No more perfect BookTuber to make this Top 10 list than you, Philip! You constantly inspire your viewers to think more deeply about each of the series you mentioned. I love authors and BookTubers like you who make me think!
Great video, and I am also a huge Erikson and Esslemont fan, both in terms of malazan, but their other works too. The malazan books and Erikson's "Rejoice" change me so much, and the way I see the real world and it's people.
I love your new direction for Top 10 videos. This is why you are Dr. Fantasy and I am only Squire Fantasy. Mister Fantasy? I really am interested in Janny Wurtz after seeing so many of her recent discussions. I'm going to do Urth of the New Sun (I think) in March. I'll also have to make some Dr Fantasy appointments as I begin Gardens this month. Really excellent video, Philip! (and evergreen)
You don’t need an appointment, Brian - you have an open invitation for a discussion whenever you like. Also, I don’t think “Monsieur Fantasy” is taken yet. 😁
Excellent list, here is mine. Ranking is a bit wonky but generally correct I think. 10. Ian C. Esselmont 9. Philip MF Chase 8. Becky Chambers 7. Max Gladstone 6. Ada Palmer 5. Kazuo Ishiguro 4. Ursula K. Le Guin 3. Terry Pratchett 2. Gene Wolfe 1. Steven Erikson
An excellent list from you too, Bryson -- I would expect nothing less. Also, I think I will change my middle name from "Edward" to "Montague Frederick" so that I can write my name the way you did. 😁
Welcome to the Top-10 club! I can’t wait for the rest of them, and I love the idea of a themed list. I can’t wait to try some of these like Books of Babel or Book of the New Sun-sometimes it’s great to be challenged and have to think a little bit (or a lot) to grasp everything the author might be doing.
An author many consider as a horror writer (although she didn't consider her work horror) I'd include on a list like this would be Anne Rice. Before she sat down at her computer, she read between 150-300 books related to locations and topics she was to address in the novels. She wrestled with questions of her own faith, the death of loved ones, and the way things worked and didn't work in our world, past and present. I've found some of the most thoughtful, probing examinations of the mysteries of life within her pages. She's a keeper for me.
Your cover of Way of Eden makes an amazing framed picture. I liked it as a book cover. But I think it makes a better framed picture. The colors and lines are more accentuated in the bigger size.
Nice list. I haven't read all of your choices yet, but I noticed you missed a significant new entry to my own list, added just last year after a debut trilogy. This one really got me thinking, and left me thinking and feeling, long after I closed the third volume. And I can't really claim that you didn't add this author because you weren't familiar. More likely left off through humility. Thanks for a nice video today, and for introducing me to a new favorite that really got me thinking. Happy Saturday!
Love your list!!! Lots of overlap with my only imaginary list. But then any list that gives Le Guin her due is a good list. But I would probably kick one of your choices off the list to make room for a fantasy writing mediaevalist -- and no not Tolkien.😉 Also, do I get that right, you're essentially now doing round-up videos? Consider my mind blown.🤯🤣 Have a wonderful weekend, Philip!
Thank you so much, Angela! You are very kind. As for Le Guin, she deserves all the love! I suppose this series will be a variety of round ups, but you never know what could happen around here! 😁
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Looking very much forward to more of your round ups and whatever else your extraordinary mind will come up with. You're definitely braver than me. I don't rank mine.😁🫣
Philip, our preferences are so aligned! I'm so glad you mentioned The Book That Wouldn't Burn, I finished it a week ago and can't stop thinking about that library. And of course, Gaiman and LeGuin in the mix are almost automatic additions for those who had the privilege to read them :) I missed some good 'ol Pratchett there! I think you introduced me to a new way to define my favourite fantasy subgenre. Cheers!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I always do, but this time you really hit the spot :) Also, I'm always baffled by your recording skills. How do you record 10min long segments without losing momentum? You're a legend! Hope to see more lists like this - perhaps 'fantasy that makes you cry'?
Honestly I would put George Martin on my list. What his books say about the nature of morality, what is right and wrong, is not only challenging but I think masterfully written. He doesn’t preach but simply by telling the truth about the world his themes come through the pages.
I love this idea, Philip! It’s an incredibly useful format for us readers and I am looking forward to seeing the next video. Also, I finally am starting a series from a certain Doctor of Fantasy…
Thank you, Scotty! I appreciate your kind words, and I also am grateful that you're starting The Edan Trilogy. I hope it will prove a compelling journey!
Sheri Tepper is a must-read for makes you think! Yes to China Miéville. G G Kay has long been one of my favourite authors but I'd put him top of my historical fantasy list rather than 'makes you think'.
I think Ruocchio will challenge this list in the future. He’s like a more accessible version of Gene Wolfe Now whether you consider Sun Eater sci-fi or fantasy is up in the air but like Dune and BotNS I can see both arguments
In addition to making the reader think, Le Guin also happens to have the strongest command of the English language of any writer other than Steinbeck and maybe Shakespeare.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I love Bakker and Gaiman. I love Jemisin and Wurts. Gene Wolfe is ludicrously brilliant. I'd strongly recommend you check out his Wizard Knight duology, as well as the Soldier series, collected in the Latro in the Mist omnibus. Le Guin is likewise brilliant, although I'm not sure I'd rank her this high on the "make you think," aspect instead of Sheri Tepper, or Andre Norton, C.J. Cherryh, or C.S. Friedman, but still, I'm splitting hairs here - they are all fucking brilliant. Steven Erikson's Malazan and Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber, have been, and continue to be, my two favorite series ever. So, not surprisingly, I really enjoyed most of this list. Just quickly, off the top of my head, I'd probably say that Peter S. Beagle, Octavia Butler, Charles de Lint, Stephen R. Donaldson, Megan Lindholm (Robin Hobb before she was Robin Hobb), Richard Morgan, Matthew Woodring Stover, and Jack Vance, would all be SERIOUSLY competitive in the "top 10 fantasy make you think category" ;-)~. With regard to the "strongest command of the English language," bit, well, I've got a few suggestions. I'd take Cherryh, E. R. Eddison, Jo Walton, and Zelazny over Le Guin or Steinbeck (and Hemingway by FAR over Steinbeck if we're ignoring the fantasy appellation). Just my opinion here; not looking for an argument. That said, the absolute MONSTER of the English language for me is Lord Dunsany. That guy, for me, can evoke more emotion in a short sentence, much less a short story, novella, or novel, than even the best of poets (Browning, Eliot, Whitman) or even the Bard himself. Anyway, fun stuff, great video, and keep 'em coming!
@@dereksmith4509 Thank you, Derek! I loved reading about your candidates for fantasy authors who make you think. I hope to be covering some of them on the channel in the years to come. All the best!
Great Video Philip especially as someone who's not a fan of much Modern Fantasy it's goos to hear about ones I may try at some point. Great to see the Book of the New Sun, Wolfe was a Genius as far as I'm concerned. Although I'll always argue the fact that it's Science Fiction not fantasy (how else do you explain the Cyborg) 😉
Thank you! It’s funny, but I realized while making this video that several of the authors who make me think the most have a tendency to disregard genre boundaries. They seem most likely to experiment and break “the rules,” I suppose. Cheers!
Laughter is #1 for me, Simon R.Green & Christopher Buehlman are my newest discoveries! I do not know if you will be able to squeeze Deathstalker & Blacktongue Thief in before you produce your comedy authors videos. I assume Joe Abercrombie , Pratchett & GRRM will be on that future list!!
An author I enjoy, and I’m reading right now that really doesn’t show up in the pop fantasy world, but is definitely fantasy is Nick Harkaway, son of John le Carre. I’m currently reading ‘Angelmaker’ which has a bit of a steampunk flavor, and years ago I read ‘Gone Away World’. I’d love to hear your take on him. A classic author that really makes me think is Samuel Delany.
Thanks for the recommendations! I recently found your channel and will look into buying your Edan books. Please do make a video on books that make you feel. I use my brain all day at work, so when I get home I want don't want to think some more - I want to feel.
I love the idea of this list! Also having a list with both Hobb and Jemisin on it means I must check out the authors on here I’ve not read yet. I really want to get to Janny Wurts’s stuff, I’ve only read Empire, which she coauthored with Feist, so far. Absolutely need to get to Leguin soon!
Great video and I love the way you plan on splitting these top 10 lists into different subjects. Happy to see Bakker on your list. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say about The Aspect-Emperor books when you get around to them. An author I think I'd include on my list would be John Crowley. I've read his novels Little Big, Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr, and I'm two books in to his Ægypt cycle, the first book The Solitudes is one of my all time favorites.
This was a great video to watch with my coffee this morning! I love the topic and agree with your choices of those who I have read. I would add a sleeper pick of Joe Abercrombie, especially in the Age of Madness Trilogy. There were a lot of societal themes in there that I thought about well after finishing that series. I look forward to your future videos of this type!
Abercrombie definitely moved closer to making this list for me with Age of Madness. He will definitely be appearing on other lists in this series. Cheers, Josh!
Wonderful list, Dr. Chase! Erikson and Wolf have made my brain hurt many times and yet I keep going back for more 😂. Also, Neal Stephenson is another author that I would put right up there with Erikson and Wolf in terms of the richness of the concepts that he plays around with. I love his Anathem, Baroque Cycle, and Seveneves books. Looking forward to the other author lists!
Thanks, Tom! Janny Wurts’ prose is a key to her marvelous world building. It immerses the reader and gives a distinct and timeless feel to Athera. Cheers!
This is a great concept for future videos! I enjoy these categories because they give so much more information than a standard ranking of books. I'm happy to say that I just started Josiah Bangcroft based on one of your earlier videos, and I am having such a blast. I'm also not familiar with any of Gene Wolfe'a work, so you already gave me a new author to try.
Yes, my number one comes as no surprise to most, I think. Tolkien was my favorite author for about 38 years (he'll be on some of the later videos in this series, for sure). By nature, I don't change my favorites very often, so Erikson taking the throne was a big deal for me. Robin Hobb came close too, though!
R. Scott Bakker is my favorite author, hands-down! His characterization is top-tier: I've been absolutely mesmerized by his character studies, and the way he takes the reader on such profound character journeys. And then there are the plots, and the world-building, and the best prose I've ever read, ever! Also, you've really sold me on Janny Wurts! I picked up Curse of the Mistwraith a while back, but I'm a bit of a magpie--I pick books up and then get distracted by other books. Anyway, I'm going to make a point to get back to it before much longer, so thank you for that!
That's my hope as well,@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy! I'm currently working on Mission 2 of Huntress for Hire and also book 1 of a new epic fantasy series with Bronze Age Europe inspiration, and I'm really trying to get better at every single thing I do--and from what you've said about her, I think Wurts would be the perfect author for me to read. That said, this is *also* why I'm looking forward to getting back to a fantasy series called The Edan Trilogy, by a certain Dr. Philip Chase.
My favorite part in the Prince of Nothing trilogy is in The Warrior-Prophet, when Cnaiür the barbarian, swept away by self-denial, self-hatred and internalized bigotry, digs a hole in the ground. I would like to believe it's a grotesque extension of Zosima's advice to kiss the ground in The Brothers Karamazov, and the emotional and psychological reverse of Alyosha Karamazov's epiphany before he kisses the ground. Bakker might not have intended that reference, but how I do wish that he did, because even though it might be unintentionally funny to some - as it was to me, initially - I still keep thinking about that Cnaiür scene to this day.
There’s a lot about Bakker’s writing that sticks with me. It’s definitely provocative in the best way. It also wouldn’t shock me if he had actually referenced The Brothers Karamazov. Cheers!
Honestly, I wouldn't have put Robin Hobb anywhere on this list. Although she is an incredible writer, I thought the ending of Assassin's Quest was an absolute train wreck that showed almost no reverence for the plot whatsoever. After nearly 2,000 pages I was getting the impression she was more concerned about torturing Fitz rather than telling the best story possible. It would've been different if Verity had returned to Buckkeep but when he disappeared into the dragon I was like, "What the hell? What about the Farseer lineage?", as if the bastard son of Fitz and Ketricken would do anything to repair the damage done by Regal's rumors which revolved around that EXACT scenario. I felt that the series was intended for a much younger audience than it was written for, Fitz wouldn't have made it past the 2nd novel if it wasn't for un-foreshadowed rescue missions from Starling and Nighteyes and the way she just waves a magic wand to fix everything that was broken in the last hundred pages was really sloppy, in my opinion. Other than that, I really appreciate these videos because I've been struggling to find a series I can sink my teeth into. Thanks!
My pleasure! I clearly enjoyed Farseer much more than you did, but I do think of it as weaker than the other series within Realm of the Elderlings, with the exception of The Rain Wilds Chronicles. My best wishes to for that quest for the next amazing series!
Thank you for this video Philip! I do prefer lists/recommendations that are themed this way. I'm definitely drawn to books that make me think so this was perfect for me. I know you mentioned that Gene Wolfe was probably the most dense and hardest to tackle but I'm so intrigued by Book of the New Sun that I might just take the plunge.
I really want to get into book of the New Sun. I haven’t read many challenging books, and it seems fascinating. I loved The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, can’t wait for that sequel. I need to go back and read Lawrence’s backlog.
Wonderful video Dr. Chase! I love the idea behind this new series of top ten videos and am looking forward to the next installment. I agree with you about many of the authors you’ve chosen here and am looking forward to reading those I’m not yet familiar with. One author I would add to my own list is Patricia A. McKillip. She’s a master of fantasy and a wizard with words. I’ve read her books over and over again throughout the years and find something new each time. Every single word is chosen so carefully it feels like the language is gently inviting you to slow down, savor, and think through each sentence as you wend your way through the story. She presents challenging themes and questions in a subtle way and answers are seldom given without effort from the reader. All in the span of (relatively) short standalone novels! I don’t see her works discussed much in fantasy BookTube circles, which is a shame. I would love to hear what you think of her work someday!
Great Series idea and Video. I am really excited about this video (and others upcoming), since I seem to be a theme reader at times. Having a list of fantasy authors for certain themes will be a great help. Looking forward to the videos. Thanks. 😊
Great list! I will check some of the authors you've mentioned that I haven't read yet, like Gene Wolfe and Mark Lawrence. I would add to the list Mervyn Peake and his Gormenghast trilogy, I don't remember if you've read them or not. Thanks for the video!
Love the idea behind this video. "Authors who make you THINK" is pretty much always what I'm looking for. I still need to get to Wurts and Hobb. I second your R.Scott Bakker, Neil Gaiman, Ursula Le Guin, and Gene Wolfe. Office is looking great, by the way!
Philip you must squeeze in Daughter of the Empire too, only need to read that one book to read perfection on the page!! It is Feist’s world but Wurts’s story and prose.
Everytime you discuss Earth Sea I want to read it. The current audio narrator available is so bad, Rob Inglis , but Konba Holbrook Smith is magical!! Alas only available in the UK.☹️ I am going to wait however long to get that version!!
Wonderful idea! Can't wait to see more from this series of videos. I'm considering re-reading Prince of Nothing then finishing the series this year. You always make me want to read more Bakker! Janny Wurts is on my list for the next couple of months, starting with To Ride Hell's Chasm! Very excited.Truth and courage! Ed
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I know a couple all too well! I’ve actually cried both at The Faithful and The Fallen and The Edan Trilogy so make sure you pop your own books in there Philip! Ed
Great list! I know you read Donaldson's essay on epic fantasy and so I know how much that made you think. Just wait until you get to reading some of his series and I think he'll be on this list as well. He's number 2 on mine.
A guy called The Fantasy Thinker would inevitably have an important contribution here! I think you're right about Donaldson, Jarrod. I did read Lord Foul's Bane many years ago, but I would like to reread it and continue in the Thomas Covenant series.
This is a great vid! Your no1 is mine also. I would include in my list the Discworld series. I have had so many profound thoughts and realisations when reading many of those books, particularly in the Night Watch books.
I've read only four Discworld books, so I will likely think about Pratchett in light of how thought provoking he is as I read more. I can see it already in Guards! Guards! and Equal Rites. Cheers, Tricia!
This is a great idea for a video! Le Guin is my favorite author so I am happy to see her on the list, and I think the Edan trilogy does a similarly excellent job of exploring what it means to be alive and the nature of our connection to the world
Thanks so much! I appreciate your kind words about The Edan Trilogy, especially as I was definitely trying to explore exactly that theme. All the best!
I'm sorry, but Jemisin is the most overrated author in the fantasy genre. I read "The Fifth the Season" twice to give it a fair shake. Most undeserving Hugo winner ever.
Loved this take on a top ten list! Reading for enjoyment it great but, when you get more out of it challenge and confronting certain topics and feelings and learning something new..it just adds to the level of enjoyment. At least for me. Wonderful video!❤
What devilry is afoot!!?? A Top 10? Philip! Nay, say it isn't true. This is heresy of the highest order sir! (Great list, I love a good Top 10. A good one. Like this one) Cheers, Carlos.
I have a strange relationship with top ten videos. My most watched video (by far) is my 2021 top ten video. I didn't make another one after that partly because of how stressful they are. At the same time, if you don't take them too seriously, they can be fun. Cheers, Carlos!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy It's certainly stressful when you put one out on the internet and set it in stone 😂 I jest... They are good fun, and I love doing them, partly because I know I would change my mind 5 minutes after doing one hahah This was a great idea for one though!
I really need to read The Book that Wouldn't Burn. Think I'll pick it up when I get the chance. Also, your top 2 picks didn't surprise me at all lol, and I agree with that choice so hard. I personally would have put Sir Terry Pratchett on this list somewhere. While he is most know for his absurd humor and wit, he regularly hits you with deeply profound insights that make you think. Also I think his work can be more approachable to people who find the more serious authors too intimidating for them. I personally never get tired of re-reading his Discworld novels. Great ideas for top 10 lists. I can't wait more to come.
Thank you, Andrew! I do need to read more Pratchett. I've got only four Discworld books read so far. The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic were okay, but I started to see his brilliance more and more in Guards! Guards! and Equal Rites. There's a good chance he might come up later in this video series!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Yeah, while I do really enjoy the first 2 novels they are pretty rough. Going Postal is actually my favorite piece of literature in existence lol, Wee Free Men is up there close. But there are so many in the Discworld that are just really good; Small Gods, Hogfather, The Last Continent, and all the City Watch books. So good. They're all fairly short reads which makes them ideal for picking up in between other things.
Love these lists. Thank you for all the inspiration. The authors that made me think so far in my 3 years of reading Fantasy and a bit of SF: N. K. Jemisin, Octavia E. Butler, Ken Liu and M. L. Wang.
I was hoping Le Guin would make the list and hear the top (and Wolfe, too). I honestly think that no book (except my scriptures) did more to shape my personality and consciousness than A Wizard of Earthsea in my youth, and she just keeps on teaching me things, and I love her for it! I think it would be really interesting if you were to read the stories of Jorge Luis Borges. His stories all function as thought-experiments on esoteric ideas. For instance, “The Library of Babylon” is about a library that contains all possible combinations of books of a certain size, number of characters, etc. It deals with questions of knowledge, probability and contingency, etc. Others explore questions about human agency, the nature of creation, he even anticipated hypertextuality and is credited with “inventing” the hyperlink via his story “The Garden of Forking Paths.” And all but one story is under 12 pages (most are under 10); the one “long story” (titled “The Congress”) is only 18 pages. Each is specifically about asking questions and postulating ideas about them. He was a huge influence on both Le Guin and Wolfe (and a ton of other 20th century luminaries - dude totally deserved a Nobel Prize…). A very provocative list, Philip, and I’m already thinking about my own version thereof. Btw, see you at ICFA?
Thank you, Paul! I would love to see your list, and I should probably read more Borges. Alas, I will be unable to attend ICFA because of a family emergency that we will be taking care of during that time. All the best!
What a clever and original idea for book lists.... A great range on that list and of course I knew what Number one on it was going to be. Look forward to the next one.
Thanks. I've been looking for thoughtful fantasy for a long time. Bakker and Erikson were recommended to me some time ago and I couldn't get through the first book of either. I've read and greatly enjoyed Gene Wolfe's entire solar cycle (Books of the New, Long, and Short Sun), so it's not the scope or complexity of either that put me off. I think I was hoping for something approaching Wolfe's prose style. Alas, no. That was my impression at least. I may try Bakker again. But I'll definitely be looking out for some of these others you recommend. (I've had Jemisin on the radar and feel pretty confident I'm going to like it.) I read the Earthsea books aloud to my kids many years ago and it was wonderful. Still one of the best fantasies I've read. You should give Wolfe's The Wizard-Knight duology a go at some point. Totally different first-person approach to that of Severian, with an almost opposite register, but that still manages to be highly literary.
So my list will be a tad unique, because a lot of the authors that influenced me wrote manga. I will only give 5, as I have to think about this a bit more to expand the list, but here it is: 5. Le Guin. As you say. 4. Togashi, the author of Hunter x Hunter and YuYu Hakusho. Just like Steven Erikson, Togashi loves the breadth of ideas and perspectives. He too loves to explore compassion through characters that are at first in conflict, but naturally grow a strong connection and empathy. The Chimera Ant arc of Hunter x Hunter is one of the most challenging, constantly inviting one to think deeply, and yet enjoyable stories I've experienced. I also want to say that Togashi is currently the one of the only authors I've read that realistically questions how would a child character act in a cruel world. The thing is: children do not have a developed sense of morality or right and wrong. Their perspective will be, by nature, selfish, narroe and innocent. While Steven Erikson explores this as something to be protected and provides an almost objective quality to the world, Togashi does the opposite. A monster is born. 3. Oda. One Piece might seem like a silly adventure story at first, but just like Le Guin, Oda confornts us with difficult questions, presents us with profound ideas and explores them in such a unique and beautiful way. The main theme of One Piece the idea of individual freedom and no other author has managed to explore this idea as profoundly as Oda has. One Piece also incorporates many other powerful ideas besides. I can't wait to hear your opinion of it! 2. Kentaro Miura. Before reading Malazan Berserk was the work that influenced my perspective on life and the human nature the most. And even then, this might still be true. Kentaro Miura was a genius in both writing and art. Guts is still, IMO, the most human, grounded and detailed fantasy character ever written. Miura masterfully weaves complex themes of identity, causality, dreams and meaning with very grounded characters that feel real. The reader gets hit with deeply emotional, profohnd and beautiful scenes that drive all of the ideas home. Again and again. What is even more impressive is that at least half of this is done through Miura's unmatched art. For those of you who know: the dream sequence in Fantasia is the best exploration of trauma I have, and probably will have, ever read. 1. Steven Erikson. You put it perfectly. The only think I would add is that Erikson also stands himself apart from the rest by his sheer diversity of ideas. The breadth of this guy's perspective is unbelievable. Is there something Erikson has not tackled in his work? The only author to have made me think and impressed me more than Miura has.
Fantastic list! You have obviously read much more manga than I have, but I will admit that I thought about Takehiko Inoue (Vagabond) as a possible candidate here. All the best!
Ken Liu comes to mind. The ideas he put forth in The Dandelion Dynasty are mind-boggling. I don't know if Robin Hobb makes me think but she definitely compels me to read The Realm of the Elderlings unrelentingly. I'll get to Malazan eventually. Janny Wurts, too. Nice show. Thank you.
Nice list. Idk if I’ll ever get to most of them. Dropped The Fifth Season halfway, just wasn’t what I was looking for. I do wanna try out Wurtz, LeGuinn and Erikson. I don’t mind having my ideas challenged, but I read mainly to be entertained. Doesn’t matter how thought provoking your books are if they aren’t entertaining or the characters suck. Just my two cents. 😊
That's a great list, Philip. I loved Broken Earth trilogy. That 3rd book was just brilliant. It became one of my all time favourite series'. And I completely agree with you about Le Guin. I still need to read last 2 books in Earthsea but I am sure it will be on my top 10 favourite series once I finish.
Excellent idea for a series of videos ! I still have to read quite a few authors on your list but I agree with your choice for N.K. Jemisin, Robin Hobb and Steven Erikson. I hope the authors from this top 10 list I still have to read will make me think, to me that's one of the main reasons why I read : to discover other and different thought processes, to find other points of view about certain themes and topics. Looking forward to your next videos !
Love this concept, I will always be a sucker for some good lists, hahah. Really great picks, I couldn't agree more with what you said about Hobb, Gaiman, and Lawrence! I am actually really eager to reread most of their works again, because I feel like they write those types of stories that only get better and better with each new read. There's so much enjoyment on a surface level, but the true beauty hides in the layers that you can slowly peel back over time. Also can't wait to get to Malazan when the timing is right for me! Will never get enough of your gushing over that series, haha. Ken Liu, Daniel Abraham, Nicky Drayden, Tamsyn Muir, and Adrian Tchaikovksy would be high up my list. Cheers, Philip!
A lot of the authors that come to my mind when considering this category seem to be more sci-fi than fantasy. I love the Expanse and it definitely has some philosophic themes about society, etc. The other one I thought of is Cixin Liu's The Three Body Problem. That series literally made me think in a completely different way about certain things. But if we're only listing fantasy, then I agree with you about Erikson and Mark Lawrence. I would add Terry Pratchett, Daniel Abraham, Stephen King, and Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.
The book that made me think the most last year The Book That Wouldn’t Burn - Mark Lawrence. I haven’t read his other books YET so I don’t know his style. But that one had me on the ropes.
Little surprised that Tolkien isn’t on the list somewhere. I think he has a lot to say about war, about industrialization, about material things and wealth “all that is gold does not glitter.” His works are something I think about quite a bit.
I love Tolkien’s books, so they will undoubtedly come up during this video series. I also think he’s a great choice for a writer who makes you think. Cheers!
Great List!!! I’m definitely planning on reading Janny Wurts, just waiting on the library to have it in so I can check it out. I’m reading Hobb, and she definitely makes me think a lot.
I have heard quite a bit about Bancroft's work, but somehow it never convinces me; I think I may need to find more about him, perhaps a spoilery review. I really, really need to read Lawrence's "The Book..." I was actually going to get it used, but it sold before I got to the store (somehow, someone there ignored my email reservation; I was quite pissed). By the way, your edition of Assassin's Apprentice is just gorgeous! I had never seen it! And Janny Wurts is getting an audiobook and I preordered it at lightning speed! Wolfe I'm re-reading him right now, no convincing needed; nevertheless, immersive is a thing because the narrator is *very* good. An excellent list! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Livia! It’s exciting that Curse of the Mistwraith is finally getting the audiobook, and I hope it will be excellent. I hope you’re able to track down a good copy of The Book That Wouldn’t Burn!
Dr. Chase, I really like where you're going with these lists. It's a great and useful "twist" to the conventional Top Ten lists. I look forward to the others in this series. Thank you!
Thank you, Mike! I’m trying to give the top ten list a slightly different spin. Hopefully, it will be fun for people and start some conversations. All the best!
Erikson, Wurts, Wolfe, Bakker, Hobb are among my all-time favorites!! Two further recommendations for series that make you think for you to try would be Donaldson's Gap Cycle. It's a space opera and deals heavily with psychological trauma, the tangible threat of alien life, conspiracies, heroes becoming victims becoming villains becoming heroes... Secondly, Matthew Stover's Acts of Caine. A Sci-Fantasy meditation on the nature of entertainment and our complicity in it, self versus persona, the evils of caste societies, resilience and the violation of mind and integrity, and more.
Funnily enough, Acts of Caine was recommended to me recently in another context. I guess I should listen. I very much want to return to Donaldson’s books on the channel at some point. Cheers, Marc!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Acts of Caine is probably in my Top 5. I love it! Stover does something different structurally and tonally with each book. As a fellow Malazan lover I guess you could appreciate it ;) The Gap Cycle is much more readable, fast paced and has more plot focus than Thomas Covenant. Covenant I found intriguing thematically but it was not all-around enjoyable for me. Cheers, Philip! ;D
Hi Philip, new sub here! Really want to read Gene Wolfe, including his Wizard books. l also need to return to Le Guin, since the old copy of the Earthsea trilogy I got was ex-library and when I finished the first book it was literally falling apart in my hands! That is a lovely edition you have there 🙂 Oh and I should try Malazan, since Erikson is an archaeologist, and I really love that and remember someone saying that you can tell this fact when reading his books.
You really can feel the archeological influences in Malazan. Both Erikson and Esslemont are trained archeologists, and the world they created together is the most layered I’ve encountered. All the best!
Great video and I need to read more of these, but I'm insulted that neither Sanderson nor GRRM made the list... waahhh I also feel like you yourself could be on this list.
This is about books that make you think. That is books with deep philosophy, introspection, complexity. Sanderson whiles very good is a completely different type of author. He's not the deep philosophical type.
@@alexwallachian7720 While I respect your opinion and can understand why you might say that given how blatant and obvious Brandon can occasionally be about some things, I disagree. I think Stormlight is one the most philosophical series I have ever read, up there with LeGuin's stuff, and find that it has made me think more about moral questions than any other series I've read. In those books and others of his (ex Yumi, Mistborn), I appreciate the exploration of and commentary on, among many other things, balancing duty and our responsibility to society with our responsibility to ourselves, religion and atheism, revenge, redemption, the nature of art, the horror of war and whether or not it can ever be justified, the arbitrariness of many cultural norms, the morality of claiming to know what is right for others, and whether or not, or to what extent the ends justify the means. In addition, although this last is not true of all of his works, Stormlight specifically allows the reader a broad range of interpretation of many of its themes.
Jemisin turned me off as soon as I read the first 200 pages of The City We Became. Such a heavy handed, over the top, utterly ridiculous treatment of “white man bad”. Definitely not for me. Piranesi definitely fits into this video category for me!
Piranesi is a great choice! I will definitely be mentioning Susanna Clarke in this series. While I had a very different experience from you with Jemisin's writing, it would be a boring world if we all agreed all the time about books. All the best!
@@DustinHarrisWHBC Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Like Piranesi, it can give you a dreamlike experience, and it’s short (for fantasy). Happy reading!
Hmm, Erikson over Wolfe, aye? Interesting. Lots of your favorites on this list-maybe you like to think, Philip! Look forward to all these ‘top ten’ lists. Careful, though, before long you’ll be dishing out star ratings! Happy reading!
Ha ha! I might occasionally give a five-star rating on Goodreads to help out a book that I really love, but other than that, I will refrain from assigning a rating. As for Wolfe, let's see what happens when I read more of his stuff. Cheers, David!
It’s interesting that you list The Book That Wouldn’t Burn as one that made you think. I found the opposite. There was so much repetition, so close together, that it felt like the author thought all of the readers were idiots, or have serious memory and comprehension problems. And I found it predictable. I knew where the book was going and what would happen or be the “reveals” well before it happened, or with the first sentence of a scene at the latest. Ended up being a DNF for me after too many pages of pain. Authors that make me think… number 1 is Janny Wurts. Others, not ranked, are: Phillip Mann (mostly science fiction rather than fantasy), CJ Cherryh (though I haven’t read any of her fantasy yet, just her SF), Robin Hobb, Julian May, LE Modesitt Jr (Recluce), Ursula Le Guin, Trudi Canavan (specifically her Age of Five trilogy)
Awesome video! I am currently reading Memories of Ice and it is indeed a thinker of a novel. Dune is very much a thinker for me as well as the recent Sun Eater series. Ruocchio has some great insights on culture and time. I've seen a lot of manga content on your channel as well, have you read any that would fit on this list?
Thanks, Kaden! For Manga, I would probably include Vagabond. I love Dune, but so many people think of it as science fiction rather than fantasy (debatable, I think) that I decided not to include it. As for Sun Eater, I'm excited to start it later this year. All the best!
Ha ha! I've read only four Discworld books so far. The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic were okay, but I can see from Guards! Guards! and Equal Rites why he might belong here. As I read more of his books, I'm sure I'll have more to say about Sir Terry!
Different books stir different feelings in people, and different authors will raise different questions/thoughts in people as well. I thought this was a very unique and interesting approach to the top 10 lists that abound here on BookTube and appreciate you tackling such territory. And this is the Internet, where a silly Awards Season joke could be blown way out of proportion. I'm glad you saw the intended humor! @@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy
@@Montie-Adkins SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS All I’ll say is that you do find out in book four how many Ringdoms there are and also what’s on top. It’s kind of a surprise, but there are clues all along the way. Cheers!
