Im looking for a “Hero’s Journey” type of book where some inexperienced 15-25 year old comes in contact with some new magic/goes on a journey/discovers a new technology/is entrusted with responsibility/etc but is written maturely and has good characters. I want the sense of adventure and discovery but I feel most popular books of this type are YA and/or power fantasies with the MC experiencing little in the way of consequences. I don’t *need* characters to die (its fine if they do), I just want to see growth and loss and want the story to feel like it has stakes.
In terms of a genre action is a must. I generally like Fantasy and Sci fi however I’m open to anything except for Romance and Politics. I enjoy romantic elements in books as long as they don’t slow the main story down. I simply hate politics though, no exceptions. Also, I’d general like something that has a more serious tone and is less “jokey”.
Similar Books to what I want:
\-Wheel of Time (Characters and conflict were great, just too long winded)
\-Expeditionary Force (Good premise, good *enough* characters, got repetitive)
\-Super Supportive (Fantastic pacing and world, is a online book but I like everything about it)
\-The Blade Itself (Good world, great characters, need to finish the 3rd book but the series is closest to what I’m asking for)
\-Red Rising (Good everything)
\-Unsouled (Good at keeping the ball rolling, started to loose steam in the end but finished before falling off. Decent characters & growth)
Books that didn’t hit the mark:
\-Assassins Apprentice (World was cool, didn’t like the MC that much and how major events played out annoyed me)
\-The Name of the Wind (1st book was great, 2nd book dragged on too long and spent waaay to long on the romance)
\-The Expanse (Too much politics, main cast felt too happy go lucky)
\-Anything by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Their books feel too depressing)
\-The Halo books (Characters were very bland)
\-Slow Burn (Cool setup, characters felt flat and romance was weird)
\-He Who Fights with Monsters (To YA in every department)
\-The Licanius Trilogy (First Book was good and liked the MC, world was interesting enough, felt like it lost steam around 2nd book and I dropped it)
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Books Ive read that I’m pretty sure will be suggested because they always are
\-Brandon Sanderson
\-Harry Potter
\-LotR & The Hobbit
\-Enders Game
P.S.
Generally Id like something a bit off the beaten path in terms of popularity. Bonus points if the book starts out in a modern setting
by Cheesemasterer
4 Comments
Darker shade of magic by v.e. Schwab
The two-volume ‘Mordant’s Need’ series by Stephen Donaldson.
First book – ‘The Mirror of Her Dreams’
The daughter of rich but neglectful parents, Terisa Morgan lives alone in a New York City apartment, a young woman who has grown to doubt her own existence. Surrounded by the flat reassurance of mirrors, she leads an unfulfilled life—until the night a strange man named Geraden comes crashing through one of her mirrors, on a quest to find a champion to save his kingdom of Mordant from a pervasive evil that threatens the land. Terisa is no champion. She wields neither magic nor power. And yet, much to her own surprise, when Geraden begs her to come back with him, she agrees.
Now, in a culture where women are little more than the playthings of powerful men, in a castle honeycombed with secret passages and clever traps, in a kingdom threatened from without and within by enemies able to appear and vanish out of thin air, Terisa must become more than the pale reflection of a person. For the way back to Earth is closed to her. And the enemies of Mordant will stop at nothing to see her dead.
Second book – ‘A Man Rides Through’
I enjoy discovering a new world through the eyes of the main character.
One Desert Night, by Ricky Hurlich
It “feels” like a heroes journey, but with a tragic twist
Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore might work. Pretty sure Sam is 14 or 15 when he starts his journey and late 20s when things get really weird.