Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Please recommend fantasy books for adults 🙏

106 replies

ChillysWaterBottle · 13/08/2023 16:27

Hallo hallo

Can people recommend me their favourite fantasy novels for adults please x (no YA, I loved it when I was younger but I've finally outgrown it). Any sub genre, type, plot lines etc I don't mind at all.

Many thanks!

OP posts:
Treaclemine · 13/08/2023 18:50

It's probably not the sort of fantasy you mean, but a cluster of stuff linked to the Inklings,
CSLewis Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength, not really SF, Charles Williams

Mary Stewart ' s Merlin books

Rosemary Sutcliffe wrote some Arthurian stuff, for adults, which I think ventured away from history

Has anyone mentioned Andre Norton?

Katherine Kurtz

Ithink I'm showing my age.

jotunn · 13/08/2023 18:50

Furbylicious · 13/08/2023 16:34

Robin Hobb, dragon ship/farseer series- really well written!

I was going to recommend these too!

Hedjwitch · 13/08/2023 18:50

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. One of my all time favourite books

Currently reading Babel by RF Kuang

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Honnomushi · 13/08/2023 18:50

Loads of great suggestions above. Red Rising by Pierce Brown is an amazing series, a mix of sci fi and fantasy.

Luckydog7 · 13/08/2023 18:56

How has no-one mentioned brandon sanderson yet! Start with mistborn but they are all good. Triss of the emerald sea is also a recent stand alone of his.

Anything by niomi novak. Uprooted as mention by pp and the temarare series.

Jonathan strange and mr norrelle

LostaraYil · 13/08/2023 18:57

Ursula le Guin
Joe Abercrombie
Steven Erikson- I love the Malazan book of the fallen series so much it's almost ruined other books for me but it's not for everyone.

Belladonna56 · 13/08/2023 19:07

Herman Rancher, 'A glimpse of Tiger' and 'Maynard's House.'

He also wrote 'Summer of 42' but I couldn't get into that one.

ChillysWaterBottle · 13/08/2023 19:35

Omgosh you people are amazing. Thank you. Going to work my way through one at a time!

Just got my fiction mojo back after years of only really reading non-fiction. Excited to get going x

OP posts:
BlowDryRat · 13/08/2023 20:05

Dragon's Reach by JA Andrews
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

BlowDryRat · 13/08/2023 20:06

Oh, and the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown

Q2C4 · 13/08/2023 20:07

Insomnia by Stephen King

squarecircled · 13/08/2023 20:08

Case Files of Henri Davenforth by Honor Raconteur - human woman gets taken to a world with magic, where she works as a policeman, having been FBI on earth, lots of fun and doesn't take itself too seriously

The Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrew's - an Innkeeper with magic who hosts all sorts of aliens

Mage's Guide to Human Familiars by A J Sherwood - lots of bonkers fun

GL Carriger's werewolf series - I read her YA series first under Gail Carriger, starting with Soulless, which is fab too

S J Himes/Sheena Jolie (changed pen names recently) Necromancer of Boston series, more vampires than true corpses in this series thankfully! Plus the odd elf and dragon

Kate Stradling's Namesake - love this book! It's maybe YA but it's really good - she rewrites fairy tales too, which I also enjoy a lot

Simon R Green's Forest Kingdom series - old now, but a rollicking read. Also his Deathsalker series - OTT space opera and a blast! Also old now though, his Ishmael Jones series is his most recent, about an alien pretending to be human and solving locked room mysteries!

BR Kingsolver's books (except her first series, couldn't get on with that) - more of an urban fantasy slant

Alice Winters- she writes all sorts of fantasy

Louse Masters - I like her books about the Hidden Species and Here Be Dragons best

Jennifer Estep's long running Spider series, about a female assassin with magic

It seems I read a lot of fantasy!

Question for you other fantasy lovers - really enjoyed Jennifer Estep's Only Bad Options space opera style fantasy novel - a mix of magic, blasters, tech and space travel 😁 Any other authors you can recommend who write similarly??

Vetiver · 13/08/2023 20:09

The Pellinor series by Alison Croggon, I love fantasy books and they’re far and away my favourites

legalseagull · 13/08/2023 20:10

Furbylicious · 13/08/2023 16:34

Robin Hobb, dragon ship/farseer series- really well written!

My favourite books ever

lucyhobbit · 13/08/2023 20:11

Jeff Wheeler's books. I'm in love with his Muirwood series of books (3 sets of 3 books)

Diane Greenwood Muir's Mage Reborn and Mage Renewed (still waiting for more in the series)

Moriquendi · 13/08/2023 20:11

Troy: The Lord of the Silver Bow, Legend, Waylander - all David Gemmell. Epic characters and battle scenes, you feel everything. Plot is less important.

Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch. Great plotting and main character.

Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson. Brilliant world building and magic system. Great main character arc.

GurlWithACurl · 13/08/2023 20:14

Another vote for Guy Gavriel Kay. My favourite book of all time is his Tigana.

IAmcuriousyellow · 13/08/2023 20:16

Yes, Robin Hobb, just incredible. Well worth your time, she takes you to another world and you gladly go with her

also Little, Big by John Crowley, my favourite book ever I’ve read so many times and will read again

Purpleavocado · 13/08/2023 20:22

Mark Lawrence - I really enjoyed Red Suster.
Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn is a good place to start.
There are a lot of fantasy book YouTube channels with good recommendations.

Purpleavocado · 13/08/2023 20:23

Red Sister!

QuestionableMouse · 13/08/2023 20:25

helibirdcomp · 13/08/2023 17:11

If you want something definitely 'Adult'. Laurel K Hamilton Anita Blake series (Vampires) or her Merrry Gentry Series - more fantasy. Both contain sex scenes

Later in the series, both are mostly sex scenes. The earlier books are worth reading but once it turns into smut, the plots vanish.

I've enjoyed Karen Chance's books in the main!

DrMadelineMaxwell · 13/08/2023 20:27

Anything by Ilona Andrew's. Magic Bites series is excellent and I really enjoy the Innkeeper books too.

Anything by Jodi Taylor. St Mary's books are the best!

Def adult and very funny I also recommend the Marnie books by A J Aalto.

As well as the Charley Davidson books by Darynda Jones. First Grave on the...left I think.

Grave Secret is also v interesting and different.

GettingStuffed · 13/08/2023 20:32

The Dwarves by Markus Heitz
The Painted Man by Peter V Brett

Both series but you don't need to read the last Dwarves book as nothing really happens.

Charrington · 13/08/2023 20:33

The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss. I’ve been waiting years for the third book and it finally looks like it’s coming. Amazing writer.

I also loved The Binding by Bridget Collins

imnotalpharius · 13/08/2023 20:38

Lots of good suggestions here and I'm so excited @Eebygumball giving Codex Alera a mention i was wondering if I was the only one who had ever read them!
Same with @squarecircled and Simon R Green though I would add in Hawk and Fisher series and the Night side series.

I quite liked Maria Snyder's Study series and Glass series as well.

Swipe left for the next trending thread