I love books! All genres from different authors. I can devour a biography while reading a drama and then switch to poetry and then read a Bible commentary. But the genre that has my heart will always be Fantasy. There was a period in my life that I didn’t read much in the genre, but I’m back at it. And here are my current 5 Fantasy Books that are on my bookshelf now.
5) Helen and Troy’s Epic Road Quest by A. Lee Martinez
Full of adventure, creativity, and laughs. This book made me realize that fantasy and comedy do belong together. The writing is vibrant and entertaining. It’s a good easy read that can really get your imagination going!
4) The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker
I had taken too long of a break from fantasy books. And while this probably isn’t a straight forward fantasy but it is still epic in its story. The characters are fleshed out and you end up rooting for and against them because you have grown attached to them. I have yet to finish the series, but it is at the top of my list for 2021.
3) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Probably my favorite Harry Potter book, but this is really a nod to the overall series. I believe this is my first fantasy series that I read and it captured my imagination. I know there is so much controversy with these books especially in the Christian community, but here is my take. This is a great story in a fun world. The book even made me take a look at magic in the Bible and forced me to figure out what I believed and how that would affect my life. Great series and a great book.
2) The Fellowship of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
Isn’t this the definition of fantasy for anyone growing up in the 2000s. Yes, the movies are the reason I read the books, but hey as long as we read the book that is the most important. This is the foundation of my love of fantasy and will always be a great influence to me.
1)The Dark Tower by Stephen King
Probably a controversial pick since it is ahead of The Lord of the Rings but I stand by this. This was the first series that made me cry and that alone as to count for something right? The characters and story gripped me and I loved how it all ended, which is why I picked the last book to rep the whole series. I’m thinking I’m going to read it all over again along with picks 2 & 3 next year.
What are your top 5 favorite fantasy books?
J.E.Rowland 
Man I’m gonna be honest, picking individual books in fantasy is really hard for me. I look at most fantasy as the whole series (unless it’s an individual book of course) but here’s my shot at it (I include Sci-Fi in my rankings as well because I’m blasphemous):
5) The Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks:
Solid story line and magic system- has strong biblical references and wrestles with why God does the things he does (from the perspective of a non-Christian I’m pretty sure) but doesn’t bash Christianity. Decent character depth and some unseen twists and turns which is nice. Some character arcs are left wanting but overall well done.
4) Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card:
This is the book that got me reading. I was made to read it as a sophomore in high school and I instantly fell in love with it. It’s dark, shows the brutality humanity would go through if in trouble and has a brilliant end twist that I thoroughly enjoyed. It also ends not in all sunshine and rainbows like most books which I appreciate because it shows a human side to things.
3) The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson:
It is a super unpopular opinion but I believe Sanderson is the best world builder I’ve ever read (yes, over Tolkien, Lewis, Rowling and the like). His story arcs and the way his worlds come together in the different series adds layers as you read more of his books and understand his Cosmere more. He has fantastic character depth with secondary characters truly making his books fantastic. I also appreciate how his magic systems are locked in place (one of my biggest turn offs in fantasy is when the good guys run into a problem and all of a sudden one of the characters develops a power for that exact situation that they never had before). His magic systems are very creative and take you away from your normal D&D power systems in most fantasy.
2) The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss (the third book in the trilogy is not complete yet):
The story is framed around a character named Kvothe who is basically a minstrel telling his tales of epic adventures to people in his bar/pub place that when the story goes to the present you see his grandiose stories are stretched but are still super entertaining. Super character death with a lot of mystery still to be revealed in the final book.
1) The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson (only three of five books completed):
Short of Sanderson all of a sudden just dropping the ball I can tell this will lead the pack already. It has the best magic system, character depth and world building of any book I’ve ever read. It has the right amount of mystery but also predictable things that happen but you’re still super pumped to see come to fruition. There are a lot of characters and story lines going on but it was great because I read through the series a second time and there was so much stuff I didn’t catch the first read through that it was like reading it all over again. I can not recommend this series enough.
Honorable Mention- The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie:
Honorable mention only because I’m only through the first book. I absolutely loved the first book and I’m hoping the rest of the trilogy stay as strong. Great character depth and although there is magic, you see a lot of reliance on simply fighting skills. Whereas epic fantasy you have world changing powers this magic thus far is more dimmed down. The entire first book is in one city and the main characters just left for their quest at the very end of the first book. I’m excited to read the rest.
I hope you enjoy my comments!
P.S. I’ve tried twice to read through The Gunslinger and I just can’t get through it. It’s super dry and really hard to follow and I just get confused and frustrated and give up but maybe I’ll give it a third chance after your review and push through.
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I have to admit the Dark Tower series can be dry but the latter books have a good pay off. And I have a Joe Abercrombie book on my bookself to read (A Little Hatred) can’t wait to dig into it
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Yea from what I understand A Little Hatred is the next installment to the trilogy of his I’m reading now so I’ll probably read that after The First Law Trilogy I’m in now.
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Oh so should I read the First Law first then?
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From what I understand you can read it without reading the First Law Trilogy but it’s based 20-30 years after the trilogy. I’m just a fan of chronological reading myself.
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Also agree that it’s hard to pick one book from a series, but I viewed it more as my fav out of the series not necessarily the best. But the ranking is based on the whole series though.
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The Hobbit /JRR Tolkien
My first n best dive into this genre. The author concocted a main character we can easily identify with. Then plunges us into the wonder of MiddleEarth with detailed description and short swells of tensions and catharsis, meanwhile building a much larger swell of dramatic tension for the most brilliant ending.
The Legend of Huma/ Richard A. Knaak
A valiant knight riding a dragon with a magical forged lance to spark a revolution, and a strange friendship with a burly Minotaur, What’s not to love?
Dragon lance’s many references over several different novels to the origins tale of the famous Solomnic Knight‘s founding father sparked huge interest into them to dedicate an entire novel to it. It did not disappoint. Hint, for a pre amble read Dragonlance Chronicles to get context.
The Crystal Shard(The Icewind Dale Trilogy)/ R.A. Salvatore
Your first step into a much larger world. The character named Drizzt is so popular, Salvatore still writes about him to this day over 30 novels have been written about this character and his struggles and victories over the span of his life. So awesome.
The Two Towers /JRR Tolkien
Guilty for being a Tolkein junkie but the whole Lord of the Rings Trilogy is spectacular. But this tale in particular has so many biblical illusions and much like The Hobbit has short swells of tension and catharsis, building a much larger swell of immense dramatic tension in the end a spectacular showdown and ending. This is act two of the Ring Trilogy but in my mind has so much depth and the vicarious experience with each main character
Eye Of The World/Robert Jordan
Buckle up for amazing ride on the Wheel of Time series. Jordan is like a painter that paints up-side-down. You feel confused until the end when he turns his artwork into the big reveal in the end. Leaves you wanting more. And more he delivered, the Wheel series stretches long and actually gives birth to a wonderful collaboration with Author Brandon Sanderson.
Honorable mention:
Robert E Howard/The Hour of the Dragon
C.S. Lewis/The Lion the Witch n The Wardrobe
JK Rowling’s entire Harry Potter serie
Dragonlance Chronicles/Legends by Weis & Hickman
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Love it! I see my book’s to read list getting bigger!
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