Your Favorite High Fantasy Books

[Voidus]

Cannot emphasise how much I love Robbin Hobb, especially anything with Fitz in (Assassin's series and the Tawny man series)

Really? I really didn't like the end of the Assassin's trilogy, although I haven't read the Tawny man so if it picks up there then I might be able to like it again, which I really did up until the very end.

[Brendan]

Wow, really?

I loved the Hobbs early books, not a huge fan of the stuff she has written in the last 10 years, but that early stuff was amazing!

I really enjoyed Maggie Furey's books and Kate Forsyth's a great Australian author who really hit her stride in her second series.

Plus many of those already mentioned

[ProfessorMLyon he/him]

Just found the Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan. I really enjoyed it. Nothing fancy, but a nice solid story. Going on my list of good fantasy.

[Observer]

Just found the Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan. I really enjoyed it. Nothing fancy, but a nice solid story. Going on my list of good fantasy.

 

*Excessive cursing*

 

I was about to add that >_>

 

*+1s anyway*

[Windrunner he/him]

On the advice of Shiv, I read The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. They were absolutely marvelous, second only to the Way of Kings in my opinion. If you don't mind language and you liked the whole "heist" feeling of Mistborn, they're well worth a read.

[little wilson she/her]

Sanderson's been said but I concur wholeheartedly on all his books.

Eddings is a must-have. I read the Belgariad when I was in my early teens and even now in my mid-twenties I still get urges to re-read them. They're light, but good. Especially as an intro into fantasy.

Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle is great. Kvothe isnt nearly the stagnant character some people say he is. He's gone through some big changes (the troupe vs Tarbean vs The University marking his biggest changes, and that's not even counting how different Kote is from Kvothe. Half the time, I forget he's the same person). Also, I love that the story tells his life, mundanities and all. It makes the juxtaposition between the truth and the stories all that much stronger.

Tolkien for obvious reasons.

And my addition. The Dark Is Rising series. It's fantastic for younger readers. Full of Celtic themes and King Arthur. Great books. Unfortunately, they tried to make a movie based on it about 7 years ago and it was terrible. Really, really horrible. Screenwriter didn't even bother to read the books. Just the back cover...

There are others that I figure should go on a list (Martin, Jordan, Erikson, etc), but I can't really say anything about ththen because I either haven't read them or haven't finished them....plus others more knowledgeable have thrown in their two cents about them.

[Observer]

Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle is great. Kvothe isnt nearly the stagnant character some people say he is. He's gone through some big changes (the troupe vs Tarbean vs The University marking his biggest changes, and that's not even counting how different Kote is from Kvothe. Half the time, I forget he's the same person). Also, I love that the story tells his life, mundanities and all. It makes the juxtaposition between the truth and the stories all that much stronger.

 

Yeah, to everybody who says he's unchanging, I can't help but think of Kote and wonder what happened to him.

 

Skuldugery Pleasant anyone?

[Aethling he/him]

The Skulduggery books that I have read have all been really good.  They are pretty much the definition of YA fantasy, but I always prefer fantasy to be in a medieval type era, not urban.  That is just a personal preference though.

[Tamzin Ashevai she/her]

With regard to all of that which I've read in the fantasy genre, I have to state - emphatically - that my favorite author is Jacqueline Carey, specifically for her Kushiel Legacy and Naamah Series..

Edited May 4, 2013 by Tamzin Ashevai

[blackmagic3 he/him]

Some of my favourite High Fantasy 

 

• The Blood Song by Anthony Ryan is really good, after I finished reading it for the first I read it again.
• The Imager Portfolio by L.E Modesitt Jr., it remains one of my favorite series and The Saga of Recluce is also good.  
•  Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan is solid and I really liked the ending.
• First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, I don't really really like it  but fans of ASoIaF should .
•  Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence's is good read but its a bit full on in terms of violence.
•  Peter V Brett the Warded Man it is solid series, action packed but a bit wierd.
• The Black Company by Glen Cook 
• The Wizards First Rule by Terry Goodkind, the first couple are good then the series turns into crap
• Prince of Nothing Series by R. Scott Bakker, really philosophical but good more in the vein of GRRM
• The Abhorsen by Garth Nix, really good YA fantasy
• The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan, very good series but stay away if you're offended by homosexuality
• The Winds Of Khalakovo by Bradley P Beaulieu, good  fantasy with a Russian flair
• Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney, Spartan-esque but very good

There is this author Brandon something or the other, I have heard he is good.

[Cracknut he/him]

Mistborn and Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson

Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson

Kingkiller Chronicle - Patrick Rothfuss

Warded Man - Peter V. Brett

Night Angel - Brent Weeks

Raven's Shadow - Anthony Ryan

First Law - Joe Abercrombie

Broken Empire - Mark Lawrence

[Arachiel she/her]

I just finished the first four of Britain's Green Rider books, they were really good. Probably my favorite is Eddings' Garion books and the two prequels.

Same here. Finished Blackveil (like right after it came out) and now I have to reread the whole series before Mirror Sight comes out because I literally forgot everything ('cept that the series has a lot of horses in it ). I do remember thinking that Blackveil was amazing though (and the freaking cliffhanger ending. Grrr.) And I loved the Belgariad, too (my first fantasy. Oh the feels).

[Galladon he/him]

I loved to see so many of my favourites, but one is still lacking in my eyes, not bcause it's according to my current taste, but because of what it did for me: Harry Potter, which was a christmas present in second grade, basically taught me to enjoy reading. It will allways be dear to me as my little doorway into the world of fantasy (please don't judge me ).

[Cracknut he/him]

I loved to see so many of my favourites, but one is still lacking in my eyes, not bcause it's according to my current taste, but because of what it did for me: Harry Potter, which was a christmas present in second grade, basically taught me to enjoy reading. It will allways be dear to me as my little doorway into the world of fantasy (please don't judge me ).

Second half of Deathly Hallows did same for me =)) My first (half) book at age of 15 But Name of the Wind was the one that made fantasy fan out of me

Edited January 9, 2014 by 213

[The Rooster he/him]

Danuiel Abraham's The Dagger and The Coin Series ain't too shabby guys.  I love/hate Geddar Paliako so much!

[Cromptj he/him]

Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud is very good, though not really high fantasy. Also the Elenium by Eddings, which I think is better than the Belgariad. Also Pern but that's science fiction. Pretty much everything else has already been mentioned.

Also Lovecraft.

[PorridgeBrick he/him]

I know this had been said already, but the Gentleman Bastards series is incredible. It's my favorite series after Sanderson's Cosmere, and very, very close to it. There's currently three books in the series; The Lies of Locke Lamora, Red Seas Under Red Skies, and the Republic of Thieves. If you haven't read it, read it now.

[Gamma Fiend he/him]

I started the The Lies of Locke Lamora over a month ago, and immediately loved it. I had a few other book projects going, but I just finished Republic of Thieves. I really, really like the Gentlemen Bastard world. It is very well crafted. Scott Lynch has done some amazing work, and this wait is going to suck for Thorn of Emberlain.

Am currently a decent chunk into A Wise Man's Fear, and Kvothe's world is awesome. I love the blend of magic and tech going on here.

Also, can't wait for the next Lightbringer Series book. The Broken Eye was absolutely fantastic, love what Brent Weeks has been doing.

Edit: crap, my bad. Not Broken Eye. I meant Blinding Knife, book 2. Sorry, lol

Edited February 3, 2014 by Gamma Fiend

[Iredomi]

Cosmere series. Of course!

The tales of the Otori (a trilogy and a sequel and prequel set in a fictional Japan rather gritty YA moving closer to adults histrical fiction with magic thrown in)

The Wheel of Time

Monster Blood Tattoo (It's technically a YA trilogy but I would call it more all ages, think Oliver Twist but with monsters meets biopunk)

I also really like what I've read of A Song of Ice and Fire so far but I can't claim it's my favourite as I'm no where near finished.

I rank most of these as my favourites because of how beautifully written they are on a prose level. But each series does something dufferent for me.

Im not sure they are all high fantasy but they are definitely worth a read in my humble opinion

[PorridgeBrick he/him]

I started the The Lies of Locke Lamora over a month ago, and immediately loved it. I had a few other book projects going, but I just finished Republic of Thieves. I really, really like the Gentlemen Bastard world. It is very well crafted. Scott Lynch has done some amazing work, and this wait is going to suck for Thorn of Emberlain.

Am currently a decent chunk into A Wise Man's Fear, and Kvothe's world is awesome. I love the blend of magic and tech going on here.

Also, can't wait for the next Lightbringer Series book. The Broken Eye was absolutely fantastic, love what Brent Weeks has been doing.

I do like the Kingkiller Chronicles a lot, even though I dislike Kvothe (not Kote, however).

Waitaminute. The Broken Eye is out?! How have I missed this?

[Gamma Fiend he/him]

Oops. Broken Eye is Number 3, huh?
I always mix up the names of that series, for some reason.

So, yeah. My bad. Not Broken Eye. The Blinding Knife.

[The Rooster he/him]

Oops. Broken Eye is Number 3, huh?

I always mix up the names of that series, for some reason.

So, yeah. My bad. Not Broken Eye. The Blinding Knife.

I'm very anxious about how much crap an un-haloed Andross Guile is going to kick up. 

[Awesomeness Summoned he/him]

I'm very anxious about how much crap an un-haloed Andross Guile is going to kick up. 

I'm just hoping it will delay his plans to become the new red god. I think Red God Andross would have been able to reap all kinds of havoc.

[Gamma Fiend he/him]

Yeah, I'm thinking he might actually completely "switch sides". Like, he felt he had to go the red god path because of his broken halo, there was nothing else for him to do, really.

But now he can start being badass again, who knows? He's going to do whatever the hell he wants.

[Gabriele she/her]

Some good stuff here.

 

I'd add Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars (7 books of epicness and finished) and Elizabeth Moon's Paksennarion books esp. for girls who like Tamora Pierce. J.V Jones series beginning with Sword of Black Ice - the only problem is that it's not finished and she makes GRRM look fast. And Katherine Kurtz' Deryni books (4 trilogies and some sequel stuff).

 

Celia Friedman's Coldfire trilogy; Lois McMaster Bujold, Vorkosigan series (ok, that one's SF, but Miles rocks). And for the sake of good old memories, some Marion Zimmer Bradley books. 

 

Paul Kearney, Monarchies of God (avaliable in 2 omnibus volumes)

Adrian Tchaikovsky, Shadows of the Apt series (10th and final book will be out in summer; Fantasy meets Steampunk)

John Marco, Tyrants and Kings (an ok trilogy, imho)

 

Joe Abercrombie' First Law, and Brian Ruckley's Godless World trilogy, if you like your Fantasy dark with a cynical streak.

 

Brian McCleallan's Powder Mage - eagerly waiting for book 2.

Edited April 11, 2014 by Gabriele