Looking for a new fantasy book to read this summer--I'd love to hear some of your favorites, and maybe if you have any recommendations for me.
Recently I read Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor and in general I really, really liked it a lot. It kept me up reading past 2 am every night. Personally I'm looking for
character-centered plot, MC is likable, relationships w/others are important to development.
parodies or subverting tropes/genre expectations. Or just generally smart MC who at least occasionally does cool things. Y'all have seen those Tumblr posts where people are like "but what if the humans were the cool ones when teaming up with aliens???" Doesn't have to be that, exactly, but I just like when writers do things "genre writing" tends to avoid.
if there's a lot of fantasy jargon, the book better be worth it. :P
not a lot of sex? I'm boring, not into kinky stuff. Little bit is not a big deal but harems and polygons are just not gonna endear the MC to me at all. (Also, I can add--it would be cool if there was a woman who was actually valuable as a person. Not required, I guess; Goblin Emperor has very few women in general.)
I also read lots of YA fantasy so I'm up for hearing your favorites here, too. Though I can't say I'll go for these suggestions first (since I'm already more familiar in this area) unless they're really stellar.
I only got back into reading last year after a giant hiatus I took back in late hs/college, so these aren't the most obscure recs in the world, but let's see...
The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
(includes the Farseer trilogy, Liveship Traders, Tawny Man, Rain Wilds Chronicles, & Fitz & the Fool subseries)
Probably my favorite adult fantasy series I've read (I mean, I usually like standalone books better, but still)
The first series & two more after that focus on an illegitimate prince turned royal assassin named Fitz, while the other two focus on (mostly) different characters and plots (Liveship's kind of a family drama turned high seas adventure with a dash of politics, etc), though all of them join together in the latest series
They're pretty great if you're looking for really long, character-focused books with a giant cast... and not so hot if you're not a fan of slow-paced fantasy because man, this series is a slow burn. The author really does a great job of using the pacing to flesh out and develop her characters, though, so there's that.
The author's a big fan of realistic characters and character development too, which pays off if you stick through each series to the end, but it also means that most characters can be very, very frustrating to read until then. Especially Fitz. Like pretty much everyone I've seen who's a big fan of the series will swear by him... but will also swear at him too if you know what I mean. Odds are you'll wind up loving at least a few characters per series even if some might annoy you to the end. The female cast is usually pretty cool too and plot-relevant even in the Farseer & Tawny Man books where they aren't PoV characters.
Otherwise, the series has typical fantasy things like magic and dragons and world-changing quests if you like them, but they also tend to come second to or alongside a lot of quieter character moments if you prefer those. The dragons, magic system, etc. are done a little differently than usual and are pretty neat to find out about (and are kind of spoilery so I'll leave it at that)
Also, just to warn you if you check them out, they don't have any explicit sex scenes, but it is occasionally referenced, and there's also a decent bit of sexual violence mentioned, especially in the Liveship Traders and Fitz and the Fool trilogies. And regular violence too. Not quite ASoIaF / Game of Thrones level (though F&tF tries...) but still not always pleasant reads.
The last book in the latest (maybe last?) series just came out too, so it's a great time to catch up and suffer with all the rest of us fans :)
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Much different from the movie if you've seen it and a lot funnier. Kind of a light parody of a lot of fantasy tropes and Sophie and Howl are real characters in this version. YA so no explicit sex (or sex at all on page). Has two sequels that I wasn't as crazy about but are worth checking out.
The author's also written a few other fantasy parodies if you like those. The Dark Lord of Derkholm lampoons the whole typical high fantasy quest to kill some ancient evil, and its sequel Year of the Griffin is her take on the magical school subgenre. They're both based on her Tough Guide to Fantasy Land, which is more of a snarky fake guide book than a story. I liked her Chrestomanci books back in the day too but can't remember much about them so idk? Might be worth a try?
Discworld by Terry Pratchett
Long-running fantasy-comedy series that sadly ended with the author's death a few years ago. Loves turning fantasy tropes on their head and adding some social commentary here and there. Fun, varied cast.
Odds are you've heard of them, but if the length's turned you off, this post tells you a little about each subseries to help you get an idea of where to start.
Also Good Omens is an unrelated book by him (collaborating with Neil Gaiman) and it's hilarious and you should totally read it if you somehow haven't already
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Pretty well-known, especially now with the tv show airing rn, but it's pretty neat if you haven't checked it out. A guy gets out of prison to find out his wife's dead and that he's stuck in the middle of a war between old gods and new idols thanks to his new employer. Worth a look if you like mythology or just like low/real-world fantasy in general.
There are some sex scenes though (can't remember if they were explicit or not but one was... weird iirc). His other books are tamer and usually pretty interesting too. This one's female cast is a little blah too, but I've seen worse :/
The Golem & the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Another low-fantasy centered on the struggles of magical immigrants, this time who found themselves in New York around the turn of the 20th century. Has frequent PoV shifts and time jumps to cover multiple perspectives on magic, culture, and starting a new life. Philosophical in a low-key way. Long-ish and might seem slow-paced but really good if you can get past that.
Mistborn + sequels by Brian Sanderson
Heist novel in a fantasy dystopia. Neat magic system and a cool lead character. Has more magic jargon than some of the others mentioned. I wasn't crazy about it (only finished the first one though), but it seems like a fan favorite. Pretty simple, easilly-digestible writing style and no sexual content afaik. Has a secondary female protagonist that becomes the mc in later books.
Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo
Dystopian fantasy heist #2 - this time with a whole ensemble cast full of cool instead of just Kelsier. Another one with a different type of magic system, but iirc it has a glossary for all the different terms. Probably a good follow-up to Mistborn if you like that one, but also worth checking out if you didn't. Technically a spinoff of another series the author wrote, but it works as a standalone series (I never bothered and understood the series just fine). YA, so no explicit sexual content, but references to prostitution in one character's backstory. Slight male majority in the main cast, but the femcs are both pretty great. Ngl the first book was popular enough that you've probably checked it out, but if not go for it- they're fun.
The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner
Heist novel #3, Mediterranean edition. Starts out simple enough until the plot twists start rolling in and the fantasy politics begin after the first book. The books get pretty complex for middle-grade turned YA writing but lack the ever-fun violence and sexual assault that similar books tend to get if written for adults. Has a deceptively smart mc and a very well-rounded main cast.
The Girl with All the Gifts
...Honestly this book tries to mislead you what it's about (...unless you read the review blurbs right inside the cover at least- it's about as well-kept a secret as a certain magical girl show lol), so you might want to go in blind, but if not:
Sci-Fi instead of fantasy, but I mean, it's debatably a subgenre so why not. A zombie story from the point of view of one of the zombies- a child raised in millitary custody with other intelligent zombie children. Pretty unique for the first part of the story, though it does turn into a more typical survival story after that. It's got more heart than average though, since a lot of it focuses on the parental bond between the girl and one of her teachers. The ending was pretty unexpected too in a good way imo.
Oh, and a spinoff novel just got released too (need to check ir out once I get over my book hangover from Assassin's Fate). Reviews seem positive on goodreads.
It's been years since I've read them, so I can't say for sure if they hold up for older readers, but I loved Tamora Pierce's Tortall books, Diane Duane's Young Wizard books, and Garth Nix's Abhorsen series when I was younger.
I haven't read The Goblin Emperor, so I can't say if any of them have anything in common with it (probably not lol), but maybe one of them'll work out if you haven't tried them all before!
The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
(includes the Farseer trilogy, Liveship Traders, Tawny Man, Rain Wilds Chronicles, & Fitz & the Fool subseries)
I just put the first Farseer Trilogy book on hold at my library, so hopefully I'll get my hands on a copy of this soon!
I also put this on hold at my library. I'm not actually *that* familiar with most fantasy titles, so I imagine going into this as spoiler-free as possible...
Also, thanks bunches for the link to the Discworld post. I've thought about starting it before but never really understood if it was a franchise, a crazy long series, whatever, so this is much appreciated!
