this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2023
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Fantasy books, stories, &c

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If you are like me, then you are a huge fantasy fan. It is easily my favorite genre and I have to force myself to read to read other books. But for this list, we will be staying with this genre as we share our list of the 21 must read fantasy books of all time!

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

Here's the list from the article:

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien

A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R.R Martin

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

Dune by Frank Herbert

The Night Angel by Brent Weeks

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Discworld by Terry Pratchett

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1 by Patrick Rothfuss

Temeraire by Naomi Novik

For me a lot of these are solid, but some are pretty questionable. I regret the time I spent with Night Angel, for example, and found Hunger Games to be entertaining, but not substantial enough to get past the first book.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Hunger games also isn't fantasy, it's Sci-Fi.

The fact that it's on the list and not something like Spellmonger tells me the person who made this article isn't really all that passionate about fantasy books and likely based their research off various google results for "popular fantasy series".

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Nothing to say about a list that ranks Dresden files above earthsea and discworld!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Temeraire? Im reading those now, they are okay but not THAT good.

Is Hunger Games fantasy? I haven't read them but the movies makes them seem more like a futuristic dystopia, scifi.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (9 children)

These lists are subjective. I'm glad my favourite one is in there (see user name) but it's weird to me that Robin Hobb and Codex Alera aren't on there

Also, stop putting Patrick Rothfuss on these things. His series will never be finished and we should stop getting people stuck on book 2

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

That and G. R. R. Martin. ASOIAF is never going to be finished.

I mean he has other stuff, but him completely ignoring finishing his biggest series is frustrating.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's really irresponsible to include Rothfuss and Martin.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Nah, Martin still has a place. He's written a ton beyond A Song of Ice and Fire. The Wildcards series has been going on for over 30 years.

Rothfuss wrote 2 books (I refuse to call whatever the hell is novellas were "books") and has spent the time since going to conventions, playing board games, and raising bees. Which isn't a problem, seems like a pretty chill lifestyle. What is a problem is his continued promises that he's working on the book, getting angry at fans when they ask him about it, and his insistence that he's a modern author despite not putting out a real book for over 15 years now.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

And where's Raymond Feist?!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Magician: Apprentice was my first foray into fantasy and the subsequent series made me a huge fan of the whole genre. It’s definitely on my list to reread.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Raymond E. Feist is the only author that made me "understand" why dnd is popular. (I did not have a group growing up to play it with.)

His early works are great--although I am less impressed by his later ones which got very repetitive.

But the collabs with Janny Wurts were wonderful.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah Rothfuss is what, 10 years late on the final book now? Has he addressed that at all recently?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Crippling anxiety and depression, plus an overwhelming fear of disappointing his entire fan base by not living up to their expectations of his finale.

He reinvested his time into world builders and probably won’t come back to writing any time soon

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

It won't? I just got sucked into the first audio book by accident and enjoyed it quite a bit.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

That list reads more like a "21 books that I've read--with a few girl authors I heard were good or famous or black thrown in".

Brent Weeks is not a great author, and while Jim Butcher is consistent in his output (barring the few years where his RL went to shit on him) his Craft suffers in his non-urban fantasy series. (He coasts a LOT on Harry Dresden's voice and charm and culture references, and doesn't get that crutch in his other series and it shows.) I LIKE Jim Butcher, but there's tons of authors that can write circles around him. His career is based on completing books and getting them out the door, not creating masterworks.

Where's Robin McKinley? Robin Hobb? Kate Elliott, who was writing and COMPLETING her Crown of Stars epic fantasy series at the same time Martin and Jorden were writing (and never completed their series)? Lois McMaster Bujold, whose Challion series is just as good as her Vorkosigan series? Jacqueline Carey? And if we're including YA, which the Hunger Games suggests (although as one person pointed out, those are sci-fi), where's Tamora Pierce? Patricia C. Wrede?

The person who wrote that list reads a very specific part of the genre and leaves a LOT of the greats out.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

These lists are so subjective. For example, The Dresden Files have been around for a while, but I wouldn't consider them to be the top of the fantasy genre. Also, no Robin Hobb?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I don't dislike Dresden Files but I'm liking it less as it veers further & further from its initial premise. Book 1 and book...er, 16? the latest one...are so tonally different. Power creep, yeah, is part of it, but also it went from "fun noir throwback starring Detective Hard-Boiled" solving things cleverly (and without spellslinging ALL the time) to "what if a Jedi with the power of God and pop culture references on his side fought Irish folklore kaijus while Bigfoot was watching".

Like... I'm strapped in for the ride and enjoying it besides but the series seems to have gotten a lot less intellectually stimulating and than before and is now "big powers do a fighting".

Just me?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I gave up after book 3 so I don't have much valid input here. :)

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

They need to add Malazan book of the fallen. Easily my fave fantasy series.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Getting through that first book was sheer willpower

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Because of first book most people quit. Thats Malazans biggest weakness. Author throws you in this world without explaining anything and you need to get hold of everything. Gardens of the moon shines in re-read. If you have will try to continue!

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The huge size scares me tbh.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Here are some of my favorites:

  • Cradle by Will Wight
  • Mage Errant by John Bierce
  • Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
  • Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
  • The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis
  • Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
  • The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan
  • Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
  • The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
  • The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Legends & Lattes! What a fun little jaunt that was.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I don't get why American Gods is always recommended. Neil Gaiman takes the coolest ideas in principle and finds the most underwhelming ways imaginable to flesh them out. That and Neverwhere were really disappointing to me for those reasons.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

I liked American Gods but also can't find it in myself to disagree with this take.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I think that's why I can never get through his books, but seem to always like the movies and TV shows made of his work.

Perhaps it's some artifact of starting in news and comics? Starting out as a writer who collaborates with others? He's great at that. Just can't get through his books on their own.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well, technically it's 21 series, not books. 😀

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Except why just A Wizard of Earthsea. I mean it was a trilogy...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

There’s actually 6 books (book 5 is a short story collection that’s really useful before book 6). I just learned it wasn’t a trilogy this year and enjoyed the last few. Definitely a tonal shift though as she’s matured in her preferences.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh wow. I've got some reading to do! I read them in the late 1970s and there were only the three!

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Has J. K. Rowling been officially cancelled now?

She might be a horrible person, but Harry Potter absolutely belongs on a list like this IMO.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (10 children)

I would never suggest someone read all of ASOIAF. It just gets ridiculous in length and complexity for no valid reason, and he's likely to die before finishing the series. The first 2-3 books are alright though.

Also, no Hobbit? No Legend of Drizzt? Wtf. RA Salvatore is one of the best.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is Hunger Games considered fantasy? I can’t think of anything fantasy about it, everything is just advanced technology.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Yeah. I see no fantasy elements in HG. It's more science fiction if any thing.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson should be expanded to the entire Cosmere, not just Mistborn. Several other book series in the same universe, and all are very good IMO, e.g. Stormlight Archive, Elantris, and my favorite, Warbreaker.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

He has Way of Kings on there as a separate listing, so he's not ignoring the rest of the cosmere

Granted, it's generally a weak list. Night Angel was hot garbage, and eclipsed by Weeks own later series lightbringer even in spite of it's terrible last portion.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Some of these books are true must reads, but several are just okay and a couple are downright bad.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

Pet peeve of mine but grouping an entire series together as an entry in a list of individual books is so stupid. So many lists do this all over the net.

At least pick a stand out book from the series or something. Sorry but don't promise me a list of 21 books then give me trilogies and series all getting their own single entry.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I don't understand the love that the Dresden Files gets. Great idea with terrible execution. Butcher's writing is just clumsy with bad dialogue and weak world building. The series was originally recommended to me because I was lamenting that Gibson had moved away from noir after Neuromancer and a friend thought Butcher would fit the bill.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Dresden Files is one of those series where I think if you encountered it when urban fantasy was just revving up as a genre (and you were the right age), it imprints on you. It was definitely its own cool thing when it first broke out.

But it's not aging well 20 years later, and if you come to it older I think you "imprint" on it less.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Read most of these and some I agree with, some I don't.

Weeks is okay, but I don't think Night Angel is a "must read".

I liked the Dresden Files well enough, but I don't think it is must-read either. They were fun reads, but he wouldn't be in the top authors even of urban fantasy specifically.

I don't read them really, but Harry Potter seems influential enough that it should probably be on the list. I might make a case for some Scott Lynch and Robin Hobb to be there too. Sorta surprised neither Terry Brooks nor Terry Goodkind made the cut either, though I haven't personally read them since I was very young.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I wish someone could suggest a book in Dragon Lance + Dark soul world.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So, yes or no on the night Angel series? I enjoyed Week’s Prism series a lot, and have though about moving to his other books eventually.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Is it top 21 fantasy of all time material? No. But it's a fun read, so give it a check out sometime.

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