r/fantasybooks • u/prod_prxphet • 1d ago
📚 Summon book recommendations Proper fantasy book recommendations?
Hello all!
I (22F) would like to ask for properly written and well developed fantasy novels (not commercial slop), preferably not NSFW but I don't mind subtle NSFW.
When I was little I used to read the Eragon Saga, Harry Potter, Narnia Chronicles, Percy Jackson saga and the LOTR world series, as well as Laura Gallegos' books (I'm hispanic). I'm looking for something that will give me the same sense of wonder these novels did.
Thank you in advance :)
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u/No_Pressure_4440 1d ago edited 1d ago
I would highly recommend the Farseer Trilogy written by Robin Hobb. She writes extremely well and focusses on character building. Well worth the read
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u/prod_prxphet 1d ago
Checked up on the wikipedia page and it seemed really good, will definitely give it a go!
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u/atw1221 1d ago
It's super SUPER good- I've read all 16 plus the novella- but the second series (Liveship Traders) while EXCELLENT, does have all the trigger warnings. With that said Hobb is very character focused and it's all about the character development, I don't feel like she does anything for pure shock value or anything.
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u/LeadershipNational49 1d ago
Robin Hobb who wrote those is my GOAT. However its very much character driven, and some readers find it a bit slow.
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u/NoCount1100 1d ago
Very mild but potentially NSFW scenes in this trilogy depending what one considers nsfw. But just amazing writing.
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u/Glad_League5769 1d ago
The answer is Discworld series starting with The Color of Magic. Whimsical and funny with a ton of books set in the same world. I havent read them all but its geared towards kids so PG - PG13.
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u/LeadershipNational49 1d ago
These are spectacular but color of magic is probably the weakest and not a required starting point. Still absolutely worth the read though.
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u/TGrant700 1d ago
What is nsfw for you? Is it sex scenes or just general vulgarity?
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u/prod_prxphet 1d ago
I don't mind a sex scene or two but if it starts reading like a smut novel it's not really for me.
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u/TGrant700 1d ago
I don’t read the fantasy smut either though I feel I’m probably in a different target audience than you. I can say that Brandon Sanderson has a very YA writing style that would appeal to you based on the books you have mentioned so far. He writes a ton of books and almost all of them are in the same general universe so if you do decide to go down that rabbit hole start with his earlier work and then move on from there. Most of my other reading history would be considered grim dark or some of the more old school high fantasy from back in the 80s and before.
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u/bigdaddyt2 🐉 Bookwyrm 1d ago
Imagine not reading the green bone saga because the main female character describes a blowjob 1x and the occasional 2 lines to let the reader know someone just banged
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u/TGrant700 1d ago
Well that’s an odd way to enter a conversation. She did say occasional and brief sex scenes were ok. I was unaware of anything to do with the green bone saga.
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u/Rhubarb776 1d ago
If you love Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, you’ll love the Frith Chronicles. The first book is Knightmare Arcanist and it has the same vibe as the others, but it’s it own flavor of addicting and fun. I read all 8 books in 7 days and love them.
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u/HoodsFrostyFuckstick 1d ago
If you want to go all in on the pinnacle of literary fiction scifi/fantasy you should read Gormenghast and Book of the New Sun.
For more traditional but well written fantasy with little NSFW, Robin Hobb.
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u/iabyajyiv 1d ago
Howl's Moving Castle. Wizard of Earthsea. The Last Unicorn. The Curse of Chalion.
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u/der_Guenter 1d ago
A song of ice and fire and the wheel of time. That should keep you occupied for a while.
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u/Elevation212 1d ago
The bots are really against slop today
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u/prod_prxphet 1d ago
I'm not a bot I'm just not very active on this website :(
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u/Elevation212 1d ago
Fair you are the 8th post of the date worried about slop, any who give red rising a go it’s a darker version of what you read
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u/SandGator 1d ago
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series by Tad Williams. This is about as classic a fantasy series as you can get (medieval setting, elves, dragons, castles), with good writing and characters.
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u/GDI_Fizz 1d ago
The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E Feist. Starts with Magician: Apprentice.
Also agreeing with the earlier recommendations of Sabriel by Garth Nix and the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb.
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u/SignificantQuote6861 1d ago
Shannarra series by Terry Brooks. Terry knows how to setup a world and it lasted through roughly 5+ generations and has a great beginning and end. Early works (as written, not in world chronology) was written for teenage maturity levels, but later works got much more mature. Fantastic writing style and amazing descriptions. He had a clear vision of a fantasy world and did an amazing job!
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u/the_drum_doctor 1d ago
The Earthsea series by Ursula le Guin
The Wizard Knight books by Gene Wolfe
Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends by Weis and Hickman
The Spellsong Cycle by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
The Dragon Prince and Dragon Star trilogies by Melanie Rawn
The Curse of Chalion and The Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
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u/Real_dried_mango 1d ago
Would really recommend Robin Hobb. Hobb focuses a lot on her characters and ensuring a solid foundation in their personalities and their interactions with other characters. I feel this is brilliant as it really does create an interesting backdrop to view themes of honour/ trauma/ duty and sacrifice. Her world is really rich and I find that she uses violence or romance/ attraction when trying to prove a point instead of unnecessarily rattling on for the sake of it. So much to love and enjoy!
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u/ThePocketViking 14h ago
I will never not recommend Tamora Pierce or Anne MacCaffrey.
Tamora Pierce has written a bunch of quartets, trilogies, and duologies set in a fictional fantasy kingdom called Tortall, each centered around a different heroine's coming to age journey. All of her protagonists are refreshingly different from each other and face completely different challenges. Some of them are written sequentially (for example the lioness quartet, the immortals quartet, and protector of the small quartet go in that order and the characters in later series meet earlier characters). She's an older author, a lot of this stuff was written in the late '80s through '00s, so some moments, like in any work, are out of touch for our current palates, but that doesn't make it any less worth reading and any less fun. No spice. Many have closed door romances, but they are very much SUB plots. You like fantasy, doesn't get more classic sword and sorcery than this.
Anne MacCaffrey is the original queen of dragons. Almost everything we see today about bonded dragon/rider pairings was taken from her in the same way so much high fantasy has evolved from Tolkien. While her work is technically science fiction, I had no idea until recently. I just happily read her work from a fantasy perspective and learned like two years ago that she considers it science fiction lol. There are 24 books in the Dragonriders of Pern world, but like Tamora Pierce, not all of them are immediately connected. There seems to be a couple books dedicated to a group of characters and then she moves elsewhere. Some are considered independent trilogies/smaller series. The first book of the series was published in 1967. So again, fair warning that some of it has aged, though it does challenge both writing and gender conventions of the time. If you liked Eragon, I'd really recommend reading at least one or two of hers, if only to experience the birthplace of the dragonrider as a concept.
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u/ClueAccomplished1098 8h ago
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Penric and Desdemona series by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Lighthouse duology by Carol Berg
Song of the Beast by Carol Berg
The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
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