Recommendations that

[chale10913]

Hello everyone, i just recently got into reading fantasy books and i need some recommendations. I know there are other topics that cover this subject but, I have a slight delimma in just reading any good recommendation. I am pretty sensitive to books with sexually explict material in them. For some context i felt that the part in Warbreaker was a little much too for me. So if you guys could help me out with some recommendations that are along those lines it would be very helpful.

Thank you

 

Just too rule somebooks out, i have read all of Brandons books and loved them(except for that part in warbreaker),however i have not read the wheel of time its just so big that it seems daunting to begin i do plan to read it though. I have read the Harry Potter Series and The first book in the Lord of the Rings.

[Briar King]

I like reco the Codex Alera 6 bks and Shadows of The Apt, that's 10 but they are both very easy to read series. I've only read up to 8 of Apt.woT is a must for fantasy readers but yea it's big and bks 7-10 get a bad rap but if you read them back to back you won't have quite the hatred I find that fans that had to wait yes for each book to release had.

[lol_king he/him]

I think you'll enjoy The Old Kingdom/Abhorsen trilogy, it has a pretty unique magic system and also The Bartimaeus sequence if you liked Harry Potter, it's also a trilogy plus a stand alone novel.

[Quiver he/him]

Just too rule somebooks out, i have read all of Brandons books and loved them(except for that part in warbreaker),however i have not read the wheel of time its just so big that it seems daunting to begin i do plan to read it though. I have read the Harry Potter Series and The first book in the Lord of the Rings.

 

You are dead to me.

 

Okay, joking aside (for context, Warbreaker is my favorite book, and I will not countenance criticism of it!), I completely understand where you're coming from; people have different tastes, and it can be unpleasant to read stuff you'd rather avoid.

 

There is a YA Fantasy book I read recently which you might like; Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. I loved the pitch for it ("What if Cinderella was an Assassin?"), though I'll admit that the content itself was a bit more hit and miss, for reasons that are spoilerific. Still, it might be something you'd be interested in.

 

Also; I'd really recommend continuing the Lord of the Rings if you can, since it's more-or-less the grandfather of modern fantasy.

[traceria she/her]

I like reco the Codex Alera 6 bks and Shadows of The Apt, that's 10 but they are both very easy to read series. I've only read up to 8 of Apt.woT is a must for fantasy readers but yea it's big and bks 7-10 get a bad rap but if you read them back to back you won't have quite the hatred I find that fans that had to wait yes for each book to release had.

I hate to have to disagree, but if you're (the original poster) sensitive to that kind of content, do NOT read the Codex Alera books.  Stay away from them.  I don't know anything about the other recommendation by Briar King, but if that part in Warbreaker was too much for you, so many spots in the Codex Alera will be, too.

 

Also, I second continuing to read Lord of the Rings.  That is a first love for me.  

 

Anything by Patricia C. Wrede or Diana Wynne Jones would be good, but they are Young Adult fantasy authors, so you will want to consider that as well.  I don't know if you're looking for something more for an adult audience or not.  As a plug for those particular YA authors, I'm in my 30's and love their stuff. 

Edited December 8, 2014 by traceria

[DanTheSeamonster he/him]

I would recommend finishing LotR (although it may take a little patience to get through.....Tolkien has a habit of describing hills and trees in detail), and then immediately reading the Hobbit afterwards (Which, in my opinion is ten times better than LotR).

 

Also, the Obsidian Mountain Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory. Although there are a few scenes that might make you uncomfortable, it should be fine. I really enjoyed this series, and it was one of the first really big Fantasy things that I read.

 

Lastly, I would look into the King Killer Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss. This series is awesome, and totally epic!! I love it, and am frothing at the mouth for the third book to be published. But once again, the first book is pretty clean, there are a few scenes in the second that may make you a tad uncomfortable. Nothing too bad though.

[mail-mi he/him]

I like reco the Codex Alera 6 bks and Shadows of The Apt, that's 10 but they are both very easy to read series. I've only read up to 8 of Apt.woT is a must for fantasy readers but yea it's big and bks 7-10 get a bad rap but if you read them back to back you won't have quite the hatred I find that fans that had to wait yes for each book to release had.

I'm going to have to disagree and say that if warbreaker made you uncomfortable, WoT will make you ten times moreso.

[Briar King]

Why would you disagree when OP says it's on their list to read though?

I will admit that I had to look up this scence from WB cause I didn't remember it at all.

Also I just recently reread Alera and it's not vulgar I thought. People get together yeah but it's all offscreen except kissing and flirtation. Bk 2 may have an uncomfortable moment with a minor character but it easily skip able. I found it all rather high schoolish esp compared to the Jordan "wish fulfillment" WoT.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Briar King

[Dunkum he/him]

Lastly, I would look into the King Killer Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss. This series is awesome, and totally epic!! I love it, and am frothing at the mouth for the third book to be published. But once again, the first book is pretty clean, there are a few scenes in the second that may make you a tad uncomfortable. Nothing too bad though.

If Warbreaker was too much, then the OP should avoid KingKiller chronicle, I don't recall the first book being too bad about it (though I'd have to reread to be sure) but the second book has been heavily criticized for a having what most people felt was an unnecessarily long and explicit sequence in it about halfway through.

 

Maybe try the runelords books by David Farland?  It's been some time since I read them, btu I don't think they were too explicit.  The DeathGate books by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are pretty good about that too, I think.  Maybe double check those before diving into them though, in case I am forgettign any details.  Wheel of Time is usually pretty good about it, but there are a few scenes that you may be a bit uncomfortable with.  fewer of them in in that entire series than any single Song of Ice and Fire book, though.  The rest of Sanderson's books that I have read (all the Cosmere books) are pretty good about this too.

[Kasimir he/him]

The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy should be fine. There's an indirect reference, but there isn't very much else there, if I'm recalling correctly. I would second the Old Kingdom Trilogy, and would back up suggestions that you don't read Codex Alera (or at least be forewarned because there will be references, and if Warbreaker was too much... Same with regard to the Kingkiller Chronicles. However, if you don't mind being left to hang, then just read Book One. Book One's clean. (Again: if you don't mind just reading one book of a series, then I also recommend Sasha, of Joel Shepherd's Trial of Blood and Steel series. It starts clean but builds up in later books.)

 

Shadowprowler and the sequels by Alexey Pehov should be fine as well. (I don't recall anything that'd become an issue, but my memory of that book isn't as good as it could be.) Especially, try the books of Tamora Pierce. She's generally very good about that, but you'll have an indirect reference in Battle Magic.

 

T.A. Barron's Merlin and subsequent Avalon series are pitched for younger readers ( =YA), but I loved his worldbuilding, and I don't know if you might enjoy that. The Vineart War trilogy, I would also recommend Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed. Besides that, I can't think of anything else.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Kasimir

[Pestis the Spider she/her]

Dear OP, sorry, but I have a question, because after reading "I'd like to read fantasy books without sexual content", and then seeing the mention of both "adultish" books and books "for younger readers", I'm just really confused what you are actually looking for. What I mean is: Are you looking for something more like teen PG books (using the movie rating) or like R rated books (you know: a lot of violence, bloody descriptions, stuff like that) just with no sexual content? or maybe you're fine with both types?

 

The answer to that would really change the list of books that I am able to recommend you.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Pestis the Spider

[Sylfan he/him]

I would recommend The Septimus Heap series, 7 books, it is more of an YA read but it is pretty good and i really enjoyed them 

[Bronzeheart he/him]

I would highly recommend the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld. It has some elements of romance, but I don't believe there is anything more serious than the occasional kiss scene. It's definitely one of my top two favorite non-Sanderson fantasy series.

[Asperity he/him]

Codex Alera has been on my backlog for a while. How is it? Give me a decent description (preferably without spoilers, obviously) but include flaws as well. No book is perfect. I do need to get around to reading them sometime ever.

 

 

Also seconding Old Kingdom. Sabriel is one of THE YA books that always gets recommended in nearly any Fantasy book thread on any website. It would make an awesome game or movie, too.

[Briar King]

Hard to say without spoilers but it's a typical farm boy to ultimate badass story stared by a challenge that Butcher couldn't write a story based on a Roman Legion and Pokemon.

Flaws: mostly in bk 1 just because its all Farmboy trope and some might say the Hogwarts/school/academy arcs.

Bk 2 is when it starts to pick up.

[Asperity he/him]

Hard to say without spoilers but it's a typical farm boy to ultimate badass story stared by a challenge that Butcher couldn't write a story based on a Roman Legion and Pokemon.

Flaws: mostly in bk 1 just because its all Farmboy trope and some might say the Hogwarts/school/academy arcs.

Bk 2 is when it starts to pick up.

Alright. I might try to burn through them next weekend or something. I don't mind a school arc as long as it eventually progresses beyond that. Hell, I didn't even mind Hogwarts in HP.

[Pestis the Spider she/her]

Hard to say without spoilers but it's a typical farm boy to ultimate badass story stared by a challenge that Butcher couldn't write a story based on a Roman Legion and Pokemon.

Flaws: mostly in bk 1 just because its all Farmboy trope and some might say the Hogwarts/school/academy arcs.

Bk 2 is when it starts to pick up.

Are these younger readers books? Because I'm also wondering whether to read them or not, and if yes then when.

[Briar King]

They are not YA books no. Regular Fantasy but very toned down on language and sex compared to his Dresden books.

[Briar King]

Sorry for the thread derail there OP!

[traceria she/her]

Alera:  Yeah, definitely regular fantasy.  The thing about sexual content with that series is that, while it's off screen, if you're at all sensitive to even mention of it or one character ribbing another about it, there are probably other series that are cleaner that would be a better read.  (I just happen to know a lot of people that are really sensitive to sexual content in books, and I know I would not recommend this series to those particular people.)  If, like me, that stuff doesn't bother you, then they are great books.  I'm a big Jim Butcher fan, particularly of Dresden, and I really, really liked Codex Alera.  When I first read them, the first few books were already out.  I second Briar King's assessment that the first one is the toughest to get through, but the concept of magic and nature and, after book 1, the obvious Roman overtones is very cool.  I can totally see the Pokemon thing being part of the writing challenge to Butcher, though my original comparison in my own mind was to Avatar: The Last Airbender, probably because I watched it around the same time as reading those books.

[vietnamabc]

The Grimnoir Chronicles by Larry Correia. This thing is like Stormlight Archives mashed with Alloy of Law and a lot of guns and more guns. The author is an absolute gun nut, stuff just gets blown up every few chapters but the magic system and technology is consistent and folks reading Cosmere novels will spot the similarities right away.

Edited March 1, 2015 by vietnamabc

[AnalysisAnonymous65]

Monster Hunter International. BEST SERIES EVER!!!!! By Larry Coriea. I think there are five out currently.

[Left he/him]

The Dragonbone books by Tad Williams are fantastic! First book is very clean if I'm remembering right, The next two are probably on the same level, but not the same content, as Mistborn so I don't think you'll have a problem.

 

I would stay away from the Rothfuss books, yes they are amazing, but almost a third of the second book is really loaded and I very nearly quit instead of skip reading.

 

The Imager books by Modesitt, these are very good and philosphical, I'd say same content level as The Way of Kings or Mistborn.

 

The Shannara books by Terry Brooks? What I've read was squeeky clean like LotR, but the pacing was so bad I could only trudge through the first two books.

 

The Wheel of Time? ummmm, yeah I don't know, you should probably stay away I guess.

 

The Ranger's Apprentice. Fantastic YA series, clean, funny, lots of good fun. Fantasy without magic, kinda weird but yeah.

 

Terry Pratchet is clean I think, I've only finished one book though, someone else know better?

 

That's all I can think of at the moment.

[vietnamabc]

Currently reading Cibola Burns, anybody here a fan of James S. A. Corey "The Expense"?

[the Gleeman he/him]

Finish Tolkien. C.S. Lewis is a must read. 

 

After that read the Imaginarium Geographica series by James A. Owen. It has many references to classic books and series and is the best series no one has ever heard of.