Beginner to Advanced Fantasy Books Sorted (All our favorites!) ft Daniel Greene 

“Brandon , go outside...” *Sanderson, holding a bottle of vitamin D tablets* “sunlight is for amateurs.”

Beginner 1:01 Mistborn 3:50 Warbreaker & Elantris 4:50 Good Omens 5:45 King Killer 6:45 Narnia 8:25 The ocean at the end of the lane 8:40 Duel of Fire Intermedite 9:10 Stormlight Archive 10:45 Gentleman Bastard 12:40 American Gods 14:00 Lord of the Rings 15:25 First Law 17:00 An Unkindness of Magicians 21:05 Lightbringer Advanced 18:25 The Wheel of Time 22:30 A Song of Ice and Fire 23:47 Broken Earth 24:25 Dark Tower 25:00 Witcher Actually, having read about half of these already, I don’t agree with this at all. Witcher is so easy to read through. Good omens as well. The stormlight archive I could barely put down. Lord of the Rings however really was a struggle. Both because of not being used to the writing style and because of already knowing the story too much to have this strong drive to find out what will happen next. Also the wheel of time is much easier to read than A song of ice and fire, but for both series I’m at book 5. Asoiaf b6 has been waiting on the shelf for almost a year and wot is an addicting I started not even two months ago that hooked me so much at the start of this year that I’ll finish the series before I know it.

I still think it’s one of the greatest flexes in authorship ever that Tolkien wrote the LotR series because he thought the languages he invented as a linguist needed some background...😂 He basically created the greatest series of fantasy ever on a whim...

16:45 As Merphy was falling, she was like "The book, Daniel, save the book!", not knowing how Dan treats his own books.

A goat person is either called a satyr or a faun. A satyr is the name they used in the Greek mythology while faun is from the Roman mythology. Yay to Rick Riordan for educating me about mythology😂😂

To get into Lord of the rings as a beginner, it might be better to read The Hobbit before the Trilogy.

This only makes me wish for a podcast with these two.

The Malazan book of the fallen series is hands down the most complicated fantasy series ever written IMO :)

"Excited for book three" of the Kingkiller Chronicles. Oh sweet summer child..

I grew up reading Pratchett, love so many of his books.

Daniel's face when you bring out The King Killer series lol!

I love these chill videos. You've both mentioned so many of these books before but I like how you explained why to read them in a casual way. Like anyone could connect to and like these books.

Beginner: Hobb's Fitz nonology (Farseer trilogy, Tawny Man trilogy and Fitz and the Fool trilogy) In my opinion one of the finest fantasy series and certainly one suited to novice readers. The magic system isn't complicated, the politics aren't too dense and the main character is highly relatable. Since the series consists of three trilogies, it's not very daunting to start with. Intermediate: Jordan's WoT Lots of reading material with a plethora of names, extended plot lines and grand scale events. However, the number of *prominent* characters is somewhat limited, the magic system isn't too complicated and plot is easy to follow. Advanced: King's The Dark Tower Long, bizarre, even more bizarre and requires knowledge of King's other books to be fully appreciated. Luckily the number of characters is limited, the magic system is barely existent and the separate events in the story are fairly straightforward. Off the charts: Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen Long, half a million characters and plot lines, difficult to grasp, complicated magic/god system and did I mention there are a *KAJILLION* characters?

Pausing the video at Narnia to pass my two cents: I kinda agree that it hasn't aged well in regards to what is currently on the market. However, I read the entire series, from beginning to end, to my fifth grade class two years ago. This class hated reading so much but they'd beg to bring their lunch to the classroom to hear more. I just had a former student from that class find me on IG and send me a message that he is going through the hardest time in his life right now, but he remembered Narnia and has reread the series and now wants more fantasy. I think it is an excellent door for children, even if it fails in comparison as an adult reader. WITH THE EXCEPTION of The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle. I think those two could team up and fight with some of the greats. :)

Robin Hobb's three trilogies based on FitzChivalry and the Fool are excellent. In addition, Raymond E Feist's Riftwar series based on Pug and subsequent series are quite excellent too.

“Brandon, go outside.” That particular comment didn’t age well

The first time I read Lord of the Rings in my native language, I was ten years old and I think that version may have been condensed or simplified because I loved it. Then when I was 13, I read it in English. And my English was not good at all at the time. The old style description of scenery nearly did me in but I was just stubborn enough to struggle through it although I didn't enjoy it at all. I learned a lot - I had to keep a dictionary next to me while reading... re-reading it as an adult I did enjoy it, though I can see how people would not love the trilogy.

You two are a light hearted, buddy cop movie, waiting to happen! Thank you for your work!

Advanced Level: Book of the New Sun. Probably one of the most complex fantasy series you can find

First Law is indeed amazing! i am just reading the last book. I love how he adapts his writing style to the characters. How he connects a character needing to pee just before the killing starts and uses it later as a trigger for the reader: You read a scene completely disconnected from violent acts and then he drops "he needed to pee badly" and you immediately think "damn, shits going wild now!". Genious move Mr. Abercrombie!

The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe....when I was 11. This was my gateway drug to Tolkien, Conan and Tarzan and John Carter.

She's just so damn cute. And he's Daniel. What a combo

I never see anyone mentioning it, but Patricia A. McKillip's The Riddle-Master of Hed trilogy caught me and never let go. It's classic fantasy that is very easy to read. The magic in it always felt mystical and untamed to me, which I especially liked. Also: the main character learns to shapeshift into a tree - what's not to like!? :) Currently reading The Well of Ascension (Mistborn) and loving it.

Mallazan book of the fallen is expert level. Damn is it hard to read. But worth it.

I'm a bit stuck in the older fantasy books I read as a teen. I really enjoyed Terry Goodkind's 'The Sword of Truth' series (though it gets very preachy in the second half), and Raymond E. Feist's 'Riftwar Saga' (...and while I enjoy the entire Riftwar Cycle, it falls off a bit in the latter half) even more so. I've read both series multiple times, and while it's probably just as much nostalgia as anything else, I still find them enjoyable.

I was a casual reader for years until covid. Now 2 years later, I consume all spectrum of fantasy books. Finding your video now, in 2022, I will definitely read some of the recommendations. Especially since you'll listed The Witcher as advanced. I was just curious about it when the Netflix show was coming out. I apparently jumped off the deep end on that one. Lol. It was sooo frustrating at first with the time jumping but I got it. I did burn myself with the epic fantasy novels because of it and went down the road of a fairy tale retellings... and some fantasy smut. (Like I said I enjoy all spectrum of fantasy). Your video definitely inspired me to jump back into epic / complex tales again.

I fucking adore George RR Martin's writing style is absolutely amazing. Feels almost effortless to read

I also disagree, Narnia is absolutely amazing! I've probably read it more times than Harry Potter as a child.

I’m a bit surprised Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle didn’t make this list. I have been a huge fantasy series fan and I tend to sink myself into books that are in a series, as I love revisiting characters and stories that continue on. I loved Eragon and his story. I also think both if Laurell K. Hamilton’s series are phenomenal and fall in the fantasy genre, the one has over 20 books in the series. There is also the Hollows series by Kim Harrison. Great video there is definitely a couple series I am now going to be checking out that I had not previously known about.

I'm a little disappointed Malazan didn't make the list but otherwise great video. Love the collabs between you two!

Great vid. *Dragonlance* was my fantasy series. Made me a book lover for life.

I read the entire hobbit/lord of the rings books by age 8 and was hooked on fantasy ever since.

Daniel's opinion about Pratchett is based on his first two books ever published. His worst books and the most different from the rest. Pratchett abandons (okay, there are still little hints) absurdism and goes towards an accesible and wonderful satire. It would be like saying Sanderson is good but only writes YA because you only red his YA books.

I am so glad you added The Dark Tower! Brilliant, epic, hardcore fantasy like you said 🙏

i admit i was very confused when Merphy suddenly held up the German edition of Harry Potter... Still am tbh :D ANyway, the two of you have great chemistry, it's very amusing watching. You make a great duo

The First Law, Gentleman, Kingkiller, Broken Earth, and Neverwhere here make my heart smile. So much damn Sanderson, though

When they brought out the Wheel of Time I screamed with joy because its AMAZING!

Nice to see Neil Gaiman being represented and of course the almighty Brandon Sanderson (Bone is a good fantasy adventure too)

I rec Robin Hobb & Guy Gavriel Kay. For middle grade & early YA try the Prydain series by L. Alexander. Why do the middle grade Morrigan Crow books by J. Townsend get such mixed reviews? For more not too heavy fare, try Diana Wynne Jones and Robin McKinley.

I would have put the original Dragonlance Trilogy in the Beginner category as well as Night Angel

Geez, I'm realizing that I have read a lot of fantasy! Since I have read most of these, I'll offer a recommendation that didn't appear on this list: Kings of the Wyld

Malazan is the best fantasy series ever, imo, but it's probably one of the toughest to actually read and understand. A great beginner series is The Black Company by Glenn Cook.

"i've never read Terry Pratchett" What? Recommending fantasy books​ and you have not read Sir Pratchett ?

Thanks Merphy and Daniel. Because of this video I am reading sufficiently advanced magic and I really like it. Whoever is reading this have a good day.

Lest us not forget Magician, silver thorn and A darkness at Seth’anon. Also related, the Empire Trilogy, daughter,, servant and mistress of the empire, Janny Wurts and Raymond E Fiest….. excellent books!!!

I am literally 12 and I read lotr in 14 days it was amazing 😉

As a teacher, looks more and more with how weed need to evaluate our understanding with what media tell our kiddos. I'm with you DG

No Watership Down?! Frith save us. Other introductory goodies: The Earthsea series. The Pellucidar series. Some of the less weird CA Smith stuff. The Lankhmar stories. The Conan stories. Classical mythology, of course. Also... stay with me, here... the Gotrek & Felix books from Warhammer Fantasy. Yes, really.

Now re reading Lord Of The Rings..... again, love it!

"I think Brandon Sanderson's UK Cosmere covers are the best I've ever seen." THANK YOU FOR BEING THE ONLY PERSON ON EARTH THAT AGREES WITH ME.

5:24 how have you never read Terry Pratchett? Possibly one of the best fantasy writers of our time. GNU Terry Pratchett

Stormlight Archive will be a 10 book series?? Holy jesus, how many books is that genius going to write?

Perdido st station, China Melville. The Dying Earth and Lyonesse (and ANYTHING else by Jack Vance). The Drawing of the Dark and also Last Call by Tim Powers.

Malazan is the greatest series I have ever read and probably one of the more difficult but imho nothing else comes close A 10 book series that I’ve re read 3 times now

If you are looking for a commitment in a book series. And like Grim Dark, go with Warhammer 40000. Horus Heresy series is great, and a short read at only like 55 books.

I am also currently trying to write ✍🏻 my own fantasy novel series at the age of 17 while still studying 📚 at school 🏫. It has proven difficult at times but I keep managing to get through it. The thing I’ve been struggling most with is the timing and placement of things. It’s something I’m trying to work on. I’m also worried that my first book will be good but my others won’t. I suppose it’s because I am my own worst critic. Though I’ll admit I have indeed really enjoyed the freedom of writing my own novel. Xx

The Magicians was an amazing series in my opinion..... I wasnt a big fan of the first book but i kept reading and absolutely love the series as a whole

Unpopular opinion, but I kinda adore the first book of the lotd trilogy. Learning about the world, culture, and characters is just fascinating. A little hard to get into at first, but once they kick off on the actual journey I'm just in love with it all.

Awesome list. Subscribed. I’ve read most of these and agree with the list with ONE big exception. I’m on book 6 of Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It absolutely deserves a spot on any list, especially if we are setting aside a category for difficult or advanced books. Series has everything: best magic system I’ve read, amazing plot, great characters, etc. My mind is blown book after book, and after careful research, I know enough to know the final entry stuck the landing.

Earthsea trilogy got no coverage :'( perhaps i missed it? not 100% on this but I would say its intermediate. you're welcome. if you haven't read Earthsea, do so now. Great story and character development(this is a fact not my opinion).

Thank you! For that!! I've been struggling with books that I find kind of difficult to follow, which would make a 50 page run extremely difficult for me and hence made me sway away from reading because I only seem to choose advanced english books, and your description isdetailed enough for me to know where to start now... I love both your channels, both of you have been extremely helpful to me, and I find myself enjoying your opinions although I've not read most of these books yet, lol. Peace!

Great video, thanks for some good tips..... however how could you not add David Eddings??? Maybe one of the greatest fantasy authors of all time?? The belgriad series? The mollarean series? The elenium series? The tamuli series?? Check it out, you might enjoy it!!!!!

Things on this list I read as a kid: LOTR (the first and the best, 3 or 4 times), Narnia, Dark Tower (around 4 times, very formative for me), American Gods (didn't enjoy it, so I never read Gaiman again), Witcher. Oh and I guess HP also counts as being on the list. I read ASOIAF when I was already an adult. I'm interested in the other books on the list, especially Sanderson.

I find Tolkien's writing _beautiful!_ Tough for sure, but so fulfilling

R.A SALVATORE and the Drizzt saga for the win. 🤷🏽‍♂️

So I was just watching this casually. But I enjoy both of you and together it’s magic!

You should watch the amazon prime tv series of Good Omens (Neil Gaiman was showrunner so you don’t have to worry about book accuracy or anything)

For advanced, I'd put Lord Dunsany's works or Clark Ashton Smith's works or books like Voyage to Arcturus.

Stormlight 2 is so effing amazing. I agree with her

I have read all of the Neil Gaiman books you listed (and he is one of my favourite authors). I tried to read Lord of the Rings as a kid, but DNF'd about halfway through Two Towers. I have been considering whether I should try again. I haven't read any of the other books you mentioned yet. I should get on that.

Just started The Final Empire because of you ❤️ thank you x

"[Brandon Sanderson] He writes like a madman. He writes like 4 books a year". Yeah, that aged very well...

I think a goat person is a faun lol. Great video by the way

I love the King killer series!! I read the first law series and agree about all the technical aspects of writing but I just hated all the characters and the books by the end. sorry

A couple of David Gemmel’s books would have made my list. Legend for one

Elder-God Tier: Gene Wolfe, R.A. Lafferty, E.R. Eddison, Roger Zelazny, Mervyn Peake.

This video is going to be so helpful!

My own suggestions, roughly in accessibility order: Intermediate: - The Deed of Paksenarrion (Elizabeth Moon) - a sheepfarmer's daughter leaves home to escape an arranged marriage and join a reputable mercenary company, in a world that's read the D&D rulebooks but skipped Tolkien entirely, and has the best take on what it means to be a Paladin that I've come across. - Dresden Files (Jim Butcher) - very readable, but a fairly long series. I've seen it described as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer but starring Philip Marlowe", which description I promptly stole. Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is the only wizard in the phone book - serving Chicago as a sort of magical PI, perpetually in over his head (often thanks to a woman asking for help), but managing to take out threats well above his notional weight class through stubborn determination, preparation, creative use of his talents, and the occasional assist from allies on both sides of the line (pick a line and he's got contacts on both sides of it). The audio books are read by James Marsters (who played Spike on Buffy) Advanced: - 500 Kingdoms and/or Elemental Masters (Mercedes Lackey) - two series by the same author, with a similar core idea: retelling fairy tales. The former is high fantasy, set in a land dominated by The Tradition, an impersonal force that guides events to follow familiar patterns. The first book, The Fairy Godmother, stars a young woman whose father dies while away on business, leaving her in the care of her stepmother and two stepsisters, who force her to do all the housework, except the only princes for several kingdoms are either happily married, or still learning how to walk, so ehr fairy godmother takes her as an apprentice instead: the force of Tradition balked by circumstance (or determined opposition) manifests as magical energy that can be tapped and shaped to various purposes, and a major theme of the series is intelligently using/working around the Tradition to encourage happier endings (and avoid Ladderlocks...). Meanwhile, the Elemental Masters are set in the late Victorian/Edwardian era with a magic system based on the four classical elements. Sherlock Holmes makes an appearance later in the series. Both series are very readable, but the links to fairy tales mean a degree of background knowledge is very beneficial. - Villains By Necessity (Eve Forward) - speaking of background knowledge, this forgotten gem is an excellent deconstruction of the by-the-numbers high fantasy novel. A hundred years ago, there was a great battle between Good and Evil, and now the world stands on the brink of destruction, with only an orphan with a mysterious past and strange powers, and his ragtag band of allies, guided by a cryptic prophecy, able to save the world. Except the great battle was won by the forces of Good, and the mysterious orphan is the world's last assassin. Your mileage may vary on how well the inversion of the usual pattern works, but it's competently executed, and the high concept makes it worth checking out if you can track down a copy (physical copies start from around $50, but it's available in both ebook and audiobook forms) - Valdemar (Mercedes Lackey) - I feel I can't suggest anything by Merceded Lackey without at least mentioning the elephant in the room: the Valdemar series. 37 books, plus some 15 shared-world anthologies (short story collections mostly by guest authors, consequently of questionable canonicity). High fantasy covering various eras over some 2400 years of history (plus a brief flashback to an unknown, even earlier time), much of the series is set in and around the kingdom of Valdemar, whose motto is "There Is No One, True Way". The kingdom, and the integrity of its monarch, are defended by the "Heralds" and their Companions - telepathic, supernaturally-white horses (or horse-shaped beings) who choose people of integrity and determination with psychic potential and support and guide them, acting as conscience, friend, and badge of authority. My entry point to the series was the standalone novel By The Sword, which I endorse as a good place to start. The earliest books are the original trilogy ("Arrows of the Queen", "Arrow's Flight", "Arrows Fall", available as "The Heralds of Valdemar" trade paperback), which introduced Valdemar and Heralds, and Oathbound (first of the "Vows and Honour" trilogy), which, while published later than Arrows, was assembled from a series of short stories, including the author's first (professionally) published work, most of which predated Arrows, and which are not initially connected to Valdemar (the second Vows and Honour book, Oathbreakers, introduces Valdemar, and By The Sword serves as a sequel to both trilogies) - Discworld (Terry Pratchett) - another that's only "advanced" because of the sheer number of books: 41 Discworld novels and assorted ancilliary works such as the Science of Discworld series (alternating chapters of a Discworld narrative with essays on real-world science and history of science). Comic fantasy that's a real joy to read. Reading order is a tricky question with Discworld: the second book is a direct sequel to the first, but otherwise there's no ongoing narrative, and, aside from the usual Death cameo, and the city of Ankh-Morpork usually getting at least a mention, there's not a lot that all the books have in common beyond the wider shared setting, and (if you ignore the first couple of books) writing style. It's really a collection of individual series (identified by a common cast) with some overlaps - so you get the Witches books, the Wizards books, the Watch books, and the other ones that don't have an obvious description starting with 'W'. Google can find lots of suggestions, but if you're looking to dip a toe in, I'd go with one of: Mort (Death takes an apprentice); Wyrd Sisters (totally nothing to do with Macbeth in any way); Small Gods (a standalone look at the difference between religion and faith); or Going Postal (the first of the Moist books, and a good example of late-Discworld) Super-duper hyper advanced: - The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever (Stephen Donaldson) - the most difficult read I've come across, with an author who's comfortable throwing around words like 'incarnadine' or 'veridian' (rather than just saying 'red' or 'green' like a normal person); a pretty unlikeable protagonist, with Covenant being a leper, who finds himself in The Land, where the sheer vitality of the world reverses his condition, and one of the first things he does on experiencing restored virility is rape a woman, before going on to spend the rest of the first trilogy and most of the second trilogy denying the reality of The Land and his experiences there (as a philosophical position of Unbelief, and as a shield against losing his hard-learned defensive reflexes that allow him to survive as a leper), aided by the fact that his returns to the real world have him restored to the exact physical condition he left in (modified by enough time for him to have dreamed/hallucinated The Land while asleep/comatose following a crisis/near-death experience); and with the series exploring some pretty tricky philosophical concepts. On the other hand, if you can get through the language, and put up with the protagonist (in the Second and Final Chronicles, there's a different, less unlikeable protagonist, but the setting itself is less pleasant, more than making up for it), it's worth the read.

Super Advanced: Malazan Book of the Fallen

Mistborn : Arguably the best Magic system. LOTM : Let me introduce Myself

Amazing collb guys. I loved your selections but was slightly disappointed that 'Codex Alera' by Jim Butcher and 'The Inheritance Cycle' by Christopher Paolini didn't make the cut, esp considering this was a high fantasy collection.

Final boss: Malazan

completely agree on first law. its the best

The audiobook for “Fellowship of the Ring” is very good. I recommend it!

Great list! I'm rather proud to have read quite a few of these and most of the "advanced" ones. I would include R.A. Salvatore's Legend of Drizzt books as some of my all time favorite fantasy books. Terry Brooks would also be included in my favorites list, either the Shannara series or the Magic Kingdom of Landover series. And special mention for The Belgariad series from David Eddings which is great!

Name of the wind. Excellent, can’t wait for the next book.

Andrew Rowe Sufficiently Advanced Magic (Arcane Ascension Book 1

Is it a bad thing that my introduction to fantasy (other than Harry Potter) was a song of ice and fire and then the Witcher? I’m currently reading Wheel of time and loving it.

Curious, have either of the fantasy reviewers read the balgariad (probably misspelled-it’s been a while) series? If so, was it not enjoyable? I thought when I read it that it was a fantastic world building series. And I love Neil Gaiman so there’s at least some overlap in my book interests and their respective interests.. just curious

The Spellmonger (Mancour)is my favorite high fantasy (sort of). The writing is accessible and easy to follow, however you are 12 books into the series before you really know what the story arc is about.

My trick to finally getting into and reading through the Lord of the Rings is thus: Try to read it as you're finishing up elementary school, fail, drop it for a few years, then pick it up and be floored by how much more accessible it is than you remember.

Currently my favorite fantasy and book in general would be Blackwing by Ed McDonald, which is the first book in the triology. It's a grimmdark setting in a victorian-like world which has a magic system I haven't seen anywhere. It's fully written in first person which I really love! I'd maybe put it in intermediate level although it was super-easy for me to get into it and get hooked on it. Once I've started reading I haven't stopped until I've finished the book.

16:44 That shovel pass would make any NFL quarterback jealous!

16:45 It has to be the most endearing thing I have seen on RU-vid for a while

Merphy: I skip the song breaks... Do you read them?? Daniel: I read them, they are good poetry Me: .... I sing them... I thought that was what every one did

"Brandon, go outside...", who needs sunlight when you have Stormlight?

2019: Brandon, go outside 2020: Brandon, stay home.

"If you haven't read Lord of the Rings I think you're a bad person" I like him.

"Sticking with out Sanderson theme-" *Picks up Harry Potter*

Daniel: “Brandon, go outside!” Also Daniel: *New video every day