r/fantasybooks

Hey people,

Since a a few weeks and after a decade of absence from literature I am back to reading books again. When I was younger I loved the Bartimaeous book series and now I devoured all books from Patrick Rothfuss' kingslayer saga. Apart from that Im still very much a newbie. Im open to discovering a new fantasy universe but I am quite lost in front of the endless possibilities. Maybe you guys could give me some tips. It can and should be a bit more demanding, with complex literal elements, themes and characters as well as a deeply magical world building. The atmosphere should be serious but also offer a bit comedical relief.

Thank you in advance for your time and any answers.

Someone recommended I read the Sword of Truth/Wizard's First Rule series...I read about four of them, and I'm looking for something a little less misogynist, or at least not so...dude centered.

My favorite series is The Dark Tower, I'm a huge King fan, but have read and re-reas his entire works too many times to count.

I write and create true crime content in the spirit of advocacy for victims/survivors of predatory violence. So I'm always reading a lot of nonfiction while researching cases and such. I like to read lore and character based nonfiction in between, to sort of balance out the dark vibes of the research material my work consists of.

I like the story, some of the female characters and the overall journey of the WFR series, but the glazing of the main dude has gotten old. I want to read something with all the lore, the creatures, the adventure, the magic...but without so much of the "dude who has every ability ever and who is never wrong" trope🤭.

Ya know?

Thanks.

It’s surprisingly hard to find good reviews that call out OP main characters — am I the only one who dislikes them?

I’m struggling to find any solid reviews that share my taste, so I thought I’d ask here.

I really don’t like overpowered (OP) main characters — think the protagonists in Red Rising, The Will of the Many, Dune, or Blood Song. You know the type: OP from page one, almost never wrong, and somehow thinking like a 40-year-old strategist despite being under 20. Drives me nuts.

That said, I did enjoy Rand and the gang from The Wheel of Time — but they weren’t OP from the start. I also like a slightly different flavor: where the main character is kind of OP, but the world around them is so hopeless and dark that it balances out. Empire of the Vampire is a good example.

It’s probably no surprise that my all-time favorites include The Commonwealth Saga, The Last King of Osten Ard, The Lord of the Rings, the Fitz books (Robin Hobb), The Wheel of Time, and A Song of Ice and Fire.

Anyone else feel the same way? Or have recommendations that avoid the "young genius who never fails" trope?

I plan now to start reading sci-fi / Fantasy book series Sun Eater. Main character OP? 😉

I love fantasy but lately I've been having trouble finding books that interest me and which I feel are suitable for me to read. I know everyone has different definitions of "clean," but essentially I mean no explicit content or strong language. Romance is okay as long as there's not more than a bit of kissing. It's fine if a book has mature themes as long as there's no explicit content. And I really need books to be well-written—not necessarily worthy of being the next great classic (though that's also nice), but as a baseline, the sentences should flow nicely and the plot and characters should be compelling. I feel that most of the fantasy being written these days is either too spicy or not well-written enough, and I'd really appreciate any recommendations! I'm in my lower 20s, but I'm open to books for any age level from middle-grade to adult.

Some examples of fantasy books I've liked in the past are The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, Lockwood and Co. by Jonathan Stroud, Wings of Fire by Tui Sutherland, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, and His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. I've read and liked Harry Potter and Percy Jackson as well.

I read The Hobbit and I'm currently slogging through LOTR—it interests me in theory but the story drags so I find it hard to get through.

Alright I’m having a bit of trouble figuring out what’s next. I loved the powers and stakes of the cosmere. I’ve read the first 6 realm of the elderlings, with the liveship trilogy being maybe my favorite fantasy trilogy/books ever. Read everything of Abercrombie and loved it. Really enjoyed empire of the vampire but didn’t love book 2 & 3 or the ending. Read all of the bound & broken that’s out, which is such a fun series. Recently took a foray into sci fi with a fire upon the deep and neuromancer, both are incredible with the latter getting into my all time top 5. Classics like wheel of time and LotR also finished. Started sword of kaigen but stopped because I didn’t love it.

But now… I have no idea where to go so would love some advice.

Hi, I've just got on summer break from college, and I'm trying to get back into novels through listening to audiobooks while I draw. I'm currently in the mood for some DnD-vibed fantasy heist novels, but I'm not sure where to start. What are some good ones I can start with?

Stand-alone novels preferred, but I'm not picky.

Alrighty folks. Need assistance with my next read.
Obligatory: by reading I mean audiobooks while commuting and doing the dishes.
I am almost finished Children of Dune - been doing a long line of amazing Sci-Fi for the past year. Now coming up to the end of Children of Dune and thinking the next one: God Emperor of Dune. Dune is amazing and Children of Dune is just fantastic. While I really like the Dune books, I am leaning towards a break from the depth of philosophical prose of Dune, and yearning towards more adventure-fun.
So have been thinking about the new "Full-Cast books of Harry Potter" - listened to the first one with the kids and it was awesome. But I would rather have something that I haven't listened to yet. Now you can go anywhere without getting pummelled with Dungeon Crawler Carl suggestions. I do play dnd and have heard snippets of the narration which seems to be phenomenal.

So context established: Should I continue with Dune series and do God Emperor (I've heard its a high water-mark of the series) or start DCC?

I'm currently reading Dark Age in the Red Rising series and I have Spotify playing with Mozart as a theme but not exclusively him. I've had Marricone, Bartok, and some Bach mixed in so far and find it fantastic and apropos. In fact, I'll only play classical while im reading any book. What do you all listen to, if anything at all?

When I was a kid I read this YA fantasy series, and the only thing I can recall is that the protagonist is given this thick cloak made of fur/quills so that when brushed down it would be very soft, but would become sharp if pet the opposite way. Anyone have a clue?

I keep seeing The Blacktongue Thief recommended and highly praised in this sub and would appreciate some opinions on whether it's better in book or audiobook format.

I finished the Between Two Fires audiobook a few weeks ago and that was *very* intense with me having to rewind a lot because so I could comprehend what biblical horror was going on. I love audiobooks but was iffy on that experience because of how hard it was to hear Delphine at times, especially compared to the volume for Thomas. I hear Blacktongue Thief has a much lighter tone to it so I don't know if the two books can be justifiably compared to one another.

I read most standalone books, but use audiobook format for bigger series like works of Sanderson, Abercrombie, and Dinniman. Although, that may be moreso due to the oratory prowess of Michael Kramer/Kate Reading, Steven Pacey, and Jeff Hayes.

Any and all input would be greatly appreciated, I liked the absurdity and uniqueness of Buelhman's writing from Between Two Fires and want to experience more of his comical side!

I devoured Mistborn series, Elan, Warbreaker this year, adoring each one. But I can’t for the life of me get invested in Way of Kings and it’s bugging me. I’m really pushing through these chapters but struggling to get invested. At the same time it’s clear this series is insanely beloved. What do I do? I can’t believe I’m debating DNFing

I am seeking new book recommendations. I just finished the legend of drizzt series and am seeking my next book to seek my teeth into.

Huge lord of the rings, dungeons and dragons, and mtg as well. Where should I seek my next adventure?

There's something in my mind that I've had a hard time finding again and I'd really like to re-read it, so I thought I'd ask the question here to my fellow fantasy readers.

I once read a story inside a fantasy book, I think it was part of the Wheel of Time series, but I'm not 100% sure. It could have been from the Sword of Truth series as well. It was a backstory for one of the Aes Sedai if I'm not mistaken, where her father had a factory, but her mother was very stubborn and cruel, always complaining that her dad wasn't giving equal chances to all people and only giving jobs to people who had it good.

He was very sweet and caring towards his daughter, but they had a bad marriage and the mother was very much influenced by some sort of social network/socialistic party where she was always arguing with her husband about his capitalist ways. It all spiraled out of control when they had an argument at the diner table where the daughter at a certain age suddenly sided with her mom and forced her dad to hire a guy out of their socialistic party, even though he was not the right man for the job.

I remember something about her pouty lips throwing him off as that's exactly what her mom always did. He eventually caved and hired the guy and it was the beginning of the end for the company as they forced him to hire a bunch of other people not fit/right for the job and the company went under.

I thought it was a great depiction and commentary on a socialist system and how it doesnt work. I've never been able to find it again.

Does it ring any bell?

**UPDATE: Thank you so much guys!! I've been looking for this for years, lol. You guys are amazing.

This summer break im planning to read the first two books of stormlight+the first three books of asoiaf but idk which one to start first. In your opinion what will give me the better reading experience?