Favorites In Fantasy
Dreamer's Pool, by Juliet Marillier
Sub-Genre: Historical fantasy
Goodreads | Audible
Why It's A Favorite: This is one of those stories that, while I didn't find it all that deep or original, I still really enjoyed. It's the kind of fantasy that you read for fun, not because it's amazing literature. Plus, there's a strong female protagonist, a huge plus in my book.
Favorite Spotlight
The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher
Storm Front | Fool Moon | Grave Peril | Summer Knight | Death Masks | Blood Rites | Dead Beat | Proven Guilty | White Night | Small Favor | Turn Coat | Changes | Side Jobs | Ghost Story | Cold Days | Skin Game
Sub-Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Mystery
Goodreads | Audible
Why It's A Favorite: This series is so much fun! It's private eye mysteries, fantasy, and action/thriller all rolled into one! The books are funny, exciting, and full of awesome, bad-ass magic! It's really worth at least one look if you're into quirky paranormal mysteries.
Favorite Spotlight
A Game Of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin
Sub-Genre: Epic Fantasy
Goodreads | Audible
Why It's A Favorite: I confess, I haven't read the whole series yet; I've only read the first two books and then skipped ahead to watching the HBO series. I have, however, read the first book twice, and I absolutely love it! It's the type of fantasy that is thickly packed with a lot of excellent material, and an amazing amount of character development.
Favorite Spotlight
His Majesty's Dragon, by Naomi Novik
Sub-Genre: Historical Fantasy
Goodreads | Audible
Why It's A Favorite: This is the first book in a series (The Temeraire Series). I've read the whole series and found it good, but not a favorite unfortunately. However, I do love the first book; there's something about it that just feels so fresh and original, and the innocence of Temeraire is so much fun to read about. Definitely an entertaining book about dragons.
Favorite Spotlight
The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
Sub-Genre: Literary Fantasy
Goodreads
Why It's A Favorite: This is one of those books that makes you think, and forces you to look for hidden themes and symbols. I love the writing and I love the depth. A literary masterpiece.
Favorite Spotlight
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy And Prequel, by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit | The Fellowship Of The Ring | The Two Towers | The Return Of The King
Sub-Genre: Classic Fantasy
Goodreads | Audible
Why It's A Favorite: This is a masterpiece of a fantasy series, and really the forerunner of the fantasy genre. I liked this as a kid, but I love it even more as an adult thanks to an audio-lecture by Professor Michael D.C. Drout, which helped clarify the depth and importance of this series (you can find the audio-lecture here). In my opinion, you can't really call yourself a fantasy enthusiast unless you've read these books.
The Magicians, by Lev Grossman
Sub-Genre: Literary fantasy
Goodreads | Audible
Why It's A Favorite: I love the writing in this story. Some people don't really like this story, but I think the best way to view this book is to see it as a sort of dark parody for famous works like the Chronicles Of Narnia and Harry Potter.
Favorite Spotlight
The Name Of The Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss
Sub-Genre: Epic Fantasy
Goodreads | Audible
Why It's A Favorite: This one is a definite modern masterpiece. The story is so well done, and the creativity behind the world-building is absolutely awe-inspiring. I've only read the sequel once, and I'm eagerly anticipating the next installment of this trilogy along with all the other NOTW fans!
The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson
The Way Of Kings | Words Of Radiance | Oathbringer
Sub-Genre: Epic Fantasy
Goodreads | Audible
Why It's A Favorite: When it comes to choosing fantasy, I like to find works that combine good storytelling with superb world-building. This series definitely hits the spot. It's so original that it's absolutely inspiring.
Favorite Spotlight
Sword Of Truth Series (Selected Works), by Terry Goodkind
Stone Of Tears | Faith Of The Fallen
Sub-Genre: Epic Fantasy
Goodreads | Audible
Why It's A Favorite: I'm not a huge fan of the series as a whole (in fact I stopped reading by book 12), but I did really enjoy two books in the series. Ironically, my favorites involve the stories where the two protagonists/lovers are separated (goes to show what I think of their love story, huh?)
Favorite Spotlight
The Warded Man, by Peter V. Brett
Sub-Genre: Dark fantasy
Goodreads | Audible
Why It's A Favorite: This is a good fantasy story, made more impressive by the fact that it's a debut novel. It's pretty creative. I really enjoyed this book, and overall liked the series as a whole, but I find the other installments to be individually less impressive.
Favorite Spotlight
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