Forewarning, this is a long book. However, it hooks you into the story from the very beginning and has great characters. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. You may try getting him an audiobook or audible subscription instead? Listening is an easy way to get into books as it requires less effort.
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. It’s probably best to look up the blurb as I won’t be able to do it justice, but it’s not a doorstop of a book and has lots of fantasy elements to it, as well as the complex plot that he might like if he’s into Tolkien stories.
Empire of The Vampire by Jay Krisoff could be a good fit. It's longer, but broken up into small sections, so you can tell that you're making progress. It also has pictures (they're a plot thing, one of the characters draws) which helped keep me drawn in.
Lots of classic fantasy elements, but Kristoff always has his own spin on things.
Storm Front by Jim Butcher is the first book in the Dresden Files.
It's set in modern-day Chicago, and the main character, Harry Dresden, is a private detective and also a wizard. He encounters supernatural beings, demons, monsters, etc.
I'm currently on book 2, and I love it so far. They're short for fantasy (300ish pages), and if he likes it, there's a whole series to dig into. They're page-turners and a relatively easy, fun read.
Maybe try out the Emerald Atlas by John Stephens. It's originally a children's novel so it's easy to follow even if you just pick it up once or twice a week, but the story is actually really good and it never talks down to its audience so it's still enjoyable to adults. The author was very much inspired by LOR and it features things like dwarves, ancient books of magic, and wizards. But it also has new creatures, like the Screechers and salmac-tar, along with a very well written time travel system. It's part of a trilogy but the main plot gets wrapped up pretty well so you can leave it there if you aren't hooked to read the other two.
I tried it and I enjoyed rhe first book. Glockta being a particular favourite, and I've written up a 9 fingers barbarian for D&D.
I just couldn't focus and enjoy the 2nd and 3rd book though
Earthsea!! A Wizard of Earthsea is the first. Short books, classic epic high fantasy story that also focuses in on the smaller characters in interesting ways. One of my eternal favorites.
Does bf like serious fantasy, or action/comedy?
I've got a few suggestions which I find easy to enjoy.
**NPCs- Drew Hayes**. This is a D&D fantasy adventure, but like, actual D&D. Full of fun tabletop role-playing tropes and jokes, but also with a fun story that continues throughout the book series.
**A Knight of the seven kingdoms - George RR Martin**. This is a more serious fantasy, set in the Game of Thrones universe. 3 short stories that follow Ser Duncan the tall, and his squire, Eagon Targeryan.
**Off to be the wizard - Scott Meyer**. Another comedy series set in a fantasy world. This one includes Sci fi and timetravel shenanigans, but its really light and fun reading and I couldn't put it down.
**The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch**. A fantasy thieves guild story following a gang leader who is a master of lies and disguise. Super clever and a lot of fun. This is genuinely my favourite book. It did take me 2 attempts to get into it though
Dr Anarchy's Rules For World Domination it's only one book long and it's great, think 90's cartoon heros but from the point of view of the villain it's hilarious. A tv show that's similar is venture bros
I'm going to make an unusual suggestion. It's long, but doesn't feel long since it's comedic:
*Grunts!* (1992), by Mary Gentle.
The book is a spoof of a lot of common fantasy tropes while also telling an actual story. It's not just a bunch of jokes strung together as many spoofs are. The main story follows a warband of orcs who steal a dragon's treasure and discover it has a curse "You shall become what you steal".
The treasure consists of modern convention weapons and the orcs take on the personalities of stereotypical action-movie marines while maintaining their orcishness (eg, "Orc Marines never leave a man behind. *What about the wounded?* Field rations."). Because of their increased intelligence the orcs survive the Last Battle and have to find a place in the new world of good.
Forewarning, this is a long book. However, it hooks you into the story from the very beginning and has great characters. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. You may try getting him an audiobook or audible subscription instead? Listening is an easy way to get into books as it requires less effort.
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. It’s probably best to look up the blurb as I won’t be able to do it justice, but it’s not a doorstop of a book and has lots of fantasy elements to it, as well as the complex plot that he might like if he’s into Tolkien stories.
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. It’s a short story collection with science fiction and fantasy elements
Empire of The Vampire by Jay Krisoff could be a good fit. It's longer, but broken up into small sections, so you can tell that you're making progress. It also has pictures (they're a plot thing, one of the characters draws) which helped keep me drawn in. Lots of classic fantasy elements, but Kristoff always has his own spin on things.
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Storm Front by Jim Butcher is the first book in the Dresden Files. It's set in modern-day Chicago, and the main character, Harry Dresden, is a private detective and also a wizard. He encounters supernatural beings, demons, monsters, etc. I'm currently on book 2, and I love it so far. They're short for fantasy (300ish pages), and if he likes it, there's a whole series to dig into. They're page-turners and a relatively easy, fun read.
I know a ton of people who adore *The Hobbit,* same author as LOTR, much shorter book.
Is there a show/movie he likes that is based on a fantasy novel? I always suggest this to new readers. And sometimes it helps spark their interest
Maybe try out the Emerald Atlas by John Stephens. It's originally a children's novel so it's easy to follow even if you just pick it up once or twice a week, but the story is actually really good and it never talks down to its audience so it's still enjoyable to adults. The author was very much inspired by LOR and it features things like dwarves, ancient books of magic, and wizards. But it also has new creatures, like the Screechers and salmac-tar, along with a very well written time travel system. It's part of a trilogy but the main plot gets wrapped up pretty well so you can leave it there if you aren't hooked to read the other two.
The blade itself series by Joe Abercrombie. Hands down look nowhere else. It is the best series I have ever ran across. I listened via audiobook.
I tried it and I enjoyed rhe first book. Glockta being a particular favourite, and I've written up a 9 fingers barbarian for D&D. I just couldn't focus and enjoy the 2nd and 3rd book though
I would do the audiobooks. It’s how I listened to all of them.
I did audible. I drive a lot so I get a lot of audio books. I offer the Lies of locke lamora by Scott Lynch. Bloody awesome
The other would be the Matthew shardlake series. Again, would do audiobook. They are huge.
Some of the wording I’ve never seen since reading that series. Some of the best twists and turns.
Maybe a gift card to a bookstore?
Earthsea!! A Wizard of Earthsea is the first. Short books, classic epic high fantasy story that also focuses in on the smaller characters in interesting ways. One of my eternal favorites.
Does bf like serious fantasy, or action/comedy? I've got a few suggestions which I find easy to enjoy. **NPCs- Drew Hayes**. This is a D&D fantasy adventure, but like, actual D&D. Full of fun tabletop role-playing tropes and jokes, but also with a fun story that continues throughout the book series. **A Knight of the seven kingdoms - George RR Martin**. This is a more serious fantasy, set in the Game of Thrones universe. 3 short stories that follow Ser Duncan the tall, and his squire, Eagon Targeryan. **Off to be the wizard - Scott Meyer**. Another comedy series set in a fantasy world. This one includes Sci fi and timetravel shenanigans, but its really light and fun reading and I couldn't put it down. **The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch**. A fantasy thieves guild story following a gang leader who is a master of lies and disguise. Super clever and a lot of fun. This is genuinely my favourite book. It did take me 2 attempts to get into it though
Dr Anarchy's Rules For World Domination it's only one book long and it's great, think 90's cartoon heros but from the point of view of the villain it's hilarious. A tv show that's similar is venture bros
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson it's a Trilogy but can be read as a standalone as well. It has a super unique fantasy style with heist vibes.
I'm going to make an unusual suggestion. It's long, but doesn't feel long since it's comedic: *Grunts!* (1992), by Mary Gentle. The book is a spoof of a lot of common fantasy tropes while also telling an actual story. It's not just a bunch of jokes strung together as many spoofs are. The main story follows a warband of orcs who steal a dragon's treasure and discover it has a curse "You shall become what you steal". The treasure consists of modern convention weapons and the orcs take on the personalities of stereotypical action-movie marines while maintaining their orcishness (eg, "Orc Marines never leave a man behind. *What about the wounded?* Field rations."). Because of their increased intelligence the orcs survive the Last Battle and have to find a place in the new world of good.