ADULT FANTASY RECOMMENDATIONS ~ with actual adult characters

[@Steve_Stowers]

For "adult fantasy with actual adult characters," the first thing I thought of was Lois McMaster Bujold's "The Curse of Chalion" and "Paladin of Souls."

[@ebnovels]

I took a screenshot so that I can check those out at some point 😄

[@heather9130]

That is one of my favorite series! I often wonder why I never hear anyone talking about these books. The audiobooks are wonderfully voiced, and I can't pick a favorite between the two.

[@samanthahealey7126]

Yes, this book is an all time favorite! I was hoping to see it on this list.

[@mbranche4234]

I loved The Adventures of Amina Al- Sharifi!!!! She is so full of life and a realistic mature woman in a pirate profession. Cannot wait to read more of her and her world. I am currently reading the entire collection written by S.A. Chakraborty. Enjoying her worlds and writing style!!!!

[@elizabethbriggs492]

Loved the unapologetic humor in it, too, that seems to only be acceptable from a certain age 😆

[@rainlill3695]

For adult fantasy my first though was all Michael J. Sullivan books. One of my absolute favourite authors. His characters are adult and he weaves his stories so beautifully and so unexpectedly. Books, books, books, I love stories. Thank you for helping me find more.

[@WildWolfGod]

I recently listened through The Raven's Mark Trilogy and I LOVED it. The protagonist is a 40 year old man who serves an incredibly ancient wizard and almost all the side characters are around his age too..

[@ebnovels]

I will have to check that out! Thanks for the suggestion 😄

[@heathergoldsmith]

So glad to hear you recommend the Joe Abercrombie books. I'm yet to get to the trilogy you mentioned, because I am still finishing The Heroes, after reading through the First Law trilogy and the next stand alone book. All the characters are so interesting and are mature. I also enjoyed a trilogy by Juliet Marillia, the Blackthorn & Grim series, also about two seasoned characters. Thanks for the recommendations.

[@anothersarahreading9961]

Juliet Marillier is sadly neglected on fantasy book tube.

[@katherinep1010]

I would love if you'd either put the book up on the screen whime you talk about it or tell us the title and author again when you're done talking about it. It's hard to go back and find that again if it's one thay sounds interesting.

[@ebnovels]

All the books are listed in the description bar in the order I talked about them, if that helps for today!

[@katherinep1010]

@@ebnovels I didn't see that initially from my phone. Thank you!

[@ebnovels]

⁠@@katherinep1010you’re very welcome!

[@DL083191]

Great suggestion, done with respect and courtesy. Great response, done in the same manner. This is refreshing to see. Thank you both.

[@heather9130]

Added lots to my TBR from this video! I usually prefer YA Fantasy, but my husband loves Adult and Epic Fantasy. All my recs for him come from your videos. He's enjoying Best Served Cold enough that he wants to move to First Law next. It's great to know there's another Abercrombie series you recommend after that.

[@ebnovels]

Ohh, Best Served Cold is great! I hope he likes First Law ☺️

[@kateg9437]

I'd also highly recommend Company of Liars by Karen Maitland. The main character is an elderly travelling saleman. The story is set during the start of the great Plague, witha band of misfits grouping together to travel North to escape the plague.

[@surpriseitsus9622]

Thanks for the recommendation 🤗

[@johat1219]

thank you!! this is exactly what I've been looking for, Adult fantasy, with actual adults. I'm 34 yo, I already read my mandatory YA books of my youth, but now they feel too immature (?). And the common tropes like "the chosen one" had become less credible with teenagers constantly being the MC of situations that sometimes require a more mature view. And love stories that keep constantly giving "school first love" vibes.

[@coffee_cookies_books]

Fantastic list. I will definitely pick up a few. I went through your video twice. :) I wanted to make sure I got everything, LOL. Thanks so much for your constant work on the lists you put together. Even if I am not interested in the topic, I always enjoy hearing what you have to say.

[@ebnovels]

Ah, wow, that’s so kind of you to say! Thank you so much for taking the time; it really means a lot 🩷

[@coffeecakes1]

Have read the first 3 books from the Echoes Saga (Rise of the Ranger), and it's such a great series! Fast paced and great characters! Can't wait to continue the saga!

[@ebnovels]

I’ve read two now, and hoping to read more by the end of the year 😄

[@dougsundseth6904]

I'll suggest Steven Brust's "Jhereg". The protagonist, Vlad Taltos, is a lower-level human member of an organized crime group in an elvish city. One of the best heist novels I've read. The remainder of the series varies from brilliant to just OK (I'd recommend the whole thing, but it's not even in quality), but this first book is absolutely excellent. Also, Glen Cook's "Garrett, P.I." series, starting with "Sweet Silver Blues". Garrett is a PI in a fantasy world who has recently returned from a stint as a conscript (clearly reminiscent of Vietnam) and is now dealing with that as he tries to make a living. It's often funny, but always takes itself seriously, and I really love the series. FWIW, I like it more than his more popular "Dark Company" series. And I'll second Steve_Sowers's recommendation for Bujold's Five Gods World books (Chalion and Penric series). Anything by Bujold is very much worth reading, but I think these get less attention than they should. I also very much like her Sharing Knife tetralogy, but the protagonist there is young.

[@SimplementInefable]

Yess thankyou for these recomendations, I always find that the books I enjoy the most are those with adult characters as a relevant POv! I'll deffinelty will check those recommendations out. On those lines, I don't know if you have read The Heros from Joe Abercrombie, it is one of the standalone novels between the first and the second trilogy (still haven't read it) in the First Law world. I immediately thought about Curnden Craw when you described Amina.

[@ebnovels]

I’ve read it, but definitely need to reread it, because for whatever reason it didn’t stick with me (hence why I’ve not talked about it on the channel before!). At some point I might go back and reread First Law, then the standalones, then the second series 😄

[@SimplementInefable]

@@ebnovels I don't know what is it that made the Heroes sooo god for me, but I really loved it, so I hope that you do also if you ever reread it! I actually like it way better than Best Served Cold (I know, that's kind of an unpopular opinion)

[@sandyokey1019]

John Gwynne, yes!!! I read Nettle and Bone a couple months ago and loved it and definitely will read more T Kingfisher. Same with Legends and Lattes and Travis Baldree.

[@maki4420]

such a great video, making this my tbr for sure...btw is that a arcane shirt? jinx

[@kayleehon6676]

Thank you!! I struggle falling into slumps cause I accidentally buy into reading popular YA/NA and I just get annoyed and stop reading 😭 I need real adults!

[@ebnovels]

Ah, well hopefully this list helps you out! I’m sorry about the slumps; that’s no fun 😮

[@rapidevening]

I read the First Law and broadly liked it but I've beem stalled on Best Served Cold for like six months. But your really strong recommendation of Madness got me hyped again, I'm gonna go back and push through the rest of the books to get there. Loved the rest of the list too!

[@laurenschenck5355]

Another fantastic video thanks so much 💖📙📚📚🌈💖💖🌞🍄🪷🪷🌞🌞🫶🏻🧡🫶🏻💐📖🪻🩵🌼💘🌷🌻🌷💘❣️💖💖📙📚📚📚🌈💖💖🌈📙📚📚📚📙💖💗🌞🍄🧡🫶🏻🩷🩷🩵🌷🌸🌸💘🌼🩵🩵🩵🩵💜💐💙🫶🏻🧡💗🍄🍄🍄💜💜📖📖🌈🌈🌈🧡🫶🏻🩷💖🌷🌷🌈🌈

[@Srbthmlnsmth]

Great list! I knew a surprising number but gonna check out the others

[@mischarowe]

Speaking of T. Kingfisher, I'm reading the Clocktaur Wars and of the main four characters, one is 19 but the rest are 30+ in age. The oldest is 37.

[@ebnovels]

Ah, I’ve read those! Thanks for mentioning them 😄😄😄

[@breem2999]

For adult POVs, I recommend any of the Hainish Cycle books by Ursula Le Guin. The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed, and The Telling were all great. Also her novella Under the Lathe of Heaven is amazing.

[@breem2999]

I realize now this is a Fantasy list and some of her work is SciFi, some is Fantasy. But her style always melds the two in my opinion. The last two I mentioned include fantastical elements, if not a traditional fantasy world.

[@ebnovels]

@@breem2999hey, SF is always welcome too! Thanks for the suggestions 😊

[@isabellajohnson956]

I’m in a strange spot with my reading. I started reading YA in third grade, and I loved it until recently. I’m 21 and having trouble finding a new adult or adult fantasy with character closer to my age (or older) without too much romance. I still really enjoy the Grishaverse and those relationships Leigh Bardugo develops. The romance isn’t the main plot, the characters relationships are just as strong platonically as they are romantically, theres a magic system and MAPS. Maps in my fantasy books are my one true love

[@elizabethbriggs492]

Definitely any VE Schwab ❤ And the Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden.

[@ninaray31]

I'm really similar to you. The books that got me back into reading are the Daevabad Trilogy by SA Chakraborty and the Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless. You could also try one of my favorite books, The Briar Book of the Dead by AG Slatter.

[@Rakianshai]

Absolutely LOVE this list idea!

[@ebnovels]

Yay, I’m glad!

[@jenhall5718]

Absolutely love Nettle and Bone!!!

[@elizabethbriggs492]

I've read a lot of Kingfisher and I still can't top Nettle & Bone. I listened to the audiobook originally, which was just absolutely gorgeous. The deviled chicken is pure joy.

[@saitam_inaznac6911]

Kings of the Wyld fits perfectly

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

What moves the dead sounds right up my alley!

[@laiaal.3324]

I feel a lot of older women on these stories have as one of the main focuses being a mother. And while i agree that is important and cool to be in stories, i feel men have so many other kind of plots while there are not many adult women being other things in these stories. Rarely we see the point of an adult male character being centered about being a father on the other hand.

[@caloresm]

If you are looking for an adult fantasy where the focus of the woman's story isn't motherhood, I would recommend Winter's Fury

[@laiaal.3324]

@@caloresm oh, haven't heard about this one, thank you!

[@ninaray31]

Maybe check out The Water Outlaws by SL Huang. The main character is a mother, but her adult children are never on page and only mentioned a few times.

[@cherylclough4309]

I loved the Schwab series and am planning on reading Fragile Threads…

[@sophiacorvere7018]

Vintage from winnowing flame trilogy ! She reminded me of a Robin Hobb character (the queen of characters)

[@shakodeycarson9253]

Just finished What Moves the Dead and….I dont’t know, it just hit me. The atmosphere saturated my life for the 2 days and several thereafter.

[@Sc0RplON]

Is there any series that is similar to Echos Saga? I absolutely love that book series , read them all 3x

[@thomassmith6232]

The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson. High tragedy in Anglo-Saxon Britain.

[@Jonnynot1plate]

Any books you can recoomend with a cat? Something like Whisper of the Heart.

[@coffeewithcady]

I love Amina Al Sarafi!

[@tiantuatara]

I

[@saraysk8]

Should I read Malice before Shadow of The Gods? Or can I just jump in? I heard it's the same world.

[@ebnovels]

Malice is part of the Faithful and the Fallen series, and it and the Of Blood and Bone series go together, but Shadow of the Gods is a series that you don’t need to read anything else beforehand (aka, you can just jump in ☺️).

[@saraysk8]

@@ebnovels Thank you!!😃

[@RK-fz7qc]

K so has anyone else started and LOVED paladin’s grace and then was super disappointed with the ending? *maybe spoiler?* It felt like the plot was perfectly set up for a quest/running away situation and then it just resolved itself in like 10 pages???? So disappointing!!

[@thewitchyreader6131]

Great Video!

[@henrym.1290]

Wow , I didnt know how much I wanted to see this lol

[@Nasser851000]

0:00 Elliot looks different somehow XD

[@ebnovels]

Haha, my hair is out of my face

[@starlasell5698]

❤📚📚❤️

[@davidhill4603]

Somehow, keep the books still!!! It is very annoying to try to follow the bouncing book all around the screen!

[@coolguy69verycool]

Selling The First Law series as something you have to drag yourself through is a wild take.

[@silverx_1848]

I had to drag myself through the blade itself and nothing but the hype compelled me to finish

[@coolguy69verycool]

@@silverx_1848 Dang, it's my all time favorite series. I guess it's not for everyone

[@silverx_1848]

@coolguy69verycool yeah, mine too. Btah is one of my all time favourite books. Life's funny like that 😆

[@laurenschenck5355]

I love Nettle & Bone such a awesome book and beautifully written 📙📖📙🧡🧡🧡📙💘💘💐💖🪷🩷💗🩵🌞🍄💕🌷🌻💚💓💙🌻🌼💙💓🌹🌹🩵💖🫶🏻🫶🏻🧡🧡📙📚📖📖📖📖📙📙🌈💘💐💖💐🩷🩷💗💗🌞🌞🍄🪻🌻🌷💚🌼🌼💙💙🌹🩵🩵🩵🪷🪷📙📙💐🩷📙📚📚🌈🌈🧡💖💖💖💚💗🌞🪷🍄💙📚📚📚🌈📚📚📚📙📙