My Top 10 Fantasy Series (Updated)

[@donkevinbrown9906]

Hurray for Locke Lamora, Hurray for Lord of the Rings, Hurray for First Law, Hurray for Stormlight Archives, Hurray for Malazan: Book of the Fallen...... Malazan is my favorite of all time. By the Time I got to Crippled God and finished it I was absolutely enthralled. I just finished Night of Knives and just yesterday finished The Return of the Crimson Guard. You need to finish all of Malazan and then read it again. Then read Esslemonts stories in the same world. I thank you for posting this.

[@alexmachin8993]

I’ve read a lot a since I discovered hunter hunter but it has always remained in my mind. Togashi is truly one of the greatest character writers of all time, and the themes of the story never failed at making me emotional.

[@akshyadulal1455]

Have you read Yu Yu Hakusho,his prevoius work? For me nobody writes a Villian/Antagonist like Togashi.Hisoka,Chrollo,Mereum from Hunter x Hunter and Sensui and Toguro from Yu Yu Hakusho.

[@alexmachin8993]

@@akshyadulal1455 yeah I watched a good amount of it all the way up to the end of the dark tournament. I plan to finish it someday. The characters were awesome I love hiei but I remember there being some pacing issues that never really bothered me in HxH. Might just be an anime thing I gotta finish chapter black.

[@akshyadulal1455]

@@alexmachin8993 Please read the manga, fo better pacing and yes Chapter Black is one of the best arcs with one of my favourite villians in Sensui.It is really one of the best Shonen arcs.

[@HuskerNinja]

The original Percy Jackson series is still my all-time favorite. I don't have any really deep reasoning for it, but it's just the most fun I had reading when I was younger (and I read a lot). I just love all the characters and it makes me happy whenever I go back and re-read them. I also respect cheating to include ATLA, which is genuinely maybe my all-time favorite piece of media across any medium.

[@evenstar1608]

I also like Percy Jackson series after Lord of the Rings.

[@james-eq7cx]

Because you've read that in your childhood that's why

[@dhruvbharija172]

So Atla or percy Jackson ?!?! And I also suggest you to watch aot

[@Atrulion]

Yeah I think it's because of nostalgia. I don't have nostalgia for it, and while I did enjoy it, it's not my favorite at all unfortunately

[@yawsanevruh1116]

I highly suggest you read this manga called “Monster”. It’s creator, Naoki Urasawa, is renowned as one of the greatest manga creators of all time for his ability craft such well written and nuanced stories. Monster has a strong psychological and philosophical theme to it, so I think you’ll love it!

[@jonatanrk]

Absolutely one of the best manga of all time. 💯

[@azurastar3223]

Seen the anime. My dad who hates anime loved it. Caught him watching it one night when I was in high school. He looked sheepish, but started watching it with me along with the true crime shows he already watched. It always makes me laugh. He says it doesn't feel like a cartoon.

[@dre1201]

It ain't even a fantasy series💀😭

[@nightmarishcompositions4536]

No one does characters better than Naoki Urasawa. He’s like the Stephen King of manga. Love all of his series!

[@yawsanevruh1116]

@@azurastar3223 Fr!! I’ve seen people describe the story as not just an anime, but also as a 74 episode essay on human psychology and philosophy. There is so much to get out of this story on the surface level and on a much deeper level, which is why I absolutely love it!

[@MannfredvonCarstein1]

The Gentleman's Bastard, dude... so epic.. love the series.. Atm reading One Piece, still early days but I love it. I love your taste Merphy and your recommendations. Thank you!!

[@michaeledoigiawerie4594]

So glad Hunter x Hunter is on the list. It’s really a manga that you can reread more than 10 - 20 times, but you still find something new through every reread, from hunter exam - current arcs. Truly an amazing manga

[@raizel9918]

Exactly, I have reread the manga and rewatched the anime more than 10 times, it just never gets boring. Sometimes, I might have just finished a rewatch a few days ago, and I will watch a random scene on youtube I will imidiatly want to start another rewatch.

[@z01k1]

@@raizel9918 10 times really... really?

[@raizel9918]

@@z01k1 Yep, actually I think I have rewatched it exactly 7 times from start to finish, read the manga twice, and rewatched each arc individualy out of order 2-3 times each.

[@jfspiresbeta]

One Piece too.

[@cromperer]

re reading makes you appreciate many things you normally wouldn't more and ups the score imo

[@theonlyslagathor]

I still love that my sister's friend pitched First Law to us as "Different flavors of assholes being assholes" and that was all we needed to start the series. And neither of us regret it. and technicallyyyyyy.... avatar does have books and comics so it should definitely count and i'm definitely not biased because i love that series and i am 100% objective and only states facts.

[@litlbucky]

True- not sure if Merphy has read Kyoshi yet? And a 3rd book later this month?

[@angelcrush1582]

ok you've convinced me I'll read that

[@AnyMEmdq]

That's SUCH A GOOD PITCH!! If you don't read the story after that, there's something wrong with you!

[@costelinha1867]

If you mean Avatar: The Last Airbender, there's currently 2 books written by F.C. Yee and a third one on the way.

[@unavezms8167]

I *really* want to read it someday.

[@michaelokeke4976]

1. The Wheel of Time 2. Lord of the Rings 3. Mistborn Era One 4. The Chronicles of Narnia 5. Memory Sorrow and Thorn 6. Dune 7. Legends of the First Empire 8. The Bloodsworn Trilogy 9. The Ryeria books 10. The Dark Tower series

[@SilverPh3nix]

Great list :) memory sorrow and thorn is one of my favorites

[@michaelokeke4976]

@@SilverPh3nix I know right. I love Osten Ard

[@Halfling4]

I saw the LOTR films when I was 8 or 9 years old, with my father. I remember sitting in front of his computer and watching the films together. I was so amazed by them and when I learnt that he had the books, I decided to read them. At the age of 10 or 11 years old, I read the Fellowship of the Ring and although I was confused at times, I still liked it and read the whole trilogy. Now, every time I reread the books, I feel like I appreciate them more and every time I finish them, my love for them and Middle Earth becomes much stronger.

[@monkeydluffy4963]

I saw Hunter x Hunter and one piece and clicked

[@melkerlinderoth2742]

Yeah, same

[@shyguy9833]

Exactly

[@dogman6687]

You fell right into her little weeb trap

[@monkeydluffy4963]

@@dogman6687 yeah tbh....But i'm glad XD

[@KatherinaBathory]

Hahahaha same!

[@arcanethink]

Love how Uzumaki manga cover is so easily spottable in the background. Simple and stands out.

[@mijanhoque1740]

Love that Hunter X Hunter, One Piece and Avatar the last airbender are up there. I’d put Fullmetal Alchemist and A Song of Ice and Fire there as well.

[@LemonyBello]

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is one of the best things I've ever watched. Addictive and incredible depth

[@Demonmack0]

A Song of Ice and Fire gets weaker after book 4 and isn't finished. It's great otherwise.

[@mijanhoque1740]

@@Demonmack0 I found Books 2&4 to be the weakest but really enjoyed Books 1,3&5.

[@NekoAKAJeff]

FMA for suuurrreeee!!!!

[@felipericardomachado8776]

If I'm not mistaken, FMA is on her list for future read. I guess that's why it's not on the list yet... Because I agree with you it deserves a spot.

[@aliciasorenson3807]

My favorite fantasy STORIES are: 1.The Lord of the Rings series 2.The Wheel of Time series 3. Stormlight Archive series 4. Ten Thousand Doors of January 5. Mistborn- both eras 6. Ryiria Revelations series 7. The Aurelian Cycle series 8. Harry Potter series 9. Nevermoor series 10. Legend of the First Empire series

[@johnhanifin1952]

That's a pretty damn good list

[@0rtu_Solis]

Did you like Flamefall? Fireborne was my favorite YA book of all time and a strong contender for my favorite book ever but Flamefall kinda smacked everything I loved about Fireborne around and you’re the only other person I’ve seen talk about so I just wanted a second opinion lol.

[@jayakiranjayanth5300]

A song of ice and fire??

[@voide8970]

Not a book series, but I’m convinced you’re gonna LOVE it if you give it a shot. Watch Arcane. It’s part of the League of Legends world but you don’t need any prior knowledge to watch it. It is heartbreaking and absolutely beautiful and sooooo complex with so many layers not just in the storytelling but also in the art itself. One of my favourite shows of all time.

[@ce2araybara226]

Second this

[@unavezms8167]

*Silco simp noice*

[@kaladinstormblessed8470]

Mastapiece

[@coolbrotherf127]

@RiptideRambo Jinx is bot and Vi is jungle, but you could play them mid if you want.

[@Ink129]

I really need to re-watch this show - it's a masterpiece.

[@itsnotnoel]

I got back into reading since I found out your channel through One Piece and now I am reading more books than before, thank you for the great recommendations! Just finished Lies of Locke Lamora today! I enjoyed the plot but the structure was a bit confusing for me. I finished Mistborn saga last month and I loved it!

[@adamleclair714]

Malazan definitely belongs on the list. I'd say top 3 series. All comes together in the end and just keeps getting better as it goes on

[@royaalc7691]

Highly recommend the Pendragon series. It’s always been one of my favorites but I don’t think it got a it of recognition back when it came out so not many people have heard of it or read it. Basically the antagonist is trying to show to the main character the horrors of the world and how bad people can be (while also manipulating the people to make the wrong decisions). War, plague, disaster, different worlds and environments. Beautiful world that he has created and a very emotional journey.

[@porteric53]

Congrats, you get my first KZbin comment ever. Gotta prop this series up. The number of people I’ve turned on to this series is ridiculous. My copy of the first book, The Merchant of Death, became so worn from constantly passing it around to various classmates and I never heard a negative opinion about it. And the way the universe expands over the journey works so well and the main crew is one of my favorites. If you’d be interested in a portal fantasy journey over 10 books long that begins middle grade and grows with its audience to YA (like Harry Potter) and covers multiple genres, you will not be disappointed. Hobey ho

[@royaalc7691]

@@porteric53 Hobey Ho! Yes I agree. The universe is so well put together and immersive. I easily get lost in the books and the worlds in each book. It starts off like a standard kind of fantasy but DJ Machale did very well with expanding his story telling and keeping the mystery going through each installment. I’m currently doing a re-read of it but haven’t had the time to finish it again.

[@porteric53]

@@royaalc7691 definitely immersive. Getting to watch the growth of the territories was both heartwarming and bittersweet. I would love to see MacHale be given the opportunity to use his television/movie experience with this series to really bring it to people’s attention. There’s so many cool things that could visually be done with it.

[@TriceratopsUnicorn]

I just recently started the Malazan series and I am enjoying it a lot so far. Only on the first book, but I am glad to hear it's good enough to be a top 10 contender

[@freitas1527]

I think that you will really like Kingdom. It's a war story manga. It's just like every war that have existed, but like no war story that have ever been told

[@quinn_wbfm]

Awesome to see Stormlight & Mistborn get such a big slot haha, really amazing series! Stormlight's currently my favourite of all time, _but_ I'm still working through Mistborn E1 so that could change 😄

[@kovenant7]

The Ember Blade sounds phenomenal! Glad to hear about the LOTR reread, Silmarillion is probably my favorite fantasy book ever. I want to get through all of Tolkien's books probably taking that on soon.

[@evenstar1608]

I also like Silmarillion, my favorite. 🥰

[@pippaschroeder9660]

The Ember Blade is my favorite book ever. It is 800 something pages long and I read it in a week

[@ninjaburst2817]

Hey, Merphy! I'm glad to see that you're enjoying One Piece! I know that you seem to love the themes of found family and I think you'd like Amphibia. It's an animated fantasy show with a beautiful theme of found family and change. It became one of my top series along with One Piece and I think you should give it a try if you're interested!

[@leonardocucchiara4782]

The Lord of the Rings isn't only my favourite fantasy series it's my favourite book period! Nothing I've ever read comes even remotely close to the scope, the richness, the language or the impact of the story. When I read it it's like I can feel the passion and commitment of a lifetime that Tolkien put into his writing.

[@Morfeusm]

For me as well! It’s just impeccable!

[@stephenbarrett8861]

How, given a little over half a century of work, did one man become the creative equivalent of a people?

[@hunterghobadi1269]

Read more.

[@SilverPh3nix]

@@hunterghobadi1269 bruh. This is a whole channel full of book geeks I’m sure he’s read more. Even after everything I’ve read LotR is probably in my top 2 series ever written

[@hunterghobadi1269]

@@SilverPh3nix I mean outside of post-Tolkien fantasy, sci-fi, and manga.

[@ellenmay491]

I'm so glad I've discovered your channel because otherwise I wouldn't have gotten back into reading and then reading wouldn't have helped me through the difficult times in my life. Before your channel, I was only reading one series and I had dropped out of my reader habits. I was raised in a family of readers and I used to be one at that point, but I was dwindling. Then I discovered your channel which encouraged me to pick up Mistborn. (My dad loves Brandon Sanderson so he has all the Brando Sando novels) Mistborn propelled me back into reading. Your channel helped me find more fantasy books such as the Ember Blade that I love so much. Your channel helped get me back into reading and find what my reading taste really is. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[@betterman7792]

I've pretty much only read King and Tolkien for the the last 20 years and I decided it was about time I tried new books , after listening to dracula and Frankenstein I came looking for ideas on what to listen to next and this video came up as a recommendation, I'm now 4 hours into mistborn and I'm loving it already, thank you

[@katrinaaponte4787]

Merphy taking more time to talk about how she's going to keep it brief when talking about a specific book/series than she does actually talking about the book/series always gets me. I love it!

[@filipDcve]

Found your channel because of One Piece, read the Mistborn trilogy and I can't thank you enough 😃

[@mathewthompson5654]

Curious what your thoughts on Yu Yu Hakusho would be, togashi's other series

[@christopherrivera1673]

Well, if she reads I hope she keeps in mind Togashi was overworked for much of it and did not have full creative freedom especially over the duration of the series as it was selling well so Shueisha demanded he extend the story well past its ending until Togashi eventually put his foot down and gave up on giving it a properly paced ending due to severe physical and mental health issues. The author’s notes of each volume were pretty eye opening for me and I appreciated his openness.

[@mathewthompson5654]

@@christopherrivera1673 I didn't know that he went through so much until recently. I still love YYH even with its ending it doesn't bother me much it doesn't have to go on too long to be good

[@JavadVF]

10:20 I love how excited you are about describing Avatar 😂😍

[@malefizioso]

thank you for another really well described best list! i always get so much helpful insight from your reviews! my top 10 fantasy series list: 10. Temeraire by Naomi Novik 9. Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones 8. King Arthur Trilogy by Rosemary Sutcliff 7. Lord of the Rings by you know who 6. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman 5. Malazan by Steven Erikson 4. The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko 3. Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde 2. Zamonia (first 5) by Walter Moers 1. Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski

[@SatanClauze]

I'm only at House of Chains and I already place Malazan in my Top 3, with strong contention for #1. As Daniel Greene would say, Malazan just hits different - the kind of depth the story goes to seems unexplored by other stories, and I really appreciate how much it makes me think.

[@Morfeusm]

I have to read it! (Saying to myself for last 15 years lol)

[@purpleghost106]

Always I see this reccomended, but how do you get past the writing style? As a dyslexic it made me feel lost constantly. Erikson's writing reminded me of Dune the way it jumped around viewpoints, and honestly his sentence structure made me feel dizzy jumping between super short and reeeeeallly long. I was given one of the later ones (I checked, it was Dust of Dreams) in the series, so maybe it's better if you start with the first one and get invested? But I've started lots of series in the middle and gone back after enjoying a splice. With DoD though I couldn't get past chapter 2 because the book's writing style was so imparseable, and unpleasant. Tried like 5 times because Erickson lives in my province and the idea of an epic fantasy from an author in my area was kind of exciting. :(

[@CorprealFale]

@@purpleghost106 Starting on book 9 doesn't work. To much stuff you'd need to know, names, terms, relationships. More so because Erikson won't sit down and remind you who's who as lots of authors do. Or what's what. He never really explains how magic works in the universe until book 6 or so. And even then it's less clear than WoT does in book 1 and 2. You can start at lots of other books. Friend started with 5 as librarian accidentally thought it was 1. Was confused with all the terms and while it worked he didn't recommend it. Publication order really is recommended as your knowledge will build up. Generally his view point shifts have reasons behind them. Thematic or character or plot based. But you'd 100% miss that if you are blind going into the climax. As for the language bits with sentences. Can't comment. My dyslexic issues generally don't show up for fiction reading.

[@purpleghost106]

​@@CorprealFale Thank you for your response! That does stand to reason, although I'm concerned that the first book wouldn't be more readable. For me the confusion was from the writing style itself, rather than terminology. It sounds like the first book is in that same style as Dune, yes? I find that to be very difficult to read, with Dune I had to read the sentences 3-10 times each, which is hours of re-reading. In an average book if something isn't following in continuity it would be a 'me problem', such as my eyes jumping to the wrong spot on the page, then I can quickly go back check what I missed, move on. Reading something like Sanderson, a deliberately clear writer, I can burn through 1000 pages in 2-3 days no problem. Stormlight is amazingly easy to read for something so complex. In Dune, and the portion of Malazan I did read, it seems like talking about a character flows seamlessly into discussing history, and then jumps to another character. That means I can't trust I didn't miss something on each and every page, so it takes an agonizingly long time to check and process. Which... I'm not sure it's worth it for me, as I want to read for fun, not frustration. :\

[@EricMcLuen]

It is interesting to see how his opinion changes as he gets deeper in the series.

[@cosinev1265]

I was on the fence about reading Malazan, but your video last month finally convinced me to pick it up. I just finished Gardens of the Moon and I enjoyed it. I'm very excited for Deadhouse Gates.

[@Yungshamgod]

🐐 series

[@patrickohara5925]

Deadhouse Gates was the one that convinced me to finish the series

[@cosinev1265]

@@patrickohara5925 I’m 200 pages in to Deadhouse Gates and it feels slow. Does it get better?

[@patrickohara5925]

@@cosinev1265 Definitely, I've heard it said that the 2nd half of Malazan books are generally better. I'm on Toll the Hounds at the moment, and have found it to be mostly true. Deadhouse Gates especially

[@joshuasmith8695]

@@cosinev1265 Yep, this is very normal for the series as a whole, especially when starting the next book in the series immediately after finishing the previous one. The first half in general feels excruciatingly slow after the events of the previous book, but they always build to incredible climaxes, you just need to be patient and adjust your expectations at the beginning of each book. SE is incredible at finishing but he needs time to set out all the required elements. And yeah don't worry about Deadhouse Gates, it'll get going big time....

[@eddiecampos]

Love your videos. One of my personal favorite fantasy stories is Berserk by Kentaro Miura (R.I.P). Its the best piece of literature I've ever had the privilege of reading. I'm not going to say too much about it because I would rather have the work speak for itself. I hope you decide to read it and review it on your channel someday.

[@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723]

Which other works come close to Berserk in your opinion?

[@udayjoshi223]

​@@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723 vagabond, vinland saga ,monster, 20th century boys , oyasumi punpun, real all in seinen genre shonen genre - one piece ,hxh ,attack on titan(except the ending)

[@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723]

@@udayjoshi223 indeed💯

[@whocares010]

Zerk stinks lol Black swordsman arc was very cliche with villan reveal trope and corny dialogues and as such the plot was uninteresting af Golden age actually started with cast of different motivations/dreams but after eclipse went null The plot og golden age was subpar atbest Griffith psychological aspect "The drive/anxiety of dream" is till eclipse coz his whole characterization stops after that Guts have been same with cliche theme line of "Never give to fate/Determinism+ hope" Casca was left as plot Device and nothing else and even she's so mid character Conviction was uninteresting af saving lost child & casca in NPC world was nothing but timepass plot Fotme & Fantasia is was just amalgamation of supernatural shockvalues with that garbage sea boat arc! And rest of cast is so mid & bland Puck is for comedic purpose Schireke was in cliche hero love trope and idk what this author has with girls putting unnecessary rape scenes Fernese after her past arc is useless, serpico is too bland In shot "Zerk was so ass, even author got cancer while writing it"

[@whocares010]

​​@@udayjoshi223nahh merphy has already covered vaga & Vinland Acc to me the transaction of Vinland from it's prologue to slave arc was too bland & after that it's nothing special! Vaga is fine not that great but yeah & 20th CB plot was just garbage and u can't convince me to believe time travel/VR was implemented good with many flat characters & punpun seriously??😭😭 Real i haven't read but yeah H×H & op destroyes them

[@ryankluck5041]

I am currently reading through Mistborn for the first time, about 25% through Hero of Ages. Wow, this series is incredible! There's so much to love, but I keep thinking about Sazed's arc and hoping that his story resolves just as strong as it's beginning and middle. Thanks for sharing your favorites! Need to try out Gentleman Bastards I think!

[@unavezms8167]

*shuts up not to spoil* Oh you have such a ride ahead of you...

[@damsaucy]

Well you gotta check out the Stormlight Archive now

[@ryankluck5041]

@@damsaucy Absolutely!

[@sushit3044]

@@damsaucy i ve almost read all mistborn lost metal left ,should i read smth frpm someone else for fresh air(my first book series i ever read ) or go with stormlight (im not used yet to slow stuff

[@damsaucy]

@@sushit3044 it depends. if you're not used to slower stories yet, it might be better to read around for a bit and come back when you want more sanderson. or, if you want more now, go ahead i guess

[@Larckov]

Based on what you like, I think you would love Robin Hobb. You can start with the first one from the first trilogy (Assassin's apprentice), or if you want to start with another trilogy that is just going to blow your mind, you can start with The Liveship Traders. I love Erikson works, but Robin Hobb has such and approach to characters that is just one of my favorites. I think they are good books to read while reading Malaz.

[@jacobstamm]

Got my intro to fantasy a few years ago with Stormlight, then Wheel of Time, now starting LotR. This list is a gold mine for me and makes me look forward to how much more there is to read. Thanks for this!

[@fs.7847]

I guess hxh gives everyone this feeling of "it's gonna be another fun shonen 🥳" and then you're like "wtf just happened here 😭"

[@litlbucky]

Could say Cosmere for Sanderson so you don’t feel bad for combining MB & SA

[@andrewwall4250]

I recently got into the animated show “The Owl House” on Disney and it’s already one of my new favourite fantasies. It’s basically a portal fantasy about a human being transported to a magical world. There’s a lot of stuff in it that I wish I’d come up with for my own fantasy world. XD The main world setting being formed over a giant skeleton is really cool to me. I find the magic system really interesting too, even if it can be seen as fairly standard. The limitations through the Coven systems and the work around to do magic that the non-magic human protagonist figures out is all really intriguing to me. I love anytime the show gives lore and world building and really wish there was more of it. I also love the writing, humour and the characters and their relationships with each other. There’s some really good found family and romance.

[@vex2960]

Dude, everyone knows what the owl house

[@dohtje5029]

@@vex2960 i didn't...

[@sindri1447]

@@vex2960 I don't. Don't be a prick.

[@adamhanson5565]

@@vex2960 I've heard the name, but I never knew anything about it or had any reason to watch it. I'd assumed from the name that it was a kids show in the same vein as Sesame Street.

[@blitz4506]

I've seen both but it sounded like you were describing black clover lol

[@patrick_dy3r]

I’ve just started Malazan, and already I’m confused but in love! (The best kind of love.)

[@roblovvorn8564]

1-2: Lord of the Rings; Cosmere 3: Kingkiller 4-7: Lightbringer; Dresden; Gentlemen Bastards; Powder Mage/Gods of Blood and Powder 8-10: Harry Potter; Faithful and the Fallen/A Time of Dread; Realm of the Elderlings Did some in tiers because it was too hard to definitively rank

[@nikgokuhil]

I heavily recommend that you watch Mushishi, you dont have to binge it, you dont have to make a video about it, but please do watch it. Its of supernatural genre with amazing music, the kind you will struggle to find anywhere else

[@Morfeusm]

This anime kills me because it was on Netflix in my country wanted to watch it and now I can’t find it anywhere and mangas are also sold out everywhere 😭

[@jonm2416]

Steven Pacey narrating Javre in Abercrombie's Sharp Ends is the absolute highlight of my entire, vast audiobook experiences... Not to mention San Dan Glokta. Theres a reason why many people consider First Law the best narrative performance ever!

[@sharkrash]

If she likes manga, maybe trying Fullmetal Alchemist. Its an amazing classic

[@ActuallyAdrianG]

Such a perfect way to start the morning! Been diving deep into your videos recently to get more reads in the second half of 2022! Keep being so amazing

[@charris1854]

Amazing video. I started reading Sci-Fi a year ago because of you and Daniel Green. Best decision I’ve made. I’m adding “The Blade Itself” to my TBR list. Thanks for the recs!

[@vertx6186]

For me my favorite 2 are hxh and oregairu, the narration skills and atention to characters is to tier and shines the brightest on those 2

[@marcweber8509]

One Piece, Avatar, Hunter X Hunter and Malazan are also some of my all-time favorites! What you said about Malazan also makes me hopeful you might someday try Goodnight Punpun (manga, urban, coming of age, gen y, mental illness) and Berserk (manga, fantasy, also coming of age, cute elves, big swords, bigger monsters, human resilience, emotional trauma), which are both incredibly devastating, but tremendously profound and inherently beautiful in their own way.

[@remixtbh]

You need a solid mentality to read Goodnight Punpun- my friend recommended it to me and I just couldn't get through- I had to take long pauses

[@marcweber8509]

@@remixtbh You‘re correct. Everyone basically says it‘s the best manga you only read once, because it is so devastating. You definitely have to be in a healthy state of mind where you can stomach difficult emotions. Then it can be one of the most profound reading experiences you ever had. To me it‘s the quintessential Gen Y angst treatise, including topics like depression, mental illness, loneliness, the feeling of being left out and passed over by the world, etc. I‘d make sure that someone is ready and willing to engage with these things before recommending it. Cause the story goes ALL-IN. I don‘t know how much of a heads-up your friend gave you.

[@remixtbh]

@@marcweber8509 he didn't give me a heads up- it basically went with me saying "Hey you should try One Piece, it might have almost 1000 episodes but you'll definitely enjoy every episode because it gets into some deeper themes as it opens up the world." And he went "Okay, I'll watch it if you read Goodnight Punpun. It's dark but it's my favorite." I said bet, we watched like 3 episodes of One Piece and I decided to read it. I- I wish he had given me a better heads up because this was quarantine and my mental health was not great - it was rough and im still haunted with the fact that I haven't finished it but I really don't feel ready to go back into it- it's so frustrating!!!! But I'm just not ready- it's definitely a series that exerts a lot from the reader

[@alessandro_ajm4278]

Great list, glad you ended up loving Hunter X Hunter this much!

[@tanyam928]

Recently the author of Gentleman Bastards announced he has new books coming. He said he is doing better with his depression/ anxiety and has been writing this whole time but unable to show it to anyone because of his anxiety. So I am excited to see what else is coming from him!

[@bodine219]

I always appreciate these videos. I just added a couple of them to the top of my tbr list.

[@riakm921]

After hearing your gushing about The Ember Blade, I reckon I’ll have to give it read! While I don’t know if it has kinship (to LotR) in the same way as The Ember Blade, I would strongly recommend Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams. It feels as cousin to LotR, in that they both have an “Autumnal” feeling about them. I’m definitely glad you’re getting so much out of Malazan, for a while there I had thought you dropped it, so I look forward to hearing your thoughts about book three!

[@katie222_]

I absolutely love how you explain each book and how you show your feelings that you felt while reading them. It makes me want to read every single one of them ❤

[@chestersnap]

I'm rereading LoTR right now! Andy Serkis does a really good job in the audiobook

[@TheDejwid18]

Merph, it's time to do top 20 series from now on!

[@ehoward]

There are Avatar novels as well. If you haven't read the Kyoshi prequel novels yet, I highly recommend them. They do an amazing job of flushing out even more world building in an already amazing universe, and you get to know how Kyoshi ended up as the figure who we meet in the show.

[@buggymah]

I 2nd this comment. I really really want her to read them and review them.

[@costelinha1867]

I've been reading Mistborn recently.... It's good... good. (To be fair not much have happened yet, and no spoilers please.) Also that LOTR book is so chuncky lmao. Also as for the setting of Mistborn, it's basically what if Morrowind was ruled by an evil pseud-deity emperor who enslaves the common population.

[@Dark_Jaguar]

If you enjoyed Hunter X Hunter, check out Yu Yu Hakusho by the same author and artist, at least through the Dark Tournament arc. I think you'll enjoy it, even if a lot of the tropes you've seen before it's an oldie and kind played a part codifying said tropes. That said, it still manages to surprise all these years later.

[@Dark_Jaguar]

I thought I'd add my interpretation of the themes that really got me hooked on that dark tournament arc. As near as I can tell, I believe the main theme of that arc is resolving trauma. Every mini-story they tell throughout the tournament seems to tie into trauma in some way and how various characters push through it, and the main villain isn't like... literally walking trauma personified. He's still a well rounded and interesting character in his own right. However, he does serve that roll very well.

[@AntrozLPs]

You should absolutely go read the Rise of Kyoshi and Shadow of Kyoshi, they're official, canon books set in the Avatar Universe and basically Kyoshi's origin stories. In just a few weeks, one more book by the same author comes out, this time about Yangchen!

[@agzam3026]

Can't wait to hear your oppinion on the current arc of HXH ♥

[@EntertheBook]

The Ember Blade is on my shelf now because of your review. Trying to catch up on Sanderson first but it’s coming!

[@therethan-family1234]

I hope that you sometime read "ascendance of a bookworm" because it is a beautiful and light-hearted series with an ungodly amount of world-building.

[@AnyMEmdq]

It's isekai Merphy, let's face it

[@a5hen]

One of the most underrated fantasy series is Re Zero, which has the one of the best main characters of all time. His character is one of the most realistic ones I have ever seen.

[@MariaMightReadThat]

Gentleman Bastards, Ember Blade, and First Law are all at the very top of my priorities for the rest of the year! Hoping I love them as much as you do.

[@nimthiriel9]

Great video, Merph! Thanks for the update! And as for Sanderson, just put the whole Cosmere there as a "series". You make the video, you make the rules. 😉

[@firstmateecho1318]

I had to do a double take when you said one piece. Didn’t except it to be here, love it

[@onel0uder114]

Just want to mention that Togashi also wrote another manga called Yu Yu Hakusho. You would probably like that one a lot as well.

[@roguetaco5487]

I am definitely adding Mistborn to my "want to read" list. Ugh... toooo many lol I would be curious if you had a short list for one-off books...because sometimes a girl just needs a break from series.

[@iambobwhoru]

Honestly, all of the books in the Cosmere from Brandon Sandersons are GREAT reads.

[@Ink129]

Keeping it Brandon Sanderson-related I can recommend Warbreaker. Probably my favorite Brandon Sanderson book. Sanderson has revealed that he wants to write a sequel to it, but as of right now it is a one-off. Could be a good introduction to Brandon Sanderson, if you are unfamiliar with him, although I actually normally recommend Mistborn for that. But since we are talking one-offs I can definitely recommend Warbreaker here.

[@johnsparegrave5996]

Nice list Merphy, quite ecclectic

[@ashleyholbird4287]

I'm on book 6 of Wheel of time...and...man. I can't believe I waited so long to read this series.

[@Micahlee_19]

I've always loved fantasy, but mostly read YA until the past couple of years so this has been the year of diving into the adult fantasy world and I am so hooked! This year I've read The Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne, The Age of Madness by Joe Abercrombie, and I'm about to start my first Brent Weeks book with the Night Angel trilogy. I also read the Greenbone Saga this year and wow it was fantastic.

[@esteban280889]

Yay glad to see malazan on this list. Myself I've recently started mistborn and discworld (yes reading 2 at once. Discworld as my first ebook for commuting to work and don't have space for 40 book series and mistborn just for reading at home)

[@ThePhantomphan11]

No worries about the doubling up for Sanderson. I was worried you wouldn't have him in the top 5 which would be a travesty lol

[@domruns9472]

1.) The Ellwood Chronicles Series -michelle notaro 2.) A Throne of Glass series - Sarah J maas 3.) Onyx and Ivory series - Mindee Arnett 4.) The Inheritance Cycle Series - Christopher Paolini 5.) Sea of Trolls trilogy- Nancy Farmer 6.) Brotherhood of Ormarr -5 different authors co wrote it. 7.) The firewall series -James Maxwell 8.) Need to read another series 9.) Need to read another series 10.) Need to read another series I haven't read the entire series of any of the books on her list. Might have to take a look. Thinking about starting Septimus Heap by Angie Sage

[@floydwilliams497]

Great list, "The First Law Trilogy" actually just made it to my list, and I'm only on book 2 lol, but "The Burnt Empire Saga" would have to be the #1 series for me, and the rest in no particular order, "Six of Crows Duology", "The Locked Tomb Series", "The Poppy War series", "The King Killer Chronicles", "Legendborn", and "The Sword of Kaigen".

[@teksnotdead902]

The First Law world is so entertaining. Abercrombies is so strong at writing characters and getting you to know them intimately. He writes combat as well as any Ive ever read also. I can't recommend it enough. Im almost finished with the Wisdom of Crowds and its bittersweet because I don't have another book to follow it up.

[@Riezanesz]

I always love to see you gush over One Piece.. I wish I have a friend that I can talk to about it too.. 😣

[@Joenah5]

I count the Cosmere as a whole as one series, especially with how much I love the connections.

[@OnefortheBooks]

Ooh I added the Bone Shard Daughter to my TBR. Thanks for the recs!

[@TheHomieInder]

I love the Avatar description made me laugh. It’s truly an amazing “book” lol but it’s really is good. One thing that I did enjoy was that it had a good meaning and other really heavy topics in it. Just really did interwind real issues with a light hearted approach.

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

I've recently finished the Destroyermen series by Taylor Anderson, which is more science fiction than fantasy but hey I'm a pirate. If you're into alternate Earth's and war stories I highly recommend it. One of my favorite mythical series is Robert Aspirin's Myth series. A young man tries to steal something from Aahz the Wizard, no relation, and gets into all manner of adventure as he and Aahz go dimension hopping. And finally one of the greatest of all time is Anne Macaffrey's the Dragon riders of Pern.

[@C.Radulescu]

Mistborn is amazing. I need to read it again soon.

[@evrosidwa2801]

Do a favorite standalone fantasy videos. I just finished malazan series and is looking for standalone books to read now. Edit : Malazan is brilliant btw

[@sernoddicusthegallant6986]

You could try Tigana, although it is a long one and you may be wanting something more short and simple after the Malazan Bookshelf of the Fallen.

[@evrosidwa2801]

@@sernoddicusthegallant6986 lol. Thank you. As long as it's a standalone I am fine with it.

[@joshuasmith8695]

Almost anything by David Gemmel would work as a quick and interesting read (though Tigana is also awesome, definitely check it out); I'd go with Legend and Morningstar as good intros to his books. (He's also probably the first author to write grimdark, albeit a very "light", prototypical version of grimdark)

[@ToniOkami18]

HxH and One Piece are honestly probably the two greatest mangas ever created. This was a great list and I definitely am interested in reading Stormborn/Mistborn. Have you by chance read the Southern Reach trilogy? Very curious what you think

[@redemption7704]

They are far from it, Berserk, vagabond and monster exists

[@edwinvillalobos7159]

@@redemption7704 one piece is factually the greatest manga ever created the sales and world records the series holds proves that now I’m not saying the mangas you mentioned aren’t masterpieces in their own right but they’ve never hit the heights that one piece has or even hunter hunter cuz they both suffer from similar problems but still hold highly dedicated fan bases hunter being on a long hiatus and one piece being generally really long and fucked with the pacing but I will give berserk the cake for illustrations

[@edwinvillalobos7159]

Also the mist born series is amazing I loved the first 3 books the time skip didn’t jive with me but if u like western type books it’s really good

[@superkamiguru2576]

@@edwinvillalobos7159 you are conflating popularity with quality. I love One Piece, but don’t use that as a reason why it’s “the best”. By that same logic, every comic related to Superman is better than One Piece since it has sold more comics than One piece has

[@redemption7704]

@@edwinvillalobos7159 popularity and sales doesn’t matter, one piece wouldn’t be even in top 30 mangá in terms of writing and overall quality, it’s good but not that good

[@swolechihuahua4905]

Question, is the pile of blurry mangas on the left all one piece ?

[@jonathancooper4914]

Right near the end of Dune. One of my faves. Mind-blowing.

[@ArunIyerS]

Came for books and then the list had Avatar, and I was like what?!! Never change Merphy, always be a Pirate! :-)

[@annukkamakelainen1158]

I am going to read Way Of Kings this summer! A bit scared though :D

[@noname3609]

You will love it.Slow start but it gets better. 😄

[@aaronhaze7033]

Although I'm partial to the science fiction genre, fantasy personifies world building and grand story telling, two aspects of writing I am always entranced by. The series on this list that transmogrified its medium whilst being entertaining to young audiences was unequivocally Avatar. But what curated its own growth was the show's tonal balance. Since the theme of balance was so ingrained in the series' modus operandi, it came to fruition in the context of rhythmic narrativization. If Sokka was upbeat and emotionally dysfunctional, he still was a leader, capitulating to his father's desires for him. The Lord of the Rings is one of the most accurate novelistic portrayals of war. The characters are not just impacted by what happens. The substantive story devolves into a character-demolition and, consequently, a functional character-building exercise. And what coherently comes together is an amalgamation of distinctive imagination found in one of the most important trilogies in the fantasy genre.

[@joshuasmith8695]

On the basis of what you have just written, I can quite strongly recommend you read The Malazan Book Of The Fallen...

[@aaronhaze7033]

@@joshuasmith8695 Will do. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@Stewsimpson]

Have you read the Earthsea books? If so, what did you think of them? Under-rated fantasy series in my opinion.

[@azurastar3223]

My favorite ongoing fantasy series is the Green Rider series. It follows Karigan G'ladeon on her journey from runaway school girl to Green Rider and beyond. I believe both myself and Karigan have lost track of all her titles at this point. The series starts as Karigan runs away from school after having an altercation with the son of a prominent lord. In the woods she stumbles upon a dying Green Rider, pretty much royal messengers with magic powers, who begs her to take his horse, his brooch and deliver his urgent message to the king. Meanwhile a being similar to an elf, but not an elf, cracks a wall that locks away a dark entity that could destroy the world. It was this being that killed the Rider and prevents his ghost from moving on. As the series progresses you learn about the motives behind the elvish being that broke the wall, and because it's broken magic is returning to the land. There are many strong female and male characters. And if you enjoy Avatar then the best way I can describe Karigan is Boomy from Legend of Kora. By the latest book in the series she's been through so much that pretty much everyone just accepts her wild stories and her part in them.

[@bilbobaggins33]

I love how diverse your favorite series’ are. If you want any more anime series to watch. My biggest recommendations are FLCL, Samurai Champloo, and Baccano! FLCL is one of the biggest inspirations in the making of Avatar the Last Airbender. It’s just 6 episodes but it is wacky and absurd and hilarious and heartfelt and all the emotions packed in to 2 hours with the best soundtrack of any show ever. Samurai Champloo is created by the same person who made Cowboy Bebop. Not much else needs to be said lol. Bebop combined Space and Western Genres, Samurai Champloo combines Edo Period Japan with Hip Hop. It’s fantastic lol. Baccano! is a crime thriller fantasy series primarily following different criminal gang families of New York. Just 16 episodes, it features an ensemble cast and intricate complex narrative told in a Tarantino-esque jumbled story structure.

[@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723]

I haven't gotten into FLCL and Baccano! YET but omg, *Samurai Champloo is ART at its maximum expression!!!💯🙌🏻❤️*

[@kahliskawaiicorner]

I LOVED the the TV show for avatar the last Airbender! I didn't realize it was a book series!! Thank you for letting me know lol. Also the Bone Shard Daughter Series sounds so good! I'll have to check it out :) I'm so glad I found your channel😀😀

[@boomerNRG]

Got some good advice here. From your selections I feel like we are on the same wavelength. Definitely going to pull the trigger on Ember Blade it's been in my wishlist for a while now. THANK YOU

[@kylesimpson2657]

Just want to say, I found your channel through the One Piece and Hunter x Hunter content but am more and more getting invested in the fantasy. I haven't had time to really read in so long (grad school *shake fist*) but I'm now going back to bookstores and looking into some of these series you discuss. Thank you!

[@ElymasMagus0]

I see hunter x hunter, i give a thumbs up 1ish BERSERK was there too But its personal list Kust glad you liked HXH9👍👍

[@kamarassakka9922]

My top 10 as a new fantasy reader are 1. One Piece 2. Cosmere 3. Kingdom 4. Berserk 5. Gentleman Bastards 6. Wheel of Time 7. First Law 8. Mushoku Tensei 9. HunterXHunter 10. Avatar

[@huntrjumpr]

You’re a new fantasy reader and have already read all those?! Wow!

[@christopherbacon1077]

Reccomend a couple series you have the first books of, TheRing of Fire (First book:1632, author Eric Flint) and the Emberverse (First book: Dies the Fire, author S. M. Stirling)

[@carolinehoel1997]

Hi Murphy!!!🥰🥰🥰 I do not know if you will see this, but if you do could you PLEASE give me some recommendations on some dark Mermaid stories..?😘😘😘 I read an duology(which where retellings Of Hans Christian Anderson The Little Mermaid) this summer That I LOVED and I would really like to read some more darker Mermaid books❤️❤️❤️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️

[@peterrobertson5559]

Thank you so much for your informative discussions on fantasy novels. I feel attracted to reading the Ember Blade.