Top 10 Fantasy Books of All Time (2023 update)

[@CapturedInWords]

Use my code CAPTUREDINWORDS to get $5 off your delicious, high protein Magic Spoon cereal by clicking this link: sponsr.is/magicspoon_capturedinwords What are some of your favorite fantasy books? 0:00 - Intro 1:34 - Magic Spoon 3:21 - Honorable Mentions 8:00 - Piranesi: geni.us/-Piranesi 9:15 - Murderbot: geni.us/MurderBot 10:15 - Book of the New Sun: geni.us/BookoftheNewSun 11:25 - Tigana: geni.us/Tigana 13:16 - Elric Saga: geni.us/ElricSagaBook1 14:58 - Earthsea: geni.us/EarthseaComplete 17:06 - Discworld: geni.us/GuardsGuards-Discworld 18:39 - First Law: geni.us/FirstLaw 21:43 - Stormlight Archive: geni.us/WayofKings 24:29 - Wheel of Time: geni.us/EyeoftheWorld

[@setas7818]

Berserk.

[@elsonvictarion7101]

Also, plugging "The Deed of Paksenarrion", would love to hear your thoughts on the series at some point.

[@OldNarnians]

So more of a modern fantasy top ten lol. (Sorry I would've just commented instead of replying but it wasn't working for some reason.

[@noname3609]

1.Stormlight Archive 2.Wheel of Time 3.First Law 4.A Song Of Ice and Fire 5.Mistborn 6.Lord of the Rings

[@ministryoftruth8499]

My standalone fantasy recommendations excluding GGK and Joe Abercrombie: #1 K. J. Parker - The Folding Knife (Reads just like historical fiction. The author, real name Tom Holt, masters the craft of writing and many other subjects besides: psychology, history, economics, politics, etc and it shows throughout the book!) #2 Lois McMaster Bujold - The Curse of Chalion (First of a series, but each book is its own self-contained story. Bujold is very prolific and her books are mostly average. Not this one though. This one is very well written. It's top tier stuff) #3 Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts - Daughter of the Empire (Tolkien meets Empire of the Petal Throne. First of a series. Can be read like a standalone. I don't recommend the other books from this series as they felt repetitive and lacked the magic of the first book) #4 Sergey & Marina Dyachenko - The Scar (Short book. Incredibly magical and sad. The story is stranger than fiction which gives it an intangible quality of realness) #5 Sean Russell - The Initiate Brother duology (This one is a cheat. It's a 2 books series, but it's not a long read and it's so good! Russell writes the closest to GGK in my opinion. Must be the weather in Canada or something) EDIT: #6 Roger Zelazny - Lord of Light (Another cheat because this is really a sci-fantasy book. It's also the shortest book on my list. Highly recommended).

[@nitzeart]

"I'm not cool. I'm a fantasy nerd". Same. But that's what makes all of us cool! 🖤

[@DrippyVidz]

You gotta piggyback by wearing crocs as well

[@hectorgerardocorral3282]

100 with you!

[@denisamuntianu8986]

You couldn't have said it better:))))

[@KO-lq1yo]

And we won’t see Vulva

[@IamPapaShaw]

Getting your nerd on is much more socially acceptable than when I was a lad.

[@Dobr3967]

Kudos for publishing a “real” ranking, and not one lifted from another KZbin channel! I was impressed that you mentioned the Pern books, not many today are familiar with them.

[@jacquescote3903]

gotta say I am extremely impressed by your editing. Dying to know how you did those little book showcase transitions

[@Sheija]

The Belgariad was one of the series that made me fall in love with epic fantasy, such a classic! The characters are iconic, the banter legendary.

[@kjuju]

Just don't look up the author. It ruined them for me.

[@warbrothers7745]

@@kjujuI know nothing about the author of this series. That comment has piqued my interest , what !!!

[@Sheija]

@@kjuju Wow thanks man, I really didn’t need to see that, obviously commenting that is going to make everyone look it up. 🤦🏿‍♂️ Anyway, death of the author (literally in this case).

[@kerrybaxter5405]

David eddings. Still my most fav of all time.

[@robertwhitworth8352]

Pretty much everything he wrote is classic 'trope' fantasy gold. The following series, The Mallorean, is just as satisfying.

[@mechanarwhal7830]

YES TIGANA!! I don't understand why Kay isn't more loved by the fantasy community. One of the greatest authors of all time.

[@CapturedInWords]

I really can't wait to read more by Kay!

[@maxwentzel9563]

I was so emotionally impacted by Tigana and have read it a few times now. One of my favorite books of all time period

[@Decrepit_Productions]

Agreed. Except Tigana, good as it is, isn't my favorite GGK novel. That honor, as of now, goes to The Lions of Al Rassan. Next time I reread my Kay collection, it might well be another title. He certainly deserves far more exposure within BookTube.

[@MFDOOOOM]

His prose can get too flowery. It feels pretentious and overdone sometimes but can easily switch to perfection.

[@dmckenna]

The sad and simple answer is that modern audiences have been trained to prefer vanilla-ass, basic bitch prose.

[@Imperial_Ossas]

I'm glad to see Guy Gavriel Kay here. Altough I haven't read Tigana yet, The Sarantine Mosaic, The Lions of Al-Rassan and The Song for Arbonne are exceptionally good books. He is without doubt, my favorite fantasy author, a true storyteller.

[@vanessab8929]

I love love love Robin Hobb's writing. Just finished the Liveship Trader series which I actually ended up enjoying more than the Farseer trilogy, to my surprise. I'm now compelled to finish the rest of the Realm of the Elderlings. Next on my list: Wheel of Time!

[@_Conzo_]

I could never get into Wheel of Time, hope you fare better!

[@erikaeriksson9840]

The Rain Wild Chronicles are even better than the Live Ship Traders I think. Just brilliant! ❤

[@sanso.1]

wheel of time is truly one of the goats, reading book13 rn and u got alot in store for you

[@mattbarnett6156]

Yeah, Wheel of Time nearly killed me.. Persisted like a stubborn mule through about 10 of them, then thew in the towel... Kept waiting for the hype to start, or to "Get it" or something..

[@bens9422]

Yeah mate i read four of them so painful@@_Conzo_

[@shelleoshelle7252]

Thank you for honoring the Dragon Riders of Pern. My absolutely straight up favorites of all time. You are right, no one is talking about McCaffrey’s work these days.

[@toniwhiteman5791]

She's a favourite of mine, it's a real shame she's not that well known anymore

[@deetee8100]

No other dragon books stand up to her series in my opinion.

[@shelleoshelle7252]

@@deetee8100 agreed!

[@andytigaraki2663]

All her books a really worth reading

[@LouisRMichael]

The best top 10 fantasy books video I've ever seen, and your editing is on an incredible professional level, amazing summary and analysis as well. Thanks for such great work man :)

[@berserker8884]

What a great list! And HUGE props for recommening Earthsea. Man so many people write it off, because it is "YA". It is YA only in how it is forcefully put into a box with expectations of what this work is, because of the intended target audience. And yeah, I think that most fantasy fans would really really enjoy Earthsea and find somehting valuable within those pages! Le Guin really breaks the barriers of age here.

[@teleriferchnyfain]

Anything written by Le Guin is masterful & worth reading.

[@monkey39128]

Can't stand people who look down their noses at YA fiction. Sure some of it's naff but there's plenty of absolute gems. I'm pretty sure Paolini's "Inheritance Cycle" is classed as YA and that's one of my absolute favourites. Mind you i first read those books when I was 11 so nostalgia plays a part.

[@EE-bg1de]

Here are my top 10 fantasy series of all time. 1. Lorein Legacies - Pitticus Lore 2. Skyward - Brandon Sanderson 3. Nyxia Triad - Scott Reintgen 4. Expeditionary Force - Craig Alanson 5. Michael Vey Series - Richard Paul Evans 6. Reckoners/Texas Reconers - Brandon Sanderson 7. Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer 8. Red Rising - Pierce Brown 9. The Lost Starship - Vaughn Heppner 10. Renegades - Marissa Meyer

[@CapturedInWords]

Really great list!! Some on here that I need to get to. I just read the Red Rising books and loved them!

[@ministryoftruth8499]

My Top 10 (only finished series): #1 Joe Abercrombie - The First Law #2 J. R. R. Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings #3 Ed McDonald - The Raven's Mark #4 Tad Williams - Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn #5 Paul Kearney - The Monarchies of God #6 Brian Staveley - Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne #7 Ursula K. Le Guin - The Books of Earthsea #8 Mervyn Peake - Gormenghast (only the first 2 books; the 3rd book is a sub par standalone) #9 Daniel Abraham - The Long Price #10 Mark Lawrence - Red Queen's War Unfinished series that may EASILY make it to the Top 10 once finished: J. V. Jones - The Sword of Shadows (my all time favorite series) Scott Lynch - The Gentleman Bastard George R. R. Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire Patrick Rothfuss - The Kingkiller Chronicle Sorry, no Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive) here, even though he's a great author. He kills the magic by over-explaining it. This of course is a matter of personal preference but it is my list, my preference.

[@codeypark2106]

Have you tried mistborn by Brandon Sanderson?

[@ministryoftruth8499]

@@codeypark2106 Yes. 1. It's not my cup of tea. 2. It's not better than the Stormlight Archive, although finished.

[@CanaMediaTV]

I see the Red Queen's War but what did you think about The Broken Empire

[@ministryoftruth8499]

@@CanaMediaTV I quite liked it. Especially, book 2. Obviously, I read it before the Red Queen's War. It's understandably a less polished work being ML's debut trilogy and of course Jalan is not as unpalatable as Jorg. Those being the main reasons I think the Red Queen's War is the better trilogy.

[@CanaMediaTV]

@ministryoftruth8499 completely agree. Honestly, it was the world building that really drew me into the story.

[@gillyUK]

"The Dragonlance Chronicles" by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman" was my intro to the genre when I was about 17 or 18 (61 now). I still go back to the series now and again to revisit old friends. Like many, all-time favs are the whole "Belgariad" series and the whole Sparhawk "Diamond Throne" series by Eddings and Jordan's "Wheel Of Time."

[@NorsePagan1973]

I love that series as well, is the wheel of time as good as dragonlance?

[@GabrielCampbell-se9rb]

you gotta read lord of the rings

[@NorsePagan1973]

@@GabrielCampbell-se9rb I've seen the movie series several times. My all time favorites.

[@Yaxoi]

The Gentleman Bastards books will always deserve a place in my personal top 10

[@CapturedInWords]

Good choice!!

[@chitharanjansarvesan5714]

Number 10: piranisi by susana clarke Number 9: murderbot diaries by martha wells Number 8 : book of the new sun by gene wolf Number 7 : tigana by guy gabiral (standalone novel) Number 6 : elric saga by micheal moorcock [inspired multiple new age fantasy fiction] Number 5 : the earthsea cycle by urusula k.le gun Number 4 : Discworld by terry pratchet Number 3 : the first law trilogy by abercrombie Number 2 : the stormlight archive by brandon sanderson Number 1 : the wheel of time by robert jordan (and later finished by brandon sanderson)

[@jordanvineyard3531]

Just bought "Elric of Melnibone Vol.1" on your recommendation. First impressions are very good, excited to see it through. Thank you!

[@miguelgrau864]

The first law, audio series is a master performance for a masterpiece. I have returned to this gem in my collection multiple times on a yearly basis and always enjoy the full listen through each and every time. 💯

[@felipem.a.vilaontanilla5493]

Where is it available?

[@viktorhorvath6879]

When you read the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn Trilogy and realize, that it is the biggest inspiration behind The Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones). It´s quite shocking actually

[@silverbackag9790]

Yep, it’s pretty much the same story GRRM straight up ripped it and added a bit more dark grim and politics.

[@jaybond9864]

Memory, sorrow and Thorn is my favourite book series of all time. Might just be, because it's the first fantasy book I ever read but it always just feels like home to me.

[@sadiqraza4592]

It truly is a brilliant series, although the ending was a bit rushed. We could not see the proper devastation by the stormking.

[@HeavyTopspin]

So the one thing a lot of people miss about Moorcock is that he's not really writing in the same genre as the rest of these. While the vast majority of today's top fantasy (and this list) are epic fantasy, a genre that was born with LotR, Elric (and Moorcock's other books) fall into "Sword and Sorcery", being the pinnacle of what was previously mastered by Robert E Howard's Conan and Fritz Lieber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. In S&S, there is no focus on prose, no twenty different points of view, and much less in terms of character arcs, and the worldbuilding is generally left considerably more vague. All in all, it tends to be fast-paced, action-heavy, and relatively short - more of a "I'm going to sit down and read an entire book in one sitting" genre. And this WAS the genre of fantasy until the various Tolkien-inspired authors like Brooks and Eddings started placing focus on the Epic Fantasy genre in the late 70s and early 80s.

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Thank you for pointing that out. It’s in a similar vein to the old, ‘hard boiled’ detective stories of Jim Thompson, Dashiell Hammet or Raymond Chandler. The prose usually takes a backseat to the story (though I will say that Leiber’s Fafhrd & Gray Mouser stories are wonderfully written) & tends to feature similar ‘men’s men’ characters. Many of these characters were developed and/or written in the 30’s, 40’s & 50’s, so the language may seem a bit archaic to some readers, but if you can get past that kind of stuff, the stories & characters are very fun. Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser are some of my favorite characters of all time & I’m a big fan of the Elric novels as well.

[@TM-cc3qd]

One set of books I personally really enjoy that I’ve never heard you mention before is the Landover series by Terry Brooks. Part of it is probably nostalgia, but you have a lawyer buying a magic kingdom and subsequently becoming King, and having to deal with all the happenings afterwords. Really fun, enjoyable reading!

[@deetee8100]

His Sword of Shannara was my go-to book as I was growing up. I read several in the series, but that first one is my favorite.

[@michellek8786]

An incompetent wizard and a dog advisor help set it apart from the Shannara books as well. This past week I started to read it again, after not even thinking about the series for 20 years it has been a pleasant walk down memory lane.

[@tyrannicaltypomichaeltester]

I would also add Jacqueline Careys - Kushiels Dart Trilogy. One of the most unique Trilogies I've ever read. Well written, great characters, never forget them. And lastly le modesitt The Particularly The Spell Song Cycle. Rich emotional visuals and characters I highly recommend this series.

[@jeneemohler]

If you liked Piranesi, I think you would like The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. She also wore The Night Circus. Amazing standalone books residing on my favorites shelf. But The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin will probably be my all time favorite series.

[@myrtosmyriliou7513]

Erin Morgenstern is what I would recommend as well!

[@Beepbeep_its_treasure]

She is a phenom. Such rich imagery

[@meow2646]

i love Piranesi, ill check it out!

[@jagodaperich-anderson5058]

I echo the shout out for The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. She breaks the mold with this engrossing and powerful series.

[@tjcihlar1]

I liked Morgensterns two books, but for me the books opened extremely strong and captivating, but the last part of her books just couldn't live up to what was set up in the first part. Usually it is the other way around where a book starts slow but the mid to ending is the best part. The world creation in her books amazed me.

[@elliotthales66]

Regarding the First Law and the character building you describe. I’m amazed that a cooking pot could be one of my favorite “characters” in that first book. The emotion you feel for a pot when the story drives on is still surprising.

[@MikeMcBride1007]

I just finished the Dresden Files… I’m so excited for you. The places it goes are phenomenal, you’re going to love it!

[@d15p4tch6]

For those who are wondering, Magic Spoon is basically solidified protein powder, so it's expensive but it's got lots of protein and is very fortified.

[@kemsari9969]

I am a bookseller and my main field always were fantasy books. Because i took a break from working in retail, i actually stopped reading novels for a long time. I mostly read non-fictional books or fanfiction. But i wanted to make a few changes in my life and one of them is reading more "real" books again. And your video gave me good tips where to start. Of course i read Earthsea and Wheel of Time before, but i bought the first book of Stormlight Archive, Mistborn, Belgariad and The First Blade because of this video. Thanks for the amazing work.

[@dinocollins720]

Your videos are so fun to watch!!! I absoltly love your editing! You do so much work and I love all the art so much! Great video

[@k.coleman9317]

Woot to you for including Book Of The New Sun, Elric, Earthsea, and Discworld...so many younger readers have missed out on these...you might consider recommending the Thomas Covenant novels for their incredible depth and character building...another that is often sadly forgotten is Gormenghast...the ultimate gothic fantasy...where style trumps plot to become its own character...

[@erikaeriksson9840]

Oh, yes Gormenghast! It doesn't even matter that it never got finished, it's a really good series! ❤

[@Shinintendo]

One book that I grew up on and wasn't mentioned is Legend by David Gemmell, the first time I read it I was blown away.

[@OmnivorousReader]

Very exciting to see a list with Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay AND Anne McCaffery! And Sir Terry Pratchett! And Elric and Le Guin... It is great to see some of the classics still being discovered and enjoyed!!

[@teleriferchnyfain]

Pratchett & Tolkien have migrated to mainstream literature at this point - as well as Le Guin. Not sure if Kay or Moorcock will.

[@matthewwoolley4131]

I'm in a similar boat where Kingkiller Chronicles is kind of on a probationary period. It 'could' be a top 10, maybe even a top 3 for me, but it all kinda depends on how things pan out going forward.

[@CapturedInWords]

Exactly! While I loved the first 2 books, it seems like a possibility we may never get that 3rd book, and a series that's never finished would definitely keep it from being in my top 10. Hopefully Rothfuss will surprise us one day, but I try to not get my hopes too high

[@kenstephens2955]

@@CapturedInWordsthis is a top 10 book list, not a series list. I’ve been reading fantasy exclusively for 40 years and each of these books is in my all-time top 10. Frankly I’ve given up on book 3 of the series as I believe Rothfuss has written himself into a corner he can’t get out of. With love, Ken

[@bmoneybby]

Such good books. Such a shame. ​@@kenstephens2955

[@taylorperkins581]

The storm light archives are my favorite books of all time. I really love them. My fav is oathbringer and I feel like Brandon Sanderson is peak writing! I love how he took over Wheel of time and I think he did so well with them!!! If they don’t ruin it. I think HBO or Amazon should make a stormlight archive series!! It’d be so amazing and I can honestly say it’s my fav series of all time. The characters, the story, the drive!! The covers are a plus as well!! As always tho Second is Game of thrones.

[@Jaasau]

I think it would be best as an animated movie series. Give it to a top notch group of anime artists and writers, not the absolute buffoons working at Amazon.

[@pinkin7five720]

After I finish the series iam on , mistborn is next (I have the first book already , I keep hearing about it so , it's time lol

[@penny4bama1]

Anxiously waiting for the next book in the series. And Mistborn series is fantastic.

[@tjcihlar1]

Loved the video, some great book ideas that I will look into. I also appreciate that you pose the recommendations as your opinion. We all experience books differently. I saw this video where someone was discussing a book (Three Body Problem) and their opinions on it as if they were smarter than everyone else and had the true ability to judge books -- basically taking a dump on the book and their followers who recommended the book to them.

[@PatrickRyanBookReviews]

My Top 10 Series: Stormlight Archive - Sanderson The Bound and the Broken - Ryan Cahill Dresden Files - Jim Butcher Alex Verus - Benedict Jacka Super Powereds - Drew Hayes The Greatcoats - Sebastien De Castell Mistborn Era 1 - Sanderson Riyria Revelations - Michael J. Sullivan Warlord Chronicles - Bernard Cornwell Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb

[@CapturedInWords]

Really great list Patrick! I almost added Riyria as the #10 spot to my list, I should have at least given it an honorable mention, whoops! A few series in your list I haven't heard of, so will definitely need to look into those! I know we have similar reading taste, so I know I'll likely enjoy them :)

[@PatrickRyanBookReviews]

@@CapturedInWords I just posted a WYSR video for the Bound and the Broken if that's one of the series you hadn't heard of. Personally, I think it's the best video I've ever made.

[@Severian1]

I am so glad New Sun got a shout out. It is my favorite book of all time. Some amazing prose, really strange worldbuilding, densely layered storytelling, and the best use of an unreliable narrator ever. I am not even sure Severian is unreliable especially as his character "develops"(keeping it vague). I hope more people give it a try.

[@undbiter65]

What series is this? Is it book of the new sun?

[@Severian1]

@@undbiter65 Yes.

[@robinshattock8178]

For me Tolkien and Gene Wolfe are head and shoulders above all other fantasy. Tolkien for the pure depth of his world building and Wolfe for the sheer imagination and deviousness of his plotting.

[@Llanchlo]

He is and he isn't. I don't think he ever lies or misleads but he does conceal his knowledge and deductions. The best example (no spoilers) is that quite early in the narrative we meet two important characters. They turn out to be the same person. Sevrian knew that of course but didn't reveal his knowledge - which affects his actions. But if you re-read he clearly decribes both in similar enough ways which, perhaps for Sherlock Holmes, could have been enough to allow the reader to make the connection. He assumes, I guess, that the reader also has perfect memory so he has no need to spell out the "obvious". I'm with you. Wolfe is my favorite author, not just the New/Long sun cycle but most of his other works.

[@AAMolder]

Love Drizit! Most underrated series IMO never talked about but some how every book holds my interest (I think I’m 9 books in? And still love it!)

[@mab9987]

Thank you so much for your suggestions. I'm an avid reader and have a hard time to find something to my likings, so I re-read my books several times, but after the fifth time I crave for something new. Here are some of my favourite books: 'The Black Magician' Trilogy by Trudi Canavan, 'The Saga of the Elven' by Bernhard Hennen and James A. Sullivan. I read all of these authors books, which made me addicted to fantasy. Recently I totally got hooked to "The Legends of the First Empire' and 'Riyria' series by Michael J. Sullivan.

[@jhreed55]

Hi. Before continuing I want to say that I really like your channel. Please don't take what I say here as criticism. My intention is only to inform, not to upset. I hope this post lets people know about some fantastic books that seem to be overlooked. My first set of books that could/should (?) have made it into the list are the Gormenghast books of Mervyn Peake. Mervyn Peake lived from 9 July 1911 to 17 November 1968. His Gormenghast series comprises three novels: Titus Groan (1946), Gormenghast (1950) and Titus Alone (1959). These are great, moody, Gothic novels about a family that lives in the gigantic Gormenghast castle. Rather than review them myself I will let literary critic Harold Bloom (July 11, 1930 - October 14, 2019), the Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University, and called by Oxford Bibliographies "probably the most famous literary critic in the English-speaking world" speak. Bloom praised the series as the best fantasy novels of the 20th century and one of the greatest sequences in modern world literature. My second recommendation is by Lois McMaster Bujold (born November 2, 1949). She has won 4 Hugo awards and 2 Nebula awards for novels and 2 Hugo awards for best series. One of her 2 Hugo awards for best series, won in 2018, was awarded for the "World of the Five Gods" series. This series consists of four novels and ten novellas, with six of the novellas mentioned in the Hugo award. Personally I have no disagreements with any of your picks but I hope this post provides some recognition for other very good fantasy series.

[@KaydianBladebreaker]

Love the New Sun and the Long Sun series, both are fantastic.

[@reaganabroad4952]

I read 30-50 pages a day. This list reminds me that I’ll never get to everything I want to read. The flip side is I’ll never run out of good books.

[@shanyavirasinghe8591]

Love the Belgariad and enjoyed David Eddings writing in general ❤

[@iagreewithyou3478]

Idk, after I read Discworld, most fantasy books have really felt uninteresting to me, only because they take themselves seriously and I remember how the tropes are satirized and protrayed in Discworld. 😅 Suspension of disbelief becomes much harder at times.

[@RachelHolmes-f9i]

Pern was the series that made me realize I'm a fantasy nerd! Needs more attention 100%

[@Sophie-ci8cw]

'To Ride Hell's Chasm' is a great standalone novel by Janny Wurts.

[@wyatttroychristensen1474]

Absolutely fantastic video. It threw me over the edge to subscribe! I’m in desperate need of knowing where you get your video transitions. Especially the water drop/smoke transitions. Envato Elements?

[@sketchyloop951]

I'm not much 'only western' fantasy reader. So I'll recommend 'Chandrakanta' by Devkinandan Khatri. A hindi standalone novel written in 1880s (I hope some english translations might be available). It's said that when it was published, non-hindi speakers learned hindi just to experience the first hand of this fantasy.

[@jennd2100]

The Library at Mount Char is one of the best fantasy stand alones I have ever read. It is dark, original, and utterly unforgettable! If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend!

[@lisacole6037]

I read it and think it's fantastic.

[@kevinmichael2742]

Rarely mentioned now, Roger Zelazny's work from the 60's & 70's was and still is fantastic. Lord of Light is a classic as is his original Amber series.

[@cxthompson1966]

I named my son Corwin -- everyone loves his name and most ask how I came up with it-

[@Maximus0623]

I like that your list includes a healthy amount of classic fantasy. Most people on youtube don’t include any book series written before the Wheel of Time, except for Lord of the Rings. Another classic series that I love is Shannara. It’s fun, old school fantasy.

[@mtsuga]

As soon as I saw Tigana on the list I knew I was subscribing. Kay doesn't get enough attention. The Sarantine Mosaic is also amazing. I generally read it and Tigana at least every couple of years. I really appreciate how Kay draws inspiration from history and often provides some information on sources he was reading when researching his books. I also appreciate that you highlighted a lot of older stuff. Most of the other things I've seen in BookTube don't seem to be aware anything was written more than 10 years ago.

[@ASparrow13132]

Stand alone: "The Goblin Emperor" by Katherine Addison. It has spinoff books but those spinoffs do not follow the story line or main characters that The Goblin Emperor follows. It is the best fantasy stand alone I have read hands down. Absolutely beautiful, warm, and up lifting while also being so incredibly sad at times. A roller coaster of emotions for sure.

[@beldinastray]

Eyyyy, The Belgariad! One of the first fantasy series I read on my own (had little choice; my middle name is Beldin and my Brother's middle name is Belgarion😅😊)

[@ApacheKai2246]

YES🎉 It Coming! A Eye Of The World, in-depth summary, hallelujah!🎉

[@damonalfero3125]

The dark elf trilogy is my absolute most favorite books of all time. If I was stuck on an island with just one book it would be that one. It had so much in common with my own life and helped me out so much growing up. I love Drizz't and this is just.... the best books of all time for me.

[@CapturedInWords]

Drizzt is awesome! And I can relate for sure, Drizzt helped me with growing up as well. It's amazing how books and these complex characters can help us form our own identity and path in life. I plan on making some more videos about the Drizzt books a little later this year

[@yektaklc4327]

I never liked drizzt a lot but found the concept of drows fascinating. I recommend war of the spider queen. They really outdid what R. A. Salvatore started.

[@zacharymendez948]

The way this guy describes the plot of books and the author skills tells me that he would be an amazing author... Great job!

[@amedale1209]

I love your recommendations, they are so complete and not as biased as some others out there. I will give some of those a good opportunity in my TBR and definitely keep watching the wheel of time. Thanks!

[@wa1st3dy0uth4]

The demon cycle but Peter v brett is really good, great character development an enough suspense to keep you reading for hours

[@BrianSherman-TheTVGod]

Missing from your list that I would add: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series

[@moonypad]

Thank you for this list, I will definitely check a lot of those out. I have only read the first three of the wheel of time and it's really good. The stormlight archive and tales of earthsea are some of my fave series ever! LOTR as well obviously. Not from this list I have to mention the Dark Tower series and a series from Argentina written by Liliana Bodoc called "La saga de los confines" (something like Saga of the Borderlines) that is soo good, specially if you like LOTR. Some good standalones are "The eyes of the Dragon" by Stephen King, "Stardust" and "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman and "The Last Unicorn" by Peter Beagle.

[@michellek8786]

Pawn of Prophecy is a small book compared to most of the books in the genre but it is the beginning of a story that holds a huge place in my heart. Aunt Pol and Durnik, Beldin, Silk and so many more have been my friends since my teen years, which is probably probably 40 years longer than I ever thought I would make it. Thank you for including the series. I like the Recluse books, Wheel of Time they are not but they pull me in. Paksenarrion made me cry, an under-rated benefit of a novel in my opinion. Pratchett is a master of my funny bone. I still remember when Luggage first ate someone, and when Corporal Nobby Nobbs(who carries certified proof the he is a human), "Put the boot in." Wheel of Time is definitely my favorite series though. The which would you marry, kill and well you know, question applied to Rand, Matt and Perrin has shamefully occupied more of my thoughts than would be considered proper. Stand alone books though are a rarity in the genre. Tigana may very well be the best of them, I absolutely love the book. If we want to take some liberties with stand alone I would like to add a book. Monstrous Regiment is a Discworld novel but quite unique in that it is a singular story. Now I know it could be seen as a Sam Vimes book, Angua accompanying him lends weight to that viewpoint, but I don't think anyone would argue for that. It was a Polly Perks, aka Private Parts, book period, and Vimes was more of a side character. League of Temperance vampires and the Clacks are definitely discworld but if you took away Vimes, vampires with the Cullen's dietary restrictions and called the clacks some other telegraph system it could easily be a stand alone book.

[@michaelnolan1563]

Great visuals in this list! Love the imagery when talking about Stormlight!

[@CapturedInWords]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@JLchevz]

Looking forward to your in depth Wheel of Time videos, as well as your ASOIAF and Malazan reviews/opinions.

[@fantasyfanatic6038]

Very excited for the Wheel of Time in-depth summaries! Amazing video as always, Jay!

[@ronaldwatson3862]

For an amazing standalone, my best book read so far this year has been The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang. Highly recommend if you haven't read it already.

[@bryson2662]

My list 1. Malazan 2. Book of the Fallen 3. Lord of the Rings 4. Discworld 5. The Lions of Al Rassan 6. Lord of Light 7. Piranesi 8. Liveship Traders 9. The Spear Cuts Through Water 10. Terra Ignota Only the first 4 are ranked. The others are in no order

[@JimWilbourne]

I can't wait for your WOT in-depth summaries! I'm doing a re-read, and even thought I read through the series once (over a very long period of time), I find myself needing refreshers because of everything that happens and all the little details when I jump back into the world.

[@SlowBurnReader]

Strange the Dreamer one of the greatest duologies of all time, is my top recommendation of the year

[@crawfordbrown5101]

I listened to the first book and thought it was just kind of ok.

[@elsonvictarion7101]

I have already read quite a few series you have recommended since I found your channel and I always appreciate your work in spreading the awareness of them. Love the work man!

[@mandyhuybregts3235]

I have that edition of Earthsea!!! It is amazing and looks great on my shelves ❤❤❤

[@fitz6793]

Pacey's audio version of Abercrombie's books is in a league of it's own. Excellent that you mentioned that call out to an already awesome series!

[@CapturedInWords]

Pacey's narration definitely deserves the shout out! Abercrombie is clearly a fantastic writer, but Pacey's performance honestly enhances the whole experience, and is pretty much the definitive way to experience First Law

[@erikaeriksson9840]

Totally agree! One of few audiobooks that actually enhance the experience. ❤

[@lightningtiger7721]

Great list! May go for “best fantasy stories” as a title since you included a couple stand-alone books.

[@penkaur]

I feel like your taste is very similar to mine. Whatever i read i completely agree with, and I'm curious about the ones i didn't know about. This list is invaluable but i also appreciate your explanations!! Huge thanks.

[@forthemusic9875]

I like practically all of the books you suggest. Yet the strange omissions from this and a few other similar sites is the name of Anthony Ryan. I almost envy people who haven't read Ryan's books, because he will introduce you to worlds, characters and story lines that are quite unique. From his first trilogy The Raven Shadow Trilogy where we first meet Vaelin al Sorna, in Blood Song, Tower Lord, and Queen of Fire (later followed by Wolf's Call and the Black Song) to his Draconis Memoria trilogy (The Waking Fire, The Legion of Flame , The Empire of Ashes) and then more recently with a totally new hero/anti hero Alwyn Scribe in the Covenant of Steel series (The Pariah, The Martyr, The Traitor). His books are the works of a magician /storyteller and impossible to put down

[@ElvisAustin15]

Wheel of time is my number one so far I even got a WOT inspired tattoo a couple years ago. Thanks for the recs, looking forward to checking them out!

[@Xuljun]

I didn't realize I was into fantasy until I read (my personal introduction to fantasy) the Drizzt books. This was as an older teen. Been reading fantasy ever since, and I cannot wait to reread them with my children as they get older.

[@teopaf7657]

The illborn saga has become my new favorite series. I've never felt so invested in the characters as with this series. Highly recommend.

[@CapturedInWords]

I keep seeing those books pop up, definitely need to give them a read at some point

[@slundqsale]

Hey! Great video! I was wondering if you have heard of the Wingfeather Saga? I personally really enjoyed the bizarre and really out-there creatures in the book along with the ever present humor throughout the narrative. The story is written by Andrew Peterson.

[@slay.187]

The Second Apocalypse series is criminally underrated. Bakker is a genius.

[@tomperez4097]

yessssss...Scott Bakkers second apocolypse is awesome all seven books

[@Nanito5]

Amazing editing! Enjoyed the video. I have added some new titles to my TBR based on your recommendations.

[@coryrobin5890]

I like that you switch it up with new things I have not heard of. Keep them coming!

[@dmbfreak123]

It was awesome to hear that Drizzt got you back into reading. That’s exactly what happened to me and I never looked back. Also, The Belgariad is amazing.

[@CapturedInWords]

I'm so thankful I found the Drizzt books when I did, I felt like Drizzt was such a big inspiration and relatable character for me growing up and the books are definitely a huge reason why I still continue to read today :)

[@dmbfreak123]

@@CapturedInWords Honestly, same here. One of the best characters in all of fantasy and I’d say as influential as Elric.

[@penkaur]

Same. Drizzt brought me back to reading, a character i later recognized in the Witcher, especially first season on tv

[@mohanamukhopadhyay3895]

Thank you for always including the earthsea series in your list. Its always going to be my favourite, no matter what else I read. ♥

[@ImpRoll92]

So happy to see Dragonriders of Pern mentioned!!

[@erikaeriksson9840]

Since we seem to love the same type of books I go straight to my recommendations: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman A brilliant, wimsical stand-alone fantasy book. The Long Earth -series by Pratchett/Baxter A si-fi/fantasy masterpiece. Love this series! The Dark Tower-series by Stephen King. One of my absolute favourite fantasy series. The first book is nothing like the rest of them but once you get past that one you're in for an epic ride. The Red Dwarf-series by Grant/Naylor. An absurd and comical si-fi series that might be to your liking since you like Pratchett. The Dark Angel -series by Meredith Ann Pierce. A really good YA fantasy trilogy. Since you enjoyed Eddings this might suit you. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. A stand-alone YA fantasy book. Imaginative and a fun read. Loved this one growing up.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Two of our top three are the same! (LOTR and First law - Realm of the Elderlings is my #1 now!). Nice to see some Belgariad love in your honorable mention; sure, it's trope-y as it gets, but is still a series I really love. I also just started my GGK journey with The Lions of al-Rassan - 2/3 of the way in, I'd say that's another great stand alone you might want to check out!

[@RedFuryBooks]

Haha I typed and hit enter before you added Wheel of Time!

[@Marscandy1]

I’m currently reading Book of the New Sun. I love it, dude! Love it!

[@ithrahmunchswallow468]

Fun video. I'm glad it rolled through my timeline since I wasn't on booktube 11 months ago 😝 Love Pern and Discworld. Some other classics that have never been topped are: Pip and Flinx, Apprentice Adept, and The Vorkosigan Saga. The Elder Empire Dresden Sandman Slim Dragonblood Assassin Dragons of Terra Apocalypse Now Now Shattered Soul Perdido Street Station Low Town Raven's Song Stand alones: Between Two Fires The Windup Girl Frankenstein in Baghdad Reincarnation Blues The Library at Mount Char Tigana Sword of Kaigan The Red Unicorn The Necromancer's House Fun to challenge myself 😢

[@paulayers1111]

Moorcock’s books also hugely inspired the lyrics to the space rock band Hawkwind. He was even friends with the band and helped with some of their lyrics. They have some songs about the characters from the books

[@marcbragg8561]

He also worked with 'Blue Oyster Cult'

[@MrTVervolg]

Love the series you have chosen, Abercrombie is amazing! I am starting to fear that the Kingkiller Chronicles will never get finished, just like I fear it will happen to A Song of Ice and Fire.... I can also recommend The Powder Mage trilogy by Brian McClellan (one of my favorites!), the Iron Age trilogy by Angus Watson and The Gentlemen Bastard series by Scott Lynch!

[@ReasonReality345]

Just came across your site. I really appreciate your mention of TIGANA, my all-time favorite stand-alone fantasy. Thank you.

[@knitty781]

Thank you for mentioning the Dragonriders of Pern. It was the second fantasy series and I truly enjoyed it.

[@andreanovosadflores]

Wheel of time is my number one so far ✨ I even got a WOT inspired tattoo a couple years ago. Thanks for the recs, looking forward to checking them out!

[@CapturedInWords]

Awesome!! I've considered getting a WoT tattoo, and still might at some point. Thanks for watching!

[@michellek8786]

I don't have any tattoos but have always thought that I would get a dragonfly tattoo if I did get one. Now I think a WoT tattoo might be my first choice, thanks for the idea. Gamers around the world have known me as Aviendha for as long as I have been gaming online, around 20 years, makes sense to have a WoT tattoo.

[@spookxvi1188]

Great video! I'm surprised you didn't mention the King's Dark Tidings books! I checked out the first book thanks to your recommendation and I had to binge the whole series immediately. I cannot wait for the next book! The world is so mystical and I absolutely love so many of the characters in this series. They're some of the most unique and interesting characters I've read in a while! I also got to recommend the series to my brother who reads way more than me and he's usually already read anything I try to recommend but he had never heard of this series and he ended up absolutely loving it as well, so thank youuu!!! :)

[@MrIvancito12]

That series was very good.

[@briasoloable]

The Mallorean, the next series after the Belgariad, is fantastic too! I read them as the came out back in the day.

[@tonyzane4945]

I'm old and you make me feel good. A young guy reading the books I've read in the 1980's. Salvatore,Butcher,Mccaffrey,Moorcock,Pratchett and Eddings,Tolkien . You should add R E Howard. thanks

[@lindafarnes486]

Elizabeth Boyer books, the Sword and the Satchel etc. Although, the Lord if the Rings is the book that sucked me into the Fantasy genre many years ago at the age of 11 or 12. Most recently I worked my way through Joseph Delaney's Spooks series. I'm glad your channel popped up, so I can look for some new authors.

[@DiegoM163]

I really appreciate all the new mentions, it's great to discover new and interesting books and I'll surely read some of the ones on this list!

[@UFOCrochet]

The Nate Temple series by Shayne Silvers is an Urban Fantasy series that is great for those wanting more series like Harry Dresden. The Secret Histories series by Simon R Green is a mix of James Bond Urban Fantasy and Sci Fi. Repairman Jack by F Paul Wilson is horror/sci fi series of 2 entities trying to claim the Earth and the Hero Jack gets mixed up in it and is unlikely hero to save the world. It's a spin off of the Adversary Cycle. Of course James J Butcher (Jim Butcher's son) new Urban Fantasy series is off to a nice start

[@briggsthemaniac]

We have the same top 3! I seriously couldn't get enough of Abercrombie's writing style!