Fantasy Fanatics discussion

Pretty simple, name your top 5 favorite "adult" fantasy series, or single novels and maybe if you want to, explain why they are your top five.

For me:
1. A Song of Ice and Fire - George R.R. Martin
2. King Killer Chronicles - Patrick Rothfuss
3. The Stormlight Archives - Brandon Sanderson
4. Mistborn Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson
5. The First Law Trilogy - Joe Abercrombie

1. The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings - Tolkien
2. A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
3. Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
4. Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
5. Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan

(Though I'm still trying to finish #5)

Just five? Oh well ... in no particular order:

- The Wheel of Time
- Mistborn
- The Lord of the Rings
- The Black Company
- A Song of Ice and Fire

Special mention to The Dresden Files and to The Way of Kings (which isn't on this list purely because it's the only Stormlight Archives book out so far so, technically, I can't judge it as a series yet).

Johnny wrote: "Just five? Oh well ... in no particular order:

- The Wheel of Time
- Mistborn
- The Lord of the Rings
- The Black Company
- A Song of Ice and Fire

Special mention to The Dresden Files and to The ..."

Our list is very similar - maybe I should check out The Black Company I've heard it compared to Malazan. :)

Traci L. wrote: "Our list is very similar - maybe I should check out The Black Company I've heard it compared to Malazan. :) "

I've noticed! I'm not sure how similar the two series are, but I've had The Malazan Book of the Fallen on my to-read list for months and I can't wait to read it. I'm kind of intimidated by it, to be honest, because I've heard the story is really complex and hard to follow. That's actually something I usually appreciate in a Fantasy series, so I'm still very excited about it.
As for The Black Company, I loved it. It's Dark Fantasy with a really original writing style and many memorable characters. It can also be pretty funny, and that's a plus. I highly recommend it.

Malazan is difficult but not impossible. I got lost around book #5. I finished the series and loved it but I know there's tons I missed. It's a huge series in volume and scale.
Added The Black Company to my wish list...

Johnny wrote: "Just five? Oh well ... in no particular order:

- The Wheel of Time
- Mistborn
- The Lord of the Rings
- The Black Company
- A Song of Ice and Fire

Special mention to The Dresden Files and to The ..."

I didn't want to leave out the people who haven't read as much. The Black Company is a great read, and after I finish my reread of ASOIAF I will get back into it with the third Chronicle, The Return of the Black Company. For The Way of Kings, it may be only the first book but knowing Brandon Sanderson and how awesome the book actually was... I will safely assume this will be one epic series.

Traci L. wrote: "Malazan is difficult but not impossible. I got lost around book #5. I finished the series and loved it but I know there's tons I missed. It's a huge series in volume and scale.
Added The Black Comp..."

I bet it's one of those series that actually gets better once you reread them. There are things you just can't notice on the first read. The Kingkiller Chronicle is like that. I've only read it once so far, but I know of people who have read it more than three times and still manage to pick up new hints with each reread.
In any case, huge Epic Fantasy series are definitely my favorites.
Oh, and I hope you enjoy The Black Company!



Nick wrote: "I didn't want to leave out the people who haven't read as much. The Black Company is a great read, and after I finish my reread of ASOIAF I will get back into it with the third Chronicle, The Return of the Black Company..."

I know, I was joking. I just suck at making "Top Lists" because I never want to leave stuff out...
I love the whole Black Company series, but the first trilogy is definitely my favorite. I've already read it twice, but I always feel like going back.
I totally agree about The Way of Kings, by the way. Brandon Sanderson is such a great author.

1 - Harry Potter
2 - Demon Cycle
3 - Hobbit + Lord of the Rings
4 - A Song of Ice and Fire
5 - Apprentice Adept

Notes: 1) I honestly think Harry Potter defies age boundaries. I know people in their sixties and seventies who have read and loved it, and I am currently reading the first book for the second time to my six year old and he loves it. 2) I can't make the same distinction as I will for ASOIAF that I will make in a minute, because I've easily given each book out so far 5 stars... 3) I don't consider the Hobbit separate from the Lord of the Rings, never have, never will. 4) So far it makes this list, since the series isn't over (and I am only up to partway through book three) I can't foretell if it will be there in the future. 5) Up to (what was originally the ending) book three. The later books started coming out five years after the original ending, and I've never read them. (Same could be said for a number of Anthony's series.)

EDIT: Damn, this doesn't leave me room for Drizzt! I've only read the Dark Elf Trilogy and part of the Icewind Dale Trilogy, but I loved ALL of it! I had to give nod to one of the series that got me into fantasy though (Apprentice Adept).

Hmmm this is difficlt to narrow it down to 5!

1. ASOIAF
2. Mistborn
3. Harry Potter
4. Demon Cycle
5. First Law Trilogy

The reason I love these series are because they contain superb character development. They contain some of the best most like characters in all of fantasy. I just love me a character driven books.
2. Just amazing unpredictable plot that always keeps you on your toes.


@Nick I agree with you with the Way of Kings. Its one of my favorite books of all time time but technically speaking its not a series yet since there are no other published book. One thing is that series has barely scratched its potential and I cannot wait till the next book! In this group I am hoping to do a The wayy of Kings read before the second book gets released!

1. Malazan Book of the Fallen - Erikson
2. Malazan Empire - Esslemont
3. Harry Potter - Rowling
4. Mistborn - Sanderson
5. King Killer Chronicles - Rothfuss

Malazan series is a huge investment of time but well worth it.

A song of ice and fire - GRRM
Harry Potter - J.K.Rowling
Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
Kingkiller Chronicles - Patrick Rothfuss
Lord of the Rings - J.R.R.Tolkien

This is really easy for me:
1. The Dark Tower - Stephen King
2. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever - Stephen Donaldson
3. A Song of Ice and Fire - GRRM (only 2 books in and loving it!)
4. Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit/The Silmarillion - J.R.R. Tolkien
5. The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini

1) King is a genius of the fantasy/horror genre, the plot is so intricate and unpredictable, the imagery is fantastic and the way that King strings together most of his books to be part of the series in some way or another.
2) Thomas Covenant in my limited experience of literature seems to be the first true anti-hero and he is a legend. The bloodguard(haruchai) are a fantastic race and the deep philosophical undertones are fascinating.
3) A Game of Thrones is always moving, there is never a dull moment and something is always happening. The multiple perspectives and individual plot lines are interesting and means that you never know who is going to killed and who is not. I think by the time I have finished the series it may be higher up my list of favourites.
4) J.R.R.Tolkiens Middle Earth. Does it need an explanation?
5) The Inheritance Cycle. Other than Harry Potter, it was the first series that I ever read and I love dragons. Yes some could argue it is similar to other books, yes some of the characters are a bit 1D, but it is original and he Paolini is one of my biggest inspirations considering Eragon was published when he was 17.

Oh... how can I only choose 5!? This will be hard... okay... in no particular order (cos that might be impossible):

- ASOIAF series by George R. R. Martin
- The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
- The Gentleman Bastards series by Scott Lynch
- The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
- The King Killer Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

The first 3 should be fairly obvious to anyone who has read them. They're all amazing series (even if the Gentlemen Bastards series is only 2 books long at the moment).
Harry Potter I hummed and harred about but it is just an amazing series and does defy age boundaries so I put it in there too.
The King Killer Chronicles I was unsure to put in or not. I absolutely LOVED the first book, and enjoyed the second but was a bit more unsure, but hoping the 3rd book when published will save it for me. Still great series so far.

Honorable mentions go to:
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, which although more YA, I think also defies age boundaries a bit and you get more out of it as an adult.
The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, great books, especially the first one.
The Abhorsen trilogy, by Garth Nix. Again, a bit more YA but still great.

1. Wheel of Time
2. Malazan Book of the Fallen
3. Mistborn
4. A Song of Ice and Fire
5. Kingkiler Chronicles

Special Mentions: Blood Song (Anthony Ryan), Way of Kings. Let's hope the rest of the books for both do not disappoint!

1. The Legend of Drizzt
2. Malazan Book of the Fallen
3. The Black Company
4. Lightbringer
5. Elric
6. Realm of the Elderlings

1. Memory, Sorrow & Thorn - Tad Williams
2. Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Farseer - Robin Hobb
4. The Book of Words - J.V. Jones
5. Dragonlance Legends - Margaret Weiss & Tracy Hickman
Because I couldn't just do five....
6. Riftwar Saga - Raymond Feist

I liked the Farseer trilogy but they aren't in my favourites. They were really good but they were just a bit too slow for me personally and Fitz kinda irritated me. I still want to read more Robin Hobb sometime though :)

My list of fantasy series to read keeps expanding - ah!

Becky wrote: "I liked the Farseer trilogy but they aren't in my favourites. They were really good but they were just a bit too slow for me personally and Fitz kinda irritated me. I still want to read more Robin ..."

I actually almost gave up on them the first time I read them. They were slow for me too. And Fitz will never be my favorite character. I absolutely adore Fool though. And if you liked him too I recommend you continue. =)

I did love the fool, and so I will eventually carry on and read the Tawny man trilogy and stuff sometime. But I needed a bit of a break first :)

Having read all of her books...I'm sorry to say that the Farseer trilogy is the fastest moving of them all. And stay away from Soldier Son Trilogy as if your life depends on it.

Scott wrote: "Having read all of her books...I'm sorry to say that the Farseer trilogy is the fastest moving of them all. And stay away from Soldier Son Trilogy as if your life depends on it."

Okay, I'll remember that! I still want to read some of the other trilogies but if they're that slow moving maybe I'll still wait a bit...

Tawny Man is slow but well worth it - great series that builds the excitement & tension to an amazing climax. If you have the time and patience I do recommend it.

Soldier Son is weird... one of the strangest things I have ever read. It isn't written badly, it is just bad. Nothing like the Farseer books. I quite liked the Liveship series. It reminded me of a classic historical with talking ships. The Tawny Man was my favorite and almost made my list for my top #5.
But the only reason I continued was because of Fool -

I love the Soldier and Son Trilogy, but each book did get worse and worse.

Wow top five, thats hard there are so many, but the five that stand the most for me are.

Lord of the Rings
The Malazaan Book of the Fallen
The Wheel of Time (which I am currently reading)
George R. R. Martin
Terry Brooks

Tough choice, but here are my top 5:

1. Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
2. Demon Cycle - Peter V Brett
3. First Law Trilogy - Joe Abercrombie
4. A Song of Ice and Fire - George R.R. Martin
5. Codex Alera - Jim Butcher

I no particular order, these are the once I reread at least once:

1. Amber by R. Zelazny
2. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. The Wheel of Time by R. Jordan - I have not read
last books by B. Sanderson
4. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
5. Black Company by G. Cook

Do you plan to finish The Wheel of Time? I'm still working on them - slowly - myself. But I have heard that Jordan himself wrote the end of the last book.

1. The Legend of Drizzt - R.A. Salvatore
2. The Icewind Dale Trilogy - R.A. Salvatore
3. The Dragonlance Chronicles - Margaret Weiss & Tracy Hickman
4. Song of Ice and Fire - George R.R. Martin
5. The Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks

My favorite series are:

1. KingKiller Chronicles
2. Stormlight Archive (though only one is out its incredible)
3. Lord of the Rings
4. God Slayer Chronicles (hopefully James Clemens finishes the third book before I'm dead)

I still have a lot of series on my list to read that are considered some of the best, like Mistborn. So this list is subject to change.

Traci L. wrote: "Do you plan to finish The Wheel of Time? I'm still working on them - slowly - myself. But I have heard that Jordan himself wrote the end of the last book."

Yes, I really would like to know how it all ends. Before this I need to reread the series as I forgot a lot of details. From what I understand, Jordan left extensive notes on how to finish the series and the epilog was entirely his own.

Yes Jordan did leave extensive notes so another author could finish his series! I also want to read wheel of time at some point the only problem is its a huge commitment reading 14 books! I have already the first one I thought it was a solid book but not great!

Shaad wrote: "Yes Jordan did leave extensive notes so another author could finish his series! I also want to read wheel of time at some point the only problem is its a huge commitment reading 14 books! I have al..."

The first book is OK, but you need to read at least the second one to get the feel of what the series is like.

Evgeny wrote: "Shaad wrote: "Yes Jordan did leave extensive notes so another author could finish his series! I also want to read wheel of time at some point the only problem is its a huge commitment reading 14 bo..."

Ya I will read the second book probably sometime this year! I saw you like stormlight archive is not such an amazing book?

I have not read it yet; the book sits on my shelf, but I am still struggling with Malazan series.

Evgeny wrote: "I have not read it yet; the book sits on my shelf, but I am still struggling with Malazan series."

I have had difficulty getting into Malazan! I have 200 pages of the first book! It is so confusing!

Shaad wrote: "Evgeny wrote: "I have not read it yet; the book sits on my shelf, but I am still struggling with Malazan series."

I have had difficulty getting into Malazan! I have 200 pages of the first book! It..."

If you think the first book is bad, wait until book 8 :)

I want to read The Wheel of Time at some point too. I've heard a lot of good things, but yeah, the commitment of 14 books...

Kristina wrote: "I want to read The Wheel of Time at some point too. I've heard a lot of good things, but yeah, the commitment of 14 books..."

If it is any comfort to you, they are easier to read than let's say Malazan. If you enjoy the world-building in fantasy books, this series has one of the best one.

I've had the same troubling thoughts when I think about attempting the 14 book journey of the Wheel of Time. I'd be reading that series forever! I find it depressing knowing there are so many books I want to read in a year but I won't be able to read them.

I've enjoyed the wheel of time, and Malazan is worth persevering with. I've not got through them all yet though.This year though, I read the legends of the red sun, by Mark Charan Newton, there's only 4 of them so it's easier to read than the others and they're really good

The Wheel of Time is a brilliant series (although some books are definately better than others), but I agree that it is a huge committment to read through the whole thing.

One of the reasons why I have not finished the last few books is that I think I would need to read through the whole thing again so that I can pick up all the characters and story threads. At the moment there are too many other books that I want to read.

Paul wrote: "The Wheel of Time is a brilliant series (although some books are definately better than others), but I agree that it is a huge committment to read through the whole thing.

One of the reasons why ..."

I have exactly the same situation. I read all of Jordan's WoT books, but I need to reread them before I start on the last 3 by Sanderson: it has been a while, I forgot quite a lot.

Paul wrote: "The Wheel of Time is a brilliant series (although some books are definately better than others), but I agree that it is a huge committment to read through the whole thing.

One of the reasons why ..."

LOL, I do that too when a new book comes out in a series I love!! >_<

Edited Mar 10,2014

Top five, that is difficult.
Series that I have completed:

Lord of the Rings (Tolkien) is always my touchstone for other series.
Farseer & Tawny Man Series by Robin Hobb,
The Belgariad by David Eddings
The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
Michael J. Sullivan's Ryria Revelations

Two others that I would mention:
Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Sanderson is really becoming a favorite author. I have read 7 of his books now, and I have enjoyed all of them. I haven't finished Words of Radiance yet, but I am into the book far enough to know that it is as good as Way of Kings.

Kristina wrote: "Paul wrote: "The Wheel of Time is a brilliant series (although some books are definately better than others), but I agree that it is a huge committment to read through the whole thing.

One of the..."

I want to read the Wheel of Time series but yeah, it is a bit of daunting prospect to read ALL of them...

@Becky, I just picked up the fist book in the Wheel of Time series. I think I'm going to read one, read other stuff, read another, and so on. Maybe that'll make the fact that there are like 14 of them less overwhelming. Because I feel the same way- there are tons of them!

@Karen, the Mistborn series is next on my list after I finish the Riyria Revelations. I'm pretty excited for Mistborn because I loved The Way of Kings and I've heard great things about Mistborn.

Becky wrote: "Kristina wrote: "Paul wrote: "The Wheel of Time is a brilliant series (although some books are definately better than others), but I agree that it is a huge committment to read through the whole th..."

We are considering adding Wheel of Time into the Series polls, but doing maybe 3-4 books at a time then break for another shorter series, then coming back to it

Drake wrote: "@Becky, I just picked up the fist book in the Wheel of Time series. I think I'm going to read one, read other stuff, read another, and so on. Maybe that'll make the fact that there are like 14 of t..."

Ya I think you will love mistborn! I also read the way of kings first! Both are great!