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

[Sidebeforeself]

First of all I have always assumed I’d hate it. Other worlds and people with bizarre names don’t interest me! Not interested in storylines about saving the world either . However, I realise I may be way too narrow minded . It’s so popular there must be some fabulous novels out there. So what would you recommend?

Ursula Le Guin. The Left Hand of Darkness. Usually classed as sci-fi, but has no science and no interplanetary whatsits. An envoy arrives in a world where there are no sexes — everyone is an asexual androgyne for most of every month, then turns sexually male or female for five days, depending on who they’re around etc. It’s a kind of thought experiment.

Some good calls out there. Robin Hobb is good but you have to really get into it. I'd say Locke Lamora is a great introduction to fantasy. Also Anthony Ryan.

Currently reading the Zero Blessing by Christopher Nuttall and it's great. No saving the world so far and I'm at the end of book 2. It's about a pre-teen girl finding her place in a world full of magic when she has none of her own, and I expected nothing going in but it's actually really really good and quite addictive. No weird names either.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison is also very good. Lots of weird names going on but the palace intrigues are great and no world saving either.

And finally, this is perhaps the one that fits your wishes best - clandestine magic by Colleen Cowley. It has magic but it's also about feminism, and while there is a "saving the world" element to it, it has more of a suffragette feel than an epic battles one.

What about some children's fantasy?
E. Nesbit - one of the first, if not the first, to write in the genre. Influenced, among others, C.S.Lewis.

Real-world children having magical adventures:
Five Children and It
The Phoenix and the Carpet
The Story of the Amulet

It's not good if it doesn't suit you though. Following trends is stupid. Some of us like Death Metal - are you going to get into that for fear of missing out?

Mistborn is an excellent recommendation

I thought I hated fantasy until I read Babel by R F Kuang. It starts like a normal fiction book and slowly becomes more fantasy. I described it as "real enough to believe it".

I know the exact kind of book you mean OP. Not full Game of Thrones odd names and dragons, rather mildly fantasy grounded in some reality.

Jacquline Carey kushiels Dart series. Alternate medieval France no dragons monsters or gods! On the romantasy line but from before romantasy was a thing (and vastly better written than most).

Anything by Janny Wurtz but probably don’t start the Wars of light and shadow (curse of the mistwraith) as your first..there 12 books in that series.

i do like the Anne Mccaffrey make sure you read in publication order. You might like her crystal singer books too - very light sci fi

Hang on, whats wrong with wanting to try a different genre? I’m simply flagging up that the elements I associate with fantasy dont appeal to me, but that knowledgeable readers might be able to point me in a different direction.

FOMO my arse!

@Hercisback1 That’s it exactly!

Really looking forward to trying out some of these. Thanks all!

Has anyone suggested The Night Circus? It's a bit marmite but it could be a contender.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig - I'm not usually a fantasy reader but I really enjoyed this one. It's part of a duology call The Shepherd King, the second book being "Two Twisted Crowns", built around a card-based magic system.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett for cosy fantasy.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

In which case it’s not actually fantasy

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.

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.

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.