Fantasy Book Club discussion

Our book of the month, The Wise Man's Fear, features the University, a legendary school of magic. Wildly used in the Fantasy genre, the 'school trope' encounters a lot of success and can help create a wonderful setting for a gripping coming-of-age story.

What are your favorite fantasy books about schools? Tell us in the comments to have your recommendation added to the list.

Standalones

Od Magic by Patricia A. McKillip
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

Series
(only the first book in the series will be linked)

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine (The Great Library)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (The Magicians)
The Last Oracle by Ben Hale (The White Mage Saga)
Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb (Soldier Son)
Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey (Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar)
Magic's Pawn by Mercedes Lackey (Valdemar: The Last Herald-Mage)
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence (Book of the Ancestor)
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle)
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (So ng of the Lioness)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter)
Inda by Sherwood Smith (Inda)
The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley (Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne)

Ben Hale Series The Last Oracle (The White Mage Saga)
The White Mage Saga is a continuation of his other series, Warsworn and the Second Draeken War. I thoroughly enjoyed all of them!

Some old favorites that came to mind.

The training school in Alanna: The First Adventure series by Tamora Pierce.

The Herald Collegium in Mercedes Lackey's Arrows of the Queen and Magic's Pawn Valdemar series.

Hogwarts can't be beat. :D There's the school in The Rithmatist too: Armedius Academy.

The Lies of Locke Lamore is a school of sorts (how to run a scam),

The Magician's guild trilogy by Trudi Canavan is set in an academy of wizardry The Magician's Apprentice is the first one. Her latest series Thief's Magic begins in a school too.
Guy Antibes Sorceror books also begin in a school A Sorcerer Rises
There are probably loads more as it does seem to be a common theme in fantasy.

Thank you all for your suggestions :)

Janette wrote: "There are probably loads more as it does seem to be a common theme in fantasy. "

It really is a common theme, but I'm struggling to come up with names when I think about it :o

Schools seem to show up more often in YA literature.

There is Camp Half-Blood training facility in The Lightning Thief the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riodan.

The Orphanage in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, while not really a school, was a safe place where the Syndrigasti could practice and hone their talents.

The Aes Sedai & Warder training tower in The Eye of the World series by Robert Jordan.

Here are a few more:

Sherwood Smith's Inda takes place in a military boarding school for elite kids.

Likewise the first book in Robin Hobb's Soldier Son trilogy - Shaman's Crossing - school for military elite is the setting.

The later books that were added on to Barbara Hambly's Silicone Mage/Antryg Windrose series that feature side characters, take place in a school for magic.

Jane Yolen did this also, long before Harry Potter, but I can't recall the books' title at the moment.

I'd also add the first volume of Brian Staveley's trilogy,The Emperor's Blades, Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne - school for military elite, and a monastic style school that taught philosophy and magic of a sort.

I keep seeing Inda mentioned, I must check it out.

I’ve read a magic school series that my brain currently can’t name. International students but based in Alexandria Library. The books are precious and copies are read on tablets. It’s a bit drm/Amazon-y.

Ink and Bone.

Inda is absolutely amazing.

Od Magic by Patricia A. McKillip features a school.