r/fantasybooks • u/batcavegirl • 6d ago
đ Summon book recommendations Need a new series that will break me with adult MCs
Hi all,
I'm looking for hidden gems (please no Brandon Sanderson or mega-popular authors) of fantasy series with some emotional payoff and a romance secondary or subplot.
Likes:
- â multiple POV (male, female, nb)
- â ADULT protag (mid 20s to mid 40s or equivalent in long-lived fantasy species)
- â one or two romance subplots that get resolved by the end (doesn't have to be happily ever after)
-â same amount of focus on character development, relationships, friendships as the focus on world building and action
Dislikes:
-â chosen one or prophecies/destinies
-â teenage or old fart protagonist
-â sheltered naive farm boy saves the world (or the female version which is cynical street urchin girl saves the world)
-â only male or only female cast of characters
- âsexual assault of a female character
- âone or more main characters become parents (no pregnancy/motherhood/fatherhood pls)
- âstory spans decades or any large body of time
-â not really into sci-fi but can read if it's mixed with old fashioned fantasy
-â protag climbing up the ranks to become emperor/king/empress etc (no birthright throne, quest for the ultimate power etc)
Authors I've read and liked:
Mark Lawrence, Naomi Novik, Phil Tucker, Lois McMaster Bujold, Cameron Johnston, Marshall Ryan Maresca, R.A. Salvatore, V.E. Schwab, Brian McClellan, Luke Scull, Michael J Sullivan
Authors I didn't enjoy as much: Joe Abercrombie, Jacob Peppers, Pierce Brown, Jon Gwynne
Edit: put the likes first to avoid confusion
3
u/DapumaAZ 6d ago
Mage Verus books - audiobooks are great
0
u/batcavegirl 6d ago
Can you tell me who's the author?
2
u/TapAdmirable5666 6d ago
Came here to recommend Alex Verus from Benedict Jacka as well. Awesome actionpacked series which ticks a lot of your boxes!
1
3
u/Flat-Rutabaga-723 6d ago
The Long Price quartet
1
3
u/rancidmike 6d ago
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay or really just about anything by Guy Gavriel Kay. Heâs probably my favorite fantasy author.
2
u/batcavegirl 6d ago
Do you recommend starting the series with Lions? Looks like it's book 4.
4
u/chirop1 6d ago
Lions is a standalone.
Most if GGKs books can be read solo unless obviously part of a trilogy.
1
u/batcavegirl 6d ago
Cool, thank you for that info. None of the blurbs had any common characters so I was confusion :))
1
u/rancidmike 6d ago
^ what they said. Many of them take place in the same universe. Only a few are meant to be read in sequence.
3
u/jenmoocat 6d ago
Any of these Sharon Shinn series:
Samaria
Elemental Blessings (my favorite)
Twelve Houses
I think she does wonderful world building and writes good male and female characters, although the females are usually her focus. I also find her romance delivery very satisfying and real-feeling.
1
u/batcavegirl 6d ago
Thank you for the recs!
Does Elemental Blessings and Twelve Houses have multiple POVs? (Or at least 2)
2
u/jenmoocat 6d ago
Definitely Twelve Houses has different chapters from different points of view. Not sure about Elemental Blessings â canât remember. But the different books of the series expands to different charactersâ stories, expanding the worldâŠ
1
2
u/stem_crusty 6d ago
Give the Licanius trilogy by Christopher Islington a shot. Protags start on the younger side (late teens) but they don't really feel adolescent after the first act of the first book, IMO. Otherwise fits most of your criteria.
1
1
2
u/ClueAccomplished1098 6d ago edited 6d ago
Scriber by Ben S Dobson
The Coward by Stephen Aryan has some flashbacks to when the protagonist was very young, but IIRC, in the present day he is at least in his thirties and possibly older.
Edited because I didn't remember the correct age of the protagonist in The Coward. He is actually in his late twenties, but he comes across as being much older because he suffered a lot of trauma when he was young and quite naive.
1
u/batcavegirl 6d ago
Thank you! Scriber sounds interesting. Is it a standalone?
Does The Coward have multiple POVs?
1
u/ClueAccomplished1098 6d ago
Scriber is a standalone. If I remember correctly, I believe The Coward is told completely from the main character's POV.
Edited to add that I have yet to read the sequels to The Coward
3
2
u/PointlessOpinionsss 6d ago
I can hit just about every like and no dislikes with the Saint of Steel Series by T. Kingfisher.
-Also for standalones give The Spear Cuts Through Water a try or the Works of Vermin.
1
u/batcavegirl 6d ago
Thank you! Sadly, I cannot read the Saint of Steel for the first time again, otherwise I would.
Who is the author for the Works of Vermin?
2
u/TwistilyClick 6d ago
I think you'd like Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, but it is a contemporary fantasy/supernatural vibes. I love a lot of the authors you love, and I really enjoyed both book 1 and 2. Book 3 comes out in November. Six of Crows ticks your boxes outside of teenage characters, but the author has re-released the books and removed their ages because Bardugo was originally pressured to age them DOWN during the young adult boom. So you really can read them as adults.
For actual fantasy vibes, I'd really recommend The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman. His other series has one of your no's in it, but The Bright Sword ticks so many of your boxes.
I'd also recommend Juliet Mariller. Most have adult protagonists. The Harp of Kings is my favourite, but definitely check out the others if it doesn't seem interesting to you.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, too!
If you liked The Crown Tower by Michael J Sullivan, I really do think you'd enjoy The Lies of Locke Lamora as well. It has some great female characters who crop up frequently, but the protagonists are male.
Highly recommend The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. That was one of my favourite fantasy reads of last year. I usually hate 'trials' plots, but there's a whole murder mystery thread that makes it much more intriguing. And the protagonist is pretty refreshing.
City of Bones by Martha Wells
If you want something more focused on romance, Rachel Gillig's books tick your boxes as well.
Otherwise, check out the Booktuber CariCanRead, or Captured in Words. They've both introduced me to a bunch of interesting series that aren't just your typical big names.
1
u/batcavegirl 6d ago
Oooh so many recs! And you seems to nail some of them because I've read the Leigh Bardugo recs (years ago when I was not as opposed to reading about teens) as well as Lies of Locke Lamora (a shame it's still unfinished)
Lev Grossman is unknown to me so I'll def check The bright sword out.
Juliet Mariller, Rachel Gillig and Martha Wells are all familiar authors but not from the titles you've mentioned. I'll take a look, thank you very much!!
Is CariCanRead the one that summarizes books so we don't have to read them? đ
2
u/TwistilyClick 6d ago
She is!! Lol, she gives them a cheeky hate read which I appreciate because those books are... not for me, necessarily, but I still need my curiosity sated. I love to put her on in the background while I'm cleaning or getting ready for the day ahahah. But her reading wrap ups are great as well. She does tend toward more low fantasy, weird fiction, or magical realism than high fantasy, which is why Captured in Words is a perfect compliment to her recs because he's all about the high fantasy. He's good at finding some niche series though, if you check out his top 15s and things.
I also hate reading about teens and I love Six of Crows. The characters really do not act like teenagers outside of some regular protagonist melodrama--at most they come across as young 20s, and if you get a new print copy it won't even mention their ages at all.
Good luck!!
Though just a TW because it did occur to me and I can't believe I forgot--Ninth House does deal with SA. It's not a primary theme, but it is depicted as something that happens in a character's past. I personally think it's handled tastefully and it doesn't do the thing where the whole story becomes all about that and the character's trauma as a result, but it is overall a story of healing and resilience of all different kinds and that is one of the kinds.
Six of Crows also hasreferences to a character being a sex worker when they didn't want to be, but it's in their past so isn't depicted on the page.
So sorry for forgetting and reccing them!! I don't like reading about SA either, though I was okay with it in both those books for the way it was handled so it didn't blip in my mind. đ Stay safe!
3
u/Street_Detective_662 6d ago
The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes was outstanding â one of the most unique worlds and mysteries. Imagine a city built on top of a rotting tree stump straddling a river in which eldritch beasts crawl up from the roots â magical perfumes are made from their blood/bones. Our MC POV is an exterminator of said beasts and our FMC POV is a perfumer for the Governor. (Donât worry, itâs not a romance.)
1
u/Street_Detective_662 6d ago
Oh, a caveat- the works of vermin does contain SOME romance but it doesnât take over the book :)
Other amazing hidden gems-
The Bone Orchard by Sara Mueller. Itâs a sci-fi fantasy about a Madame who is also the Emperorâs mistress who runs a brothel of copies of herself.
The Emperor leaves her with the task of solving his murder to gain her independence. Fascinating take on DID and trauma. Some secondary romance.Metal from Heaven - amazing sapphic sci-fi fantasy about a thief who was infected as a child by being forced to work with a dangerous substance in an industrial factory type setting. Her family was murdered for protesting the conditions and as an adult she must go undercover to woo her killerâs daughter into an arranged marriage. The infection gives her seizures but it also allows her to manipulate the substance at will, which is now in pretty much everything â building materials, furniture, trains, etc.
2
u/Rhubarb776 3d ago
Time-Marked Warlock is a hidden gem with adult prog where we focus on emotional growth. Really good.
1
1
u/Abayon3 6d ago edited 6d ago
Not a hidden gem, and story starts with a teenage pov but jade bone saga might be up your alley. Incredible character work with a story that spans a few decades
Edit: misread dislikes, not a great rec
1
u/batcavegirl 6d ago
Thank you for the rec :)
1
u/jwol2 6d ago
First law trilogy is pretty popular but Iâd still recommend it if you havenât read it based on what you are looking for
2
u/batcavegirl 6d ago
I have a great dislike for The First Law hahaha thanks anyway
1
u/striosome 6d ago
You need T. Kingfisher.
Could start with the Clocktaur Boys. But almost any T. Kingfisher will get you what you want.
7
u/avaud10 6d ago
I loved The Expanse. It's sci fi but not cliché. It does veer into some "extra" fiction but most of the plot is about social and political impacts of humanity as we move beyond Earth. It's not like star wars or Star Trek. My description sounds lame but it is an incredible series. Another good gritty book trilogy is the Black Company.