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!
They need to add Malazan book of the fallen. Easily my fave fantasy series.
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!
I felt very similar about The Eye of the World, even with the glossary. But I am so happy I stuck with it.
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?
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?
I agree on this. I’m enjoying it none the less and I like the direction its going in. To me, it’s like going to see a movie like “Nobody”
You know what you’re getting into. You know you’ll be entertained. You know it won’t be too long. And you know it’ll never make a list as one of the greats or win any awards.
Well, technically it’s 21 series, not books. 😀
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.
What do you mean there’s 6 books?! It was the earthsea quartet when I read it like 25 years ago?!
Oh wow. I’ve got some reading to do! I read them in the late 1970s and there were only the three!
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.
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.
Night Angel is maybe the oddest choice on that list. I don’t think it’s hot garbage, but Lightbringer is much better, though probably also doesn’t deserve to be on the list unless we’re talking hard magic systems. If the author needs an assassin book… well I think there’s no shortage of those in the genre.
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
Yeah Rothfuss is what, 10 years late on the final book now? Has he addressed that at all recently?
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
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.
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.
I’m always sad to see Codex Alera not get the respect it deserves. Granted, considering its origin, it doesn’t deserve much respect, but the end product is just so good imo.
Also never see Embers of Illeniel make the list either. Mageborn is an alright fantasy romp but the Embers prequel series really steps into interesting territory for me. It’s that perfect level of fantasy setting meets Sci fi concepts. Like ye Olde battlefield earth.
Granted, considering its origin, it doesn’t deserve much respect
Can you elaborate on that?
Codex Alera started as a drunken bet between Jim and another party that he couldn’t write a series on just two wildly disparate concepts. They were “pokemon” and “the lost Roman legion” lmao idk about your feelings but book series founded on foolish drunken bets probably don’t deserve much respect. This is a wondrous exception to that rule.
