Top 10 Fantasy Series You Need to Read

[@libraryofaviking]

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[@the_fools_tale]

Thanks for having me on Johan! I guess all the Sanderson talked made me turn radiant at the end there

[@libraryofaviking]

Thanks for joining! I really enjoyed our conversation!

[@libraryofaviking]

Big thanks to Andrew Watson for joining me on the channel! The goal of this video is to introduce you to some series I haven’t read yet and to collaborate with amazing booktubers. Both Andrew and I are on the younger side, so it could be fun to mix things up in the future by collaborating with someone a bit older to see how the results would change 👀

[@DrL_Reads]

Your experience with Mistborn was very similar to mine. I explain my change in how I view fantasy here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJq2dYl7hZaff5Isi=G_lqeZdqJE7JYyRD

[@SamHarrison2099]

If you ever need a small booktuber to balance out all the big ones then I'm available!

[@DrL_Reads]

@@SamHarrison2099 Subbed!

[@jacksonsardello3959]

Glad you're trying out different formats in collaboration with other Booktubers! I'd love to see a video "Top 10 Fantasy Series That I've Finished" I found myself scratching my head at how often I heard the phrase "I've only read x of this series" during this video.

[@libraryofaviking]

Thank you! That a great video idea suggestion.

[@caspianrobins7756]

So far, my top books would probably be: 1: Realm of the Elderlings 2/3/4: Dandelion Dynasty and Dungeon Crawler Carl and A Song of Ice and Fire (can't choose between the three) 5:/6 Wheel of Time and Stormlight Archive (can't choose between the two) 7: Gentleman Bastards 8: Dresden Files (just getting into them, but I can tell they'll be a favorite) 9: Mistborn.

[@DrL_Reads]

I just read Mistborn #1 and it opened my eyes to enjoyable fantasy. I’m a thriller guy but Mistborn was fantastic. Loved it. It, together with Tigana, opened me up to epic fantasy.

[@libraryofaviking]

So glad you loved it! Tigana is on my tbr!

[@jumhed994]

Because it's a heist story set in a fantasy world?

[@DrL_Reads]

@@jumhed994 I didn’t consider either to be heists but to be rebellions against evil rulers.

[@jumhed994]

@@DrL_Reads Sanderson wrote it as a heist story because he loves the 'Oceans 11' movies, but set it in a fantasy world.

[@DrL_Reads]

@@jumhed994 I can see some heist elements and trust your reference. However, it still doesn’t jump out as a heist to me, but it reads more like an underground movement to overthrow the evil powerful ruler.

[@AlohaG488]

Great video both of you. Love the channel and I appreciate that you both boldly like what you like and are not afraid to leave out popular titles. I also appreciate your bringing in another book tuber. I believe bringing in 5-6 and doing an all time list of 10-15 books as well as favorite books of 2024 (not necessarily written in 24 but read). Keep up the great work!

[@libraryofaviking]

Thanks for the nice comment!

[@andrew_8582]

Love how you're always looking to try different things on your channel! To echo someone else's comment, I'd be really interested in seeing this concept with a bigger group of people, similar to the way you have a wide range of voices in your mid-year and end-of-year videos. You'd have to think carefully about how to give people time to share their thoughts, but with a points-based system you could get some really fascinating results!

[@libraryofaviking]

Thanks, Andrew. That is a good suggestion! Will see if I can potentially make that happen. Thanks for watching!

[@flyinggyrados4591]

Would you consider doing this video with us viewers? I've got a few fantasy books that I don't hear talked about much and I hope they get more attention...

[@OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels]

This is a fun video idea, and some great books! I'm with you on DCC, I'm not sure it'll work for me but the excitement people seem to get from it is the main attraction.

[@libraryofaviking]

Thank you! I hope you will love it if you pick it up!

[@iteration110]

Great video! Please do one with Petrik :)

[@libraryofaviking]

Oh Petrik would be fun!

[@gonaye1]

Great seeing Andrew on here! I really enjoy his ‘bouk’ reviews! 😊

[@libraryofaviking]

So happy he was able to join!

[@Lycan3303]

the Bound and the broken is my favorite series i read this year

[@jonathanhighland4507]

Same. The faithful and the fallen is really good too if you haven’t tried it

[@libraryofaviking]

It is so good!

[@mattmorris2572]

My all time top 5: Lord of the Rings First Law Stormlight Archive Faithful and the Fallen Song of Ice and Fire

[@libraryofaviking]

Great list!

[@jonathanhighland4507]

Love the bound and the broken. Between the 4th book almost being done and the 5th book of Stormlight coming out I can’t wait

[@libraryofaviking]

Such good series!

[@Tharia1981]

I think the problem is, if you DO like Fitz, you won't like this series. I read 6 books with Fitz and it made me so mad how everyone just used him. He was practically just a slave. I hate that. I did not read the last 3 books and I don't think I ever will.

[@Chance.Dillon]

Love the list. Ember blade is one I gotta get involved in regardless to the mixed reviews lol

[@libraryofaviking]

Thank you!

[@BookDustMedia]

So many great books to read so little time!

[@NevsBookChannel]

Great idea for a video and with two of my favourite booktubers!

[@Foobymaster1]

Ive already either read or have on my tbr all of these book.

[@libraryofaviking]

Amazing!

[@AFantastical_Journey]

The Ember Blade! YES!!!

[@libraryofaviking]

Really need to read it!!

[@RedFuryBooks]

Your number #1 is correct haha. This was a fun video and series idea - thanks for putting this together!

[@libraryofaviking]

Haha! Thank you!

[@curlsnoutx1]

Great list!

[@Chris-qq2cu]

Reading the silmarillion really opens up the world.

[@libraryofaviking]

I need to give it a second try!

[@LFNZE]

No Malazan, Asoiaf, Harry Potter or Percy Jackson on this list as fantasy series you NEED to read it's actually......... a crime. But is still a good list btw

[@arlissbunny]

I actually prefer Mistborn Era 2 to era 1. I was more drawn in to the individual characters. And, you know, Wayne rules!

[@libraryofaviking]

Interesting! Glad you prefer it!

[@paragon1782]

I tried to read the grace of kings and the prose and dialogue and characters seemed so sub par to me that I was shocked so many people liked it. Im going to give it one last try to get to the 2nd book

[@BuTTerJaFFaS]

I think by the end of the second book i KNEW i loved it. I would be very surprised if you don't love it by that point.

[@Kyudo84]

Hello friends! Are there any historical and/or fantasy novels with a hero or heroine who is an archer? I'm desperately looking but can't find any! Thanks a lot!

[@Bloomgirl_books]

Dungeon Crawler Carl is not your kind of book. 😂 But it’s so, so good!

[@Talking_Story]

This was awesome!

[@libraryofaviking]

Thank you!

[@BookishDaddy]

I’ve been wanting to read dungeon crawler Carl so bad lol

[@thegreatwaugh]

Great video!

[@libraryofaviking]

Thank you!

[@nicholas7156]

I felt ember blade was an amazing classic fantasy. I absolutely hated book 2 “the shadow casket” though. The characterizations completely change and reverse course for the protagonist and another main character. Their actions didn’t make much sense to me following up from where book 1 ended. It turned from classic fantasy tone to some grimdark adjacent story that is not my preference for tone. The protagonist gets emotionally cuckolded and dragged along at the whims of other characters with no agency. It was a very disappointing follow up for me.

[@safinan8008]

Hi 👋 great video!! 🎥🍁

[@libraryofaviking]

Thank you!

[@mahdif969]

I want read more

[@libraryofaviking]

same

[@NOYFB982]

The first books in the Gunslinger and Dandelion Dynasty are just a slogs at best. It’s not possible to get farther into the series, because there are so many other series with much better starts.

[@alexpresser132]

The first half of Grace of kings is rough. But it ends really well.

[@saleen12]

I don't know how people love the first 2 mistborn books so much. It's kinda boring honestly, I'm 300 pages through book 2 and it's alright at best so far. He also says frowned every 50 words on average which is annoying af.

[@jumhed994]

Sanderson has good magic systems and world building, but almost all of his books I've read aren't memorable. I can't remember much about the plots at all.

[@bresdraiocht4635]

ASOIAF

[@AngraFantasy47]

Malazan.

[@xyber7078]

Do you prefer lord of the rings books or the movies....(I think I know the answer)

[@libraryofaviking]

Good question. It has been so long since I read LOTR so probably movies only due to recency bias!

[@nickdisibio9000]

asoiaf not up there is a crime imo

[@libraryofaviking]

I plan on starting ASOIAF soon (hopefully!). It is one of those series I never really got into since it was unfinished but I need to read it!

[@michaelpolgar7420]

Okey don't get me wrong.... but... LOTR is great in terms of world building, what it has done for fantasy as a whole and so on. But... I would never recommend it to someone who is starting to get into fantasy. Many people grew up with it and it live in warmest place of the heart for them. But also for that reason I would never put it on the nr 1 spot. We are all biast in that sense. Its from a different time and gets rated after that. I'm rambling... But I just wanted to get it out of my system. 😅❤

[@BernardoRangel]

Well... I do regret reading all WOT books 😆

[@libraryofaviking]

Oh noo haha

[@tonyjones4610]

I tried the WOT and just couldn’t keep going. Years later I tried again but it just didn’t interest me.

[@jaxpk2669]

no Malazan? this list is a joke ...

[@billedupspleen]

It's their favorites. Johan doesn't like it and Andrew hasn't read it. Chill

[@braydonwirth5487]

Heaven forbid someone has a different opinion😂

[@ReppavBooks-dt2gg]

Yeah, this didn't work at all. There are already ungodly amount of top10 videos and its not really making it any better.

[@michaelholland6533]

I enjoyed it…a lot.

[@deelak2329]

I get it; LOTR is the daddy. It started it all, but can we be honest now and start ranking series that are actually better above it. Its no shame, its called evolution, and it did happen.

[@jumhed994]

Really? I've *still* not read a complete series as good as LoTR. If Rothfuss would/can stick the landing on the Kingkiller trilogy then they'll be up there

[@deelak2329]

@@jumhed994 Na. Modern fantasy is just better.

[@PaulRidgeway-h7l]

@@jumhed994He’s never finishing that series.

[@PaulRidgeway-h7l]

LOTR also has a charm that so many newer books miss. It’s character and plot driven. It has amazing world building . And it actually has a good ending - which so many struggle with. Fire and Ice no end ever. Wheel of time trash ending. Dark Tower worst ending ever written. And how many more have no ending in sight?

[@sashapoint1167]

You really need to get over yourself and enjoy comedic elements in fantasy

[@libraryofaviking]

I have no idea what this even means hahah

[@PaulRidgeway-h7l]

Discworld is the king of slapstick fantasy.