Popular Fantasy Books I Still Want to Read

[@mikesbookreviews]

Hi Bookworms! I wanted to get out in front of this, though I know anyone that brings it up probably doesn't read this first...I know that Dragonriders of Pern is argued for as science-fiction (even by the author!) but I kept it as fantasy because simply being genetically engineered space dragons from another planet wasn't enough for me to declare it straight SF. I had to make a decision between this one or the SF list and I went with this one. Hope that makes sense!

[@joshuatempleton9556]

i agree it's fantasy.for the fact that it is a survival colony story that relapses into medieval technology. there is one author that i think you need to add to your bucket list and that is Simon R Green. he writes 4 genres that are interconnected . he defined what the space opera is with Deathstalker series and his blue moon and hawk and fisher are perfect sword and sorcery series. if you like paranormal mysteries then his other two series are great to. if you find yourself not liking glen cooks black company give garret files a try it's got some very colorful characters and stuff you will never see in other series.

[@PhantomGenerator237]

Definitely would love to see a horror list like this!

[@redwoodninja]

And a Sci Fi list.

[@PhantomGenerator237]

@@redwoodninja He did a sci-fi list two weeks ago.

[@seppuku-]

October is only a month away, it would be a crime if he didn’t.

[@zacherylong2411]

And would love to see Philip Fracassi on that list

[@mikesbookreviews]

@@seppuku- Nailed it.

[@twisterx79]

Oh a horror list in this format would be amazing!!

[@mikesbookreviews]

I think you might just be happy in about a month from now.

[@FionnKirwan]

Your First Pronunciation of Druss is the right one.

[@mjdesign12]

I think you'll blast through Discworld books in a few days. As a character guy, I'm really interested to hear your take on Pratchett's Death too.

[@wiebkeh.4394]

Props to your wife for making it so far into His Dark Materials. I got a third into the second book and couldn't be bothered anymore. 😅

[@pingunooty]

Damn, book 3 might be my favorite

[@edwardtaylor5207]

Lots of the series that I grew up reading. Riftwar, Thomas covenant, Druss etc. Pullman's books have a beautiful ending quite bittersweet. You're in for a great time I'm envious

[@alvarogalindotapia8848]

Hi there! Idk if you already said that you're not interested but I think one that's not in the list is "The Fifth Season" by N. K. Jemisin

[@epicgamer2727]

I will say Mike if your into the more Asian inspired historical fantasy lately I’d highly recommend Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay I think it’s even better than Tigana and is a historical fantasy set in a world based on ancient china

[@davehaynes9136]

Read the first 3 books from The Riftwar Saga!! Amazing books❤❤

[@safinan8008]

Thank you! I will definitely check out magic of reclus… happy reading to you 🎥

[@lurchEbean]

Now people can stop complaining that you're not reading Discworld, and start complaining that you're starting in the wrong spot. I'm glad The Black Company is back on your radar, they were the first Fantasy Books I read that didn't take place in a D&D setting. I'm a big Glen Cook fan, and I also love his Garret PI series, which is a pulp detective series set in a high fantasy world with sorcerers and dwarves and ogres and centaurs. It's great.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Legit chuckle

[@gingerholloway9264]

You will love Once and Future King! Such a great classic!

[@lars68764]

Reading the first dark tower book atm because of your video's about them. Great so far!

[@mikesbookreviews]

Long Days & Pleasant Nights to you, Sai.

[@carlosbranca8080]

Hey i just bought two days ago The Once and Future King, I will wait to read it with you, Earthsea quartet is beautiful and they are short books. I am planning to read Thomas Covenant in december. American Gods you should start immediately! Take care.

[@ezrider1968]

So many cool books you’ve got ahead of you. Exciting

[@torchape]

It would have been awesome to overdub the silent video like some Japanese kaiju movie!! Yeah ... awesome!

[@alynam82]

I haven't read any of these, so I can't offer feedback. But I will say, many of these have been roasting on my TBR, so I may join ya, a time or two. I definitely want to read Feist's Magician books, and get into LeGuin

[@seanbester1465]

While Tigana is a kind of standalone, I do believe it is technically fifth in the Fionavar Tapestry universe. Just in case you wanted to read them in order.

[@Marcus-id5ur]

Pretty sure Fionovar and Tigana are not related.

[@cgideon615]

This will be an odd comment for a fantasy book video. If you're looking for a palate cleanser checkout E.L. Doctorow. I've read World's Fair and Ragtime. World's Fair is a coming of age tale set around the 1939 World's Fair. Ragtime is set in 1900's New York. Follows three groups, a jewish immigrant, a black jazz musician, and an upper middle class family. Doctorow brilliantly weaves their stories together at the end. Both of these books should be considered classic.

[@Uppernorwood976]

Once and Future King has been on my tbr for ages. I really need to knock it off. I can’t imagine you not liking American Gods. It’s a road trip mystery with a bit of Stephen King influence thrown in.

[@ChaplainMalachai]

Definitely have to say American Gods was excellent. A different take on what you may be used to. I would recommend you read Good Omens as that would give you an introduction to both Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It would help to know some mythology but not necessary. There are gods from all over the world in there.

[@troncatch]

Yay! I'm glad to see Anne McCaffrey on there. I never hear anyone talk about the Pern books. Also, have you ever read the Mary Stewart Arthurian saga? I read those after reading The Once and Future King. I picked up the Warlord Chronicles on your recommendation, but haven't gotten to them yet. I feel like I am so far behind on my fantasy journey. There's too much! And lastly, put me down for wanting the horror list.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I read Crystal Cave in high school and enjoyed it.

[@samm8190]

Once and Future King is brilliant. It starts with the simplicity of The Hobbit and ends with the maturity of George Martin. It really takes the best of Mallory, cuts the fluff and is the best Arthur retelling I’ve read.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Sounds excellent!

[@timothyburbage]

For His Dark Materials my wife had exactly the same reaction as yours. I made her finish it, and she still hasnt forgiven me, or the books. Since then it has conpletely turned her off reading at all

[@veronicaprice]

As someone married to a redhead, I find your comments on them hilarious… and true. 😂

[@miguelg8336]

Legend is great. It is probably one of the best book in the saga. I would really struggle to consider it a stand alone, there are two other books in the Drenai saga that talk about Druss origins before Legend. They make you love the character and understand the world, and then Legend becomes more epic.

[@kyleboon11]

I read The Colour of Magic and just didn’t get it at all. I wish I had seen the advice or starting with a different book because this just didn’t work for me

[@stevehoran6011]

Yes, horror too please

[@thegenericgeek]

Horror - Yes, yes, yes!

[@karenbird6727]

I must say, you have picked a bunch of great books.

[@stephencruickshank3868]

Thomas Covenant Books are solid as are the Pern books. Solid recommend. The Golden Compass…I finished it and meh. It’s not as deep as the author thought it was.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

An excellent list! I’m no Discworld expert, but so far The Color of Magic has been the weakest I’ve read from the series, so I encourage you to read on after it. Yes, the Norse gods are in American Gods most prominently, but ALL the gods are there too. Also, do avoid the show, especially after season one. Happy reading, Mike!

[@mikesbookreviews]

Sounds like Pratchett gets better as he goes. Always love to hear that.

[@plesiophrictus2756]

Personally the best are the City watch and industrial revolution(Moving pictures, the truth, going postal..) subseries.

[@tomfogarty5015]

Magician is one of my favs Mike it's well worth a read,the other books in the trilogy are good too.Enjoy!

[@ElijsDima]

@@mikesbookreviews He Does, however it's a bit of a slow burn. Like... the first handful of Discworld books are a bit so-so and the series gets really good after a while... but it does take a while. It's not like book #2 is immediately great.

[@monkey39128]

I found a first edition of Tigana in the charity shop the other day! So many books on this list that I need to get round to reading.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Just not enough time!

[@Matt-sl1wg]

Tigana is a fantastic book.

[@gidonidus]

Dude the black company is amazing. So awesome. The first book is hard to follow for the first half, but after that it clears up and is amazing. I feel like you will love the characters here, as well as the very unique world.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I'm hoping so!

[@Matt-sl1wg]

I'm sure he could power through it but Black Company has a lot of the same elements that Mike doesn't really like about Malazan. Would be interesting to see if his opinion is any different with a different writing style and character work.

[@Bazscoobz]

Man discworld is insanely good. The comedic parallels to the real world are just brilliant

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes

[@juanmorales9738]

From what I understand THE GOLDEN COMPASS is Pullman’s attack against Christianity. Hence I’m not surprised to hear of his attack against CS Lewis.

[@Corlwow]

I think His Dark Materials is subjective in the ending. Personally the last book is one of my fav of all time, and the ending is phenomenal. HBO series is alright (some amazing acting from one or two characters) (bbc lacks punch/impact) - and film is cinematic but not great adaptation. Best adaptation imo is the unabridged audiobook with full cast and pullman narrating.

[@puzzlingread]

Horror list? Yes, please!

[@mikesbookreviews]

I think you may see something come Spooky Season.

[@sandy23stories40]

The Once and Future King has been on my TBR for so long. I had the copy since my early days of college. I also love King Arthur books, great video Mike

[@mikesbookreviews]

Thanks!

[@dant5349]

Read The Colour of Magic first if you want but don't give up on Discworld if you don't like it. The Colour of Magic is not just a bad book *for Pratchett*, it's straight up a bad book. I read it first and hated it, and it caused me to not touch Discworld again for 8 years, when I picked up Small Gods, which is a much better introduction to the world. I really wish I had not read The Colour of Magic first as it delayed me from getting into Discworld. A better place to start is Guards Guards, Small Gods, or Mort. Please give one of those a chance if and when you don't enjoy The Colour of Magic.

[@timhurlburt4506]

You owe it to yourself to read Elric. Moorcock may be a clueless old hippy, but his fantasy is TOP TIER.

[@TomorrowWeLive]

Lord Foul's Bane I absolutely despised the prose of so I DNF'd it based on that rather than its infamous "problematic" elements. Phillip Pullman is a good writer but be warned in the same way that the Chronicles of Narnia are a Christian allegory masquerading as a children's series, His Dark Materials, which is explicitly an atheist/antitheist riposte to Lewis, is an anti-Christian polemic masquerading as a fantasy series.

[@TomorrowWeLive]

American Gods is contemporary urban fantasy and draws on pretty much all mythologies there are. I don't know who classified it as fantasy but I wouldn't. Very gritty and real-world and only subtle fantastical elements. High social commentary/satire. Gaiman is an annoyingly good writer.

[@Rendref]

Black Company was esier to read than Malazan, but much more drier and, well, just meh. However, the second book in that series, Shadows Linger, is completely different from any other book in Black Company. It is a crazy page-turning thriller, nothing to do with military fantasy or armies or any of that boring stuff. It is truly a masterpiece, imo, and even if you don't like first book of Black Company you should try the second one. One of the best books ever written, and a completely different beast in every way imaginable.

[@dailycarolina.]

Could you please do _popular horror/classics/contemporary books you want to read_ video ?

[@gator7082]

Tigana is a fabulous book! Hope you enjoy.

[@giants8585]

I’m reading Pratchett for the first time. Guards Guards now, so many Discworld fans told me to steer clear of the Color of Magic for the first book lol They are a sensitive lot and they clearly want to make sure you enjoy him.

[@lukespicer9363]

The colour of magic is fine

[@MargueriteKrux2]

Guards Guards had me laughing so hard in some scenes...also the books about Death (he is my favorite Discworld character).

[@jameswitts3793]

I can't wait to hear your thoughts on Legend David Gemmell is a very special author to many fantasy fans Because we all know, no matter what grim dark, morally gray characters you come across... Eventually you'll want a grizzled hero to take the fight to evil And also... axe beats sword 🤣

[@mikesbookreviews]

I'm excited to read it!

[@currangill430]

Morcock is actually the grandfather of "grimdark" he's like what Tolkien is to fantasy. But unlike Tolkien who didn't invent fsntasy, Morcock sort of did for almost every "grimdark" author. For example, Morcock was a big inspiration for Martin, Williams, Abercrombie, Sapkowski, and many others who fall under the grim/dark fantasy. I wouldn't be surprised if Morcock inspired Glenn Cook. Edit: what surprised me watching Daniel Greene/Brandon Sanderson intterview was that Brandon is inspired by Moorcock

[@rodneylopez5073]

This is an impressive list, Mike. But you unintentionally broke my heart. I've been trying to get a copy of the Grim Oak Press Lord Foul's Bane for about 2 years now. Seeing the cover on this video re-opened the wound. Now I'm just staring at the gap in my collection... (I have the other 2 books in the first trilogy from Grim Oak.) *sniff, sniff*

[@rodneylopez5073]

Quick update: I GOT A COPY!!! My collection of the Grim Oak Press's First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is finally complete!! I have a copy of Lord Foul's Bane!

[@knotsbygordion]

If you're looking for Arthurian reimaginings, I highly recommend Jack Whyte's series A Dream of Eagles. It starts with The Skystone and sets the beginnings of Arthur's story in post Roman Britain. Very fun reads and more historical fiction than fantasy.

[@scottibee2167]

I am so glad I started reading Discworld! I started on the Death series. Just finished Morning Star, and next I'll start on Sould Music. Book 3 in the Death series. Most definitely recommend!

[@Vradica]

"Tales of the otori" will always be the book series that makes me go "Wait what, you haven't read that?", and almost no one have reviews on it on youtube.. To me it's one of the best fantasy books out there, but it's a lot more about the characters and the politics driving everyone, than it's about the fantasy elements and combat :) I enjoyed Philip pullman, it's pretty high up on my young adult list, but it's not one of the YAs I'd reread.. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is my favourite YA series, by far

[@lissavanhouten6628]

I hated Thomas Covenant as a character.

[@nightmarishcompositions4536]

Nice to see some more classics. I’ve read Earthsea, Drenai, Thomas Covenant, Elric, Future King, Riftwar, Pern, Black Company, Recluse Saga, Dark Materials, all fantastic. Chronicles of Amber, Gormenghast, Prydain and Belgariad are worth checking out as well!

[@mikesbookreviews]

I meant to include Amber. D'oh!

[@PunkRockBibliophile]

My first taste of Gaiman was Good Omens with Terry Pratchett. Quality 5-star read. Went on to read The Ocean at the End of the Lane , Coraline, and The Graveyard Book, and threw four stars at all of them. I decided to pick up American Gods, and although I finished it, I did not enjoy it much at all. My first two star book. Stardust, Neverwhere, and a few of his short story collections are collecting dust on my shelf--I have been hesitant to pick one up since the taste American Gods left in my mouth. Excited to see your thoughts on that one, it just didn't work for me.

[@chestermartini27]

Discworld!

[@hhumca]

Earthsea!!!

[@RedFuryBooks]

I've knocked a couple of these off the list in recent years including Leguin, Gemmell and GGK. I think you'll love Legend. GGK is a new favorite after only one book, although I'm buddy reading Under Heaven with Jake next month. I haven't read Discworld yet either lol

[@ZachDavis79]

I can see why people find The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant objectionable, I mean the main character is an awful human being, but I would still say read Lord Foul's Bane and see if the series is one you want to continue.

[@shawnturpin197]

If you like King Arthur read The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen Lawhead. And Neil Gaiman....way overrated.

[@thefantasythinker]

Very much looking forward to your take on Covenant.

[@paulelliott3220]

The Discworld series starts off slowly, and gets better From books 5 - 14 or so it’s pretty damn good It was supposed to be a fantasy version of ‘hitch hikers guide’ but the only similarity is the absurdist humour For me the Witches and the Guards books are the best; then they tail off a bit and they do get to be more ‘one trick ponies’ after that in my Ah, finally David Gemmell gets a read - you’ll love it, this is NOT military and if you like John Gwynn, Gemmell is better and he’s done so many great books (R.I.P) Tigana is a wonderfully written tale, he’s a great writer - it’s a fantastic story but beautifully told Read a few of the Modesitt books, but lost interest after 3 - pretty good as I recall Ooooh, His Dark Materials is a masterpiece in my view; the movie was terrible - BBC series was pretty good, but this really is a wonderful series Gaiman too - American Gods is fantastic, Anansi Boys is fantastic, Neverwhere is his best to my mind Sandman is THE greatest comic ever produced Go for it on the horror

[@corycastleman6351]

I finally read The Golden Compass, and continued on and conpleted His Dark Materials, and LOVED IT. funnily the 3rd book was my favorite!! It was a fun intriguing read and Phillip Pullmans writing style is an absolute page turner.

[@Slobrojoe]

Golden Compass is on my TBR for this month, The Golden Compass is the Northern Lights in the UK and I love the first book, 5/5. The Subtle Knife was 4/5. American Gods was a bit weird but I did really enjoy it in an odd way. I wouldn’t start with The Colour of Magic if I were you but it’s up to you. I’d probably go with Mort and then Reaper Man but 🤷‍♂️

[@asfaloth12]

This format is so much fun! Would love to see your horror list, too. --I still need to read The Once and Future King. It's crazy that I haven't done so yet! --I definitely recommend The Wizard of Earthsea. It's been ages since I read it, but I have fond memories. Still need to try the sequels. --I love that cover for Dragonflight! I quite enjoyed the early books in the series (have not read the later books), especially The White Dragon. --I feel like a terrible fantasy fan since I've never read Discworld. Just not motivated to start it, though I likely will eventually. --Sadly, my experience with His Dark Materials was similar to your wife's. I really enjoyed The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. I may have liked the second book more than the first, if my memory is correct. However, the third book was a massive disappointment. I managed to finish it, but it was a struggle. It was painfully boring, and I even stopped caring about the characters. HOWEVER.....I am in the minority (though I have found some like-minded fans in recent years). I hope your experience is better than mine! Thanks for sharing your list, and I hope you enjoy these books!

[@AlexNitsu]

Took me three tries to really like Discworld. Now I'm a big fan. Colour of Magic though is way weaker than Guards, Guards, so if you are starting with Colour of Magic just keep in mind that this one is just Pratchett warming up. Also, I agree that all the books work as standalones, but it doesn't mean that they work well if you don't know much about the world. And as a side note, Soul Music has tones of references to rock and music of the 70s (Def Leppard, Stairway to Heaven, Blues Brothers, etc.). This is the book that made me fall in love with Discworld

[@davidaldinger3666]

Too many books not enough time. Read everything from the 50’s to the 90’ s then started having kids so the last 25 years is a blank slate. Working my way slowly through the list. If you’re looking for future recommendations try Saberhagen, Jack Chalker and the Belgariad and Mallorian series. Most of their books are short enough ( 250-300 pages) to finish in 2-3 sittings.

[@dougsundseth6904]

I'd say that grimdark hit the mainstream with the Thieves' World anthology series (starting 1979). Black Company is quite good, though I think that Cook's Garrett series, starting with Sweet Silver Blues works better for me. I wouldn't call the Covenant series grimdark; rather it's a fairly straightforward and well-written epic fantasy with an insufferable protagonist. The writing was brilliant, but I've never wanted to reread it. When I was trying to find out whether I would like the Discworld series, I was told repeatedly to avoid The Colour of Magic. From my DNF'd attempt to read it, I would agree that it's not representative of the rest of the series. As for me, I decided that I didn't like the series after reading Guards! Guards! and Going Postal, both of which are well regarded by fans.

[@marcusmusings]

I need to get back to Once and Future. I started it years ago and never finished the last section. Last month, I bought at my used bookstore that Penguin Deluxe edition that came out a few years back. I've been reluctant to start Pern because I heard the first book has this pretty toxic relationship between the main protagonist and someone else. I was personally not a fan of the first Thomas Covenant trilogy, nor Wizard of Earthsea. I'm currently reading Magician, really digging it. Already put the second book on hold. Love Discworld, but just so you know, it's not entirely stand alone. The Light Fantastic, which comes after Colour of Magic is a direct sequel. Legend, Tigana, and Black Company are on my TBR as well. His Dark Materials is okay. I warn you, if you stick it through, the ending will wreck you. Nothing but love for American Gods. One of my favorite books of all time!

[@randomdude3620]

American Gods was like nothing i have ever read. Funny, occasionally poetic, dark, and brimming with originality. I read the Elric Saga (and some Jerry Cornelius novels) when I was a teenager back in the 90s.From what i remember, the Elric novels had the pulpy energy of Robert E. Howard's Conan stories but were far more psychedelic and nihilistic. As a young Tolkien fan back then, i didn't really know what to make of them. I'm definitely going to re-visit them this year to see what my adult self makes of them.

[@Wildcarde1]

I read Magians Apprentice and loved it but then I went into my worst reading slump ever and never got back to it...weirdly it was ready player one that pulled me out of my slump and inspired me to be reading 130-150 books a year. I NEED to try Thomas Covenant I keep kicking that and Black Sun, and Black company and Legend down the road and are the books on my Still need to read list... UGH so many books...

[@dragonrambles]

Good to see Feist, McCaffrey, and Modesitt on your list. All great books. Le Guin has stronger work than Earthsea. At the time I read Wizard of Earthsea I liked it less than other books I was reading at the time (probably because I had already read Riftwar and was reading Wars of Light and Shadow and WoT). Once you've read the Riftwar Saga, I hope you go on to read the Empire trilogy - that was my intro to Janny Wurts and she became my favourite author. If you go past book one for Pern and Recluce, I'd recommend continuing in publication order so you don't spoil the reveals. His Dark Materials was very meh for me. I had to force myself to finish book 2 and couldn't make myself go on, especially after not being a huge fan of book 1. Gave my very nice anniversary edition set to a friend. Hope your experience with it is more positive.

[@EricMcLuen]

The first few hundred pages of Foul are tough sledding. Covenant is also more an anti-hero than grimdark. And is fairly tame by more modern standards. And a Neal Stephenson slipped in for Stephen Donaldson. You will burn through Feist. Am reading the Empire series with Wurtz which are also very good. Black Company will seem familiar and the second has a much better plot than the first. However you will see Cook's influence on a lot of more recent writers besides Erickson. Think marines without so much navel gazing. I pushed through the end of the last Dark Materials. It starts off interesting then just kind of wanders around for two books. For Tigana, it makes Hobb seem fast paces. It is good but like other GGK better.

[@T-Flow79]

I just started reading some Discworld books. Following the many suggestions on booktube, I started with Mort. I loved it. I haven’t read the Colour of Magic yet, I have read Guards, Guards and it was also great. I’m def planning on using more Discworld books as palate cleansers during my more serious reads

[@carolinthegarden6084]

Regarding Golden Compass - I am in complete agreement with your wife, though I stuck it out to the end. I absolutely loved the first book; 2nd book was okay; 3rd book was a complete mess, and I actually felt betrayed. I hated book 3 and, consequently, have an emotional reaction whenever the series is brought up.

[@MrBoJangles]

I think you have to read The Light Fantastic after The Colour of Magic before you make your decision on Discworld. I think most people don't like the first two and Sourcery (#3 in Rincewind books) because they lean heavy in the Sword & Sorcery subgenre

[@Mefistophelez]

Military fantasy doesn't sound appealing, but the humor and ridiculousness of The Black Company is awesome. It's so fun.

[@goldenspiral6008]

I'm not sure of how much you'll like a Wizard of Earthsea, but please commit to reading The Tombs of Atuan before deciding if it's for you or not. It's really different. I started Discworld with Guards! Guards! and it was an excellent place to start. The Colour of Magic is very widely regarded as a bad place to start, but I hope it works as a strating point for you.

[@benconlin3557]

Heard of most of these but haven’t read any other than American Gods. It’s a weird, trippy book that I was mixed on but it is a cool idea. The gods are from all over: Norse, Egyptian, Slavic, Celtic etc

[@Rogue_VI]

I haven't read T.H.White yet either, but I've had it for years. I was not a fan of Earthsea. Pern is great. Thomas Covenant was a little difficult. I never read the last trilogy. Riftwar is great. Tigana is GGK's best book, imo.

[@puchi1388]

This sounds like an awesome project!!! I’ll keep a look out for these reviews! I wouldn’t mind reading some older books with great story telling!

[@spatha08]

Warhammer 40k is the beginning of Grimdark. For fantasy Cook is probably the first fantasy Grimdark author but IMO it is very light Grimdark compared to modern novels. With that said it is one of my favorite series great characters.

[@avsambart]

I'm the only person who DNF'd Pern 😅 I got 150ish pages in and put it down because of the SA. I see people telling you not to start with Colour of Magic but I started there and I feel like you're better off reading the "worst" discworld book first, because they just get better and better then 😍

[@markredman426]

I’m kinda of jealous, you have some brilliant and compelling books to read for the first time. They are all good, IMHO.

[@Dragondarkness30]

Since I have watched all the previous weekly updates I haven't seen you read any of these I could be wrong.

[@markredman426]

You have some good choices to read, Mike. GGK and Gemmell are pivotal books in fantasy. I’m fan of Recluce, so I will be interested in what you think.

[@johanbotha7462]

Make sure your copy of American Gods is the extended version and not the abridged version that was originally published.

[@chimpboy12345]

For me Thomas Covenant didn't get truly grimdark until the second trilogy. What we encounter in The Wounded Land after the first three books was just depressing and it was a bit of a slog to get through. I think for most people who dislike the books it's the main character that puts them off. He's not likeable a lot of the time, especially for what he does when he first arrives in the Land because he thinks it's just a dream. Glad you're trying the Rimworld books. Probably my favourite series although, yes, the first book or two take a bit to find their feet. My favourite of the whole lot is probably Night Watch. I have to say that Magician was a disappointment when I read it, similar to how Terry Brooks was a disappointment. But where the Sword of Shannara was just technically very poor writing, to the point where it was so distracting it was almost impossible to read, Magician was just charmless and... not interesting. At all. I've heard it said that Shannara, Magician and also the Belgariad books by David Eddings are series that you love if you read them as a kid but not if you try to read them as an adult. Maybe. I read Eddings when I was a teen and I do love the Belgariad series. But I've reread them since and they're still a vastly better read in my opinion.

[@Verlopil]

I rage quit The Golden Compass series at the same place. Then I finished it and pretended I could still rage quit even harder. There was no reason for him to end the book as he did except to be edgy. About the Donaldson, here's the thing. The "hero" really isn't one. He's the protagonist and a deeply flawed mentally-ill character. People who read this seem to think that because he's the main character, we're supposed to like him and support his actions and think the author supports them. NO WE'RE NOT. I felt sorry for him, and I wished he could get his life together and do something right, but I did not like him, and I don't think he ever redeems himself for his actions though at least he tries.

[@Catcupid]

Great list. I would like to say I've read a lot of them but that would be a lie. So I am only going to comment on two. If you vibe with Ursula's writing but not so much the earthsea books, you should try her Orsinian tales. I actually prefer those but I did enjoy earthsea. I could go on about Gain an for hours, but instead I will give you a different view. My favorite book by him is the Graveyard book which would be a fun October read for you and your son. Happy reading.

[@andreamiller3578]

I love The Black Company and am on She Is The Darkness, the eighth book in the series, if you include The Silver Spike. I love it, but I'm not sure you will enoy it given how you feel about military fantasy. I think you will appreciate it for how it influenced the genre, but I'm not sure you will read past the first book. I encourage you to try to finish the first three because it wraps up the main story line.

[@austinmclean9474]

Thomas Covenant isn't grimdark at all really. In fact, except for that thing that everybody talks about, Lord Foul's Bane isn't any darker than the average adult fantasy book. The structure of the first trilogy shares a very similar narrative structure to the OG Star Wars Trilogy, except that Thomas himself is an anti-hero in the most literal sense of the term.

[@dragancete]

I read the “His Dark Materials” trilogy a few years ago, and I understand your wife perfectly, I didn’t drop it but the third book is definitely not my favorite.

[@davidtaylor9593]

Hi Mike. I am a 55 year old man, and Thomas Covenant was literaaly the only book that came close to Tolkien when I was a teenager. It has a rape in it which turns all off. But it deals with the Aftermath always, and is tied up in it. If there was ever a 'GrimDark' this is it

[@andrewheim9481]

You will enjoy all your picks once you get to them. I would say Thomas Covenant is a anti hero, more than it is grimdark. Black Company is the start of grimdark.

[@rodhamm8484]

Lord Foul's Bane was good, but I disliked the next book, The Illearth War so much I had to DNF it.

[@spud13y]

Most of these I've never heard of except for Pratchett and Golden Compass. I bought GC six years ago, but I couldn't go one with it. I didn't get that far. I don't even know why other than it felt boring. Maybe I'll try again in the future since I own it.

[@andreamiller3578]

I recently read Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and I loved it. I liked it far more than Stardust, which fell kind of flat for me. I liked the movie a lot more, which is an unusual experience for me.