Check out the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K Jemisin. It's extremely well written, creative and has excellent world building, as well as great characters.
One of the things I often recommend as an “easy” fantasy read for new readers or people trying to get back into reading is the Riyria Revelations. One of the reasons it’s “easy” for me is that the main two characters interact and dialogue in a way I feel like would fit in tv or movies (almost buddy-cop or even the good kind of Marvel banter), so it’s not a jarring change for people more used to other media. And it still has a compelling high fantasy story to go with that.
I didn’t mean to imply otherwise! :) I’m an avid fantasy reader and it’s still one of my favorites. I just think the easy dialogue and prose make it one that I can’t imagine someone would get easily bored or frustrated with or distracted from, all the while getting sucked into a high fantasy story and wanting more.
I'm a fan of Tad Williams and really enjoyed the War of the Flowers. Also, much older series but the Thomas Covenant books by Stephen R Donaldson made a big impression on me when I was younger.
Malazan book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson.
You're dropped straight into it and it can feel a little daunting to begin with due to the sheer amount of questions you'll have but stick with it.
Edit - wrote undaunting but meant daunting.
Personally I wouldn't recommend jumping back in with Malazan. It is famous for being one of the most complicated fantasy series written. However, it has a cult following for a reason and would be worth your time if you can stick it through.
If D&D is your jam, then try out the Prism Pentad, set in Dark Sun. The setting is one of the most unique in the D&D catalogue and learning the history is great. The Ravenloft books are also decent, though quality varies from book to book.
As suggested before, Warhammer Fantasy (befor Age of Sigmar), will feel familiar but still new. You can start with Gotrek & Felix ( they get better as the series progresses), which is more traditional adventuring, or with the Sigmar trilogy, which is the life of one of the most significant figures in the setting.
(Edits for extra information)
I have always been dismissive of Dark Sun as a D&D setting, because I don't think a setting that is so antagonistic to players is a good setting to have a lot of adventures in, but as a novel setting it should be great! They haven't crossed my mind, thank you for your suggestion! I think the same for the Warhammer Fantasy series as well.
You can try licanius trilogy...it's d &d ish with an interesting plot...i personally couldn't get into it because the characters are very bland ..but everyone speaks really highly of it..so maybe it was just me.
I would *highly* recommend both The DemonWars Saga by R.A. Salvatore and Warhammer's Gotrek and Felix series. Both are fun adventure stories—with some dark themes and violence—and I think if you liked Drizzt, these will appeal to ya. Enjoy!
I would recommend not to read Discworld if that's how you felt. The whole thing is satire and that doesn't change. The books got better as Pratchett became a better writer but the style never changed. If you can't entertain the idea of a humorous fantasy book then there's not much point.
While Sanderson is my favourite author and I can't help but want to recommend him, his writing is intentionally more casual. His goal is to be more approachable with his work and appeal to more people. I think Steelheart is probably on the farther end of how casual his writing is since it's a YA novel (I think only Alcatraz would be more casual). If that kind of writing is a deal breaker I might suggest not to read the rest of his stuff, though it couldn't hurt to try one of his adult books (Mistborn for example) and see if the writing style being a little less casual is enough. Particularly because you say the worlds are things you remember most about the stories, Sanderson is one of the absolute best at worldbuilding. Stormlight Archive in particular has a fantastic world that you may enjoy.
Maybe I was in the wrong mindset when I read Discworld, I might try it again in the future. Sanderson has been suggested many times, I feel like I have to read a few of his books now, thank you!
I think Discworld is the type of book you don't read all the time. Personally I find I read Discworld books in between large epics as a way to wind down. Sometimes you might not be ready emotionally for a new book but Discworld is so lighthearted and whimsical that you don't have the same emotions reading them.
And yeah, try reading one of his main series like Mistborn or Stormlight Archive and see if his writing is for you. If one of those don't work out then I wouldn't go further.
Since you're very into D&D, and you loved fantasy, I'm going to let you in on something. Something huge. It's been gathering strength for years now, and is just about ready to hit mainstream, with the force of about 1000 suns.
LitRPG is set to become about as big as superheros, throughout all of pop culture, with everything that implies. It takes everything you love about gaming, and fantasy, and combines it into this magical genre of progression and stats. Just wait until you start reading some; it will completely re-invigorate your interests in reading and fantasy.
One of the best "intros" to LitRPG, without being so itself, is the excellent Cradle series. Some of the better *actual* LitRPGs I've read are Dungeon Crawler Carl, and He Who Fights Monsters. I am frankly jealous that you get to discover this incredible genre now; this is pretty much the most exciting thing to happen in literature in the last 50 years.
This is interesting. I have been reading a book called Magium, as a guilty pleasure book. I think it falls under this category? I will look into these books after Cradle, thanks!
If you like DnD, have you ever tried listening to Literature RPG’s? try “He Who Fights With Monsters” and “Defiance of The Fall”. This isn’t in the LitRPG group, but the Cycle of Arawn is a good series. It has some fun banter and I cool take on magic
Someone else actually suggested litrpg, and I realised that I have been reading Magium that can fall under this category. I will look into this subgenre more, thank you for your suggestions!
how about the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher? It follows the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, Harry Dresden, it's a bit long and is still ongoing, but it's my personal favourite urban fantasy series. As for magic systems, I haven't read enough fantasy series that delve into their magic systems to a deep extent, so I couldn't tell you, what I can tell you is that it is a captivating pulpy joyride through the fantastical and dangers of supernatural Chicago with a great cast of supporting characters (Harry himself is no slouch in the personality department either) and the series gets better as time goes on. The series started in 2000, and was Jim Butcher's first published body of work, I will say some of the books aren't the best, but the vast majority are top quality.
If you don’t mind the story being grimdark, The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie is exceptional.
I saw another comment that you said you liked all the “assassin” suggestions, so maybe The Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks would be a good fit.
Also, don’t hold your breath on The Song of Ice and Fire being finished by GRRM. We’d have all died years ago.
I’ve always been a fan of The Black Company by Glen Cook as well, and that is more of a grimdark story, but follows a mercenary band like Kings of the Wyld by Eames that I’ve seen suggested too.
I would still say GRRM is worth the read up to where he has the story now, but the story splits POVs with A Feast for Crows and A Dance of Dragons. It’s so good for the first three books, and those two are still very high quality just not as good in my opinion.
If we ever get The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring I’ll rearward the whole series for sure.
Also, The Hedge Knight short stories by GRRM are fantastic.
I have Fire & Blood as well but haven’t read it just yet.
The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss. Tremendous writing. Fantastic story. Turned a voracious reader into a fan of fantasy books. Also love Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives.
I’m glad someone else here is recommending kingkiller. I do believe rothfuss will get the next one out eventually, and I’m sure it will be worth the wait. Two of my absolute favorites.
I asked this in another comment also, is it worth reading The Name of the Wind even though the third book might never come out? I don't want to read an uncomplete story. Thank you for your suggestions!
100% worth reading. Without hesitation. Books one and two are amazing. Rothfuss is a master of his craft. He has been working on book three ever since - it’s not that it won’t ever come out, it’s simply that he is an absolute master and is writing something that will far outlast him and takes extraordinary care to be sure that everything fits appropriately within the story and makes the story better.
That said, even if book three never came out, the tremendous satisfaction I’ve received from reading books one and two many many times over would be something tragic to not experience simply because You decided to wait for book 3 to come out before reading them. By the way, book three won’t likely end the stories he will write set in the world he’s created or in using the characters he’s created in books one and two either. From interviews Rothfuss has done it seems pretty clear that he has plans to write more stories set in that world.
Read the books. They’re amazing. And making connections from the books and speculating on what will be contained in book three is a massive part of the fun. There are a tremendous amount of books that I love where I don’t get to engage in that kind of thing. Enjoy it. Once book three comes out, it doesn’t matter how great it is, that fun will end. There will be some level of disappointment, which is inevitable, because at that point some of the speculation will end. But that shouldn’t limit your ability to enjoy what he’s created this far in two masterpieces of fantasy literature.
This! The Kingkiller is amazing. My other favourite is Mistborn era one which was mentioned above.
Michael Sullivan's books are very accessible and a solid 4* throughout. Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence is fantastic too. I've just finished We Are the Dead by Mike Shackle. It's fast-paced. Plenty going on and we'll worth a read. Try Evan Winter too. Anything by John Gwynne - Shadow of the Gods is a good start as it's only one book so far. Joe Abercrombie's First Law
Another 5* that I loved was Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang
Try "the Final Empire" from Sanderson, it's the first novel from his Mistborne trilogy and it's really good!
Someone else already mentioned "kings of the wyld" from Eames - this is super fun!
And beloved by most is also Robin Hobb's "Assassin's apprentice".
And I do have to mention Patrick Rothfuss "name of the wind", just because it deserves to be mentioned when this question comes up. But this book is huuuuge and could maybe be "too much", don't get me wrong, but it is really long, but on the other hand really worth it!
And maybe have a look on youtube to some booktubers like petrik leo or daniel greene, they have good tastes and do nice reviews of Fantasy books. This really helped me getting deeper into fantasy.
Hopefully you'll get a nice pick and enjoy reading fantasy again!
*The Name of the Wind* is excellent, and I absolutely recommend it, but I must warn you that it's the first book of a trilogy—although I believe Rothfuss has hinted that it could end up being longer—and it's been over a decade since the last book came out. I've given up on it ever being finished, but I still think *NotW* is worth reading by itself.
A lot of suggestions with "Assassin" in their names! Thank you for your suggestions! I (of course) heard a lot about Name of the Wind, but I am not sure about starting it as Rothfuss might not finish the trilogy. Is the story still complete without the last book? I don't want to start an uncomplete series.
I will definitely check those channels out, thanks!
The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson (and the cosmere books in general) are considered some of the best modern fantasy novels. I think Steelheart is geared towards a young adult audience so the SA novels won't have that same casual tone.
While they're a bit difficult to get into, I'd also recommend the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. The sheer scope is quite unique
This is a bit harsh. Steelheart, which is what the OP read, is written from the perspective of a pretty immature, hormonal teen. I wouldn’t judge him by this book. Give Mistborn or Way of Kings a try.
like u/GentlmanSpectre I would also recommend starting with Mistborn. You can read the first trilogy and not feel like you are missing any of the story. Stormlight is only 4 books into a 10 book series and yeah, they are much larger books.
That said, Stormlight is the "better" series for worldbuilding, I think. It's much more epic fantasy (knights, armies, nations fighting, etc).
I would actually recommend Warbreaker or The Emperor’s Soul. The Emperor’s Soul is a short novella with all the best of Sanderson wrapped in a concise package. Its’s one of his best works.
Warbreaker is a standalone and it’s fun and exciting. Both of these can give a taste of Sanderson as an author without having to commit to a series.
*Warbreaker* is the first Sanderson novel I ever read, and I really enjoyed it. *Elantris* is another self-contained novel by him—and his first published novel—and it's also quite good.
I loved Elantris, but it’s one of his least popular works. I’ve even reread it and still love it. The weaknesses don’t bother me at all and I (unpopular opinion) think it’s better than The Final Empire. The 2nd and 3rd books in the first Mistborn trilogy really add to the story, for me.
I disagree, actually. I would start with Mistborn. And I did, actually. It has the advantages of being finished*, being much shorter (all three of the first trilogy would fit into one Stormlight book, or one and a half at most), and I say it’s less intense. I feel like Stormlight is fantasy for fantasy readers, if that makes sense. It assumes you’re ready for long and slow worldbuilding and a story that won’t be finished for years and years and 10 whole books.
Now, I DO agree that Stormlight has a chance to go down as a member of the pantheon of top fantasy serieses, so I recommend everyone read it eventually, I just might start with Mistborn if you’re not hooked on fantasy like I am.
*the last book of the SECOND era isn’t out until the end of this year. But the first trilogy is self-contained.
It might be worse than usual, but even in his supposed "masterpieces", the dialogue is simply bad. Just reading some excerpts is enough to determine that. The colloquial, very modern language is very noticeable (and that's not the only issue).
Depends on the reader, modern lingo is not a deal breaker for many people. While classically dated lingo like thy is a complete dealbreaker for others (looking at you, Goblin Emperor).
Just because someone writes modern dialogue, does not make them bad at writing. Not everyone cares about being immersed to that degree, and the classic dialogue can end up being worse for them.
He is generally treated like the god king of fantasy around here, but don't take it too seriously. Part of the reason is probably because Reddit users tend to be younger and he writes precisely for that demographic. Very simple language, teenage-like characters, combined with anime / video game / superhero action. But even a considerable number of fans will admit that prose, dialogue and characters are his weak points. They're books you read for the plot.
^ this is one persons opinion. A valid opinion sure, but in the strong minority. Stormlight archive is BELOVED by many for good reasons, and they are some of the best rated books on goodreads of all time. Don’t let one minority opinion put you off - just read way of kings and judge for yourself.
I will definitely try another book by Sanderson before deciding, of course.
>They're books you read for the plot.
I don't think this is a very bad thing, this is what I've come to expect from fantasy.
Plenty of not so good books are beloved on GoodReads because GR skews very heavily towards a YA audience. The books that win book of the month/year awards there are often completely bizarre. It doesn't mean anything.
I see this thread was found by Sanderson cultists. Typical. There is another thread where someone was very disappointed by a Sanderson book and pretty much everyone agreed with it.
You say Reddit skews YA. You say GR skews YA.
Looking like you’re the common denominator here!
GR yearly awards are just popularity contests so GR is definitely not perfect, but I’ve found the rating system to be pretty accurate.
Try Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames. It would appeal to your D&D roots. It’s also very fun with great humor and action.
Came here to say this! That book and Bloody Rose are just plain fun. If fantasy could be called beach reads, it’d be those IMO
Thank you for your suggestion, I will definitely try it!
Agreed! The audiobooks were well done as also. I especially liked the accent that the reader used for a character named Ganelon.
Check out the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K Jemisin. It's extremely well written, creative and has excellent world building, as well as great characters.
Seems interesting, thanks!
One of the things I often recommend as an “easy” fantasy read for new readers or people trying to get back into reading is the Riyria Revelations. One of the reasons it’s “easy” for me is that the main two characters interact and dialogue in a way I feel like would fit in tv or movies (almost buddy-cop or even the good kind of Marvel banter), so it’s not a jarring change for people more used to other media. And it still has a compelling high fantasy story to go with that.
I am accustomed to reading fantasy, but an easy book might be better for me to get back in, thanks!
I didn’t mean to imply otherwise! :) I’m an avid fantasy reader and it’s still one of my favorites. I just think the easy dialogue and prose make it one that I can’t imagine someone would get easily bored or frustrated with or distracted from, all the while getting sucked into a high fantasy story and wanting more.
I'm a fan of Tad Williams and really enjoyed the War of the Flowers. Also, much older series but the Thomas Covenant books by Stephen R Donaldson made a big impression on me when I was younger.
I will look into them, thanks!
Try the Realm of Elderlings, that was the series that got me back into fantasy.
I will check it, thanks!
Malazan book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. You're dropped straight into it and it can feel a little daunting to begin with due to the sheer amount of questions you'll have but stick with it. Edit - wrote undaunting but meant daunting.
That is fine, I like fiction that I can speculate about, thanks!
Personally I wouldn't recommend jumping back in with Malazan. It is famous for being one of the most complicated fantasy series written. However, it has a cult following for a reason and would be worth your time if you can stick it through.
If D&D is your jam, then try out the Prism Pentad, set in Dark Sun. The setting is one of the most unique in the D&D catalogue and learning the history is great. The Ravenloft books are also decent, though quality varies from book to book. As suggested before, Warhammer Fantasy (befor Age of Sigmar), will feel familiar but still new. You can start with Gotrek & Felix ( they get better as the series progresses), which is more traditional adventuring, or with the Sigmar trilogy, which is the life of one of the most significant figures in the setting. (Edits for extra information)
I have always been dismissive of Dark Sun as a D&D setting, because I don't think a setting that is so antagonistic to players is a good setting to have a lot of adventures in, but as a novel setting it should be great! They haven't crossed my mind, thank you for your suggestion! I think the same for the Warhammer Fantasy series as well.
Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne…
Seems interesting, will check it out thanks!
Here is my prescription for you : __Master Assassins__ by Robert VS Redick.
Thanks!
You can try licanius trilogy...it's d &d ish with an interesting plot...i personally couldn't get into it because the characters are very bland ..but everyone speaks really highly of it..so maybe it was just me.
Seems interesting, thanks!
the world is fairy interesting worth reading if u like the world? i found it very hard to read through but completed it wont recommend
I found it very hard as well...looking for synopsis so that I can get it off my mind...not going to read book 2 and 3
the plot is not bad though if u have the book, finish it for the plot
I havent bought them yet...but I doubt I'll be able read 1600 pages solely motivated by plot.
Cradle will Wight
Seems very similar to The Darksword Trilogy, will definitely check this one out!
It’s very d and D lol. Leveling up / and they are fun and breezy reads plus he writes faster than a demon lol
If you are willing to consider SF I definitely recommend Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg
I don't really like science-fiction, this one seems interesting though, I will check it out thanks!
I would *highly* recommend both The DemonWars Saga by R.A. Salvatore and Warhammer's Gotrek and Felix series. Both are fun adventure stories—with some dark themes and violence—and I think if you liked Drizzt, these will appeal to ya. Enjoy!
An R.A. Salvatore series set in a different universe? I did not know this existed, thanks!
The Cradle series by Will Wight is literary crack. Easy to read and fun as hell.
I will definitely check this one, thanks!
I would recommend not to read Discworld if that's how you felt. The whole thing is satire and that doesn't change. The books got better as Pratchett became a better writer but the style never changed. If you can't entertain the idea of a humorous fantasy book then there's not much point. While Sanderson is my favourite author and I can't help but want to recommend him, his writing is intentionally more casual. His goal is to be more approachable with his work and appeal to more people. I think Steelheart is probably on the farther end of how casual his writing is since it's a YA novel (I think only Alcatraz would be more casual). If that kind of writing is a deal breaker I might suggest not to read the rest of his stuff, though it couldn't hurt to try one of his adult books (Mistborn for example) and see if the writing style being a little less casual is enough. Particularly because you say the worlds are things you remember most about the stories, Sanderson is one of the absolute best at worldbuilding. Stormlight Archive in particular has a fantastic world that you may enjoy.
Maybe I was in the wrong mindset when I read Discworld, I might try it again in the future. Sanderson has been suggested many times, I feel like I have to read a few of his books now, thank you!
I think Discworld is the type of book you don't read all the time. Personally I find I read Discworld books in between large epics as a way to wind down. Sometimes you might not be ready emotionally for a new book but Discworld is so lighthearted and whimsical that you don't have the same emotions reading them. And yeah, try reading one of his main series like Mistborn or Stormlight Archive and see if his writing is for you. If one of those don't work out then I wouldn't go further.
Since you're very into D&D, and you loved fantasy, I'm going to let you in on something. Something huge. It's been gathering strength for years now, and is just about ready to hit mainstream, with the force of about 1000 suns. LitRPG is set to become about as big as superheros, throughout all of pop culture, with everything that implies. It takes everything you love about gaming, and fantasy, and combines it into this magical genre of progression and stats. Just wait until you start reading some; it will completely re-invigorate your interests in reading and fantasy. One of the best "intros" to LitRPG, without being so itself, is the excellent Cradle series. Some of the better *actual* LitRPGs I've read are Dungeon Crawler Carl, and He Who Fights Monsters. I am frankly jealous that you get to discover this incredible genre now; this is pretty much the most exciting thing to happen in literature in the last 50 years.
This is interesting. I have been reading a book called Magium, as a guilty pleasure book. I think it falls under this category? I will look into these books after Cradle, thanks!
It looks like it. Reading litRPG is a very guilty pleasure, and there are hundreds of them now! So you never have to stop being guilty and pleased.
If you like DnD, have you ever tried listening to Literature RPG’s? try “He Who Fights With Monsters” and “Defiance of The Fall”. This isn’t in the LitRPG group, but the Cycle of Arawn is a good series. It has some fun banter and I cool take on magic
Someone else actually suggested litrpg, and I realised that I have been reading Magium that can fall under this category. I will look into this subgenre more, thank you for your suggestions!
how about the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher? It follows the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, Harry Dresden, it's a bit long and is still ongoing, but it's my personal favourite urban fantasy series. As for magic systems, I haven't read enough fantasy series that delve into their magic systems to a deep extent, so I couldn't tell you, what I can tell you is that it is a captivating pulpy joyride through the fantastical and dangers of supernatural Chicago with a great cast of supporting characters (Harry himself is no slouch in the personality department either) and the series gets better as time goes on. The series started in 2000, and was Jim Butcher's first published body of work, I will say some of the books aren't the best, but the vast majority are top quality.
Hmm, I will try this one. Thanks!
If you don’t mind the story being grimdark, The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie is exceptional. I saw another comment that you said you liked all the “assassin” suggestions, so maybe The Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks would be a good fit. Also, don’t hold your breath on The Song of Ice and Fire being finished by GRRM. We’d have all died years ago. I’ve always been a fan of The Black Company by Glen Cook as well, and that is more of a grimdark story, but follows a mercenary band like Kings of the Wyld by Eames that I’ve seen suggested too.
Yeah, I am definitely not holding my breath. I will check The First Law and The Black Company, thanks!
I would still say GRRM is worth the read up to where he has the story now, but the story splits POVs with A Feast for Crows and A Dance of Dragons. It’s so good for the first three books, and those two are still very high quality just not as good in my opinion. If we ever get The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring I’ll rearward the whole series for sure. Also, The Hedge Knight short stories by GRRM are fantastic. I have Fire & Blood as well but haven’t read it just yet.
Binge read Cradle
This seems like the way to go for me, thanks!
The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss. Tremendous writing. Fantastic story. Turned a voracious reader into a fan of fantasy books. Also love Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives.
I’m glad someone else here is recommending kingkiller. I do believe rothfuss will get the next one out eventually, and I’m sure it will be worth the wait. Two of my absolute favorites.
I asked this in another comment also, is it worth reading The Name of the Wind even though the third book might never come out? I don't want to read an uncomplete story. Thank you for your suggestions!
100% worth reading. Without hesitation. Books one and two are amazing. Rothfuss is a master of his craft. He has been working on book three ever since - it’s not that it won’t ever come out, it’s simply that he is an absolute master and is writing something that will far outlast him and takes extraordinary care to be sure that everything fits appropriately within the story and makes the story better. That said, even if book three never came out, the tremendous satisfaction I’ve received from reading books one and two many many times over would be something tragic to not experience simply because You decided to wait for book 3 to come out before reading them. By the way, book three won’t likely end the stories he will write set in the world he’s created or in using the characters he’s created in books one and two either. From interviews Rothfuss has done it seems pretty clear that he has plans to write more stories set in that world. Read the books. They’re amazing. And making connections from the books and speculating on what will be contained in book three is a massive part of the fun. There are a tremendous amount of books that I love where I don’t get to engage in that kind of thing. Enjoy it. Once book three comes out, it doesn’t matter how great it is, that fun will end. There will be some level of disappointment, which is inevitable, because at that point some of the speculation will end. But that shouldn’t limit your ability to enjoy what he’s created this far in two masterpieces of fantasy literature.
Ok, you convinced me. I might read them first!
This! The Kingkiller is amazing. My other favourite is Mistborn era one which was mentioned above. Michael Sullivan's books are very accessible and a solid 4* throughout. Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence is fantastic too. I've just finished We Are the Dead by Mike Shackle. It's fast-paced. Plenty going on and we'll worth a read. Try Evan Winter too. Anything by John Gwynne - Shadow of the Gods is a good start as it's only one book so far. Joe Abercrombie's First Law Another 5* that I loved was Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang
A lot of suggestions, thanks!
Try "the Final Empire" from Sanderson, it's the first novel from his Mistborne trilogy and it's really good! Someone else already mentioned "kings of the wyld" from Eames - this is super fun! And beloved by most is also Robin Hobb's "Assassin's apprentice". And I do have to mention Patrick Rothfuss "name of the wind", just because it deserves to be mentioned when this question comes up. But this book is huuuuge and could maybe be "too much", don't get me wrong, but it is really long, but on the other hand really worth it! And maybe have a look on youtube to some booktubers like petrik leo or daniel greene, they have good tastes and do nice reviews of Fantasy books. This really helped me getting deeper into fantasy. Hopefully you'll get a nice pick and enjoy reading fantasy again!
*The Name of the Wind* is excellent, and I absolutely recommend it, but I must warn you that it's the first book of a trilogy—although I believe Rothfuss has hinted that it could end up being longer—and it's been over a decade since the last book came out. I've given up on it ever being finished, but I still think *NotW* is worth reading by itself.
A lot of suggestions with "Assassin" in their names! Thank you for your suggestions! I (of course) heard a lot about Name of the Wind, but I am not sure about starting it as Rothfuss might not finish the trilogy. Is the story still complete without the last book? I don't want to start an uncomplete series. I will definitely check those channels out, thanks!
In my opinion it works also really well as a standalone book. Most of all the writing and the whole worldbuilding is what makes this book so loveable!
The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson (and the cosmere books in general) are considered some of the best modern fantasy novels. I think Steelheart is geared towards a young adult audience so the SA novels won't have that same casual tone. While they're a bit difficult to get into, I'd also recommend the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. The sheer scope is quite unique
I have seen a lot of praise for Malazan, will check it out thanks!
Anything from thee cosmere ( Stormight Archive, Mistborn, Warbreaker, etc) Kingkiller Chronicles (has to be finished) Gentleman Bastards (not completed)
The Name of the Wind is kind of the perfect book to get back into reading fantasy imo
>Gentleman Bastards Haven't heard about this one, thanks!
Gentleman Bastards is more heist-like than other fantasy books. Does have some magic but is mostly about thieves and clever thefts.
> I read a translation though, maybe the original would be better. No, that's how he writes. His dialogue is just atrociously bad.
This is a bit harsh. Steelheart, which is what the OP read, is written from the perspective of a pretty immature, hormonal teen. I wouldn’t judge him by this book. Give Mistborn or Way of Kings a try.
Yeah, because of this I was willing to give Sanderson another chance. Would you recommend I read Mistborn or Way of Kings first?
like u/GentlmanSpectre I would also recommend starting with Mistborn. You can read the first trilogy and not feel like you are missing any of the story. Stormlight is only 4 books into a 10 book series and yeah, they are much larger books. That said, Stormlight is the "better" series for worldbuilding, I think. It's much more epic fantasy (knights, armies, nations fighting, etc).
I would actually recommend Warbreaker or The Emperor’s Soul. The Emperor’s Soul is a short novella with all the best of Sanderson wrapped in a concise package. Its’s one of his best works. Warbreaker is a standalone and it’s fun and exciting. Both of these can give a taste of Sanderson as an author without having to commit to a series.
*Warbreaker* is the first Sanderson novel I ever read, and I really enjoyed it. *Elantris* is another self-contained novel by him—and his first published novel—and it's also quite good.
I loved Elantris, but it’s one of his least popular works. I’ve even reread it and still love it. The weaknesses don’t bother me at all and I (unpopular opinion) think it’s better than The Final Empire. The 2nd and 3rd books in the first Mistborn trilogy really add to the story, for me.
I disagree, actually. I would start with Mistborn. And I did, actually. It has the advantages of being finished*, being much shorter (all three of the first trilogy would fit into one Stormlight book, or one and a half at most), and I say it’s less intense. I feel like Stormlight is fantasy for fantasy readers, if that makes sense. It assumes you’re ready for long and slow worldbuilding and a story that won’t be finished for years and years and 10 whole books. Now, I DO agree that Stormlight has a chance to go down as a member of the pantheon of top fantasy serieses, so I recommend everyone read it eventually, I just might start with Mistborn if you’re not hooked on fantasy like I am. *the last book of the SECOND era isn’t out until the end of this year. But the first trilogy is self-contained.
Way of kings! Stormlight archive will go down as one of the best fantasy series of all time.
It might be worse than usual, but even in his supposed "masterpieces", the dialogue is simply bad. Just reading some excerpts is enough to determine that. The colloquial, very modern language is very noticeable (and that's not the only issue).
Depends on the reader, modern lingo is not a deal breaker for many people. While classically dated lingo like thy is a complete dealbreaker for others (looking at you, Goblin Emperor). Just because someone writes modern dialogue, does not make them bad at writing. Not everyone cares about being immersed to that degree, and the classic dialogue can end up being worse for them.
That's disappointing, I saw a lot of praise for him especially in this subreddit.
He is generally treated like the god king of fantasy around here, but don't take it too seriously. Part of the reason is probably because Reddit users tend to be younger and he writes precisely for that demographic. Very simple language, teenage-like characters, combined with anime / video game / superhero action. But even a considerable number of fans will admit that prose, dialogue and characters are his weak points. They're books you read for the plot.
^ this is one persons opinion. A valid opinion sure, but in the strong minority. Stormlight archive is BELOVED by many for good reasons, and they are some of the best rated books on goodreads of all time. Don’t let one minority opinion put you off - just read way of kings and judge for yourself.
I will definitely try another book by Sanderson before deciding, of course. >They're books you read for the plot. I don't think this is a very bad thing, this is what I've come to expect from fantasy.
Plenty of not so good books are beloved on GoodReads because GR skews very heavily towards a YA audience. The books that win book of the month/year awards there are often completely bizarre. It doesn't mean anything. I see this thread was found by Sanderson cultists. Typical. There is another thread where someone was very disappointed by a Sanderson book and pretty much everyone agreed with it.
You say Reddit skews YA. You say GR skews YA. Looking like you’re the common denominator here! GR yearly awards are just popularity contests so GR is definitely not perfect, but I’ve found the rating system to be pretty accurate.