If I want to start reading fantasy novels what would you recommend?

I also do love The Night Circus, and enjoyed the audiobook of the 1000 doors of January.

Yes to:
Rivers of London
Robin Hobbs
Terry Pratchett
Lies of Locke Lamora is super fun
Winternight trilogy

I'd start with Rivers of London and Locke Lamora as fun books which have fantasy as an add-on and which don't involve saving the world.

I agree with two pp regarding Laini Taylor, she's definitely one of the better recent fantasy writers.

I enjoyed the Elements of Cadence duo by Rebecca Ross.

Mary Pearson is another author I would recommend as being a good introduction to fantasy.

Diana Wynne Jones: A Sudden Wild Magic, The Dark Lord of Derkholm and its sequel Year of the Griffin, Deep Secret and its sequel The Merlin Conspiracy, Hexwood. If you like them there are many more for younger readers which are equally loved by adults.

Jasper FForde’s Thursday Next series; the first book is The Eyre Affair.

Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, Strange the Dreamer and its sequel Muse of Nightmares.

Elizabeth Knox’ The Rainbow Opera and its sequel (really they are one story and how cross I was when I finished the first and the second wasn’t available in the UK yet!) Dreamhunter.

Try Terry Pratchett’s Small Gods. If you don’t appreciate this one then I think Pratchett is not for you.

Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus series, Lockwood and Co series and Outlaws Scarlett and Browne series.

Susannah Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.

Garth Nix’ Old Kingdom series: Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen.

I always get Katherine Kerr and Katherine Kurtz mixed up. I agree Katherine Kerr - love Deverry series. Katherine Kurtz - Deryni race with magical powers in a sort of medieval Scotland

David Eddings - loved the Belgariad when I first read it but prefer the Elenium Trilogy

Karen Millar The Innocent Mage trilogy

Patricia A. McKillip - Riddlemaster Trilogy

Katherine Addison - the Goblin King but also The Angel of the Crows

The Sword of Shannara etc Terry Brooks - there are loads of Shannara books, don't think I've read them all. Bit of a rip-off of Tolkien to start off with

Game of Thrones - I couldn't get on with his style of writing. I had to read all the chapters about Tyrion (SP) and then go and read all the chapters about Jon Snow etc. I stopped after 2 books

Wheels of Time - Robert Jordan. This was such a brilliant series to start off with but I gave up after about 6 books, just didn't seem to be going anywhere I believe after the death of Jordan another writer has taken up the challenge to finish - I can't raise any enthusiasm

Many other wonderful books have already been mentioned

I can re-visit my bookcases if you need more

Also I am signed up to Libby so I can read a lot for free. Hopefully your local library has Libby or similar

Also very much a children's book but Wind in the Willows.

Enjoy

I came to suggest Uprooted which is sublime!!

Soft magic system, very much feels like a fairytale, smaller scale story but incredible.

Her other work is excellent too but much higher stakes/world changing stuff.

I haven’t read all the other posts but the Left Handed Book Sellers of London might be a good entry point.

Or, I know she is technically a children’s author but Francis Hardinge is very good, especially the Lie Tree and Unraveller.

Absolutely love E Nesbit and C S Lewis

Guy Gavriel Kay I adore, I want to say Tigana is my favourite but then I think no a Song for Arbonne and then well they are all great but I think it's Tigana
Katherine Kurtz, Anne McCaffrey really good
Also Legend by David Gemmell - no not the film this is way better
Stephen Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever also the duology Mordant's Need (The Mirror of her Dreams and a Man Comes Riding Through) I cared a lot about some his minor characters
I have read some Young Adult science fiction - the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor and Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares. Some of her description are just so beautiful
Terry Pratchett - you have to read Monstrous Regiment - it's all in the socks!

And then of course there is Tolkien

Agree with Rivers of London series. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke is a brilliant book.

Legend by David Gemmell. Stand-alone- shortish. Beautiful.

Briefly as I’m on my way out.
My first foray into to the genre (aside from the great Tolkien which I’d read at school) was David Eddings’ Belgariad series. Absolutely loved it - my name might give that away haha.
Followed by Raymond E Feist Riftwar saga. These might be an easy shoe in to fantasy, even though they’re old now (bit like me 😬)

10000 doors of January is really good.

I did say it tongue in cheek, I know there's low fantasy, high fantasy, urban etc. It was just the no other worlds, funny names or saving the world that amused me. Sorry.

I actually started with CS Lewis as a kid, then Tolkien in my early teens but I'm ancient. I'm now on Grishaverse, Acotar and Throne of Glass but fantasy is still fantasy and I still love most of it.

If you’re trying to gently shift into reading fantasy, rather than trying the full-on ‘saving the world’ fantasy trilogies, I’d second the suggestion for Guy Gavriel Kay’s historical fantasy books. His Fionavar Tapestry series is good as well, but very much ‘High Fantasy’ in the Lord of the Rings style. The Chalion series by Lois McMaster Bujold is also ‘historical’ with a touch of fantasy.

Naomi Novik’s stand-alone books (Uprooted and Spinning Silver) are folklore based and very good, as is the Katherine Arden trilogy mentioned above. Katherine Arden also wrote a good standalone fantasy set during WW1 called ‘The Warm Hands of Ghosts’.

Urban Fantasy is the sub-genre that’s usually set in this world, but where magic/ vampires/ werewolves exist (like Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The Rivers of London series is a good place to start as they are basically detective stories, but with magic. I also like the Kitty series by Carrie Vaughn and the Edge series by Ilona Andrews.

Book 2 and 3 in this series are up there as some of my favourites ( hence my username!)

If you like podcasts then there are a couple which I'd recommend - fantasy fan girls is fun but if you really want a laugh then the Baddies Book Club from the Relatables podcast is hilarious. It's two young blokes reading ACOTAR and giving their reactions - they're just about to finish book 2. I've cried laughing at them re-telling certain chapters.

In which case it’s not actually fantasy

Nobody has. But it doesn't fit the brief, which seems to be fantasy that's not really fantasy...😉

I started with Fourth Wing and Babel.
I've also enjoyed the ACOTAR and Crescent City books by Sarah J Maas

Jodi Taylor's St Mary's Chronicles are enjoyable too.

Unless I’ve missed it, I can’t believe no one has suggested the archetype of high fantasy, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings

The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde is very enjoyable. I’ve just finished the first book in his Shades of Grey series, it was less engaging in the beginning but now I’m hooked.

Robin Hobb. Wish I could read them again brand new.

Obviously my namesake. And although it is a bit ‘silly’ if has layers. If you read them and just see the silly wizards, you are missing the million references.

The Unlikely Ones by Mary something (sorry ca't remember her surname and am away from my books at the moment,).

Ooh I forgot the Mercedes lackey valdemar books - the vanyel ones (magic’s pawn/promise/price) are the best by miles !!!

If you compare fantasy to historical fiction, there are similarities. Weird historical names can be difficult. HF is on this planet but the way of life centuries ago is vastly different to now, there are different rules etc. You need to get yourself into the world and accept the concept.

I love fantasy where the character development is great, and the ‘other world’ stuff is almost incidental. Where you are led quietly into the scene without having to absorb swathes of difference to make sense of it.

These all start quietly (if you ignore the prologues) and lead you in.
Mercedes Lackey Valdemar series, starting with Arrows of the Queen
Anne McCaffrey Pern series start Dragonflight
same author Crystal Singer series
David Eddings Belgariad series, start Pawn of Prophecy.