Top 5 favorite fantasy series?

[aceluby]

Wasn't it that Tolkein wanted to publish them as one book?

Sort of... it was actually written as a single novel, but because there was a worldwide paper shortage it was published in 3 sections.

[The hairy bear]

On The Lord of the Rings:

It may not be in Wikipedia, but for sure it's in the "letters". JRR Tolkien explains how he conceived LOTR of "six books" to be published at once in a single volume, and the decision to sell it in three different volumes was taken by the publisher Allen and Unwin for economic reasons:

The Lord of the Rings is not a trilogy: by the time it was being prepared for publication in 1950, Tolkien was thinking of it as a duology: a book of two parts, the other being The Silmarillion - a work concieved of as being of equal size to The Lord of the Rings (Letter 126 to Milton Waldon, 10/3/1950).

... Tolkien's publisher, Stanley Unwin, was not convinced by the idea of publishing The Silmarillion, and wanted to publish just The Lord of the Rings. In 1952 the publishers estimated the price for a single volume would be at least £3 10s, and were looking into the possibility of publishing the work in two volumes, as well as for a cheaper printer. As we know, Allen and Unwin decided that three volumes was the best number: an economic, not a literary descision. (Letter 136 to Stanley Unwin, 24/3/1953)

IIRC, the six books would have been titled: The Shadow of the Past, The Ring Goes South, The Treason of Isengard, The Ring Goes East, The War of the Ring, and the End of the Third Age..

[Houndhelm]

I have a very clear favorite fantasy series for every phase of my life so far:

Grade school years – Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. A retelling and compilation of many Welsh myths (although of course I didn’t know that at the time). A bittersweet story of an orphan boy making his way in the world, forming many friendships, learning life lessons and dealing with the grief of loss. There are death scenes and farewell scenes in Prydain that still make me tear up when I think about them.

Junior high – Belgariad by David Eddings. A pretty standard prophesied chosen one vs the dark empire/god kind of story. I loved the long friendships between the characters, and the banter they exchange. Honestly this is not that great of a series objectively speaking, but when I reread them there's a comforting sense like shaking hands with an old friend.

High school – Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. Jordan has his weaknesses but in my opinion the world building stands the test of time. I love how HUGE the world feels, each land with its own distinct culture. And the awesome way he described swordfighting – using poetic names of fighting forms instead of describing every cut and parry – has yet to be equaled in my opinion. I want Wheel of Time to become like the Star Wars expanded universe so other writers, game developers, etc. can take a shot at telling stories in this world.

Undergrad – ASOIAF. Everything I have to say has already been said better by others here.

Grad School to the present – Second Apocalypse by Bakker. A fantasy retelling of the 1st crusade, emphasizing themes of control and manipulation. The history of Bakker's world Earwa has this dark and tragic grandeur, with an existential dread that hangs over the whole story when you understand what the antagonists are trying to do, and the reason why. The "orc" race that would be faceless cannon fodder in another series is genuinely terrifying in Earwa, and their motivations are even somewhat understandable. The mechanism of magic and how it ties into the Earwa's metaphysics is amazing; this series has by far the best use of magic I've ever read.

Honorable mentions:

Discworld by Terry Pratchett – one of the very few writers to make me literally laugh while reading

Troy by David Gemmell – the finest writer of old school manly stories about courage, honor, heroism, sacrifice, etc.

[drawkcabi]

At this point in my life:

1. The First Law & stand alones

2. ASOIAF

3. Harry Potter

4. Rift War/Empire series

5. Second Apocalypse

[Astromech]

In no particular order:

THE LONG PRICE QUARTET

THE KINGKILLER CHRONICLES

MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN

ASOIAF

THE FIRST LAW TRILOGY

THE FARSEER TRILOGY

I couldn't decide which series to boot out of the top 5, so 6 are included.

[Darth Richard II]

1. Hodor

2. Hodor

3. Hodor

4. Hodor

5. Hodor

[mgambino]

1. Hodor 2. Hodor 3. Hodor 4. Hodor 5. Hodor

I'd switch the order to:

1. Hodor 2. Hodor 3. Hodor 4. Hodor 5. Hodor

but otherwise I agree.

[Spockydog]

I'd switch the order to:

1. Hodor 2. Hodor 3. Hodor 4. Hodor 5. Hodor

but otherwise I agree.

Even better than all of those is the relatively unknown and criminally underrated prequel: Hodor - The Blood of Giants.

[Lord Lannister]

A bit of a sidebar... with the mentions of a Wheel of Time. As a fan of ASoIaF would I enjoy it? I've heard pro and con reviews of the series. Most of the negative I've heard is Jordan's more into world building than story telling or something to that effect. I've always been hesitant to try new authors for some reason even if I am looking for a new series to read. I don't want to distract from the thread so if some readers of that series could send me a PM, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

[Corvinus85]

A bit of a sidebar... with the mentions of a Wheel of Time. As a fan of ASoIaF would I enjoy it? I've heard pro and con reviews of the series. Most of the negative I've heard is Jordan's more into world building than story telling or something to that effect. I've always been hesitant to try new authors for some reason even if I am looking for a new series to read. I don't want to distract from the thread so if some readers of that series could send me a PM, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

My post on page 1 explains a bit about it, both the good and the bad. I recommend it, but it is one of those series where significant divisions between readers exist.

[Muwhahaha]

A bit of a sidebar... with the mentions of a Wheel of Time. As a fan of ASoIaF would I enjoy it? I've heard pro and con reviews of the series. Most of the negative I've heard is Jordan's more into world building than story telling or something to that effect. I've always been hesitant to try new authors for some reason even if I am looking for a new series to read. I don't want to distract from the thread so if some readers of that series could send me a PM, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Unless you're 16 yrs old or younger, I would suggest reading a lot of the others mentioned here first. As in Malazan, First Law, Dagger and Coin, Long Price, Land Fit for Heroes, Broken Empire, Second Apocalypse, Raven's Shadow, Traitor Son, Unhewn Throne, Farseer, Kingkiller, Gentlemen Bastards, and probably a couple more I can't think of right now. However, if you're a fan of Stormlight Archives and Mistborn, I would say dive right in.

I personally loved the Wheel of Time but I read them when I was 16 back in 1996 (the first 6 that is) and then did the waiting game between books before giving up on Crossroads and then picking it back up a year or two ago. It's pretty good but very YA and not really comparable to the new heavy hitters. But that's just my opinion.

[HexMachina]

A bit of a sidebar... with the mentions of a Wheel of Time. As a fan of ASoIaF would I enjoy it? I've heard pro and con reviews of the series. Most of the negative I've heard is Jordan's more into world building than story telling or something to that effect. I've always been hesitant to try new authors for some reason even if I am looking for a new series to read. I don't want to distract from the thread so if some readers of that series could send me a PM, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

With search disabled right now, you'd have to dig about manually, but there are a lot of threads on the subject on the board already

[Darth Richard II]

I would reccomend against kingkiller unless your a horny 15 year old boy and like series that will never be finished.

[SeanF]

The board has disappointed me. 10 posts in and not even one Stanek mention yet. For shame!

No one's mentioned Goodkind, either.

I have the impression that mentioning him is like using the C-Word on this forum.

[red snow]

I have a very clear favorite fantasy series for every phase of my life so far:

Grade school years – Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. A retelling and compilation of many Welsh myths (although of course I didn’t know that at the time). A bittersweet story of an orphan boy making his way in the world, forming many friendships, learning life lessons and dealing with the grief of loss. There are death scenes and farewell scenes in Prydain that still make me tear up when I think about them.

Junior high – Belgariad by David Eddings. A pretty standard prophesied chosen one vs the dark empire/god kind of story. I loved the long friendships between the characters, and the banter they exchange. Honestly this is not that great of a series objectively speaking, but when I reread them there's a comforting sense like shaking hands with an old friend.

High school – Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. Jordan has his weaknesses but in my opinion the world building stands the test of time. I love how HUGE the world feels, each land with its own distinct culture. And the awesome way he described swordfighting – using poetic names of fighting forms instead of describing every cut and parry – has yet to be equaled in my opinion. I want Wheel of Time to become like the Star Wars expanded universe so other writers, game developers, etc. can take a shot at telling stories in this world.

Undergrad – ASOIAF. Everything I have to say has already been said better by others here.

Grad School to the present – Second Apocalypse by Bakker. A fantasy retelling of the 1st crusade, emphasizing themes of control and manipulation. The history of Bakker's world Earwa has this dark and tragic grandeur, with an existential dread that hangs over the whole story when you understand what the antagonists are trying to do, and the reason why. The "orc" race that would be faceless cannon fodder in another series is genuinely terrifying in Earwa, and their motivations are even somewhat understandable. The mechanism of magic and how it ties into the Earwa's metaphysics is amazing; this series has by far the best use of magic I've ever read.

Honorable mentions:

Discworld by Terry Pratchett – one of the very few writers to make me literally laugh while reading

Troy by David Gemmell – the finest writer of old school manly stories about courage, honor, heroism, sacrifice, etc.

Those Prydain books were great at the time. I've always wondered if they'd hold up now. Like you say, there are elements in there that fit with your overall taste of morally grey/happy endings not guaranteed.

I wonder if your next phase will lead to something even darker or whether a slight reversion from type eg grim with humour?

[Houndhelm]

Those Prydain books were great at the time. I've always wondered if they'd hold up now. Like you say, there are elements in there that fit with your overall taste of morally grey/happy endings not guaranteed.

I wonder if your next phase will lead to something even darker or whether a slight reversion from type eg grim with humour?

This thread has inspired me to revisit Prydain to see how it reads now. It truly was my first love in fantasy reading.

Oh, I like light, humorous books just fine, it's just that the good modern fantasy out there tends toward the grim. Most of the fun books I read are from other genres. For example I think the Flashman Papers by George MacDonald Fraser are pants-soilingly funny.

[SeanF]

This thread has inspired me to revisit Prydain to see how it reads now. It truly was my first love in fantasy reading.

Oh, I like light, humorous books just fine, it's just that the good modern fantasy out there tends toward the grim. Most of the fun books I read are from other genres. For example I think the Flashman Papers by George MacDonald Fraser are pants-soilingly funny.

The Flashman Papers are classics.

[Wilbur]

The Flashman Papers are classics.

+1

[Guest]

I would reccomend against kingkiller unless your a horny 15 year old boy and like series that will never be finished.

It's like Martin, Rothfuss, and Bakker are competing with one another.

[Garlan the Gallant]

Not sure how this is supposed to go, but if we art talking simply about my personal enjoyment of the series then:

1) A Song of Ice and Fire - For me, this is the series that has most interested me. The theories, prophecies, and back story is what takes it to a different level. His characterization is great; most characters are like Shrek, they have layers.

2) The First Law Trilogy - This series is a terrific bit of fun. The humor in it is great. Abercrombie also has this theme where people try to change themselves but ultimately don't. Again, I like the back story/ ancient history here.

3) Bitter Seeds - This could be argued to be science fiction but I view it more as fantasy. The author did such a great job of weaving everything together. Masterfully planned.

4) The Kingkiller Chronicles - Although I did not enjoy the second novel as much as I enjoyed the first, I don't think anyone can deny that Rothfuss is a truly great writer. I think his first page and last page of each of the novels are some of the best wordsmithing I have personally read. I like the idea of stories within stories within stories. Again, I really enjoyed the background and ancient history here. I also think that Mr. Rothfuss is an exceptionally great and likeable person from reading his blog and the charity that he puts on. It's always easier to like a book when you know the author is a legitimately good soul.

5) Looking at my bookshelves, I'd guess I'd have to give first place to Sanderson's Adolnasium universe, particularly the Stormlight Archives. I have many gripes about his Sanderson's writing. I don't think its near as good as the four series above. I also understand that he doesn't want to cuss (that it's against his religion) but I find his use of substitution cuss words particularly annoying and jarring. I do enjoy his magic systems though. Some are better than others but they most are pretty cool to read about. I also like the story behind the story here.

Looking at the above, I noticed that I tend to like series with rich back stories / world building. Sometimes, I wish I got to read those "origin" stories instead but I think that might take the magic out of it, so to speak.