I'd recommend starting with the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster. Easily accessible, lots of fun, and an introduction to some very common tropes. For the next step, I'd choose The Left Hand of God trilogy by Paul Hoffman. Often overlooked, it's accessible and also engrossing.
Other than "Mistborn," which of the non-urban fantasy novels you recommend (I don't like urban/modern-day settings at all) is best where female characters are concerned? I'm always keen to find new epic fantasies that feature cool and interesting women who are important to the story even if they're not the protagonists -- something I may not have heard of, rather than the usual Wheel of Time/ Song of Ice and Fire shout-outs.
Deed of Paksenarrion - Elizabeth Moon, The Empire Trilogy - Raymond E Feist & Janny Wurts, Are two of my big favorites. If you haven't read it, I hope you like these. Edit: Will look around and see if I can find more tips you might like.
Oooo! Legends and Lattes follows an orc opening a coffee shop if you like some low stakes fun. Orka in The Shadow of the Gods is one of the most badass female characters I’ve read if you want Vikings. And I’m currently reading Islas Reach which has a great female lead too!
Check out Trudi Canavans series, they are great! Love all of them. I also recommend Shannon Chakrabortys books, set in our world in the beginning but then into fantasy city.(except her newest book)..Samantha Shannon youve probably heard of her Priory of the Orange Tree is amazing, Some love it some don't...there are so many good books with female protagonist nowadays 🥰 my first love was Katherine Kerr Deverry Saga where Jill is one of the most important persons even if Nevyn the old wizard is the one holding it together so to speak looking for her life after life...Celtic inspired rebirth spanning over 15 books. Dwarves, magicians, rebirth, elves and the coolest dragon ever in later books 🥰🥰
I don't think I've read anything that improves as much as The Dresden Files. Cradle could be a close second. Honestly, Dresden levels up around book 4, then again with book 7, then AGAIN with book 12. Also, keeping in mind that I enjoyed Dresden, would you recommend Ninth House? (I haven't read anything by Bardugo yet, but I did watch the adaptation of Shadow and Bone and found it to be merely decent)
Ninth House is a personal favorite of mine and I haven’t read Dresden, but from what I understand Dresden is pretty light on the content and Ninth House is very much close to grimdark, dipping into Stephen King territory in its latter half. It has a lot of triggers in it as well, such as SA among other things. I’d say make your judgement knowing that.
Ninth House is Bardugos first adult fantasy and I thought it was great. I didn't enjoy her Shadow and Bone trilogy, it's pretty youthful in tone but Ninth House is nothing like it. Highly recommend!
@@the_fools_tale It was a good rec! I finished it up in 2 days. It was the perfect read in between Sun Eater books. I read that the author initially planned for it to be a massive series (maybe 10 books) but since then that number has gone down a lot. It might just end up being a trilogy. I hope she expands on it. There's a lot of potential here if the world is allowed to develop like Dreden Files did.
I enjoyed Mistborn, but the prose is often so bad I can't roll my eyes hard enough. There's even a scene where they're sitting around a table and making a list of plans, like a work meeting in a conference room. Like, come on! Dresden files are very approachable and readable but the urban fantasy style makes it a less logical choice for starting out in fantasy unless you're specifically going for the urban genre. For me, a best starting fantasy book would be The Hobbit (duh) or if you like something a little less obvious DragonLance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight or for younger readers Dragonriders of Pern.
My first contact with Fantasy was The Hobbit read to me as a bedtime story, then the whole series, it was awesome and I was hooked. Can't remember what my first book I read by myself was. Am dyslexic so it took years before I read books myself but Deed of Paksenarrion - Elizabeth Moon was an early book / series I read, A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K Le Guin was another I got hooked on.
The Hobbit is just the best. One of the first fantasy books I read too! I’ve still not delved into Le Guin’s work but I’m sure I’ll love them when I do
I started reading fantasy in the sixties. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard and Micheal Moorcock. Stephen R. Donaldson and Anthony Ryan are a very good too. When did they change the name of the first Mistborn book to the Final Empire?
If you’re looking to get your kids into fantasy with a series that’s very easy to read and has a relatively tame atmosphere, Christopher Paolini’s series The Inheritance Cycle is a fantastic option. Beautifully written, but still accessible for younger readers.
What I hear from people who don't like fantasy is that they dislike the worldbuilding and the length--especially the commitment to a series. I'm seeing a lot of readers who are new to fantasy coming from romance and YA lit as more fantasy romance novels are published. It's not my thing, but seems to really appeal to people who don't usually read fantasy. And there's SO MUCH of it right now. I'd also say that a lot of readers of more literary fiction don't like second world fantasy (at least at first). I'd direct them to literary fantasy like John Crowley's Little, Big or Jeanette Winterson's Sexing the Cherry. Also Black Leopard, Red Wolf, I can see Ninth House working here, too. For people coming from cozy mystery, then some cozy fantasy is a good option. Those that like the English rural vibe might love Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Or who just want a cozy read, Legends and Lattes. And for people coming from Horror--then Imajica (though there are probably more current examples! I'm old.) Though really, a lot of horror already blends in fantasy elements.
