Hi Bookworms! I wanted to get out in front of this, though I know anyone that brings it up probably doesn't read this first...I know that Dragonriders of Pern is argued for as science-fiction (even by the author!) but I kept it as fantasy because simply being genetically engineered space dragons from another planet wasn't enough for me to declare it straight SF. I had to make a decision between this one or the SF list and I went with this one. Hope that makes sense!
i agree it's fantasy.for the fact that it is a survival colony story that relapses into medieval technology. there is one author that i think you need to add to your bucket list and that is Simon R Green. he writes 4 genres that are interconnected . he defined what the space opera is with Deathstalker series and his blue moon and hawk and fisher are perfect sword and sorcery series. if you like paranormal mysteries then his other two series are great to. if you find yourself not liking glen cooks black company give garret files a try it's got some very colorful characters and stuff you will never see in other series.
An excellent list! I’m no Discworld expert, but so far The Color of Magic has been the weakest I’ve read from the series, so I encourage you to read on after it. Yes, the Norse gods are in American Gods most prominently, but ALL the gods are there too. Also, do avoid the show, especially after season one. Happy reading, Mike!
@@mikesbookreviews He Does, however it's a bit of a slow burn. Like... the first handful of Discworld books are a bit so-so and the series gets really good after a while... but it does take a while. It's not like book #2 is immediately great.
Dude the black company is amazing. So awesome. The first book is hard to follow for the first half, but after that it clears up and is amazing. I feel like you will love the characters here, as well as the very unique world.
I'm sure he could power through it but Black Company has a lot of the same elements that Mike doesn't really like about Malazan. Would be interesting to see if his opinion is any different with a different writing style and character work.
The Once and Future King has been on my TBR for so long. I had the copy since my early days of college. I also love King Arthur books, great video Mike
I’m reading Pratchett for the first time. Guards Guards now, so many Discworld fans told me to steer clear of the Color of Magic for the first book lol They are a sensitive lot and they clearly want to make sure you enjoy him.
I am so glad I started reading Discworld! I started on the Death series. Just finished Morning Star, and next I'll start on Sould Music. Book 3 in the Death series. Most definitely recommend!
Nice to see some more classics. I’ve read Earthsea, Drenai, Thomas Covenant, Elric, Future King, Riftwar, Pern, Black Company, Recluse Saga, Dark Materials, all fantastic. Chronicles of Amber, Gormenghast, Prydain and Belgariad are worth checking out as well!
If you're looking for Arthurian reimaginings, I highly recommend Jack Whyte's series A Dream of Eagles. It starts with The Skystone and sets the beginnings of Arthur's story in post Roman Britain. Very fun reads and more historical fiction than fantasy.
"Tales of the otori" will always be the book series that makes me go "Wait what, you haven't read that?", and almost no one have reviews on it on youtube.. To me it's one of the best fantasy books out there, but it's a lot more about the characters and the politics driving everyone, than it's about the fantasy elements and combat :) I enjoyed Philip pullman, it's pretty high up on my young adult list, but it's not one of the YAs I'd reread.. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is my favourite YA series, by far
I just started reading some Discworld books. Following the many suggestions on booktube, I started with Mort. I loved it. I haven’t read the Colour of Magic yet, I have read Guards, Guards and it was also great. I’m def planning on using more Discworld books as palate cleansers during my more serious reads
I can't wait to hear your thoughts on Legend David Gemmell is a very special author to many fantasy fans Because we all know, no matter what grim dark, morally gray characters you come across... Eventually you'll want a grizzled hero to take the fight to evil And also... axe beats sword 🤣
Morcock is actually the grandfather of "grimdark" he's like what Tolkien is to fantasy. But unlike Tolkien who didn't invent fsntasy, Morcock sort of did for almost every "grimdark" author. For example, Morcock was a big inspiration for Martin, Williams, Abercrombie, Sapkowski, and many others who fall under the grim/dark fantasy. I wouldn't be surprised if Morcock inspired Glenn Cook. Edit: what surprised me watching Daniel Greene/Brandon Sanderson intterview was that Brandon is inspired by Moorcock
I finally read The Golden Compass, and continued on and conpleted His Dark Materials, and LOVED IT. funnily the 3rd book was my favorite!! It was a fun intriguing read and Phillip Pullmans writing style is an absolute page turner.
My first taste of Gaiman was Good Omens with Terry Pratchett. Quality 5-star read. Went on to read The Ocean at the End of the Lane , Coraline, and The Graveyard Book, and threw four stars at all of them. I decided to pick up American Gods, and although I finished it, I did not enjoy it much at all. My first two star book. Stardust, Neverwhere, and a few of his short story collections are collecting dust on my shelf--I have been hesitant to pick one up since the taste American Gods left in my mouth. Excited to see your thoughts on that one, it just didn't work for me.
Pratchett's first 2 books in the series is him just getting into his stride, they are rougher, and they get *much* better as you hit the third, and really open up by the time you hit mort
I've knocked a couple of these off the list in recent years including Leguin, Gemmell and GGK. I think you'll love Legend. GGK is a new favorite after only one book, although I'm buddy reading Under Heaven with Jake next month. I haven't read Discworld yet either lol
This is an impressive list, Mike. But you unintentionally broke my heart. I've been trying to get a copy of the Grim Oak Press Lord Foul's Bane for about 2 years now. Seeing the cover on this video re-opened the wound. Now I'm just staring at the gap in my collection... (I have the other 2 books in the first trilogy from Grim Oak.) *sniff, sniff*
Quick update: I GOT A COPY!!! My collection of the Grim Oak Press's First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is finally complete!! I have a copy of Lord Foul's Bane!
Going Postal is the Discworld book I started with this summer... the library offered a choice of two books, that or, I think, Thief Of Time. Quite a flexible series. Looking forward to hearing about so many of these. Yeah, your wife might have a point about The Golden Compass. For Gaiman, while I enjoyed American Gods... hmm. This will be interesting. I have also read the first two Pern books, seems like a lot of people take issue with how certain elements hold up.
I will say Mike if your into the more Asian inspired historical fantasy lately I’d highly recommend Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay I think it’s even better than Tigana and is a historical fantasy set in a world based on ancient china
Earthsea and The Sword in the Stone are excellent. Very literary and thematically rich and rather postmodern and deconstructionist regarding classic fantasy narratives and tropes so I think it's no bad thing you're coming to it at this stage in your fantasy journey. Both are definitely very different from what you might expect based on the blurbs.
Excellent choices! Reckon I read most of them. Black Company is great! Donaldson gets dark indeed but great books. On Discworld, the first two books were meant as a sort of spoof on fantasy, good books though, Pratchett really hits his stride after that!!!! And yes, the humour is great! Gemmell is great! Think you'll really like the Jerusalem man trilogy from him. Modesitt has 20 books now? Damn, high time for a re-read since i only read about 5 of them in my teens, good stuff I remember. American Gods is a great read! Lost interest in the tv series after season 1......
Lots of the series that I grew up reading. Riftwar, Thomas covenant, Druss etc. Pullman's books have a beautiful ending quite bittersweet. You're in for a great time I'm envious
I'm the only person who DNF'd Pern 😅 I got 150ish pages in and put it down because of the SA. I see people telling you not to start with Colour of Magic but I started there and I feel like you're better off reading the "worst" discworld book first, because they just get better and better then 😍
I also just read Magic of Recluce and have to say it was fantastic. A little slower pace, vut deals with interesting concepts that kept me thinking well after I finished the book
Good to see Feist, McCaffrey, and Modesitt on your list. All great books. Le Guin has stronger work than Earthsea. At the time I read Wizard of Earthsea I liked it less than other books I was reading at the time (probably because I had already read Riftwar and was reading Wars of Light and Shadow and WoT). Once you've read the Riftwar Saga, I hope you go on to read the Empire trilogy - that was my intro to Janny Wurts and she became my favourite author. If you go past book one for Pern and Recluce, I'd recommend continuing in publication order so you don't spoil the reveals. His Dark Materials was very meh for me. I had to force myself to finish book 2 and couldn't make myself go on, especially after not being a huge fan of book 1. Gave my very nice anniversary edition set to a friend. Hope your experience with it is more positive.
Now people can stop complaining that you're not reading Discworld, and start complaining that you're starting in the wrong spot. I'm glad The Black Company is back on your radar, they were the first Fantasy Books I read that didn't take place in a D&D setting. I'm a big Glen Cook fan, and I also love his Garret PI series, which is a pulp detective series set in a high fantasy world with sorcerers and dwarves and ogres and centaurs. It's great.
I recommend reading Discworld in chronological order IF you plan to read them all (even if it takes years). At least you can try with the first 2 books which are just one story. But if you feel that it is too much, I suggest the Death series, the witches series and city watch series. I'm also interested in the books of L.E. Modesitt Jr. They look so epic.
@@MrBoJangles I have read them all, so I think, as you said, it is the best way to get an idea of the whole world, and also you don't get tired of the same story line. And I think there is still a chronological order among the series.
I need to get back to Once and Future. I started it years ago and never finished the last section. Last month, I bought at my used bookstore that Penguin Deluxe edition that came out a few years back. I've been reluctant to start Pern because I heard the first book has this pretty toxic relationship between the main protagonist and someone else. I was personally not a fan of the first Thomas Covenant trilogy, nor Wizard of Earthsea. I'm currently reading Magician, really digging it. Already put the second book on hold. Love Discworld, but just so you know, it's not entirely stand alone. The Light Fantastic, which comes after Colour of Magic is a direct sequel. Legend, Tigana, and Black Company are on my TBR as well. His Dark Materials is okay. I warn you, if you stick it through, the ending will wreck you. Nothing but love for American Gods. One of my favorite books of all time!
Took me three tries to really like Discworld. Now I'm a big fan. Colour of Magic though is way weaker than Guards, Guards, so if you are starting with Colour of Magic just keep in mind that this one is just Pratchett warming up. Also, I agree that all the books work as standalones, but it doesn't mean that they work well if you don't know much about the world. And as a side note, Soul Music has tones of references to rock and music of the 70s (Def Leppard, Stairway to Heaven, Blues Brothers, etc.). This is the book that made me fall in love with Discworld
Magician is really good. I'm new to reading fantasy but it was on offer on kindle so gave it a go. I've now read the three in the trilogy and will definitely read the rest from the world.
I"m going to join you for "Legend" in December... I've DNF'd "The Colour of Magic" twice... was told to try "Guards! Guards!" instead as a starting place and loved it. Hell yes on Tigana. All day long. Big fan of American Gods too.
I enjoy Modesitt. He can be hit or miss though, but he does write both fantasy and Sci-fi. Magic of Recluce is a good start for fantasy while I would recommend The Timegod for his Sci-fi. Love both of those first books. I need to read Tigana from Guy Gavriel Kay as I loved his Fionavar Tapestry series.
This format is so much fun! Would love to see your horror list, too. --I still need to read The Once and Future King. It's crazy that I haven't done so yet! --I definitely recommend The Wizard of Earthsea. It's been ages since I read it, but I have fond memories. Still need to try the sequels. --I love that cover for Dragonflight! I quite enjoyed the early books in the series (have not read the later books), especially The White Dragon. --I feel like a terrible fantasy fan since I've never read Discworld. Just not motivated to start it, though I likely will eventually. --Sadly, my experience with His Dark Materials was similar to your wife's. I really enjoyed The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. I may have liked the second book more than the first, if my memory is correct. However, the third book was a massive disappointment. I managed to finish it, but it was a struggle. It was painfully boring, and I even stopped caring about the characters. HOWEVER.....I am in the minority (though I have found some like-minded fans in recent years). I hope your experience is better than mine! Thanks for sharing your list, and I hope you enjoy these books!
I'm close to finishing up Of Fire and Blood, and recently picked up The Aeronaut's Windlass from Jim Butcher. I'm really enjoying it I was a bit hesitant to try it since I adore The Dresden Files so much.
I read Magians Apprentice and loved it but then I went into my worst reading slump ever and never got back to it...weirdly it was ready player one that pulled me out of my slump and inspired me to be reading 130-150 books a year. I NEED to try Thomas Covenant I keep kicking that and Black Sun, and Black company and Legend down the road and are the books on my Still need to read list... UGH so many books...
This was great timing! I recently purchased several of these books with the intent of shoring up on my knowledge of the history of fantasy (plus hopefully enjoying them in their own right). I think reading these will add plenty of perspective on other newer series I've read. I read Wizard of Earthsea. Not really my cup of tea, as it sort of skims from place to place rather than lore/world deep diving like I'm used to and have developed a preference for. But I still appreciated it and am glad I read it.
Oh I’m so excited that you’re going to give the Pern series a try, Anne’s books are what made me fall in love with Dragons all those many years ago and I have been addicted ever since. I can’t believe you have never read Magican, you’re in for a treat, it will have to be my all time favourite book series, I hope you love them as much as I do. 😊
The only one I've read is American gods. I really like it. Just checked my Kindle and I've got Tigana. When I got it i had no idea. But I find stuff on my Kindle all the time and say " when did i get this? " 😂 Keep on keeping on Mike 👍🤓
Golden Compass is on my TBR for this month, The Golden Compass is the Northern Lights in the UK and I love the first book, 5/5. The Subtle Knife was 4/5. American Gods was a bit weird but I did really enjoy it in an odd way. I wouldn’t start with The Colour of Magic if I were you but it’s up to you. I’d probably go with Mort and then Reaper Man but 🤷♂️
Great list. I would like to say I've read a lot of them but that would be a lie. So I am only going to comment on two. If you vibe with Ursula's writing but not so much the earthsea books, you should try her Orsinian tales. I actually prefer those but I did enjoy earthsea. I could go on about Gain an for hours, but instead I will give you a different view. My favorite book by him is the Graveyard book which would be a fun October read for you and your son. Happy reading.
For me the Golden Compass (His Dark Materials) starts fantastically and gets better with each book. I've re-read over and over, since it publication. I love it in the same way I love The Lord of the Rings and the Cadwall Chronicles, the Lyonesse Trilogy and Dying Earth books by Jack Vance. Vance is my favourite writer of all time.
I'm not sure of how much you'll like a Wizard of Earthsea, but please commit to reading The Tombs of Atuan before deciding if it's for you or not. It's really different. I started Discworld with Guards! Guards! and it was an excellent place to start. The Colour of Magic is very widely regarded as a bad place to start, but I hope it works as a strating point for you.
Great video! Wow. L'Morte and OAFK are two of my all time favs (along with Warlord Chronicles). So is Thomas Covenant. You will love OAFK and TH's take on especially Lancelot if you loved Cornwell's version I too have to read Earthsea, and a couple of the rest on your awesome list! Happy reading Mike!
Hi Mike. I am a 55 year old man, and Thomas Covenant was literaaly the only book that came close to Tolkien when I was a teenager. It has a rape in it which turns all off. But it deals with the Aftermath always, and is tied up in it. If there was ever a 'GrimDark' this is it
I only read the second Black Company book and it was...interesting. I liked the weird, creepy atmosphere, and you could see the roots of grimdark for sure. There wasn't very much sitting around doing nothing, but at times it wasn't all that exciting either. Why 2? Well it seems to be the most universally loved of the early books so I figured if I loved it, then it would hook me enough to keep reading the others. Long story short, book was interesting, had a nice hook, had some fun morally grey characters, but I ultimately decided the series wasn't for me.
Love your channel. I relate with your love of character-driven stories. If you haven’t already, would you be open to doing a list of your favorite character-driven books, regardless of genre? Would love to see your picks!
Once and Future King is brilliant. It starts with the simplicity of The Hobbit and ends with the maturity of George Martin. It really takes the best of Mallory, cuts the fluff and is the best Arthur retelling I’ve read.
I've read all 10 of the Thomas Covalent Chronicles and I enjoyed them! I've been hooked on Steph R Donaldson ever since. He's capable of writing from many different points of view so you can wonder if it's the same author! I'm about 20 books into his work so far.
Did he write the two-parter involving magic using mirrors? There was also traveling between the modern world and this world where the mirror magic was set. I can't remember the titles at the moment. Will have to Google later.
@@andreamiller3578 I'm not that good at navigating kindle but I think the name of that series is The Mirror of her Dreams. But I thought there were 3 in that one. I could be wrong. The Great God's War was 3 and The Kings Justice was two separate stories in one book. I think there were 5 books in the Gap series. Actual sci-fi in that one. Now I'm in a detective series by him about a guy called Axbrewder ☺️ All of these are very heartwarming and terrible in their own way!
There are two. I read them and didn't care for them much. Am slowly picking up Gap Cycle at the discount book store. Letting fate decide for me when I read it.
@@Gotblade yes, Mirror of her Dreams. That's the one. I read them years ago. I meant to read his other books but I always forgot to. They've remained on my TBR list since high school. Which was a really long time ago. Heh. But they're there!
Read The Colour of Magic first if you want but don't give up on Discworld if you don't like it. The Colour of Magic is not just a bad book *for Pratchett*, it's straight up a bad book. I read it first and hated it, and it caused me to not touch Discworld again for 8 years, when I picked up Small Gods, which is a much better introduction to the world. I really wish I had not read The Colour of Magic first as it delayed me from getting into Discworld. A better place to start is Guards Guards, Small Gods, or Mort. Please give one of those a chance if and when you don't enjoy The Colour of Magic.
Exciting times ahead. Earthsea is pretty enjoyable, not in my top 10 though. I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but The Colour of Magic, may not be the best place to start in Discworld. Most people would recommend Mort, or Guards, Guards! I’ve read a little bit of Elric of Melnibone and really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to read more.
I think His Dark Materials is subjective in the ending. Personally the last book is one of my fav of all time, and the ending is phenomenal. HBO series is alright (some amazing acting from one or two characters) (bbc lacks punch/impact) - and film is cinematic but not great adaptation. Best adaptation imo is the unabridged audiobook with full cast and pullman narrating.
I think you have to read The Light Fantastic after The Colour of Magic before you make your decision on Discworld. I think most people don't like the first two and Sourcery (#3 in Rincewind books) because they lean heavy in the Sword & Sorcery subgenre
Huge Arthurian legend fan. I read the Once and Future King last year and while some bits were dazzlingly genius, other bits did not land for me at all.👀 Excited to hear your thoughts on it whenever you get to it!
American Gods was like nothing i have ever read. Funny, occasionally poetic, dark, and brimming with originality. I read the Elric Saga (and some Jerry Cornelius novels) when I was a teenager back in the 90s.From what i remember, the Elric novels had the pulpy energy of Robert E. Howard's Conan stories but were far more psychedelic and nihilistic. As a young Tolkien fan back then, i didn't really know what to make of them. I'm definitely going to re-visit them this year to see what my adult self makes of them.
I love The Black Company and am on She Is The Darkness, the eighth book in the series, if you include The Silver Spike. I love it, but I'm not sure you will enoy it given how you feel about military fantasy. I think you will appreciate it for how it influenced the genre, but I'm not sure you will read past the first book. I encourage you to try to finish the first three because it wraps up the main story line.
Really fun video! His dark materials: top three series of all time for me. GGK: beautiful writing. Modesitt: love him, very similar writing style to Jordan. Discworld: keep reading, colour of magic is by far the weakest book in the series. Feist: I’ve read 35-40 books in this world, love him but magician apprentice/master are imho the weakest books in the series. Very excited to hear your opinions on all of these!
I don't know anything about them, but the Modesitt books are EVERYWHERE at used bookstores. The covers and side panels always looked to me like Wheel of Time covers, but that's probably just the style of 90s publishing.
Hi Mike. I love your channel. You got me to start reading again. Keep up the great work you do. I would LOVE to see you do a horror list. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what you'll be doing for spooky season.
Too many books not enough time. Read everything from the 50’s to the 90’ s then started having kids so the last 25 years is a blank slate. Working my way slowly through the list. If you’re looking for future recommendations try Saberhagen, Jack Chalker and the Belgariad and Mallorian series. Most of their books are short enough ( 250-300 pages) to finish in 2-3 sittings.
Definitely do the horror version of this video. I wish to read more horror in the future and I need some recommendations 😅.Thanks for all of this great content,almost to 100k,more than deserved.
I haven't read any of these, so I can't offer feedback. But I will say, many of these have been roasting on my TBR, so I may join ya, a time or two. I definitely want to read Feist's Magician books, and get into LeGuin
The Riftwar Saga is a great read! I've got to continue with Earthsea, and try Hobb, McCaffery, Pratchett, Gwynne...so many! I have a soft spot for Gormenghast.
«Legend» should be right up your alley, Mike! And «Earthsea» should be a cool read, especially with your kids! I love «Tigana» (heck, I made my only sorry excuses of «videos» on the Mythology of Tigana, just because I could not believe that nobody else had done it!) but I would perhaps recommend «A Song for Arbonne» (my recommendation, as the «benchmark» GGK Novel and his most «tightest», plus had perhaps my favorite GGK main character in the Mercenary Blaise!) or «The Lions of Al-Rassan» (My GGK-sensei Jake Bishop’s pick): «Tigana» has his best world bullding and antagonists, but is not the best representation of GGK as power as a character writer! Just finished «Under Heaven»: Beautiful novel (might be my book of the year!) mixing the Metropolitan Tang Dynasty of China with themes from Leo Tolstoy’s «War & Peace» and Victor Hugo’s «Le Miserables»!
Once and Future King has been on my tbr for ages. I really need to knock it off. I can’t imagine you not liking American Gods. It’s a road trip mystery with a bit of Stephen King influence thrown in.
Hey i just bought two days ago The Once and Future King, I will wait to read it with you, Earthsea quartet is beautiful and they are short books. I am planning to read Thomas Covenant in december. American Gods you should start immediately! Take care.
Hi Bookworms! I wanted to get out in front of this, though I know anyone that brings it up probably doesn't read this first...I know that Dragonriders of Pern is argued for as science-fiction (even by the author!) but I kept it as fantasy because simply being genetically engineered space dragons from another planet wasn't enough for me to declare it straight SF. I had to make a decision between this one or the SF list and I went with this one. Hope that makes sense!
i agree it's fantasy.for the fact that it is a survival colony story that relapses into medieval technology. there is one author that i think you need to add to your bucket list and that is Simon R Green. he writes 4 genres that are interconnected . he defined what the space opera is with Deathstalker series and his blue moon and hawk and fisher are perfect sword and sorcery series. if you like paranormal mysteries then his other two series are great to.
if you find yourself not liking glen cooks black company give garret files a try it's got some very colorful characters and stuff you will never see in other series.
Definitely would love to see a horror list like this!
And a Sci Fi list.
@@redwoodninja He did a sci-fi list two weeks ago.
October is only a month away, it would be a crime if he didn’t.
And would love to see Philip Fracassi on that list
@@seppuku- Nailed it.
An excellent list! I’m no Discworld expert, but so far The Color of Magic has been the weakest I’ve read from the series, so I encourage you to read on after it. Yes, the Norse gods are in American Gods most prominently, but ALL the gods are there too. Also, do avoid the show, especially after season one. Happy reading, Mike!
Sounds like Pratchett gets better as he goes. Always love to hear that.
Personally the best are the City watch and industrial revolution(Moving pictures, the truth, going postal..) subseries.
Magician is one of my favs Mike it's well worth a read,the other books in the trilogy are good too.Enjoy!
@@mikesbookreviews He Does, however it's a bit of a slow burn. Like... the first handful of Discworld books are a bit so-so and the series gets really good after a while... but it does take a while. It's not like book #2 is immediately great.
I found a first edition of Tigana in the charity shop the other day! So many books on this list that I need to get round to reading.
Just not enough time!
Tigana is a fantastic book.
Man discworld is insanely good. The comedic parallels to the real world are just brilliant
Yes
Oh a horror list in this format would be amazing!!
I think you might just be happy in about a month from now.
Dude the black company is amazing. So awesome. The first book is hard to follow for the first half, but after that it clears up and is amazing. I feel like you will love the characters here, as well as the very unique world.
I'm hoping so!
I'm sure he could power through it but Black Company has a lot of the same elements that Mike doesn't really like about Malazan. Would be interesting to see if his opinion is any different with a different writing style and character work.
The Once and Future King has been on my TBR for so long. I had the copy since my early days of college. I also love King Arthur books, great video Mike
Thanks!
I’m reading Pratchett for the first time. Guards Guards now, so many Discworld fans told me to steer clear of the Color of Magic for the first book lol
They are a sensitive lot and they clearly want to make sure you enjoy him.
The colour of magic is fine
Guards Guards had me laughing so hard in some scenes...also the books about Death (he is my favorite Discworld character).
I am so glad I started reading Discworld! I started on the Death series. Just finished Morning Star, and next I'll start on Sould Music. Book 3 in the Death series. Most definitely recommend!
Nice to see some more classics. I’ve read Earthsea, Drenai, Thomas Covenant, Elric, Future King, Riftwar, Pern, Black Company, Recluse Saga, Dark Materials, all fantastic.
Chronicles of Amber, Gormenghast, Prydain and Belgariad are worth checking out as well!
I meant to include Amber. D'oh!
If you're looking for Arthurian reimaginings, I highly recommend Jack Whyte's series A Dream of Eagles. It starts with The Skystone and sets the beginnings of Arthur's story in post Roman Britain. Very fun reads and more historical fiction than fantasy.
"Tales of the otori" will always be the book series that makes me go "Wait what, you haven't read that?", and almost no one have reviews on it on youtube.. To me it's one of the best fantasy books out there, but it's a lot more about the characters and the politics driving everyone, than it's about the fantasy elements and combat :)
I enjoyed Philip pullman, it's pretty high up on my young adult list, but it's not one of the YAs I'd reread.. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is my favourite YA series, by far
Could you please do _popular horror/classics/contemporary books you want to read_ video ?
I just started reading some Discworld books. Following the many suggestions on booktube, I started with Mort. I loved it. I haven’t read the Colour of Magic yet, I have read Guards, Guards and it was also great. I’m def planning on using more Discworld books as palate cleansers during my more serious reads
I can't wait to hear your thoughts on Legend
David Gemmell is a very special author to many fantasy fans
Because we all know, no matter what grim dark, morally gray characters you come across... Eventually you'll want a grizzled hero to take the fight to evil
And also... axe beats sword 🤣
I'm excited to read it!
Props to your wife for making it so far into His Dark Materials. I got a third into the second book and couldn't be bothered anymore. 😅
Damn, book 3 might be my favorite
Morcock is actually the grandfather of "grimdark" he's like what Tolkien is to fantasy. But unlike Tolkien who didn't invent fsntasy, Morcock sort of did for almost every "grimdark" author. For example, Morcock was a big inspiration for Martin, Williams, Abercrombie, Sapkowski, and many others who fall under the grim/dark fantasy. I wouldn't be surprised if Morcock inspired Glenn Cook.
Edit: what surprised me watching Daniel Greene/Brandon Sanderson intterview was that Brandon is inspired by Moorcock
Tigana is a fabulous book! Hope you enjoy.
OMG I just finished Legend and it was super and you will be nicely surprised how unique it is overall! The story is different in a good way!
This sounds like an awesome project!!! I’ll keep a look out for these reviews! I wouldn’t mind reading some older books with great story telling!
I finally read The Golden Compass, and continued on and conpleted His Dark Materials, and LOVED IT. funnily the 3rd book was my favorite!! It was a fun intriguing read and Phillip Pullmans writing style is an absolute page turner.
My first taste of Gaiman was Good Omens with Terry Pratchett. Quality 5-star read. Went on to read The Ocean at the End of the Lane , Coraline, and The Graveyard Book, and threw four stars at all of them.
I decided to pick up American Gods, and although I finished it, I did not enjoy it much at all. My first two star book. Stardust, Neverwhere, and a few of his short story collections are collecting dust on my shelf--I have been hesitant to pick one up since the taste American Gods left in my mouth.
Excited to see your thoughts on that one, it just didn't work for me.
Pratchett's first 2 books in the series is him just getting into his stride, they are rougher, and they get *much* better as you hit the third, and really open up by the time you hit mort
Very much looking forward to your take on Covenant.
I've knocked a couple of these off the list in recent years including Leguin, Gemmell and GGK. I think you'll love Legend. GGK is a new favorite after only one book, although I'm buddy reading Under Heaven with Jake next month. I haven't read Discworld yet either lol
Solid list! I think reading classics deepens your understanding of the modern works! You can see parallels and allusions !
This is an impressive list, Mike. But you unintentionally broke my heart. I've been trying to get a copy of the Grim Oak Press Lord Foul's Bane for about 2 years now. Seeing the cover on this video re-opened the wound. Now I'm just staring at the gap in my collection... (I have the other 2 books in the first trilogy from Grim Oak.) *sniff, sniff*
Quick update: I GOT A COPY!!! My collection of the Grim Oak Press's First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is finally complete!! I have a copy of Lord Foul's Bane!
Horror list? Yes, please!
I think you may see something come Spooky Season.
Going Postal is the Discworld book I started with this summer... the library offered a choice of two books, that or, I think, Thief Of Time. Quite a flexible series.
Looking forward to hearing about so many of these. Yeah, your wife might have a point about The Golden Compass.
For Gaiman, while I enjoyed American Gods... hmm. This will be interesting. I have also read the first two Pern books, seems like a lot of people take issue with how certain elements hold up.
I’m kinda of jealous, you have some brilliant and compelling books to read for the first time. They are all good, IMHO.
I think you'll blast through Discworld books in a few days.
As a character guy, I'm really interested to hear your take on Pratchett's Death too.
I will say Mike if your into the more Asian inspired historical fantasy lately I’d highly recommend Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay I think it’s even better than Tigana and is a historical fantasy set in a world based on ancient china
You should for sure do a horror version. This is a new genre for me so I'll be happy to hear about any books that should be on my radar.
Earthsea and The Sword in the Stone are excellent. Very literary and thematically rich and rather postmodern and deconstructionist regarding classic fantasy narratives and tropes so I think it's no bad thing you're coming to it at this stage in your fantasy journey. Both are definitely very different from what you might expect based on the blurbs.
Excellent choices! Reckon I read most of them.
Black Company is great!
Donaldson gets dark indeed but great books.
On Discworld, the first two books were meant as a sort of spoof on fantasy, good books though, Pratchett really hits his stride after that!!!! And yes, the humour is great!
Gemmell is great! Think you'll really like the Jerusalem man trilogy from him.
Modesitt has 20 books now? Damn, high time for a re-read since i only read about 5 of them in my teens, good stuff I remember.
American Gods is a great read! Lost interest in the tv series after season 1......
Lots of the series that I grew up reading. Riftwar, Thomas covenant, Druss etc. Pullman's books have a beautiful ending quite bittersweet. You're in for a great time I'm envious
I love Anne McCaffrey’s books! She was one of my favorite authors in high school.
I'm the only person who DNF'd Pern 😅 I got 150ish pages in and put it down because of the SA. I see people telling you not to start with Colour of Magic but I started there and I feel like you're better off reading the "worst" discworld book first, because they just get better and better then 😍
I also just read Magic of Recluce and have to say it was fantastic. A little slower pace, vut deals with interesting concepts that kept me thinking well after I finished the book
Good to see Feist, McCaffrey, and Modesitt on your list. All great books. Le Guin has stronger work than Earthsea. At the time I read Wizard of Earthsea I liked it less than other books I was reading at the time (probably because I had already read Riftwar and was reading Wars of Light and Shadow and WoT). Once you've read the Riftwar Saga, I hope you go on to read the Empire trilogy - that was my intro to Janny Wurts and she became my favourite author. If you go past book one for Pern and Recluce, I'd recommend continuing in publication order so you don't spoil the reveals.
His Dark Materials was very meh for me. I had to force myself to finish book 2 and couldn't make myself go on, especially after not being a huge fan of book 1. Gave my very nice anniversary edition set to a friend. Hope your experience with it is more positive.
Can't wait for the video "Romance Books I'm Going to Give Up a Year to Read"!
Now people can stop complaining that you're not reading Discworld, and start complaining that you're starting in the wrong spot.
I'm glad The Black Company is back on your radar, they were the first Fantasy Books I read that didn't take place in a D&D setting. I'm a big Glen Cook fan, and I also love his Garret PI series, which is a pulp detective series set in a high fantasy world with sorcerers and dwarves and ogres and centaurs. It's great.
Legit chuckle
I recommend reading Discworld in chronological order IF you plan to read them all (even if it takes years). At least you can try with the first 2 books which are just one story. But if you feel that it is too much, I suggest the Death series, the witches series and city watch series. I'm also interested in the books of L.E. Modesitt Jr. They look so epic.
That's what I'm doing. Only 5 books in but I think you get a better grasp of the world, the magic, and characters going in chronological order
@@MrBoJangles I have read them all, so I think, as you said, it is the best way to get an idea of the whole world, and also you don't get tired of the same story line. And I think there is still a chronological order among the series.
I need to get back to Once and Future. I started it years ago and never finished the last section. Last month, I bought at my used bookstore that Penguin Deluxe edition that came out a few years back. I've been reluctant to start Pern because I heard the first book has this pretty toxic relationship between the main protagonist and someone else. I was personally not a fan of the first Thomas Covenant trilogy, nor Wizard of Earthsea. I'm currently reading Magician, really digging it. Already put the second book on hold. Love Discworld, but just so you know, it's not entirely stand alone. The Light Fantastic, which comes after Colour of Magic is a direct sequel. Legend, Tigana, and Black Company are on my TBR as well. His Dark Materials is okay. I warn you, if you stick it through, the ending will wreck you. Nothing but love for American Gods. One of my favorite books of all time!
Took me three tries to really like Discworld. Now I'm a big fan. Colour of Magic though is way weaker than Guards, Guards, so if you are starting with Colour of Magic just keep in mind that this one is just Pratchett warming up. Also, I agree that all the books work as standalones, but it doesn't mean that they work well if you don't know much about the world. And as a side note, Soul Music has tones of references to rock and music of the 70s (Def Leppard, Stairway to Heaven, Blues Brothers, etc.). This is the book that made me fall in love with Discworld
Your First Pronunciation of Druss is the right one.
Magician is really good. I'm new to reading fantasy but it was on offer on kindle so gave it a go. I've now read the three in the trilogy and will definitely read the rest from the world.
You have some good choices to read, Mike. GGK and Gemmell are pivotal books in fantasy. I’m fan of Recluce, so I will be interested in what you think.
I"m going to join you for "Legend" in December... I've DNF'd "The Colour of Magic" twice... was told to try "Guards! Guards!" instead as a starting place and loved it. Hell yes on Tigana. All day long. Big fan of American Gods too.
I enjoy Modesitt. He can be hit or miss though, but he does write both fantasy and Sci-fi. Magic of Recluce is a good start for fantasy while I would recommend The Timegod for his Sci-fi. Love both of those first books. I need to read Tigana from Guy Gavriel Kay as I loved his Fionavar Tapestry series.
This format is so much fun! Would love to see your horror list, too.
--I still need to read The Once and Future King. It's crazy that I haven't done so yet!
--I definitely recommend The Wizard of Earthsea. It's been ages since I read it, but I have fond memories. Still need to try the sequels.
--I love that cover for Dragonflight! I quite enjoyed the early books in the series (have not read the later books), especially The White Dragon.
--I feel like a terrible fantasy fan since I've never read Discworld. Just not motivated to start it, though I likely will eventually.
--Sadly, my experience with His Dark Materials was similar to your wife's. I really enjoyed The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. I may have liked the second book more than the first, if my memory is correct. However, the third book was a massive disappointment. I managed to finish it, but it was a struggle. It was painfully boring, and I even stopped caring about the characters. HOWEVER.....I am in the minority (though I have found some like-minded fans in recent years). I hope your experience is better than mine!
Thanks for sharing your list, and I hope you enjoy these books!
I'm close to finishing up Of Fire and Blood, and recently picked up The Aeronaut's Windlass from Jim Butcher. I'm really enjoying it I was a bit hesitant to try it since I adore The Dresden Files so much.
DF set the bar so high I was disappointed with Codex Alera.
Every Book readed and still reading! Thank you for speak about These Masterpieces;)
I read Magians Apprentice and loved it but then I went into my worst reading slump ever and never got back to it...weirdly it was ready player one that pulled me out of my slump and inspired me to be reading 130-150 books a year. I NEED to try Thomas Covenant I keep kicking that and Black Sun, and Black company and Legend down the road and are the books on my Still need to read list... UGH so many books...
This was great timing! I recently purchased several of these books with the intent of shoring up on my knowledge of the history of fantasy (plus hopefully enjoying them in their own right). I think reading these will add plenty of perspective on other newer series I've read.
I read Wizard of Earthsea. Not really my cup of tea, as it sort of skims from place to place rather than lore/world deep diving like I'm used to and have developed a preference for. But I still appreciated it and am glad I read it.
Oh I’m so excited that you’re going to give the Pern series a try, Anne’s books are what made me fall in love with Dragons all those many years ago and I have been addicted ever since.
I can’t believe you have never read Magican, you’re in for a treat, it will have to be my all time favourite book series, I hope you love them as much as I do. 😊
I do love me some dragons.
The only one I've read is American gods.
I really like it. Just checked my Kindle and I've got Tigana. When I got it i had no idea. But I find stuff on my Kindle all the time and say " when did i get this? " 😂 Keep on keeping on Mike 👍🤓
Happens to the best of us. The best is when you can't remember if you've read it or not.
The first Black Company omnibus is excellent. The rest is okay but not at the same level. But the first is worth your time.
Golden Compass is on my TBR for this month, The Golden Compass is the Northern Lights in the UK and I love the first book, 5/5. The Subtle Knife was 4/5. American Gods was a bit weird but I did really enjoy it in an odd way. I wouldn’t start with The Colour of Magic if I were you but it’s up to you. I’d probably go with Mort and then Reaper Man but 🤷♂️
Great list. I would like to say I've read a lot of them but that would be a lie. So I am only going to comment on two. If you vibe with Ursula's writing but not so much the earthsea books, you should try her Orsinian tales. I actually prefer those but I did enjoy earthsea. I could go on about Gain an for hours, but instead I will give you a different view. My favorite book by him is the Graveyard book which would be a fun October read for you and your son. Happy reading.
For me the Golden Compass (His Dark Materials) starts fantastically and gets better with each book. I've re-read over and over, since it publication. I love it in the same way I love The Lord of the Rings and the Cadwall Chronicles, the Lyonesse Trilogy and Dying Earth books by Jack Vance. Vance is my favourite writer of all time.
I'm not sure of how much you'll like a Wizard of Earthsea, but please commit to reading The Tombs of Atuan before deciding if it's for you or not. It's really different.
I started Discworld with Guards! Guards! and it was an excellent place to start. The Colour of Magic is very widely regarded as a bad place to start, but I hope it works as a strating point for you.
Great video! Wow. L'Morte and OAFK are two of my all time favs (along with Warlord Chronicles). So is Thomas Covenant. You will love OAFK and TH's take on especially Lancelot if you loved Cornwell's version
I too have to read Earthsea, and a couple of the rest on your awesome list! Happy reading Mike!
Hi Mike. I am a 55 year old man, and Thomas Covenant was literaaly the only book that came close to Tolkien when I was a teenager. It has a rape in it which turns all off. But it deals with the Aftermath always, and is tied up in it. If there was ever a 'GrimDark' this is it
Terry Pratchett is high on my radar, but Discworld is pretty much the only thing on this list I recognize, so this was a great intro for me
I only read the second Black Company book and it was...interesting. I liked the weird, creepy atmosphere, and you could see the roots of grimdark for sure. There wasn't very much sitting around doing nothing, but at times it wasn't all that exciting either. Why 2? Well it seems to be the most universally loved of the early books so I figured if I loved it, then it would hook me enough to keep reading the others. Long story short, book was interesting, had a nice hook, had some fun morally grey characters, but I ultimately decided the series wasn't for me.
Love your channel. I relate with your love of character-driven stories. If you haven’t already, would you be open to doing a list of your favorite character-driven books, regardless of genre? Would love to see your picks!
Hi there!
Idk if you already said that you're not interested but I think one that's not in the list is "The Fifth Season" by N. K. Jemisin
Might need to jump on the Once and Future King, Earthsea, and Black Company read alongs!
Also I'd LOVE a horror list like this!
Once and Future King is brilliant. It starts with the simplicity of The Hobbit and ends with the maturity of George Martin. It really takes the best of Mallory, cuts the fluff and is the best Arthur retelling I’ve read.
Sounds excellent!
I've read all 10 of the Thomas Covalent Chronicles and I enjoyed them! I've been hooked on Steph R Donaldson ever since. He's capable of writing from many different points of view so you can wonder if it's the same author! I'm about 20 books into his work so far.
Did he write the two-parter involving magic using mirrors? There was also traveling between the modern world and this world where the mirror magic was set. I can't remember the titles at the moment. Will have to Google later.
@@andreamiller3578 I'm not that good at navigating kindle but I think the name of that series is The Mirror of her Dreams. But I thought there were 3 in that one. I could be wrong. The Great God's War was 3 and The Kings Justice was two separate stories in one book. I think there were 5 books in the Gap series. Actual sci-fi in that one. Now I'm in a detective series by him about a guy called Axbrewder ☺️
All of these are very heartwarming and terrible in their own way!
There are two. I read them and didn't care for them much. Am slowly picking up Gap Cycle at the discount book store. Letting fate decide for me when I read it.
@@Gotblade yes, Mirror of her Dreams. That's the one. I read them years ago. I meant to read his other books but I always forgot to. They've remained on my TBR list since high school. Which was a really long time ago. Heh. But they're there!
@@andreamiller3578 it feels like time well spent so I continue 🙂
Read The Colour of Magic first if you want but don't give up on Discworld if you don't like it. The Colour of Magic is not just a bad book *for Pratchett*, it's straight up a bad book. I read it first and hated it, and it caused me to not touch Discworld again for 8 years, when I picked up Small Gods, which is a much better introduction to the world. I really wish I had not read The Colour of Magic first as it delayed me from getting into Discworld. A better place to start is Guards Guards, Small Gods, or Mort. Please give one of those a chance if and when you don't enjoy The Colour of Magic.
Exciting times ahead. Earthsea is pretty enjoyable, not in my top 10 though. I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but The Colour of Magic, may not be the best place to start in Discworld. Most people would recommend Mort, or Guards, Guards! I’ve read a little bit of Elric of Melnibone and really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to read more.
Great to see Discworld on here and I am interested in your thoughts on The Black Company as I have been considering that series for a while.
My man! Allways great to watch your video's Mike
I think His Dark Materials is subjective in the ending. Personally the last book is one of my fav of all time, and the ending is phenomenal. HBO series is alright (some amazing acting from one or two characters) (bbc lacks punch/impact) - and film is cinematic but not great adaptation.
Best adaptation imo is the unabridged audiobook with full cast and pullman narrating.
Thank you! I will definitely check out magic of reclus… happy reading to you 🎥
Military fantasy doesn't sound appealing, but the humor and ridiculousness of The Black Company is awesome. It's so fun.
I think you have to read The Light Fantastic after The Colour of Magic before you make your decision on Discworld. I think most people don't like the first two and Sourcery (#3 in Rincewind books) because they lean heavy in the Sword & Sorcery subgenre
Huge Arthurian legend fan. I read the Once and Future King last year and while some bits were dazzlingly genius, other bits did not land for me at all.👀 Excited to hear your thoughts on it whenever you get to it!
Read the first 3 books from The Riftwar Saga!! Amazing books❤❤
I read Earthsea a few months ago. It's awesome!!
American Gods was like nothing i have ever read. Funny, occasionally poetic, dark, and brimming with originality.
I read the Elric Saga (and some Jerry Cornelius novels) when I was a teenager back in the 90s.From what i remember, the Elric novels had the pulpy energy of Robert E. Howard's Conan stories but were far more psychedelic and nihilistic. As a young Tolkien fan back then, i didn't really know what to make of them. I'm definitely going to re-visit them this year to see what my adult self makes of them.
I love The Black Company and am on She Is The Darkness, the eighth book in the series, if you include The Silver Spike. I love it, but I'm not sure you will enoy it given how you feel about military fantasy. I think you will appreciate it for how it influenced the genre, but I'm not sure you will read past the first book. I encourage you to try to finish the first three because it wraps up the main story line.
Really fun video! His dark materials: top three series of all time for me. GGK: beautiful writing. Modesitt: love him, very similar writing style to Jordan. Discworld: keep reading, colour of magic is by far the weakest book in the series. Feist: I’ve read 35-40 books in this world, love him but magician apprentice/master are imho the weakest books in the series. Very excited to hear your opinions on all of these!
A lot of books in common. If timing is right I will read along with you.
I don't know anything about them, but the Modesitt books are EVERYWHERE at used bookstores. The covers and side panels always looked to me like Wheel of Time covers, but that's probably just the style of 90s publishing.
From what I understand THE GOLDEN COMPASS is Pullman’s attack against Christianity. Hence I’m not surprised to hear of his attack against CS Lewis.
Some great ones, including TH White. Also recommend Gormenghast. Would love to join you for Legend and Tigana.
Hi Mike. I love your channel. You got me to start reading again. Keep up the great work you do. I would LOVE to see you do a horror list. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what you'll be doing for spooky season.
Too many books not enough time. Read everything from the 50’s to the 90’ s then started having kids so the last 25 years is a blank slate. Working my way slowly through the list. If you’re looking for future recommendations try Saberhagen, Jack Chalker and the Belgariad and Mallorian series. Most of their books are short enough ( 250-300 pages) to finish in 2-3 sittings.
Definitely do the horror version of this video. I wish to read more horror in the future and I need some recommendations 😅.Thanks for all of this great content,almost to 100k,more than deserved.
You will love Once and Future King! Such a great classic!
I haven't read any of these, so I can't offer feedback. But I will say, many of these have been roasting on my TBR, so I may join ya, a time or two. I definitely want to read Feist's Magician books, and get into LeGuin
Just got dragonflight for 25 cents at my local library this week. Looks like I might have to move this up my TBR
The Riftwar Saga is a great read! I've got to continue with Earthsea, and try Hobb, McCaffery, Pratchett, Gwynne...so many!
I have a soft spot for Gormenghast.
«Legend» should be right up your alley, Mike! And «Earthsea» should be a cool read, especially with your kids! I love «Tigana» (heck, I made my only sorry excuses of «videos» on the Mythology of Tigana, just because I could not believe that nobody else had done it!) but I would perhaps recommend «A Song for Arbonne» (my recommendation, as the «benchmark» GGK Novel and his most «tightest», plus had perhaps my favorite GGK main character in the Mercenary Blaise!) or «The Lions of Al-Rassan» (My GGK-sensei Jake Bishop’s pick): «Tigana» has his best world bullding and antagonists, but is not the best representation of GGK as power as a character writer! Just finished «Under Heaven»: Beautiful novel (might be my book of the year!) mixing the Metropolitan Tang Dynasty of China with themes from Leo Tolstoy’s «War & Peace» and Victor Hugo’s «Le Miserables»!
Once and Future King has been on my tbr for ages. I really need to knock it off.
I can’t imagine you not liking American Gods. It’s a road trip mystery with a bit of Stephen King influence thrown in.
Hey i just bought two days ago The Once and Future King, I will wait to read it with you, Earthsea quartet is beautiful and they are short books. I am planning to read Thomas Covenant in december. American Gods you should start immediately! Take care.