I distinctly remember watching my older brother reading huge fantasy books as a kid and marvelling at his ability to read “in his head” without sounding out a single word. So, it was #lifegoals to be like him.
As soon as I could, I grabbed his giant fantasy novels and ripped into them, and have quickly become a lifelong fantasy fan. Here are a few of the fantasy books that made me:
The Shannara Chronicles – Terry Brooks
Those giant ass books my brother was reading? They were Terry Brooks’ Shannara series. In fact, only last year, did he finish the series that I’d been reading since I was about 10. Your usual fare of magical talismans, pompous elves, and brash humans abound, and maybe some people turning into trees…but that’s book 4. The books were always a solid read, and I found it comforting to have a new one come out every couple of years. Start with The Sword of Shannara and follow Shea Ohmsford in his quest to find the magical talisman and defeat the Warlock Lord.
Sword of Truth Series – Terry Goodkind
If your name is “Terry”, there’s a solid chance I’ve read your fantasy books. The SECOND fantasy Terry books I delved into were Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series, which feature a woodsman being plucked from obscurity to defeat a great tyrant – Darken Rahl – with the help of a powerful Mother Confessor. The series starts strong with Wizard’s First Rule, but after book 5, they turn to focus too much on ideologies than narrative for my liking. However, I would recommend reading up to that point, or considering Wizard’s First Rule a stand-alone adventure.
Green Rider Series – Kristen Britain
I found this book series in my high school library on one of my five sojourns into the joint. I absolutely judged a book by its cover, and picked it up based on the artwork. The series follows Karigan G’ladheon as she is called into the Green Rider service – the king’s magical messengers – who are imbued with special abilities. And, wouldn’t you know it, she gets caught up in a whole lot of trouble and has to save the kingdom from great evil several times. The books come out every four years, so it’s often been a painful wait between cliffhangers. However, they continue to be well-written, and I have grown with the character from age 15 to 33, having just finished the most recent installment last weekend. Start with Green Rider.
Throne of Glass Series – Sarah J. Maas
Sarah J. Maas had me at “sassy assassin.” Honestly, the premise is great, and starts out as a fantasy Hunger Games-esque scenario:
“In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, Celaena, an assassin, is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion.”
Sarah’s writing of the character always makes me LOL, and if you like a well-written female protagonist in fantasy (which there have historically been so few of), you’ll want to read this. I seldom skip a page or word. As the series goes on, it does dive a little bit too far into romance-land (for me), but at the very least check out the first book to see if it’s your jam. Start with Throne of Glass.
The Kingkiller Chronicles – Patrick Rothfuss
The Name of the Wind is one of the best fantasy novels I’ve ever read. Another book that I didn’t miss a word on the page, because it was so well-written and often-times humourous. The story follows Kvothe who you will come to know is a “notorious magician, accomplished thief, masterful musician, and an infamous assassin”. Hear his legend, as he rises from an orphan in a crime-riddled city to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic. The final book in the trilogy has yet to be released, but you might as well get going on the series if you haven’t already. Start with The Name of the Wind.
The Mistborn Trilogy – Brandon Sanderson
Ingest metals, gain power boost. In this world, certain people – called Allomancers – can gain “Allomantic” power by ingesting metals. Exceedingly rare Allomancers, called Mistborn, have access to every Allomantic power by “burning” (ingesting) different metals. And, here is where our protagonist Vin comes in (who yes – you got it – is a Mistborn) who is recruited by a gang of thieves to spy on the nobility in an attempt to overthrow the Final Empire and the Lord Ruler. Start with Mistborn.
