These 5 Fantasy Authors Are the Future of the Genre

[@CapturedInWords]

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[@ManiakMarch]

Unrelated, but would you be open to streaming (either on this channel or a dedicated gaming channel)? It would be cool to see you stream fantasy games.

[@amirkhanlari3385]

I know that this comment is not related to this video, but I really wanted to recommend the Shahnameh book to you. The subject of the Shahnameh is the myths and history of Iran from the beginning to the Arab invasion of Iran in the 7th century AD. But the Shahnameh is not a completely historical book and contains three mythological, heroic and historical parts. And because books with fantasy genre are rarely found in Iranian literature. I decided to recommend Shahnameh to you to know your professional opinion about this book. Please share your opinion about Shahnameh. It means a lot to me.

[@jee098]

You were the first channel I'd watched when I was searching for fantasy novels for beginners. And you made me read Mistborn and I'm truly grateful to you for this. Now I'm deciding between Rothfuss and Abercrombie.

[@thenameofthefire]

Rothfuss is a short jurney (cuz he has few books) but also a sometimes bitter one cuz he has not finished the trilogy, but Pat has an AMAZING prose. I haven't stated with Abercrombie yet, but at least he has finished some of his works XD

[@jee098]

@@thenameofthefire well this month I'm gonna buy the Greenbone saga and one series of either Rothfuss or Abercrombie. I'm not yet sure who should I choose. I like both slow-paced melancholic reads with flowery prose and fast-paced action packed reads. Gonna watch more videos before deciding ig.

[@Jed1Master97]

@@jee098 I can't say anything about Rothfuss because I haven't read him yet, but Abercrombie is really good so I can safely say he is worth it as long as you don't hate grimdark.

[@MalvinTetteh]

Dude try both rothfuss n abercrombie u will love the. He made me love them n I thank him for that

[@georgijo]

Abercrombie has a really dark sense of humour and a lot of fighting and gore compared to a lot of other fantasy i've read. his characters are great, lovable pieces of shit. Rothfuss is my favourite author, his writing is beautiful. And the Kingkiller chronicle has one of the best magic systems in the genre imo. But know that fans have been waiting over a decade for the final book in the trilogy.. his work is still totally worth the read in my opinion.

[@Abken.]

The Sword of Kaigen and Blood Over Bright Haven are 2 of my all time favorite books. I became an M.L. Wang fan in just a month with 2 of her books... She is so good!

[@GreekLibra1984]

Great list! This is why you are always the first channel I watch for Fantasy Suggestions.

[@CapturedInWords]

Thanks for watching, I'm glad to hear that!!

[@Lostinabook2518]

Your description of each book is greatly appreciated with wonderful details without giving much away! I find too many people spoil the best parts of books while explaining them. Your videos are solid all around!

[@drummertp12]

I love that Susanna Clarke has only written like three books but they are such bangers. Piranesi is amazing and Strange&Norrel is writtrn almost like a fairytale

[@everaldocruz9613]

For someone who is starting at read fantasy, your channel is gold

[@AlexWilshinheimer]

Christopher Ruocchio is definitely one to watch, I’m so excited for Sun Eater book 7 it’s unreal

[@PatrickRyanBookReviews]

My 5 authors would be: - Ryan Cahill - Benedict Jacka - Peter McLean - Matt Dinniman - James Islington I wanted to stick with authors that aren't currently very well known.

[@Dani_1012]

Well? Go ahead and talk about their books! Now I wanna know what they've written

[@PatrickRyanBookReviews]

@@Dani_1012 Ryan Cahill is the author of The Bound and the Broken - A self published Dragon Rider series for adults. My channel has a W.Y.S.R, a review of book 1 (Of Blood and Fire) and an author interview. Benedict Jacka is the author of the Alex Verus series, which is similar to Dresden but with a main character that will appeal to a larger audience. I have a review of book 1, Fated. He is also currently writing the Inheritance of Magic series. Peter McLean is the author of the War for the Rose Throne series. It's a gritty series that's often compared to the show Peaky Blinders. I have a review up for book 1, Priest of Bones Matt Dinniman is the author of Dungeon Crawler Carl which is getting a ton of fantasy readers to start giving the litRPG subgenre a try. I don't have any reviews up yet, but DCC is kind of all over booktube now. James Islington is the author of the Licanius Trilogy and is currently writing his second series, the Hierarchy. I have a series review for the Licanius trilogy, but it's his next series that makes me think he's the future of fantasy. The Will of the Many is simply the best book 1 of a series I have ever read.

[@Jerryjohnny12]

I haven't read the any of the authors he list except for Ryan Cahill and his "The Bound and the Broken" series is seriously incredible. You won't be able to put it down. ​@@Dani_1012

[@italian724]

Just wanted to say, I'm shocked you only have just over 100k subscribers man. Visually, audibly, everything is top-notch! Keep up the awesome work man!

[@symbolguy3609]

So which 5 authors are the future for sci-fi?

[@Dani_1012]

Now I want to know

[@tgwtom]

Heather Fawcett Hannah Kaner Christopher Buehlman Matt Dinniman Katherine Arden

[@SkodaZek]

Great list, I agree with almost everyone on it. That being said, I have to point out that while Joe Abercrombie’s works are among the best in the genre, R. Scott Bakker is unquestionably the best grimdark author, hands down. (in my humble opinion)

[@christopherclouser340]

Love that a self-published author made this list. There are a ton of great self-published writers out there that get no recognition from Booktubers.

[@-clyx-2907]

I'm currently reading Jade City and i agree, it's highly addictive.

[@noname3609]

JC is so good. 😊

[@OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels]

Solid picks, and great video as always! I'm excited to get to Blood over Bright Haven soon, and currently I'm re-reading the entire Cosmere and the sheer amount of nuggets Sanderson drops in single throwaway lines is blowing my mind. Definitely books that go hard on a re-read.

[@hopenparker]

OK, now you have encouraged me to revisit Jonathan strange and Mr Norrel

[@johje05]

Shannon Chakraborty definitely needs to be mentioned in this group. Her take on fantasy based on Middle East mythology is a refreshing deviation from standard Tolkien/Arthurian derived fantasy. She is also reasonably prolific, maybe not as much as Sanderson, who I also really like, but she already has four novels and a book of short stories stories out in the last seven years or so.

[@Dani_1012]

Thanks for this! We should not be excluding foreign fantasy from the lists, though I understand they may not be as accessible if they're not well known outside their country of origin

[@bampier97]

James Islington and Mark Lawrence deserve an honorable mention.

[@PlaguedxAmbition]

Should do a bookshelf tour

[@nathanbeer3338]

Currently on my journey before destination with the Stormlight Archive. Obviously no fantasy author can match Tolkien's brilliance but it feels nice reading a fantasy book of an author who might be remembered for many years to come, and you can see that in their books.

[@woe9782]

are you doing more cosmere classified/in-depth summaries?? I love those videos!!!

[@artvrenisworld]

Excellent video! Your reviews are always so thorough and well-researched. Looking forward to your next one!

[@CapturedInWords]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed 😁

[@arekschneyer3802]

You read Jonathan Strange! I’m so happy!

[@CapturedInWords]

It was soooo good!!

[@JoriamRamos]

Hey Jay :) so happy to see you mentioning Susanna Clarke here. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy The Blade Itself as much as the next guy, but there's something in the halls of Piranesi that flares my sense of wonder. When you said 'dreamlike state' I knew we were on the same page. I love your videos, man! Would love to invite you for a little collab if you're up for it. Lemme know :)

[@peak9358]

If The First Law is having an adaptation, I do hope that its on the same level of production as Game of Thrones. A lot hoped that season 8 didnt exist but the not even counting that one, GoT is just really really big and I wish the same for TFL

[@ittiqaamir7408]

Finally!!!!! I'm so glad u r reading jade city...do make a review video on it plzzzzzz. I really want to hear your review on this series.

[@ridit1807]

IKKKKKK I COULDN'T BELIEVE FONDA LEE WASNT ON THIS LIST

[@ilianamage4125]

Ok so I don’t know if you take recommendations but here it goes If you haven’t already been recommended it I highly recommend reading the Japanese light novel series Ascendance of a Bookworm by Miya Kazuki translated by Quof and published by J-novel club In my humble opinion it’s world building it up there with Tolkien potentially It’s also the first book series I’ve come across where it is divided into parts almost like Seasons for a tv series Outside of the 33 books there are several books that have collected short story chapters that come from many other characters points of view besides the main character Anyways here’s hoping you see this comment have a great day Part 1 (Daughter of a soldier )covers books 1-3 Part 2 is books 4-7 Part 3 is books 8-12 Part 4 is books 13-21 Part 5 is books 22-33

[@davehaynes9136]

Have you read The Cinder Spires by Jim Butcher? Sure he has been writing for 20 years, but Cinder Spires feels fresh and original, it makes you want a second helping

[@CapturedInWords]

I haven't but will definitely need to check it out!

[@ittiqaamir7408]

Second to Joe abercrombie, Fonda Lee is the best at characterization, she writes in a way that the characters themselves become epic and the best factor which I like is that all of them are flawed and have gray personalities.

[@tehdii]

Rothfuss had poisoned the wheel of fantasy for me so much that I do not know if I ever recover :(

[@Avid_Reader]

Michael Michel, A.C. Cobble, Brian McClellan, Ryan Cahill and Joao F. Silva are 5 excellent authors who don't get enough recognition.

[@Jerryjohnny12]

Ryan Cahill is incredible

[@Don_Rodrigo44]

Just finished sword of kaigen yesterday and most books i really dont have much emotional response to, but this book was def the exception. i went thru the whole gamut of emotions. Cant wait to pick up blood over bright haven

[@CapturedInWords]

Right!? Same here! I usually don't get that emotional with books, Kaigan left such an impact

[@ridit1807]

THE GREEN BONE SAGAAA

[@CapturedInWords]

YESSSS

[@noname3609]

Such a good series😊

[@kingzzz6509]

Love the video. A similar video on sci-fi would be cool too.

[@MagusMarquillin]

Based on my experience, I really gotta herald and hustle these 5 as the future of fantasy, shaping it's course for centuries to come: Peter S. Beagle, Ursula K. Le Guin, J.R.R. Tolkien, H. P. Lovecraft and Hans Christian Anderson. Not to diminish your authors of course, I'm sure these young pups will play some part in shaping the future. :) For real though, Piranesi is amazing, and I greatly look forward to reading other "newbies" like these 5!

[@ericneff9908]

Great list! I'm more ambivalent about Wang's potential, mostly because I have an "unpopular opinion" about Kaigen. But I wish her every success.

[@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk]

Food for thought. The ever growing tbr! Best wishes.

[@pizza6464]

Ryan Cahill better be on this list I stg that man deserves a lot more recognition.

[@DrunkenGyarados]

Does he?? I haven’t read past his first book, but that book is so bad. It’s basically a straight up plagiarism of a mix of other books in the genre. I struggle to give his books another shot because the first one was Broken Binding level of rip off and I feel like he’s very overrated, not at all deserving of more recognition? But idk. Maybe I gotta read book 2 and find out???

[@AsIfItNeverWas]

Though his output isn't exactly fast, I think it that Nicolas Lietzau is going to be a big name in this decade. His work on Enderal was incredible and I'm starting and loving Dreams Of The Dying

[@Syrin23]

He needs to check out the following series. I'll put them up against any others: He Who Fights With Monsters Defiance of the Fall Salvos The Wandering Inn

[@ThePersephoneDiggen]

I don’t know when it’ll happen because my books weren’t translated into English, but I hope I’ll be in your future lists, if you’ll have more of them.

[@ninadmesta3604]

You can mention your book name here and people of your language might read them bro And if it gets English Translation we might as well read them

[@ThePersephoneDiggen]

@@ninadmesta3604 why KZbin prevents me to put the link to my book? What’s wrong with this website?

[@aroojnasir5622]

i want to add one more author: malazan ( Steve Erikson)

[@jariel2568]

Underrated pick, James Islington.

[@CapturedInWords]

That's actually funny you mention Islington, I actually originally had James Islington as number 5 and was going to briefly mention Sanderson at the end as a bonus. But since I was running out of time for when the sponsor needed the video up, I had to cut James Islington and just do Sanderson 😅 I still have some clips filmed of me talking about Islington, and I wish I could have included him!

[@Belemrys]

Islington and Ruocchio are going to surprise you. Ruocchio new sword and sorcery short story promises that he is more diverse than Sun Eater!

[@safinan8008]

Always wonderful videos!! 😊

[@CapturedInWords]

Thanks Safina! 😁

[@jkroiss]

Check out Ascendence of a Bookworm anime and manga, anime feels like for kids at least in beginning but its got starwars and Harry potter and politics that are amazing

[@LoganC15]

As a Logan with 10 fingers, I’m interested.

[@noname3609]

John Gwynne should be top 5 aswel 😊

[@DonnyDingus]

Small world. i just learned we grew up in the same town and went to the same highschool. I would not be surpised if you were Ms. Andersons favorite student.

[@turbokid8719]

Loved first law I’ll check out the other books

[@Henry-jp3mc]

Imagine a series by Abercrombie for his characters and Sando for his world collaboration

[@CapturedInWords]

That would be peak fantasy!

[@tkinsey3]

These are all great writers that deserve to be recognized, but man....some of them have been publishing big numbers for over a decade. Those guys are the PRESENT, not the future. I would (respectfully) point to people like Adrian Tchaikovsky, Ken Liu, and Becky Chambers. Even those three are not newbies by any means, but I feel like they have a real grip and sense of where the genre is going.

[@adamaj74]

No way John Gwynne should be an honorable mention! Especially considering some of the authors that made the list. Not that I don't like those authors,but they're not on the same level. Just my opinion! 😬

[@noname3609]

I fully agree😊 I had read all of John Gwynne books❤

[@warrenwise8798]

Abercrombie and Sanderson are the only two I would say are the future of anything, though I admit I haven’t read Clarke

[@samjgollings8664]

I’m not sure you can describe Brandon Sanderson as “the future of the genre”. He’s been around for two decades now. Would’ve preferred to see you focus on people who really are ‘up and coming’ such as RF Kuang who you briefly mentioned.

[@CapturedInWords]

To be honest, I actually had James Islington as number 5 and was going to briefly mention Sanderson at the end. But since I was running out of time for when the sponsor needed the video up, I had to cut James Islington and just do Sanderson 😅

[@shelfherder]

Why wouldn’t he be described as the future of the genre? The only issue that I can see with picking him is that he’s a bit too obvious of a pick. He’s been around a long while but he’s moving towards a peak currently and we don’t know when that peak will actually be reached. You have to keep in mind that he’s only half way through the storm light archive as well. He’s the current face of epic fantasy and there aren’t any signs of that changing.

[@Marcus-id5ur]

Same with Abercrombie

[@samjgollings8664]

@@shelfherder obviously he will be around for the foreseeable future and he’ll continue to be a huge name, but “future of the genre” to me suggest rising stars, talented authors who are just getting their start in the community. Sanderson is already the face of 21st century fantasy. Would’ve preferred to see more of a spotlight on lesser known authors.

[@samjgollings8664]

@@CapturedInWords fair enough, I know how hard you have to work to upload regularly. Was really glad you highlighted M L Wang, can’t wait for the special edition of Sword of Kaigen to release in the near future. Keep up the good work!

[@angeld3085]

Wait for me, I´m writing a very good novel, unfortunately I´m not an English speaker and that closes many doors for me.

[@Lycan3303]

Ryan Cahill 🎉🎉😅

[@erikjulkin]

I cant see my name on the list!!!

[@Quanta-_]

Pls , make summary of book 2 and 3 of Stormlight archive like you did of WAY OF KINGS , u summaries it very well. And u also talk about the interlude, pls do it before WIND AND TRUTH ❤❤❤❤

[@CapturedInWords]

That's the plan :) I'll be posting the next summaries before book 5 releases!

[@Quanta-_]

@@CapturedInWords Glad to hear that , Good luck 🕊️👍

[@ocean5420]

what is that book that has a red sword behind you?

[@CapturedInWords]

It's the 2nd volume of the deluxe edition for Fate of Wizardoms by jeffrel L. Kohanek. He now has a new kickstarter for his sequel series, but there's the option to get all 4 of the leatherbounds: www.kickstarter.com/projects/jeffreylkohanek/fall-of-wizardoms-deluxe-collectors-edition

[@krishvanza1880]

Bro blew up.

[@donmujtaba]

I am also working on a mature , Fantasy book series 🙂

[@JapanMattsFantasyBooks]

I agree with most of what you said, but I can’t see the logic of including an author who’s already 64 years old and whose output is at the pace she does.

[@MrCian47]

Where are the time stamps? 🤔

[@CapturedInWords]

Just added them now

[@JordanKaminski]

I thought Piranesi was only alright, I thinks she's an incredible world/location builder but when it came down to it, I found the overall mystery to be a let down and a lackluster conclusion. After finishing, it kinda made the world building seem very redundant. I'll still check out her next book though

[@KootFloris]

These are all already very established names. I was waiting for really newer like Klune, or Haig, or I don't know.

[@KIVIJEDI]

Part 2?🙏

[@LimeymanZero]

Fonda Lee is pretty good I guess, Jade City is only just barely incredible in every way, and the series as a whole is only so fantastic it's the bar all other fantasy must reach for, it's not like it's perfect or anything! Finally, you are reading it, feels like it's been years pestering!

[@radudumanovschi3387]

Most readers haven't heard of any of them. I don't know to what extent they can be the future

[@Schwizzzz]

Uh wut lol

[@Lookintobookz]

Didn’t sword of kaigen win the spfbo at some point??

[@Rhendali]

So unbelievably happy that ML Wang was the first author mentioned. She was who came to mind when I saw this video title. I read Blood Over Bright Haven first and was so blown away by it that I immediately started Sword of Kaigen. Somehow, Kaigen is even better! While I do love some of Abercrombie’s characters (Glokta and Logan), his writing just isn’t for me. I’ve read 4 of his books and found them all just meh. Piranesi, I straight up hated. It was boring and predictable. Strange & Norrel is on my TBR but was knocked WAAAAY down after reading Piranesi. Haven’t read anything by Fonda Lee. Not sure I’ll pick it up. I’m not keen on mafia stories or crime fiction. Sanderson is amazing. Everybody know him and most people love him. That said, he is maybe a smidge overrated. I adore Stormlight and some of his shorts/stand alones but find much of his work to be meh (I straight hate Warbreaker and Edgedancer, the first Mistborn book was good but the other 2 were a bit of a let down, Era 2 of Mistborn is utterly unappealing to me).

[@psikeyhackr6914]

But good science fiction might actually be the future. *Daemon & Freedom* by Daniel Suarez

[@jordancollins2553]

Where is WMF details part 2? im not being angry just really want the video

[@kevinstarnes4796]

Tried many of the great authors regarded as the leads of fantasy and sci-fi... And ive absolutely never resonated with the prose and story as much as i did when i read Rothfuss books. Its like i had been struck with a tuning fork made from my soul and bone. Its taken several other great books to come down from the high.

[@EldenLord737]

I think sword of kaigen is overrated.

[@iamanonymous979]

I am not a native english speaker but i understand english and can even watch english movies with subtitles,i am decent in english but whenever imtry to read these fantasy novels or any type novels books i just cannot understand it sometimes,so any body have any advice how to be a good reader i mean i want to understand these books, just help me i am passionate in book reading

[@aronherman5505]

Just take it slow and try to be patient with yourself. The only way to get better at reading is by reading.

[@elijahgrossman8223]

It's really crazy that Sanderson is on this list, especially over some of those honorable mentions

[@Schwizzzz]

How?

[@elijahgrossman8223]

​@@SchwizzzzN.K. Jemisin won the Hugo Award 3 years in a row for the Broken Earth Trilogy. She crafted one of the most unique worlds ever put to page blending Sci-Fi and fantasy. Her character's have this sense of tradgedy about them, most are deeply flawed and/or deeply scarred by the world, and yet you come to love and care for them nonetheless. And all of that is the surface level of the series, and ignores the allegories at the heart of it that you could write a thesis on. R.F Kuang wrote Babel, which is such a careful deconstruction of Colonialism and all of societies preconcieved notions and biases towards it. Babel legitametly altered my view of the world, of history I've been taught, of modern day events, including one that happened very shortly after I finished reading the book for the first time. Then there's Sanderson, and I've read alot of Sanderson, Mistborn, The Sotrmlight Archive, Wax and Wayne. Sanderson has a knack for drawing you in with interesting worlds and more interesting character's right from the start. But then you're two books into the series, be it Mistborn or Stormlight, and where you once ate up every page you now have to fight not to just put down the book and give up. His character's, like Jemisin's, are deeply flawed but any satisfaction you get at a moment of personal growth or revelation are snuffed out chapter's later when they are back to the same old conflicts the same old bs. Kaladin was by and far my favorite character, but by the third book I desperately wanted to skip his chapter's because they we're honestly tiring. And then there's the world building, which in both Mistborn and Stormlight quickly devolved in my opinion. There's so little depth to any of it, it's like this glamorous facade he paints in the beginning and your excited to delve into this fantastical building, but all you get is more facade, and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and eventually it starts connecting to his other works and suddenly your asking yourself "when did this become the MCU of fantasy books?" Idk, I spent many many hours with Sanderson, 100's of hours, and I enjoyed some of them, quite a bit. But the lows made me question whether or not any of it was worth it. Thanks for coming to my TED talk

[@bexencr]

Great video, agree with everything except with Sanderson. I have no hate for him, it's just that as a writer, he's very poor. He's a great content creator though, but a very bad writer. It's not that his prose is simple, it is redundant, repetitive and monotonous. His books shouldn't be longer but much, much shorter, as they are in great need of heavy editing. For these reasons I don't see him as a big influence or, in any case, not a positive one.

[@hamdinger7145]

#1 Patrick Rothfuss

[@MiddleGround-NML]

😂

[@felicisrex8281]

I think he would have to publish a book to be influential 😭

[@charmz6714]

Thanks for your opinion here, would love to start seeing more male creators start giving some attention to some fantasy power players like Sarah J Maas. She’s not just romance, it’s a huge universe she’s created across 16 books

[@jessmarie2934]

As someone who read all of Sarah J Maas books, really enjoyed Fourth Wing, and even Lightlark (neither of which are literary masterpieces)and then moved over to Epic fantasy, I loved her books but they are nowhere near the quality of any of these writers. I feel like a lot of her side characters lack depth and originality. The magic systems only exist to drive the plot and therefore are super convenient in how they work. (I know it’s a soft magic system). I absolutely detested A court of silver flames and had to DNF even though I loved the rest of the ACOTAR books. There was hardly any plot and the repetitive nature of the writing (smut) drove me insane. I feel like she could reach these levels in future works if she tried to but right now she isn’t there yet.

[@charmz6714]

@@jessmarie2934 I hear you. I terms of influence in the fantasy space and publishing industry, there’s no denying that her format/formula/style has spawned an entire industry of authors with sales numbers to rival Sanderson and Rowling

[@jessmarie2934]

@@charmz6714 oh yeah 100%! :)

[@Majesticon]

Aw come on, these guys again? Jeez man

[@HenrieAsconir]

Hi! Good day! I wrote a novel, titled: Archangel world at war. I watched your informative videos and it's my pleasure that someday you will review my book on one of your vlogs. It was not edited yet, nevertheless I published it to major EReading apps like Amazon and Kobo. Thank you in advance. Hopefully I can send you a physical copy in the final format of my book in the future. God bless.

[@teddited9682]

The sword of Kaigen is awful! I only finished because so many said it was wonderful…the person she married abused her for years…she didn’t want to marry him…in the end she accepts that because her parents told her to marry this person so she accepts her life in the end, which is sooo sad! This is a misogynistic story

[@Majesticon]

Also where is the sanderson hate? People who claim sanderson gets "a ton of hate" are like Christians claiming they're oppressed...a couple critiques does not equate to a ton of hate, man!!

[@IndiaTides]

Do deep dive discussions video. Top ten videos are too many. You have extraordinary video skills but there is something missing. I think the stories provide community and community depends on discussion, opinions and enjoyment of being part of it.

[@podeshahejalol]

👍👍

[@OneofTheHats]

1st

[@Rybay]

1st douche?

[@iggydaking9117]

Fantasy has a bleak future, then.

[@nicknoll4809]

The Sword of Kaigen sucks....I'm sorry . Disjointed af