Hobb is the Queen of Epic Fantasy for a reason. Her characters are second to none. The deep connection they have with each other, the uncompromised representation of family drama, trauma, loss, and violence is what makes her stories so heartbreaking. On the violence for a moment, I feel it is one aspect of Hobb's work that is highly overlooked. There aren't massive action scenes, but when the violence comes in it's brutal, messy, and quick. That's what violence is like in real life. A bit of a digression from the topic at hand, but it's another element of her literature that adds to the feeling of believability. That believability is the key because otherwise crying over talking ships would be ridiculous! A great list, Philip. I personally would also sit GRRM on a top 10 list. For similar reasons to Hobb, he is an expert at character writing, and when the emotional moments come in they hit hard.
Beautifully said about Hobb! I could see GRRM being one of these tear-inducing authors for many readers. I don't think he's ever made me cry, but he will definitely be appearing on some of my other lists!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Looking forward to more of these top 10s. I like the idea of being more granular and looking at what authors are best at. Much easier to get a recommendation from that!
Next Saturday (a week from tomorrow) will be my top ten fantasy authors who make me laugh, so it will be interesting to see which authors make this list and that one! Thanks, Mark!
Erikson has made me cry out of no where. Some of the major emotional plot outcomes didnt effect me as much as some of his super small ones. (Im not finished with series yet on book 8). I dont know what it is about how he writes the banality of life in such an epic series and make it feel so emotional. I remember the first time I really wept was in Deadhouse Gates, not for any of the obvious things i wont spoil but a certain scene of just adopting broken people into an army and what that meant to them and represented. He wrote is so powerfully, and thats just one of many times hes done that. Truly one of the GOAT fantasy authors imo. Thanks for the video!
First, it’s great to see a booktuber so honest and vulnerable about how books affected them emotionally. Second, I’m totally with you on your first choice. Those books wrecked me. Never experienced anything like it. Most recently, Octavia Butler definitely brought the tears out of me with Kindred.
Erikson has probably brought me to tears more times than I can count. I remember having tears streaming down my face (spoiler) when the Children of the Snake met up with the Malazan army in Dust of Dreams. When the Marines noticed that the kids forgot how to play with toys….and that even being low on water, they gave what they had to the kids….tears …great topic!
-I think we agree on Jade Legacy, the good and the not so favorable parts. But that ending did get me a bit. -It still warms my heart that you had read 1 Stephen King book before we met & now you have him on a list like this. He's a sneaky assassin in that way. -Tolkien is still the man. Everyone can miss me with the "it's only nostalgia" BS. -Ruin was more than just a clever name. Gwynne wrecked me with that ending. -Hobb got me with Fool's Errand, for sure. -For me, Wilson Rawls is at the top of this list. I can't even talk about Where the Red Fern Grows without welling up. And I last read it 33 years ago! Great vid, amigo!
Dark Tower is one of the best things that has happened to me since starting the channel. I'm so glad for the encouragement you gave! Tolkien will always be the man. I will have to muster the courage to read Where the Red Fern Grows someday. Cheers, my friend!
Excellent list! Tolkien and Erikson opened a floodgate for me. Once open, I can cry over the silliest little sentimental thing. Otherwise, I'm pretty tough 😉! Guy Gavriel Kay got my eyes blurry a few times when reading A Song for Arbonne. I wonder if Kay might be an author to add to your list in the future!
Madeline Miller makes me cry. Both The Song of Achilles and Circe had me reaching for tissues multiple times. Akka & Esme's relationship in Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy brings tears to my eyes. Also, Xinemus in The Warrior-Prophet.
I think it’s actually useful to get more granular with top ten videos. Let’s see if I start a trend . . . though I’m sure someone has done this, or something like it, before somewhere. There’s nothing new under the sun!
I hope you’ll enjoy it! Liveship Traders was where I really fell in love with Hobb’s writing, and Tawny Man is where she broke me, but Farseer is great too.
Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott, will make you cry. I had to take many breaks as it puts you through the wringer in the best way! There are three more books in the series but not sure I am ready to tackle them just yet. There is also one story in Hyperion by Dan Simmons that is super emotional and unforgettable!
Hyperion is brilliant -- it didn't make me cry, but it left a strong impression. The Gwynne brothers have me convinced I should be reading Manda Scott's series. All the best, Heidi!
For the same reasons that you mentioned, John Gwynne would have to be in my top 5. But the author who seemingly has a permanent grip on my heartstrings is none other than the great Guy Gavriel Kay. The emotions that he can bring out of me in just a 500 page story is truly breathtaking.
These are great! I will forever be drawn to books that can evoke strong emotions. I've been on the fence about starting Malazan and Farseer this year, but this finally pushed me over the edge. Scott Lynch and Brandon Sanderson are two fantasy authors that almost always make me cry.
There's a certain book of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher that made me lose it. The interesting part is that I was expecting the specific event to happen, but when it did it didn't even matter. I was reading at about 1am in my shared bedroom with my two other brothers. I struggled so much not to wake them.
Hooray for Hobb! Also, Lawrence got me the most in Book of the Ancestor in terms of the tears, but the ending of Red Queen's War was emotional for me as well. I expect The Library Trilogy to break me too. All the best!
Thanks for this. Totally agree with your choice of Robin Hobb. She is at the top of my list in so many ways. I first read The Lord of the Rings many many years ago, when i was about 18 years old. I cried at times during, but even more when it ended. It took me some time to move from the world of this book, back to the 'real' world. These are books with heart, otherwise they wouldn't touch me deeply enough for the tears to flow. I agree with you re Patrick Rothfuss' writing also. So this is a good yardstick to help me make my reading choices - thank you for this.
Loved this top 10! I got emotional during Malazan but it was more in Deadhouse Gates and the Bonehunters than the finale. I am hypothesizing that on reread, it’ll all hit me even harder. And too right about Liveship and Tawny Man! There was even a small moment in Dragon Keeper involving a Liveship and a young kid that hit me right in the feels when I wasn’t expecting it. Also right with you on the heart in John Gwynne’s books! I felt almost kid-like while reading those, naked and vulnerable to the harsh but beautiful world. The author who pulls the tears out of me most consistently these days is Brandon Sanderson with the Mistborn and Stormlight books, and I think Le Guin could also be someone who does but I’ve only read Wizard of Earthsea and need to continue onward!
I can definitely see Sanderson being a big one in this category for a lot of folks. The first two Stormlight Archive books had some stirring moments for me. Cheers, Ben!
Two authors that have got me are Fredrik Backman with both And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and A Man Called Ove. Not fantasy but both are so very much worth the read. The other author is Robert Mccammon with Boy's Life
When I saw the title I thought that I might have read three or four from your list and the rest will be books I better stay away from.😁 Turns out I've read all the authors you mention. And I agree they all write immensely impactful books. My number one will have to be Erikson. Just by the enormous volume of tears for Deadhouse Gates alone. Great video, Philip! Didn't move me to tears, but your books on the other hand very much so! And all three!!
Thank you, Angela! I'm glad the video didn't make you sad! 😁On the other hand, I'm also glad you found The Edan Trilogy to be emotionally compelling enough to induce some tears. It's probably silly of me, but there are moments in Return to Edan especially that make me cry. All the best!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy No, it's not silly at all. I found Return to Edan tough to read at times but also emotionally enormously rewarding. I'm amazed at how you're able to write some of it. For me, I know that there are things I'm not able to paint because of the emotional fall out.
I'll never read anything by Rothfuss. By choosing to be slothful and not finish and release Doors of Stone, he's burned a ton of fantasy fans and as a result a lot of folks have decided not to read a series until it's complete, which will hurt a TON of new authors in the long run...myself included. Great video as always Phil.
I just finished Rain Wild and I have just the last 3 books of Fitz and the Fool left. I *need* another series to look forward to or I will despair. I appreciate that you highlighted several where you journey with the characters through a lifetime. Books that make me cry are immediate favorites, so this list speaks to me!
Well, I’m sensing a theme here with my responses to this best-of series, but the honest to god truth is that the last book to make me cry was Return to Edan. The one before that? Prophet of Edan. Not to blow smoke you know where, but as far as emotional impact measured in tears, your work is definitely in my top ten. It’s a powerful thing, and something I’ve always cherished about my favorites. In fact, I first met and got to know my developmental editor, Therese Walsh, through tears shed. I reached out to her after reading her debut. Well, after reading and then pulling myself together. I felt compelled to tell her how much impact she’d had on me, and our friendship and collaboration grew from there. Proving that tears can nourish profound things in our lives. Loving the series! Of your choices that I’ve read, I heartily agree. Here’s to emotional impact.
Thank you so much, Vaughn! That's a beautiful story about how you met Therese Walsh. What a wonderful way to start a friendship -- over books! Sounds familiar, doesn't it? 😁
I'm starting the Tawny man trilogy this week! I'll have to grab an extra box of tissues! I've cried during LOTR, the Hunger of the Gods and parts of the Liveship Trader Trilogy.
As a Star Wars fan for pretty much my whole life, Lost Stars absolutely destroyed me emotionally. Star Wars itself is both sci-fi and fantasy, and while you dont get all of those fantasy elements attributed with SW in LS, it does an incredible job showing different perspectives of the big battles in the original 3 movies while not making any of it the main focus for the story. It's one of those "destined lovers" stories but that ending at the battle of Jakku just tore me to shreds, which is very rare when reading books for me. Usually these kinds of romance books aren't my thing, but it blends my love for space naval combat and Imperial politics from books like Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogies super well with the romace genre rediculously well. Super unexpected but it's among my favorite pieces of SW canon by far. But yeah this list is pretty on par with my own in terms of the ones I've read so far.
I love the original Star Wars movies! I have never read the novels, but someday perhaps. I totally agree about the fantasy science fiction blend. Cheers!
I knew your top two, but wasn't sure which order they would be so this was a suspenseful video! I loved the inclusion of Stephen King - I think that's a great choice and in particular that book. I really need to read LPQ!
I have a strong feeling that you’ll really enjoy LPQ as the character work reminds me in some ways of Realm of the Elderlings, but in a much more compact story. The emotional payoff mainly happened for me in the fourth book, but it rests on the prior three, and I enjoyed them all. All the best, Josh!
Heck yes, all here for the emotional destruction! I don't think I have ever actually cried while reading, but I wholeheartedly agree with LPQ and RotE hitting you right in the feels. And some of the only other authors who have made me misty-eyed are Krystle Matar, Sarah Chorn, and Ryan Cahill! Keep the lists coming, I am loving these, Philip!
Robert Stallman is probably not so well-known, but I've re-read his Beast trilogy (The Orphan, The Captive, The Beast) several times since 1980. Never fails to make me teary-eyed.
Fredrick Backman is the author that's made me cry the most. His books "A Man Called Ove" and "Britt-Marie Was Here" had me weeping. He's a phenomenal author 😢
I haven’t read his books yet, but I did see the Swedish movie (not the Hollywood one) based on A Man Called Ove, and it did get the tears rolling. Cheers!
Ruocchio made me cry. Multiple times in one book. Then he put me in a state of catatonic shock in the next book. Can’t wait for you to read Sun Eater 💙🙌🏻
Amazing as usual! This series of lists is exactly what I needed! These are some of the fantasy/science fiction books (hopefully related to the first two episodes of the series) that I love to recommend, in addition to your marvellous lists: 1. Potential tear jerkers: Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, Grief Is A Thing with Feathers by Max Porter, Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers (I cried like a baby by the end), Flowers for Algernon of course 2. Potential thought stimulants: The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare, The City and The City by China Mieville, anything by Mikhail Bulgakov, Italo Calvino and Neal Stephenson 3. A thought-provoking category that also provokes something I cannot quite describe, maybe "existentially-haunting" in a way: Solaris, The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer, The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch (potential nightmares here but it's really good 😅), The Maddaddam's Trilogy by Margaret Atwood, Roadside Picnic 4. A graphic novel by a very promising young author. It's called "Shubeik Lubeik" by Deena Mohamed. It has a very interesting world building approach and quite the thought-stimulant and the heartbreaker
I’m on my first read through of Malazan (started Toll the Hounds the other day) and god it has brought me to tears so many times especially during the climax of Memories of Ice
I can't remember if I cried when reading the Malazan books, but there were many moments were I got insane goosebumps and the feeling of despair at the many deaths of beloved characters. But there was also joy in the reunions occuring throughout. When I read Halo: Bad Blood many years ago I cried. As a exceptionally huge fan of Halo I despaired at the fact that a beloved character fell from grace, it was heartbreaking.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy It's one of the many books in the Halo franchise which is one of the flagship gaming franchises on xbox. Not the best place to start with Halo books, but still a good read.
10. Cormac McCarthy 9. Dan Simmons 8. Philip Chase 7. James Joyce 6. Ken liu 5. Tolkien 4. Terry Pratchett 3. Kazuo Ishiguro 2. Robin Hobb 1. Steven Erikson I composed my list and I wondered, have you ever read Kazuo Ishiguro? More specifically The Buried Giant, which is medievalist, Arthurian and Beowulfy. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it
Excellent list, Bryson! I have indeed read The Buried Giant. I love what Ishiguro does with memory and identity in the book. It's also very atmospheric. It's been quite a few years since I read it soon after it was published, but it left a strong impression.
_The Buried Giant_ was a struggle for me, but when I got to the end, it had a massive pay off. It didn't make me weep, but it certainly reminded me of my own personal experiences and changed my mind about the novel as a whole. It's weird how I went from liking it, to disliking it, and then when I finished it, really liking it. I guess it's a synopsis of all of my romantic relationships.
Just re read all 7 books in the banished lands and i had the old lump in the throat so many times even when I knew what was coming. You are correct when you say that John is just so good at writing love and friendship and just makes you feel so much for every character that each loss feels like a dagger to the heart. I also just finished the Road by Cormac McCarthy and I was not ok at the end of it.
I read The Road years ago, but the impression it left is still very strong. Gwynne’s storytelling is so uplifting, and I love it for that. Thanks, Nathan!
A good list, but the book that brought me the most tears is unfortunately not on it. T.H. White's - The Once and Future King. I can't even talk about the book without getting misty-eyed. So if you haven't read it, Philip, you'd better do it quickly before I start crying. 😉
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I would be really happy about that. It's one of my absolute favorite books and I think it's one of those books that make our hearts wiser.
We happen to agree with a lot of this list! Crying is my favourite past-time when it comes to reading and it’s wonderful to add some new potential tear-jerkers to the TBR! Papa G and Dr Fantasy (you might have heard of him) hit me hard as well as Larry McMurtry and Manda Scott. Truth and courage! Ed
You and Will have convinced me that I need to give Manda Scott’s books a try. I hope I correctly reported the publication of The Fury of the Gods in October of this year. I saw the date on Goodreads. Whenever it’s out, I will be putting down everything else! Cheers, Ed!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy she has been a huge influence on Dad’s writing so I’m sure you’ll be a fan! Regarding FotG I can neither confirm nor deny! Ed
Jade I've only read the first book and I've already sobbed. No Lawrence, Hobb or Wurts yet 😳 China Meiville - Perdido Street Station, Christopher Buhelman - Between Two Fires, Richard Kadrey - Sandman Slim, Dresden Files - Changes, Lies of Locke Lamora, Our Share of The Night, Breeds, and Resurrection Blues. Everything: Jonathan Maberry but the stand alone winner for "if it had been a physical copy it would be mushy pulp now" is Sword of Kaigen.
I agree with Robin Hobb, especially one specific scene which is perfectly written. Some other examples for me: Larry McMurtry - Lonesome Dove Philip Pullman - His Dark Materials Kenneth Graham - The Wind in the Willows
Great additions! It’s been so many years since I’ve read His Dark Materials, but I love the trilogy. The Wind in the Willow too, though it’s been even longer. Cheers!
While I agree that Jade War was the best of the trilogy, it didn't get the waterworks going like Jade Legacy did. Thanks for another great video Philip!
That's exactly how I experienced Green Bone Saga. Jade War has the most compelling and well constructed story. Jade Legacy's structure didn't work so well for me, but such is Fonda Lee's ability as a storyteller and character builder that I still ended up crying a few times, which I didn't do in Jade War. All the best!
Have not read (yet) most of the books you were talking about. One book that gets me off guard each time I read it, and I've read it at least 20 times, is Arrows of the queen by Mercedes Lackey.
The second book of the Steerswoman series focuses on nomadic tribes that live in a harsh environment. When one tribe obliterates another, the survivors are sometimes adopted into the bigger tribe. The initiation ceremony was so profound that it made me cry for the awful worlds they, and we, live in.
Stephen King is certainly an author who has made me weep. I read _The Stand_ when I was quite young and still in high school--the era when I read most of my Stephen King--and that one really evoked deep empathic connections to several of the characters. A true epic, it took me down so many paths, through so many trials, that when certain character's story lines met their terminus, it overwhelmed me. He did this again alongside Peter Straub in _The Talisman_ which I felt was intrinsically connected to _The Stand_ , _The Eyes of the Dragon_ and, your pick, _The Dark Tower_ . _The Talisman_ I think, made me cry the most. When I was a tad bit younger, I read _The Sword of Shannara_ and that one really made me weep when a particular character did something so beautiful, so noble, it struck me an ancient recess of my heart, as if some atavistic remnant told my, as of then, young soul that actions are sometimes the most beautiful of things, that sacrifice for others is the most divine thing. It was Christ-like and because of it, the most heart-rending reading experience of my young life. _The Lord of the Rings_ definitely made me cry. The farewell was brutal and its beauty at the culmination of so much suffering glows everlastingly in my soul. Cormac McCarthy's _The Road_ really, really made me weep and held me locked in a deep state of sadness and melancholia for many days afterwards. That book is so beautiful, despite its horrific scenario, it lingers with me to this day nearly 20 years later. Tied with _The Road_ is Richard Adams' _Watership Down_ . Simply one of the most beautiful novels I've ever read. This book is pure magic. Just thinking about this book, specifically the ending, causes me to burst into tears--writing this now is a struggle. I don't know why he chose to do what he did, but I'm glad he did it. There are no beings more noble, more intrinsically linked to the divine, than those rabbits of Watership Down. They are beautiful. They are everything I wish I could be. As an update, sir, I'm about 1/4 of the way into _The Way of Edan_ and I truly love it. The German-Nordic setting and characters breathes from my Kindle. Your stunning use of language rings with verisimilitude and importance. I can't wait to find out what happens to Dayraven! Stellar work, sir!
Those are some truly beautiful reading experiences you describe here! Thank you for sharing them. Storytelling has the ability to cleanse our souls in the most profound ways. I’m so glad you’re enjoying The Way of Edan so far, Jason!
No one makes me cry as much as Guy Gavriel Kay. When I read The Lions of Al-Rassan the first time there was a scene towards the end that made me cry so hard I had to put the book down because I couldn't see the text.
I'm loving these videos (and I cannot WAIT for the top ten authors if you want beauty/good prose). I don't know what this says about me, but I have yet to read a book that makes me cry. Movies make me cry all the time, but it hasn't yet happened with a book. I'm still on the hunt for an author to move me to this level...and you certainly gave me some good options! I've been eyeing the Dark Tower series for a looong time, and though I haven't read the book, "It," the most recent movie adaptations totally threw me in love with the characters, and the sequel's ending brought many tears...so I'm eager to try King's work.
I was on the same boat until I read _The Stormlight Archives,_ but not for the reasons that most people think of when they think of "crying". A couple of scenes of standing up against impossible odds (at the end of Books #2&3, respectively) were so *badass,* they made me shed rivers of many tears 😅 As for _crying_ crying while reading a book... hasn't happened yet. Although, the one that has managed to bring me the closest to do so, so far, has been _The Sword of Kaigen._
You have a good point here. "The Sword of Kaigen" was masterfully written...and I agree that it probably came the closest to making me cry. The most emotional impactful books for me were either "The Sword of Kaigen" or "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. I read that book in middle school, and the ending is just brutal. @@KindlingEffect
Planning to start ROTE this year! Two books that made me cry, that many people here may not have heard of, are Darkstalker by Tui T Sutherland and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (one of the few manga I have read) by Hayao Miyazaki.
It’s fascinating to think about what is happening when a story pulls on your emotions. Different authors do it in different ways, and different people seem to experience those moments with a variety of results. All the best, Kat!
Hi. What about horror elements in fantasy (TOP TEN Authors Who Make You DREAD)? Maybe some old authors like Clark Ashton Smith, or something new like "Between two fires", Iconoclast trilogy.
I’ve got plans for that one! I’m not an experienced horror reader, but there are some fantasy authors who draw from horror that I love. I’ll be keen to see what the commenters have to say on that one!
Didn't really like the episodic nature of _Between Two Fires_, though. The way the story is set up, I can guess that the knight dies at the end, even though I DNFed it when they reach the city (Paris, I think... whatever the girl's destination at the start was). I don't like episodic stories, and the horror wasn't working for me. I DNFed _World War Z_ for the same reason.
Thank you Philip for these videos! I'm binging through all of them. I've read Malice by John Gwynne a couple months ago and I actually couldn't get into it at any point of the book. Managed to finish it but I never really cared for it, is something wrong with me? 😂 Should I try to read Valour or another of his series or maybe just not my cup of tea?
I’m glad you’re enjoying the videos! Not every reader responds the same way to a story, and there’s definitely nothing “wrong” with you for not enjoying a particular author. That said, I personally feel that Gwynne improves with each book, with Ruin being a big step up.
I haven't read enough in the fantasy genre to add to the authors discussed here, but I can say that the concluding episode of the HBO limited series 'Game of Thrones', flawed though it undeniably was, brought me to tears and haunted me for days afterwards. I have not read any of the Martin novels upon which the series was based, and the final season of 'Game of Thrones' was worked out from a mere outline Martin provided to the producers, but I found myself extremely moved by how the story closed on the characters Daenerys and Jon Snow (and Drogon and Ghost, too), the sense of loss and regret but also hope (in the case of Jon and Ghost) so palpable.
It would be wonderful if we could get an ending from George RR Martin for A Song of Ice and Fire, a series that I deeply admire, but I'm glad for you that you found some emotional and compelling moments at the end of the HBO series. While I did not enjoy the 8th season as much, there are many great things to praise about the series overall. All the best!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you for your reply! Though not invested in the book series, I fear that the long delayed final volume will feel anticlimactic if and when Martin finally submits it for publication.
Yep, totally agree on Hobb - the end of Tawny Man and Fitz and the Fool - oceans of tears. And Tolkien - The Grey Havens reduces me to a sobbing mess. I had a look at my "made me cry" tag - the main other author who does this to me is GGK - especially his earlier books - "The Darkest Road" has a scene where my copy is wrinkled cos I cried on it so much. I also cried at the end of the First and Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - not fashionable I know but I don't care! I also absolutely love Juliet Marillier for the emotions but only one of her books has actually made me cry and that was "Foxmask". I also cried at end of HP 7 and nearly threw the book across the room at the end of Azkaban cos of the death there. I've read the King and the Gwynne and the Leguin - I enjoyed them a lot but they didn't make me cry. Great list.
So idk if this counts as fantasy, but Star Wars New Jedi Order: Vector Prime made me cry my eyes out. Lord of the Rings makes me cry many times in the books and movies. The end of Harry Potter book 7 makes me cry. I can’t think of any other books off the top of my head. I don’t cry very often in books.
You’ve got an honest take on the books you’ve read ! You May Find. “ The Keeper of the Bees “ by Porter a very effective loveable a read as genuinely a Stand Alone Novel which endears the journey and choices we make along the way ! Yes A man of Ethics n Heart written in a profound generation that we need today ! Hope you love the book. Plus I would like to mention Doris Lessing’s “Canopus of Argos series. This I find heart opening discovery and love the one also on call to marriage that entails consciousness evolvement in Argos series. Purpose of crossbreeding to uplift one culture but how easily slide down to lower level still climbing or ascending the tower looking to higher calling , the sound is heard when the receiver is ready !
Together, you and Josh of Red Fury Books are doing a fantastic job of persuading me to give Realm of the Elderlings a go at some point. I'll be honest, the thing that has made me chary for a time was the comments I heard about the very slow burn--but I do *love* slow burn when it is done well (Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are easily my two favorite shows of all time). Also, I heard much the same thing about Tad Williams's The Dragonbone Chair, and I've been *greatly* enjoying that!
I seldom reach for the tissues, but the ending of "Dark Hilarity" by my friend Joseph Sale... more chopped onions than I've dealt with for a very, very long time.
The slow burn in ROTE is, for me, comparable to the opening of The Dragonbone Chair. I hope you will enjoy ROTE if you give it a try, Michael. And darn those onions!
@@MichaelRSchultheiss oh, please please give Realm of the Elderlings a chance - yes, there are slow beginnings, yet ❤Robin Hobb ❤does 'slice of life' with so much talent, you (hopefully) quickly feel like you're just hanging out with your friend(s). If you *do* give in to our pressure and pick up Assassin's Apprentice, you should be safe from tears for a while - @PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy is quite right, you're likely to get through Farseer without them, and you COULD go through the Liveship Traders - it's the center trilogy that packs the emotional punches - Tawny Man goes extreme MMA death match on your feelings.
Thank you,@@derrisreaditbefore, I really appreciate the thoughtful recommendation! It's funny, but I did read Assassin's Apprentice many, many years ago--I think the fact that I didn't keep going with the series was because I was still quite young. Now that I'm an old and seasoned 38 and enjoy character-driven stories immensely, I'm thinking you, and Philip, and Josh, and many other Booktubers, must be on to something with this series!
I haven't read many authors but John Gwynne made me cry the most.The way he's making you fall in love with the characters and with the ideea of "companion"" as in friendship.When a character u got attached to dies it feels like a dagger through the hearth,u are all tears ... :D Also Joe Abercrombie no doubt ... the dude is making me laugh as much as he makes me cry :D I can't wait to read Greenbone Saga !!!
Hi Philip, Big fan of your channel, have come to understand your tastes over the course of year of watching your reviews and noticing your favourite books. I would like to recommend a manga series Which I believe would become one of your all time favourite series. It goes by the name Hunter x Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi. It has everything you want in a great novel/manga series/book: 1. Characters: Some of the best written characters I have ever read. There is not a single character that I don’t feel attached to. Even a maid who took a phone call on behalf of our Mc leaves a strong impression. The series is full of beautifully written characters that you will either love, hate or love to hate. One emotion that you won’t feel that is indifference. 2. Villians: Robin Hobb Writes great villians, Robert Jorden writes great Villians, George martin writes amazing villians, so does Steven Erikson, so does Yoshihiro Togashi. But I don’t think any of them have written 10 S Tier villians that Togashi has. I can name 10 characters that are like fully realized as any character written in fantasy. And so much more. 3. Magic System: Nen System from hunter x hunter is the best magic system I have ever read. I have spent a better part of a decade just reminiscing about Nen, it is so good. The fact is the magic system alone makes hxh an absolute worth read and it is not even the best part about hxh. Hxh nen >>>> any magic system in literature be it sanderson, Jorden, weeks, Rowling imho. 4. Fights: No one I mean no manga, no book series does fights as good as hunter x hunter. And this is not my humble opinion, but a fact. There is a fight in current arc that I believe is the best written fight in fiction. 5. Complexity and uniqueness: hxh starts very simple as a young boy’s journey to find his deadbeat father, but quickly turns itself into something else. Each arc(can be considered separate section) is vastly different from previous arcs. All in all I can name 100 other things that makes hxh an absolute worth read at least once in your life. But it would spoil you the enjoyment. Note: I would warn you about one thing, the series is unfinished as the author takes breaks due to his severe back pain issues.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy around lockdown Merphy Napier did a hxh read through and she absolutely loved it. Hxh is the only manga series that feels like epic fantasy. The current arc complexity is greater than that of ASOIAF, and in similar vain to Malazan.
Thank you for being honest and sharing your feeling with us. For the most part I only get teary eyed when reading non fiction. I can be moved by great writing in sci-fi/fantasy but it doesn’t affect me the same way that non fiction does. Maybe one day I will read a sci-fi/fantasy book that will make me teary eyed 🥹
Eichiro Oda made me cry a lot . I read a lot of Sanderson and other books in the past 3-4 years but nothing came close to what One Piece gets out of me. A man called Ove was almost there
I could of literally put that list together for you.... Including the top four... Might have got them in a different order, but they would of all been there.
I just wanted to add a few that I haven't seen in the comments yet. The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang got me to cry a few times. There is that scene in Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames, you know the one. And Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson gets me to cry a lot. It is simply emotional catharsis for me.
I've read the main 10 Malazan 5 times. I have cried an ocean of tears. There is a particular scene in Dust of Dreams that I will never re-read concerning a female character. I cried for hours. Before I read Malazan..Ms Hobb held for most tears. Sword of the Kaigen most recently. Quite a few tears were also shed for Dark Tower.
I haven't read all of these series or authors yet, but I 💯agree with Steven King and John Gwynne, and for the same series that you selected. I am only one book in to Malazan, so we will see if it draws out the tears. I hope so! I would personally add M.L Wang, with her Sword of Kaigen, to my cry list, for sure. There are two different climaxes/heavy moments that teared me up in the length of just one standalone book, which is an accomplishment. It took King and Gwynne the better part of a series to illicit that kind of emotion from me, but Wang managed it in such a short span of time. There is no better/stronger written mother-son or wife-husband moments in any other Fantasy book, imo. I'm not sure there is anyone else I would add to my cry list you didn't cover, so far in my reading, but M.L. Wang for sure.
The Sword of Kaigen was my best read of 2023. That was the year I also read The Dark Tower series and The Faithful and the Fallen series. So, some tough competition! The novel's structure is non-traditional, and many feel the denouement went a chapter too long, but it's top-shelf for Characterization, Themes and Emotional Impact.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I mean, I don’t wanna spoil anything but dad always told me “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” So aiming for a crowd pleaser felt like the natural thing to do
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I mean, I don’t wanna spoil anything but dad always told me “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” So aiming for a crowd pleaser felt like the natural thing to do
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy That would be awesome.One Piece is my favourite manga and im looking forward for your review on the first saga already :D
The fact that Jim Butcher isn’t on here is a travesty. “It was almost like someone opened a door in my head, like they were helping me all along. I heard a very, very faint whisper, like an echo of Lash’s voice. Everything I can, dear host.” “I used the knife. I saved a child. I won a war. God forgive me…”, “Do you wanna be my Dad?” “It was just an Empty House”. Travesty I tell you
I've read only the first six Dresden Books, so I'm sure I'll encounter those more emotional moments later as I continue the series. Butcher has made me laugh on multiple occasions, though!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I’ve only openly wept reading/listening to a book and both were Dresden. Butcher is going to rocket up your “authors who make me emotional” list once you get caught up. Enjoy!
I love john gwynne, but for me his books are not that emotional. The only scene was the ending of book 3 (ruin) that came close to that. Someone who made me cry and also stand up and cheer was brandon sanderson. I know he is overhyped at this point, but his ability to write satisfying character arcs is just top tier. There is nobody who makes me so emotional so often is their books. You feel so connected to those characters, I wish there were more authors who invest just this last missing piece of effort more in chracters instead of just plot and worldbuilding.
I think it’s safe to say that Sanderson would be a popular choice for a list like this for many fans. There are some stirring moments in Stormlight Archive, and I hope book five will bring some more!
Hobb is the Queen of Epic Fantasy for a reason. Her characters are second to none. The deep connection they have with each other, the uncompromised representation of family drama, trauma, loss, and violence is what makes her stories so heartbreaking. On the violence for a moment, I feel it is one aspect of Hobb's work that is highly overlooked. There aren't massive action scenes, but when the violence comes in it's brutal, messy, and quick. That's what violence is like in real life. A bit of a digression from the topic at hand, but it's another element of her literature that adds to the feeling of believability. That believability is the key because otherwise crying over talking ships would be ridiculous!
A great list, Philip. I personally would also sit GRRM on a top 10 list. For similar reasons to Hobb, he is an expert at character writing, and when the emotional moments come in they hit hard.
Beautifully said about Hobb! I could see GRRM being one of these tear-inducing authors for many readers. I don't think he's ever made me cry, but he will definitely be appearing on some of my other lists!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Looking forward to more of these top 10s. I like the idea of being more granular and looking at what authors are best at. Much easier to get a recommendation from that!
@@maxt5319 That’s my hope! Thanks for the kind feedback!
Very interesting list! Making a reader laugh and cry in the same book is the gold standard for me. And yes, Robin Hobb is queen!
Next Saturday (a week from tomorrow) will be my top ten fantasy authors who make me laugh, so it will be interesting to see which authors make this list and that one! Thanks, Mark!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy can't wait ! :)
Erikson has made me cry out of no where. Some of the major emotional plot outcomes didnt effect me as much as some of his super small ones. (Im not finished with series yet on book 8). I dont know what it is about how he writes the banality of life in such an epic series and make it feel so emotional. I remember the first time I really wept was in Deadhouse Gates, not for any of the obvious things i wont spoil but a certain scene of just adopting broken people into an army and what that meant to them and represented. He wrote is so powerfully, and thats just one of many times hes done that. Truly one of the GOAT fantasy authors imo. Thanks for the video!
Same here! It's amazing how a scene can suddenly seize you with its emotional resonance. Erikson is brilliant at that. Cheers, Jacob!
First, it’s great to see a booktuber so honest and vulnerable about how books affected them emotionally. Second, I’m totally with you on your first choice. Those books wrecked me. Never experienced anything like it.
Most recently, Octavia Butler definitely brought the tears out of me with Kindred.
Agree. Octavia has got respect in written words !
I will eventually be covering something by Octavia Butler on the channel. Kindred packs a powerful punch, I've heard! Cheers!
Earthsea ❤
The music in NotW (and i started typing this before you said music 🤪🙌🏼)
Erikson has probably brought me to tears more times than I can count. I remember having tears streaming down my face (spoiler) when the Children of the Snake met up with the Malazan army in Dust of Dreams. When the Marines noticed that the kids forgot how to play with toys….and that even being low on water, they gave what they had to the kids….tears …great topic!
So many beautiful moments in Malazan! All the best, David!
-I think we agree on Jade Legacy, the good and the not so favorable parts. But that ending did get me a bit.
-It still warms my heart that you had read 1 Stephen King book before we met & now you have him on a list like this. He's a sneaky assassin in that way.
-Tolkien is still the man. Everyone can miss me with the "it's only nostalgia" BS.
-Ruin was more than just a clever name. Gwynne wrecked me with that ending.
-Hobb got me with Fool's Errand, for sure.
-For me, Wilson Rawls is at the top of this list. I can't even talk about Where the Red Fern Grows without welling up. And I last read it 33 years ago!
Great vid, amigo!
Dark Tower is one of the best things that has happened to me since starting the channel. I'm so glad for the encouragement you gave! Tolkien will always be the man. I will have to muster the courage to read Where the Red Fern Grows someday. Cheers, my friend!
Excellent list! Tolkien and Erikson opened a floodgate for me. Once open, I can cry over the silliest little sentimental thing. Otherwise, I'm pretty tough 😉! Guy Gavriel Kay got my eyes blurry a few times when reading A Song for Arbonne. I wonder if Kay might be an author to add to your list in the future!
You better believe that I am aware of your toughness, Silent H! More GGK will be in store for me, hopefully later this year.
You've still got to get through Liveships Johanna! Then I bloody DARE you to get through Tawny Man - scratch that - just Fool's Errand, without tears!
Madeline Miller makes me cry. Both The Song of Achilles and Circe had me reaching for tissues multiple times.
Akka & Esme's relationship in Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy brings tears to my eyes. Also, Xinemus in The Warrior-Prophet.
I haven't read books by Madeline Miller yet but would like to give them a try. Cheers, Jason!
The Fifth Season. That was hard to swallow at quite a few points.
An excellent addition! There are some big parent/child moments that got me emotional in The Broken Earth Trilogy as a whole.
Yah. Books I love the most are the ones that make me cry. Crying while reading is a most beautiful sensation. Thank you.
Agreed! It is one of the healthiest forms of catharsis!
Bravo 👏.
I will admit that King and Gwynne have tugged at the feels a fair bit but Tolkien can draw the moisture for me more than any other… so far.
He is Papa Tolkien for good reason! Cheers, Al!
I agree with you 1000% when it comes to John Gwynne & Robin Hobb, especially Assassin’s Apprentice!
Hobb and Gwynne are so brilliant at bringing out the emotions! Cheers, Heidi!
Completely love this video! I don't believe I've seen this topic before as a top 10 and it works so well. I laughed, I cried, I cried 9 more times.
I think it’s actually useful to get more granular with top ten videos. Let’s see if I start a trend . . . though I’m sure someone has done this, or something like it, before somewhere. There’s nothing new under the sun!
picked up Assassin’s Apprentice a few days ago and rlly look forward to diving into the realm
I hope you’ll enjoy it! Liveship Traders was where I really fell in love with Hobb’s writing, and Tawny Man is where she broke me, but Farseer is great too.
Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott, will make you cry. I had to take many breaks as it puts you through the wringer in the best way! There are three more books in the series but not sure I am ready to tackle them just yet.
There is also one story in Hyperion by Dan Simmons that is super emotional and unforgettable!
Hyperion is brilliant -- it didn't make me cry, but it left a strong impression. The Gwynne brothers have me convinced I should be reading Manda Scott's series. All the best, Heidi!
Great video idea Philip! The Dark Tower series got me several times.
It’s one of the greats, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to discuss it with you, Chas!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I am too Philip. Definitely a highlight of my time on Booktube.
Guy Gavriel Kay has lyrical writing style that can get to me at times.
He’s a popular choice in the comments. Time for me to read more GGK soon!
Tigana is brilliant. I have two more in my TBL now 👏🏼
For the same reasons that you mentioned, John Gwynne would have to be in my top 5. But the author who seemingly has a permanent grip on my heartstrings is none other than the great Guy Gavriel Kay. The emotions that he can bring out of me in just a 500 page story is truly breathtaking.
I definitely will be reading more GGK later this year -- I've read only Tigana, and that many years ago. Cheers, Adam!
These are great! I will forever be drawn to books that can evoke strong emotions. I've been on the fence about starting Malazan and Farseer this year, but this finally pushed me over the edge.
Scott Lynch and Brandon Sanderson are two fantasy authors that almost always make me cry.
Great additions! I hope you will love your Malazan and Realm of the Elderling journeys whenever you undertake them!
Dark Tower and IT both made me cry
There's a certain book of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher that made me lose it. The interesting part is that I was expecting the specific event to happen, but when it did it didn't even matter. I was reading at about 1am in my shared bedroom with my two other brothers. I struggled so much not to wake them.
I’m looking forward to getting to that moment in Dresden Files! I’m only six books in, but I hope to get back into the series later this year. Cheers!
Agreed. A certain scene in Dresden tore me apart like no other
Great video! I went in expecting Hobb to be high! Also agree with you on Book of the Ancestor, loved that story!
Hooray for Hobb! Also, Lawrence got me the most in Book of the Ancestor in terms of the tears, but the ending of Red Queen's War was emotional for me as well. I expect The Library Trilogy to break me too. All the best!
Thanks for this. Totally agree with your choice of Robin Hobb. She is at the top of my list in so many ways. I first read The Lord of the Rings many many years ago, when i was about 18 years old. I cried at times during, but even more when it ended. It took me some time to move from the world of this book, back to the 'real' world. These are books with heart, otherwise they wouldn't touch me deeply enough for the tears to flow. I agree with you re Patrick Rothfuss' writing also. So this is a good yardstick to help me make my reading choices - thank you for this.
I’m so glad the video is useful for you, Annie - and also that we agree on some of the authors! All the best for your reading life!
Loved this top 10! I got emotional during Malazan but it was more in Deadhouse Gates and the Bonehunters than the finale. I am hypothesizing that on reread, it’ll all hit me even harder.
And too right about Liveship and Tawny Man! There was even a small moment in Dragon Keeper involving a Liveship and a young kid that hit me right in the feels when I wasn’t expecting it.
Also right with you on the heart in John Gwynne’s books! I felt almost kid-like while reading those, naked and vulnerable to the harsh but beautiful world.
The author who pulls the tears out of me most consistently these days is Brandon Sanderson with the Mistborn and Stormlight books, and I think Le Guin could also be someone who does but I’ve only read Wizard of Earthsea and need to continue onward!
I can definitely see Sanderson being a big one in this category for a lot of folks. The first two Stormlight Archive books had some stirring moments for me. Cheers, Ben!
Two authors that have got me are Fredrik Backman with both And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and A Man Called Ove. Not fantasy but both are so very much worth the read. The other author is Robert Mccammon with Boy's Life
Those two are renowned for turning on the tear ducts, but I haven’t read them yet. Sounds like I should! Thanks, Tom!
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis hit me in the feels. 😢
An excellent addition, Matt! Many thanks!
When I saw the title I thought that I might have read three or four from your list and the rest will be books I better stay away from.😁 Turns out I've read all the authors you mention. And I agree they all write immensely impactful books. My number one will have to be Erikson. Just by the enormous volume of tears for Deadhouse Gates alone.
Great video, Philip! Didn't move me to tears, but your books on the other hand very much so! And all three!!
Thank you, Angela! I'm glad the video didn't make you sad! 😁On the other hand, I'm also glad you found The Edan Trilogy to be emotionally compelling enough to induce some tears. It's probably silly of me, but there are moments in Return to Edan especially that make me cry. All the best!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy No, it's not silly at all. I found Return to Edan tough to read at times but also emotionally enormously rewarding. I'm amazed at how you're able to write some of it. For me, I know that there are things I'm not able to paint because of the emotional fall out.
I'll never read anything by Rothfuss. By choosing to be slothful and not finish and release Doors of Stone, he's burned a ton of fantasy fans and as a result a lot of folks have decided not to read a series until it's complete, which will hurt a TON of new authors in the long run...myself included. Great video as always Phil.
Yep! Rothfuss has created a public relations nightmare for himself. Thanks for watching, Marco!
George RR Martin certainly piled on in that regard.
I just finished Rain Wild and I have just the last 3 books of Fitz and the Fool left. I *need* another series to look forward to or I will despair. I appreciate that you highlighted several where you journey with the characters through a lifetime. Books that make me cry are immediate favorites, so this list speaks to me!
I hope you’ll find the next beautiful journey!
Well, I’m sensing a theme here with my responses to this best-of series, but the honest to god truth is that the last book to make me cry was Return to Edan. The one before that? Prophet of Edan. Not to blow smoke you know where, but as far as emotional impact measured in tears, your work is definitely in my top ten.
It’s a powerful thing, and something I’ve always cherished about my favorites. In fact, I first met and got to know my developmental editor, Therese Walsh, through tears shed. I reached out to her after reading her debut. Well, after reading and then pulling myself together. I felt compelled to tell her how much impact she’d had on me, and our friendship and collaboration grew from there. Proving that tears can nourish profound things in our lives.
Loving the series! Of your choices that I’ve read, I heartily agree. Here’s to emotional impact.
Thank you so much, Vaughn! That's a beautiful story about how you met Therese Walsh. What a wonderful way to start a friendship -- over books! Sounds familiar, doesn't it? 😁
I'm starting the Tawny man trilogy this week! I'll have to grab an extra box of tissues!
I've cried during LOTR, the Hunger of the Gods and parts of the Liveship Trader Trilogy.
Wonderful that you’re starting Tawny Man! Yes, you might need a few extra boxes of tissues . . . Best wishes!
As a Star Wars fan for pretty much my whole life, Lost Stars absolutely destroyed me emotionally. Star Wars itself is both sci-fi and fantasy, and while you dont get all of those fantasy elements attributed with SW in LS, it does an incredible job showing different perspectives of the big battles in the original 3 movies while not making any of it the main focus for the story. It's one of those "destined lovers" stories but that ending at the battle of Jakku just tore me to shreds, which is very rare when reading books for me. Usually these kinds of romance books aren't my thing, but it blends my love for space naval combat and Imperial politics from books like Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogies super well with the romace genre rediculously well. Super unexpected but it's among my favorite pieces of SW canon by far.
But yeah this list is pretty on par with my own in terms of the ones I've read so far.
I love the original Star Wars movies! I have never read the novels, but someday perhaps. I totally agree about the fantasy science fiction blend. Cheers!
I knew your top two, but wasn't sure which order they would be so this was a suspenseful video! I loved the inclusion of Stephen King - I think that's a great choice and in particular that book. I really need to read LPQ!
I have a strong feeling that you’ll really enjoy LPQ as the character work reminds me in some ways of Realm of the Elderlings, but in a much more compact story. The emotional payoff mainly happened for me in the fourth book, but it rests on the prior three, and I enjoyed them all. All the best, Josh!
Heck yes, all here for the emotional destruction! I don't think I have ever actually cried while reading, but I wholeheartedly agree with LPQ and RotE hitting you right in the feels. And some of the only other authors who have made me misty-eyed are Krystle Matar, Sarah Chorn, and Ryan Cahill! Keep the lists coming, I am loving these, Philip!
Great additions, Esmay! Krystle Matar and Ryan Cahill are already on my radar, and I’ll add Sarah Chorn to my list. Cheers!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy You have some great stuff waiting for you!
Great video Philip! The poem of the Ent and Entwife in lord of the rings always makes me tear up
Same here! Tolkien's ability to simultaneously celebrate beauty and mourn its loss is without parallel.
Daughter of the Empire trilogy by Fiest and Wurts was the last time I lost it. All 3 books got me.
I will read that trilogy after I finish Wars of Light and Shadow. Cheers, John!
Robert Stallman is probably not so well-known, but I've re-read his Beast trilogy (The Orphan, The Captive, The Beast) several times since 1980. Never fails to make me teary-eyed.
I admit I’m not familiar with Stallman’s books, but I’ll look them up. Thanks!
Fredrick Backman is the author that's made me cry the most. His books "A Man Called Ove" and "Britt-Marie Was Here" had me weeping. He's a phenomenal author 😢
I haven’t read his books yet, but I did see the Swedish movie (not the Hollywood one) based on A Man Called Ove, and it did get the tears rolling. Cheers!
Ruocchio made me cry. Multiple times in one book.
Then he put me in a state of catatonic shock in the next book.
Can’t wait for you to read Sun Eater 💙🙌🏻
I’m excited to get into Sun Eater later this year! Cheers, KC!
Amazing as usual! This series of lists is exactly what I needed! These are some of the fantasy/science fiction books (hopefully related to the first two episodes of the series) that I love to recommend, in addition to your marvellous lists:
1. Potential tear jerkers: Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, Grief Is A Thing with Feathers by Max Porter, Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers (I cried like a baby by the end), Flowers for Algernon of course
2. Potential thought stimulants: The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare, The City and The City by China Mieville, anything by Mikhail Bulgakov, Italo Calvino and Neal Stephenson
3. A thought-provoking category that also provokes something I cannot quite describe, maybe "existentially-haunting" in a way: Solaris, The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer, The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch (potential nightmares here but it's really good 😅), The Maddaddam's Trilogy by Margaret Atwood, Roadside Picnic
4. A graphic novel by a very promising young author. It's called "Shubeik Lubeik" by Deena Mohamed. It has a very interesting world building approach and quite the thought-stimulant and the heartbreaker
Excellent suggestions! I especially love them because I haven’t yet read most of them. Many thanks!
I’m on my first read through of Malazan (started Toll the Hounds the other day) and god it has brought me to tears so many times especially during the climax of Memories of Ice
Yep. The Crippled God is the one that had me sobbing the most, but the whole series is so emotionally impactful. Best wishes the final three books!
I can't remember if I cried when reading the Malazan books, but there were many moments were I got insane goosebumps and the feeling of despair at the many deaths of beloved characters. But there was also joy in the reunions occuring throughout.
When I read Halo: Bad Blood many years ago I cried. As a exceptionally huge fan of Halo I despaired at the fact that a beloved character fell from grace, it was heartbreaking.
I’m not familiar with Halo: Bad Blood, so thank you for sharing!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy It's one of the many books in the Halo franchise which is one of the flagship gaming franchises on xbox. Not the best place to start with Halo books, but still a good read.
10. Cormac McCarthy
9. Dan Simmons
8. Philip Chase
7. James Joyce
6. Ken liu
5. Tolkien
4. Terry Pratchett
3. Kazuo Ishiguro
2. Robin Hobb
1. Steven Erikson
I composed my list and I wondered, have you ever read Kazuo Ishiguro? More specifically The Buried Giant, which is medievalist, Arthurian and Beowulfy. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it
Excellent list, Bryson! I have indeed read The Buried Giant. I love what Ishiguro does with memory and identity in the book. It's also very atmospheric. It's been quite a few years since I read it soon after it was published, but it left a strong impression.
I can only presume McCarthy's _The Road_ and _All the Pretty Horses_ made you cry. Such beautiful works.
_The Buried Giant_ was a struggle for me, but when I got to the end, it had a massive pay off. It didn't make me weep, but it certainly reminded me of my own personal experiences and changed my mind about the novel as a whole. It's weird how I went from liking it, to disliking it, and then when I finished it, really liking it. I guess it's a synopsis of all of my romantic relationships.
Just re read all 7 books in the banished lands and i had the old lump in the throat so many times even when I knew what was coming. You are correct when you say that John is just so good at writing love and friendship and just makes you feel so much for every character that each loss feels like a dagger to the heart. I also just finished the Road by Cormac McCarthy and I was not ok at the end of it.
I read The Road years ago, but the impression it left is still very strong. Gwynne’s storytelling is so uplifting, and I love it for that. Thanks, Nathan!
A good list, but the book that brought me the most tears is unfortunately not on it. T.H. White's - The Once and Future King. I can't even talk about the book without getting misty-eyed. So if you haven't read it, Philip, you'd better do it quickly before I start crying. 😉
Ha ha! I actually hope to cover The Once and Future King on the channel at some point. All the best, Mirko!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I would be really happy about that. It's one of my absolute favorite books and I think it's one of those books that make our hearts wiser.
We happen to agree with a lot of this list! Crying is my favourite past-time when it comes to reading and it’s wonderful to add some new potential tear-jerkers to the TBR! Papa G and Dr Fantasy (you might have heard of him) hit me hard as well as Larry McMurtry and Manda Scott. Truth and courage!
Ed
You and Will have convinced me that I need to give Manda Scott’s books a try. I hope I correctly reported the publication of The Fury of the Gods in October of this year. I saw the date on Goodreads. Whenever it’s out, I will be putting down everything else! Cheers, Ed!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy she has been a huge influence on Dad’s writing so I’m sure you’ll be a fan! Regarding FotG I can neither confirm nor deny!
Ed
@@thebrothersgwynne Understood! Like I said, whenever it’s out, I’m first in line!
Jade I've only read the first book and I've already sobbed.
No Lawrence, Hobb or Wurts yet 😳
China Meiville - Perdido Street Station, Christopher Buhelman - Between Two Fires, Richard Kadrey - Sandman Slim, Dresden Files - Changes, Lies of Locke Lamora, Our Share of The Night, Breeds, and Resurrection Blues.
Everything: Jonathan Maberry
but the stand alone winner for "if it had been a physical copy it would be mushy pulp now" is Sword of Kaigen.
I have The Sword of Kaigen on my shelf now and look forward to reading it - with tissues ready!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy definitely 😭😭😭 after you read it I'll tell you one of my favorite scenes in any novel ever.
I agree with Robin Hobb, especially one specific scene which is perfectly written. Some other examples for me:
Larry McMurtry - Lonesome Dove
Philip Pullman - His Dark Materials
Kenneth Graham - The Wind in the Willows
Great additions! It’s been so many years since I’ve read His Dark Materials, but I love the trilogy. The Wind in the Willow too, though it’s been even longer. Cheers!
Another genius video, Dr, love this
Many thanks, Kaden!
While I agree that Jade War was the best of the trilogy, it didn't get the waterworks going like Jade Legacy did. Thanks for another great video Philip!
That's exactly how I experienced Green Bone Saga. Jade War has the most compelling and well constructed story. Jade Legacy's structure didn't work so well for me, but such is Fonda Lee's ability as a storyteller and character builder that I still ended up crying a few times, which I didn't do in Jade War. All the best!
Have not read (yet) most of the books you were talking about. One book that gets me off guard each time I read it, and I've read it at least 20 times, is Arrows of the queen by Mercedes Lackey.
I'd like to read some books by Mercedes Lackey someday. Cheers!
The second book of the Steerswoman series focuses on nomadic tribes that live in a harsh environment. When one tribe obliterates another, the survivors are sometimes adopted into the bigger tribe. The initiation ceremony was so profound that it made me cry for the awful worlds they, and we, live in.
Sounds like a powerful read - Thank you for sharing about it!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasyI'm rereading that section now and it's still working 😭
Stephen King is certainly an author who has made me weep. I read _The Stand_ when I was quite young and still in high school--the era when I read most of my Stephen King--and that one really evoked deep empathic connections to several of the characters. A true epic, it took me down so many paths, through so many trials, that when certain character's story lines met their terminus, it overwhelmed me. He did this again alongside Peter Straub in _The Talisman_ which I felt was intrinsically connected to _The Stand_ , _The Eyes of the Dragon_ and, your pick, _The Dark Tower_ . _The Talisman_ I think, made me cry the most.
When I was a tad bit younger, I read _The Sword of Shannara_ and that one really made me weep when a particular character did something so beautiful, so noble, it struck me an ancient recess of my heart, as if some atavistic remnant told my, as of then, young soul that actions are sometimes the most beautiful of things, that sacrifice for others is the most divine thing. It was Christ-like and because of it, the most heart-rending reading experience of my young life.
_The Lord of the Rings_ definitely made me cry. The farewell was brutal and its beauty at the culmination of so much suffering glows everlastingly in my soul.
Cormac McCarthy's _The Road_ really, really made me weep and held me locked in a deep state of sadness and melancholia for many days afterwards. That book is so beautiful, despite its horrific scenario, it lingers with me to this day nearly 20 years later.
Tied with _The Road_ is Richard Adams' _Watership Down_ . Simply one of the most beautiful novels I've ever read. This book is pure magic. Just thinking about this book, specifically the ending, causes me to burst into tears--writing this now is a struggle. I don't know why he chose to do what he did, but I'm glad he did it. There are no beings more noble, more intrinsically linked to the divine, than those rabbits of Watership Down. They are beautiful. They are everything I wish I could be.
As an update, sir, I'm about 1/4 of the way into _The Way of Edan_ and I truly love it. The German-Nordic setting and characters breathes from my Kindle. Your stunning use of language rings with verisimilitude and importance. I can't wait to find out what happens to Dayraven! Stellar work, sir!
Those are some truly beautiful reading experiences you describe here! Thank you for sharing them. Storytelling has the ability to cleanse our souls in the most profound ways. I’m so glad you’re enjoying The Way of Edan so far, Jason!
Before starting the video. Philip I know you have read some of the RotE, there better be Robin Hobb in that title, I swear.
Ha ha! I don't think you'll be too disappointed! 😁
I'm planning to read the way of edan after I'm done with the Mazalan book series I'm at book one 😊
Yay! I hope you will enjoy Malazan and The Edan Trilogy too! Thank you!
Ken Liu was another author thag hit me. Im currently readign Memories of Ice and I am hoping to be broken
I’m looking forward to reading Dandelion Dynasty later this year. Best wishes for Memories of Ice!
No one makes me cry as much as Guy Gavriel Kay. When I read The Lions of Al-Rassan the first time there was a scene towards the end that made me cry so hard I had to put the book down because I couldn't see the text.
More GGK for me in the not so distant future! Cheers!
Before I watch the video - who takes second after Hobb? She's the sad fantasy equivalent of Larry Bird at the 1986 All-Star Game Three Point contest.
I, too, expect top 1 to go to Robin Hobb. We shall see...
By now you have seen how correct you are! Cheers!
I was just thinking of doing a video like this after some of my own recent emotional reads. Great video!
You should make that video, Matt! I’d love to watch it!
Now you’ve got me worried about Oy.
Number 1: Philip Chase
Thank you so much, Marcus!
Matthew Ward (I hope I remembered the Name correctly). Read the Legacy Trilogy, many bitter sweet endings that make you tear up
Going on my list -- thank you!
I'm loving these videos (and I cannot WAIT for the top ten authors if you want beauty/good prose).
I don't know what this says about me, but I have yet to read a book that makes me cry. Movies make me cry all the time, but it hasn't yet happened with a book. I'm still on the hunt for an author to move me to this level...and you certainly gave me some good options! I've been eyeing the Dark Tower series for a looong time, and though I haven't read the book, "It," the most recent movie adaptations totally threw me in love with the characters, and the sequel's ending brought many tears...so I'm eager to try King's work.
Thank you, Morgan! I hope you’ll find the book that breaks the dam!
I was on the same boat until I read _The Stormlight Archives,_ but not for the reasons that most people think of when they think of "crying". A couple of scenes of standing up against impossible odds (at the end of Books #2&3, respectively) were so *badass,* they made me shed rivers of many tears 😅
As for _crying_ crying while reading a book... hasn't happened yet.
Although, the one that has managed to bring me the closest to do so, so far, has been _The Sword of Kaigen._
You have a good point here. "The Sword of Kaigen" was masterfully written...and I agree that it probably came the closest to making me cry. The most emotional impactful books for me were either "The Sword of Kaigen" or "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. I read that book in middle school, and the ending is just brutal. @@KindlingEffect
Planning to start ROTE this year! Two books that made me cry, that many people here may not have heard of, are Darkstalker by Tui T Sutherland and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (one of the few manga I have read) by Hayao Miyazaki.
Thank you for the additions, and my very best wishes to you for your Realm of the Elderlings journey!
You know a writer is special when just thinking three words can make me cry at any moment of the day. I lost her.
I’ve got to agree with you, Clayton. All the best!
I love a good cry, it makes you reflective on what you read and how it made you feel and why 😊
It’s fascinating to think about what is happening when a story pulls on your emotions. Different authors do it in different ways, and different people seem to experience those moments with a variety of results. All the best, Kat!
Hi. What about horror elements in fantasy (TOP TEN Authors Who Make You DREAD)? Maybe some old authors like Clark Ashton Smith, or something new like "Between two fires", Iconoclast trilogy.
I’ve got plans for that one! I’m not an experienced horror reader, but there are some fantasy authors who draw from horror that I love. I’ll be keen to see what the commenters have to say on that one!
Didn't really like the episodic nature of _Between Two Fires_, though. The way the story is set up, I can guess that the knight dies at the end, even though I DNFed it when they reach the city (Paris, I think... whatever the girl's destination at the start was).
I don't like episodic stories, and the horror wasn't working for me.
I DNFed _World War Z_ for the same reason.
Thank you Philip for these videos! I'm binging through all of them.
I've read Malice by John Gwynne a couple months ago and I actually couldn't get into it at any point of the book. Managed to finish it but I never really cared for it, is something wrong with me? 😂 Should I try to read Valour or another of his series or maybe just not my cup of tea?
I’m glad you’re enjoying the videos! Not every reader responds the same way to a story, and there’s definitely nothing “wrong” with you for not enjoying a particular author. That said, I personally feel that Gwynne improves with each book, with Ruin being a big step up.
Me too. Really fun series 😛
Perfect.
100% correct in all ways.
I was hoping you would approve! Talk to you soon, Derri!
Considering The Crippled God made me use up a whole box of tissues, I'm a little nervous getting into Hobb, ha.
Ha ha! You’ll have to get your tissues from Costco, Jarrod!
I promise it's worth it.
The end of the Long Price absolutely wrecked me.
Absolutely. I didn't see it coming either. All the best, Mike!
I haven't read enough in the fantasy genre to add to the authors discussed here, but I can say that the concluding episode of the HBO limited series 'Game of Thrones', flawed though it undeniably was, brought me to tears and haunted me for days afterwards. I have not read any of the Martin novels upon which the series was based, and the final season of 'Game of Thrones' was worked out from a mere outline Martin provided to the producers, but I found myself extremely moved by how the story closed on the characters Daenerys and Jon Snow (and Drogon and Ghost, too), the sense of loss and regret but also hope (in the case of Jon and Ghost) so palpable.
It would be wonderful if we could get an ending from George RR Martin for A Song of Ice and Fire, a series that I deeply admire, but I'm glad for you that you found some emotional and compelling moments at the end of the HBO series. While I did not enjoy the 8th season as much, there are many great things to praise about the series overall. All the best!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you for your reply! Though not invested in the book series, I fear that the long delayed final volume will feel anticlimactic if and when Martin finally submits it for publication.
@@barrymoore4470 With so much expectation attached to it, you might be right!
Yep, totally agree on Hobb - the end of Tawny Man and Fitz and the Fool - oceans of tears. And Tolkien - The Grey Havens reduces me to a sobbing mess.
I had a look at my "made me cry" tag - the main other author who does this to me is GGK - especially his earlier books - "The Darkest Road" has a scene where my copy is wrinkled cos I cried on it so much. I also cried at the end of the First and Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - not fashionable I know but I don't care!
I also absolutely love Juliet Marillier for the emotions but only one of her books has actually made me cry and that was "Foxmask".
I also cried at end of HP 7 and nearly threw the book across the room at the end of Azkaban cos of the death there.
I've read the King and the Gwynne and the Leguin - I enjoyed them a lot but they didn't make me cry.
Great list.
Thank you, Sarah! I love your additions! Among them, I hope to read more GGK this year. All the best!
So idk if this counts as fantasy, but Star Wars New Jedi Order: Vector Prime made me cry my eyes out. Lord of the Rings makes me cry many times in the books and movies. The end of Harry Potter book 7 makes me cry. I can’t think of any other books off the top of my head. I don’t cry very often in books.
Star Wars and Harry Potter are excellent additions! I totally agree about Lord of the Rings - both the books and the films. Cheers!
You’ve got an honest take on the books you’ve read ! You May Find. “ The Keeper of the Bees “ by Porter a very effective loveable a read as genuinely a Stand Alone Novel which endears the journey and choices we make along the way ! Yes A man of Ethics n Heart written in a profound generation that we need today ! Hope you love the book. Plus I would like to mention Doris Lessing’s “Canopus of Argos series. This I find heart opening discovery and love the one also on call to marriage that entails consciousness evolvement in Argos series. Purpose of crossbreeding to uplift one culture but how easily slide down to lower level still climbing or ascending the tower looking to higher calling , the sound is heard when the receiver is ready !
Thank you so much for the recommendations -- much appreciated!
Together, you and Josh of Red Fury Books are doing a fantastic job of persuading me to give Realm of the Elderlings a go at some point. I'll be honest, the thing that has made me chary for a time was the comments I heard about the very slow burn--but I do *love* slow burn when it is done well (Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are easily my two favorite shows of all time). Also, I heard much the same thing about Tad Williams's The Dragonbone Chair, and I've been *greatly* enjoying that!
I seldom reach for the tissues, but the ending of "Dark Hilarity" by my friend Joseph Sale... more chopped onions than I've dealt with for a very, very long time.
The slow burn in ROTE is, for me, comparable to the opening of The Dragonbone Chair. I hope you will enjoy ROTE if you give it a try, Michael. And darn those onions!
Thank you,@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy, I'm sure there'll be plenty of those onions for me with ROTE!
@@MichaelRSchultheiss oh, please please give Realm of the Elderlings a chance - yes, there are slow beginnings, yet ❤Robin Hobb ❤does 'slice of life' with so much talent, you (hopefully) quickly feel like you're just hanging out with your friend(s). If you *do* give in to our pressure and pick up Assassin's Apprentice, you should be safe from tears for a while - @PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy is quite right, you're likely to get through Farseer without them, and you COULD go through the Liveship Traders - it's the center trilogy that packs the emotional punches - Tawny Man goes extreme MMA death match on your feelings.
Thank you,@@derrisreaditbefore, I really appreciate the thoughtful recommendation! It's funny, but I did read Assassin's Apprentice many, many years ago--I think the fact that I didn't keep going with the series was because I was still quite young. Now that I'm an old and seasoned 38 and enjoy character-driven stories immensely, I'm thinking you, and Philip, and Josh, and many other Booktubers, must be on to something with this series!
and Chade’s boy cried! 😢😢😢
Yes! And so did we . . .
Abercrombie: “How’s the leg?”
One of my favorites!
I haven't read many authors but John Gwynne made me cry the most.The way he's making you fall in love with the characters and with the ideea of "companion"" as in friendship.When a character u got attached to dies it feels like a dagger through the hearth,u are all tears ... :D
Also Joe Abercrombie no doubt ... the dude is making me laugh as much as he makes me cry :D
I can't wait to read Greenbone Saga !!!
Well said! My very best to you for Green Bone Saga!
I can't wait to finish Earthsea this year. Don't cry at the Dark Tower : There are other worlds than these 😭
Well said, Joseph! Best wishes for Earthsea!
Hobb😭❤️
Exactly! Hobb is so brilliant at breaking our hearts in the best way possible.
Hi Philip,
Big fan of your channel, have come to understand your tastes over the course of year of watching your reviews and noticing your favourite books.
I would like to recommend a manga series Which I believe would become one of your all time favourite series. It goes by the name Hunter x Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi.
It has everything you want in a great novel/manga series/book:
1. Characters: Some of the best written characters I have ever read. There is not a single character that I don’t feel attached to. Even a maid who took a phone call on behalf of our Mc leaves a strong impression. The series is full of beautifully written characters that you will either love, hate or love to hate. One emotion that you won’t feel that is indifference.
2. Villians: Robin Hobb Writes great villians, Robert Jorden writes great Villians, George martin writes amazing villians, so does Steven Erikson, so does Yoshihiro Togashi. But I don’t think any of them have written 10 S Tier villians that Togashi has. I can name 10 characters that are like fully realized as any character written in fantasy. And so much more.
3. Magic System: Nen System from hunter x hunter is the best magic system I have ever read. I have spent a better part of a decade just reminiscing about Nen, it is so good. The fact is the magic system alone makes hxh an absolute worth read and it is not even the best part about hxh. Hxh nen >>>> any magic system in literature be it sanderson, Jorden, weeks, Rowling imho.
4. Fights: No one I mean no manga, no book series does fights as good as hunter x hunter. And this is not my humble opinion, but a fact. There is a fight in current arc that I believe is the best written fight in fiction.
5. Complexity and uniqueness: hxh starts very simple as a young boy’s journey to find his deadbeat father, but quickly turns itself into something else. Each arc(can be considered separate section) is vastly different from previous arcs.
All in all I can name 100 other things that makes hxh an absolute worth read at least once in your life. But it would spoil you the enjoyment.
Note: I would warn you about one thing, the series is unfinished as the author takes breaks due to his severe back pain issues.
Thank you for the beautifully articulated and persuasive recommendation!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy around lockdown Merphy Napier did a hxh read through and she absolutely loved it.
Hxh is the only manga series that feels like epic fantasy.
The current arc complexity is greater than that of ASOIAF, and in similar vain to Malazan.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy oh and the series at some points makes you bawl your eyes out. Just like Hobb.
Thank you for being honest and sharing your feeling with us. For the most part I only get teary eyed when reading non fiction. I can be moved by great writing in sci-fi/fantasy but it doesn’t affect me the same way that non fiction does. Maybe one day I will read a sci-fi/fantasy book that will make me teary eyed 🥹
I hope you’ll find that book! Cheers!
Guy Gavriel Kay is definitely number one for me. Daniel Abraham was up there though.
GGK seems to be the most popular choice in the comments. More GGK for me later this year!
Pierce Brown did it for me
I have read his books yet, but it's a matter of time!
Eichiro Oda made me cry a lot . I read a lot of Sanderson and other books in the past 3-4 years but nothing came close to what One Piece gets out of me. A man called Ove was almost there
Oda is great (especially Sanji/Law/Kuma backstories) but not on par with the best fantasy authors IMO.
I'm about to start my One Piece journey!
I could of literally put that list together for you.... Including the top four... Might have got them in a different order, but they would of all been there.
I have no doubt that is the truth! All the best!
Real men don't cry! Unless they're watching Charlotte's Web... or Old Yeller... or Marley and Me... oh screw it 😂😂
Ha ha! Charlotte’s Web is a killer. How could anyone cry over a spider? And yet . . .
... or _Hachi: A Dog's Tale_
I just wanted to add a few that I haven't seen in the comments yet.
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang got me to cry a few times. There is that scene in Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames, you know the one. And Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson gets me to cry a lot. It is simply emotional catharsis for me.
Excellent additions, Benjamin! Thank you!
I've read the main 10 Malazan 5 times. I have cried an ocean of tears. There is a particular scene in Dust of Dreams that I will never re-read concerning a female character. I cried for hours. Before I read Malazan..Ms Hobb held for most tears. Sword of the Kaigen most recently. Quite a few tears were also shed for Dark Tower.
I’ll have to try Sword of Kaigen at some point. Many thanks, Tricia!
I haven't read all of these series or authors yet, but I 💯agree with Steven King and John Gwynne, and for the same series that you selected.
I am only one book in to Malazan, so we will see if it draws out the tears. I hope so!
I would personally add M.L Wang, with her Sword of Kaigen, to my cry list, for sure. There are two different climaxes/heavy moments that teared me up in the length of just one standalone book, which is an accomplishment. It took King and Gwynne the better part of a series to illicit that kind of emotion from me, but Wang managed it in such a short span of time. There is no better/stronger written mother-son or wife-husband moments in any other Fantasy book, imo. I'm not sure there is anyone else I would add to my cry list you didn't cover, so far in my reading, but M.L. Wang for sure.
Wang has come up in several comments, which makes me want to read Sword of Kaigen even more!
The Sword of Kaigen was my best read of 2023. That was the year I also read The Dark Tower series and The Faithful and the Fallen series. So, some tough competition!
The novel's structure is non-traditional, and many feel the denouement went a chapter too long, but it's top-shelf for Characterization, Themes and Emotional Impact.
@@ronaldwatson3862 Sounds like a lot to love!
See, if anyone wants the exact opposite, just read MY book. I got a review last week saying they felt so happy when they got done reading it
Excellent, John! The Black Crown should feature a warning label on the back cover. “Warning: This book will make you happy!”
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I mean, I don’t wanna spoil anything but dad always told me “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” So aiming for a crowd pleaser felt like the natural thing to do
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I mean, I don’t wanna spoil anything but dad always told me “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” So aiming for a crowd pleaser felt like the natural thing to do
@@AuthorJohnADouglas Sounds like your dad passed along some wisdom to you!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy One gem of many.
Robin Hobb is all well and good, but my list has Eiichiro Oda once, Eiichiro Oda twice, Eiichiro Oda thrice...
I’m starting One Piece next week! Cheers, Kalle!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy That would be awesome.One Piece is my favourite manga and im looking forward for your review on the first saga already :D
The fact that Jim Butcher isn’t on here is a travesty. “It was almost like someone opened a door in my head, like they were helping me all along. I heard a very, very faint whisper, like an echo of Lash’s voice. Everything I can, dear host.” “I used the knife. I saved a child. I won a war. God forgive me…”, “Do you wanna be my Dad?” “It was just an Empty House”. Travesty I tell you
I've read only the first six Dresden Books, so I'm sure I'll encounter those more emotional moments later as I continue the series. Butcher has made me laugh on multiple occasions, though!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I’ve only openly wept reading/listening to a book and both were Dresden. Butcher is going to rocket up your “authors who make me emotional” list once you get caught up. Enjoy!
@@mtverv Cheers!
Jim Butcher got me like no other in the Dresden Files. That’s all I’ll say
I’m looking forward to getting to that point in Dresden Files - I’m only six books in right now. Cheers!
Malazan made me cry for the wrong reason
I love john gwynne, but for me his books are not that emotional. The only scene was the ending of book 3 (ruin) that came close to that.
Someone who made me cry and also stand up and cheer was brandon sanderson. I know he is overhyped at this point, but his ability to write satisfying character arcs is just top tier. There is nobody who makes me so emotional so often is their books. You feel so connected to those characters, I wish there were more authors who invest just this last missing piece of effort more in chracters instead of just plot and worldbuilding.
I think it’s safe to say that Sanderson would be a popular choice for a list like this for many fans. There are some stirring moments in Stormlight Archive, and I hope book five will bring some more!
See, if anyone wants the exact opposite, just read MY book. I got a review last week saying they felt so happy when they got done reading it