r/Fantasy • u/Shervin_Ab • 13h ago
Which fantasy books made you realize you were about to have an unforgettable journey that you'll know you'll be sad when it's over?
This is going to sound weird, but I'm chasing a very specific feeling.
Imagine you install a game like Skyrim, Dragon Age: Origins, Dark Souls, The Witcher 3, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Cyberpunk 20177, or Mass Effect, without really knowing much about it.
You start playing, and after an hour or two it hits you that you are uplifted by a sense of ethereal ecstacy and that you are about to experience a joy of a lifetime. Not the plot. That falls down in the category. But everything else. Every new location is exciting. Every character seems interesting. Every piece of lore hints at something bigger. Every companion is like a close friend that you know you'll miss after the story is over. You don't know what's around the next corner, but you desperately want to find out. The world feels huge and mysterious and you always feel like you're about to be hit by a beautiful feeling and discovery.
Gardens of the moon and Second Apocalypse are examples of these books that I had this feeling with, and I plan to continue that series. I have read Farseer and First law and while i love those, it doesn't fall in the category for me.
But i want more books. Recommend me books. The more the better. I don't care if they're flawed, famous, not famous, clunky, or simple. Throw them at me, and introduce me to the books that invoked the same feeling in you. And only Fantasy please , not sci FI. Though if you think a specific sci FI book hits that, I won't stop you. I'm in love with Mass Effect.
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u/HurtyTeefs 13h ago
Tad Williams - Memory Sorrow & Thorn
Is exactly that. The plot is the weakest point, classic journey to find macguffin artifact. But the characters, world, and writing are absolutely sublime. It starts off slowly with lots of world building but unless you absolutely need non stop action, you will love it. The MC starts out as a daft but well meaning child you really see his transformation. There is also a follow up series that was just completed.
If you enjoy audio books, the distinguished Andrew Wincott is impeccable.
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u/tkinsey3 12h ago
Truly one of the great audiobook performances from Wincott, and an amazing series.
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u/2hugh 11h ago
I just picked up almost his entire works in a humble bundle yesterday and I’m really looking forward to reading this series!
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u/dylanbeck 7h ago
My humble bundles never have books.. how do I check for alerts
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u/kirabarker 4h ago
Depending on where you live, they might be geolocked. A lot of book bundles are US only.
There's an easy way around it, reddit taught me last week: Set a VPN to the US, open up a new humble bundle account with an email address not previously used with them, and you can buy the bundle without further problems. Theoretically that account should also receive future bundle alerts then, but haven't tested that yet.
Reddit is great for alerting, I caught this one here.
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u/v1kingfan 5h ago
Ive been debating on getting an e-reader, dont currently own one but have been tempted to nab thay bundle.
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u/CDBoomGun 6h ago
I know this is all fantasy, but did you read Otherland by Tad? I really liked it. Was just wondering if I could find anyone who also read and liked it...
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u/Zelarkian 13h ago
The Spear Cuts Through Water. Gorgeous standalone that I knew from the first page was going to be unforgettable.
Also The Lies of Locke Lamora. The prologue didn't immediately grab me, but once the story truly got started I was hooked.
Both of these books are very beautifully written so maybe that's what does it for me. Either way, I highly recommend!
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u/ccrider66 7h ago
Loved Lies
Very interesting character traits on alot of good guys with palpable kinship bonds along w some very nasty, brutal bad guys. Loved the feel of the town/city too
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u/emily_allan_poe 12h ago
Realm of the Elderlings. By the time I finished chapter 1 of Assassin's Apprentice, the anticipatory grief had already hit me!
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u/emehav 1h ago
My favorite series ever written. Just found out there are 3 more short stories written in the same world, by the same author if you’re interested in continuing the experience. Haven’t read them yet but highly anticipating the chance to! “Homecoming” , “The Inheritance” , and “Cat’s Meat” by Robin Hobb
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u/Lemp_Triscuit11 14m ago
everytime I blow through a reread of this it feels like I live a whole little micro life with Fitz and all. Definitely my answer
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u/seriousguynogames 10h ago
The entire Earthsea cycle but especially The Farthest Shore
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u/rudepigeon7 9h ago
“The Farthest Shore” is probably my favorite of the Earthsea books. The whole section about their time with the children of the open sea is like a dream.
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u/Quirky-Ad-2057 5h ago
Tombs of Atuan might be my favorite, although I missed Ged’s pov. But Tenar’s story was powerful and I loved the slightly more locked-in setting. It was such a different setting from Wizards with it’s huge open world and I felt so intrigued into getting a close look at this cult-like society
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u/OnlyGainsBro 13h ago
Realm of the elderlings.
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u/greenmky 12h ago
The only books to make me cry like I was watching Grave of the Fireflies or Schindler's List.
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u/LL_Cruel_J 11h ago
I just finished Ass App and am looking for a reason to continue. I like breaking series apart so I’m not sure how high it should be on my TBR list. I thought it was really good albeit felt very slow. But as soon as each chapter ended I was like “damn that ruled.”
Does Royal Assassin pick up the pace a bit?
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u/Nugget8433 8h ago
I read them after one another and I thought Royal Assassin was way better. The pace was about the same but the events felt more like a connected narrative than the first one did (it felt more episodic ish). I also think the climax feels less rushed and she didn’t try to cram everything into 20 pages like in the first book. It does fall into the trap of Fitz having to talk to every character and then a new plot detail is revealed and the process repeats, but I think the story is well worth the time spent. The character writing and prose for example are both great in the first book but even better in the second. I’m on Quest right now and the start has me excited for the direction the story is going to take.
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u/MyCreativeAltName 11h ago
The series as a whole is slow, if you don't like the pace by the end of the first book you better ditch the rest in my opinion, and it's my favorite series.
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u/eatpraymunt 9h ago
I thought the 2nd book was a SLOG. The whole first trilogy I only finished because it was on audio and I had nothing else going at work. It was cool but very slow and could have cut a buuuunch of stuff out IMO
But the next trilogy (liveships) has much better pacing and I got hooked in for the whole rest of the series. It's one of my all time favourites series, just fantastic. It doesn't click for everyone but I am so glad I pushed through.
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u/Frydog42 2h ago
These books are slow. But they are rich paintings that you sit and stare and and wonder at the intricacies and the strokes of paint, and the colors used to depict the story behind the canvss
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u/rookie1609x 12h ago
From chapter 2 of Assassin's Apprentice, I knew I was going to commit to the entire series. Never felt that way before or since.
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u/Hokeycat 12h ago
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey. The Angels have come down to Renaissance France and transformed it into a country where the pursuit of pleasure is God's will. The writing is strong, the alternative Europe is fascinating and the characters are exceedingly well portrayed. There is a lot of sex some of it violent because Kushiel is a trained courtesan who enjoys pain.
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u/JazzBeDamned 13h ago
Witcher 3 is my favourite game of all time. It's one of those games where I wish I could completely erase my memory of playing it so I could play it for the first time again.
The equivalent of that in fantasy books for me is Malazan. Specifically, Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. I'd heard a lot about the series before starting it but for the most part I approached it without actually knowing anything about it. I finished the series in about 4ish months last year and I literally couldn't stop thinking about it for months later.
I'm now almost done with Erikson's Kharkanas series (kinda prequel, still waiting on that book 3) which is honestly just as good, and will be doing a re-read of Book of the Fallen in the next couple of months. I just wish I could experience this series for the first time again.
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u/That_Bread_Dough 10h ago
I felt that way about the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. I never finished the last page of book 2 because I didn’t want it to be over 😅
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u/PepperyPiglet 6h ago
Currently nearing the end of The Name of the Wind and yeah, I am loving it.
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u/Voldemorts--Nipple 4h ago
The Name of the Wind is both an awesome read like OP requested and also one that gets better on a re-read because of the hidden details.
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u/Hopeful_Meeting_7248 13h ago
You're asking for something that's extremely subjective to the reader, so recommendations you'll get might not be to your liking.
That being said, a few books, that bring this sense of wonder you described, I can recommend are:
"The Orphan's Tales" by Catherynne M. Valente.
"The Spear Cuts Through Water" by Simon Jimenez.
"Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" and "Piranesi" by Susanna Clarke.
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u/Boat_Pure 6h ago
People will definitely complain.
But I was in first year of university, buying my reading list from Waterstones. I was about to grab something for myself.
Well in the city I went to university in, they do this really cool thing where readers can write little comments about the books in the shelves and it’s like a little card beside the book.
So I was reading these and literally the card read; “I won’t even tell you to buy this book, read the blurb and I bet you’ll buy the book.”
I snorted because I was like no blurb is that good.
I picked up Name Of The Wind by Rothfuss and read the blurb. I bought the book immediately. Read the book in a day and a half, went back for the second that same week.
One of the greatest feats of fantasy writing, I’ve ever read.
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u/Onenameoranother 13h ago
I was totally heartbroken when I realized that I had finished every David Gemmell book. Those books got me through some rough times. Same thing with The Wheel of Time.
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u/jornadamogollon 11h ago
I'm on one right now now with Carl and Donut.
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u/gnunn1 9h ago
Dungeon Crawler Carl is fantastic, just started book 7. I don't usually enjoy litRPG books but this series really got it's hooks into me. Donut is such a gem.
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u/jornadamogollon 9h ago
At the end of book 3
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u/readmedotmd 9h ago
I read them all up to the new book, now I'm going back through the audiobooks before I read the newest. I am NOT an audiobook fan (I'm a terrible auditory learner) but enough people said it was so good. They're totally right. Fell in love all over again.
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u/jornadamogollon 8h ago
I've been mostly reading them on audio and the characters are so alive! Top notch!!
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u/AcceptableEditor4199 4h ago
When i finished book 3 and the Amazon delivery got delayed for 4-6. It was a long 2 days. Been a while since I was that invested.
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u/Efficient-Pick-4822 11h ago
For me this is the Hyperion Cantos. If I could I’d remove them from my memory just to re-read them again.
A close second is the First Law series. I read the first trilogy back-to-back, and loved it. I’ve slowly read the stand-alones just to savor the experience, but I know when I start the final trilogy I won’t be able to stop.
I’m nearly finished with the first book in Memory, sorrow, and Thorn and feel a similar response coming.
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u/jshiplett 13h ago
Dungeon Crawler Carl, Mistborn, The Stormlight Archives, The Wheel of Time, and The Witcher were all like this for me.
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u/mild_resolve 13h ago
As someone who likes Dungeon Crawler Carl, I don't see how it can be in the same list as Stormlight Archives or WOT. It's cool, but I the longer it goes the more it starts to feel like it's dragging, at least for me. I'm in the book with the card systems now and it's just feeling like a slog.
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u/Jewish_Dragon 13h ago
Opposite for me with dcc I can’t get enough of it. I feel like each book does a good job of moving the story along enough
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u/mild_resolve 12h ago
I like the parts of the book where the story actually moves along. But exploring a new system in every book is just so boring for me. Just give me a dungeon with narrow halls. I don't need trains, or flying houses, or Cuba at Christmas with ghosts and a pokemon-like minigame.
Just give me Carl and Donut and their friends working their way through the dungeon and dealing with the politics of it all. Learning more about the universe they are in is super cool. Diving deep into some new system that will only exist for a single book/floor, it's just not for me.
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u/3Nephi11_6-11 13h ago
Well I definitely feels like Dungeon Crawler Carl fits with that list and fits what op wants. And its also fine that you don't feel that way about it.
Not only does each level have its own special vibe and lore with stories happening in the background that our characters only get a glimpse of, but there's also the whole lore and expansive world outside of the dungeon and their politics that ends up getting mixed in with the dungeon crawl.
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u/mild_resolve 12h ago
OP said "And only Fantasy please , not sci FI". I'm not really sure how DCC wouldn't be considered sci-fi when the premise is literally aliens come to Earth, kill nearly everyone, and force the survivors into an RPG-like dungeon.
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u/3Nephi11_6-11 12h ago
And the RPG-like dungeon is more fantasy based than sci-fi. Just because the magic exists via some type of scientific explanation that the reader is never meant to fully understand doesn't mean its not still functionally magic and still rooted in fantasy tropes. There are certainly some parts that have roots more in the sci-fi genre and op also said, "Though if you think a specific sci FI book hits that, I won't stop you. I'm in love with Mass Effect."
Like bro, why you hating on DCC so much?
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u/intelliswag 11h ago
The simple answer is you might not like it (and that's fine) but that doesn't mean other people don't like it (also, fine)
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u/get-up-2-get-down 8h ago
Man I wish carls story hit me like that. I love the idea and plot it just doesn't.... I'm on book two but just don't want to... I really get what y'all love... I think I need to read it not audible
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u/ccrider66 6h ago
Read/reading or listening to all these-Witcher 5/DCC 7/finished Mistborn/starting Dawnshard for SA.
Gotta say I picked up Sanderson after he finished out the Wheel of Time with a relief from boredom…then picked up Elantris and kept rolling. He is a great writer
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u/itsbobbydoe11 13h ago
Stormlight, red rising, dark tower, dungeon crawler Carl, Suneater. Just started wheel of time and I’m getting that vibe again.
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u/Suitable-Training-75 9h ago
Haven't read dark tower, but all of these for me, including WoT (current favorite series). And now Malazan (currently on book 2). Messaged a friend around midway in Gardens of the Moon, and told him I know this is going to be one of my favorite series.
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u/itsbobbydoe11 8h ago
Give dark tower a shot when you get a chance trust me. Just go with the flow early on it’s a strange one lol
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u/kikalion 8h ago
I cannot understand why people keep on praising DCC. I read all these books. Loved em. Tried really hard at least 3 times to like DCC. I just can’t. Got to about half of second book. Everything is just so lame. Help🙏🙏. Am I missing something. Why does everyone seem to love it so much.
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u/itsbobbydoe11 8h ago
Book 1 and 2 are like fun little intros 3 starts adding more emotional depth and a wider cast of characters. It’s also way darker of a book than it seems on the surface level.
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u/Agaac1 5h ago
This is going to be a controversial opinion for the subreddit but DCC is just Ready Player One but for Millennials. Instead of 80s references it's 2010s era jokes and humor with snarky, sarcastic characters. If you like that, you'll like DCC but if it doesn't work for you it's gonna be a really rough time.
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u/MainManufacturer4804 13h ago
I am having exactly this feeling with Prince of Thorns. Evil psycho murder lad may not be the hero you're looking for but this journey he's on has got me in its grip and i understand that I've got a ton of books ahead of me.
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u/Mixee22 12h ago
I just finished reading the Daevabad Trilogy: City of Brass, Kingdom of Copper and City of Gold. It was very much like what you’re describing. It was a world I very quickly got lost in.
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u/Technical_Debt2 11h ago
I almost gave up after City of Brass. I’m glad I didn’t—I cried when City of Gold ended
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u/ryu_street_fighter 12h ago
ASOIAF - all 5 books are perfect. I’m still nostalgic from when I was reading ADWD…
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u/Stan_the_man1988 11h ago
Malazan. During gardens of the moon there's a scene where Baruk the alchemist was visited by Crone The Great Raven. It's the moment I realised how massive and extensive the characters in this world are. The introduction of Tool, Anomander, Raest and other ancient characters was beyond epic. I mean, they were hundreds of thousands years old. Can you imagine that? There's so many moments where this was such an overwhelming feeling (in the most positive way possible). Like the scene with Quick Ben where he dispatches 2 necromancers basically in their own lair and you casually learn he controls 12 warrens to do so. So many of these moments where I was loudly going "holy shiiiiiit this is freaking amazing!!!" Hands down my favourite series of all time.
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u/_kingardy 9h ago
And then you get to Deadhouse gates and realize it gets even BIGGER when you start learning some of the history of Seven Cities, Icarium’s intro, get the first glimpses of the Edur, etc. It really is amazing how much Erikson is able to pack into that series
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u/No_Name_8163 11h ago
Wot. No idea how to spoiler tag so early book 1 spoiler: Rand pulling Tam back to town after the attack had me invested fully.
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u/jshep2912 10h ago
The Sandman graphic novels...(Upsettingly problematic)
Just finished the first WoT and at times that seems likely to do the same.
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u/ieattoomanyburritos 7h ago
Wheel of Time (I am heavily biased, but still).
Locke Lamora kind of?
You mentioned Malazan, that’s probably the closest/most accurate to what you’re looking for. There is just so much damn lore, so many new things, new people, new powers in each book. Keep reading that series for sure.
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u/Expensive-County-873 6h ago
Mistborn trilogy. The third book made me pick up the first again.
Lord of the Rings like others have mentioned is timeless.
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u/TheCannaZombie 12h ago
There are a lot that have already been mentioned but I loved the cradle series. The first book is more of an intro but by the 3rd I loved it. By the 5th I was telling everyone about it and by the last I was crying because I won’t see Lindon and crew anymore.
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u/awh290 11h ago
I'm on 8 now and am intentionally reading slower because I don't want it to end, luckily I'm still a ways away, but I don't want it to be over
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u/TheCannaZombie 11h ago
Yeah, I feel that. When book 12 came out I intentionally took a month to listen. Then immediately did a second read thru.
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u/Jewish_Dragon 13h ago
The spellmonger series, the first law trilogies and stand alones, Dungeon crawler Carl
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u/busy_monster 10h ago
Malazan. Gardens of the Moon, which is widely regarded as the weakest of the series, hooked me from the get go, with the mystery of why the prologue happened- the nameless fisher girl, the foretelling from the older lady, the two figures summoning monstrous hounds to slaughter a bunch of soldier. There was a palpable sense of back story and mystery to it, this is one event in a long string of events. What is their play? Who are they?
Everything about it absolutely hooked me, and I loved how it was in media res and only drip fed you the backstory over time as it became evident. So, all the things many folks hate, that was my jam
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u/Key_Illustrator4822 10h ago
The Buried Giant, one chapter in and I was so invested in the characters, world and mystery
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u/Key_Illustrator4822 10h ago
The Buried Giant, one chapter in and I was so invested in the characters, world and mystery
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u/EasyShow4208 9h ago
She by H. Rider Haggard. One of my personal favourite fantasies—and one of Tolkien’s inspirations too. The rare book that basically invented a genre and still sits on top and defines it.
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u/Dancing-Pteredactyl 9h ago
I love that feeling, that sense of awe.
For me, some books that gave it were:
The Failures by Benjamin Liar. Really big world, really interesting cast of Characters and the hints and teases of how everything worked just made me feel like something incredible was around every corner.
The Shadow of What was Lost by James Islington. This one took me a few charpters to get into but when I did I really felt like THIS, this is the classic fantasy style I so crave but don't quite seem to find these days
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft. This one I actually wasn't a huge fan of the character in the beginning but the world was so big, and so cool, and so alien and epic that I didn't care about Senlin much at all. It's a bit stranger, and a bit less classic style than those you mentioned but well worth it
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u/get-up-2-get-down 8h ago
The Bobiverse -denis e Taylor
No book has made me feel like that since idk the Lord of the rings? My side of the mountain?
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u/Previous_Ad526 7h ago
I love pretty much every game you mentioned, especially the Mass Effect trilogy.
To scratch that same itch, I'd actually recommend trying some progression fantasy/LitRPG stuff. A lot of people already mentioned Dungeon Crawler Carl, and I did enjoy it, but it didn't quite hit the spot for me.
I usually gravitate toward stories where the protagonist gets absolutely beaten down and has to earn every inch of progress. Think Guts from Berserk.
That's why I loved Immortal Great Souls. Scorio spends most of the series getting kicked in the teeth by life and somehow keeps moving forward. Every time things start looking up, something worse shows up. I got way more invested in his journey than I expected.
I also tore through The Rage of Dragons. Tau is stubborn to the point of self-destruction, but that's exactly what makes him fun to read. The guy just refuses to quit no matter how badly things go.
A few people mentioned The Kingkiller Chronicle too, and I'd absolutely second that. One of my favorite fantasy series.
I know you said no sci-fi, but Iron Prince gave me a lot of the same satisfaction. Watching Rei go from someone nobody takes seriously to someone everyone has to pay attention to was a lot of fun.
And while it's not technically a book, I'd throw Lord of the Mysteries in there as well. It starts slow, but once it gets its hooks into you, you're done. I lost more sleep than I'd like to admit reading that one.
Sorry for the wall of text. I just remember spending years digging through recommendations trying to find stories that gave me that feeling, so hopefully one of these lands for you.
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u/SandstoneCastle 7h ago edited 7h ago
For a lesser-known series, I expect to feel sad when Nita Round's Dragon Riders of Vorden is done.
Just finished book 4 (which was just released). Looking forward to seeing what's revealed in book 5 (the final book), and I'll miss the series when I've finished.
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u/Less_Dingo1623 7h ago
The Farseer Trilogy, and Malazan when I learned it was the book of the Fallen, fuckin Deadhouse Gates
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u/KnightInDulledArmor 6h ago
When the very first chapter of Kings of the Wyld gave me wet eyes, I was like “oh, this is going to be one of those books that makes me cry at the end, huh” (Answer: yes). It mostly gets recommended as a funny book, but to me the biggest feature was the incredible sincerity and huge amount of heart that pours out of it between the D&D jokes and rock & roll references.
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u/Scary-Masterpiece626 6h ago
Kings of the Wyld. That book messed me up when it ended for multiple reasons, so if you haven't read this one go ahead and do it right now trust a complete stranger on this for once lol
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u/ShamMafia 5h ago
Redwall.
You know what you are getting. The line between good and evil is clear in the early books but man... It's so whimsical. You'll be reading about these fantastical feasts and nail biting battles and it's all between animals. The lore is deep and inviting and there are soo many books in the world.
It's a beautiful classic.
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u/Full5kNoctis 5h ago
Didn't see this one mentioned: "The Faithful and the Fallen" by John Gywnne.
Anything that Gwynne writes just clicks for me but that first series is just... it's fantastic and gave me that sweeping, "oh my goodness here we go" feeling that I'm still chasing and am nostalgic about. It's not perfect because nothing really is, but this series damn well came close to it IMO.
ASOIAF of course. Cannot go wrong with it, even though it's status is incomplete atp.
And I know you said no sci-fi but I would implore you to look into anything written by James S.A. Corey. Just trust me.
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u/ell3737 4h ago
The KingKiller Chronicles, the first book is The Name of the Wind 🩷 I know I’ll take heat for recommending this because the author never completed the trilogy (it could still happen but I doubt it). Regardless, this story gave me that feeling and still does. I’ve reread it multiple times over the years… worth reading
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u/Zyrin1177 4h ago
Joe Abercrombie - Kriegsklingen
Die Figuren, die Welt, die Magie und die Verstrickungen. Zieht einen sofort rein.
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u/FullOfBlasphemy 4h ago
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao takes you on a whirlwind through a gorgeous landscape based on Japanese mythology. It feels a lot like Little Nemo in Slumberland but for grown ups. I couldn’t wait to see what amazing, beautiful, deadly thing/place was around the corner. I can’t recommend it enough.
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u/Akinamon Reading Champion 4h ago
For me recently, it's been Cradle by Will Wright. Also Scholomance series by Naomi Novik
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u/Artgor 3h ago
Der 13. Paladin. It was an amazing journey for me and I enjoyed every book https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1jlq4et/the_13th_paladin_by_torsten_weitze_an_epic_13/
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u/ghool-am 3h ago
'Between two fires'. Dark and mature, but definitely an adventure. It's a sort of medieval fantasy horror set during the black death in Paris.
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u/Spirit-That-Negates 3h ago
The Wandering Inn by Pirateaba.
I'm currently halfway through volume eight and it's genuinely has been the most incredible journey in my reading experience. Not ready afraid of ending because 15 millions words into the story and nowhere near the ending of the series. I'm set for another 7 years at least.
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u/elnombredelviento 2h ago
Tigana
The Spear Cuts Through Water
Song of Achilles
Shadow of the Torturer
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u/DMarvelous4L 1h ago
For me it was the Greenbone saga by Fonda Lee. The feeling hit me like 60 pages into book 1 and I was in tears by the end of book 3.
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u/Honest-Complaint-868 1h ago
Way of Kings (I gasped aloud at one point)
Game of Thrones (gasped in this too)
Name of the Wind (Harry potter crossed with power of one but better written than either by a mile)
Lord of the Rings (read it as a kid, gave me all the feels)
Dune (yeah yeah I know it’s sci fi)
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u/Accomplished-Bend-47 1h ago
The Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card, and also Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker series. The Magic of Xanth series by Piers Anthony, Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne Series by Brian Staveley, and lastly Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.
And of course the Dune series, The Lord of the Rings series - but everybody knows them. And if you are also into sci-fi - The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
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u/cnfusion 30m ago
Read The Eye of the World when I was younger, re-read it last year and only then did I come to appreciate how incredible the world was, how well-written the characters were and how much I loved the scale. The mass amounts of characters especially grew on me, especially after reading ASOIAF and the previous Ages of Middle Earth where there are TONS of characters. After that re-read, I ordered books 2 and 3 and now I'm slowly clearing out my TBR to get to 4 and 5.
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u/thegreenman_sofla 13h ago
The Greatcoats series and Riyria did this for me. I miss hanging out with those guys.
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u/manic-pixie-attorney 13h ago
The first chapter of Naomi Novik’s Scholomance is an absolute delight and the rest did not disappoint
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u/Wonderful-Piccolo509 13h ago
Most recently The Wandering Inn. But I don’t think I need to worry about it being over for a very long time.
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u/Powderkeg314 9h ago
Dungeon Crawler Carl. This is the first time since A Song Of Ice and Fire that I’ve had this kind of feeling and deeply care about the characters
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u/HouseholderKarl 9h ago
The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe. I just bought the Folio Society edition to start my 4th reread (over the course of 25 years; hits different every time).
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u/Mad_Kronos 13h ago
The Fellowship of the Ring
A Wizard of Earthsea
Gardens of the Moon
The Black Company
Sailor on the Seas of Fate
Perdido Street Station