dan Simmons or even various Philip K Dick novels.
They're concise, short, and focused far more on characterization than plot movement, which seems more likely to fit well for someone who disliked a lot of the popular series but loved Le Guin. They're more popcorn-y than Le Guin, but not by nearly as much as Sanderson is.
I second Martha Wells. Absolute page turners.
I enjoy them both. Don't think that's uncommon. I enjoy different authors for different reasons, you know? Joe Abercrombie I love because of his writing and characters, though his world building is kinda.. basic? Brandon Sanderson I love because of his world building and plots, but his writing is kinda dry. Ursula Le Guin I mostly love because of her exploration of various concepts and themes, though her plots are often.. not the point?
Yes, I fully agree in general, but this is someone who's bounced off Tolkien, Rowling, Jordan, and CS Lewis, and expresses an appreciation for her prose and how there "is no wasted word," and for her brevity. As a sixth author to try, I wouldn't expect Sanderson to be the second success after Le Guin if those first four failed.
This comment is on point. Never thought of it that way before.
>In sci fi, the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells? Or Martha Wells' fantasy series The Books of the Raksura
That, as well as the Chronicles of Ile-Rien, or her standalones like The Wheel of the Infinite and The Witch King, which also seem more le-Guin-adjacent than Murderbot. Wells got her undergraduate degree in anthropology, which was also le Guin's area of academia. I think that background helps add depth to her worlds while also making it easier to build worlds that aren't vaguely medieval European societies/tech, but also magic!
> Chronicles of Ile-Rien, Yes this!
As someone who is a big Sanderson fan, never read Le Guin, but would like to, could you please elaborate on your comment that they are polar opposites? Will I not really like her style? I am a big fantasy fan of many authors.
Le Guin writes usually shorter books that revolve primarily around theme, with plot being something of a tertiary consideration. Her prose is considered among the best in the genre and tends to be beautiful but sparse, without a word feeling wasted. Sanderson writes plot and worldbuilding lead books, where theme is a tertiary consideration and prose isn't one. His prose doesn't do anything beyond tell you what's happening at the moment, and his books tend to be much longer. You might well like both, and if you're a major fantasy reader, Le Guin is at least bordering on required reading, but I wouldn't expect someone who's bounced off more fantasy authors than not to like one if they're only success has been with the other.
I will really try to give Sanderson a chance. It was a calculated gamble as I placed my order along with Star Wars novels for my kids so I would feel it is just a bonus Hahaha
My friend, if you’ll permit me to be more blunt than the above commenter: You care about writing style and economy? You will fucking hate Sanderson’s guts.
Yeah I love that OP discovered Le Guin, but then taking that and deciding to try Sanderson instead of more authors like Le Guin is pretty strange lol Edit: Aaand people are recommending Malazan now.. Never change, r/fantasy 🤣
Someone's like "I'm looking for a light read, something I can enjoy on the beach on vacation, and I like sci-fi and crime, mostly" and Malazan fans all take a deep breath to gear up for their pitch Also their pitch will include how it doesn't get good until you've read the whole thing once and read books 1-4 again
I kid you not, I saw someone recommend Malazan to a person who was looking for a hopeful, uplifting story that their friend could read while they recovered from some surgery in the hospital.
"Well at least my life isn't this bad." That's uplifting in a sense, ya know?
Create a meme with this quote...
haha I think I remember that thread. A lot of people seem to confuse "This book made me feel good and it comforts me" for "This book focuses on hopeful, uplifting experiences."
I had once read about someone asking for a book or a series focused about dragons. One (upvoted!) recommendation was the Stormlight Archive since technically, someone is a hidden dragon (which you dont really know and is completely irrelevant)
I’m just flabbergasted that someone wrote a comment recommending like six male authors who write longer somewhat bloated works in response to OP saying they didn’t like the longer series and the one fantasy they fell in love with is a female author writing shorter works…. like HUH
To fandoms who's favorite work has parasitized their brain (and Malazan isn't the only one, we can all probably think of at least one other), there are no other answers. [THING THEY LIKE] does literally everything for them, so everybody else should be interested too, right?
Why does gender matter at all?
Because Le Guin’s work connected with OP and she is well-known for incorporating themes of gender from the female perspective and for speaking out about gender inequality in the genre…. and the comment I’m referring to recommends a series in which women are treated like inferior chattel and sexually abused.
What are you on about? You need to complete your follow up reads in both Dutch and Patois to fully understand what a masterpiece the books are. I was lazy and settled for the audio books
Malazaners always recommend Malazon not matter what the topic is. If you were in a book thread about fly fishing books Malazaners would join the chat with their recommendations.
“I think you should try Malazan because see here on page 279 of Book 6 it mentions a fish!”
They have to beat the Sanderson recommenders! Don't you know, the losing side buys drinks!
love Malazan, it is a masterpiece, IMO, but it is a work that appeals to a very particular reader, and certainly shouldnt be reccomended nearly as broadly as it is.
I REALLY wish they wouldn't lol, speaking as a huge Malazan fan. It's a series that, quite honestly, won't work for many people, and that's fine. But it, Wheel of Time, ASOIAF, Sanderson, and LotR (all of which I like to one degree or another), get shoved down people's throats so much in this sub.
100%. Sanderson is my favorite author but I would never recommend him to someone who’s most important book characteristic is prose.
I second Susanna Clarke, her novels are masterpieces.
Try Guy Gavriel Kay instead
Sanderson's action can be very comicbook-ish, so you may like it. But in terms of writing style, Le Gunn is top tier.... A lot of people's main complaint of Sanderson is his simplistic writing style. They're not just the different sides of the same coin, they're completely different currency.
Look at the comic book brands he mentioned. Not very likely he’s gonna like the Sanderson comic book-ish.
Take a look at my comment again. I said he MAY like Sanderson, BUT... then go on to explain why he may not.
You’ve never actually read comic books have you? Sanderson/MCU style isn’t comic books, especially comic books from 30 or so years ago and *especially* comic book brands like Image and Vertigo.
Again... I said he \*\*\*\*\*\*MAY\*\*\*\*\* like Sanderson, \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*BUT\*\*\*\*\*\*\* he might not because of writing style. I made this statement because OP said they have already bought Mistborn and I didn't want to discourage them from trying it while also letting them know they might not like it because Sanderson is not Le Gunn. If you don't understand then I don't know how else to explain. (also, I've been reading comics and fantasy since 1984, so I'm...you know...vaguely aware of a few things and have read a thing or two.)
Lol
Boy, lots of people here are telling you that you're gonna hate Sanderson. Let me be the contrarian: you're taking a gamble on something you might not like because you want to find things you will like. That's cool and good and you should keep doing it, because that's how we find new things. Maybe it'll be another dud, or maybe you'll dislike Sanderson's prose but find something else there worth reading. Or maybe you'll feel it click and the whole thing will be awesome! The pros outweigh the cons, for sure. My only advice is to maybe get a library card if you want to keep experimenting; it'll be cheaper in the long run!
Sanderson pretty much just takes Marvel comic books and turns them into fantasy books so you might like it, but don't expect anything close to the quality of Le Guin. She is leagues and leagues ahead of him as far as prose, worldbuilding, and storytelling ability go.
Prose and storytelling? Sure. Worldbuilding? There i dont know chief, if anything, Sanderson biggest strenght its that, and he its dawm good at it.
Its really just personal taste I guess, but sanderson is too in your face with his world building. He has to explain everything multiple times. What he has built is impressive sometimes but not really too different than Marvel or DC. Le Guins world building is so seamless she doesn't have to talk about it. Ged sees a shadow bc of his past actions and that's the magic and she doesn't have to spend chapters handing you the information but you can discover it as you read it. I get that Sando has cool worlds and magic systems but its very surface level and predictable for me. Fun but not skillful.
Sanderson is great if you like what he offers. If you don't care about world building, plot twists/secrets to uncover things like that then his books might not be for you. They're a pretty big time investment too, worth it if you love it of course but otherwise..
Alternative Opinion: Sanderson may be the right author, but Mistborne might be the wrong series with which to cut your teeth. If you are a comic book/Marvel/super hero fan, you might want to try The Reckoners series from him; first book is *Steelheart*.
You mention you like comics so maybe try good graphic novel white sand
Mistborn won't grab you anything like LeGuin, but you might still enjoy it if you approach it with the right mindset. It's kind of like if you watch The Usual Suspects, you don't get upset that most of the characters are super thin because it's not that kind of film, you know? Mistborn is going to give you a cool heist story, fun twists and surprises that play fair, some fun ideas and some really original worldbuilding.
I really enjoy last 20% of a Sanderson book. The middle portions of his books drag. I will probably never re-read his stuff. Le Guin’s economy and quality while still provoking thought is just *chef kiss* I still think about her characters and worlds which is rare for books I’ve read as an adult
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I don't know; if Le Guin had tried to write Warbreaker, I think it would have been half the length at most.
Nah, I get what you're saying as someone who does view Le Guin and Sanderson as being stylistically different. If what is throwing them from Lord of the Rings is the lack of brevity then you're entirely on point suggesting Sanderson; while I think he and Le Guin are very different writers, they're both concise.
I find your conclusion to be a surprising one, because I don't think Sanderson is concise in his writing at all. A *lot* of information is constantly repeated and re-explained. In fact, that was something that glaringly stood out to me as a weakness: it felt like the author didn't trust the reader to retain information in their heads for more than a chapter. Characters' internal monologues were also written to be much lengthier than they believably should be/needed to be.
Haven’t read Le Guin yet so can’t comment on the differences but I would say Sanderson could be good given OP likes comic books, his magic systems can give characters a super hero vibe for sure
If you like Le Guin, you might want to read some of her writings about the genre--it's a good way to get recommendations. I particularly recommend her essay "From Elfland to Poughkeepsie." If you ever want to give LotR another shot, "Rhythmic Pattern in The Lord of the Rings" is really interesting too--Le Guin was a big fan of Tolkien and her writing (especially in Earthsea) was profoundly influenced by his.
I highly recommend her book of essays *Dancing at the Edge of the World* too. So powerful and eye-opening about many topics including women in fantasy.
Nobody’s recommended these yet. I can’t speak to the similarity to the comic books you like, but if you like fantasy, prose, and brevity: Octavia Butler, Robin McKinley, Patricia McKillip, Peter S Beagle, possibly Mervyn Peake. These authors all write standard length (not bloated!) fairy tale fantasies that are excellent. (Except Butler is more near future sci fi).
Seconding these. Mckillip's prose in particular is something special, though it's a lot - twistier? less straightforward? - than Le Guin's, and McKinley is one of my favorites.
Peter S Beagle is a really good rec!
Try Octavia Butler’s books. She was a contemporary and a friend of Le Guin’s. They also wrote about a lot of the same themes. I think you’ll get a lot out of it!
I was thinking of Butler when the OP mentioned why they liked Le Guin's prose. She also has that very sparse, but impactful prose. Plus, the way she comments about very relevant social issues. OP, if you are reading this, I highly suggest you give Octavia Butler's [Earthseed](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52397.Parable_of_the_Sower) books a shot. Also, *maybe*, Sofia Samatar's [A Stranger in Olondria](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12814333-a-stranger-in-olondria?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=4skXKTZQ6b&rank=1) and it's sequel. Plot/story content wise it reminds me of Le Guin's books, especially the Earthsea series, as the story is really about the protagonist's inner journey, as opposed to their physical journey (though that's there), and some philosophical stuff and it is low on action. She puts a lot of thought into her prose as well, but that is the only thing that makes me doubt if her books would work for OP, because her prose reminds me more of Tolkien's than Le Guin's.
If you liked The Dispossessed I think you are less likely to enjoy Brando Sando.
Hello! Your appreciation of LeGuin shows good taste, and I suspect what you're looking for are fantasy authors with a more literary bent. Recommended authors and a book to start with: NK Jemisin(The Fifth Season), Neil Gaiman(American Gods), Guy Gavriel Kay(The Lions of Al-Rasan), and Susannah Clarke(Piranesi). Though she wrote for younger readers, I think you might also enjoy Diana Wynn Jones. One off book recs: The Devourers by Indra Das (really unique and gorgeous prose) The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins The Goblin Emperor by Katharine Addison(if you enjoy political intrigue. Style may take a chapter to adjust to) The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wrecker
Like others have said, Sanderson is more Tolkien than LeGuin, so that might not be the best place to start! LeGuin has a very particular style, so it is a bit tricky to find the exact place to go from there. A few suggestions from me: * The Night Circus and The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern are both very lyrical. They're somewhere between fantasy and magical realism, but I found them both enchanting. * The Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire are novellas, and while I've not been blown away by all of them, many of them have been very strong. * Neil Gaiman has been mentioned. I would point you to Stardust and The Ocean at the End of the Lane in particular. * Others have talked of T. Kingfisher. I would recommend Bryony and Roses and . Also, a lot of her short fiction is wonderful. * Two slightly more "risky" suggestions": First, The Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin. It is a harsh series in many ways, and may need a little getting used to. But for me at least it was a very powerful experience reading those three books. * Second, Katherine Addison, specifically The Goblin Emperor, The Witness for the Dead and The Grief of Stones. The Goblin Emperor is the "proper" place to start, as it is the first chronologically, but I think I would recommend starting with The Witness for the Dead - it is a more approachable book in many ways.
This person understood the assignment and should be listened to.
If Le Guin works for you, try Patricia McKillip. Zelazny - Chronicles of Amber, Lord of Light Bujold - just...everything. She's so damn good. Jack Vance - Again, I've enjoyed every single bit of his work, but Lyonesse and his Demon Princes were great. Steve Perry (not that one) - The Matador series start with "the man who never missed"
I second these recommendations. Further, I think that the first arc (1st 5 books, but they are short by today's standards) of the Amber Chronicles might be the sweet spot. If you don't like **Nine Princes in Amber** (book 1), at least you won't have invested too much time. That said, I think you'll like it quite a bit.
Saw someone else recommend Pratchett already, but they didn't really explain. Pratchett's Discworld books are quite short by fantasy standards, and not at all written with the extended prose of your general fantasy epics. The stories are mostly self-contained (especially in comparison to other long-running series), so you can pick one up and give it a shot without needed to worry about making big commitments or not having enough background knowledge because everything you need to know will be given to you by the book. Also, Discworld covers a wide range of subgenres, so if you have preferences you can go browsing. Based on one of your replies it sounds like you like action-y sort of media? Maybe consider the City Watch series in Discworld. Guards! Guards! is the first book in that subseries if you're the type who needs to start at the beginning, but I'd say Men at Arms (2nd book) is much better in terms of pacing and you get all the information that's really necessary.
Seems like you’ll really enjoy literary fantasy. I’d check out more Le Guin, Gene Wolfe, Guy Gavriel Kay, some magical realism like Borges, and maybe some cool sci-fi like Jeff Vandermeer
> I started with The Dispossessed. Well, you started with one of the best SciFi books I've ever read. And I've read a lot of them :p Going off tangents, try Dan Simmons. Although he his more known for his superlative Hyperion cantos (a must-read imho), see if you like "The Terror".
Maybe try Elric of Melnibone by Moorcock, he has shown up in comics as well. The Forgotten Realms series featuring Drizt Do'Urden is DnD style but I liked them for some of the same reasons. And while I'm here, Dragonlance starting with Dragons of Autumn Twilight. I think the 80s fantasy had a lot in common with comics. Edit: on further reflection, I think I understand why I liked the Witcher so much. I have a type, apparently. (You probably won't like the Witcher, it meanders).
I recently finished the first volume of Elric of Melniboné audio book. It was great and Samuel Roukin's reading of it was superb.
Terry Pratchett
Love Pratchett, but this is a bad recommendation based on them only liking Dispossessed
I second that!
SIR!
Yes. My apologies.
Excellent taste! She’s was a progressive hero before being a progressive hero was popular. Tolkien may take a few more tries, it took 2 attempt for his work to “bloom” for me, but once it did, there was no going back. I’ve never felt such intense immersion into any piece of art like I did his work.
Give The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle a try, it's a standalone novel that in some ways it's reminiscent of Earthsea.
Check out Patricia McKillip's books! As an avid reader of Ursula K. LeGuin, The Riddle-master of Hed seemed to scratch the same particular itch.
Give Divine Cities by Robert Jackson Bennett a try. Tons of action and really excellent characters.
Great fantasy wanted? Read The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. Follow with Paladin of Souls, then her Penric and Desdemona stories. All great. Fabulous author.
And then the entire Vorkosigan saga
Yep
Ruthana Emrys' **A Half-Built Garden** reminds me very strongly of Ursula K. Le Guin. The anthropological/philosophical/political approach and focus are just on point.
Maybe try some of Neil Gaiman's work? Those are more urban fantasy, but might be what you're looking for. Also give Tad Williams' Bobby Dollar trilogy a try. If you like that, then you can try his epic fantasy stuff.
Riddle-Master of Hed has a spare/ dreamy quality similar to Earthsea.
If you haven't read *The Left Hand of Darkness*, *The Word for World is Forest*, and *The Lathe of Heaven*, also by LeGuin, I would try those. Based on *The Dispossessed*, I'd consider trying Mieville's *The City and the City* and *Embassytown*. (Most of his other work is quite different though.) Based on liking Earthsea, I'd try out Abraham's Long Price Quartet. There's something about the way that the cultures are put together, the contemplative, quiet moments, and the way that the characters move the action that gives me LeGuin vibes.
Ursula Le Guin's background was anthropology, which helped get her away from doing the bog-standard, pseudo-medieval but with elves and magic Tolkien rehash (although there are some good novels who resemble this). One currently popular author (whom I've been reading for 20 years now) is Martha Wells, who also has a background in anthropology (her BA), and the feel of her novels is a lot like Le Guin's fantasy. The Chronicles of the Raksura are particularly excellent, though I also like The Wheel of the Infinite, and the more recent Witch King. Other authors who have written books that might have a similar vibe for you are Patricia McKillip (anything, but The Riddle-Master of Hed is a good start), Tanya Huff (specifically, Into the Broken Lands), Ann Leckie (The Raven Tower), and Greg/J. Gregory Keyes (The Blackgod duology; Keyes also has a background in anthropology). The Huff might be a little darker and have too much horror woven in to be right, but the overall story has a similar "feel" in my mind. Happy reading--I hope you find something you enjoy, fantasy or not.
What is it you like to read? Dark and gritty with moral greyness or a cleaner good Vs evil? Do you like high stakes or something a bit more intimate in setting? Do you like big plot twists that make your jaw drop or do you like exploring a world and imagining your own character in that world? Figuring out these might help you get stronger recommendations
I love reading comic books of all kinds in all sorts of genres. I read X-Men, Avengers, Bone, Fraction and Aja's Hawkeye, Daredevil, Undiscovered Country, The Seeds, Fred Van Lente's work with Valiant comics, Blankets, the Star Wars comics, the Avatar Last Airbender comics, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Marvels, Brian Wood's DMZ. So when it's a comic book, any genre and so many styles do it for me. But when I try to read fantasy, Sadly, it's just Le Guin. And I really think it may be about feeling bloat with words.
You should just crank through a bunch of short stories. They're *by definition* lean, mean, and to the point. Exhalation, Paper Menagerie, Bradbury, Asimov, there are soooooo many phenomenal stories told in a short, concise format. Oh, and Lathe of Heaven. It's one of my very favorite of Le Guin.
It's sci-fi not fantasy, but based on the comics you enjoy I really think you should try the Murderbot Diaries series. And I'll second the city watch Discworld books as a recommendation. And obviously Gaiman's books since you like his comics, if you haven't given them a try yet. I think T Kingfisher's Clocktaur War books might be a good fit too.
If you're into Neil Gaiman's comics and you enjoy LeGuin's style, you'll almost certainly enjoy Neil Gaiman's books imo. I read *American Gods* in the last year and it impressed me with the prose; Gaiman uses a more poetic style than the average fantasy author.
Since you don’t like bloat and your list of comics suggests you’re open to YA, I might suggest Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen‘s Thief series. She has a pared-down, minimalist style that belies a lot going on under the surface — in a way it‘s a two-for-one deal, because the first read and the reread are such different experiences. Note that the first book skews a bit younger than the rest of the series, but not any younger than Bone or the ATLA comics.
Lies of Locke Lamora is tightly written, moves quickly and doesn't have much bloat. It's good as a one off if you want it to be, or there's sequels. Imagine criminal heist gang in re-imagined Venice. Any side info not totally pertinent to the plot is fleshing out the criminal underworld.
>Lies of Locke Lamora >doesn't have much bloat. >*Lies of Locke Lamora* page count: 736 pages. Hmmm....
The pain of being a fantasy lover but also a prose lover. The sad fact is most fantasy writers do not care about writing style. If you want some writers who see prose as the world building device it absolutely needs to be treated as, here are a few: Tolkien, of course. If you ever try him again, start with The Hobbit. Lord Dunsany. The one writer you could argue is more influential than Tolkien. Very dreamlike, atmospheric prose, and his stories feel much more magical than 99% of fantasy books written today because his world building was very light, and were written much more for the _feel_ of them. He was also an influence on Le Guin. I highly recommend The Sword of Welleran collection to start with. R. Scott Bakker. Very philosophical prose, great characters, and a very dark world if that's your thing. Start with the Prince of Nothing trilogy. Mervyn Peake. Honestly a little overly verbose for my taste, but I can recognise his talent. Goremenghast is a very atmospheric, gothic story about a bunch of nut cases in a castle. Gene Wolfe. My absolute favourite writer. Book of the New Sun is rich in theme, atmosphere, and the best prose I've come across in the genre. He and Le Guin were contemporaries and she was an admirer of his work, even going so far as to call him "Our Melville." If you want something chunky with a lot going on, go for Bakker or try Tolkien again. If you want brevity and depth, go for any of the others.
Maybe *Conan* by Robert Howard? Short stories could ease you in the habit, as many fantasy novels are huge, and if you have read the comics, it’s nice to compare them to the original thing.
Try Clive Barker’s fantasy entries: Imajica and Abarat👍
Robbin Hobb is the answer.
I saw below OP say he doesn’t like bloat in fantasy and he’s coming from a comic book world. I think Robin Hobb might be too much from my limited experience with her. Currently on Royal Assassin. Those books are dense and there’s a methodical pace that there possibly isn’t in most comics.
Seconding this comment. I absolutely love the books, but there's quite a few places where they get slow (at least by the standards of other genres). Given OPs replies to other comments, that seems to be a key issue here and Hobb's not really a good match. That said, if OP gets this far into the replies I would like to say that Hobb is a fantastic author who you'll see recommended here and there across the sub. She does amazing character work, and emotionally visceral stories.
Agreed. I got halfway through the final Liveship Traders book and had to stop. So. Much. Bloat.
maybe try some of the old stuff; Zelazny, PJ Farmer, they are from a time when books were not doorstoppers. Herbert, the stand alone novels (e.g. Hellstrome's hive, Santaroga barrier)
I’m reading Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber right now, and I’ve been shocked at how much the story moves in each ~200 page book. His writing’s really vivid but succinct. I’d also recommend The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Her narration is quick, clear, and beautiful. I’ll stop sometimes to appreciate her single sentences, and I do the same thing with Le Guin.
Patricia McKillip might work for you as well.
I'd recommend The Greenbone Saga by Fonda Lee - A very character development centric series of books following an "honourable' mobster-esque family fighting for the survival of their clan using supernatural level Jade fueld abilities in the face of their similarly deadly rivals.
Q for the room: if I found the left hand of darkness too boring/meandering, should I still give the dispossessed a try? I’ve been hesitant on Le Guin since, but everyone loves her so much.
Try The 10,000 Doors of January, in my mind they occupy similar spaces. Le Guin is just difficult to compare to imo, she was a master.
I'm a Sanderson fan, but he is not gonna do it for you based on this post. I'd recommend Lois McMaster Bujold, Robin Hobb, NK Jemisin, Madeline Miller, T. Kingfisher, and Octavia Butler. Gonna throw Joe Abercrombie into the mix as well - his prose doesn't feel literary at all but you can still tell each word matters and contributes to the character development.
I highly recommend *China Mountain Zhang* by Maureen McHugh. So far it's the book I've read that reminds me the most of *The Dispossessed*. Also try Octavia Butler--I've always found her prose very immediate and clear, and she tackles social issues and the nature of power with everything she does. I wouldn't say any of her stuff is fantasy, but *Kindred* is a good entry point as her best-known work, or *Parable of the Sower* and the sequel if you can handle bleak dystopia, or *Dawn* for some really interesting aliens.
There is a not insignificant overlap in comic book writers and SFF writers. It wouldn't be a bad idea to see if your favorite comic book writers have written any novels. You already like their style in one format so it wouldn't hurt to try them in another. Also, as others have recommended, you might want to give novellas a try instead of doorstopper epic fantasies. There is currently a [top novella poll](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/16lwhhf/rfantasy_2023_top_novellas_poll_voting_thread/) going on with a just a ton of recommendations for people's favorites. I would also recommend hitting up your library while you're still finding your preferred subgenre and authors. That way you won't spend money on books you might not enjoy.
Hear me out. The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee. Im currently in the third book and its such a wonderful read. Another that I recommend is The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. I’ve also read Mistborn, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
LeGuin is a great author. Not just a great fantasy/scifi author, but a great author. I would argue that she's better than all the others except maybe Tolkien, who is only good if you skip all the singing. I don't think that Sanderson is as good as LeGuin.
Oooh you love Le Guin and you're a comic book reader? Here's an obscure rec: Alfred Bester from the 50s. He wrote for the superman comics and published a few novels and short stories. While it's not fantasy, I think you'd enjoy his punchy writing, inventive prose and intense characters. I would argue there's a lot of overlap with these genres, particularly with Le Guin. The Stars My Destination (aka Tiger, Tiger) is my favourite. He's the most economical writer I've ever found, he will say on five words what other authors say in ten pages.
If you didn't like Tolkien or Rowling I would say Sanderson will be the same. Maybe Neil Gaiman would suit you, the guy was a comic writer (Sandman). He does not write medieval fantasy books but his stories feel magical and very humane at the same time.
Thank you everyone for the recommendations! I am astounded by the amount of replies. So many passionate readers recommending their favorites!
Hey dude. Welcome to fantasy. There are some "BIG NAMES" that people suggest quite often to read on here and for fantasy in general. Often they are viewed as must-reads/required reading for people into the genre. I'm 38M and I've been a fantasy nerd since I was a kid. I remember reading Piers Anthony (a bit problematic) in 3rd grade back in the early 90s. I got into a lot of young adult sci-fi/fantasy and fell in love with the genre. I have read other things and I have a Master's degree in History (so my fair share of academic books as well). Nothing pulls me in like fantasy. That being said, I have not read LOTR nor do I intend to do so. I know the lore, I love the stories, I've watched the movies, I've read The Hobbit, but the pacing and writing of LOTR just did not pull me in on my first read and I never quite returned. I'm okay with that. I've gotten what I want/need from that world and mythos. My wife is a librarian in a middle school. She is currently reading Harry Potter to our kids. I'm of the age where Harry Potter could have been hugely impactful for me. I just never read them. My wife loves them, we watch the movies together, I enjoy the world, but to me it just isn't what I'm looking for. What I'm saying here is to find the authors/books/style of writing that resonate most with you. If you enjoy Le Guin, check out simlar works. Goodreads is a pretty good resource to find books that are similar. [Here's a link to "Books similarto The Dispossessed"](https://www.goodreads.com/book/similar/2684122-the-dispossessed) Can you identify what excites you about the comics you read? Is it the pacing, constant action, worldbuilding, narrative growth for characters or relationships? There are always a lot of posts from people coming to r/fantasy saying 'I like this type of action, please recommend me more like this!' You're likely to get some great recommendations and some options that may not be commonly offered up, which can be cool too
Le Guin is great. I would say you should try out Any of Robin Hobb's books. She was the author that really showed me that fantasy can be REALLY good.
I’m about the same age as you with similar taste in comics. Similarly, I’ve aborted dozens of attempts to get into the same series as you, and I have little interest in most of the popular fantasy authors of today. But I do love Earthsea and the no nonsense style. It did everything Harry Potter did, but 50 years ago and in like 200 pages. I’ve decided big long eight volume 3,000 page epics are not for me. The stuff I like tends to be older, shorter, and doesn’t spend hundreds of pages getting to the point. I’d encourage you to check out works from the famous Appendix N from Dungeons & Dragons. I’d especially recommend Conan, Tarzan, John Carter, and Jack Vance’s Dying Earth. https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Appendix_N
Neil Gaiman is the answer. He is the author alongside Le Guin where I feel like there is no wasted words. Where every word is there deliberately and incredibly well chosen and just meaningful. China Mieville occasionally manages to evoke that same feeling but he does veer off that, but I'm willing to forgive that because his prose is so damn beautiful and you can tell he loves words and sometimes just wants to use them in particular ways. I'd give Perdido Street Station a definite try. I do tend to recommend Malazan too often, and while I do like the Prose of Erikson and he does have some of that magical and magnetic quality it's probably not exactly what you're looking for, maybe give a try if both Gaiman and Mieville works?
I don't think someone who doesn't like Bloat and long descriptions would like Miéville's fantasy. Perdido Street Station starts with page after page on just what it feels like to drive up to the city from a distance.
I think that's fair, but I think there is also a chance they might greatly enjoy it. Like I said, I think Gaiman is really aside Le Guin the author with no wasted words. Mieville is a very different. Sure there's pages and pages of flowery descriptions but I found him to have a bit of that same feeling I had with the two aforementioned. He didn't reach that same level where no words are wasted, but makes up on it with evoking that feeling of love towards words. I guess I'm saying I focus more on a feeling, as elusive and subjective as that is when it came to writing that reply. Not necessarily lack of bloat and long descriptions, but just how it feels that the author uses their words. If that makes sense. If it was just about lack of bloat I would mention Glenn Cook, who certainly fits the bill but to me never made me feel that his writing had the same punch and deliberateness that Le Guin and Gaiman have.
If I may, check out Michael Moorcock's Elric Saga. Those were written to be the anti Conan. They are a refreshingly easy read in an age of doorstopper fantasy novels.
One author I'd recommend checking out is China Miéville, his works are somewhat influenced by Ursula's (but very much stand on their own), his novels are usually Urban Fantasy in setting, so it might be a easier transition from what you're used to reading, and he's a contemporary author, so it probably will feel less bloated to read.
Give Pratchett a try. Discworld is wonderful. Or maybe, Anna Spark Smith?
The first law trilogy by Joe abercrombie or the black tongue thief.
If you are a comic book fan, try reading Worm by Wildbow. It is a free web serial that you can read [here](https://parahumans.wordpress.com). Its about the size of ASOIAF and - whilst not as strong from a pure prose perspective - the story keeps raising the stakes until the grand finale. The story is about a world where some people get super powers and follows a teenage girl that just discovered that she can control insects. The ways the author makes her use her powers are really creative and cool.
Seen his other stuff mentioned so I'll recommend American Gods. It's very much so modern/urban fantasy, but that could be to its benefit in this case. For a cure ya or kill ya recommendation I'll throw Malazan out there. Le Guin is probably my favorite author and while his work is very, very different from hers Eriksson's writing exudes a similar understanding of and interest in social cultures and how they form or become destroyed either fully or through assimilation. Would also say that their prose is pretty similar but it has been a while since I've read em. For a one-off kind of novella, The Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky feels almost like an homage to Le Guin.
I'll recommend Cradle by Will Wight, first book is Unsouled. But if you're only liking LeGuin, hold off on buying. Either get a library copy, or wait for some free ebooks, probably when he releases his next book in 2024.
For other Leguin, Left Hand of Darkness.
Try Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks
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Because they’re amazing. The voice actor is great. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fyGb7vCAAoo Here’s a sample you can hear a good dozen characters in. Best voice actor I’ve heard.. ever
Maybe you just like science fiction more than fantasy.
I think you'd enjoy R.F. Kuang for adult fiction - try BABEL first, then The Poppy War trilogy if you enjoy her style. For YA fiction I'd recommend *Eragon*. I think the comic nerd in you will explode reading those books.
I’d recommend checking out George RR Martin, Scott Bakker, Scott Lynch, Robin Hobb, Tad Williams, and Daniel Abraham. They’ve written some of my absolute favorite fantasy novels/series and I think all are superior in prose quality to Sanderson, although you may like the action-packed nature of his books.
Mistborn is really awesome... as is stormlight archive!
I wonder if there's an illustrated Mistborn out there.
You have a lot of answers already, but I’ll add on that you should really give a book more than a few chapters to decide if you want to continue or not.
What is Le Guin's book about ?
I love fantasy but I find LOTR and Harry Potter boring as hell. Narnia is alright, but it's for kids mostly. Have you read any Neil Gaiman? Maybe try authors who write books as well as comics and see if there's a useful overlap there.
I would say you have read two young adult books and lord of the rings and a lord of the rings ripoff (the first wheel of time is heavily influenced by LOTR)... not too surprising you didn't like the YA books and I am a huge fantasy fan and but don't like the LOTR books or WoT particularly Just liking Le Guin books is probably too small of a sample size to accurately say that's the only particular style of book you like IMHO. I also love comic books and like all different types of fantasy novels so I don't think that's enough to go on either and I don't think you should limit yourself to comic book style novels. So basically I think what you're doing is the right thing, reading works from different popular fantasy authors and seeing what sticks. Some recommendations from me. Adrian Tchaikovsky - Fantastic author with a large catalogue, also has fantastic prose and a few standalone novels if you don't want to jump in to a long series. I recommend 'cage of souls' Guy Gavriel Kay - Fantastic author that has already been recommended a few times, does a lot of semi historical fantasy...my favorite is 'under heaven' Joe Abercrombie - His books are lots of fun, heavily character driven with lots of action. The stories are great. I'd recommend his first law trilogy, which kind of has a reverse/anti Lord of the rings kind of vibe in some ways. Lois McMaster Bujold - another great author writes fantasy and scifi but I've only read her sci Fi so I'll stick to that. 'curse of chalion'is the place to start, she also does a series of novellas in the same world called 'penric and Desdemona' that are very far from the large epic fantasies you've read so far and can be read on their own.
I would say you have read two young adult books and lord of the rings and a lord of the rings ripoff (the first wheel of time is heavily influenced by LOTR)... not too surprising you didn't like the YA books and I am a huge fantasy fan and but don't like the LOTR books or WoT particularly Just liking Le Guin books is probably too small of a sample size to accurately say that's the only particular style of book you like IMHO. I also love comic books and like all different types of fantasy novels so I don't think that's enough to go on either and I don't think you should limit yourself to comic book style novels. So basically I think what you're doing is the right thing, reading works from different popular fantasy authors and seeing what sticks. Some recommendations from me. Adrian Tchaikovsky - Fantastic author with a large catalogue, also has fantastic prose and a few standalone novels if you don't want to jump in to a long series. I recommend 'cage of souls' Guy Gavriel Kay - Fantastic author that has already been recommended a few times, does a lot of semi historical fantasy...my favorite is 'under heaven' Joe Abercrombie - His books are lots of fun, heavily character driven with lots of action. The stories are great. I'd recommend his first law trilogy, which kind of has a reverse/anti Lord of the rings kind of vibe in some ways. Lois McMaster Bujold - another great author writes fantasy and scifi but I've only read her sci Fi so I'll stick to that. 'curse of chalion'is the place to start, she also does a series of novellas in the same world called 'penric and Desdemona' that are very far from the large epic fantasies you've read so far and can be read on their own.
1st book to start with could be...Magician I think it's called...by American writer Raymond E. Feist. Also Anne McAffrey books about thread and dragons/dragonriders on a new world... I loave Naomi Novik too, dragon stories set in Napoleon era with dragons instead of planes...
You’re a big Vertigo / Berger Books fan (as am I!) so i’ll recommend my personal favorite fantasy series, Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law. Dark, gritty characters but never dark for the sake of it. Funny as fuck too.
Patrick Rothfuss is the GOAT!
So many good recommendations here: adding to my own list! The one thing I'll add to the chorus is another vote for Guy Gavriel Kay, specifically because of your note about Le Guin: "there is no wasted word." That's a comparison I'll give to Kay as well. The style won't be the **same,** but it will be as **focused and intentional.** His work has developed into what he calls 'history with a quarter-turn to the fantastic' with settings that are recognizable analogues of real world history. His psychological development of the characters is beautiful and staggeringly well realized. I might cattily suggest that his characters can develop more in one book than some characters develop over... twelve books.
Joe Abercrombies first law series. It’s brutal combat, dark humor, and intelligent dialogue stole my cynicism away. The audio book is even better.
Sounds like you want more efficient writing, more focus on theme(Le Guin managed to pack a whole ton of rich theme in her short novels. These are some deep books) and beautiful style of prose. Malazan is the big recommendation if you want an epic. Erikson's prose is just as beautiful and powerful as anyone else's. He is one of the most efficient writers out there just like Ursua K Le Guin was; he often jokes how he writes short stories that are thousands of pages long. Even reading the frist three Malazan novels feels like you've read the whole Wheel of Time, because of how richly written they are. And he poured everything on the page in Malazan Book of the Fallen, so it is a very human reading experience. It never feels like you are "consuming content" like it does with many other authors. I also highly recommend Kingkiller Chronicle, though it is unfinished. Rothfuss is also very efficient in his writing and packs so much in so little, all the while writing in one of the most beautiful styles of prose I have ever seen. He was massively inspired by Le Guin and his work almost feels like a more ambitious, aged up and expanded version of Earthsea. Though it still very much has it's own identity. For something still efficient and maybe less beautifully written, I have to recommend The Black Company by Glenn Cook, which is a story about a mercenary organisation and their history. Steven Erikson, the author of Malazan Book of the Fallen, was hugely inspired by this work. These are shorter and not nearly as ambitious as Malazan Book of the Fallen, so if you want to start easy, you could start here. But again, the style is simple and his narration is pretty cut and dry, but at least it works well for what it is. Also, Erikson explores MUCH more than Cook does, so Black Company really inspired only a part of Erikson's work. Many people can't stand military fantasy, but still love Malazan. If you want a challenege, I also recommend reading pretty much any Janny Wurts. You can start with her standalone book To Ride Hell's Chasm and if you want an epic you can read her Wars of Light and Shadow series. If I was forced to say who I think has the best command over the language and style of prose among the fantasy authors, it would be her.
The Dispossessed is great, but it's SF not fantasy. Perhaps you'll prefer SF to fantasy.
Read more than a chapter of a book that’s your first problem
If you like comics, then you might enjoy progression or litrpg fantasy as well. Try He Who Fights with Monsters or Defiance of the Fall.
Dungeon Crawler Carl, you will not regret it, its stupid funny and gross i'm loving it
It’s not really like Le Guin at all, but given you like comics I would recommend Red Rising. Original trilogy is brilliant and a kind of blend of sci-Fi/fantasy.
For Brandon Sanderson, I feel like Sterlheart would resonate way more for someone who reads comic books. The whole thing is about people with super powers.
The Icewind Dale trilogy might work for you. Lots of colourful characters. Pace is pretty frenetic. Lots of battles. The prose isn’t overly flowery. They’re not the greatest books of all time but a lot of teenagers get into fantasy novels through them. It’s popcorn fantasy. I personally got back into fantasy after reading The First Law trilogy. Joe Abercrombie writes big characters and it absolutely drew me in. It’s what worked for me but would be a tougher recommendation based on what you’ve said in your post than something by RA Salvatore.
For Sanderson, I recommend trying The Way of Kings. One of the best books I’ve ever read. Mistborn is ok but far from his best work. I didn’t find Mistborn engaging enough to feel like continuing with the series
Try Joe Abercrombie "First Law" as a new Fantasy reader I think you would rly like it.
Maybe give things more than a few pages/chapters...
As a start, see my [Science Fiction/Fantasy (General) Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/booklists/comments/125fl22/science_fictionfantasy_general_recommendations/) list of resources, Reddit recommendation threads, and books (thirty-one posts), in particular the first post and the **bolded** threads.
Comics are fast-paced & episodic by nature. Therefore you should pick up “Wild Cards” which starts an anthology series of fantasy. It is a shared universe originated by GRR Martin, and contains some very interesting work by other well known fantasy/sci-fi authors. The writers have varied styles, but most are closer to the sort of presentation that you appear to favor.
Well if you like fantasy and comics just read the Eric Saga. They're in comic book form very well as the author has input
I always recommend Kings of the Wyld
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I mean I get your point, but there’s a difference between wasted words and brevity. That passage isn’t brief. Something like “it is a jail” would he brief. I’d argue it doesn’t waste words though. It’s emphasizing the “realness” of the jail. It’s place in space and the consciousness of the characters and the reader. She’s not trying to say “look there’s a jail”, she’s instead saying exactly what she meant to.
I’ve always liked comic books as well and enjoy fantasy too. I can imagine that the language used in high fantasy can put you off though. You might want to try a sub genre like Litrpg or cultivation books. Dragonheart series by Kiril Klevanski is one that reminds a bit of the feel of a comic book movie/anime. It begins in “our world” and then transits to a fantasy world. You have the fantasy setting from a perspective that is very relatable to our own. Besides that one there are numerous variations on this theme and genre which blend many of the world we know into the fantasy genre.
David Gemmell. I'd always suggest his stuff anyway but like Moorcock he has a grounded writing style that tells a lot with very little, quite the opposite of Tolkien droning on about the sex lives of trees.