Top 10 Most Recommended Fantasy Books (According to Reddit)

[@michaelbodell7740]

Bujold is really good. Her sci-fi series of the Vorkosigan Saga is really good sci-fi, but her fantasy world of the five gods is also really good. "newer" readers may not know her as much as she was most prolific in the 90s and early 00s but she has 6 Hugo, 3 Locus, and 2 Nebula WINS for her novels and series and many more nominations so she really is worth reading.

[@Paul_Todkill]

I'm curious how the sci-fi holds up. That time period was pretty formative for the genre but there are often some pretty dated elements I've found. Will try and check her out when I get the chance. Given the recs she seems like she had a real impact on people.

[@michaelbodell7740]

@@Paul_Todkill I think it should hold up pretty well because it was more focused on characters and societal aspects of things than technology (where I think technology extrapolation is more likely to age more quickly/poorly). Once you get past the first 3-4 books it becomes almost Star Trek like where most books explores a new planet/culture sort of like the Enterprise visiting new planets (but without a starship, more visiting diplomat/mercenary/special agent).

[@wrighteousj]

Give this man all the subs

[@MaggieMacDonald-w9s]

Excellent. Got some new recommendations!

[@Paul_Todkill]

Ahah thanks 🙏

[@zeroshelfcontrol]

loved this deep dive! i feel like reddit has such a rich book community and it's not everyday that it's being referenced on booktube :)

[@Paul_Todkill]

As a long-term reddit degen... Yeah lol. Maybe for good reason, but I still think it's worth talking about!

[@phoona]

Criminally underrated channel

[@TheARESxGOD]

Nice vid man, found it randomly glad I did, keep up the good work.

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

Because you need to read The Realm of the Elderlings in order.... you don't necessarily need to read all of Sanderson in order unless you just want to (excluding trilogies/5 bk Stormlight)

[@Paul_Todkill]

Sure! Was more, these are all connected books in a wider universe. Elderlings & Cosmere, in one case they were grouped in the other they weren't. I guess you could factor reading order, but was just odd to me they weren't grouped. Not a huge thing, but then not surprising Sanderson was number 1 in terms of author recs, as I am sure there were a smattering of Tress, Warbreaker etc recs also thrown in.

[@mytimetravellingdog]

The series I'm surprised isn't there are the Gentlemen Bastards series. I've seen that recommended a lot on reddit (not sure if it was this subreddit or not). But maybe the 4th book that is never coming and it clearly becoming a series that will never have an end has dissuaded people from recommending it.

[@Paul_Todkill]

Yeah it was on there a bit but didn't crack that top tier. Agreed though, also why I think The Name of the Wind wasn't on there. People have a hard time recommending a book series that will likely never be finished... And one that is written by a scammer in that case.

[@josephparrish8773]

Haha, shots fired on and of the wind:) it really isn’t that good, but he did a good job of hyping it.

[@kallip7481]

Quality video, you deserve more subs :)

[@Paul_Todkill]

Thank you so much!!

[@Anfros.]

While r/fantasy is quite big, there are a few posters who are quite prolific. I guess eould guess this list would be quite different if you counted reccomendations by how many users recommend them. Also people don't recommend LotR and aSoIF because they are very often mentioned in the OP as books they have already read.

[@Paul_Todkill]

That was something the OP did mention in their forward, how a few diehard fans of certain series were a big factor behind their recommendations. And absolutely, I would hazard "Books like ASOIAF" could be it's own megathread at this point. Feel like I see it multiple times a week. Was still a cool analysis though, and more than anything just showed how biased the subreddit is vs broader reading trends. Not a bad thing as long as you're aware of it.

[@dthaysjr]

What is aSoIF? Lord of the Rings I know.

[@Paul_Todkill]

A Song of Ice and Fire! Game of Thrones, basically.

[@KirelRed]

Malazan is not for everybody. The first book is hard for some to get into. But damn, does it pay off. By far, my favorite series is Malazan, Book of the Fallen.

[@Bloops2525]

Dresden isn't defeatist. Dresden is the fantasy equivalent of an EMT. In my state the average EMT makes less money then some entry level customer service jobs. Their job isn't celebrated, and the longer they work it the more likely they are to end up broken. Many have to wear bullet proof vests. Their suicide rate is proof humanity has some seriously messed up priorities. The series The Dresden Files amounts to a novelization of the song "The impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. It is how come I know EMTs are that song made manifest. It is sad, and uncomfortable, but not defeatist. If this comes across as an indictment of your values or judgement or views or something it is not. I am gonna watch the Karl video next. Just pointing out why the series makes a lot of souls sing.

[@Paul_Todkill]

Defeatist was definitely not the right word. Moreso just depressing lol. "But wait, it gets WORSE!" Every time Harry seemed to get even the smallest sense of a win it just led to an even bigger problem. A few times it's fine, but when it becomes the norm.. just tired me out. It's been almost a decade since I last tried to read them, might be worth going back now and giving them another shot.

[@Bloops2525]

If you made it through Dungeon Crawler Karl, then your your tolerance for that particular trope has evolved by several orders of magnitude.

[@dustinroemer5180]

Realm of the Elderlings is a series I love to hate on. I only read the first three books, so perhaps my judgements are less fair to the series as a whole, but I found the charcters annoying or devoid of personality (with a few exceptions), the series having an outdated and conservative philosophical perspective, and no big or lasting takeaway after such a long trilogy. The strongest part of the series is the magic system. It's a really interesting and complex form of telepathy that leads to some unique tactical challenges, plot points, and drama. Its a shame the other aspects really bring the whole thing down. Earthsea is an interesting set of books as it feels both very dated and very fresh. The first book has a lot of the tropes that have become staples of the fantasy genre, so it might feel stale in that regard, although it is subversive when it comes to dealing with race. Fantasy is still heavily white, so a book where the the the setting primarily consists of brown and black people does make it a bit more aesthetically unique and socially inclusive. I appreciate how Le Guin handles race as she is mindfully putting in the effort to make the genre more inclusive, but she does it in a way that doesn't come across as pandering, nor does she bring it up in a way that takes you out of the story. The 2nd book feels much more fresh as we get a new MC in a completely new setting. The setting is more unique and feels closer to her short stories that are more anthroplogically inspired. The 3rd book goes back a bit to being more formulaic, but you can tell how much her writing has changed as I think the plot and MC are more interesting and unique than the 1st book. The 4th book is the most radical shift as it was written waaaay later than the other three books and I think is the most notable of the series. There are some interesting philosophical discussions concerned with feminism that I think are eye-opening rather than eye-rolling (much like with race in the first book, socially progressive choices can come across as pandering and lacking any real substance, but she does a good job making it a natural part of the book that enhances, not undermines, the story.) The last thing I think is important to discuss is that her writing is very efficient. The books aren't long, but she manages to fit in a lot of worldbuilding and while also creating compelling and satisfying stories. One of the things I hated with Realm of the Elderings, and many other fantasy books, is how they can drag on for such a long time. I feel Ursula Le Guin respects the time of the reader by making a book just as long as it needs to be. She leaves the reader wanting more, but mostly satisfied with how things end (I personally think just one more book could've really tied everything up, but I'm happy with how things stand with the 4th book). Discworld is my favorite series from the list and continually occupies a large portion of my brain. The witty insights and criticisms have greatly influenced how I percieve the world. I highly recommend the series. You can start anywhere (kinda), but I'd highly recommend reading them in publication order for maximum enjoyment and comprehension. If you liked Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy, you'll like The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic. They're essentially The hitchhikers books, but fantasy instead of sci-fi. Unlike Hitchhiker's, the books get better as they progress. The comedy goes from more zany, slapstick and parody to more situational humor and poignant social criticisms and insights. Some of the later books can have absolutely heartwrenching scenes, in that way, discworldis similiar to the show, Scrubs.sting set of books as it feels both very dated and very fresh. The first boooks aren't long, but she ma

[@Paul_Todkill]

I've actually read all of the above! :D you can see some of them on the shelf behind me. Others are gathering dust at my parent's place (curse tiny LA apartments!) Don't really disagree with anything you're saying. I found Elderlings... Heavy. Just heavy. It's a lot. Like. I appreciate that it's good, it's just a lot of book, both technically and emotionally. Earthsea is this amazing breath of fresh air and I was immensely disappointed when I saw Netflix had added the Studio Ghibli adaptation only to find out they whitewashed everyone. A rare miss from Miyazaki. It's been YEARS since I've read Discworld. I remember taking out various books from my school library but they are very much a blur. Absolutely a series I need to return to. I adore Pratchett's writing, I think your analysis is spot on.

[@A.S.Gibson]

I had not 1 or 2, but 3 different people from completely different backgrounds and parts of my life recommend The Name of the Wind. I really wanted to like it. I did not. I could not stand the main character and disliked just about everything about the book. It felt like the author's favorite D&D character's backstory. I tried twice, but could only get halfway through it. I've recommended Red Rising to several people. Most people didn't seem to get it. I have several friends who love Wheel of Time, but I didn't like it. Now, if I recommend books, I try to get a gauge of what they are looking for and give them a few options with general descriptions of what the book it about. I also think age and how much you've read plays a big part. I've reread books many years later and found them not as good as I remember. Elantris and the Sword of Truth series (books 1, 2, 4, and 5) really blew my mind in my 20s. The Hobbit, LotRs, Dune, Mistborn (first one), Red Rising (first one), and First Law Trilogy are some books I've reread and appreciated more.

[@Paul_Todkill]

Are you me?? Aha. I feel like I had a near identical experience. Especially with sword of truth. Teenage me was along for the ride and not really thinking about it too hard... Adult me is like "wtf was I thinking". Kingkiller was the same way. WoT has been a bit of a slog for me to get into I won't lie. One I need to recommit to and finish at some point.

[@A.S.Gibson]

Hah. Great minds and such. Well, if we have similar tastes, I’d like to recommend The Pillats of the Earth by Ken Follet. It’s historical fiction and long but excellent storytelling. Better still, if you like it, he has several more in the series and all but one are really good. Cheers

[@gilgabro420]

a very reddit list.

[@matthewjack4281]

None of the series from Brent Weeks? Totally underrated

[@Paul_Todkill]

He's a name I hear a decent amount but haven't read. I assume Lightbringer is the place to start there?

[@juliak7126]

Malazan is VERY uneven. Some books are dark... like Human Centipede dark. Like I wish I hadn't read some scenes. So I do not think this list is representative of what a number 1 recommended fantasy books would actually be if not for reddit skew.

[@Paul_Todkill]

Interesting... Not something I've ever heard discussed around Malazan, but wouldn't be surprised if it was glossed over by the more diehard fans. This list is 100% r/fantasy skew. Why I made the video tbh, thought it was a really interesting discussion point.

[@KirelRed]

@@Paul_Todkill Malazan has dark parts. But they are honest, not there just for the thrill of naughty. The Malazan universe is not a nice place and the author doesn't succumb to 21st century niceties. It's not the new school hyper sexualized fantasy that is prevalent amongst the past few years top 10 lists.

[@myself2noone]

​@@KirelRedNot really. It's dark for the sake of the cynical genius illusion. Not honesty. Frankly, one if my issues with the series is it will try and say some "dark truth" about human nature that's objectively incorrect.