Merphy: I skip the song breaks... Do you read them?? Daniel: I read them, they are good poetry Me: .... I sing them... I thought that was what every one did
Beginner 1:01 Mistborn 3:50 Warbreaker & Elantris 4:50 Good Omens 5:45 King Killer 6:45 Narnia 8:25 The ocean at the end of the lane 8:40 Duel of Fire Intermedite 9:10 Stormlight Archive 10:45 Gentleman Bastard 12:40 American Gods 14:00 Lord of the Rings 15:25 First Law 17:00 An Unkindness of Magicians 21:05 Lightbringer Advanced 18:25 The Wheel of Time 22:30 A Song of Ice and Fire 23:47 Broken Earth 24:25 Dark Tower 25:00 Witcher Actually, having read about half of these already, I don’t agree with this at all. Witcher is so easy to read through. Good omens as well. The stormlight archive I could barely put down. Lord of the Rings however really was a struggle. Both because of not being used to the writing style and because of already knowing the story too much to have this strong drive to find out what will happen next. Also the wheel of time is much easier to read than A song of ice and fire, but for both series I’m at book 5. Asoiaf b6 has been waiting on the shelf for almost a year and wot is an addicting I started not even two months ago that hooked me so much at the start of this year that I’ll finish the series before I know it.
Yeah, I read Witcher when I was 13, first adult literature I read actually..not really difficult read, beforehand I read maybe Narnia series, Harry Potter and Eragon out of fantasy.
A goat person is either called a satyr or a faun. A satyr is the name they used in the Greek mythology while faun is from the Roman mythology. Yay to Rick Riordan for educating me about mythology😂😂
I believe that in Narnia, at least the films(can't remember if it's talked about in the books), satyrs and fauns are different things. Satyrs being basically a humanoid goat, and fauns being goat legs and human torso.
@@knutolavbjrgaas1069 Oooh, yeah, I was thinking of James McAvoy's character, who was a faun, but you are right, I think he mentioned it as well, if I'm not mistaken..?
I still think it’s one of the greatest flexes in authorship ever that Tolkien wrote the LotR series because he thought the languages he invented as a linguist needed some background...😂 He basically created the greatest series of fantasy ever on a whim...
He actually wrote "Quenta Silmarillion" and other writings to explain how the languages came to be. He wrote LotR because his readers wanted more stories about hobbits.
I'd watch the films first. Gets you to know the characters then read the books. Do not watch the Hobbit films though (how do you get three movies out of such a short book)
Johnny McCann the dwarves fell into the background too though. like the only memorable dwarves were bombur and thorin from the books. fili, kili, oin, gloin, etc never did anything really so i feel even in the books they served little to no purpose.
The Hobbit comes before the trilogy in a chronological sense, but I read the trilogy first (nearly 50 years ago - God, I'm old!) and I never regretted not having read The Hobbit first. LTR was the "big thing" among college students in the late 60s. There were even T-shirts that read: "Frodo Lives!", so you had to have read the book to be in on what's happening.
edh yeah, it doesn’t really matter much what you read first, it would still make sense. IDK, the Hobbit is just my favourite book and would love more people to read it
I really like that in LOTR the narrator has a real voice, it feels like you're being told a story. In some ways it also feels like you are reading an old primary source manuscript, and that adds a lot of immersion. I kind of hate that voiceless 3rd person limited viewpoint that has taken over in most modern fantasies: the authors don't care at all about style, only content. Lord of the Rings is poetic and quotable, Wheel of Time (as much as I love it) is neither of those things.
@@christopherrowley7506 ... You are correct. The styles are very different. LOTR's after all is really The Red Book of Westmarch written by Bilbo and Frodo in narrative form. Hobbits have very poetic souls, as did Tolkien.
The Mistborn series is one of the tighest I ever read. You get to the end of the last page in the third book and you feel as if the author knew exactly where he'd be and how he'd get there from page 1 of book 1. It just all came into play and you realize clues were laid out two books before for things that pay off in book three, and not in that "they threw a lot of mud at the wall early on so that they could make something pay off and look like a genius, even though a lot of things didn't pay off" way. It felt like every word had purpose and intent all the way through. It's impressive.
Levels of fantasy books based on reading difficulty: 1. Kid's first fantasy 2. Easy to get into 3. Intermediate 4. Advanced 5. Really advanced 6. What the hell is this???? 7. Please help me! 8. Why, oh god, why?!!! 9. I just can't anymore.... 10. Malazan book of the Fallen
:D :D I'm reading the second book in the Malazan series and I won't lie : English not being my mother tongue, I'm struggling quite a lot... I had read the first one few years ago, read it again a second time (easier once you know the story), maybe I'll do the same with Deadhouse Gates
I didn’t know much about fantasy, but have read “Kingkiller” and “Gentleman Bastards”, before I got to Mistborn. I was in NY for a work trip, and stopped at a Barnes N Nobles. I saw Mistborn, picked it up, and it opened up my world to so many great stories! It led me to WOT and StormLight Archives (naturally). Best random pick up of my life!
I used to think so too, but since then I read a couple of series that, well I wouldnt say are harder to read, but more harder to get a grasp on. The second aocalypse and Gene WOlf's books of the new sun series are two good examples of that.
Agree. Why is it hard/advanced? Many books in the series, each book is large. Massive cast. Keeping up with WoT or GoT is a piece of cake in comparison. No easing into the story, you just join in at a point in time and try to keep up. Non-linear time lines, the books jump around in terms of sequence of events. Overall plot I found to be a little hard to keep track of. There's not really good guys and bad guys as such, there's just complex characters and their individual motivations The reward for the pair of reading? Some of the best characters and scenes in Fantasy Bragging rights of actually having completed this series
I read almost every book in the video and they are all amazing but Kingkiller chronicle really captivates my heart, in a way no series ever has. Daniel's reaction is so relatable!
I love these chill videos. You've both mentioned so many of these books before but I like how you explained why to read them in a casual way. Like anyone could connect to and like these books.
Agreed Ursula Le Guin was a genius- RIP. Two other recommendations for stories whose authors have sadly died in the last few years. Gene Wolfe- The Shadow of the Torturer and subsequent series- won the World Fantasy Award Julian May - The Many Colored Land and subsequent series ( although categorized by many as SF it is essentially fantasy).
I think reading the hobbit first in the LOTR series makes the books as a whole easier to read. I read the hobbit as a kid (which shows how easy it is to read/comprehend) and didn't read the rest of the series until high school after rereading the hobbit.
"His dark materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman is genious. Don't make the mistake of watching the movie-adaption of the first book, though. Awaiting the BBC/HBO series with terrified joy! :)
Totally agree, I read these books when I was really young so I don't remember enough to have a nuanced opinion but I remember loving them. I'm hoping the HBO show follows in the footsteps of my other favourite childhood books, A Series of Unfortunate Events. The movie for that was horrible, didn't capture the themes at all, made the most important character (Violet) completely useless and unimportant, and turned the villain into a completely comedic character with no dark/sinister side. The Netflix series completely made up for all that. It quickly became one of my favourite TV shows ever (although season 1 is a bit rough).
The lack of Jim Butcher (Dresden in particular) is really perplexing. I cant think of a more accessible fantasy book series than that. Funny, dark, intriguing; filled with extremely well written heroes, anti heroes, and villains, Dresden Files is one of the most well-read and popular fantasy books series in the genre. The books are basically "pulp-fantasy noir" (although that steadily changes over time as Harrys decisions continuously haunt him years after he makes them). Sanderson, and Gaiman I get as recommendations--but Butchers work (3 separate series so far) are all great, if not phenomenal.
It's hard to include everything. We all have our favorites etc... I like the Dresden Files, it's kinda cheesy at times though, BUT.... The Codex Alera is one my favorite series of all time.
I could never get into dresden files but codex of alera has to be in my top 3 of series. also if you never realized that the idea for codex started on a chat board where they were discussing what makes a book good. as in was it subject matter or the writing. so he took the concept of lost roman legion. which has been done successfully multiple times and combined it with something that at times is vilified in pokemon. you realize how great the series is.
I liked his Codex series more; Dresden... has some issues for me. It's interesting, lacks the world building of other fantasy. Yes, it's set in modern Chicago, but even American Gods had amazing world building. I dunno, the whole magical Roman thing caught me more haha
This was the first video I found on TH-cam of people talking about books. THIS is when I discovered booktube 2y ago and decided to read all the books on this list and follow you and Daniel. I've never looked back since. I watch both your videos religiously and have loved coming back to this first video of yours that I watched to reflect on how much you have both grown and encouraged my love of reading ❤️ I love you guys.
LOVE the Wheel of Time! Found book 5 for sale used and thought it looked interesting. Then realized it was a part 5... so got the first 4 and read 1-5. Then re-read 1-5 when 6 came out. Then re-read 1-6 when 7 came out, and so on and so on. Read the whole series at least 3 times through, and have skimmed the series at least another 5 or 6 times. So great.
I read "The Eye of the World" on the plane back from Saudi Arabia after the first Gulf War (yea, I'm old, sue me!) and was hooked forever more. It is my second favorite series of all times behind LOTR. I'm scared of what Amazon will do with the TV series, but hoping for the best.
Loved Wheel of Time until I read more books. Good series, but gets bloated and repetitive and then just got plain bored. Sanderson finishing them picked the pace back up for me.
Malazan book of the fallen is amazing.. gets really good from book 3 onwards (although book 1 is still one of my favourites on the re-read). I also love Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy, fantasy at its best.
This is what holds me back from reading The Name of the Wind.....I read all of Game of Thrones thinking surely at least one more book would come out during that time....eh no. I refuse to even think of touching King Killer Chronicle until he comes out with the 3rd installment.....whenever that is.
Sure I'd like for it to come out soon, but if an author isn't ready to bring it out, they aren't, if they're way too much of a perfectionist, so be it.
I'm surprised that David Eddings or Raymond E Feist didn't appear on the list as beginner fantasy. They were my gateway into Fantasy when I was a teen (and to a lesser degree was Piers Anthony, although his books have not aged well IMHO).
@@DM-fp8uw I kinda agree with Eddings but Feist series are still pretty good. The last few trilogies are bit out there but the rift war and serpent war are really good.
I read Hogfather as my first Pratchett. No regrets! I love the Wee Free Men and the Guilds and the Watchmen and the Witches and all the things that make up Discworld. I see his influence in other books and Tv shows sometimes
Pratchett is too subtle for skippy up there in the video...he obviously doesn't get metaphor and allegory (Narnia), so the brilliant satire of Pratchett will pass him right by...
@@crestfallenwarrior6996 I read wot and while the first few books were good I found the rest brutal. This is just my personal opinion though yours may differ. I am an avid fantasy reader and I honestly don't know how this series became so popular besides the length of it. The last few books when Sanderson took over aren't too bad and I wouldn't go back in time and tell my past self not to read them but not the hype as what people claim.
@ThePiedPiper And Piers It's set in a medieval setting with knights and rangers and monarchies and such, having, as you said, its own mythical creatures. It's set in another world with other sets of classes and professions and rules, so I'd say it's pretty much the archetype of a fantasy. A book doesn't have to be full of magic to be considered a fantasy.
David Eddings is another who should be still counted among the great introductions to Fantasy. Especially if you've got young family members who you don't think are ready for more adult themes. I'm personally more partial to the Elenium and Tamuli series but I suspect the Belgariad and it's sequel Malloreon is the better place to start for a teenager looking to get into fantasy.
So true about Sanderson . I consider myself an ‘average’ reader, when I picked up The Last Empire, man I flew that! It was just such an easy, believable read, I really enjoyed it. I got so hooked, I wanted to know more about the author’s other works, enter Stormlight Archive.
Pausing the video at Narnia to pass my two cents: I kinda agree that it hasn't aged well in regards to what is currently on the market. However, I read the entire series, from beginning to end, to my fifth grade class two years ago. This class hated reading so much but they'd beg to bring their lunch to the classroom to hear more. I just had a former student from that class find me on IG and send me a message that he is going through the hardest time in his life right now, but he remembered Narnia and has reread the series and now wants more fantasy. I think it is an excellent door for children, even if it fails in comparison as an adult reader. WITH THE EXCEPTION of The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle. I think those two could team up and fight with some of the greats. :)
Only 5 minutes into this video so far but it's already a really fun one with great recommendations! I love that Daniel gushes about Good Omens for a hot sec because it's also one of my faves! And Neil Gaiman is a writing god in my opinion, I will always read and recommend his books! They're just so enjoyable
Just got to Merphy's Neil Gaiman gush, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is one of those books that slowly seeps into you, i didn't realise how much I was truly loving it until about halfway through, but only because I was too engrossed to notice 💜
Robin Hobb's three trilogies based on FitzChivalry and the Fool are excellent. In addition, Raymond E Feist's Riftwar series based on Pug and subsequent series are quite excellent too.
Sorry but I can't stand the riftwar books. The only goods ones are in the collab with Janny Wurts, The Daughter of The Empire books. Those are excellent.
The Riftwar is a superb series. The problem I have with his later books is that they're very uneven. Both between books and in them. He's written some really good ones but also some "meh".
I started reading fantasy with ASOIF and then I got into Malazan ... I regret nothing , great reads , specially Malazan , I'm still reading into the Malazan world.
As someone who thinks the MBotF is an outstanding series I've read through twice and listened through twice, A.) I do not love the series. Those are not tears of joy it is milking, and B.) I never recommend it to anyone. I do say "it's a phenomenal series, but Erikson is like if Ayn Rand wanted you to be a good, compassionate person. Erikson hates cruelty, and wants you to hate it, too. Try it, start with the second and third books, and do it audio. Erikson is better heard than read. If you don't like those, you wont like any, and end the relationship."
@@Velsero Interesting. This is literally the first time I've seen anyone say that Malazan is even viable on audiobook, let alone better. The consensus is generally that it's complicated enough that keeping track of things in a one-shot format is tough - you generally have to scan back and re-read sections etc. I may finally be heading into a phase of my life that I can give Malazan a shot, but we'll see.
When I finished the video , I felt something strange about me because I have read 4 of the 5 advanced category series before reading a majority of the beginner and intermediate category books.
Be sure to check out the video we did together on Daniel's channel too! Also, if any of these books interested you, be sure to check out the links I left in the description! It took me a looooooong time to put them all there 😅
Hey Merphy, I'm trying to buy An Unkindness of Magicians through your link - the direct landing page is on the hardcover though? Do you know if it still counts as an affiliate sale if I thereby switch to a used paperback from that landing page? (I prefer to buy used books. It's an environment thing!)
Just started the final empire in the mistborn trilogy because of this video. I listened to the first chapter through audiobook from the library, but now I own the novel and am really enjoying the second chapter. I’m glad you guys suggested it for beginners, otherwise I would have waited ages before attempting something so highly regarded
I love the Broken Earth trilogy! I read the first book last summer, then I read books 2 & 3 earlier this year back to back. Each book flows seamlessly into the next so that it really just feels like one long novel. Highly recommend it. Best adult dystopian I've read and it'd be hard to top it.
Beginner: Hobb's Fitz nonology (Farseer trilogy, Tawny Man trilogy and Fitz and the Fool trilogy) In my opinion one of the finest fantasy series and certainly one suited to novice readers. The magic system isn't complicated, the politics aren't too dense and the main character is highly relatable. Since the series consists of three trilogies, it's not very daunting to start with. Intermediate: Jordan's WoT Lots of reading material with a plethora of names, extended plot lines and grand scale events. However, the number of *prominent* characters is somewhat limited, the magic system isn't too complicated and plot is easy to follow. Advanced: King's The Dark Tower Long, bizarre, even more bizarre and requires knowledge of King's other books to be fully appreciated. Luckily the number of characters is limited, the magic system is barely existent and the separate events in the story are fairly straightforward. Off the charts: Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen Long, half a million characters and plot lines, difficult to grasp, complicated magic/god system and did I mention there are a *KAJILLION* characters?
I personally think that while I adore hobbs fitz stuff, it's a intermidiate book because the first book is slow for a good couple chapters and I've read books way faster than it But once it gets started omfg it's the best
Such a good video ! Having both your different perspectives on books give such a more complete portrait of the recommendations and makes it so richer (and entertaining). 💕
The way of Kings has some of the best moments I have ever encountered in a book. Kaladin goes down as one of my all time favorite characters because of this. Still following the series so we'll have to wait and see if he stays as great of a character as we all want him to be.
@@naseemnasir The list only goes up to advanced, Malazan is quite a bit higher than that. Though it might be because I started in the middle. Toll The Hounds, IIRC.
There’s a channel called Clamavi de Profundis that does a great job of taking the songs from the books and singing them. Definitely check them out, they are great
Oscar Nilzen love the songs, but I understand why a lot of people prefer to skip over them. But some of them are so beautiful, such as Bilbo’s “I Sit Beside The Fire”.
The Witcher was my introduction into fantasy last year (if you don't count the childrens / YA books I read over 10 years ago). Really loved it and now I am enjoying other fantasy as well since the age of 25. Lot to catch up on :')
One of my friends attempted to get into fantasy and started with A Song of Ice and Fire. Didn't understand it and hasn't picked up fantasy again. I agree with having ASOIAF on the advanced fantasy. It is hard to get into, but once you stick it out, it is an amazing series.
Alyson Serena Stone I think the level of violence and sex is just not everybody’s cup of tea; that was definitely something I had to get used to aside from the large number of characters.
The Witcher is for me probably the best fantasy book series. Characters are well developed, story is complex, there are very well narrative tricks used in story and many more.
You guys have great chemistry! You can tell that your good friends and bounce off each other well which makes the video really interesting to watch! Thank you for the list I'm really looking forward to checking some of these out and I'm glad you guys don't agree with everything because it gives different perspectives based on each book. Thank you again!
The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin is a good beginner book. Set on a world with no connection to ours-- it's all small islands. Ged is a young man with magical talent-- magic comes from knowing true names. He makes one mistake early on, and spends the book dealing with it. There are dragons.
I looooove this format of contents! do more pls both of you guys :) Well done And! thanks for categorizing these books! It can change the order of my TBR tbh! thanks again
Mordyth I know she always talks about how much she respects him, but when she does videos with him it seems like he annoys her. I don’t know for sure but that’s just how I see it.
I agree with Tony Phan and Ozkan, I think that the tension is really them just trying to keep the video serious, but it makes them look like they can't stand to be in the same room.
Ever since I got into BookTube, I've noticed how highly praised Brandon Sanderson has been. Will try to read the Mistborn trilogy next year, hopefully!
His writing gets better over time. Mistborn is pretty good, but his more recent writing is amazing. His latest book "Skyward" is spectacular. It's on another level compared to his previous writing.
Definitely should have included Malazan Book of the Fallen in Advanced, also think Tad Williams Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn would fit well in the Advanced category.
The first time I read Lord of the Rings in my native language, I was ten years old and I think that version may have been condensed or simplified because I loved it. Then when I was 13, I read it in English. And my English was not good at all at the time. The old style description of scenery nearly did me in but I was just stubborn enough to struggle through it although I didn't enjoy it at all. I learned a lot - I had to keep a dictionary next to me while reading... re-reading it as an adult I did enjoy it, though I can see how people would not love the trilogy.
Or the Shadowmarch series or War of the Flowers for a standalone or his Bobby Dollar series for urban fantasy or Otherland for sci-fi fantasy...Tad Williams is amazing! (Is it obvious that I'm a fan?)
I have recently finished N.K. Jemisin's 'Broken Earth' Trilogy, and I definitely agree that it is difficult to read. Whilst in is absolutely phenomenal, you don't actually get the full picture of the world until maybe 50 pages out from the end of the third book. But it was an incredible read, and now one of my all-time favourite fantasy series.
Mistborn is honestly my favorite series even though I have read every book in this video and many more. It is just so beautiful and amazing and I love it soooooooo much
14:25 Lord of the Rings - "Ugh there are song breaks. I skip them. Do you read them?" - "I read them. They're great, they're good poetry." I don't read them, I SING THEM!!! (Many songs have versions in the animated or live-action films. For the ones that don't, my mind tends to make up a melody while reading hahaha)
I might skip the first few Discworld books and start a bit later in the series - Mort or Wyrd Sisters are good starting points early; Small Gods is a stand-alone, and possibly a little better than the average, but otherwise a good representative of what you might call "middle-Discworld" - after the series finds its style, but before the "late-Discworld"; or Going Postal makes a good entry point into "late-Discworld" - introducing a new lead character, and, while series fans will pick up on references and get more out of seeing certain characters, doesn't require familiarity with the series to follow and enjoy. In fairness, aside possibly from the last book, The Shepherd's Crown, which is part farewell tour, a new reader could pick up pretty much any book in the series and pick up anything they might need to know from earlier books purely from context, but those four are good places to start anyway. It's probably worth going back to the first few books at some point, if only for historical interest, but an awful lot of what's in books 1 and 2 was quietly dropped and never returned to as the series found itself.
@@rmsgrey I always encourage people to start with colour of magic and light fantastic BUT I give a strong warning not to judge too harshly, and then encourage people to go off the beaten path. It introduces rincewind, the librarian and Death who all end up playing but parts every now and again outside their own books, but also Ankh Morpork as its own character. I wouldn’t want someone’s first interaction with rincewind or the librarian to be about 2 lines of dialogue during mort for instance, and I speaking of mort I’m thinking jumping straight into the grim reaper might be a bit jarring for some readers.
@@KeytarArgonian The Ankh-Morpork of TCoM and LF is barely recognisable as the same city as, say, that of The Night Watch. I'm always suspicious of recommendations that go "You'll know by book 5 whether you're going to like it or not" - yes, you'll get a little more out of Mort (for example) if you read the books from the beginning, but you'll get a lot more out of your first few hours of reading if you start with one of the later books and then go back to the earlier ones if you decide you want to keep reading. Though, to be fair, my standard recommendation for Babylon 5 is to watch over half a season before deciding (episode 13, Signs and Portents, is the episode I'd say really establishes what the show can be, but it's very much a serialised show, so, with a few exceptions (s1e04, Infection...) you can't really skip episodes.
"Christian fantasy" made me laugh, because even if it's...sorta....true, there are a bunch of Christians out there who have a lot of issues with Good Omens. think i'd call it religious satire?
@@daviderwin4705 ohh yeah. Never really realized it when I read Narnia as a kid, just loved the idea of another world/the settings (esp. in The Magician's Nephew/The Dawn Treader)...the religious overtones didn't really bother me because they just felt like borrowed mythology/another part of the story, nothing overtly manipulative. Now that I'm older, what does bother me is the racism...
Heaven help us is a good satire about religion, the author is good in general (but died last year in old age). I would say a nieche classic author, lovely but bizarre, and heaven help us is pretty much mocking christinity in that manner, but not really too mean.
add her yourself!! which series would you put where; im curious!! i've been wanting to add her to my tbr (well not her, herself, but i mean you get it)
He also put First Law in the middle category, behind several series which are decidedly simplistic and flat. I think they missed a few dimensions in their analysis and put a lot of emphasis on style points and appeal to readership. To be fair, I think they read purely for escapism and immersion, rather than reflection and horizon broadening. The base of the people in their comments seem the same.
Have to agree with Donaldson. I recently reread the series before I read the Last Chronicles addition and remembered why I love (and love to hate) Thomas Covenant. It was such a great book for my vocabulary when I was much younger the first time.
FWIW: I read the two Covenant trilogies decades ago. Just RECENTLY -- as in the last two years -- I read online the author wrote MORE books in the series. But I am so far BEHIND in reading books, I have not even bothered acquiring any more books.
I listened to the audio book with my kids and loved it. It took over a month, and my 7 year old was a little lost in the sauce, but it was still well worth it.
First Law is indeed amazing! i am just reading the last book. I love how he adapts his writing style to the characters. How he connects a character needing to pee just before the killing starts and uses it later as a trigger for the reader: You read a scene completely disconnected from violent acts and then he drops "he needed to pee badly" and you immediately think "damn, shits going wild now!". Genious move Mr. Abercrombie!
hey Lukas I've read a preview of the blade itself and really enjoyed. I haven't read alot of fantasy just wondering should I continue as a beinnger to the genre thanx
@@Daniel-fu9zt I'm not Lukas, but if you liked the preview then you will like the entire book and most of the other books by Abercrombie. Abercrombie has very consistent readability.
I was a casual reader for years until covid. Now 2 years later, I consume all spectrum of fantasy books. Finding your video now, in 2022, I will definitely read some of the recommendations. Especially since you'll listed The Witcher as advanced. I was just curious about it when the Netflix show was coming out. I apparently jumped off the deep end on that one. Lol. It was sooo frustrating at first with the time jumping but I got it. I did burn myself with the epic fantasy novels because of it and went down the road of a fairy tale retellings... and some fantasy smut. (Like I said I enjoy all spectrum of fantasy). Your video definitely inspired me to jump back into epic / complex tales again.
I am finally getting back to reading after YEARS of studying and being so tired after reading that the last thing i wanted to do was read in the first place, and I am adding all these books to my list, probably in that order (might skip a few, like narnia and game of thrones) , but yeah, i loved this video!
Same with me, except I was a bit younger. The Wardrobe was in my 3rd grade literature textbook, and was basically the first act of the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. A year later, I purchased the full version at the school's book fair. I must have been 8 or 9. We also read a simplified version of Beowulf in 4th grade, along with the Neverending Story and some simplified Greek and Norse mythology.
“Brandon , go outside...” *Sanderson, holding a bottle of vitamin D tablets* “sunlight is for amateurs.”
Brandon can go outside once the Stormlight Archive is finished
He can go outside when we get The Lost Metal!
@Arthur Pilgram first elantris 2 , then he can proceed to warbreaker 2 , i need to see my dula friend
Yeah I don't want him to turn into grrm
😂He could just take his laptop outside and slap on some sunscreen and keep on writing like a madman.
This only makes me wish for a podcast with these two.
YES omg i would love that
they kinda just did that ...... start your time machine
What???MEEE really where
@@cartoonfreak9635 I was talking about the live stream they did a couple of hours ago
OMG Yes! These two should definitely start a podcast together.
Merphy: I skip the song breaks... Do you read them??
Daniel: I read them, they are good poetry
Me: .... I sing them... I thought that was what every one did
Have you listened to clamavi de profondis ? They put them into songs, it's amazing.
I sing them, too! just inside my head, most times. They add to the atmosphere of the scene.
+
This comment actually made me laugh out loud
I do sing them
2019: Brandon, go outside
2020: Brandon, stay home.
Little did we know that he writes everywhere. Yes, EVERYWHERE.
2021: Brandon, get vaccinated.
2021: Let's go Brandon!
@@ezioauditore6038 Heh.
Beginner
1:01 Mistborn
3:50 Warbreaker & Elantris
4:50 Good Omens
5:45 King Killer
6:45 Narnia
8:25 The ocean at the end of the lane
8:40 Duel of Fire
Intermedite
9:10 Stormlight Archive
10:45 Gentleman Bastard
12:40 American Gods
14:00 Lord of the Rings
15:25 First Law
17:00 An Unkindness of Magicians
21:05 Lightbringer
Advanced
18:25 The Wheel of Time
22:30 A Song of Ice and Fire
23:47 Broken Earth
24:25 Dark Tower
25:00 Witcher
Actually, having read about half of these already, I don’t agree with this at all. Witcher is so easy to read through. Good omens as well. The stormlight archive I could barely put down.
Lord of the Rings however really was a struggle. Both because of not being used to the writing style and because of already knowing the story too much to have this strong drive to find out what will happen next.
Also the wheel of time is much easier to read than A song of ice and fire, but for both series I’m at book 5. Asoiaf b6 has been waiting on the shelf for almost a year and wot is an addicting I started not even two months ago that hooked me so much at the start of this year that I’ll finish the series before I know it.
I agree with your opinion sooo much!
I read a bunch of their list ... do agree with you though, for the books I read.
Yeah, I read Witcher when I was 13, first adult literature I read actually..not really difficult read, beforehand I read maybe Narnia series, Harry Potter and Eragon out of fantasy.
What about the malorean? It was a precursor to almost all of those books.
Thanks for the time stamps!
"Brandon, go outside...", who needs sunlight when you have Stormlight?
This is genius😄👍🏻
Wooooooop there it is 🙌
This is a bar
**ba dam tsssss!** 🥁😜👉
Pure Facts
A goat person is either called a satyr or a faun. A satyr is the name they used in the Greek mythology while faun is from the Roman mythology. Yay to Rick Riordan for educating me about mythology😂😂
I've only seen the Narnia movies and not read the books, but I believe they used the term "faun", yes.
I believe that in Narnia, at least the films(can't remember if it's talked about in the books), satyrs and fauns are different things. Satyrs being basically a humanoid goat, and fauns being goat legs and human torso.
@@knutolavbjrgaas1069 Oooh, yeah, I was thinking of James McAvoy's character, who was a faun, but you are right, I think he mentioned it as well, if I'm not mistaken..?
Sometimes a goat man is just a Goatman. Thanks Diablo.
how do you milk those things???
Daniel: “Brandon, go outside!”
Also Daniel: *New video every day
this!!! 😂😂😂
the sun burnses
I still think it’s one of the greatest flexes in authorship ever that Tolkien wrote the LotR series because he thought the languages he invented as a linguist needed some background...😂
He basically created the greatest series of fantasy ever on a whim...
He actually wrote "Quenta Silmarillion" and other writings to explain how the languages came to be. He wrote LotR because his readers wanted more stories about hobbits.
@@zr5941 Hit reply to say this. Good on ya
@@zr5941 That was the biggest screeching "ACKshoeaaaalllY" I've heard in a while.
But, as a Tolkien fan, I raise my glass to you. Fair point.
He also wrote it while procrastinating something else
@@zr5941 thank you for illuminating this! ❤️
(I obviously didn’t know that!)
Still a flex since LotR still is a result of that wish, innit? 😜
To get into Lord of the rings as a beginner, it might be better to read The Hobbit before the Trilogy.
@Arshia Rajabi It is a book for children...
I'd watch the films first. Gets you to know the characters then read the books. Do not watch the Hobbit films though (how do you get three movies out of such a short book)
Johnny McCann the dwarves fell into the background too though. like the only memorable dwarves were bombur and thorin from the books. fili, kili, oin, gloin, etc never did anything really so i feel even in the books they served little to no purpose.
The Hobbit comes before the trilogy in a chronological sense, but I read the trilogy first (nearly 50 years ago - God, I'm old!) and I never regretted not having read The Hobbit first. LTR was the "big thing" among college students in the late 60s. There were even T-shirts that read: "Frodo Lives!", so you had to have read the book to be in on what's happening.
edh yeah, it doesn’t really matter much what you read first, it would still make sense. IDK, the Hobbit is just my favourite book and would love more people to read it
To me, Tolkein's writing style is pure magic itself. It one of my favorite things about the whole LOTR world!
I really like that in LOTR the narrator has a real voice, it feels like you're being told a story. In some ways it also feels like you are reading an old primary source manuscript, and that adds a lot of immersion. I kind of hate that voiceless 3rd person limited viewpoint that has taken over in most modern fantasies: the authors don't care at all about style, only content. Lord of the Rings is poetic and quotable, Wheel of Time (as much as I love it) is neither of those things.
@@christopherrowley7506 ... You are correct. The styles are very different. LOTR's after all is really The Red Book of Westmarch written by Bilbo and Frodo in narrative form. Hobbits have very poetic souls, as did Tolkien.
@@christopherrowley7506 Hard agree!
Fully agree it's only growing as a gem since more and more modern fantasy adopt more accessible writing
YES
The Mistborn series is one of the tighest I ever read. You get to the end of the last page in the third book and you feel as if the author knew exactly where he'd be and how he'd get there from page 1 of book 1. It just all came into play and you realize clues were laid out two books before for things that pay off in book three, and not in that "they threw a lot of mud at the wall early on so that they could make something pay off and look like a genius, even though a lot of things didn't pay off" way. It felt like every word had purpose and intent all the way through. It's impressive.
I completely agree. I think its because brandon kind of wrote all 3 books all at once so it all ties together really well.
Yeah the first thing I did after finishing the 3rd book was I read book 1 again. Mainly to examine Ruin's influence on the plot of the first book.
Levels of fantasy books based on reading difficulty:
1. Kid's first fantasy
2. Easy to get into
3. Intermediate
4. Advanced
5. Really advanced
6. What the hell is this????
7. Please help me!
8. Why, oh god, why?!!!
9. I just can't anymore....
10. Malazan book of the Fallen
lol Agreed. Still trying to discover the will to start on Memories of Ice.
:D :D I'm reading the second book in the Malazan series and I won't lie : English not being my mother tongue, I'm struggling quite a lot... I had read the first one few years ago, read it again a second time (easier once you know the story), maybe I'll do the same with Deadhouse Gates
LOL so true your list!
MrHaganenoEdward this made me laugh so much
Speed readers beware! Unless you are the kind of person who can speed read Differential Equations.
the two of you have SUCH a great dynamic filmimg together omg im disappointed i'm seeing this video a YEAR LATER and adore these recommendations!
Same
@@divyanshutiwari6344 hello tiwari ji
@@indianflippingart9593 ji aap kaun?
16:45 As Merphy was falling, she was like "The book, Daniel, save the book!", not knowing how Dan treats his own books.
Or how heavily medicated he was
@@AleksandarIvanov69 What?
Um... Are you aware of how she treats HER books?
@@michaelcherokee8906 you don't wanna disturb them.
@@michaelcherokee8906h
It's not a Daniel and Merphy crossover episode unless Daniel praises Wheel of Time and Merphy praises The Lies of Locke Lamora.
"If you haven't read Lord of the Rings I think you're a bad person"
I like him.
Daniel Greene is amazing. His channel is really good
@@zlee001 He did though :)
I read it like seven times, my alltime favorite.
Lock me up for wickedness.
I haven't read them yet, but I plan to. I guess I have some redemption in me, lol.
This was amazing, so happy my favourite booktubers are collaborating with each other in person now! :D
JK7. just came to comment the same thing 😂
JK7. Yes
yea the seemed to be having a great time and i was smiling along with them
"Sticking with out Sanderson theme-"
*Picks up Harry Potter*
lost in a booKCase i laughed so hard lol
complete opposite lol
LOL
Merphy: Kingkiller is Daniel’s favourite right now.
Wheel of Time: *Sad noises*
I missed the fact that it was a joke as well :D Ïn another video he puts the series very low on the list.
I grew up reading Pratchett, love so many of his books.
Yeah Pratchett is amazing!! Very much comic fantasy/satire though
@@erinaa9486 Pratchett is more of a fantasy/parody then a fantasy/satire.
A parody is laughing with the original, a satire is laughing at it.
@@squngy0 Pratchett did a fair bit of both. Lots of parody and satire though the satire is often far more subtle.
I didn’t know much about fantasy, but have read “Kingkiller” and “Gentleman Bastards”, before I got to Mistborn. I was in NY for a work trip, and stopped at a Barnes N Nobles. I saw Mistborn, picked it up, and it opened up my world to so many great stories! It led me to WOT and StormLight Archives (naturally). Best random pick up of my life!
“Daniel posts videos 6 days a week, cuz he’s insane.” “Actually, it’s 7.” “Are you serious?!” Lolol
"Daniel...Go Outside!"
The Malazan book of the fallen series is hands down the most complicated fantasy series ever written IMO :)
I used to think so too, but since then I read a couple of series that, well I wouldnt say are harder to read, but more harder to get a grasp on. The second aocalypse and Gene WOlf's books of the new sun series are two good examples of that.
Gene Wolfe is so good. He never gets a mention
I had to look at the character index constantly, also one of the few book series to get actual tears from me.
Agree. Why is it hard/advanced?
Many books in the series, each book is large.
Massive cast. Keeping up with WoT or GoT is a piece of cake in comparison.
No easing into the story, you just join in at a point in time and try to keep up.
Non-linear time lines, the books jump around in terms of sequence of events.
Overall plot I found to be a little hard to keep track of. There's not really good guys and bad guys as such, there's just complex characters and their individual motivations
The reward for the pair of reading?
Some of the best characters and scenes in Fantasy
Bragging rights of actually having completed this series
Daniel's face when you bring out The King Killer series lol!
I know 😂
They are also my favourite and I was like him: "Yaaayyy Pat! Pat! Pat!". You both should try play Tak, the game of the book ;)
@@merphynapier42 that book got me into reading and since then i read 100s of books
I read almost every book in the video and they are all amazing but Kingkiller chronicle really captivates my heart, in a way no series ever has. Daniel's reaction is so relatable!
That second book though, ugh
I love these chill videos. You've both mentioned so many of these books before but I like how you explained why to read them in a casual way. Like anyone could connect to and like these books.
So glad you liked it!
Personally I recommend Earthsea to everyone who wants to get into fantasy. The writing is beautiful!
I loved Earthsea aswell😊❤️
It’s hands down the best fantasy writing besides Tolkien.
Agreed Ursula Le Guin was a genius- RIP.
Two other recommendations for stories whose authors have sadly died in the last few years.
Gene Wolfe- The Shadow of the Torturer and subsequent series- won the World Fantasy Award
Julian May - The Many Colored Land and subsequent series ( although categorized by many as SF it is essentially fantasy).
I love Earthsea, too. And that it isn't your typical plot for fantasy, either, which is very nice.
Sounds gay.
I think reading the hobbit first in the LOTR series makes the books as a whole easier to read. I read the hobbit as a kid (which shows how easy it is to read/comprehend) and didn't read the rest of the series until high school after rereading the hobbit.
This is the high quality friendship I need in my fantasy books.
"His dark materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman is genious. Don't make the mistake of watching the movie-adaption of the first book, though. Awaiting the BBC/HBO series with terrified joy! :)
The movie was aesthetically beautiful, I loved it for that, separate from the books, the books will always be better.
I don't know why, but I didn't find that series particularly interesting. They were solid books, but not ones I would compliment or consider great.
They're average at best. Some SUPER boring parts of it that just dragged and dragged, and a ridiculously pathetic big bad
I have all the series just haven’t gotten to it. Also, the movie isn’t that bad :)
Totally agree, I read these books when I was really young so I don't remember enough to have a nuanced opinion but I remember loving them. I'm hoping the HBO show follows in the footsteps of my other favourite childhood books, A Series of Unfortunate Events. The movie for that was horrible, didn't capture the themes at all, made the most important character (Violet) completely useless and unimportant, and turned the villain into a completely comedic character with no dark/sinister side. The Netflix series completely made up for all that. It quickly became one of my favourite TV shows ever (although season 1 is a bit rough).
The lack of Jim Butcher (Dresden in particular) is really perplexing. I cant think of a more accessible fantasy book series than that. Funny, dark, intriguing; filled with extremely well written heroes, anti heroes, and villains, Dresden Files is one of the most well-read and popular fantasy books series in the genre. The books are basically "pulp-fantasy noir" (although that steadily changes over time as Harrys decisions continuously haunt him years after he makes them).
Sanderson, and Gaiman I get as recommendations--but Butchers work (3 separate series so far) are all great, if not phenomenal.
It's hard to include everything. We all have our favorites etc... I like the Dresden Files, it's kinda cheesy at times though, BUT.... The Codex Alera is one my favorite series of all time.
I could never get into dresden files but codex of alera has to be in my top 3 of series.
also if you never realized that the idea for codex started on a chat board where they were discussing what makes a book good. as in was it subject matter or the writing. so he took the concept of lost roman legion. which has been done successfully multiple times and combined it with something that at times is vilified in pokemon. you realize how great the series is.
I liked his Codex series more; Dresden... has some issues for me. It's interesting, lacks the world building of other fantasy. Yes, it's set in modern Chicago, but even American Gods had amazing world building. I dunno, the whole magical Roman thing caught me more haha
This was the first video I found on TH-cam of people talking about books. THIS is when I discovered booktube 2y ago and decided to read all the books on this list and follow you and Daniel. I've never looked back since. I watch both your videos religiously and have loved coming back to this first video of yours that I watched to reflect on how much you have both grown and encouraged my love of reading ❤️ I love you guys.
LOVE the Wheel of Time! Found book 5 for sale used and thought it looked interesting. Then realized it was a part 5... so got the first 4 and read 1-5. Then re-read 1-5 when 6 came out. Then re-read 1-6 when 7 came out, and so on and so on. Read the whole series at least 3 times through, and have skimmed the series at least another 5 or 6 times. So great.
I read "The Eye of the World" on the plane back from Saudi Arabia after the first Gulf War (yea, I'm old, sue me!) and was hooked forever more. It is my second favorite series of all times behind LOTR. I'm scared of what Amazon will do with the TV series, but hoping for the best.
Loved Wheel of Time until I read more books. Good series, but gets bloated and repetitive and then just got plain bored. Sanderson finishing them picked the pace back up for me.
Notice the shelves at 10:49 when she says "... Is up there with Sanderson" - Oathbringer and WoR tumble as if they heard it
Malazan book of the fallen is amazing.. gets really good from book 3 onwards (although book 1 is still one of my favourites on the re-read). I also love Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy, fantasy at its best.
"Excited for book three" of the Kingkiller Chronicles. Oh sweet summer child..
Don´t trigger me......*sigh*.....
This is what holds me back from reading The Name of the Wind.....I read all of Game of Thrones thinking surely at least one more book would come out during that time....eh no. I refuse to even think of touching King Killer Chronicle until he comes out with the 3rd installment.....whenever that is.
@@calebmauer1751 Also the name of the wind is overrated in the first place so...
Legends say they were waiting for book three until the very end of their days.
Sure I'd like for it to come out soon, but if an author isn't ready to bring it out, they aren't, if they're way too much of a perfectionist, so be it.
I'm surprised that David Eddings or Raymond E Feist didn't appear on the list as beginner fantasy. They were my gateway into Fantasy when I was a teen (and to a lesser degree was Piers Anthony, although his books have not aged well IMHO).
They were eating PPJ's in grade school not that long ago - so...
Probably because they don’t hold up well today. Belgariad especially.
@@DM-fp8uw I kinda agree with Eddings but Feist series are still pretty good. The last few trilogies are bit out there but the rift war and serpent war are really good.
How the Diamond Throne didn't make the list is a travesty!
agreed - the Belgariad should have made the list too
Thank you for including Narnia. I feel a lot of people forget about one of the best series ever.
You think people _forget_ about Narnia? About a series that has nearly unparalleled cultural visibility among non-fantasy readers?
I'm also standing up for Terry Pratchett here. I'm now at 28 out of >40 Discworld books and it just gets better with every book
I was not disappointed with any of his Discworld books. I am still looking for a copy of The Carpet People, but I have every other book of his.
I read Hogfather as my first Pratchett. No regrets! I love the Wee Free Men and the Guilds and the Watchmen and the Witches and all the things that make up Discworld. I see his influence in other books and Tv shows sometimes
Beginner to advanced fantasy and ‘I’ve never read any Terry Pratchett’?
Pratchett is too subtle for skippy up there in the video...he obviously doesn't get metaphor and allegory (Narnia), so the brilliant satire of Pratchett will pass him right by...
Reading WOT on a kindle makes it a lot easier. When I forget who a character is, I just click on then name and bam! I have everything I need to know
I recently finished the first book and picked up the second. How are you liking WoT?
@@crestfallenwarrior6996 I’m hooked! In book two things really start to heat up.
shit i need to try that I am so dumb
@@crestfallenwarrior6996 I read wot and while the first few books were good I found the rest brutal. This is just my personal opinion though yours may differ. I am an avid fantasy reader and I honestly don't know how this series became so popular besides the length of it. The last few books when Sanderson took over aren't too bad and I wouldn't go back in time and tell my past self not to read them but not the hype as what people claim.
Personally i never had any problem following WoT when i read the series in early 2000s. I breezed though the books rather easily.
Perfect introduction in my opinion: Ranger's Apprentice
Read like 10+ of these as some of my first fantasy books, and it is still one of my favourite series
@ThePiedPiper And Piers It's set in a medieval setting with knights and rangers and monarchies and such, having, as you said, its own mythical creatures. It's set in another world with other sets of classes and professions and rules, so I'd say it's pretty much the archetype of a fantasy. A book doesn't have to be full of magic to be considered a fantasy.
OMG YES. I love Ranger’s Apprentice, although I’m not exactly sure if most of it classifies as fantasy. I still am not over it
Depends on your age tbh kids would totally love them (Also Brotherband series) but teens or YA would find them pretty boring
I loved this series! Super accessible.
David Eddings is another who should be still counted among the great introductions to Fantasy. Especially if you've got young family members who you don't think are ready for more adult themes. I'm personally more partial to the Elenium and Tamuli series but I suspect the Belgariad and it's sequel Malloreon is the better place to start for a teenager looking to get into fantasy.
Other then comments i never hear a word about David Eddings! It is the series that got me into fantasy. My comfort read for decades!
Nah, start with Elenium... Sparhawk rules! His standalone The Redemption of Althalus is apparently decent too, on my tbr list.
Eddings is classic fantasy. I remember reading these in the 80s.
These millennials don’t know what they are missing.
@@mpjedi2355 , I know, right?
So true about Sanderson . I consider myself an ‘average’ reader, when I picked up The Last Empire, man I flew that! It was just such an easy, believable read, I really enjoyed it. I got so hooked, I wanted to know more about the author’s other works, enter Stormlight Archive.
I tend to think of LOTR as Advanced but this is because I was introduced to it with reading the silmarillion as book 1... I regret nothing...
Pausing the video at Narnia to pass my two cents:
I kinda agree that it hasn't aged well in regards to what is currently on the market. However, I read the entire series, from beginning to end, to my fifth grade class two years ago. This class hated reading so much but they'd beg to bring their lunch to the classroom to hear more.
I just had a former student from that class find me on IG and send me a message that he is going through the hardest time in his life right now, but he remembered Narnia and has reread the series and now wants more fantasy. I think it is an excellent door for children, even if it fails in comparison as an adult reader.
WITH THE EXCEPTION of The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle. I think those two could team up and fight with some of the greats. :)
Only 5 minutes into this video so far but it's already a really fun one with great recommendations! I love that Daniel gushes about Good Omens for a hot sec because it's also one of my faves! And Neil Gaiman is a writing god in my opinion, I will always read and recommend his books! They're just so enjoyable
Just got to Merphy's Neil Gaiman gush, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is one of those books that slowly seeps into you, i didn't realise how much I was truly loving it until about halfway through, but only because I was too engrossed to notice 💜
Robin Hobb's three trilogies based on FitzChivalry and the Fool are excellent. In addition, Raymond E Feist's Riftwar series based on Pug and subsequent series are quite excellent too.
I read feists books 30 years ago
I hated Robin Hobbs ' books. Read the trilogy about the assassin's apprentice, and found them really lonely, sad, horrible books...
Sorry but I can't stand the riftwar books. The only goods ones are in the collab with Janny Wurts, The Daughter of The Empire books. Those are excellent.
@@pipparoberts7130 Then don't read any of the other series, cause there all lonely and sad. That's whats make 'em good. :-)
The Riftwar is a superb series. The problem I have with his later books is that they're very uneven. Both between books and in them. He's written some really good ones but also some "meh".
Daniel, "That is a fact of life."
Merphy, with a HUGE smile, "Disagree!"
Love it!
As an introduction to urban fantasy the Dresden files is great, because it mixes your standard poke detective novel with a dash of magic
I read all the way up to Changes and got bored.
@@steveexotic1825 I threw my book when I read the last couple paragraphs of Changes.
I started reading fantasy with ASOIF and then I got into Malazan ... I regret nothing , great reads , specially Malazan , I'm still reading into the Malazan world.
As someone who thinks the MBotF is an outstanding series I've read through twice and listened through twice, A.) I do not love the series. Those are not tears of joy it is milking, and B.) I never recommend it to anyone. I do say "it's a phenomenal series, but Erikson is like if Ayn Rand wanted you to be a good, compassionate person. Erikson hates cruelty, and wants you to hate it, too. Try it, start with the second and third books, and do it audio. Erikson is better heard than read. If you don't like those, you wont like any, and end the relationship."
@@Velsero Interesting. This is literally the first time I've seen anyone say that Malazan is even viable on audiobook, let alone better. The consensus is generally that it's complicated enough that keeping track of things in a one-shot format is tough - you generally have to scan back and re-read sections etc. I may finally be heading into a phase of my life that I can give Malazan a shot, but we'll see.
When I finished the video , I felt something strange about me because I have read 4 of the 5 advanced category series before reading a majority of the beginner and intermediate category books.
Be sure to check out the video we did together on Daniel's channel too!
Also, if any of these books interested you, be sure to check out the links I left in the description! It took me a looooooong time to put them all there 😅
Merphy Napier 30 minutes of Daniel & merpht!!? Yes please
That was great, too bad you too live so far away
Hey Merphy, I'm trying to buy An Unkindness of Magicians through your link - the direct landing page is on the hardcover though? Do you know if it still counts as an affiliate sale if I thereby switch to a used paperback from that landing page? (I prefer to buy used books. It's an environment thing!)
stop buying books on amazon. go to your local book store!
Merphy Napier, Do you have a thing for Daniel?
Just started the final empire in the mistborn trilogy because of this video. I listened to the first chapter through audiobook from the library, but now I own the novel and am really enjoying the second chapter. I’m glad you guys suggested it for beginners, otherwise I would have waited ages before attempting something so highly regarded
I love the Broken Earth trilogy! I read the first book last summer, then I read books 2 & 3 earlier this year back to back. Each book flows seamlessly into the next so that it really just feels like one long novel. Highly recommend it. Best adult dystopian I've read and it'd be hard to top it.
Beginner: Hobb's Fitz nonology (Farseer trilogy, Tawny Man trilogy and Fitz and the Fool trilogy)
In my opinion one of the finest fantasy series and certainly one suited to novice readers. The magic system isn't complicated, the politics aren't too dense and the main character is highly relatable. Since the series consists of three trilogies, it's not very daunting to start with.
Intermediate: Jordan's WoT
Lots of reading material with a plethora of names, extended plot lines and grand scale events. However, the number of *prominent* characters is somewhat limited, the magic system isn't too complicated and plot is easy to follow.
Advanced: King's The Dark Tower
Long, bizarre, even more bizarre and requires knowledge of King's other books to be fully appreciated. Luckily the number of characters is limited, the magic system is barely existent and the separate events in the story are fairly straightforward.
Off the charts: Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen
Long, half a million characters and plot lines, difficult to grasp, complicated magic/god system and did I mention there are a *KAJILLION* characters?
Could you tell me the other King books I'd have to read before The Dark Tower series?
Perfection!
Three Trilogies for Hobb? Why are we ignoring the Liveship Traders trilogy and the Rainwild Chronicles?
@@nicholastaylor9687 Because, while those are series within the Realm of the Elderlings, they're not directly part of the Fitz series.
I personally think that while I adore hobbs fitz stuff, it's a intermidiate book because the first book is slow for a good couple chapters and I've read books way faster than it
But once it gets started omfg it's the best
Merphy, The Graveyard Book is brilliant. I read it and thought, "I will never be this good as a writer."
Because of your video I started Mistborn and I have now completed all of the cosmere books..... in the past year... I NEED MORE!
Sanderson must have heard you. He revealed that he had a secret and was lying to us. So now we are getting a bunch more Cosmere next year.
You two are a light hearted, buddy cop movie, waiting to happen! Thank you for your work!
Such a good video ! Having both your different perspectives on books give such a more complete portrait of the recommendations and makes it so richer (and entertaining). 💕
So glad you enjoyed it!
I hear at Barnes and Nobles if you buy the first 2 Kingkiller books they give you the 3rd for free right then and there
Spencer Jones, ha ha....
The way of Kings has some of the best moments I have ever encountered in a book. Kaladin goes down as one of my all time favorite characters because of this.
Still following the series so we'll have to wait and see if he stays as great of a character as we all want him to be.
Malazan and Black Company. Both solid. Dresden Files is also worth reading through. Especially with the next book coming out soon.
Very surprised that the Malazan books are not in the list. Maybe the presenters haven't read them?
@@naseemnasir The list only goes up to advanced, Malazan is quite a bit higher than that. Though it might be because I started in the middle. Toll The Hounds, IIRC.
You shouldn’t skip the songs in LOTR! There’s a lot of history in them, and you get an insight into the cultures that produced them!
I knew I would get this comment 😂
There’s a channel called Clamavi de Profundis that does a great job of taking the songs from the books and singing them. Definitely check them out, they are great
@@merphynapier42 nah I skip songs and poems all the time :)
Oscar Nilzen love the songs, but I understand why a lot of people prefer to skip over them. But some of them are so beautiful, such as Bilbo’s “I Sit Beside The Fire”.
I would say reread with the songs after you’ve read The Silmarillion
The fact that my two favourite booktubers are friends has me dYiNg I love you guys so much
The Witcher was my introduction into fantasy last year (if you don't count the childrens / YA books I read over 10 years ago). Really loved it and now I am enjoying other fantasy as well since the age of 25. Lot to catch up on :')
One of my friends attempted to get into fantasy and started with A Song of Ice and Fire. Didn't understand it and hasn't picked up fantasy again. I agree with having ASOIAF on the advanced fantasy. It is hard to get into, but once you stick it out, it is an amazing series.
Alyson Serena Stone I think the level of violence and sex is just not everybody’s cup of tea; that was definitely something I had to get used to aside from the large number of characters.
@@a_bookish_gemini That too. It takes forever to figure everyone out and it is so violent.
It’s the complete opposite for me, I started with ASoIaF and became obsessed with fantasy thereafter.
@@maddiedhiya9659 I could see that happening as well. It is such a rich story. :)
“Brandon, go outside.” That particular comment didn’t age well
🤣
why? can you explain that please?
@@paulbreakable3302 Coronavirus .. you must be from Arrakis
You can still go outside; you just have to avoid people.
@@kohakuaiko my life. every day. :)
love Brandon Sanderson i have the Stormlight Archives series, Mistborn series and the Reckoners series i'm a huge fan
First law world was my start into fantasy. I have reread them several times. Definitely my favorites
Awww, I would love to see Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell get some more fantasy love!
Agree. You definitely have to get used to the style but once you've done that it's pure gold.
The Witcher is for me probably the best fantasy book series. Characters are well developed, story is complex, there are very well narrative tricks used in story and many more.
I agree
You guys have great chemistry! You can tell that your good friends and bounce off each other well which makes the video really interesting to watch! Thank you for the list I'm really looking forward to checking some of these out and I'm glad you guys don't agree with everything because it gives different perspectives based on each book. Thank you again!
The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin is a good beginner book. Set on a world with no connection to ours-- it's all small islands. Ged is a young man with magical talent-- magic comes from knowing true names. He makes one mistake early on, and spends the book dealing with it.
There are dragons.
I looooove this format of contents! do more pls both of you guys :) Well done
And! thanks for categorizing these books! It can change the order of my TBR tbh! thanks again
She's just so damn cute. And he's Daniel. What a combo
Mordyth I know she always talks about how much she respects him, but when she does videos with him it seems like he annoys her. I don’t know for sure but that’s just how I see it.
@@coreyklaustermeier7329 Strange
Corey Klaustermeier
I reckon it's just them being playful. I constantly annoy my friends but they keep me around.
@@coreyklaustermeier7329 I don't get that vibe at all, pretty sure it's all just them goofing around
I agree with Tony Phan and Ozkan, I think that the tension is really them just trying to keep the video serious, but it makes them look like they can't stand to be in the same room.
Ever since I got into BookTube, I've noticed how highly praised Brandon Sanderson has been. Will try to read the Mistborn trilogy next year, hopefully!
His writing gets better over time. Mistborn is pretty good, but his more recent writing is amazing. His latest book "Skyward" is spectacular. It's on another level compared to his previous writing.
If you like mistborn his other books are great too and they're all connected in a way so keep an eye out for similar characters
I’m reading skyward right now and it’s really good.
Definitely should have included Malazan Book of the Fallen in Advanced, also think Tad Williams Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn would fit well in the Advanced category.
Both of them had not read Malazan at the time. And neither of them probably not read Tad Williams.
The first time I read Lord of the Rings in my native language, I was ten years old and I think that version may have been condensed or simplified because I loved it. Then when I was 13, I read it in English. And my English was not good at all at the time. The old style description of scenery nearly did me in but I was just stubborn enough to struggle through it although I didn't enjoy it at all. I learned a lot - I had to keep a dictionary next to me while reading... re-reading it as an adult I did enjoy it, though I can see how people would not love the trilogy.
I really love Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea series
YES! I just finished it, and she is such a good worldbuilder.
Hey now, "The Graveyard Book" is my favorite of Gaiman's library. Mind you I've only read six or seven of his novels, but still.
I feel like we need an updated list for the two of you!!! or even sic-fi!
The look on Daniel’s face when The Name of the Wind came out....😂
I understand it I love those books
That's the face I always make when someone brings the Kingkiller Chronicle up haha
Another good series to add to this list would be Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams.
Or the Shadowmarch series or War of the Flowers for a standalone or his Bobby Dollar series for urban fantasy or Otherland for sci-fi fantasy...Tad Williams is amazing! (Is it obvious that I'm a fan?)
I have recently finished N.K. Jemisin's 'Broken Earth' Trilogy, and I definitely agree that it is difficult to read. Whilst in is absolutely phenomenal, you don't actually get the full picture of the world until maybe 50 pages out from the end of the third book. But it was an incredible read, and now one of my all-time favourite fantasy series.
Mistborn is honestly my favorite series even though I have read every book in this video and many more. It is just so beautiful and amazing and I love it soooooooo much
Yeah Mistborn is amazing, its my 3rd favorite behind Stormlight Archive and Lord of the Rings
How about broken earth???
14:25 Lord of the Rings - "Ugh there are song breaks. I skip them. Do you read them?" - "I read them. They're great, they're good poetry."
I don't read them, I SING THEM!!! (Many songs have versions in the animated or live-action films. For the ones that don't, my mind tends to make up a melody while reading hahaha)
"I've never read Terry Pratchett."
Do yourself a service and read every Discworld novel. Immediately.
Also, The Graveyard Book is bad? Huh?!?
I might skip the first few Discworld books and start a bit later in the series - Mort or Wyrd Sisters are good starting points early; Small Gods is a stand-alone, and possibly a little better than the average, but otherwise a good representative of what you might call "middle-Discworld" - after the series finds its style, but before the "late-Discworld"; or Going Postal makes a good entry point into "late-Discworld" - introducing a new lead character, and, while series fans will pick up on references and get more out of seeing certain characters, doesn't require familiarity with the series to follow and enjoy.
In fairness, aside possibly from the last book, The Shepherd's Crown, which is part farewell tour, a new reader could pick up pretty much any book in the series and pick up anything they might need to know from earlier books purely from context, but those four are good places to start anyway.
It's probably worth going back to the first few books at some point, if only for historical interest, but an awful lot of what's in books 1 and 2 was quietly dropped and never returned to as the series found itself.
@@rmsgrey I always encourage people to start with colour of magic and light fantastic BUT I give a strong warning not to judge too harshly, and then encourage people to go off the beaten path. It introduces rincewind, the librarian and Death who all end up playing but parts every now and again outside their own books, but also Ankh Morpork as its own character. I wouldn’t want someone’s first interaction with rincewind or the librarian to be about 2 lines of dialogue during mort for instance, and I speaking of mort I’m thinking jumping straight into the grim reaper might be a bit jarring for some readers.
@@KeytarArgonian The Ankh-Morpork of TCoM and LF is barely recognisable as the same city as, say, that of The Night Watch.
I'm always suspicious of recommendations that go "You'll know by book 5 whether you're going to like it or not" - yes, you'll get a little more out of Mort (for example) if you read the books from the beginning, but you'll get a lot more out of your first few hours of reading if you start with one of the later books and then go back to the earlier ones if you decide you want to keep reading.
Though, to be fair, my standard recommendation for Babylon 5 is to watch over half a season before deciding (episode 13, Signs and Portents, is the episode I'd say really establishes what the show can be, but it's very much a serialised show, so, with a few exceptions (s1e04, Infection...) you can't really skip episodes.
"Christian fantasy" made me laugh, because even if it's...sorta....true, there are a bunch of Christians out there who have a lot of issues with Good Omens. think i'd call it religious satire?
Yes, Gaiman's work treats any religion as myth. Funny that they mentioned C.S. Lewis shortly after. Narnia really is Christian fantasy.
@@daviderwin4705 ohh yeah. Never really realized it when I read Narnia as a kid, just loved the idea of another world/the settings (esp. in The Magician's Nephew/The Dawn Treader)...the religious overtones didn't really bother me because they just felt like borrowed mythology/another part of the story, nothing overtly manipulative. Now that I'm older, what does bother me is the racism...
The sort of people who would have a problem with that are the same people who think the Left Behind series is good writing so I dismiss them
I feel like they are both atheists (which is a compliment) - and this book is a exposé of how religion is ridiculous
Heaven help us is a good satire about religion,
the author is good in general (but died last year in old age). I would say a nieche classic author, lovely but bizarre, and heaven help us is pretty much mocking christinity in that manner, but not really too mean.
I’m sorely missing seeing Robin Hobb on this list!
add her yourself!! which series would you put where; im curious!! i've been wanting to add her to my tbr (well not her, herself, but i mean you get it)
He also put First Law in the middle category, behind several series which are decidedly simplistic and flat. I think they missed a few dimensions in their analysis and put a lot of emphasis on style points and appeal to readership. To be fair, I think they read purely for escapism and immersion, rather than reflection and horizon broadening. The base of the people in their comments seem the same.
Ikr
Not enough women period - Tamora Pierce, Mercedes Lackey, Robin McKinley, Patricia McKillip, Michelle Sagara, Juliet Marillier and Naomi Novik
@@asnark7115 What would be your top choices in beginner, intermediate and advanced for the criteria you care about
Great vid. *Dragonlance* was my fantasy series. Made me a book lover for life.
Same here. I love DragonLance. (And Larry Elmore's artwork)
I loved so so many of those I have over 100 on my book shelves
Say one thing for Logen Ninefingers, say he agrees with your praise of the works of Joe Abercrombie.
You have to be realistic about these things (srry i had to🤣)
@@klajdikucana1598 got to be*
You can never have too many books
Formative when I was younger was the Stephen R. Donaldson series on 'Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever'. That and LOTR influenced me most until college.
Have to agree with Donaldson. I recently reread the series before I read the Last Chronicles addition and remembered why I love (and love to hate) Thomas Covenant. It was such a great book for my vocabulary when I was much younger the first time.
FWIW: I read the two Covenant trilogies decades ago.
Just RECENTLY -- as in the last two years -- I read online the author wrote MORE books in the series. But I am so far BEHIND in reading books, I have not even bothered acquiring any more books.
Terry Pratchett, yes! I need to read Good Omens and Discworld, Merphy
The Graveyard Book was great and I will die on this hill.
I'll stand with you.
I listened to the audio book with my kids and loved it. It took over a month, and my 7 year old was a little lost in the sauce, but it was still well worth it.
You won't die alone on that hill. haha
It is a great book. If you listen to the audio by Neil himself, you will spend half of the time laughing.
It is a great book. If you listen to the audio by Neil himself, you will spend half of the time laughing.
First Law is indeed amazing! i am just reading the last book. I love how he adapts his writing style to the characters.
How he connects a character needing to pee just before the killing starts and uses it later as a trigger for the reader:
You read a scene completely disconnected from violent acts and then he drops "he needed to pee badly" and you immediately think "damn, shits going wild now!". Genious move Mr. Abercrombie!
hey Lukas I've read a preview of the blade itself and really enjoyed. I haven't read alot of fantasy just wondering should I continue as a beinnger to the genre thanx
@@Daniel-fu9zt I'm not Lukas, but if you liked the preview then you will like the entire book and most of the other books by Abercrombie. Abercrombie has very consistent readability.
@@bramvanduijn8086 thanx ive being reading Mistborn first but Mr Abercrombie is still on the tbr:)
I think "Glockta" ist one of the best fantasy characters ever written! "First Law" is amazing, it ranks top3 in my fanatsy list.
Advanced Level: Book of the New Sun. Probably one of the most complex fantasy series you can find
There is nothing like it. :chefs kiss:
I was a casual reader for years until covid. Now 2 years later, I consume all spectrum of fantasy books. Finding your video now, in 2022, I will definitely read some of the recommendations. Especially since you'll listed The Witcher as advanced. I was just curious about it when the Netflix show was coming out. I apparently jumped off the deep end on that one. Lol. It was sooo frustrating at first with the time jumping but I got it. I did burn myself with the epic fantasy novels because of it and went down the road of a fairy tale retellings... and some fantasy smut. (Like I said I enjoy all spectrum of fantasy). Your video definitely inspired me to jump back into epic / complex tales again.
22:35 Actually it's " *A* Game of Thrones"
Sorry
Great job! I actually wanted to make that comment...
Who cares
*YES!*
@@BenDover-fo3bi lol I do
Finally! Someone did mention it because it irk me
I am finally getting back to reading after YEARS of studying and being so tired after reading that the last thing i wanted to do was read in the first place, and I am adding all these books to my list, probably in that order (might skip a few, like narnia and game of thrones) , but yeah, i loved this video!
The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe....when I was 11. This was my gateway drug to Tolkien, Conan and Tarzan and John Carter.
Same with me, except I was a bit younger. The Wardrobe was in my 3rd grade literature textbook, and was basically the first act of the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. A year later, I purchased the full version at the school's book fair. I must have been 8 or 9. We also read a simplified version of Beowulf in 4th grade, along with the Neverending Story and some simplified Greek and Norse mythology.
Coming back to reading after a long time away and this collab was so well done and so informative! Thank you so much.