ADVANCED FANTASY AND SCI-FI BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

[@ebnovels]

Reviews, relevant videos, and amazon affiliate purchase links to books mentioned: Adult fantasy for newbies: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWLIYnRmpLGlmZY YA fantasy for adult readers: kzbin.info/www/bejne/op_Sc3uPrZytq5o Gardens of the Moon: amzn.to/3rPxAuB -Gardens of the Moon review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oamVkIGIgbagb6s Way of Kings: amzn.to/3pMQkJC -Stormlight Archive playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PL-WCMA9LkyeyVWQGUcSp8sdNQB6oJ45WM The Eye of the World: amzn.to/3hDnW9K -I don't have a review for this one, but here's a fun Wheel of Time video you might enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGnZZoCMibBmaas Senlin Ascends: amzn.to/3pFXCi0 -Senlin Ascends review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJPTkGWHmtKKbc0 Ninth Rain: amzn.to/3rRPzAQ -Ninth Rain review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6e1eZ-Pp7KCoZY Hyperion: amzn.to/39cNDKP First Law: amzn.to/388rrC8 -First Law trilogy review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/homUkp93jcegrck You can support local bookstores by purchasing books through bookshop.org and libro.fm! bookshop.org/ libro.fm/

[@johnsaxongitno4life588]

Looking like I am about to dive headfirst into the deep end please stay safe love you and your channel please enjoy your reading 📖 in 2021 love from Australia

[@theriddler2277]

being able to understand/appreciate/recommend books you don't love yourself is something that is sorely lacking in booktube, the fact that you are able to do so is so very much appreciated.

[@Canoe64]

Malazan was my introduction to fantasy. For some inexplicable reason I read the Chapter 1 excerpt of "Gardens on the Moon" on Amazon ( normally I would skip anything fantasy). I couldn't stop reading, I had no idea fantasy could be written like this and this well, so I took a chance and bought the book. I was so impressed by the book that by the time I was halfway through Gardens I decided to buy the entire series. It is now my all time favourite books/series. My challenge now is to find another author/series. Yesterday I finished "The Darkness that comes Before" by R. Scott Bakker. It's the first book in "The Second Apocalypse" series. I would recommend this for anybody that enjoyed the Malazan series. It's not as complex as Malazan (fewer characters and storylines to follow), but like Malazan the story is told through the characters point of view. And like Erikson, Bakker gives you those moments that make you stop, sit back and think about what you just read. It is just so incredibly rich and introspective.

[@Severian1]

My favorite series of all time. Absolutely floored me with its genius.

[@joelman1989]

Malazan is truly unmatched in its unique way. Wheel of time and of course the lord of the rings are also similar in their scope. And the Stormlight archive and the first law are also up there.

[@mdc123-v2v]

Malazan is usually the step-up from Sanderson or Abercrombie so for it to be your first foray into the genre is amazing, what's more impressive is that you stuck at it. I made the jump from Stormlight Archive / Mistborn and Abercrombie and it took 6 attempts to finally drag myself through, the lack of hand holding and explanations made me double back more times than I care to remember. GOTM is the book that made me a better reader and really taught me the meaning of just going with a story and not worrying about things not making sense. The pay-off is greater than any other series I've ever read and the way in which the world, it's history and the lore developers will in my opinion never be matched. Sadly, after trying to get back into Stormlight Archive I've really struggled as the writing and character development seems so linear in comparison to Malazan and the world building so shallow.

[@Luke-nn4pm]

I'm 12 chapters into gardens of the moon and love it so much, I think if you like Malazan try A Song of Ice and Fire, it's my favortite series though maybe Malazan will pass it by the end. ASoIaF also tells everything through different PoVs and its done masterfully, it's also structured better than Malazan IMO. It doesn't have the best world-building, but thats just that some of the logistsics don't make a lot of sense it's still incredibly rich with tons and tons of detail to dive into, and again definitely the best characterwork I've read. It's verg character driven but the plot is also great and there's constantly twists and turns that keep the story super engaging, and the prose is also incredible.

[@ShannonRN]

Just started Malazan this month. Absolutely love it. It is so absurd when you step back and look at it, yet comes off so awesome. When we are introduced to a certain character with a huge sword, I thought to myself "That's so metal" without a hint of irony. Though getting into Malazan has pretty much sidelined starting Stormlight for a while. And Book 4 of WOT is where I also decided to get off that train. I DNFed it last month. I just really wasn't feeling it and after hearing so many people say it's their favorite....I figured it was all downhill for me and I might as well just throw in the towel

[@jordankeith1821]

I was literally looking for videos like this last night.... i can see the futrue

[@priyankaghosh312]

Me too

[@idden975]

❤️

[@Buchertn]

I found my love for reading agian in the early summer of this past year. I dived head first starting with Dune for SI-FI and John Gwynne, and Tolkien for Fantasy.

[@johnkeller2669]

Love this list. I personally think way of kings is more intermediate because of how easy Sanderson style is to get into but just for length alone I wouldn’t rec it to anyone who doesn’t have previous fantasy experience

[@arundhatiparida4075]

I found out about stormlight archive from you and it is my favorite series of all time now. So thank you so much for introducing it to me. Lots of love♥️♥️♥️

[@SpookyyV]

Elliot: It’s Alice in wonderland for adults and on drugs. Me: immediately goes to order the book

[@alij6940]

Same lmao

[@DrClocktopus1]

Yea I am so intruiged

[@priyankaghosh312]

I still believe Alice was on drugs

[@b_olson542]

The Stormlight Archive is a fantastic audiobook series. If you like the format, I cannot more highly recommend.

[@lostschedule51]

Until now I thought I was the exception of not loving the forth book from Wheel of time. However I did continue and now I'm in the second half of the series. I really love it so far as I see the characters grow. Yes, there are lots of chracters. At one point two characters had similar names, functions and are introduced a few chapters apart so I feel sometimes it was intentional.

[@SassiStark]

When you get to the last few books of the series you start to really feel he epic journey paying off. I got so sentimental about the characters that I started with the audiobooks right after finishing the series (including New Spring) :-D

[@taseenmuhtadi1620]

I loved the Hyperion. I fell in love with the story-within-a-story, Canterbury Tales style storytelling reading Hyperion, and the series is one of my favourites.

[@kamiljugowiec5601]

I was 13 when i started Stormlight Archive I enjoy it so much even if It was my first Adult fantasy book XD

[@maximiliangerboc]

Haha I'm reading Malazan for the first time now (only about halfway through Gardens of the Moon at the moment), and when you compared it to atonal music I just started hearing Schoenberg in my head and was like, yeah, they're both based in a structural ideology, require full immersion to appreciate, and any questions about it will only lead to more confusion. That being said, once I stopped asking questions about 12-tone and trying to analyze the heck out of it, I started enjoying it more, and I sort of had a similar epiphany last night while reading GoTM. Great analogy (from one music appreciator to another)!

[@kostastsiknis154]

I completely agree with your options. Also I think Lightbringer and Broken Earth can be considered more advanced fantasy. Lightbringer has a big cast of characters, complex magic and you dive in immediately in the story so it gets a while to understand what's going on. Broken Earth felt like reading speculative fiction so it's slower than usual fantasy and deals with a lot.

[@Deitaro]

Yeeeeessss, The Hyperion Cantos is the only series I’ve read 3 times. Love all the different stories and how they come together.

[@wingedearth]

I love this. Elliot is giving really good intros to each of my favorite fantasy series.

[@Audrey610]

AHHHHH! So many of these books sound SOOOOO good! I'm a big Fantasy reader, and I definitely want to check these out!! Thank you for making this list, and for making this list separate from the Adult Fantasy for Newbies list, because I love Fantasy, but I'm more of a YA Fantasy reader, so having the beginning and the advanced list be different will really help me to know what to pick up next!

[@BookswithBridget]

That definitely happened to me with Way of Kings! I finished it and wasn’t sure about the series but when I read Words of Radiance I was like yesss this is amazing 🤩. Just took a minute to get my bearings in the world!

[@shananika]

No joke, it took me 8 months to get into Way of Kings. I would read a chapter or two and then put the book down and not touch it for weeks. Shallan and Kaladin are the only POV characters in Part 1. I had zero interest in Shallan and although I liked Kaladin, he was depressed, angry and withdrawn for most of Part 1. After 8 months of inching my way through, I finally got to Part 2. Shallan’s POV was dropped, Kaladin found a purpose for himself and stopped being so depressed and we got POVs for Dalinar and Adolin. All of a sudden I couldn’t put the book down. I’m currently reading Part 2 of Rhythm of War 😊

[@TonyRobetson]

Abercrombie is one of my favorites. he's my go-to when I need a gritty real world fantasy. His young adult series is good too. I would say his books are a bit more accessible with how big game of thrones got

[@ebnovels]

I’m hoping to read his YA books. I started the first but had some stuff come up and didn’t get the chance to finish 😯

[@gtgodbear6320]

You need to read Darth Plagueis and Thrawn. They're Star Wars books but they are excellent well put together novels. Rendezvous with Rama also

[@ssspaceman86]

Hi Elliot, here for Malazan. I've only read Gardens of the Moon so far, but I want to say my thoughts on your opinion. First of all, hiking is a good metaphor, because through exciting difficulties you reach a valid payoff. However in my opinion there is one important thing to keep in mind when it comes to Malazan. Most books involve an immersive and fundamentally passive experience, in which, through (hopefully) a good "show don't tell", informations about world buildings and characters are absorbed. In this case, the reader is like a passive spectator. Approaching Malazan with this in mind can result in a great deal of frustration, and it has taken me two failed attempts in the past to make me understand. Erikson's work is ambitious because he chooses to tell the story in a different way and that is: by placing the reader in an active role. This awareness totally changes the perception of the book, because it makes us aware that it is we who have to find the hidden gems in a fragmented narrative. It's like a game. Definitely the author's will is to make a puzzle. Every event so far is shattered in fragments, from different point of views: all the fragments at a first sight are disconnected from the others. But then you discover that all the minor details from each fragment are not so minor, and they match with other fragments. Suddenly you have a bigger picture. This is a very interesting way of storytelling, that puts the reader in an active role of the experience: in this story readers are not supposed to be a passive audience for the show, they have to learn and solve, they're "investigators" . A huge mistake most People do (me too, in the past) is to believe that the book is "Bad written" or the author is "unforgiving, not interested in help the reader": this is wrong, because i think that the "solving the puzzle" element of the book is a well crafted authorial intent.

[@Luciferwinchester]

I would say Broken Earth Trilogy(The Fifth Season) Amazing books, but not beginner friendly.

[@dpgenghis]

Agree, even though I loved the series it definitely takes some time and commitment to figure out what is going on.

[@ginagee5627]

I love how you describe a book. Even something I’d usually never read, I find myself intrigued

[@bethanycrusoe8434]

I can not wait to start Ninth Rain! Has been on my radar since you first reviewed it.

[@bmoneybby]

I know right. I should just read it already!

[@kittensmakingcandles]

Very cool topic and video Elliot Brooks, thank you for creating and sharing. The whole issue of figuring out what scifi and fantasy will work for which people, or offer what types of journeys, has gotten very complicated. There are just so many choices. And it can be a huge burnout to chain slog through a number of books and just find duds. Especially if those books have a slow, long, or tedious ramp up. Thank you for adding some light and insight into that muddled mix.

[@AbbySalter]

I've just got Ninth Rain and very excited to get to it.

[@nxsardella]

Agree on the First Law placement - it’s also not great as “entry level” because it intentionally subverts so many tropes of classic fantasy that you kind of need that foundation in order to properly enjoy it.

[@bernhardrenner5176]

From all the blog entries and interviews I read/watched from Joe Abercrombie I'm almost sure that he did not intend to subvert any tropes but I get that it might feel that way to some readers.

[@kendra5781]

Thanks for the recommendations! I’ll definitely try these. ❤️

[@Books_BrewsandBeyond]

I would have to say that Dune as well as The Kingkiller Chronicles are more for advanced fantasy readers and in terms of sci- fi I would say The Children of Time series by Adrian Tschaikovsky as well as The 3 Body Problem series by Cinxin Liu.

[@DrClocktopus1]

As someone who was turned off of Sci Fi by the idea of the space opera but loves Phillip K Dick and Ursula Le Guin, 3 body was a great way to get into modern hard Sci Fi.

[@stephenferguson9756]

Wouldn't Dune be considered a scifi?

[@Books_BrewsandBeyond]

@@stephenferguson9756 yes actually my mistake

[@violetadaguiar9776]

I would love to see a "favorite places in the Cosmere" from Elle! Thanks to your channel I read Warbreaker, my first Sanderson, and I'm in love with T'Telir!

[@HollyByGollyBooks]

Senlin Ascends sounds like everything I want and need this winter. I LOVE WEIRD.

[@kobbyquayson]

I actually got to the seventh book in WOT before I stopped. I just didn’t see the appeal

[@aninehartog3950]

Can you please do a video of intermediate FANTASY and SCI-FI books (you did one for beginners and advanced)?

[@becausereadingis]

Reading Ninth Rain now and I agree it is weird. I almost gave up on it but then we met Vintage and her crew and I want to see what they do.

[@lifi9299]

I am somebody who apparently does not like the simple (or like intelligent way). When I got back into reading after a few years I first of all switched to reading in english instead of my native language and to adult fantasy - and my second book in that genre was Blood Song. Do not recommend as an introductory book for non-native speakers...the first one was fine, but in the end there are so many characters with similar names and apparently everything mentioned is important to understand the conclusion. But...it has been one of my absolute favourite series ever since and got even better through rereading...when I finally understood the ending 😂 and then I continued with LotR..in german though.

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

R Scott Bakker would be top of my list for advanced fantasy

[@TheDalemedcalf]

Joe is so good, my favorite series by far and really enjoy all the books that follow. The hero's was my personal favorite

[@TheEyez187]

Ninth Rain, what you said of it, made me think of The Shining and Dr.Sleep for various reasons! Reading big doesn't phase me, done all of Tolkien's Middle-Earth works, can't think of another series with more books (23), but I just couldn't get in to Wheel of Time, I maybe (probably!?) didn't give it much of a chance but after a handful of chapters of the first book, for some reason, The Wisdom just seemed to grate me. Telling the farmers when to plant and when to harvest; they're generational farmers I'm sure they knew/had their own knowledge of agriculture// don't just tell me, come and help!!Should give it another go, though there's a new series just started, so I might further test the waters with that first! :D

[@kingtigerbooks1162]

Happiness is ignoring the world because you are busy exploring the galaxy. While reading. My 4 favorite books: - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - Paradise Lost by John Milton - Icon by Frank Frazetta - Great Fighter Jets of the Galaxy 1 by Tim Gibson

[@jlarcher100]

I haven't read a great deal of classic sci-fi but I have read Hyperion. While I enjoyed it, I'm SO glad to know I wasn't the only one who found it hard to get into at first.

[@FreyaWarr]

I recently made the mistake of starting Malazan on audiobook while I was reading The way of Kings. My brain just couldn’t handle it all. So I decided to put away Malazan until I finish Stormlight Archive.

[@megasalexander927]

Audiobooks for simple books.

[@kristienwhitney-johns5863]

Yeah do not listen to the audiobook. Least not on the first read through

[@adamdarren2659]

You'd never call The Bloody Nine a "Teddy Bear" to his face... LOL!

[@EhsJaySaunders]

I actually just finished Senlin Ascends and jumped right into Malazan. Thus far, I'm greatly enjoying both series!

[@lilred8234]

I would definitely recommend Mistborn and The tearling series!

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

I love the atonal music analogy with Malazan. I personally am loving the series, but a lot of people just won't at all.

[@briannashaw3950]

This is not related to books whatsoever, but I love your eye makeup! It looks so cool😎💞

[@Funky3Player]

If anyone is looking for a sci-fi series to pick up, then I can wholeheartedly recommend The Expanse by James S. A. Corey. The 9th and last book in the series main arc is planned to be released before the end of this year.

[@aden.e]

i’ve been wanting to read leviathan wakes for over a year now but i don’t ever read sci-fi so i’m afraid i’ll be overwhelmed

[@Funky3Player]

@@aden.e I've started with Dune, which is more of a fantasy dressed as a sci-fi tbh, but it is lengthy. If I had to recommend a good beginner sci-fi to someone I think I would go with the Ringworld by Larry Niven. Just the first book, maybe the second, the later ones get... weird and not in the good way. So just read the wiki if you're interested in the lore after reading the first two.

[@james35813]

I've read a lot of fantasy and, while still being a great series with lots of memorable moments, characters and worldbuilding, the payoffs at the end of Wheel of Time are better than any other series I've read.

[@james35813]

@jakelong66f Yeah, she doesn't seem to like the same things in the genre as I do. That's fine, but if you're the type of person who likes book 1-4, you'll love the stuff happening at the end.

[@albertcespedes411]

I just started the first law by Joe Abercrombie and I hadnt lol'ed that hard witha book. it is very cleverly written, i love it.

[@MrOntarioBoy]

A memory called empire. The world building is fascinating, not to mention the naming such as 3 seagrass. It is hard to read though, but really worth it.

[@thorasaylor5075]

The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams is currently not for purchase through amazon (for kindle). Why is this? 🤔

[@ebnovels]

It’s only available on kindle for UK readers. I feel bad for the author-the publisher and/or her agent need to definitely push for her book to be more accessible!

[@thorasaylor5075]

@@ebnovels Ah. Thank you for letting me know ^^

[@JolienReads]

Yay for Ninth Rain! I picked it up a while ago because of your recommendation and it was one of my favorite reads of 2020! 🤩

[@safinan8008]

Thank you for recommending the books. Happy reading to u!! 📖🥳

[@elizabethlin_9879]

May I ask what made you stop Wheel of Time? It seems like you really love fully-realized cultures and worlds and it does that masterfully, and also it's the perfect blend of classic and modern fantasy. And the character arcs, in my opinion, are some of the best the genre has ever seen.

[@ebnovels]

Thanks for asking! I’m glad you enjoy it so much :D I do love well developed worlds and agree that his is among the most realized, but I prefer the worldbuilding to generally be more character focused. I want to see the world through the characters, rather than have it feel as though the characters are within the world. I don’t think I’m explaining it well here, but perhaps I’ll make a video going further into it! I also don’t really like the characters, though 🙈🙈🙈

[@JM-tr2mx]

Wheel of time is mediocre and super annoying, not to mention tedious.

[@KD-qc6st]

Great video, Elliot!

[@michaelvcelentano]

I appreciate that you understand what atonal music is! Are you also a musician? Sorry, newer to your channel... Opera singer here, so I would definitely recommend Wozzeck to you, if you want to find a larger atonal work that’s relatively listenable, lol

[@ebnovels]

Violinist! :D

[@jandnorton]

Malazan really comes together during book 4 where you start to see how the stories all relate to each other.

[@bmoneybby]

Ouch haha

[@GraceMed]

Elliot, just ordered your book "Peace and Turmoil'. It sounds great! Can't wait to get and start reading it! How many books are you planning to write in this series?

[@ebnovels]

Probably somewhere between 4-6 😄

[@Selitos676]

The Priory of the Orange Tree would be advanced I think. Lots of POVs and world building.

[@kristienwhitney-johns5863]

I really don't like the comparison used for malazan... because its really not a consistent hike. Maybe the first 2 books. But from book 3 its just a pleasant ride

[@TheBookishMom]

I REALLY want to get to Ninth Rain! You really have me excited to get to it sometime soon.

[@Bougie_Nerd]

Love everything Sanderson. But I can't get through the first Wheel of Time! 😭😭

[@Kal_Al_Thor]

Well it's ur loss if u don't get through it.

[@jeremyanderson5828]

I hear you, I did make it, but stopped there.

[@brianreck5971]

I lost interest in Malazan sometime in book 7 I think...I put it down and never picked it back up. As far as a recommendation, the Night Angel series by Brent Weeks would be good. While the first book is kinda trope-y, it gets deep.

[@CruxOroq]

I am not sure if anyone would be interested in it but The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell. Brandon Sanderson suggested the book himself. The magic system is heck a good. I really suggest this book. Though I wouldn't say its an advance read however, its still a good read none the less.

[@flozx90]

Haha getting to the 4th in Wheel of Time and stopping is totally understandable! I swear so many of the middle chunk of books lots happens but nothing happens and it's a slog 😂 it's a slog I want to re-try this year though, I think I've read all bar the final book but I can't remember what happens and I want to finally finish the series!!

[@LizTheFlyingDutchman]

Gardens of the moon: I didn’t make it through the first book, I don’t enjoy being completely confused. But love that there doesn’t seem to be a good vs evil plot. But everyone is kind of terrible, but also not completely. Wheel of time: loved the first book, enjoyed the second, and was totally annoyed with whiny Rand in the third one. So never finished it, planning to but I’m just not very motivated. Apparently the pace picks up in the books Sanderson wrote, but I still have a long way to go before I get there🙃

[@michael305m3]

Don’t read it if it’s just for sandersons books, jordan was a wonderful author with his own wonderful books in the series. Btw Rand gets much better in the 4th book and beyond

[@ericks141]

Wheel of time.. I quit on 5th book 10 years later I started over. If you can get to the Sanderson last 3 book. It gets good again...

[@hamzahmohammed5491]

Great list, only gripe is that the insight of the Malazan series is a little off...wouldn’t really describe it as a puzzle nor is Erickson going out if his way to be unique or experimental...it’s merely an incredibly vast philosophical book that employs MANY literary devices...wouldn’t really compare it to atonal music or anything like that, China Mieville is more deserving of that kind of comparison whereas Erickson is “just” epic fantasy on steroids

[@alij6940]

If anyone read the stormlight archive should def look into draconis memoria series by Anthony ryan

[@bernhardrenner5176]

Those are great recommendations, two of them are among my all time favorites. I just can't bring myself to read anything by Dan Simmons though I heard a lot of good things about Hyperion. I am a very picky reader and have a habit of informing about an author before I decide to give a book a try or not. I made the mistake to read Simmons “Message From a Time Traveler” (a kind of blog) and to check his forum and was deeply annoyed by some of the political content, behaviour against peoples with different opinions and non-behaviour against people posting xenophobic content.

[@GaryAlmes]

Serious question: where did you get those bookshelves?

[@neilhughes9310]

I agree with most of these and have them all except the Abercrombies. I could never rate Hyperion as 'advanced'. I have never managed to finish anything by Dan Simmons, so I may be biased. Try Vernor Vinge 'Zones of Thought' series for modern sci-fi of the classic school. Great concepts and easy to read.

[@mrgodliak]

My first adult fantasy was The Way of Kings and I loved just diving in, I was 18 when I read it. Well I suppose I read The Lord of the Rings Year’s before it.

[@Torsin2000]

I'm on book 8 of Malazan, and some of the books are...difficult to get through. The most jarring thing is the book to book complete change of narrative/point of view.

[@kristienwhitney-johns5863]

Tbf, pov change isn't unique to malazan. Errikson even has the grace to seperate povs by paragraph rather than GRRM which separates them by chapter

[@Torsin2000]

@@kristienwhitney-johns5863 i'm ok with pov changes, even new characters, and such. Malazan seems to switch between main cast characters book to book, which isn't that weird except at the beginning of the series there is no thread to tie it into the previous narrative. Erikson blends the storylines together later, but when I'm asking myself 'is this on the same world' or 'is this during the same time' as the previous books it was hard to stay interested. I think there was some missed editorial oversight, some scenes could have been done in a different way/order to not be as jarring to the reader. This weird disconnect is a reason why Malazan is low on my list of series so far.

[@delmaplain6823]

What about vintage sci-fi, from 1930-1950?

[@Lilacsandgooseberries]

Would you recommend listening to Senlin ascends on audiobook? or is it a better book to read read?

[@CupCakeUnleashed]

I started Malazan recently. Its a biggy.

[@kristienwhitney-johns5863]

Dont look anything up lol

[@raffaelsteinmann7296]

Just finished Gardens of the Moon a few days ago too. Holy shit, I'm in for a ride.

[@raswartz]

Me too. Was ready to quit halfway through Deadhouse Gates. Nonetheless, I persisted. I'll go one more book then we'll see.

[@lamegoldfish6736]

Yuppers! I agree. There is a big difference between Schoenberg and Beethoven! 😃

[@AuburnHuhmann]

I’m new here and have been binging your videos all weekend. Have you read anything by Elise Kova? I read the Air Awakens series and loved it but haven’t read anything else by her. I was curious if you had, and if you had if you have any thoughts?

[@CMH82267]

WoT has 2,782 individually named characters. 😏 BTW....Malazan is one of my all -time favorites.

[@jaymesstarks5789]

I found the Godling Chronicles to be entertaining even though it's never mentioned.

[@MsWillowbayOrelse]

I wish The Ninth Rain was in audio format, in English.. It seems like a book I would really enjoy.

[@dreamyphil]

Never heard of Senlin Ascends, sounds interesting. I agree with you on Malazan, WoT (both meh), Stormlight and First Law (enjoy both) but my favorite series hands down remains ASOIAF!!

[@lordramoth3416]

The quintessential video for serious fans of this most fantastic genre!

[@viennabooks741]

I hated „the eye of the world“ with a passion. In my opinion it did not age well and I don‘t get the hype. And I don’t want to waste my time reading 4 big books until it gets good. The female characters read like they are all the same person with no depth whatsoever. I just stick to Sanderson and other contemporary authors 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@Syrilian]

Same for me. It gets good several books in is not a glowing recommendation for me.

[@MrAngadhanoa]

I understand from where you are coming. It is a jumble when you start it and it gets messier and messier as you go but once you reach book 5-6 you understand that what this series is doing is to give you perspective from not just one point of view like how it happens in most of the novels but from an entire world's point of view. By book 7 every deed that has been done gets more complex and books 9, 10, and 11 showcase the tightening of the web and conclusions to many story arcs. It has to be done as now the Last battle looms and books 12-14 are the changes that last battle brings about. I am still on book 13 and my personal favorites are books 10 and 11. I think you may find Mattrim as a clumsy character in the beginning and do not connect with him but give him some time and he becomes one of the most beloved characters.

[@viennabooks741]

@@MrAngadhanoa I‘m glad you like the series and I believe you that it gets better but it‘s still not for me. I read Fantasy for entertainment and I don‘t want to read a messy story that bores me until 5 books in. That would be so much time of me not enjoying myself that I‘d rather spend on books that are great from page 1.

[@lisagoldstein5676]

I loved the books by Maria v. Snyder about yelena. That was my intro to adult fantasy. You should check them out. Very character driven and lots of action and intrigue. It involves modern math!

[@timfletcher8438]

Sci-fi Author Rick Partlow is really good as well

[@ArielSubotzky]

I plan to start wheel of time... after I'm finished all the series' I'm currently in the middle of.

[@austens7547]

Same

[@austens7547]

@Terry Abenthy have you read it

[@austens7547]

@Terry Abenthy ok I think I will give it a try then

[@brianshipley328]

I love the way you described nine fingers he’s like a big teddy bear, oh wait maybe not.

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

Ugh I need to read the stormlight archive but it’s so intimidating 😅

[@scorpian221]

It’s really not that intimidating

[@joelman1989]

It’s very long but trust me, once you start (well get past the first 100 pages) you really will wish it were twice as long! Sandersons writing is really straightforward. And he is great and slowly introducing you into the world. Not I giving you more information than you need, but giving you enough to fully grasp what is happening. Also it’s very cinematic. The scenes are really easy to visualize and grasp. Read mistborn first if you need to verify whether the writing and style will be to your liking, and then go for it. You won’t regret it!

[@kennyb3325]

The Malazan Book of the Fallen is probably my favorite series ever, but it really is like: "new Warren, who dis?" and then "dis" turns out to be a new god or ascendant, or maybe a species thought dead for hundreds of thousands of years. Or just Chaos... But it is truly not for everyone, and that is okay!

[@gregorylaperche5574]

I'm not sure if I should read Malazan first or WoT

[@michael305m3]

I’d reccomend WoT it’s easier to understand, while malazan is terrific, sometimes it felt like Erickson bit off more than he could chew with it

[@raswartz]

Huh... I'm currently reading or have finished every series on this list except Ninth Rain.

[@WickedGoodBooks]

Senlin Ascends was on zero interest to me until I heard you describe it. Now I need it. A maybe Ninth Rain too... also Hyperion is like a sci-fi Canterbury Tales. I found that to be a helpful comparison when I was first introduced to it! Side note: I want you to read book 5 in WoT so bad! haha

[@fatcat466]

Do you have a goodreads account?

[@sammyylamb]

Every time you talk about ninth rain I’m like I need to read this nowwww

[@caitlins9526]

it's almost impossible to find copies that can be shipped to the US 😬

[@sammyylamb]

@@caitlins9526 noooo I really hope I can get ahold of one somehow

[@caitlins9526]

@@sammyylamb I had to order Ninth Rain from book depository but I can't find ANY of the sequel, The Bitter Twins, anywhere. It's not even available on kindle :(

[@sammyylamb]

@@caitlins9526 that’s so upsetting omg I hope she gets a US publisher soon

[@Kallekosmo]

You really need to finish the wheel of time. Sure some books are kind of a slog, but the end forgives it all. Epic series

[@gstokker]

Hyperion draws inspiration from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

[@fightingirish5755]

I actually found Gardens of the Moon to be far more accessible than Deadhouse Gates. All the complaints people generally have about Gardens I found to be more true of Deadhouse though maybe that's just me.