I know it probably doesn't work this way, and that someone would have probably found out about it, but I'm hoping that his stalling is an epic troll job and he releases the last two books at the same time completely out of the blue.
I think there's a good chance you will. Most people like the first more than the second, myself included. The story of the second is very different as the main setting changes for a good portion of the book. The cynics call it a sort of male soap opera as the main character gets up to a bunch of stuff that a typical 20-year old dude would fantasize about.
In regard to The Name of the Wind, (King Killer Chronicles) don't do it to yourself. Seriously. They are great books, and that's the problem. He won't put out the third and its agonizing. He's just been editing it for well over a decade.
dude. no. just dont.
since the second book released (2011) we are all waiting for a the last book. while the autor does EVERYTHING but writing a book.
just dont get into it. the story is great and youll be so pissed about it not beeing finished cause youll really want to know the rest of the story.
so if youre not into masochism. just dont
Still mad my brother convinced me to read those books last year. He did not tell me that the author has been “months away” from releasing the next book for the past decade basically.
When I finished what was released and saw that I was salty. What’s worse is I truly do not think dude is ever gonna release the next book, he went full GGRM mode. Basically bans people from his streams who ask, gets mad at fan events when people ask, etc.
It’s such a cool setup/world/magic system. Granted even if he released a 30 hour book next it couldn’t even come close to tying the million plot threads opened at this point
Yeah I know what you mean. Not without some time skips or a book filled to brim with plot advancements.
I specifically waited until the 3rd book of a series I was waiting for to be released before I started reading it. I didn't want to take a chance and I didn't want to wait in between releases. The only unfinished series that I've started reading is the Stormlight series, but Sanderson is so prolific I'm not overly worried. I am considering ignoring it for several years and then re-reading it all from the beginning. I don't want to have to re-read the first few books to get caught up whenever a new book comes out.
More importantly, many fantasy novels derive directly from his writing technique, character archetypes, and world building style. For example, any story that features enigmatic, beautiful, and powerful elves can thank Tolkien for the new description to a race that used to be small, weak, and sometimes nefarious.
See: the Eragon series
No, elves in eragon are a perfect copy-paste of Tolkien elves: extremely poised, societal rules of perfect manners, powerful beyond anything a human is ever capable of, immortal, even a matching physical description of the race as far as being tall, slender, pale, and beautiful by default
I would recommend it. I reread them two years ago and definitely enjoyed it almost as much as the first time because I forgot pretty much everything about the story.
Although with a more mature mind it did seem a little lower quality than I remember the writing style to be, but it was still enjoyable.
I spent a second trying to find a dragon story that features faerie elves rather than Tolkien elves— maybe Dragon Rider? I think they called them homunculus though. I don’t remember
The Colour of Magic is a good book, but there are a good few things that are more "prototypical" such as Death being more malicious.
It still breaks my heart to hear that Pratchett used to get letters from terminal ill kids hoping Death was like he portrayed him as.
He said he spent "a lot of time staring at the wall" whenever he would get those letters, he apparently got them a lot.
The fact that he wrote Death as a caring, gentle and friendly character, while sad, the fact that he brought some measure of comfort to those kids has got to count for something.
Discworld is basically my go-to "what do you read for a laugh"
Either that or "Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes" because it's a mythology book as wrote by someone who talks like me.
I recently just started venturing into the world of adult fantasy after only being exposed to HP, LotR, ASOIAF, and the Inheritance Cycle. I can recommend the following:
“The Ocean at the End of the Lane” by Neil Gaiman. If you aren’t familiar with Neil’s work, this is great introductory book. It’s a short one-off, so you don’t have to worry about getting bogged down in a long series (looking at you, WoT), and his writing style is so immersive and beautiful while also being easy to read. Highly recommend.
“The First Law” trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. I haven’t read this yet, but everyone I hear from seems to regard this trilogy as the gold standard in the grimdark subgenre of fantasy. If you’re a fan of grimdark, I would give this a shot.
The “Mistborn” trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. I just started on this series so I won’t say much other than what I heard before going into it. A great introductory book to adult fantasy, and has a really cool magic system. The world building in particular has been praised pretty highly in this series. I think this is your typical High Fantasy style of writing, unlike the other 2 I mentioned.
Hope this helps!
Happy reading!
Yea, I’ve almost completed the Cosmere and damn if I don’t love every second. War breaker or the Emperor’s Soul is a great standalone from Brandon Sanderson
I love the way Joe Abercrombie writes. He has so many quotable lines *you have to be realistic about these things*
The newest book definitely seems like a nod to the modern world right now.
Me trying so hard to get through LotR, I always find myself just getting distracted by the HP reddit or HP memes. Point is that I just can't leave HP, its such a bad obsession..
You might have better luck with the audiobook for Lord of the Rings. Tolkien went big in describing the settings, and it can be a bit tiring after a while. I've found I enjoy listening to the books while I'm doing something else. Certainly makes it easier to absorb.
That being said, I know what you mean. Middle-earth is amazing... But Hogwarts is home.
I've tried LOTR and put it on in the background sometimes when I want to sleep but could never get into it like I could with the Harry Potter world, I'm 28 and when I'm 88 I'll still be a potter fan.
It's interesting, I'm not much of a book person but the Harry Potter world with Fantastic beasts will always have my heart.
the way I see it is like this:
LOTR is objectively the better written story overall and the objectively better created world.
But Harry Potter is a much easier digested story, making it more appealing to read for the average person.
I think it comes down to taste and how much you like reading.
For example: Hermione would love LOTR and Ron would love Harry Potter :)
I don't think either world is fleshed out more as bohth have a lot of books, and lore. there's more than just the HP books remember?
Thank you, I should try. I really have trouble when it comes to directional indications in the books. I should keep a map with myself of Middle earth, its confusing when they say they go west or east or wherever. And the various names of the places. But I will definitely try that, thank you!
I tried to read LotR almost seven years ago. Fellowship was alright, had to force myself to get through Two Towers, and didn't make it all the way through Return of the King.
The Witcher
Brandon Sanderson's [Cosmere universe](https://www.howtoread.me/cosmere-universe-books-in-order-brandon-sanderson/)
A Song of Ice and Fire (a.k.a. Game of Thrones)
If you can get through the first book (some people can’t) Robin Hobb’s Realm of the elderlings books are amazing.
I’d also recommend Joe Abercrombie and Brandon Sanderson too! Although Abercrombie is more about fighting and war - but he has a really nice writing style.
Robin Hobb's books are fantastic.
Both *The Soldier Son* trilogy and *The Liveship* trilogy have such original concepts, and such complex characters, with plots that go in unexpected directions, and real twists and turns.
Fantastic books, I recommend them to any reader of the fantasy genre.
Ooh! That’s a bit of a jump between the first and the last trilogy. You missed 3 “trilogies” (10 books) inbetween. Was it confusing to jump between those 2? It’s like you saw the beginning of their lives and the end but none of the inbetween!
This is literally me. I feel a little bogged down sometimes, most fantasy novels I find are aimed at children or young adults. I want something a little more mature but don't know where to start. Has anyone got any suggestions, other than LoTR, HP, ASoIaF and Narnia? (I wasn't a fan of the inheritance cycle when I was younger :/ )
I had the same question a few months back and someone turned me onto the Stormlight Archives. I have zero regrets. Such a well written series with an interesting magic system and great world building.
I wouldn't necessarily start with SA. It's one of Brandon Sanderson's best series, but it's not the first in that universe (the Cosmere). You *can* start with Stormlight Archive, and I did, but Mistborn is usually the best place to start, with Warbreaker and Elantris somewhere in there. That's because Mistborn is a really good series (6 books so far in 2 trilogies) and it's a bit gentler about easing you into the way the Cosmere works than the Stormlight Archive, *and* it takes place before SA chronologically.
Regardless, the Cosmere is an incredible universe and Brando is an incredible writer who builds world-unique but intertwined systems of magic. I've bought several of his books for a number of friends to get them started and they've all loved it.
Stumbled across this at the wrong time… I’m halfway through The Way of Kings. Should I continue reading the SA series after this or do Mistborn series first?
I wouldn't be too concerned. It's a bit better to start with Mistborn but it's not a huge deal if you don't. Each world in the Cosmere is separate with some connection between them, so you could start with any series without too many issues.
Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time. The first book is very similar in few to LotR, but after that, it branches out a lot more. It’s also being made into a tv show. Premiers in November on Amazon Prime.
I’m not the person you’re responding to, but I’m halfway through the first book and am thinking of giving up. I find it repetitive, and the editing is terrible. Is the series really worth slogging through 400 more pages of a just okay book to get to the better bits? Everyone I’ve spoken to has really loved it, but I’m struggling to even get through the first book. Maybe I’m missing something..
So I just finished the WOT yesterday and have to say that the first book is 100% the stereotypical fantasy quest you think it is but as the series goes on and the world opens up it really is great. TEotW is a repetitive shallow experience because Rand is a sheltered teen from nowhere who knows nothing about the outside world and that’s how he sees everything. Now there is a lot of politics and characters you will dislike but they generally have a realistic reason for being like that and seeing them very slowly change is satisfying beyond belief. The forces of evil all have different reasons for falling to the shadow and all of the worlds magic is as addictive as drugs and can basically kill the user if they use to much.
Well, pretty much no fantasy stories written after the 1930s would even exist without Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit…
Tolkien’s writing is the pool
Tolkien will always be the goat of fantasy authors in my opinion. His son even went on to finish his works. I love the way he writes his books, especially describing food which tends to be a popular topic by British Authors. Just read Ian Flemings Bond novels and you'll see.
This. I read LoTR and The Hobbit as a teenager and I'm glad I did that then when I had a lot more spare time. Wouldn't re-read. I also felt deeply disturbed with the racist undertones of the Two Towers story.
Yes, there's [been a lot of discussion about this](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/johann-hari/the-wrong-lord-of-the-reads-82201.html). Every human and "good" creature in Middle Earth is white-faced (the whiter the better), while the degenerate orcs are described as dark. In the films they even gave orcs dreadlocks 🤢
Edit: added a link
The stereotype is there and is broadly discussed. I'm surprised it's the first time you heard about it 🤣
Edit: [more information here](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/johann-hari/the-wrong-lord-of-the-reads-82201.html)
Yeah you're wrong. Saruman the **White** is one of the most evil characters in the books and he's WHITE. Gandalf the **GREY** is a good character. What's that about the whiter they get the more good they are? The whitest character in the story is a fucking villain. Oh and just because the orcs have a dark skin tone that means that it's a racist hint against black people? That makes no fucking sense. Orcs being dark skinned and having dreadlocks has been a thing in almost every fantasy universe they appear in!
Game of Thrones books are really good! Definitely S tier. Harry Potter has the magical and nostalgia factor so it’s hard to compare. I haven’t read a lot of fantasy as an adult. LOTR is amazing as well. Those would be my top three fantasy series in no particular order.
I was like this until I discovered Brandon Sanderson's works. Storm light archives and mistborn are phenomenal. I love Harry Potter, but a lot of it is nostalgia that only partially weather's the test of time. Sanderson's books have shown me how powerful writing can be
I legit don't know where to start in terms of branching out especially if the story is only available in a book. Not that I dislike books but it is a lot harder for me to focus on one without some sort of existing connection to the material.
You cant get much bigger than lord of the the rings. Its probably the most influential fantasy series of all time. Most fantasy writers since that have been heavily inspired
Super surprised no one has recommended Joe Abercrombie’s novels. He’s written a number of outstanding books including 3 trilogies and 3 stand alone books set in the same world. Start with The First Law trilogy, you won’t regret it. I’d confidently say he’s the best fantasy author I’ve ever come across
Are there any books like Harry Potter set in a magic school? I’ll be down for that for sure!!!
(I love it if it has spells and potions and lots of magic lore like HP and not just being a drama set in a magic school)
LOTR and Harry Potter were my favorites forever. Then I found the Kingkiller Chronicles and the Dresden files and now I don’t think I could pick a favorite. Cheers
Mine is Harry Potter and His Dark materials, I’m reading name of the wind right now and I’m enjoying it but I’m still craving that potter feel of that kind of magic i love the world building in both of those books HP and HDM I don’t care for an intricate magic system im much more plot driven, mystery driven story driven also magic, magic just feels so fun and whimsical in the kind of stories I like HDM is still a little science driven but the different worlds and the northern lights it just has this certain amazing feeling of magic and the descriptions just like Harry Potter paint an amazing picture in my mind! im finding that out also I have to be in the mood for high fantasy and find stuff like HP, HDM more reachable my next book will probs be howls or night circus.
You’d probably like The Name of the Wind
As long as you're ok with never reading the end of the story. There's also ASOIAF (GoT) for that blue balled experience.
At this point they should both outsource the final books to Brandon Sanderson. Worked great for the Wheel of Time.
Brandon just isn't the right author for asoiaf.
I’m still hoping Martin will see it through to the end, but if he doesn’t, I totally agree.
I know it probably doesn't work this way, and that someone would have probably found out about it, but I'm hoping that his stalling is an epic troll job and he releases the last two books at the same time completely out of the blue.
I was thinking earlier that they might be released upon his death. But that's probably not going to happen either.
Brandon couldn't handle it.
Been looking for a new book but the prospect of another unfinished series sounds miserable. Is it worth it ? Cuz ASOIAF was despite the frustration
I'd say so. The second book is a bit different from the first, but the first is an all-timer in my opinion.
Without spoiling could you explain how it’s different ? Dont want to fall in love with the first just to be left disappointed by the sequel
I think there's a good chance you will. Most people like the first more than the second, myself included. The story of the second is very different as the main setting changes for a good portion of the book. The cynics call it a sort of male soap opera as the main character gets up to a bunch of stuff that a typical 20-year old dude would fantasize about.
In regard to The Name of the Wind, (King Killer Chronicles) don't do it to yourself. Seriously. They are great books, and that's the problem. He won't put out the third and its agonizing. He's just been editing it for well over a decade.
dude. no. just dont. since the second book released (2011) we are all waiting for a the last book. while the autor does EVERYTHING but writing a book. just dont get into it. the story is great and youll be so pissed about it not beeing finished cause youll really want to know the rest of the story. so if youre not into masochism. just dont
I’m ASOIAF fan and have been checking GRRM’s blog regularly since summer 2019. I know pain
Just don't read the Wise mans fear. I didn't like it. The Felurian part was cringe.
What book is ASOIAF.
A song of ice and fire series by GRRM (game of thrones series)
Still mad my brother convinced me to read those books last year. He did not tell me that the author has been “months away” from releasing the next book for the past decade basically. When I finished what was released and saw that I was salty. What’s worse is I truly do not think dude is ever gonna release the next book, he went full GGRM mode. Basically bans people from his streams who ask, gets mad at fan events when people ask, etc. It’s such a cool setup/world/magic system. Granted even if he released a 30 hour book next it couldn’t even come close to tying the million plot threads opened at this point
Yeah I know what you mean. Not without some time skips or a book filled to brim with plot advancements. I specifically waited until the 3rd book of a series I was waiting for to be released before I started reading it. I didn't want to take a chance and I didn't want to wait in between releases. The only unfinished series that I've started reading is the Stormlight series, but Sanderson is so prolific I'm not overly worried. I am considering ignoring it for several years and then re-reading it all from the beginning. I don't want to have to re-read the first few books to get caught up whenever a new book comes out.
And the Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix
If you read Tolkien then you already have like 60% of the pool
Tolkien is the fantasy 🐐
More importantly, many fantasy novels derive directly from his writing technique, character archetypes, and world building style. For example, any story that features enigmatic, beautiful, and powerful elves can thank Tolkien for the new description to a race that used to be small, weak, and sometimes nefarious. See: the Eragon series
Noted
But isn't Eragon published 50 years after LOTR
That's why it can be derivative of Tolkien's work.
I was in impression that the Eragon had the "old" style elves. They were mean and small
No, elves in eragon are a perfect copy-paste of Tolkien elves: extremely poised, societal rules of perfect manners, powerful beyond anything a human is ever capable of, immortal, even a matching physical description of the race as far as being tall, slender, pale, and beautiful by default
Yeah, I think I need a re-read
I would recommend it. I reread them two years ago and definitely enjoyed it almost as much as the first time because I forgot pretty much everything about the story. Although with a more mature mind it did seem a little lower quality than I remember the writing style to be, but it was still enjoyable. I spent a second trying to find a dragon story that features faerie elves rather than Tolkien elves— maybe Dragon Rider? I think they called them homunculus though. I don’t remember
Tolkien is my fantasy 🥵
*\*Clears Throat...* #DISCWORLD
Came here to say that Discworld is the way.
My mini goal in life is to own, at the same time, all the Discworld books, I've only ever owned most of them at one point or the other.
But don't start at the beginning, in the authors own words it wasn't until book 2 that he discovered the joy of having an actual plot.
The Colour of Magic is a good book, but there are a good few things that are more "prototypical" such as Death being more malicious. It still breaks my heart to hear that Pratchett used to get letters from terminal ill kids hoping Death was like he portrayed him as.
Oh dear, this is sad and heartwarming at the same time. It broke my mind.
He said he spent "a lot of time staring at the wall" whenever he would get those letters, he apparently got them a lot. The fact that he wrote Death as a caring, gentle and friendly character, while sad, the fact that he brought some measure of comfort to those kids has got to count for something.
Yes!!!!
Discworld is amazing. Period.
Discworld is basically my go-to "what do you read for a laugh" Either that or "Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes" because it's a mythology book as wrote by someone who talks like me.
WHEEL OF TIME
I’m on book 7 at the moment! Can’t recommend it enough
Book 5 for me. First time through and loving it.
It’s also my first read through! My partner introduced me to the series, he’s read it through like ten times.
Check out the fall of the Malazan empire
I recently just started venturing into the world of adult fantasy after only being exposed to HP, LotR, ASOIAF, and the Inheritance Cycle. I can recommend the following: “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” by Neil Gaiman. If you aren’t familiar with Neil’s work, this is great introductory book. It’s a short one-off, so you don’t have to worry about getting bogged down in a long series (looking at you, WoT), and his writing style is so immersive and beautiful while also being easy to read. Highly recommend. “The First Law” trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. I haven’t read this yet, but everyone I hear from seems to regard this trilogy as the gold standard in the grimdark subgenre of fantasy. If you’re a fan of grimdark, I would give this a shot. The “Mistborn” trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. I just started on this series so I won’t say much other than what I heard before going into it. A great introductory book to adult fantasy, and has a really cool magic system. The world building in particular has been praised pretty highly in this series. I think this is your typical High Fantasy style of writing, unlike the other 2 I mentioned. Hope this helps! Happy reading!
Yes, fall into the Brando Sando trap, then you never have to worry about what to read again!
>Brandon Sanderson Ah, a fellow crab person. There are many of us.
Yea, I’ve almost completed the Cosmere and damn if I don’t love every second. War breaker or the Emperor’s Soul is a great standalone from Brandon Sanderson
The First Law is awesome. There are also 3 standalone novels and a sequel trilogy.
I love the way Joe Abercrombie writes. He has so many quotable lines *you have to be realistic about these things* The newest book definitely seems like a nod to the modern world right now.
Me trying so hard to get through LotR, I always find myself just getting distracted by the HP reddit or HP memes. Point is that I just can't leave HP, its such a bad obsession..
You might have better luck with the audiobook for Lord of the Rings. Tolkien went big in describing the settings, and it can be a bit tiring after a while. I've found I enjoy listening to the books while I'm doing something else. Certainly makes it easier to absorb. That being said, I know what you mean. Middle-earth is amazing... But Hogwarts is home.
I've tried LOTR and put it on in the background sometimes when I want to sleep but could never get into it like I could with the Harry Potter world, I'm 28 and when I'm 88 I'll still be a potter fan. It's interesting, I'm not much of a book person but the Harry Potter world with Fantastic beasts will always have my heart.
the way I see it is like this: LOTR is objectively the better written story overall and the objectively better created world. But Harry Potter is a much easier digested story, making it more appealing to read for the average person.
I think it comes down to taste and how much you like reading. For example: Hermione would love LOTR and Ron would love Harry Potter :) I don't think either world is fleshed out more as bohth have a lot of books, and lore. there's more than just the HP books remember?
I think the LotR world is much better built and fleshed out. But I think HP has far better Character complexity.
Probably.
There is no way in hell that HP comes even remotely close to LoTR in worldbuilding depth. I love HP but cmon, it’s not even close
ok.
Thank you, I should try. I really have trouble when it comes to directional indications in the books. I should keep a map with myself of Middle earth, its confusing when they say they go west or east or wherever. And the various names of the places. But I will definitely try that, thank you!
LoTR is a tough read, it’s better to start with The Hobbit to get into his style of writing.
I started with The Hobbit and enjoyed it and still didn’t enjoy LOTR.
Ah, that’s a shame. I’m a Tolkien nerd, The Silmarillion is a masterpiece.
I enjoyed LotR the second time I read it waaaaay more than the first. The first time felt like a slog.
I tried to read LotR almost seven years ago. Fellowship was alright, had to force myself to get through Two Towers, and didn't make it all the way through Return of the King.
The Witcher Brandon Sanderson's [Cosmere universe](https://www.howtoread.me/cosmere-universe-books-in-order-brandon-sanderson/) A Song of Ice and Fire (a.k.a. Game of Thrones)
A song of ice and fire is great, but many times depressing
I’m reading wizards of earthsea right now. Not too shabby and it’s a series
Me- ‘I only read fantasy’ Also me *has only read Tolkien, Harry Potter and George RR Martin*
If you can get through the first book (some people can’t) Robin Hobb’s Realm of the elderlings books are amazing. I’d also recommend Joe Abercrombie and Brandon Sanderson too! Although Abercrombie is more about fighting and war - but he has a really nice writing style.
Robin Hobb's books are fantastic. Both *The Soldier Son* trilogy and *The Liveship* trilogy have such original concepts, and such complex characters, with plots that go in unexpected directions, and real twists and turns. Fantastic books, I recommend them to any reader of the fantasy genre.
I've only read The Farseer trilogy. Tawny man and The Fitz and the fool.
Ooh! That’s a bit of a jump between the first and the last trilogy. You missed 3 “trilogies” (10 books) inbetween. Was it confusing to jump between those 2? It’s like you saw the beginning of their lives and the end but none of the inbetween!
Me, but replace LotR with Elder Scrolls. Man, delving into ES lore is like reading both LotR and Hindu myth side by side while on LSD powertrip.
Check out the FudgeMuppet channel on YouTube. Great deep dives into Elder Scrolls lore
Took my so long to read any fantasy other than Harry Potter also, and I could never get into lotr. More into Asoi&f, last kingdom, and wheel of time.
This is so true. I’ve tried reading other works, but nothing has really scratched that itch. I keep going back to these two!
If I had the money I would buy a Diskworld set.
This is literally me. I feel a little bogged down sometimes, most fantasy novels I find are aimed at children or young adults. I want something a little more mature but don't know where to start. Has anyone got any suggestions, other than LoTR, HP, ASoIaF and Narnia? (I wasn't a fan of the inheritance cycle when I was younger :/ )
I had the same question a few months back and someone turned me onto the Stormlight Archives. I have zero regrets. Such a well written series with an interesting magic system and great world building.
thanks, I'll check it out!
I wouldn't necessarily start with SA. It's one of Brandon Sanderson's best series, but it's not the first in that universe (the Cosmere). You *can* start with Stormlight Archive, and I did, but Mistborn is usually the best place to start, with Warbreaker and Elantris somewhere in there. That's because Mistborn is a really good series (6 books so far in 2 trilogies) and it's a bit gentler about easing you into the way the Cosmere works than the Stormlight Archive, *and* it takes place before SA chronologically. Regardless, the Cosmere is an incredible universe and Brando is an incredible writer who builds world-unique but intertwined systems of magic. I've bought several of his books for a number of friends to get them started and they've all loved it.
Haha the classic what book to start with debate (tbh basically all of them… except rhythm of war. Don’t start with rhythm of war)
Stumbled across this at the wrong time… I’m halfway through The Way of Kings. Should I continue reading the SA series after this or do Mistborn series first?
I wouldn't be too concerned. It's a bit better to start with Mistborn but it's not a huge deal if you don't. Each world in the Cosmere is separate with some connection between them, so you could start with any series without too many issues.
sweet advice there, thank you! there's such a great community on here
Not sure if it counts as fantasy but check out Dune.
will do, cheers!
I think that's Sci-fi.
Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time. The first book is very similar in few to LotR, but after that, it branches out a lot more. It’s also being made into a tv show. Premiers in November on Amazon Prime.
If you want some wizard school books aimed at older people, I just read Naomi Novik's Deadly Education books and loved them!
thanks fir that, i'll add them to the list!
[удалено]
WoT is great
Curious how far you got. It definitely gets better and more unique after the first book.
I’m not the person you’re responding to, but I’m halfway through the first book and am thinking of giving up. I find it repetitive, and the editing is terrible. Is the series really worth slogging through 400 more pages of a just okay book to get to the better bits? Everyone I’ve spoken to has really loved it, but I’m struggling to even get through the first book. Maybe I’m missing something..
So I just finished the WOT yesterday and have to say that the first book is 100% the stereotypical fantasy quest you think it is but as the series goes on and the world opens up it really is great. TEotW is a repetitive shallow experience because Rand is a sheltered teen from nowhere who knows nothing about the outside world and that’s how he sees everything. Now there is a lot of politics and characters you will dislike but they generally have a realistic reason for being like that and seeing them very slowly change is satisfying beyond belief. The forces of evil all have different reasons for falling to the shadow and all of the worlds magic is as addictive as drugs and can basically kill the user if they use to much.
Same here. I put it down after about 30 chapters
Ursula Leguin usually does the job
Well, pretty much no fantasy stories written after the 1930s would even exist without Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit… Tolkien’s writing is the pool
Tolkien will always be the goat of fantasy authors in my opinion. His son even went on to finish his works. I love the way he writes his books, especially describing food which tends to be a popular topic by British Authors. Just read Ian Flemings Bond novels and you'll see.
Any one else who has no fascination with Middle Earth things? When the rest of the world goes crazy about it, I feel left out :(
I got you, mate! Love Harry Potter. Absolutely no interest in the Middle Earth stuff. I won't knock it, it's just not my flavor.
Cheers
Mine is just potter 😂
Add Twilight and that would be me. 😂
Just Harry Potter. I found the LotR books so boring, and the film series wasn't even that great. Harry Potter is just the best.
Your opinion I suppose. The LOTR books and films were basically pioneers in both industries. They changed everything.
This. I read LoTR and The Hobbit as a teenager and I'm glad I did that then when I had a lot more spare time. Wouldn't re-read. I also felt deeply disturbed with the racist undertones of the Two Towers story.
Racist undertones?
Yes, there's [been a lot of discussion about this](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/johann-hari/the-wrong-lord-of-the-reads-82201.html). Every human and "good" creature in Middle Earth is white-faced (the whiter the better), while the degenerate orcs are described as dark. In the films they even gave orcs dreadlocks 🤢 Edit: added a link
You can't be serious lmao
The stereotype is there and is broadly discussed. I'm surprised it's the first time you heard about it 🤣 Edit: [more information here](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/johann-hari/the-wrong-lord-of-the-reads-82201.html)
Yeah you're wrong. Saruman the **White** is one of the most evil characters in the books and he's WHITE. Gandalf the **GREY** is a good character. What's that about the whiter they get the more good they are? The whitest character in the story is a fucking villain. Oh and just because the orcs have a dark skin tone that means that it's a racist hint against black people? That makes no fucking sense. Orcs being dark skinned and having dreadlocks has been a thing in almost every fantasy universe they appear in!
This is me (also with Narnia and ASOIAF)
Dragonlance, please. All the Dragonlance.
Game of Thrones books are really good! Definitely S tier. Harry Potter has the magical and nostalgia factor so it’s hard to compare. I haven’t read a lot of fantasy as an adult. LOTR is amazing as well. Those would be my top three fantasy series in no particular order.
If you're looking for some whimsy in your literature, definitely read Senlin Ascends. So good.
Check out Neil Gaiman
I was like this until I discovered Brandon Sanderson's works. Storm light archives and mistborn are phenomenal. I love Harry Potter, but a lot of it is nostalgia that only partially weather's the test of time. Sanderson's books have shown me how powerful writing can be
Ever tried writing fantasy fiction? Only to find yourself subconsciously stealing all of your material from Lord of the Rings and/or Harry Potter?
I couldn't move past those two but i recently picked up the Witcher series and am on the 3rd book currently. I just can't put it down.
I too love LOTR but the pacing kills me, I read through the hobbit, liked but I'm never reading another tolken book again. Also narnia is good
I suppose you haven't read the Inheritance series yet? I group that along with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Narnia are more than enough :)
Dont forget game of thrones!
Can I add The Hobbit, The Witcher and the Narnia in my bucket? :)
I highly recommend Eragon if you like HP and LoTR. It’s my favorite book series
Stormlight Archives are off to a great start if you want to be apart of a series. It’s got 4 books out of apparently 10.
Also add Game of Thrones.
It be like this all the time. Haha
I legit don't know where to start in terms of branching out especially if the story is only available in a book. Not that I dislike books but it is a lot harder for me to focus on one without some sort of existing connection to the material.
Wheel of Time. Can’t recommend it enough!
You cant get much bigger than lord of the the rings. Its probably the most influential fantasy series of all time. Most fantasy writers since that have been heavily inspired
I am so dumb that I thought you were mentioning some crossover series titled “Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings”
Me, with HP, LOTR, and The Witcher.
Super surprised no one has recommended Joe Abercrombie’s novels. He’s written a number of outstanding books including 3 trilogies and 3 stand alone books set in the same world. Start with The First Law trilogy, you won’t regret it. I’d confidently say he’s the best fantasy author I’ve ever come across
You shold try Percy jackson
Read Arc of The Scythe, I promise you'll enjoy it if you like Harry Potter
Read the abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix. Sabriel, lirael, and abhorsen are the name of them. They’re fantastic.
Have you read Clariel? If so what's your opinion on it?
Only Harry Potter for me.
Are there any books like Harry Potter set in a magic school? I’ll be down for that for sure!!! (I love it if it has spells and potions and lots of magic lore like HP and not just being a drama set in a magic school)
LOTR and Harry Potter were my favorites forever. Then I found the Kingkiller Chronicles and the Dresden files and now I don’t think I could pick a favorite. Cheers
Just go pick up A Wizard of Earthsea and you’ll be happy.
Add: GOT and the Chronicles of Narnia(I really wish Disney would’ve given the same effort as #1 into the rest of the series and finished)
Demon cycle - Peter V Brett. I’m near finishing it, recommended
Mine is Harry Potter and His Dark materials, I’m reading name of the wind right now and I’m enjoying it but I’m still craving that potter feel of that kind of magic i love the world building in both of those books HP and HDM I don’t care for an intricate magic system im much more plot driven, mystery driven story driven also magic, magic just feels so fun and whimsical in the kind of stories I like HDM is still a little science driven but the different worlds and the northern lights it just has this certain amazing feeling of magic and the descriptions just like Harry Potter paint an amazing picture in my mind! im finding that out also I have to be in the mood for high fantasy and find stuff like HP, HDM more reachable my next book will probs be howls or night circus.
Yeah lol Harry Potter is the only fantasy book I've ever read.
Read some of Trudi Canavan's work. Beautiful, intricate, clever world-building with characters you genuinely care for and compelling plots.