For many years I have been a lover of fantasy and sci-fi books. Something about the feeling of being transported to a well developed and realistic feeling world, but that still has magic and fantasy is addicting for me.
However, so many fantasy series nowadays fall into the popcorn fantasy genre. Really surface level, approachable and mile wide but inch deep stories made for a modern audience. The biggest name in this area would probably be Brandon Sanderson. Where his worlds are interesting bit his characters feel and talk like modern people. Not mythical figures or ancient heroes, but high schoolers and your average, modern day joe.
The world’s are simple and easy to understand, with little left to the imagination.
I’m not bashing Sanderson, there is a place for his books and I do enjoy them, but right now I’m getting frustrated with recommendations of fantasy/sci-fi that fall into that category. Such as the Red Rising series I’m currently reading.
I’m looking for Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, Berserk, Dune, type stories. Gripping, and they feel like stories from a real, and complex world.
My preferred genre is medieval fantasy, but I will gladly delve into sci-fi as well.
No unfinished series please!
Thanks!
by Alpha_pro2019
3 Comments
My favourite suggestion to asks like this is Guy Gavriel Kay. He was a Tolkien scholar in Canada before he wrote The Fionavar Tapestry, a fantastic epic fantasy series. My favourite of his standalone books is Tigana, but Lions of Al-Rassan is pretty great too. I haven’t read much of his more recent stuff, but he weaves a heck of a tale and tends to focus on “historical fiction/fantasy” where the world building is just right.
The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K Jemisin
Neal Asher’s Agent Carmac series is full of massive ideas and high concepts. Hard sci fi with alien technology, different species, AI not fantasy setting