Please recommend fantasy books for adults 🙏

[ChillysWaterBottle]

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!

Intrigued to know why you think the 3rd book is finally coming though - Rothfuss is releasing a novella this year, but still no sign of The Doors of Stone afaik.

What, really? I've convinced myself it's never going to happen, just like the last Game of Thrones, in order to save myself any disappointment.

There are loads of great recommendations here, but I'm going to strongly recommend Robin Hobb - she is phenomenal.

Start at the beginning with Assassin's Apprentice and enjoy the next few months of your life, whilst wondering how you did not now about this sooner

I really liked Elizabeth Moon's Deed of Paksenarrion series (prequels a bit dodgy but still enjoyable) and Paladin's Legacy follow-up series of 5 books. (since it's not been mentioned yet)

Yes to Robin Hobb. And if you go through all of the interlinked trilogies then you have about 15 books ahead of you.

Alison Croggon and Robin McKinley I've liked

But how do you distinguish YA from adult? The age of the protagonists? There wasn't YA when I was YA, I was reading adult books, Haggard, for example.

Anne Bishops The Others series. I reread this all the time.

Aldo any books by Ilona Andrews.

What, really? I've convinced myself it's never going to happen, just like the last Game of Thrones, in order to save myself any disappointment.

Me too. Lots of the books recommended here are great (e.g. the Robin Hobb ones) but there's nobody like Rothfuss imo. Whenever I reach the end of the first teo books I just want to go straight back to the beginning again!

Those who enjoyed The Codex Alera might also enjoy The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron. IIRC there are 5 books.

I'm due to start book 10! Just clearing a fee from my reading pile before I do. Love them so much.

*few

Another vote for Robin Hobb, Farseer trilogy especially but everything she does is worth reading.

Terry Pratchett's Discworld, as well as the Long Mars series he wrote with Stephen Baxter (may be a teeny bit more sci fi than fantasy but still...)

Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch - excellent if you like something set in current times with a twist (Met Police officer and wizard in training). Really cracking books.

Grishaverse books by Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone currently on Netflix). I got it as a 99p Kindle deal and thoroughly enjoyed it, will read some more when I have time.

Samantha Shannon's Bone Season series (I've only read the first 2 but will definitely get onto the others when I have chance...bit of a pattern here!)

I wholeheartedly second the recommendation for Jodi Taylor, esp St Mary's

Just finished book 14 after re-reading the whole series (again!)

Love the username BTW

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series - there is a reason these are classics
Stephen King's The Gunslinger - I found the first one a struggle but it really sets the scene for the rest and they are amazing - I felt bereft when I finished.
Jasper Fforde - The Eyre Affair series. What the characters in novels do when they are not being read - kind of.

And of course
Terry Pratchett and Jodi Taylor as many others have mentioned

I couldn't take to Ben Aaronovitch - sounded too much like an adolescent male fantasy (in places) to me but I have noted lots of the recomendations for future reading.

I second Guy Gavriel Kay - it's not light reading but so very well done. I would also recommend K.J Parker's Fencer trilogy, Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars series and C.S. Friedman's Coldfire trilogy.

For steampunk, Mark Hodder has written a series centred around Sir Francis Burton in an England in which Queen Victoria dies and Albert goes on to rule; the first book is The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack.

I found the Ben Aaronovitvch series lost its way after a while. Which is sad because I loved it. Will be waiting to see how you all fair with the final Patrick Rothfuss book too as the first was an all time favourite but the second was nowhere close. Am going to have to re read Guy Gavriel Kay 😁

Some that haven't been mentioned:

RJ Barker - age of assassins trilogy and his Bone Ships trilogy are both great reads
Rotherweird trilogy is just bonkers
Gormenghast if you like things a bit heavier
The Night Circus (not sure if that is technically fantasy but it is brilliant)

Second "The Night Circus". That makes it into my top 10. Love it

The audio book of Piranesi was excellent and Steven Pacey reading Joe Abercrombie's First Law is amazing. Also, the Ben Aaronovitch and Jodi Taylor books are great in audiobook version.

I wish I was reading ACOMAF for the first time. It’s one of my favourite books. Enjoy!

The Demon Cycle by Peter V Brett.
Some icky bits but a brilliant story in five books. They are already published so you won't have to wait years for the next volume.

Yes to all these. Awesome fantasy.

Also,
-Land Fit for Heroes series by Richard K Morgan
-The Righteous, David Wragg
-Court of Broken Knives, Anna Smith Spark

-Literally anything by Joe Abbercrombie
-And Robert Jordans epic, The Wheel of Time (don't get put off by the tv series.)

-Just finshed Black Tongued Thief by Christopher Buehlman which was very funny. And a bit brutal.

Yes to Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time.
I started reading this after the second book was published and spent years waiting.
If you haven't read them you are in for a treat with no waiting.
Also David Gemmel's Troy trilogy. Absolutely brilliant.

Wheel of time. Could have cut out a lot of middle stuff. Saying that I read the series twice 🤦‍♀️