Adult Fantasy and Sci-Fi for Beginners

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My last video like this: • Fantasy For Beginners
Links to books I talked about in this video
(These are affiliate links. If you buy through these links, I get a small percentage of the sale):
Sufficiently Advanced Magic: amzn.to/2QsTy5s
Elantris: amzn.to/3lm21pe
Warbreaker: amzn.to/3lkT7s8
The Black Prism: amzn.to/3gCegdO
The Rage of Dragons: amzn.to/2YEexXs
All Systems Red: amzn.to/3jh4PSw
Jurassic Park: amzn.to/3jjl01A
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: amzn.to/2FRcXe2
Axiom's End: amzn.to/34xsWZa
WHERE TO FIND ME:
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[@popuri48]

I found it funny that you said "don't hold your breath" while talking about Warbreaker :P

[@UdyKumra]

Elantris is also a temporary standalone-he's going to be writing a book 2 and 3. HOWEVER, these will follow side characters from book 1, so Elantris is still functionally a standalone. :)

[@damianpook8576]

There's also the Emperor's Soul which is part of Sel much like Elantris but is different because of the different location.

[@sivaprakash1247]

"Sufficiently Advanced Magic's plot sounds so similar to the anime "Tower of God"

[@harveym0222]

It's a bit like Sword art Online

[@laiaal.3324]

Right?? I was thinking the same and I really like the idea!

[@MIGFSF]

I was about to comment that. XD "Sufficiently Advanced Magic" was published in 2017... the "Tower of God" webnovel started in 2010... mmmmh I gues we would only know if anything shady happened here, after reading the book itself.

[@skyward7903]

I'm a big fan of the webtoon (and the anime!) and I was wondering if I was the only one who noticed

[@Bahamut1956]

It's very very different once you read it, I wouldn't worry about that. To avoid going into spoilers I won't say exactly why it's different, but it is. The only real similarities are surface level - there's a tower, there's a boon at the top and the MC is trying to find something out about someone he knows. That's... not an original or difficult concept to come up with on your own. If that's all Tower of God was, that wouldn't be original either. It's a bit like saying Warbreaker is a rip off of Mario because it's about a princess trapped in a castle to marry a tyrant and the person trying to save her.

[@manaalsidd]

Merphy should officially do ad campaigns with Squarespace. Her ads are amazing 😄

[@nohagamal5233]

When you like Murphy's adds you get excited when she says the video is sponsered

[@AikiraBeats]

Same cause she does pretty cool stuff with her ads

[@wingcastlereads5657]

yeah. Her ads are always funny

[@matthewhaynes509]

Not gonna lie, the immersive nature of certain scenes in Jurassic Park really freaked out twelve year old me when I first read it

[@louis559]

Nedry's death was by far the most viscerally violent thing I'd read to that point in my life.

[@cybersketcher1130]

It never bothered me, scary scenes in books don't bother me too much. I don't know why.

[@torshitabanerjee6669]

Thank you so much merphy I really needed this

[@antiformsora]

Notes on Elantris and Warbreaker: Though they're great as standalones, they're technically part of a larger universe. These two are good introductions to the Cosmere.

[@muthulakshmivaratharajan2016]

Merphy I am going to read mistborn series . Just give me a thumbs up👍

[@aridaiescamilla497]

You won't regret it, I read it because she recommended Mistborn so much and I LOVED IT and I'm about to start book 2

[@emiloberg2110]

it is THE best. i love it so much! was my introduction too!

[@Morfeusm]

Just finished 1st trilogy yesterday!

[@laurencampbell3320]

I just finished reading it. It's worth it!

[@muthulakshmivaratharajan2016]

@@aridaiescamilla497 and everyone , thanks for saying your opinion . This makes me so interesting 😊😊

[@RICHIEV333]

I would like to say a word about the Harry Potter series. The first book is easy to read and has a smaller page count, then as each book in the series comes along, the books get longer and the writing becomes more advanced. So not only are the Harry Potter books fun to read, they help a young reader advance in their reading skills, So by the end of the Harry Potter series, the reader might be ready for a more mature Fantasy Series.

[@emiloberg2110]

i started reading mistborn because of you! loved it so much and now I'm reading stormlight to get ready for book 4! I'm about halfway throug WoR now! I'm so excited!

[@Erinchristine25]

Jurassic Park was sooo good! I had it on my shelf for a couple years, I was nervous about reading a sci-fi book but finally read it the other month because of how much you loved it and I’m so glad I loved it too since the movie is one of my favorites

[@MLLatUtube]

I need to read more Brandon Sanderson - I loved his middle grade series and books but have not yet tried his young adult or adult books

[@nivethap2959]

Even I too want to read lots of Brandon Sanderson books . Actually through merphy only I come to know about Brandon books

[@impulsive1252]

Daily reminder that Merphy should read Skulduggery Pleasant.

[@00ammy00]

Loved that series! I stopped at book 9 though, where it was originally supposed to end, cause I haven't heard a lot of good things about the new books.

[@impulsive1252]

@@00ammy00 They are definitely not as good as the phase 1 books (1-9) but I still enjoyed them. Resurrection was mediocre, Midnight was straight up pretty bad. Bedlam and Seasons of War however are very good and up to the standard that the best books of the phase 1 set.

[@shuvaelapel1832]

@@00ammy00 I'm not sure if the series was supposed to end after book 9 because there are several question asked in the first 9 books which are answered in the new ones. I personally don't like the new books as much as the old ones; as Impulsive said resurrection was mediocre and Midnight was really bad. Tbh, I didn't like bedlam because it felt like the author tried to put in to many different plot strings and then remembered that he doesn't want to have more than 700 pages, so most of the plot feels abrupt and it doesn't feel fluid. And I don't like Owen.

[@oswintardis]

Yessss, i started reading it during quarantine because I kept seeing people recommending it to Merphy, hahah. It's a great series.

[@drlc6051]

Ooh, nice to see some Skulduggery people. Loved the first 9, defined my childhood. I like 10 the most of the new ones, the plot wasn't great but I really felt for that disconnect between Skulduggery and Valkyrie and the way she's dealing with trauma and he blames himself for bringing her into this world and refuses to do the same to Omen. Midnight was pretty bad, thought Bedlam was just alright but didn't make me laugh and care the same way, and I don't know if I should read Seasons of War.

[@AnJdeMusique]

Sufficiently Advanced Magic sounds so interesting! I'll be adding that to my TBR!

[@Marina-kq9ry]

All those sci-fi books sound amazing and I'm totally adding them to my TBR!

[@nivethap2959]

Merphy can you do the video name " if you like this book then read this " pls . I am your big fan and I would love to watch that video from you

[@anotherhappyday93]

I have been wating for this one! Thank you!

[@carlottaguillory1307]

I’ve added all these books to my wishlist and can’t wait to add these titles to my fantasy collection. Thank You.

[@owenskriloff2758]

I haven’t read a book for pleasure in about 7 years, and you managed to convince me to pick up Warbreaker! I absolutely loved it, not only was it an amazing story, it was so good that it got me excited about reading again, so thank you!

[@peterrobertson5559]

Your articulate and lucid style is a joy to listen to. You have a comprehensive knowledge of fantasy and sci-fi novels. I need to catch up with the stories and authors you recommend. Thanks for the review and posting it on You Tube.

[@Antaury97]

YES WARBREAKER! I have so much love for that book

[@aimeelindsey9549]

So happy to see all the love for Warbreaker! Just finished it last month and was so sad to see that people don't talk about it that much because I thought it was phenomenal!

[@BookLoversPizza]

Thanks Merphy!!! This video is very appreciated !!!(like every other video)

[@teanlit2949]

i love this topic. like a lot of people, i've mostly read ya but it's great to have a few series of adult books to pick up in the fantasy genre. thanks so much!

[@guilhermefigueiredo3936]

I'm from Brazil and I love watch your videos, I don't understand all the things because I still learning but congratulations to your beautiful job!!!

[@LillyWhit2LsAndAnY]

Yaaaaaay! An absolutely remarkable thing!! I really look forward to hearing your thoughts about A beautifully foolish endeavour! I know many prefer the first, but I liked the second even more!

[@aplatypusguy27]

That ad was absolutely amazing. 11/10

[@joytsai8050]

Rage of Dragons was the first book I picked up based on your raving reviews. It was incredibly intense- couldn't put it down. Absolutely reignited my love for reading!

[@dovelyy]

that first book sounds so interesting I'm gonna add that in my tbr

[@scarletmooncreations]

Love the ad. Some new scifi on my tbr now.

[@fantasyfanatic6038]

Very surprised that Merphy made a video about fantasy books without The Lies of Locke Lamora being mentioned :P

[@annajoy9359]

Thanks for making this video! I’ve been looking to branch out more, so I’m excited to see your suggestions in this video Edit: though I haven’t branched out much into adult fantasy yet, all your glowing Sanderson recommendations are motivating me to start reading his books. Love your channel, and I can’t wait to read some of the books that you love :)

[@KHBogWitch]

I just picked up An Absolutely Remarkable Thing at the bookstore this weekend, on a whim. Now that I’ve seen this video, I’m really excited to start reading it!

[@brightshadow1678]

I've wanted this so much, plus its my B-Day so bonus!

[@signspace13]

Sufficient my advanced magic getting some Rep! Yay! Love those books, and I hope you like the next one as well.

[@rachelbronson5749]

I just finished Warbreaker today and I loved it so much! Probably one of my fav Sanderson books now ☺️

[@AJTimberlake]

A lot of these sound amazing!

[@mangalover0149]

I’ve read both Elantris and Warbreaker and adored them.

[@christhewritingjester3164]

Thanks! I'm currently writing an adult sci-fi, but I mainly read fantasy, so this helps me know what kind of stuff I should check out for the genre.

[@anthonywheeler2082]

That AD at the end was great. The Toad page put it over the top haha

[@erindahlvig]

Merphy: *recommends Warbreaker by specifically mentioning the color-based magic system* Also Merphy: *recommends Lightbringer WITHOUT mentioning the color-based magic system* I love both of these so much because it was really interesting to see how two authors could have hard magic systems based on color and have them be so radically different. These are really the only books I imagine in vivid color. Everything else exists in my mind as kind of a washed-out dreamscape.

[@taylor_green_9]

I love colour-based magic systems. I came up with one as I was watching this video and had to pause and take notes. Now I just need a world, characters and story for that system, haha! Please, wish me luck

[@erindahlvig]

@Francisco Vargas: Best of Luck! This approach won’t work for everyone, but here’s a thought: Figure out what the impact of your magic system is and what cost it demands from its practitioners. Bring the magical conflict down to a personal level and start with a couple people impacted by the magic (positive or negative) whose story you want to tell. Then, based on that, build barriers their society puts around them with what people find valuable and commonplace due to the boons and restrictions of your magic. By now you should have enough sources of conflict from the magic, the practitioners and those who can’t use it, and the limitations of society that you can get a good handle on why your characters want what they want and have realistic obstacles, and you can extrapolate wider worldbuilding from there as necessary.

[@taylor_green_9]

@@erindahlvig Thanks for your suggestions. I'm thinking more of a political conflict as magic users align themselves with the ideals symbolized by different colours. Corruption, intrigue, conspiracy, espionage, eventually civil war. I'll definitely come up with some costs and restrictions, though. I hadn't thought of that yet.

[@chandramoore9342]

Your ad was my favorite part of this video. I mean the recommendations were amazing too. But I love your version of ads 🤣

[@ayesha9752]

Oy my, merphy! You're great at recommending books! I've added all of these to my tbr😂😂😂

[@CarlosRodriguez-dh7mm]

A note on Elantris: It's exactly my kind of book to enjoy but it's most definitely not for everybody. 2/3 of it is about 2 characters playing politics. 1/3 is kinda, I guess, following a struggle against depression (I don't want to give spoilers). There isn't very much flashy action or magic. It's basically a commentary on themes. That said, i think the characters represent their themes very well and I especially like the female and male protagonists. They're not super complex but they work for me. If you want action, adventure, and magic, this book isn't that kinda fantasy book. If you want interesting social and political commentary, this might scratch that itch just right.

[@stevemarethyu3003]

This is a really good description!

[@analyzationm]

Hard agree, I enjoyed the whole book but the ending, atleast according to me, was not satisfying ( but this is probably an unpopular opinion because I've heard alot of people say that the ending is a great one)

[@stevemarethyu3003]

@@analyzationm I had a hard time following the ending the first time. I enjoyed it better on a reread.

[@Zod.the.Merciless]

@@analyzationm Very much agree on the ending. I was so disappointed as from early on it seemed so very obvious where the book was headed that I was hoping for some twist, but there wasn't so it felt very much in rails.

[@normalguynamedX]

Liked Purely for the ad at the end... very cute and funny

[@visionary202]

Thank you for the book recommendations, and the commercial was really cute

[@Luke-nn4pm]

This video is my tbr now

[@anyakathryn6822]

an absolutely remarkable thing is so incredible! april is so flawed but likable and relatable, her voice is hilarious, and the lore behind the carls is so intricate and intriguing!

[@ferdinandnegron4382]

Love you Merphy! 💖💖💖

[@Montag451]

"This being a first contact story which is, you know, something that we've all experienced before." Wait, hold up... "First contact is a very standard storyline." Oh, okay. And Crichton is pronounced "cry-ten"

[@frei2304]

I loved Elantris 2 years ago! totally gonna get warbreaker! also, the first one about the magic is definitely a videogame plot.

[@DryBooks]

I didn’t know you read (and liked) the Hank Green book. I was kinda on the fence about reading it. Now I will for sure!

[@michaelmilford8549]

I just read “The Long Earth” and I would recommend that book. I know it gets mixed reviews as a series, but I think it is really interesting if you’re like me and have an imagination that makes me curious and ask more questions. It’s an easy read it has some humor and it is not plot driven all though there is a revaluation towards the end. It’s an interesting concept that I couldn’t get enough of.

[@Carlosmgcosta]

I enjoyed Andrew Rowe so much I've now read all 7 of the books from that series and now am waiting for the next release lol

[@luketufts6827]

I never read any YA fantasy.. I skipped straight from middle grade when I was in middle school to adult in high school. I feel like I can’t go back now 😅

[@nwahnerevar9398]

Same. I went from Harry Potter to the First Law. Quite a jump in tone, let me tell you.

[@hanzib31]

I did the same until a big ya fan friend of mine realised I hadn't read all of her favourite books... And she forced me to go back and read them all when I was about 23 😂 it was a bit weird to shift back but it felt quite nice to have a bit of a lighter easier read.

[@luketufts6827]

@@hanzib31 my sister tried to get me into throne of glass around a year ago.. I did not enjoy it

[@hanzib31]

@@luketufts6827 tbf throne of glass is abysmal so I'm not surprised 😂😂 a lot of big YA fans hate it too.

[@luketufts6827]

@@hanzib31 which ya books did you like the most?

[@mm3andersen1]

The ad at the end is hilarious.

[@kokorodaki4017]

I'm currently 400 pages in to Elantris, loving it (I've had a major reading slump this last year or so though, so once I finish it, it'll be the first book I've finished this year, lol)

[@mangalover0149]

I LOVED Elantris!

[@guy-ns4ov]

Keep reading, Merphy! You're a great person :)

[@Socasmx]

I'm so happy that there's a video is book on adult books. When I was a teen I transitioned before the huge trend where *everyone* reads YA. Thanks! P.S. a great fantasy series that is believable and takes it's time is Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. There's adult elements but a lot more subdued than GoT. The romance between Richard and Kahlan is amazing.

[@ryanwelker3150]

The Toad hype GIF was all of us when we saw a Merphy video on a WEDNESDAY.

[@britneynicole8903]

I really want to get back into reading fantasy!!

[@billyalarie929]

I LOVED HANK'S BOOK SO MUCH

[@kristiyu2575]

Thank you for these recommendations! Since you listen to a lot of audiobooks, maybe you could make a video about audiobook recommendations? Either talking about books that were enhanced by listening it to as audiobooks (good narrators or books that don’t require as much concentration) or books that shouldn’t be listened to audiobooks bc of illustrations or the complexity of the plot (or bc the author decides to write their sentences in swirls like Dune haha :))

[@girijadeshpande5387]

Korey's Photography is so good that even the pics he took for a cheesey advert are awesome.😅😅

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I need to start the black prism so badly

[@susanbuckminster282]

Thank you!

[@amosmsdawngzuala2335]

Thank you for the video 😊

[@sumedhachaudhary8135]

The first sci-fi novel I ever read was “The Martian” by Andy Weir. It was such a fun and easy read for me and actually got me and a friend of mine out of a huge slump. So I thought it might be a good suggestion for someone looking to get into sci-fi. I think I’ve heard you talk about it once but I’m not sure.

[@Lynn-CA]

No, I don't believe Merphy has read The Martian (and I've just checked Goodreads on it's not on her bookshelf). While I find it a really easy read, I know that some readers found it way too technical so maybe not a good starter Sci-Fi?

[@sumedhachaudhary8135]

@@Lynn-CA Maybe. I'm just speaking from my own experience as it was my first sci-fi. For me, the technical aspects didn't bother me that much as the rest of the book was so damn interesting and man, was it funny. But I get your point. Might not be for everyone.

[@sumedhachaudhary8135]

Also, Merphy, if you haven't read it. Please do. I really think you would love it.

[@Lynn-CA]

We are totally on the same page regarding how we liked the book. I loved it :)

[@stefaniewithanf7026]

The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman is also a great starter for adult fantasy. It's urban fantasy mixed with steampunk elements, a great protagonist and a really unique magic system.

[@becklebooks]

I loved Hank Green's duology, they're my new favourites. And because of the way Hank's characters felt so real and dynamic to me, because of the themes he handled so carefully and attentively, he's become a new favourite author of mine and I'm keeping an eye out for anything he may release in the future. :) Also, cos of this video, I wish to trip and fall back into a reread of Warbreaker hahaha I forgot how much I enjoyed it.

[@KittenCece]

Sufficiently Advanced Magic was an AMAZING read.

[@e_spren]

You know having an official age category called "New Adult" would seriously solve this problem, and the problem of YA having too big an age range

[@mayareads708]

New adult does exist though right ? but its just YA with sex. Like author that seems to want to write "adult" but can't shake their writting style of YA so its just.. new adult. That's how I see it anyway.

[@e_spren]

@@mayareads708 I think it does exist, but it isn't really marketed as New Adult; publishers mostly just choose if the book is more YA or more Adult and market it there. You're also not wrong about it mostly being YA with sex, but I just think that a lot of books people see as not quite adult but not quite YA would fit pretty well. It might just be more accurate for books with slightly more adult themes than some people would consider "young adult," like sex or more graphic depictions of it. But, also, age ranges don't really matter, so just read what you want and like, right?

[@alysonserenastone2917]

Yes, it would! I have read a lot of YA that really isn't appropriate for YA.

[@AikiraBeats]

That is true that gap would be closed if we had that category

[@serastewan1664]

@@mayareads708 There used to be. But imo the new adult genre has disappeared a bit. It used to be far more available. Now most books that used to be sorted in the new adult range are now just in the YA or adult range. That's mostly for romance books though. Not sure about other genres.

[@ultra91790]

Fantasy: Sufficiently Advanced Magic, Elantris, Warbreaker, great great books! LOVE! The Black Prism, I struggled through it. I haven't read Rage of Dragons yet.

[@nonfictionfeminist]

Love this! I'm finally starting to really get into fantasy. Could you maybe do a recs video for adult standalone fantasy? I'm interested in a few series, but mostly I'm put off because fantasy series tend to be HUGE. I'm just not interested in reading a fantasy story that's 6+ books long. Alternatively, maybe answer this comment with a couple recs lol. I LOVED Elantris, and can't wait to explore more Jemisin since I just read How Long Til Black Future Month. I'm not super interested in anything like Black Prism or GRRM because the sexism would seriously bother me.

[@ChaosTherum]

Jurassic Park is sooooo good I didn't get around to reading it until recently and it was absolutely fantastic.

[@angelamccollister]

I would also recommend the Nine Realms series by Sarah Kozloff as a good entry to adult fantasy. The first book is called The Cerulean Queen and all four books came out earlier this year. The writing style is straight forward but the story is adult. Death is not off the table in this series.

[@UdyKumra]

Hmm I actually liked the first half of Warbreaker better than the second, so people in the comments looking to start that one can take that as they will. Who knows, I like the first half better and Merphy the second half, so you might love both halves!

[@snowpoint720]

Black Prism EZ recommend from me. Listened to the whole thing on Audible. Magic is really interesting, Setting is Ruled by the magic users which is neat to see.

[@UdyKumra]

Lol Merphy I love your sponsorships.

[@derynsharp996]

I get so excited when you say “this video is sponsored”. I am always curious what will you come up with

[@lenniejoaquin7091]

this video was so helpful since ive been wanting to get into scifi! but merphy...you have me deaddd with that ad :((((((((( lmao

[@Luke-fu5co]

Awh yiss, i always take at least one suggestion from these videos😁

[@janeb3483]

Thanks for these recommendations! It's interesting you said that the protagonist of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing feels real - because my main complaint with that book was how "your usual protagonist" she felt and at the same time not as a real person but I think I could see the outlines of her storyboard-creation, her character felt forced and too structured to me.

[@melissateodola1887]

Warbreaker is my favorite Sanderson book.

[@ropecrewman36]

I really want to read Warbreaker, but I just recently got sucked into Mistborn so that one will need to be stop #2 in the Cosmere for me.

[@BrandonGuimond]

Oh Merphy, I'm so proud of you! *Sobers up *

[@Morfeusm]

Locke La...

[@taylor_green_9]

I'm sorta reading Elantris, and I like it, but I'll say one thing: It's not the kind of book you should read at the same time as you read others; it is probably best to focus all your attention on Elantris. I can't do that because I've got like a million simultaneous reads going on between my personal library and Wattpad. I'm trying to read the freaking Ulysses, for spirits' sakes! Anyway, a great book, though I haven't picked it up in a while

[@reiii69]

Brandon Sanderson has become such a gateway drug for Fantasy...😂.. So many great starting points for your journey.. I personally don't think his books have a slow start except Stromlight Archive...Mistborn takes off from the first page..

[@nestwithbooks]

I think Poppy War is a good fantasy book to start with if one is ok with heavy topics.

[@danecobain]

The Martian is pretty easily digestible for beginners too I think! I, Robot is great for beginners to the genre but who already read a lot of adult fiction in other genres. Maybe not the one to go for if you've only ever read YA though!

[@zombiegaby]

I actually started my fantasy journey with Rage of Dragons and I don't regret it! Now my standards are very high for the genre lol

[@bilalkhares9337]

Lol same!

[@samuels.g.8777]

The add was my favorite part 😂😂

[@danasalinger5247]

Oh how I love your ads hahahaha

[@TheGoofy1932]

OK, OK, you've sold me on Murder Bot.

[@tinamoul]

Elantris is also a stand alone temporarily, he plans to expand on the universe too.

[@abbys6260]

Elantris was my first Sanderson novel and will always hold a special place for me. I believe I read warbreaker inbetween 2 and 3 of stormlight which I think made me biased against it because I just wanted to get to book 3. It did grow on me though.

[@abbys6260]

Also in the collection of short stories there is one in the same world as Elantris.

[@sydneyakers2788]

You should read Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth. I just finished it and it was amazing!

[@kelleyceccato7025]

Moving beyond YA fantasy doesn't mean you have to move beyond female central characters. "Elantris" and "Warbreaker" are good entry points for that. Another good recommendation for readers who want to explore adult fantasy but also want good female leads: "The Spiritwalker Trilogy" (starts with "Cold Magic") by Kate Elliott.

[@iheartfantasyM]

When you're an avid fantasy and sci-fi reader but watch this anyway 'cause it's Merphy 😅❤