My Top 10 Fantasy Series of All Time | As Of 2024

[@MarcS24-058]

Totaly agree with your opinion on Harry Potter. I read it last year, as a 19 year old, and absolutely loved it. My grandma of 72 is reading it right now and is loving it!

[@TheDopekitty]

I used to love it until JKR turned out to be a terrible person

[@GeorgeZimmermen]

@@TheDopekittyyou mean a normal person with common sense who stands up to the trans cult?

[@ghostparty2062]

​@@GeorgeZimmermenjk believes that women exist. Crazy right! 😂

[@luissimoes2645]

@@TheDopekitty I don't think that her having an opinion that contrary to a lot other people makes her a terrible person. And even if it did, that would not change the fact that the series she wrote is one of the best of all time. It is my favourite fantasy series since I was a child and I never loved the author per se, but I loved and continue to love the series and what it stands for. Even if she changed and became a worse person than she was, that does not change the series at all. In other words, never loved her before, don't love her now, will always love Harry Potter.

[@slynkadink2416]

@@GeorgeZimmermen You mean a woman who compares all trans people to rapists, advocates against autistic people having rights, writes antisemitic tropes into her novels, insults other cis women for looking like men, insults intersex people, happily casts men who abuse their wives and more? I guess you're right that that is all sadly normal these days, but it shouldn't be.

[@FranzBinder20]

I totally agree. People are starting to lose interest in Asoiaf because it has been a long time since the last release, the books aren't getting finished and the show finale sucked, but these five books are still incredibly good!

[@Usernameforsf]

Are they?? I was such a big fan of the show (still not over the finale), but I have never been sure if I should try the books, mainly because I feel that I know all the spoilers. Should I try them anyway?

[@jpr8955]

​@@Usernameforsf yes ,you should,I was in same positiok as you,the first two book are kinda similar to the first seasons,but after that the books are really different and much more complex

[@LeoSkyro]

​@@UsernameforsfI mean this respectfully, but you dont know anything. There are entire plots, dozens of characters, areas explored in the books that did not even exist in the show, and what was there, was portrayed from kinda meh to disastrously bad. The series is probably never going to be completed, or even get another book, but they're still worth it

[@krisztianpapp5107]

@@Usernameforsf I've done similarly with other adaptation/books and except for a few very special cases, books are always worth reading if you love the adaptation. It just gives you so much more depth that cannot be done on the TV screen. In case of Asoiaf, Book 3 is just peak fantasy, Martin pretty much outdid himself with that one. Many people dislike Book 4 due to the fact that Book 4 and 5 are in the same timeline but POVs are separated, and the more popular POVs were in Book 5. This meant that people had to wait 11 years to read about Jon/Tyrion/Danny again. Jokes on them, now 13 years have passed since book 5. Anyways book 4 is also great.

[@Usernameforsf]

@@LeoSkyro wow! They sound great! I really should give them a try then :)

[@michaeljdauben]

I read Harry Potter when I was in my 30s and loved it. I was reading it at the same time as my god daughter, and we talked about it as we read each book. It will always have a place in my heart, for that reason.

[@connorbiglane3238]

My top 5 because I just got back into fantasy 2 years ago 1. Malazan 2. A song of ice and fire 3. First Law 4. Mistborn 5. Ranger’s Apprentice (went unbelievably hard when I was 11)

[@user-zi9vv7us6i]

Brooo i forgot about Rangers Apprentice i used to be obsessed

[@joedoe7572]

Ranger's Apprentice is so good

[@ssj4rit]

Halt was a boss in Ranger’s Apprentice.

[@gordonfelesina3170]

The justification for pick number five had me rolling😂

[@thejovinater8620]

Ranger's Apprentice is amazing great shout

[@giants8585]

ASOIAF will always be my favorite. It was my first love. I thought that it would lessen my enjoyment of other books since it was my first time reading fantasy but no. And it still stands the test of time with me now that I’m 200+ deep in to SF&F. Best dialogue, best characters.

[@goonerquinn4670]

Love your take on Harry Potter. I’ll never get tired of re reading those books

[@dinocollins720]

same!!!

[@TobyCatVA]

When people say "I have never seen or read any HP." I just feel sorry for them, missing the ride as the Thestrals start off with my carriage, again.

[@TheDopekitty]

JKR is a transphobe

[@TobyCatVA]

@HaroonHamza-wj6dq Did you just have a stroke?

[@krislimpus]

Thank you for talking about Harry Potter... A lot of youtubers gloss over it or there's zero mention of it in top fantasy lists for whatever reason but I tell people like you were saying that there will never be another time when masses of people camp out at book stores until mid-night. Kids don't even like to read these days. As a kid in high school who didn't like reading I stayed up until 4 in the morning opening night reading and that feeling of wonder and magic is something I've never found again. The casual reader was captured into this world. The emotions of this book if you were waiting for the next one to come out and were reading them before the movies came out just hit different.

[@TheDopekitty]

People are avoiding Harry Potter because JKR is a massively transphobic person trying to remove support for transgender people

[@itsagoddam.pandamic]

I used to judge people that had Harry Potter in their favorites...reread it this year and finally finished the last book... the series is definitely in my top 5 lol

[@moonbot7613]

Nice list Mike- I’d say my Top 5 are 1. Five Warrior Angels 2. Bloodsworn 3. DiscWorld 4. Malazan 5. Immortal Technique- I can’t decide on the last 5 for a top 10

[@samiurai0]

I'm a simple man. I see a top ten by Mike, I click on it at the speed of light.

[@currangill430]

Same 😂

[@gordonfelesina3170]

lol😂

[@mindysbookjourney]

What a great list of favorites. Realm of the Elderlings, Stormlight Archives, The Dark Tower, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and A Song of Ice and Fire are all on my list as well.

[@BrianSPratt-Author]

Having been a fantasy reader for decades, and a role player, I can't say enough about Harry Potter. Books or films, love them all. Keep up the good work.

[@Selitos676]

I love this list! My top 10 in no order is Stormlight archive, WoT, Divine Cities, the winternight trilogy, roots of chaos, first law, broken earth, kingkiller, the bound and the broken, and the Nevermoor series. I can’t wait to read malazan and more of Dresden!

[@cloudbloom]

Dude it feels pretty great to have found your channel years ago when you first started your wheel of time read and to see it in your top ten. I've read it six times and there's still so much to unpack in that series that I pick up on rereads. I just wish you continued Berserk without taking a break for so long, it's easy to forget everything that happens if you put it down partway through but I'm happy that you at least got through a good chunk of it. I'm about one third of the way through book 3 of the First Law trilogy and I like the series a lot but for some reason it didn't feel like it grabbed me as much as I thought it would from what I've heard about it. Book two honestly was kind of "meh" for the most part, sure there were some very cool moments but it wasn't as great as I was hoping. I will say though that the characters are amazing, I don't think I've ever related to a character more than I have with Glokta and not in the good ways haha. I'm 40 now and I've had a lot of major physical issues and surgeries throughout my life that left me with many physical scars and missing body parts. At 19 I had cancer which required a major jaw surgery including removing an entire 14 inch section of leg bone from my left tibia, which had me limping with a cane for nine months and I still have to be careful with how much weight I put on my leg. The right side of my jaw from the center to my right ear was removed, teeth and all (I had a large malignant tumor in my jaw so the tibia I mentioned was grafted as a replacement jaw and is held with a titanium chain, the x-rays of it look crazy). Five years later i was diagnosed with Crohn's disease and that caused many many issues including erosion of tooth enamel, so I had to have nine teeth pulled and now i have dentures up top. This is along with missing teeth on the entire lower right side of my mouth from the cancer surgery, so I truly understand Glokta when he's talking about missing teeth🤣 Throw in a ruptured intestine last year that almost killed me so there's another major surgery with months of recovery and the list goes on. I should stop rambling now about my problems but the point stands that I truly sympathize with my man Glokta, I just don't share his proclivity for "enhanced interrogation" techniques😅 Anyway sorry for the T.M.I., just wanted to throw in a comment to not only show my appreciation for what you've done with this channel but to explain a bit on why the character of Glokta really resonates with me. Thanks for all you do here Mike I'm a big fan, much love🙏

[@averypettigrewfrenchhorn1670]

Was glad to hear about you continuing Malazan, I'm looking to start it this year and wondered your thoughts since you haven't talked about it in a while. Absolutely agree with Song of Ice and Fire, I reread the whole series last year and it's just so good! I think your praising Storm of Swords is actually what got me into your channel since that book is just amazing. I recommend Jemisen's Broken Earth trilogy if you haven't read it yet, we read it for my book club and I enjoyed the world building.

[@Alex-jo6rb]

I never get sick of these videos

[@someothercharacter]

I'd like to see more people who missed out on the Harry Potter craze read the books. If you like fantasy, they are worth a look.

[@heidi6281]

Your comments on Wheel of Time was perfect! 😘 Thank you so much!!!! WOT needs booktube love at the moment! So many haters out there who put it down and they have not even read it!!

[@rkgrkg]

Always interesting to see how people's lists change over time. And always a delight to watch your videos and heard your insights!

[@sleepevenbetter]

Mike!!!! Your channel is a treasure chest. So much insight. Thank you. Currently reading Lonesome Dove (loving it so far), and I’ll be reading Blackwater next. From Miami with massive props. Big up, champion. 💪🏼🍻

[@rkgrkg]

I also read Lonesome Dove per his recommendation. It's not a book I'd normally pick up, but his reading tastes and mine are pretty similar, so I gave it a shot, and yes, it's great! Enjoy!

[@Cloudindustries]

Found you through your Dresden reviews and I've been here since. Glad it made the list.

[@verosnotebook]

There is something about HP. I was an adult already when they were coming out and as addicted. AND I actually went to Waterstones on Piccadilly and queued overnight for the last book. It was magical. So many people, of all ages, from all around the world, all there for the same thing. The atmosphere was unreal, and I got my book at 2 am. Still remember fondly 😊

[@nightmarishcompositions4536]

1: Manifest Delusions 2: The Second Apocalypse 3: Berserk 4: The Dark Tower 5: The Eternal Champion 6: Conan 7: Song of Ice and Fire 8: First Law 9: Black Company 10: (The Belgariad & Harry Potter, I have a soft spot for these two lol)

[@jabbaspalace508]

Have u tried Kull by K. e. Wagner? Its a bit kike conan. Very overlooked by some. If u haven't its worth a read if u can find a paperback

[@nancismith7705]

The Belgariad is my all time favorite!

[@Paromita_M]

Very interesting list. I can do a top 7 series maybe and then it gets all murky. The GOATs 1. LoTR by JRR Tolkien 2. Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake The contemporary greats (because as you said legacy takes time) 3. Harry Potter by J K Rowling 4. Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss (Eyeroll amirite 🤣 but hey we love what we love) The really good 5. Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams 6. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin 7. Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin Some good series which are very well-written and/or have good ideas but something makes it not quite a favourite (not ranked): - The Winnowing Flame trilogy by Jen Williams - The Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft (this would have been in my top 5 but the finale...) - The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu - The Lyonesse trilogy by Jack Vance - The Magicians by Lev Grossman - The Five Warrior Angels by Brian Lee Durfee What would I recommend hmm...if you want a bit more literary aligned fantasy, then Lyonesse, Jack Vance is GRRM's favourite writer besides Tolkien. If ASOIAF is your #1, I think The Last King of Osten Ard by Tad Williams is worth a try as is Shadowmarch. He is an excellent writer imo. Happy reading!

[@esmayrosalyne]

Nothing beats a good top 10 list! Hope to see Bound and the Broken break into the official list someday, it deserves the love! And can't blame you for putting ASOIAF on number one, I read that for the first time last year and it is just as good as I had been led to believe. Great picks!

[@troncatch]

I love your shirt! I'm so jealous of your Red Rising paraphernalia. Where are you getting all of it? Great video. Never get tired of these lists.

[@jeff8835]

Hey Mike, just got to drop you a word, you were the first to plant the seed of fantasy novels for me, and on June 16, 2024 i finally got started. So much to look forward to, thanks so much for being a reliable resource for wading through this densely populated genre, without guides i would be wasting too much time on stuff that would be perhaps not worth spending time in, thanks so much!!!

[@RedFuryBooks]

I haven't done a top 10 fantasy-specific list, but ours are so similar! I think 7 of these were on my top 10 series, albeit in a different order. But 3 of our top 5 are the same: LOTR, First Law and Dark Tower.

[@favrewanab]

My list has changed a bit in the last couple years as well. I've added a few new entries and some of my old ones have shuffled around; mainly because of the new entries of course but two have fallen because of other reasons. Here is my current list: Honorable mentions: Deed of Paksenarrion, ASOIAF, Mistborn Era 1, Faithful & the Fallen, Chronicles of Thomas Covenant & LotR. All of these have at one time or the other been in my top 10 if only briefly (F&F). Some of them might come back into the top 10 if I ever get around to a reread (Thomas Covenant). But like you I'm getting older and have so many things I want to read, lol. 10. Broken Empire/Red Queen's War by Mark Lawrence (new entry this year; I group them together because they tell 2 sides of 1 story) 9. Belgariad/Malloreon by David Eddings (been on my list for over 2 decades but is in danger of falling out as time goes on) 8. Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss (this has fallen because it isn't finished; it will probably fall out of top 10 like ASOIAF eventually because of that) 7. The Band by Nicolaus Eames (added last year) 6. Mistborn Era 2 (added this year; I seperate the Era's because they are so different in style and tone) 5. Malazan Book of the Fallen (added in 2022) 4. Drenai Saga by David Gemmell (been a top 10 for over 2 decades and I don't see if falling out anytime soon) 3. First Law (Abercrombie became my favorite living author last year; even ahead of my #2 author if that makes any sense, lol) 2. Stormlight Archive (it's #2 because I like epic fantasy more than grimdark overall but really it's basically a tie) 1. Wheel of Time (has been my #1 series for 27 years and counting and I don't see it changing)

[@Yungshamgod]

1. Malazan 2. Book of the New Sun (honestly felt like a total clash between fantasy and sci/fi, so it's hard to distinguish) 3. Discworld 4. A Song of Ice and Fire 5. First Law

[@noname3609]

10.King Killer Chronicles 9.Lord of The Rings 8.Mistborn Era 1 7.Drenai Saga (Druss novels only) 6.Bloodsworn Saga (Potentially in top 5 after I read the Fury of the Gods) 5.Asoiaf 4.Wheel of Time 3.Stormlight Archive 2.The Faithful and The fallen + Of Blood and Bone 1.The First Law World 0.The whole cosmere > anything in fantasy ... too many awesome books :D

[@zazenbo]

hey man thanks! I'm a 29 year old Dark Tower fan, massive Stephen King universe fan, trying to branch out and finally read other *real* fantasy series. So far it's been tough for me to adjust my mindset since The Dark Tower series sort of spoiled me with all its variety. So far, the coolest world since Dark Tower that's sucked me right in has been Discworld

[@mattf.3365]

It’s great to see WOT on your list. I feel like the slog criticism is valid but overstated and it seems worse for a lot of new readers because of confirmation bias. I read the series not knowing there’s a slog in the middle so it wasn’t that big of a deal for me. Overall, it’s an amazing series.

[@LiLRotum]

I've always been a big fan of Raymond E. Feist's fantasy series--beginning with Magician: Apprentice. I haven't read any of the books in his universe since I was a kid, but if you're looking for something off the beaten path, he's worth a read!

[@rutgerhauer666]

Love the video man! Always entertaining, nice work. Can't agree with the order of 1 and 2... LOTR is not only finished and complete, but is a deeper, richer story and rewards re-readings to a greater degree (again in my opinion). But in the end it's all subjective, love your list.

[@kingzzz6509]

I think my Top 10 is probably: 1. Harry Potter 2. The Faithful and the Fallen 3. The Wheel of Time 4. The Lord of the Rings 5. Riyria Revelations 6. The Chronicles of Conan 7. The Dresden Files 8. Mistborn Era 1 9. The Legends of Drizzt 10. The Chronicles of Narnia I think it’ll change a lot over time, but that’s it for now.

[@dylcor]

I was gonna say that was a Shyamalan esque twist at the end there, but it actually made sense.

[@wheelz1325]

Got to love everybody on social media eh! How dare you not add the series you've never read, and has been a favorite of mine for decades😂😂😂! I'm just finishing the Harry Potter series now. I'm almost 40, it's pretty good. I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more when it first came out. but It's still worth the read.

[@ghostparty2062]

She said some facts and people cried, oh well 😂 I read them after the "controversy" and loved them.

[@lucasbertsche3710]

Just picked up some hard covers of ASOIAF yesterday! I love the show, but I’ve been putting off reading the books for years now. I think it’s about time I change that.

[@ladyfox6705]

Enjoy!

[@kallen10101]

A Storm of Swords is perfection

[@jays.8621]

Just browsing the comments and there are some great lists. One thing that i observe is a large recency bias. No mention of Elric of Melnibone, Fafhrd & The Grey Mouser, Robert E. Howard, Guy Gavriel Kay, Raymond E Feist, etc. For the younger or new to fantasy i would say these are all so worth reading. Even just to appreciate the journey the genre has taken.

[@Justaguyb5c]

I have a group of friends who all love fantasy and we read a bunch. That being said, if the following books are not on a list in 2024 I would caution whatever list you are reading/watching; - Red Rising - Name of the Wind (king killer chronicles) - Stormlight Archives

[@NamasteBbooktube]

Harry Potter is such an amazing story. It's just Divine piece of writing, and for me it's no. 1. As for Wheel of Time, I read the first 4, and quite enjoyed first 3. Mentioning this only because I read The Dragon Reborn twice, and I do believe there's merit in rereading WoT. Maybe you could do so in the future. 🙂👍 Great video.

[@Thxlbx]

Have read most of this list, and might have a bit of a different order, but I cannot disagree too much. Top ten lists and discussing differences are always fun. I have three glaring holes in my fantasy read reptoire, and am planning to fill them in late 24 or early 25 after I complete my Sanderson run and devour Stormlight 5 :) Great Video as always!

[@WordsinTime]

I’m currently up to book 5 in The Dark Tower so I’m looking forward to seeing where it ends up on my list!

[@kristen7623]

Thank you for standing up for Harry Potter. Most of us 30-35 year olds owe our love of reading to JK Rowling but now we…aren’t allowed to acknowledge that? Also shout out to Joe and Stephen Pacey ❤

[@patwebb2375]

Amen!!!

[@TheDopekitty]

Because the creator is a terrible person.

[@Uppernorwood976]

I can’t argue with the top 2, tough to put them in an order as they are so different. It will be interesting to see where you put Malazan. I’ve read the first 2 books and it’s so different to anything else I’ve read, it’s hard to make a comparison..

[@skywalker80316]

I’ve mostly read thrillers and mysteries and am just getting into Sci Fi Fantasy and haven’t read most of these. You’ve basically set me up for a few years of reading! Thank you! Love your channel.

[@jdm89s13]

I’m taking the “scenic route” of the Dark Tower series and am a little over a third of the way through (and on Wastelands in the series proper). I’ve just finished the Blade Itself and rushed right into Before They are Hanged. I just started the Eye of the World. So far, I am really enjoying all three of these series. Just amazing worlds, characters and writing. However, I realized just the other day that ASOIAF is truly on another level. I blew through the five books between the 7th and 8th seasons of the show and they were absolutely enthralling. However, like many people, season 8 was a massive let down. On top of that, I got sick of G.R.R.M. constantly saying Winds of Winter was just around the corner and then being let down, so I sort of laid the series to rest in my mind. It had been years since I even thought of it, but getting so into these other series made me want to go back for a quick sample reading of Storm of Swords just to confirm if ASOIAF really was as good as I remembered. It is. It’s in its own league. The character development, the world building, the dialogue, and the overall writing are just superb. I do think we eventually get Winds of Winter one way or another, but I also doubt we’ll get an ending to the book series.

[@paradoxicalbum4489]

I'm really interested in what you will think when you finish your Dark Tower reread. I just finished a reread at the end of last year and I was surprised that I did not dislike book 6 as much as I expected. And the series has grown for me to the point that it is my favorite ending.

[@cameronpetie8318]

I just read the Silmarillion for the first time in my 40s. Definitely worth the wait as I thoroughly enjoyed it. I almost want to re-read it with a family tree next to me as there ate so many names mentioned and they are mostly linked through blood relationships.

[@gdlc2560]

Logan Ninefingers in the First Law is the most interesting thing about the story, and it left me craving to know more and more about him and his powers to my disappointment. Dark tower should be on top of First Law. Don't get me wrong though, the trilogy was great.

[@threestringsomg]

Mmm im in 'tortured by chronic pain mode' and have been years unfortunately so i adore First Law. Abercrombie is amazing as are the audiobooks - maybe my fave audiobooks all time. Anyway my lifetime top 10 at mo 1 The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (all of them!!) 2 Lord of the rings 3 Discworld 4 Icewind Dale Trilogy 5 Earthsea 6 First Law 7 Belgariad and Mallorean 8 Dark Tower 9 Kingkiller Chronicles 10 Harry Potter (l love the cursed child screenplay tooi! 👍👍👍📚📚📚👍👍👍 If i ever finish Dune cycle and Gormenghast they will be up there maybe, but i guesss ive ocd'd over all the classics. No 11 would be His Dark Materials ...im sure im forgetting something obvious...oh im struggling with Book of The New Sun but will persist. It has something special about it. Loved Sword of Shannara and Stephen Donaldsons more recent books are pretty amazing - The Kings Justice/Auguers Gambit outstanding. But then im clearly a massive fan😅....oh Legends of Drizzt i adored for years...

[@johnkeenan1829]

For me it will always be Lord of the Rings followed very quickly by Malazan. I left fantasy many years ago specifically because of Wheel of Time. Got halfway through and said 'nope, not spending any more damn time on this'. Malazan brought me back in and now I'm looking at other series as well.

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

I've been wanting to read The Wheel of Time for years now, but always something gets in my way. I've noticed that despite the fame, many people who have read at least five books in the saga end up saying that the series isn't that good after all, but I've never seen anyone explain why.

[@alexandruteodor3585]

Hi, Mike! I highly recommend you the Manifest Delusions series. It feels to me very similar in tone with The First Law, but with a unique world. I think of it as worthy of breaking your TBR and it would definitely have a place on this list. (Just read it 😁 )

[@peterspalda1077]

finishing Wheel of Time is graduating from fantasy school - very nicely put, sir... right now I am on book 4 re-reading spree, enjoying it as I did the first time around...

[@heidi6281]

When it comes to the Dark Tower I block out book 5,6 & 7. In my mind it ends at Wizard & Glass!!

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

The problem with the last book isn't even the ending, but everything else.

[@Nick-yq5jf]

Can I include incomplete series? 5. Harry Potter 4. Empire of the Vampire 3. Stormlight Archive 2. ASOIAF 1. Red Rising

[@relevent2521]

I have been looking for good fantasy series as well as mystery series. I never heard of the Dresden Files and will now definitely try it. Looks like it might hit 2 birds with 1 stone with this one. Thanks.

[@xXhogarthXx]

Dresden Files is great! It's a lot of fun and great to see the series and characters develop. First few books are a little rougher, but they're all fast-paced and exciting reads.

[@laurencesiple]

I started ASOIAF a week after first release. Its been a journey but dont fret GRRM is a red priest it will be finished.

[@codyison2790]

Since your last top 10. I have read everything Joe Abercrombie has written. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the suggestion. Still trying to decide what series to start next.

[@Ylyrra]

Your reasons for liking the history and who-did-what-to-whom of A Song of Ice and Fire makes me think you'd like the Deverry Cycle by Katherine Kerr, it's a fantastic back-and-forth look through time at the stories of how individuals and their personal decisions can shape history down through the ages because of friendships, rivalries, reconciliations. It's the series I put up there with the Malazan books for not just insanely good worldbuilding, but tying the characters into the world building, but it's at a much more intimate scale than the Malazan books. That lets it focus far more on the richness and detail of the world and "small scale" aspects that makes it feel almost like the Earthsea books, where everything feels so much closer to "a few hundred villagers leading a subsistence lifestyle being what passes for a large settlement" rather than "the Roman Empire revisited".

[@duartelucas5746]

I really think you would benefit a lot from rereading The Silmarillion. It opened up middle-earth to me. It became real, a place with mythology and history. There is nothing like it, to the point that I prefer The Silmarillion and the other books to the LOTR… by a lot.

[@SciFiScavenger]

Funny thing about Dark Tower, i have that in my top 10 science fiction series. Odd that you didnt include Malazan cos not finished it, but did include Stormlight which isn't finished either (is it?). I haven't read any Malazan but did get stuck into Stormlight, but DNFd book 4, just lost interest. Lot of love for Harry Potter in our house, our kids have all grown up with it, books and movies both. Great list Mike, thumbs up. 👍

[@neerajcherukuri4052]

Malazan is a finished series he didn’t complete reading. Storm light archive is an unfinished series.

[@SciFiScavenger]

@neerajcherukuri4052 got it, thanks for the clarification. 👍

[@miyagii92]

A song of ice and fire is my absolute favorite series as well great list! Have faith George can finish! lol

[@Yungshamgod]

I've read through Wolves of the Calla and digestible works well with the Dark Tower :)

[@daniel_frazier]

Mike! You’ve got to read the Lyonesse trilogy by Jack Vance, especially since you love ASOIAF so much. Both Vance and Lyonesse were huge influences on Martin and the books are phenomenal.

[@Destinyswarrior]

I feel like you're being very generous to Song of Ice and Fire being at number 1 over literally anything Tolkien lol while I loved Song of Ice and Fire you cannot put aside the fact that the entire series owes it's deepest gratitude to the fact that Tolkien existed. The Lord of the Rings is literal literary masterpiece that set the standard for Fantasy literature for generations to come after it and I feel Martin had a very difficult time trying to live up to that standard. Just my opinion on your opinion.

[@emosongsandreadalongs]

Personally, The Bartimaeus Trilogy will always hold a very special place in my heart. I think you and your son would have a lot of fun reading it together since you enjoyed Percy Jackson and Harry Potter

[@williamgwynne]

Love to see Realm of the Elderlings, First Law, A Song of Ice and Fire, LotR and of course, The Faithful and the Fallen here! Truth & Courage

[@yremogtnomnad]

Great list! I just picked up Malice and am super stoked to read it 👌 For me, it's... 1. Dandelion Dynasty 2. Stormlight Archive 3. A Song of Ice and Fire 4. Kingkiller Chronicle 5. Red Rising (if that counts as fantasy) 6. Greenbone Saga 7. Wheel of Time 8. Mistborn 9. Harry Potter 10. The Dark Tower Also loved Gentlemen Bastards, the Poppy War, the Daevabad Trilogy, the Elements of Cadence duology, the Burning, the Age of Uprising, and I don't even count LOTR because it feels unfair lol it's basically at the 0 spot

[@dinocollins720]

I like your rankings! You must be a sad man though haha seems like none of your favs will ever be finished haha. I'm with you though haha. specilly 3 and 4 being so high haha

[@Astropuppers]

I am obsessed with Dandelion Dynasty. The tactics and political drama was unlike anything I've read in fantasy.

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

At least you showed some respect for Tolkien's legendarium, in recent years it seems to have come into vogue to actually hate it and somewhat unfairly with his work, like not including The Silmarillion and everything else in the equation.

[@Astropuppers]

Dresden will always be a refreshing read. Glad to see it on your list.

[@terrywenk5564]

I grew up with Brooks, Brust & Eddings to name a few.

[@aliciasorenson3807]

I'm currently reading the 4th Harry Potter book to my 9 year old, and she's enthralled, and it's so awesome having an excuse to read them again! So happy you keep talking about Harry Potter!

[@Hellsing7747]

I love book 4 and 5 of ASOIAF. I got to be honest, I love" Fire &blood" and "A knight of the seven kingdoms". I want ASOIAF book 6,7 and...8 , A Knight of the seven kingdoms book 2 and fire and blood book 2. 😂 Too bad GRR Martin is not 50 years old lol

[@sublime053]

Loved the realm of the elderlings. Robin has said she's doing a follow up book with Bee. Can't wait

[@Aldarion65]

as someone that is just a little younger than you Harry Potter came out when I was fairly young and I loved it, it honestly made me fall in love with reading all over again to be honest my first love in reading was the Laura Ingalls wilder Little house books they were amazing to a small town country kid from TN, they for sure weren't anything to do with fantasy but they opened my eyes to how amazing book worlds could be which lead me to all of these fantastical worlds that everyone loves today

[@KBaiL]

Brilliant video! I have a question, I'm very new to reading books, I've read LOTR and the hobbit and Harry Potter! I've just started wheel of time this year and I'm 3 books in and loving it......however I want to read some other books can I take a break or should I finish WoT?

[@erickmarrero4848]

I think personally that I would tell you not to read the wheel of time in one sitting or attempted. It’s a great series, but it is very easy to experience burn out with something this long so my advice is get some stuff on the side. Take some breaks if the series becomes grading after a while, take a break, read something else and then come back.

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

You can mix it up with something very different, last month I reread Dune, then I read Messiah , Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune one after the other. I left Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune for a future occasion. So during this month I read a lot of horror and sci-fi short stories, some novels and so on.

[@Grimscribe732]

I completely agree with ASoIaF, I cannot find any flaws with the series - except for the fact that it is not finished. There is no other series that has a combination of this level of world building AND amazing character writing. I also somewhat soured on it for a while due to the later seasons of the show and waiting for ages for the next book (started reading it somewhere around 2006-ish?), but my re-read last year has fully restored my love for these books. Here is my current Top 10: 1. A Song of Ice and Fire by GRRM 2. The First Law by Joe Abercrombie 3. Manifest Delusions by Michael R. Fletcher 4. Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee 5. Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien 6. Dresden Files by Jim Butcher 7. Ash and Sand Trilogy by Richard Nell 8. Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb 9. Raven's Mark Trilogy by Ed McDonald 10. Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett Honourable mentions: Discworld by Terry Pratchett, Harry Potter by JK Rowling, Lot Lands Saga by Jonathan French, The Dark Elf Trilogy by RA Salvatore, Kingkiller Chronicles by Pat Rothfuss, Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock

[@mercurydylan899]

Love these check ins on your top top series. I’ve read most of them. But some new bookmarked ones. Thanks, sir!

[@MrScrawnjuan]

Malazan, my favorite fantasy series of all time, having 10 fantastic books released within 12 years says a lot about Steven Erikson as an author. And a whole lot more about GRRM 😅

[@dinocollins720]

I might be a little confused how you organized it Mike. I'm not totally sure, but why is Faithful and the Fallen separated from A Blood and Bone but Mistborn Era 1 not separated from Era 2? Why did you group all of Mistborn as 1 single series? Is it just because of the title? I feel like Mistborn 2 series are more different than Faithful an d the Fallen 2 series.

[@heathnantz9295]

I've never heard Dresden explained this way. Absolutely makes me want to finally start it. Buffy crossed with Constantine, dang.

[@inkshoe25]

Great! Thank you! I see you wearing a House Mars T-shirt from Red Rising (Pierce Brown). RR got me into SFF and I have never looked back! My favorite SFF series! Tim Gerard Reynolds is THE voice for me to narrate it too. And Harry Potter is my all time favorite Fantasy series, bar none! I've read it 7 times adn RR 4 times.

[@Yusuyusuf]

a review for the silamrillion someday would be awesome

[@mikesbookreviews]

I’d have to understand it first!

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

@@mikesbookreviews Out of curiosity, have you ever read The Children of Húrin?

[@stephensmith8474]

On book 3 of the faithful and the fallen and love it!

[@heretic124]

The Faithful and the Fallen has become my second favorite series after Malazan. I'm still reading Wrath so if the ending sucks it might change but from what I heard it ends well. While listening to this video I started thinking that I might get "Truth and courage" tattoo. There really is no other group of fake people that I became this attached to. I love Malazan, Fiddler and all the philosophizing but it's not on this deep human level. On the other hand Abercrombie writes his characters better than Gwynne but they're all assholes :D Truth and courage is also a great motto to live by.

[@Spiderweb444]

Hey Mike great list. Though I have read 20% of this list I am excited to continue reading all these series in the future!

[@jeffkempker5931]

I enjoy the Big Iron next to the Dark Tower

[@mikesbookreviews]

You have remembered the face of your father.

[@bellaismykitter]

My top 3 is 1, Rift war Saga by Robert E Feist 2, Imager series by LE Modesitt 3, Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hob

[@jellevanbreugel325]

Swap out Stormlight with Royce and Hadrian and you got yourself a great list, Mike! 😂

[@Javaman92]

A friend strongly suggested I read A Game of Thrones many years ago. I did read the first two books, but that was all I could stand. I never can understand why people like that series. It's one of the few series that I started but decided not to finish. I'd be curious as to your thoughts on The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

[@weihuang7806]

So glad you finally put A Song of Ice and Fire at the top. This is the way.

[@joshuabryant9845]

I think I'd wait the rest of my life for the next A Song of Ice and Fire book. I've been obsessed since I read it. I've since read everything Martin has written save one, which I may start next. I just absolutely love how the man writes. If you've never read his second novel, Fevre Dream, you should if you like Vampires, abolition and steamboats.

[@Michael_L_Morrison]

1 - The Dark Tower (King) 2 - Harry Potter (Rowling) 3 - The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien) 4 - The Wheel of Time (Jordan) 5 - A Song of Ice and Fire (Martin) 6 - The War for the Rose Throne (McLean) 7 - The Last War (Shackle) 8 - The Five Warrior Angels (Durfee) 9 - Red Rising (Brown) - I know it's SciFI, but I don't have a top 10 SciFi list. Gotta put it somewhere. 10 - Nevernight (Kristoff) I still have a lot of ongoing series, so this list will probably change in the next 2 years.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Great picks!

[@IzzyZil20]

Harry Potter above the wheel of time and a song and ice? How? I mean, I know it’s a childhood series but again it’s childhood series which has a lot of faults.

[@reixx-_-]

@@IzzyZil20 He's just approaching the situation nostalgically.

[@Michael_L_Morrison]

@@IzzyZil20 I like what I like.

[@Michael_L_Morrison]

@@reixx-_- Nostalgia has nothing to do with it. I'm currently rereading the series.

[@Retcon404]

This video just put about 30 books on my reading list!

[@scottferris2686]

Good video, nice list. Mine: 1-wheel of time; 2- Realm of the Elderlings; 3-Harry potter; 4- Riyria revelations; 5- His Dark materials; 6- Riftwar; 7- memory, sorrow and thorn; 8- Dresden; 9- book of worlds

[@soitgoes_1334]

I just started reading a lot this year. I read like a few books when I was in school for AR points but I started Harry Potter in January & finished the series a week ago. So thankful for this list to find some good fantasy books because I'm so sad that I've finished the Harry Potter books.

[@MaxFidler]

I agree with your view on the romance in Faithful and the Fallen. It can’t be anything but what I am thinking of.

[@quizquesttrivia3448]

I'm definitely a Dresden Files girl. Got into it about 2 years ago. Read the first 8 books back to back, then finished the rest after a short break. It inspired me to create merch in my Redbubble shop [ HavenDesign ]. My other favorite urban fantasy series is The Anita Blake series: Laurell K. Hamilton.